“For me, dragons represent the ultimate in escapism.”
Daydreaming of Dragons with L.L. MacRae
I first came across Lauren when I made my way onto the booktube scene. I remember very fondly looking at the self-published offerings and gaining more and more insight as to where to start. The Iron Crown was making waves but I was ever drawn to The World of Linaria. Low and behold a book tour would pop up with a revamped version of L.L. MacRae’s fantasy debut Moroda! From our very first interaction Lauren has been instrumental in my indie reading and now writing journey, from helping host giveaways on my channel to just recently helping me find an editor! Welcome to the blog Lauren!
Q. First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to chat with me today! Can you give us an introduction to you, your work and where people can find you?
A. Thank you so much for the opportunity, Kris! My name is Lauren, I’m a fantasy author and I write under the name L.L. MacRae.
Since publishing my debut, Moroda, in 2017, I’ve published 17 stories! This includes two short stories, as well as novels and novellas across two epic fantasy series, World of Linaria and Dragon Spirits, and a third, oft unnamed and unmentioned urban fantasy series.
I typically write hopeful fantasy, featuring less mainstream characters (quieter and/or neurospicy characters deserve to have their stories told, too!), bucket-loads of magic, and plenty of dragons. They tend to feel like classic fantasy, written in a modern way. I aim to capture the whimsy and wonder of fantasy along with the messy characters making their way in my worlds. As far as where people can find me, my linktree has pretty much everything listed! My socials, Patreon, link to my ARC form, upcoming events etc. are all here: http://linktr.ee/llmacrae
Q. As a full-time author, can we get a little insight into what your day to day looks like? How did you come up with a routine that works for you and what is your number one piece of advice for someone looking to set up a daily routine for writing?
A. It varies depending where in a particular project I am, and what projects I have ongoing.
If I’m in the drafting stages, then I tend to block out a good chunk of time (usually 11am – 4pm) and write in pomodoro sprints. These are around 25 minutes of writing time followed by a 5 minute break. It can vary, sometimes I write for more or less time, or have longer or shorter breaks.
Usually 8am – 11am is admin; responding to emails, packing website orders (I self-distribute my paperbacks plus all my bookswag), work on my newsletter, arrange author swaps, promotions, tours, interviews, write Patreon essays/other posts, liaise with illustrators/designers/audiobook narrators etc. I’ll pick this author admin up again in the evening if there’s more to be done after writing. Some days, it is nothing but admin!
This morning/evening time can also be for plotting, note-taking, or sometimes I just want to read for an hour or two to give my brain a bit of a break!
I typically have two projects ongoing – whatever my upcoming release is (e.g. the next book in the Linaria series, or my current co-authored project), alongside my Patreon-exclusive fantasy serial. I don’t like flitting between multiple projects, so I try to dedicate a week or so to the ongoing project, and the rest of the month to my “main” one.
As the biggest chunk of my author income is direct sales, I usually attend 6 – 8 events per year. These are usually comic cons, and I’ll typically drive around the country to attend these. In the days leading up to each event, I’ll spend most of the time prepping for them. This can be ordering stock, shuffling books in tubs, packing up bundles, organising swag etc.
The events can be super draining, and I’ll be dead the day (or two, or three!) after, which means very little work will be done!
If the drafting stage is finished, and I don’t have any upcoming events, it’ll probably be deep in the throes of editing. So this will be weekly calls with my editor (but can sometimes be one per day!) as we work through the manuscript, capture amends, note down what needs to be cut or rewritten or added in.
Much like any creative, I often hit walls where I can’t write, or what I’m writing is of such poor quality it gets deleted immediately. Or life gets in the way. Or I have several events back to back. Or whatever else happens that knocks me off track.
Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve had a “good” writing week where I could focus only on my draft and nothing else. So if I get even three days a week of focussed writing time, I call it a win!
I didn’t really come up with the specific routine, it just sort of ended up that way. When juggling multiple projects in multiple stages, things will naturally fit where they can. Mostly I try to be flexible and adapt as and when needed, and not be too hard on myself when things don’t work out as I’d hoped.
My best advice is: consistency is king.
Even if it is one hour a day and nothing else, treat that time as sacred. It is very easy for the thousand and one tasks that you have to do as a self-published author to run away from you, and writing time is often the first thing to get cut back.
Once you’re out of the routine of writing, it can be incredibly hard to get the ball rolling again, along with associated motivation and creativity.
Writing doesn’t have to be at the perfect set up, either. It can be while you’re laying in bed, typing on your phone. It can be a notebook you keep in the kitchen while waiting for food to cook. It could be dictating while you’re driving. It could be whatever you need it to be, as long as it’s easily accessible, and something you do as often as possible.
