July 2025 – The Literary Underworld

The Elsie Lind Chronicles

By J.L. Mulvihill

One night I had a strange, terrifying but magical dream. That dream turned into a 180,000-word story. Eventually it was cut down drastically and became my first novel, The Lost Daughter of Easa. I had no idea what I was doing except writing a story that I wanted to share with others. Once I finished the novel, I had to figure out what to do with it.

I remember I was at work one day and was getting coffee in the kitchen when I saw an ad in the paper for a convention that offered workshops for writers. The conference was called MidSouthCon and was only for a weekend so I convinced my family we should go. It was the most amazing thing I had ever done. While my family went to do all the fun things they had at the convention, I went to every single writing panel I could squeeze into my schedule. I remember I was up late and exhausted, but I was determined to learn the business of writing inside and out.

With the things I learned at that convention and with writing that novel I found a link to another world. Of course, that world was always there, always looming in the back of my mind drifting in and out of my thoughts, but it was never really something I understood when I was younger.

As a child I read a lot for escapism. I didn’t have a very nice childhood, but I found that I could climb a tree with a book and run away with the characters in the story. My mind didn’t stop there though, because something else was going on in my head. Stories of my own were formulating and I found that if I didn’t have anything to read, I could escape into a story of my own making. As I grew older, I started writing these stories down along with poetry and songs. The silly thing is that I should have realized then that I was a writer, but I just didn’t get the hint.

The novel Lost Daughter of Easa was published in 2011 and had its debut at DragonCon that year where it sold out. I was riding on cloud nine and was ready to continue the story. However, I moved on to another project for a few years and wrote another adventure, all along knowing that Elsie’s story wasn’t finished. When I finally had time to sit down and continue writing Elsie’s story, I found it easy falling back into her world. The next novel in the series, for I now realized that this would eventually become a series, was called Return to Easa.

I was still working a full-time job and raising a family with my husband, but all the while I remained connected to that link in my mind. I never let go of the storyteller inside, but instead tempered her and kept at an even pace. I managed to write five other novels over the years to a total of seven while still working. I also wrote short stories and had them published as well.

In all this time I have never let Elsie Lind go; she has always been with me. I don’t think it is because it was my first novel, but more than that I am not done telling her story. There also might be a bit of me and my feelings and life in that story as well. Of course, all my stories have a little something of me in them – after all, you do write what you know. I am still writing the Elsie Lind Chronicles, not just to share her story, but to offer a world to escape to for my readers as I had done when I was young.

Though the novel was labeled young adult, I never started writing the story as a YA novel; it just kind of came out that way. I did, however, create the character in such a way that readers could identify with her. She does not start out as anyone very special, but she eventually finds her own potential and strengths within her to become a strong young woman. That part was intentional, because I believe we have within us the strength and power to overcome the obstacles life throws in our way.

In the beginning of the novel, Elsie Lind falls through a giant spider web that is a portal to another world. This was something I often fantasized about when I was a child, kind of like Alice in Wonderland. I wanted to go to another world to escape the life I was in, and I believed that if I could just find that portal, I could change everything in my life. I did find that portal, sort of, when I write my stories, because I go into that world I am writing about in my mind. As any good writer will tell you, I live it, breathe it, I feel it.

When Elsie wakes up in the other world, she has amnesia. I wrote this because what I had hoped was that a person could forget the bad things in their life and start fresh and maybe be a new person, start a new life. This experiment, however, enlightened me. I found that as I wrote the story, Elsie still had the thoughts and feelings inside, and she could not understand where they came from. Her emotions from past “baggage” if you will, were still guiding her and she could not grow until she faced these emotions. She had to find out who she was and where she came from in order to change the bad feelings and emotions within and become a better person. Elsie is still working on this, and I probably am too.

I think perhaps all my characters in all my novels are the kind that most kids and even adults identify with. It’s an understanding of growth and it is a form of therapy. I always encourage anyone who is going through, or has gone through stressful times to write, even if you’re not writing a novel just write your feelings because it really does help. I feel so grateful to be able to share my stories and get the therapy I need at the same time.

People always ask me what research I do for my books. Since The Elsie Lind Chronicles are fantasy novels, it is a bit difficult to research a made-up world, but not impossible. Even though it’s a fantasy world it needs to be believable. I like to research historical elements such as castles, swords, battle skills, clothing and things like that. I also research folklore, especially Scandinavian folklore that really seems to fit into my world beautifully. I have my own private collection of books on these subject matters and use them often. If there is something I do not have, I tend to go to a library or bookstore to find what I need. I am not against modern technology, and I will do some research on Google, but I prefer to use books so that I can be accurate.

