Lucy A. McLaren

  • Favourite Books of 2020

    As 2020 draws to a (scarily rapid) close, I’m looking back on the books I’ve enjoyed this year. It’s actually been the first year I’ve kept track of what I’ve been reading (no idea why I didn’t do this before… I’d love to be able to recall everything I’ve ever read). I’m not the fastest…

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  • Skin and Bone

    The dog stretched out of the cramped hole in the base of the great tree, yawning deeply. It had been a cool spring night and he sniffed at the fresh morning breeze that brought with it an undercurrent of death and decay from the surrounding forest. His pointed ears pricked up at the sounds of…

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  • Passing the Mantle

    The old wizard walked with purpose, one hand grasping an intricately carved wooden staff, the other resting lightly on his weathered belt. You might expect him to be wearing a luxurious robe, as wizards are wont to do; in fact, he was dressed sensibly in woollen trousers, tunic and cape, for there was a long…

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  • Birthright

    It started with a sacred weapon. Arthur was told from a young age he would inherit his father’s sword—his grandfather’s before him—and take up his rightful place as Hero of the Realm. And yet… And yet, the idea left him hollow. It wasn’t even fear—well, he had to admit, perhaps a little fear—but rather a…

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  • Author Interview: Maddie M. White

    It’s time for my next author interview! I met Maddie through Twitter, where she very kindly reached out to offer an author interview. She writes YA contemporary fiction and is also a Mental Health Advocate. I’ll hand you right over to Maddie to tell you more… Hello! So, first of all – tell me a…

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  • The Waypoint

    The bell above my door rings and my heart jolts in my chest, sending a rush of adrenaline through my veins. I am torn; comfortable in my state of near-hibernation, reluctant to move… But this is my first visitor in months, drawn in by the ever-burning flame at the top of my tower—a waypoint in…

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  • The Vigil

    The oak tree stood vigil on the roadside. Travellers passed by along with the seasons and the tree saw the flourish of life and the rot of death, ever silent in its watch. And so it was that, on this particular morning, it felt a tug upon one of its lower branches; a sturdy limb…

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  • Realism in Fantasy Books and Video Games – immersive or alienating?

    I’ve recently been playing a video game called Kingdom Come: Deliverance. This is a role-playing adventure which prides itself on creating a “realistic” portrayal of life as a medieval peasant. And, to be honest, it’s bloody hard! (Read: I’m not very good at it). At the same time, it’s an enjoyable game and one that…

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  • One Day More – a poem for Evie

    If I could spend one day more with you, I know in my heart just what we’d do. We’d start with some tea—a pot for two, I’d pour it out, a whole cup for you. I’d bake you a cake, chocolate with cream, You’d lick the bowl ‘til it’s sparkling clean. Then it’s time for…

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  • Fantasy books I read as a child (that are still amazing today)

    I’ve been reading fantasy books for about twenty years. Though I will venture off to other genres (horror, thriller, even sometimes a good romance), I will always be drawn back to the magical lure of the fantasy section in my local (read: any) bookshop (much to my husband’s chagrin). There is something incomparable about being…

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