Other than that, I really advocate for reading as much as possible, especially within your subgenre.
It is entertaining in the first instance, which can keep the joy up when you are frustrated with your own words – it’s nice to be reminded of why you’re writing in the first place! Secondly, it can be inspirational, and there have been many times I’ve dropped a book mid-chapter because my subconscious flicked on a lightbulb while reading and I’ve had to get to my laptop and get words written! Third, it is research, which as a publisher as well as a writer, you should probably be doing.
Q. I know you LOVE dragons which can be seen in both the World of Linaria and The Dragon Spirits. What were the inspirations behind the quite unique takes on dragons in your books? (Bonus point for mentioning your top 3 dragons!)
A. Okay so, my top three dragons are probably Toothless, Haku, and Shenron!
For me, dragons represent the ultimate in escapism. They can be so much more than a fire-breathing lizard. They can be awe-inspiring, terrifying, magical, gods, beasts, allies, enemies, the list goes on.
They can be the physical embodiment of whatever you need them to be, based on your world, story, and theme.
The dragons in World of Linaria are quite “typical” when you think of a western-style fantasy dragon as far as appearance is concerned. There is a small twist with one of the branches of magic in the world coming from them. Each dragon carries within it a crystal that is the source of their fire.
It was a world building idea I had quite early on, and most of the story revolves around this – the antagonist is stealing the power of dragons, there is an entire race of people who worship them and have benefited from learning some of their magic, the gods of the world are dragons because of this power, etc.
I think one of my earliest thoughts for the series was having, “the greatest dragon hunt ever,” but not in the obvious sense. You have people hunting dragons for their power, hunting them to ask for their help, having the greatest dragons themselves be hunted etc. It all depends on the character and where they are in their own story.
In Dragon Spirits, I was quite influenced by Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, mostly), as well as themes of life and death, nature, and conservation.
Once again, the world building idea of a spirit forming in an area of abundant life (such as a forest or sea) or material (such as gold or iron ore) was the starting point. It just so happened that these spirits take the form of dragons. I love the idea of a place having a physical embodiment – not only in appearance but associated personality, desires, etc. These life spirits clearly must have a natural opponent in death spirits, which are the Myr.
I love books where you have smaller scale, more intimate stories set within larger epics. So focussing on the people caught between spirits of life and death, and how they are influenced (or not) by either side formed the basis of that series.
Mostly I wanted the dragons in those two series to be very distinct. No one could confuse a dragon in one series for one from the other!
My next series will once again have a totally unique take on dragons, and I can’t wait for you all to meet these ones 😀
Q. You also have a series which is much less talked about sitting in the urban fantasy camp. Can you tell us a little about it and tell us what readers would love these books!
A. Hahahaha, very few people know about this series! I never mention it anymore, and now that I publish as L.L. MacRae, this series is technically published under a penname. It’s very different from my epic fantasy series and short stories, though dragons do feature, of course.
It is set in an alternate London, and follows a hidden society that aims to keep the area safe from demons that are spilling into the world through portals that have begun to appear. We have a plethora of supernatural creatures, like elementals, enchantresses, genies etc. and our main character is a lethal demon killer who is “soulless.”
Funnily enough, she has no memory (much like Fenn from Dragon Spirits, so clearly having characters trying to find themselves [and take their power back] is a theme that is pervasive across all of my books!), and is on a quest to learn who she is, while also increasing her strength and turning from a loner into someone who finds a family among these supernatural misfits.
It’s light-hearted, fast-paced, and pretty fun. A sort of “monster of the week” ala Buffy and Charmed. However, the characters themselves don’t have a lot of depth, at least, not as much as most fans of urban fantasy would expect, and the tone isn’t quite right for the genre.
I wrote the four book series (and prequel novella) shortly after going full time as an author, and used it mostly as practice. At this time, I was figuring out my writing routines while also navigating working freelance, and a lot of things were uncertain for me at the time.
As such, it came out more rushed than I would have liked, but it still taught me some lessons about my writing, and I was able to explore some ideas I’d had for a while!
Q. Out of the three series you have currently written, what has been your favourite to write and what has been the most difficult (and why)?
A. This is such a hard question! I think World of Linaria will always have a special place in my heart, because it was my debut. It was where everything started. And enough people liked it that I kept writing more, despite the struggles and fears. If it wasn’t for Moroda, none of the rest would have ever followed!
I find writing sequels (or more specifically, book two) tricky. Comparing Palom to The Shadow Gate, I’d say Palom was the most difficult to write. I had had a little success with Moroda (it was a semifinalist in SPFBO4), and people seemed to enjoy it and want more. But I hadn’t planned it as a series, so now I had to try and take the threads of book one and turn it into a series that made sense.