The Lost Daughter of Easa will always have a special place in my heart, and I do hope to continue the story until there is no more to tell. Right now, I am writing full-time, so I will have lots of time to spend with Elsie Lind in her world. I hope that if you who are reading this now, you might give The Lost Daughter of Easa a try. See if you don’t manage to escape if only for a little while.

If you are a writer, give your characters the chance to speak to you. Let them in your head, feel their pain and accomplishments because really, they are a part of you. Share your story, because I promise you someone out there will identify with you and will appreciate the story you have written.

A California native born in Hollywood, California, J.L. MULVIHILL wanted to be a rock star. After several years of modeling, acting, and singing, she decided to marry, have a family, and moved to a quieter life in Mississippi where she has lived for the past twenty years. Finding she has a gift for story telling she began to write young adult books, including the Steel Roots series and The Lost Daughter of Easa. She is very active in the writing community, a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Gulf Coast Writers Association, Imagicopter, the Mississippi Writers Guild and Clinton Ink-slingers Writing Group. She continues to write fantasy, steampunk, poetry and essays inspired by her life in the South.

Pick up the first edition copies of Lost Daughter of Easa and Return to Easa at the Literary Underworld!

Disability Pride

By Diana Morgan

It’s Disability Pride Month, and now more than ever, it’s important for disability representation in literature and media.

Disability Pride Month celebrates the landmark passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (AMA) in July 1990. The AMA has been essential in protecting the rights of people with disabilities, ensuring access to jobs, transportation, and more. It has helped create a culture of pride and visibility in disability communities all over the country.

One place where this visibility is important is through our stories. Disability representation in media is often overlooked when talking about marginalized communities. It is often portrayed in stereotypes or exaggerations. Disabled characters frequently serve to support a non-disabled person or as inspiration for the audience. Frequently in science fiction and fantasy, magic or superpowers “cure” the disability, reinforcing the idea that being able-bodied is the only goal – that living with disability is shameful, or only something to be overcome.

There’s a long history of shame and concealment when it comes to disabled people. In the late 19^th and much of the 20^th centuries, many cities had “Ugly Laws” that targeted disabled people, making it hard for them to appear in public. You could be fined, arrested, and even institutionalized if you were found to be too unpleasant or distressing. These laws were based on eugenics and creating an “ideal society.” Freak shows and carnivals often exploited them for profit, putting them on display for entertainment.

Many of those laws weren’t officially repealed until well into the 1970s. This is why legislation like the AMA and policies like DEI that protect the disabled and other marginalized communities and break stigmas are so important.

I am a disabled author with ADHD and autism, and I often include characters with similar experiences to my own. I’ve also spent time learning about representation and trying to help other writers as a sensitivity reader and speaker. I am not an expert on every disability, but I feel representation in media and fiction is important to the disabled community.

Early disability representation was often villains, angry over being disfigured, or victims who needed to be pitied and rescued. Much of this came from the fear and misunderstanding caused by stigma from things like the Ugly Laws.

Representation has improved over the decades. Characters like Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Daredevil, and Professor Xavier in Marvel comics have led the way for more disability representation and better visibility for the community.

More recently, characters like Nessarose in the Wicked movie, played by Marrissa Bode, a wheelchair user, brought even more authenticity to the character. On Broadway, the Wicked musical just cast Jenna Bainbridge, another actress who is an ambulatory wheelchair user, to play the role on stage for the first time.

Supporting disabled writers and actors is how we continue to break the stigmas around disability. Letting disabled writers tell their stories and be involved in media is the best way to ensure that we continue to have authentic representation that breaks stigma and normalizes disabled people being a part of society.

Disability is not a monolith. There are many different types of disability. It can be physical, neurological, or developmental, cognitive, or intellectual, or a combination of factors. Not all disabilities are visible, and not all conditions disable every person in the same way. People can also have multiple disabilities that impair them in multiple ways. Some people are born with disabilities, but others acquire them from accidents, disease, or chronic conditions.

Disability is the only marginalized community that anyone can join at any time. Everyone is one accident, one sickness, one twist of genetics away from being disabled.

Even within a single disability, things are often on a spectrum. Autism affects each person in very different ways. We are not all Sheldon Cooper or the Good Doctor—many of us struggle in very real ways. Very few blind people see total darkness—many have some visual acuity. Same with D/deaf people. They may have some ability to hear within a certain range. Some people use adaptive aids like cochlear implants, and some use sign language. Some wheelchair users are ambulatory and able to walk short distances, while others have little to no ability to walk.

