📚 I’ve been told that books that light me up. Fiction and non-fiction. Ones that are new to me and ones that I’m rereading.

‘I was nine years old the first time I tried to kill a man …’

After catching our attention, Starless’s blurb holds it by telling us: ‘Destined from birth to serve as protector of the princess Zariya, Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth … yet there is one profound truth that has been withheld from him.’

Don’t worry! I’ll avoid spoilers!

This is a stand-alone epic fantasy – a rarity in a genre where we’re used to trilogies and series.

And it’s unusual in another area too.

As Jacqueline Carey tweeted in November 2021, ‘Princess Zariya on her crutches is fierce as hell, relentless polite, and carries lightning in the palm of her hand. Disability impossible in fantasy? Not even the slightest little bit, my darlings! ;)’

And the detailed research that Jacqueline Carey uses to support her story is typical of her work.

I first came across Jacqueline Carey with Kushiel’s Dart

I first came across Jacqueline Carey with Kushiel’s Dart, an ‘intoxicating fantasy of intrigue and betrayal’. It’s set in what feels like a fantasy version of Europe in the Renaissance era. The quote is on the cover of the new version of the paperback.

My favourite quote from the book is  'All knowledge is worth having.' You may have heard me say it!

Jacqueline Carey’s website notes that ‘Tor Books is relaunching the original Kushiel’s Legacy series in a shiny new trade paperback edition! The idea is to give a whole new generation of readers the opportunity to discover Terre d’Ange.’

I’d love to be reading it for the first time again!

This is on the run-up to the release of Cassiel’s Servant in August 2023. It’s the Kushiel’s Dart story told from the point of view of a favourite ancillary character. I’m delighted!

So what’s in the photo?

The photo shows my Jacqueline Carey books. My earlier purchases are paperbacks. Then I knew I just couldn’t wait and started to buy hardbacks. The framed picture on the right-hand side of my paperbacks is a signed bookplate from Jacqueline Carey in response to a fan letter I sent her.

I kept the envelope – you can see in the frame that she scribbled ‘Loved your letter’ on it!

This was a huge deal for me! And in 2018 when she retweeted my tweet about Starless, I thought I might burst!

Prescient?

I thought Jacqueline Carey was prescient when she released Santa Olivia in 2009. In the book, a pandemic leads to a demilitarised zone between the USA and Mexico. It was published just weeks after my mum and dad rushed home from their holiday in Mexico due to the swine flu epidemic.

And in the post-Covid-19 world, it's even more thought-provoking.

What lights me up?

Thinking about the joy I’ve had from small interactions with the author and all the connections I’ve had with Jacqueline Carey’s books over the years lights me up 💡

#BooksLightMeUp

#Fiction

#Editing

#Proofreading

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📚 I’m Lisa. I’m an editor and proofreader, specialising in business books and fiction. I’d love to connect with your book and understand your context and research too. Please do book a video call or email me to talk about editing or proofreading for your book.