Fiction, Arts Culture, Michigan Stories
Behind The Scenes of a Fantasy Book Version of Everything Everywhere All At Once
By Laura Cowan
Laura K. Cowan is a tech, business, and wellness journalist and fantasy author whose work has focused on promoting sustainability initiatives and helping individuals find a sense of connection with the natural world.
Behind The Scenes of a Fantasy Book Version of Everything Everywhere All At Once
An Interview with Mermaid Author Lorelai
Q: So Lorelai, this is a deceptively short set of novellas, but Murder of Crows is actually a super complex fantasy/romantasy book series, set in all kinds of parallel realities of Earth near Lake Michigan. We've got nature spirits battling humans who are evolving into having magic of their own. It's kind of chaos!
A: Yup. (snacks on seaweed, preens her tail)
Q: Where did this idea for a lakefront multiverse come from?
A: When I started writing the Murder of Crows series, I didn't even see it fitting together as one universe or magic system, much less a book series. I started writing the books separately and then realized with a few tweaks, they really belonged end to end.
Q: How long does a fantasy series set in a limitless multiverse take to write?
A: Probably should take a lot less time than this took me! Kidding aside, this series of 4 books actually took me 10 years to write. I guess it would have gone quicker if I had known what I was doing!
Q: Your series has been described as The Little Mermaid meets Stranger Things. Would you consider that a compliment?
A: Yes, if you like demigorgons.
Q: Do you?
A: Do I what? (hisses impatiently)
Q: Like demigorgons?
A: Well, not like THAT. But yeah. Who doesn't?
Q: Okay, moving on. Is there really a stone henge under Lake Michigan?
A: Yes, but it's not quite where I placed it for this story, and as far as I know it isn't a magical portal to the underworld.
Q: But it might be. You won't know unless you try.
A: I guess you'll have to swim down and test it for us.
Q: I don't breathe water.
A: That sounds challenging for you.
Q: In book 3 being released this month on Amazon, The Winged Fox follows two parallel reality twins who have to fight off freezing fog, spider webs pulling them underground, dying worlds, old gods reawakening, and even tricky boyfriends. How did you keep up with the plot lines?
A: Honestly I'm worried I might have left a few story strands dangling like kelp fronds.
Q: Why did you pair magical human Solange with sea creature humanoid Kung?
A: Well, they are near-same species of humanoid anyway, but I thought they would get along because they have the same brave kind spirit. I think kindness recognizes kindness no matter the species. That's the key to Solange's special sight.
cover art for the "old gods" monsters emerging in Detroit in book 4, Ghosts of Detroit, TBP 2026
Q: True enough. How did you keep it all straight between different parallel dimensions of Earth (I picture it horizontally?) and even layers of upper middle and lower worlds of each dimension?
A: To be honest we got lost a lot. But you can always come back to the book portals in the library and write yourself new spellsong to go wherever you want.
Q: Anywhere you want?
A: Anywhere spirit guides will let you go when they don't think they know better, which sometimes they don't. Just look how many times Kung got stuck in the Lake of Lost Souls and we had to go rescue him again.
Q: So what's coming up in the last book of the Murder of Crows series, Ghosts of Detroit?
A: If you don't like layers of reality in book 3, definitely don't tune in for book 4.
Q: Why not?
A: Because all the souls of all realities get dumped into the dead dimension of Detroit, and no one wants to leave. Maybe no one can leave. It happens a lot around here.
Q: What happens a lot in Michigan?
A: Time bubbles.
(combs her hair with a fork found at Pere Marquette Beach, Muskegon)
The Winged Fox, Book 3 in the Murder of Crows Michigandia fantasy/romantasy series is now available for pre-order on Amazon!
The launch for Winged Fox drops 9/30, but preorders are live now! Help our mermaid spruce up her cottage Silversides House for your visits and set up writers retreats and environmental cleanup fundraisers to help the Great Lakes remain the world's largest source of clean freshwater.
Michigan authors, Michigan stories, romantasy book launch, new fantasy books, Lorelai author, book tour fantasy author, The Winged Fox