Jocelynn Drake: Digging in the Darkness for the Asylum Tales

The Asylum Tales takes place in a strange world, where humans are living side-by-side with all manner of creatures.  Walking down the street in Low Town in the evening, you could encounter trolls, satyrs, elves, pixies, vampires, sirens, and hobgoblins.  I created this open world when I started the series because I didn’t want to worry about hiding the existence of these amazing creatures from humans – I had bigger problems to tackle.

But this choice has had an unexpected benefit.  It has allowed me the chance to dig through my stacks of books on mythology, folklore, and fairy tales in search of magical creatures that don’t often get their time in the urban fantasy spotlight.  There are plenty of books on the shelves that feature vampires and werewolves, but there aren’t many books that spend time talking about Vestal Virgins or the Lorialets. 

With every new story for the series, I try to introduce 3-4 new creatures or mythical figures that I hadn’t been seen previously in the Asylum Tales.  In Dead Man’s Deal, one of my new favorites is Lori, the Lorialet.  Supposedly the children of Selene (goddess of the moon) and Edymion, Lorialets are dreamers and artists.  Pale with fine white hair, they are the star gazers, seers of the past and future, and somewhat melancholy figures as they wish to return to the moon. 

Writing the Asylum Tales has given me the chance to explore different legends and myths.  Picking out these strange creatures has been an interesting adventure, resulting in the story going in new and unexpected directions.

Stop by the Asylum Tales to see more dreams in ink.