Elijah David

 About a month ago, Paper and Thorns  made its debut into the world. After some delays getting the Kindle edition up and running, I'm glad to say that this series is firmly established. Yes, you read right. Series . But more on that later. If you have missed my previous glimpses into Paper and Thorns , here's a little backstory. I have always loved the story of "Beauty and the Beast" (see also my recent post about the story over at SpeculativeFaith ). Back when Disney's live action remake of the animated film came out, my artist friend Mirriam sketched what she thought the Beast should  have looked like (I'll give you a hint: there were lots of horns and menace going on). The design sparked an idea and I started chipping away at the story of that Beast and what his happy ending might (or might not) look like. After a couple of false starts, Paper and Thorns  really took off. It's a short book (less than 100 pages), and that is purposeful. I tend to str

This year has been a dry one as far as blog posts go. Despite being home a lot more than usual, I haven't been drawn to post as much here as I have in years past. I haven't been entirely idle. I finished the first draft of the third Albion book. I published  Paper and Thorns.  I have pulled out some old works to edit and started new ones (including a sequel/companion novella to  Paper and Thorns ). I crocheted. A lot. Since last fall, I've made 3 baby blankets, an afghan, a scarf, a throw blanket, and two stuffed Nifflers. Most of that happened after quarantine hit. And yet, this has been a season of doubt, of anxiety, of unease. I have found myself growing more and more restless and dissatisfied with my day-to-day, and even with the media I consume. Sometimes, I will pull out a familiar story just to find some half-remembered peace in its pages. I started digging into my thesis collection the other day. These stories held a special place in my heart because they represente

Arielle Bailey's debut novel, The Icarus Aftermath , is out in the world now, and I'm here today to talk to her about it. ED:  The Icarus Aftermath mixes Greek myth and Star Wars-style space opera. What led you to that combination? What led you to use the Icarus/Labyrinth myth specifically? AB: The combination burst on me fully armored, like Athena herself. My horse had died earlier that day, and I’d had a long day following. I was in the shower, trying to deal with it all, and I suddenly thought, “What if Icarus flew too close to the sun not to be an arrogant twit (look, he was in the original myth, okay) but to save someone else?” I mentally saw it in the blackness of space and knew instantly it was a space opera. Another ten seconds and I had the foundation of a scene that I wrote as soon as I got back to my room. It was a blinding flash of inspiration. And after I realized I’d be retelling Icarus, I knew I had to retell the Labyrinth/Minotaur myth too, be

With their best captain gone, Talos steps up to lead the Rebellion’s fighters. First objective: take out the Labyrinth. Only problem? No one can find its key. Koralia thinks she can find it, or at least an alternative. She didn’t count on uncovering secrets that could rock the galaxy to its core. Now she’s rushing to find a solution before everything blows up in their face. If they don’t destroy the Labyrinth soon, the Rebellion, the planets they protect, and an entire race of people are all doomed. Greek Mythology meets Star Wars in this retelling of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth. I remember seeing Arielle post hints and snippets of this book last year when she first began writing it. I loved the concept (Greek myths AND Star Wars? It was meant to be.) and couldn't wait to get my hands on the finished product. Here we are almost a year later and we have just that. Okay, okay, you say. But is it good ? "Is it good?" No. It's am