Mercedes Lackey

Born

in Chicago, Illinois, The United States

June 24, 1950

Website

http://mercedeslackey.com/

Twitter

MercedesLackey

Genre

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Music

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Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.

"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyr Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.

"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.

"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.

"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:

"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."

Also writes as Misty Lackey

Author's website ...more

32 posts
Mercedes Lackey's Blog

Mercedes Lackey isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but she does have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from her feed.

Oh Great Mystery

I cannot think of a better piece for December 25th than this, Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium. Lauridsen is the third of my trio of great modern choral composers, and I've linked him here before.

View more on Mercedes Lackey's website »

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Published on December 25, 2011 17:11 • 907 views

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Combine Editions
Mercedes Lackey's Books

Average rating: 3.99 · 762,996 ratings · 20,769 reviews · 358 distinct works · Similar authors

	Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar, #1) 4.16 avg rating — 26,464 ratings — published 1987 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Magic's Pawn (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage #1) 4.21 avg rating — 19,606 ratings — published 1989 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	By the Sword 4.23 avg rating — 17,253 ratings — published 1991 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Magic's Price (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage #3) 4.26 avg rating — 16,904 ratings — published 1990 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Arrow's Fall (Heralds of Valdemar, #3) 4.18 avg rating — 17,287 ratings — published 1988 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2) 4.13 avg rating — 17,172 ratings — published 1987 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Magic's Promise (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage #2) 4.20 avg rating — 16,404 ratings — published 1990 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #1) 3.96 avg rating — 14,977 ratings — published 2004 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Winds of Fate (Valdemar: Mage Winds #1) 4.01 avg rating — 13,389 ratings — published 1992 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oathbreakers (Valdemar: Vows and Honor, #2) 4.15 avg rating — 12,712 ratings — published 1989 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Mercedes Lackey…

Series by Mercedes Lackey

Elemental Masters (13 books)
by Mercedes Lackey
3.86 avg rating — 57,404 ratings

Valdemar: Vows and Honor (3 books)
by Mercedes Lackey
4.12 avg rating — 37,134 ratings

Obsidian Universe (7 books)
by Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
4.01 avg rating — 33,831 ratings

Valdemar: Mage Wars (3 books)
by Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon
3.90 avg rating — 30,066 ratings

Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles (5 books)
by Mercedes Lackey
3.94 avg rating — 28,712 ratings

More series by Mercedes Lackey…

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Quotes by Mercedes Lackey

“If I'm walking on thin ice, I might as well dance my way across.”
― Mercedes Lackey

tags: humor

879 likes

“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.”
― Mercedes Lackey

tags: past, regret

537 likes

“If it is stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.
(a Shin'a'in saying)”
― Mercedes Lackey, Owlknight

tags: stupid, stupidity, trying

338 likes

See all Mercedes Lackey's quotes »

Polls

Poll for our two fictional retellings in novel form choices. Poll will close on Friday, September 18.

Beauty

Robin McKinley

3 votes, 30.0%

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Gregory Maguire

3 votes, 30.0%

The Fairest of Them All

Carolyn Turgeon

3 votes, 30.0%

Enchantment

Orson Scott Card

1 vote, 10.0%

White As Snow

Tanith Lee

0 votes, 0.0%

Ice

Sarah Beth Durst

0 votes, 0.0%

The Fairy Godmother

Mercedes Lackey

0 votes, 0.0%

Spindle's End

Robin McKinley

0 votes, 0.0%

10 total votes

1 comment

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Pick-a-Shelf: 2009-02 - Fantasy - What will you Read in February?	37	197	Feb 19, 2009 06:13PM
The Next Best Boo...: Female author recommendations?	73	984	Feb 20, 2009 09:57PM
SciFi and Fantasy...: Nomination Thread for June Fantasy Theme Pick - Sci-Fantasy	71	518	Apr 23, 2009 01:37AM
Goodreads Librari...: Changes sticking?	9	72	Jun 05, 2009 10:16AM
Building a SciFi/...: Book/series recommendations - fantasy	56	674	Aug 05, 2009 03:04AM
Goodreads Librari...: Setting up series order...(comma?, #?, etc)	127	375	Aug 24, 2009 11:38PM
The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL SUMMER CHALLENGE 2009	6739	10864	Sep 01, 2009 08:23AM
Who's Your Author?: Grab the book nearest to you and turn to page 28, lines 3, 4, & 5	33	169	Sep 11, 2009 11:07PM

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Mercedes Lackey’s Followers (5,295)

Mercedes Lackey

32 posts
Mercedes Lackey's Blog

Combine Editions
Mercedes Lackey's Books

Series by Mercedes Lackey

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Mercedes Lackey

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add NewVideos

Mercedes Lackey’s Followers (5,295)

Mercedes Lackey

32 postsMercedes Lackey's Blog

Combine EditionsMercedes Lackey's Books

Series by Mercedes Lackey

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Mercedes Lackey

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add New
Videos

32 posts
Mercedes Lackey's Blog

Combine Editions
Mercedes Lackey's Books