L.J. McDonald is the author of the wonderful novels „Battle Sylph“ (Die Krieger der Königin), „The Shattered Sylph“ (Die Krieger der Königin: Falkenherz) and „Queen of Sylphs“ (Die Krieger der Königin: Schattenmacht; coming in August in Germany). (Photo: Copyright Kevin Daly)
Thank you for taking the time for this interview.
The world of the Sylph is very wide and complex. How did you come up with that?
It came from a lot of daydreaming and the merging of disparate ideas. The sylphs came from the ideas of power and control that I wanted to explore and the desire to write shapeshifters and the like. It didn’t come from any one idea.
How do you keep track of all the rituals, hierarchies and traditions that are part of this world?
I have a private wiki that I use to keep track of everything. Otherwise I’m sure I’m sure I’d forget something.
If you could have a Sylph – which kind would you like to have and what name would you give it?
I’d probably want a fire sylph. They’re the ones drawn to creativity after all. And I’d likely name her Ash, which is a name I’ve used before.
Who is your favorite character in your novels?
Leon, with Ril running a close second.
You’re writing a whole set of stories with titles running from A-Z for your homepage. How did you think of that and will that be included in one of your novels?
I saw the idea online as a writer’s challenge and thought it would be interesting, as well as a nice gift to visitors on my blog. I cleaned it up after I finished posting it and released it as a free ebook through Smashwords, so it’s available in all sorts of formats now.
How many books are planned for the Sylph?
I’ve written five. I have vague thoughts for what I could do with a sixth, but I’m working on other novels in different universes right now.
Since there won’t be any more books about the Sylph in paperback, how will you handle the series? Are different publishing possibilities planned?
Because of a number of things that have happened with the Sylph series and Dorchester’s handling of it, I’m working on getting my rights back for the first three books. I want all five to go to a house that will publish them in paperback and electronic versions. Where my agent and I are in respects to that isn’t something I can go into right at this point, but that’s what we’re up to.
Many authors go into the graphic novel business. Do you have plans for the Sylph to go there?
No, not really. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, mind you, if the right artist was interested.
You’re an artist yourself. Ever thought of drawing your own graphic novel?
Definitely not! LOL. I’m nowhere near consistent enough yet for anything like that. Plus I can’t draw a sylph in their natural form to save my life.
What projects raise your interest? What novels are you aching to write?
Fantasy, always. Books where I can invent the world and see how that world affects the people in it. I have lots of ideas in mind to write but I think I might descend into a very dark and horrible world in my next full length novel. For now I’m working on perfecting a short story I’ll be publishing as an ebook on Smashwords as an experiment.
What novels are currently lying on your nightstand?
Right now I’m reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, Loki by Mike Vasich, and War Horse by Michael Morpurgo.
Thank you for your time. I am really looking forward to your „Queen of Sylphs“ in August in Germany.
Thank you. I hope you enjoy it.