Remember, disabled characters are not just their disability—they are real people with real interests. Matt Murdock/Daredevil is blind, but he is also a lawyer with friends and family and real problems. He’s also a superhero with extrasensory powers that allow him to fight and help him navigate the world without his sight. He’s a full character.

Be careful about having technology, magic, or superpowers that “cure” your character’s disability. Daredevil’s powers don’t restore his sight, but they do help him fight and navigate the world without it, and many blind people find that problematic.

When Daredevil was first created in 1964, many cities still had ugly laws on the books, and disability representation was often in the form of villains seeking revenge for their “disfigurement” or victims meant to be pitied or rescued. Daredevil was something different. He was a hero. Matt Murdock wasn’t a victim or a pitiable invalid. He was a lawyer, and he was charming and funny. He had a best friend and a girlfriend. It was rare to see a disabled character fitting into normal society. He was far from a perfect representation of a blind person’s experience, but it was still something many audiences had never seen before.

More recent versions, including the recent Netflix and Disney+ TV shows, have tried to make improvements in representations. Charlie Cox, who plays Matt, worked with blind people to learn how to move and work as a blind person. It’s still not perfect, but there are a lot of moments where he uses adaptive aids like screen readers or reading braille. The other characters describe things to him. Ultimately, they are showcasing one person’s experience with blindness in a fictional setting.

This is why it’s essential to listen to people with disabilities about their experiences. Ask disabled people about their experiences – hire a sensitivity or authenticity reader if you can. Sensitivity readers are people who belong to the marginalized community you’re writing about and usually have experience with writing and editing. They can read your work and consult with you on how to navigate problems and make your story more authentic.

Things are happening in our country that make the fate of many disabled people’s lives uncertain. Attacks on DEI, healthcare, and the rising stigma around things like autism and mental health have made it harder for disabled people to get help. Now more than ever, Disability Pride is important. Sharing our stories and being represented is one way we can fight this and protect our rights and our ability to live and work in a world that isn’t always built for us.

I will continue to include disabled people in my stories and share my own experiences. For information about neurodivergent disabilities and ways to be more inclusive of disabilities in your writing, you can see my resources page at DianaMorganAuthor.com.

DIANA MORGAN is a superhero by day, writer by night. Okay, not really, but when she’s not writing books, she’s a librarian at a local library, which is kind of a superhero. Her superpowers include always knowing what kids like to read, being able to read more than 10 books at one time, and the ability to eat more pizza than anyone.

Diana has always loved science fiction and fantasy. She grew up watching Quantum Leap, Power Rangers and Star Wars. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making up stories.

She was a geek before being a geek was cool, and she loves hanging out with other geeks and sharing her love of all things space and magic and books.

Imaginarium ahoy!

By Elizabeth Donald

We are delighted to be returning to Louisville for Imaginarium, a convention we have attended most of the years since its inception. The Literary Underworld will have its usual booth, as well as the Traveling Bar, of course.

In addition, we have our own panel! Literary Underworld has been in operation for more years than any of us have counted, outlasting many such experiments in author and small press cooperatives. But what the heck are we? A lot of people assume we are publishers, or a self-published hub, or a cult. Okay, no one said cult. It was implied.

So we’ll be holding a panel at Imaginarium to explain what we do, how it started, what evolutions we’ve tried, and the current state of the Underworld. More importantly, we hope to help people understand that we’re all in this together, and a cooperative could possibly be a useful thing for them in their own careers.

Of course, it’s happening in a year where we have an all-time low in Underlords attending. I can’t remember the last time Shrews missed Imaginarium, but he won’t be there this year. Many of our other longtime miscreants will be missing in action, including J.L. Mulvihill, Sara Harvey, and Sela Carsen. Fortunately Jim Gillentine and I will be there, and hopefully Stephen Zimmer, who is both author and publisher in Literary Underworld for mumblety years. We also get to see Angelia Sparrow, who co-founded Literary Underworld with me and Sara Harvey a thousand years ago. (I told you no one kept count.)

At some point between now and Imaginarium, I will have to look up how many years we’ve actually been in operation, supporting small presses and their authors and trundling ourselves to conventions all over the midwest and the south. It’s a labor of love, a love of the written word, of genre fiction and the writers audacious enough to lay their souls bare on the page despite the monumental pressures against them.

So pass the bourbon, and come join us in Louisville on July 18-20. We’d be delighted to see you.