Spotlight: Adventure & Fantasy Writer L.M Sypher
Oh whoa, hey the color’s back! That must mean the curse has ended… Or is it the beginning of a new one? I hope not, but when dealing with monsters and magically enchanted objects, anything is possible.
Which takes us to this week’s spotlight, featuring adventure & fantasy writer
— author of their debut novel, The Serpent’s Rise. And today we’ll be exploring who they are as a writer, as well as a bit of info about their book.But real quick before we begin, if you’d like to support
, go subscribe to them on Substack. They also have a pretty nifty website if you’d prefer to check that out.
Creator of Jorden Casillas and the Age of Monsters, L. M. Sypher is an illustrator, research historian, and folklore enthusiast from the Washington D.C. area. A middle grade fiction author, their work revolves around themes of mythological adventure, with thrilling action sequences and creatures beyond your wildest nightmares. When not writing, they visit historic locations, lead ghost tours, and sample every coffee shop within a twenty-mile radius. Their constant writing companion is an enormous orange tabby named Copernicus, who thinks he’s the center of the solar system-and he’d be right.
Below are some questions L.M. answered for the Spotlight.
What is the writing process like for you?
I used to believe I was somewhere between a planner and a pantser, but I have since learned I’m a pantser through and through. I have a vague idea of where I want the story to go, and certain beats I know I need to hit. Aside from that, I let the story take shape as it will, and go with the flow of my characters.
How do you get inside your characters' heads?
Intuition guides most of my character creation. Things just pop into my head and I run with them for a while, until it starts to feel wrong, or I get editorial feedback that leads me in a different direction. That said, I get pretty weird looks on the street because as I’m walking along, running errands or what have you, I tend to talk to myself, and whisper lines of dialogue that I’m chewing on until I get the cadence right to write down later. It’s embarrassing, but it works!
What drew you to your genres?
I’ve always been fascinated with mythology. I stumbled on a Greek Mythology book when I was eight years old and have been done for since. In undergrad, I had the opportunity to study archeology in Athens. I also minored in Art History and was exposed to the art and mythologies from cultures around the world. In 2021, a friend and I launched a folklore and oral tradition project telling the stories of the agricultural reserve where I was raised. Now, I’m writing the Age of Monsters series, and it’s like a love letter to all the subjects I’ve been passionate about for 2/3 of my life at this point.
What does your relationship with "Writer's Block" look like?
When I have writer’s block, it means one of two things: the story either isn’t fleshed out enough, or I’m on the wrong track. Book two has been difficult for me to get jump-started, because I was having trouble tackling some big plot-related questions, and finding loopholes in the safety net I’d woven for my main character. It wasn’t until a conversation with my cultural editor that I realized I’d mis-stepped to begin with, but after altering just a few lines of The Serpent’s Rise, it opened a whole new world. In other words, “Writer’s Block” is just an invitation for me to dig deeper and uncover the pieces of the story I didn’t know fit together, or what’s sticking out like a sore thumb.
When you're writing difficult or emotional scenes, how do you prop the mood?
There are certain songs that become synonymous with the emotions of the characters in pivotal scenes. I’ll put these on repeat for hours at a time if necessary as I hyper-focus on the scene-work. For The Serpent’s Rise, it was “Such Great Heights” by MILCK. It’s simultaneously hopeful and somber, which is a key element of the novel, so I listened to it, well, more times that I’d feel comfortable reporting here, but Spotify knows my crimes.
Below is an excerpt L.M included for the showcase.
What was the most difficult part of getting a book published or self-published?
Start to finish, I did it by myself. Scouting for beta readers, networking with other authors, finding the right editors to help me guide the story, knowing when to listen and what to sacrifice, making the hard calls, and handling the stomach-dropping implications of making mistakes is really just the tip of the iceberg. There was so much that I didn’t know I didn’t know, and I can honestly say I’ve learned more in the last 8 months publishing my book than I have doing pretty much anything else.
How do you process and handle receiving negative reviews or comments?