I remember having dreams where I’d speak to my future self, and ask her if I ever managed to finish writing it!
Writing Palom was where my eyes were opened to a lot of things that indie authors are expected to do – formatting, editing, ARCs etc. I was a bit overwhelmed with all the things I didn’t know and had to learn, and I wasn’t really part of the bookish community at that point, so it was a big levelling up book.
This is probably why Palom is significantly shorter than any other novel in that series (or my Dragon Spirits series), because it was such a struggle to figure out what I was going to do with it.
There are still things I’d change, and if I’m being honest, it would be great to rewrite it. However, after doing that to Moroda, I’d never put myself through that again!
It’s definitely the black sheep of my bookish children, but it’s fine. I’m looking back on where I started more fondly, and am more accepting of my flaws than I used to be.
Now, it’s all about looking ahead to the next shiny project!
Q. You have also been a part of several anthologies in the past with more on the horizon I suspect! What are the main differences for you in creating shorter fiction vs longer epic fantasy entries?
A. Yes, I’ve been very lucky! I was invited to contribute to both the Anatomy of Fear (dark fantasy/horror) and The Advent of Winter, and I was incredibly honoured by this!
I write epic fantasy primarily because I love world building, whether that is peoples, places, or magics, and spending time fleshing out a secondary world until you can see it clearly in your minds’ eye is wonderful.
You can’t do that with short fiction!
So I definitely struggle with fewer words than I do with 100k+ epics! It’s similar to why authors tend to hate writing blurbs!
It is a great challenge, however, to see if you can deliver a coherent story in such a small amount of page time. I think once I had my concept nailed down for each short, it became much easier. Then editing it to ensure clarity and the emotional beats are there is where it becomes fun.
I worked as a copywriter for a number of years, so getting the message across in as few words as possible is something I did all day every day. It’s a little different with fiction, but I have fun combing through sentence by sentence, picking out words that aren’t needed while dialling up the emotions.
The main difference is focussing on just one thing. One concept. One plot threat. You can have subtext of course, and hint at a wider story, but you don’t have to juggle multiple characters and subplots, which can certainly be freeing. It allows you to focus on getting the best out of one idea, rather than thinking about a whole cohesive world.
After taking part in two anthologies, I’d definitely be open to contributing to more!
Q. A large part of your marketing journey centres around travelling to conventions and interacting with readers in very public ways. How do these work for expanding your readership? Is this something you would recommend to other authors looking to gain a new audience?
A. Absolutely, it is the main part of my author business! It is definitely not for everyone, and I am wiped out after each event. They are typically early starts, late finishes, and being switched on for 8/10/12 hours, depending on how long the show is, several days in a row.
They work very well for expanding my readership, but I attend events and comic cons where many people attending will like fantasy in some form. If you write in another sub genre, you might not do as well, or you might need to look for other shows where the audience is more catered to your niche.
These events are incredible for turning readers into fans, and almost everyone on my beta team is someone I’ve actually met from an event! There’s a stronger connection there than simply reading a book’s blurb on Amazon, or clicking on a Facebook ad. You get to meet the author, find out about them, the book, writing, and just build a connection, however small.
People come back event after event, even if they own all my books, just to say hi and see how I’m doing. That is so wonderful I can hardly put it into words! It’s surreal, too, to know that these are the people who are enjoying my worlds and characters, and taking the time to meet me to share their thoughts.
Of course, events take time away from writing, editing, and everything else you need to do, so you have to balance the pros with the cons. For most authors, I wouldn’t recommend it. But I would suggest giving it a try if there is a local event that you could attend, just to see what it’s like, and if it’s something you could do.
You need to have a professional-looking set up, be willing to talk to people all day, to sell yourself and your book/s, and that can be incredibly daunting. Especially as many authors are introverts!
Take help, if you can, and know it is an investment of time and money. Potentially even visit the event before, as a regular attendee, and talk to traders (and other authors, if they’re there) to get a feel for it before you commit.
Q. I’d like to end our interview with something a little different that combines two of your favourite pastimes, baking and dragons. If you could host a tea party for our scaly friends, what treats would be on the menu and who would you invite?
A. Oooh, what a question!
I think dragons would love anything decadent and warm, so I’d probably make a hot cookie dough dessert with lashings of melted chocolate sauce and sweet caramel! And I’d invite any dragon that could bear to be parted with its hoard for a short time 😀 (Oh and definitely the dragons that talk, and are less likely to roast me!)
A huge thank you to L.L. MacRae for her time today! Want to know more about her worlds? Check out a review for The Iron Crown here!