It depends on what the review says. If it’s a matter of taste, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. Not every piece of media is everyone’s cup of tea. When it’s been more constructive, I try to take it in stride, and incorporate that feedback for the future. A lot of it boils down to reminding myself that I am not perfect, and a perfect story doesn’t exist. I tend to sweat the small stuff, so relieving myself of the burden of perfection by remembering I still have room to grow is essential.
What is a piece of advice you've received which has helped propel your writing forward?
“I hate literally every step in the filmmaking process. The only thing I hate more than making a film is not making a film.”
If you live a creative’s life, it’s because you cannot and will not be satisfied doing anything else. I knew I was going to regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t make a real go of this whole writing thing, so I’m giving it everything I’ve got, and then a little more.
Without spoiling your books, is there a character you've written you relate to most? How has it evolved your writing?
There was one character that I projected a lot of myself onto. This character was so incredibly special to me, but for all the wrong reasons. I realized that I loved them because they were a reflection of my pains and insecurities, and they came across in editorial review very differently than how I interpreted them. I realized I was smothering the character because I was putting so much of me into them, and it made for a worse story because of it. Letting go of that connection and allowing the character to exist separately from me was such a transformative experience for me as an author. Not only are they far cooler for it, but I learned a lot about how I perceive myself and where I need to give L. M. Sypher a little more grace as well.
Is there anyone who inspired you to write your books?
There’s not one specific person that inspired me, but there are several people who have encouraged me. My dad is the most noteworthy example. He has put a lot on the line for me in order to help me see this through, and I wouldn’t have been able to get this book across the finish line - or even keep a roof over my head - without his support.
And do you have any reading recommendations?
I recently came across the work of another indie by the name of R. C. Luna. She writes the Warrior Shifter Series. We stumbled on one another on TikTok and I followed immediately because we write similar themes and subject matter. I mean, hello, nahuals and girls with fire in the palms of their hands? We totally share a wavelength. Her series is for a slightly more mature audience than mine, and is an edgy romance, but I’m so excited to dive deeper into her world, and I think you should too, if you’re into cool storytelling and fascinating mythology.
In this section we’ll be going through L.M’s work, any upcoming releases, and social links. Synopsis for each book or series is pulled from their webpage. For up-to-date content warnings, please visit her website.
Jorden Casillas and the Age of Monsters: The Serpent’s Rise
Twelve-year old Jorden Casillas is caught between two worlds-and not for the usual preteen reasons. Jorden is a nahual (nah-wahl), a serpentine shapeshifter from Mesoamerican mythos. With uncanny strength and speed he hasn’t quite learned to control, he can’t blend in with the humans, nor is he entirely welcome in the secret monster society of Los Angeles. Things take a turn for the worse when Jorden is strong-armed into becoming the apprentice of Gaspar, an unscrupulous smuggler known as The Wax Man.
When Jorden is tasked with stealing a necklace that turns out to be a powerful magical artifact, he finds himself at odds with one of the most terrifying monsters in his mythos. In order to survive, Jorden must do the impossible-he must find a way to bridge the gap between humanity and mythology.
L. M. Sypher’s next book in the Jordan Casillas and the Age of Monsters series, is set to be titled The Last Batallion. However more details have yet to be shared. But if you’d like to stay updated, go subscribe to their Substack, or check out their website.
Before, we start wrapping things up, there’s one more thing L. M. wanted to include in this spotlight: “Thank you to anyone reading this, from the bottom of my heart. This is my very first published book, and I’m so excited to share it with all of you.”
As someone whose gotten the chance to read it, The Serpent’s Rise is an amazing debut novel. So I really do think you should check it out, L. M. themself is incredibly talented!
Thanks so much L. M. for allowing me the honor of doing this spotlight. This was a huge joy to work on, and your work deserves all the love.
And to those who stuck all the way through, thanks so much as well! Your support means the world to me. I know next month things are changing a bit, but I hope you continue to look as forward to each spotlight as I do. That’s it for this time, so I’ll let you go. Buh-bye!
Gosh I love LM. So fun getting to know more about their process 😍