I wanted to share a recent review of “The Bayou” from my friend Heather Barksdale. I sent her a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review and I am so pleased that she really liked the book!
“Overall, I enjoyed this book. Though I am reviewing it as a standalone, and it can absolutely be read as a standalone, I think it’s better read as part of the series. As an individual story, the book reads as a sci-fi meets fantasy with a murder mystery wrapped up in the middle.”
– Heather Barksdale
Read the Full Review Here
I was pleased that Heather was willing to read the most recent addition to the series because she has read the other books in The Leslie Kim Serials, so she had context for the story. The Bayou, though, can absolutely be read as a standalone story. It’s still a novella, in my opinion, but it’s the longest story in the series thus far. I love this book (of course, I am biased – I did write it) and I personally think it’s the best one in the series since we get to see a lot more character growth and I really love this setting.
This series is so fun for me to write because I gave myself full permission to write whatever fit the story and threw genre out the window (more or less). The first book, Mythical Investigations, was actually written using a template for a mystery story and then all of the other elements (monsters, vampires, and the like) were added as I saw fit. The mystery behind each serial is definitely the part that I like the most, but the other elements are a great way to unleash my creativity. Generally, I write these books when I’m in a lull between other projects (like my full-length YA mystery novels in the Paige Parker series). While I know it’s been a while since I have released a new book in the series, I promise it is coming.
And I also want to share a funny story about finding a reader in the wild. My husband made a character in a video game with a likeness to Leslie Kim and gave the character the same name. While playing it, he happened to run into another player who loved it and said, “Leslie Kim like from Omnibus? I love that book!” That is one of my favorite instances of hearing about someone who read and loved the book. The Omnibus, if you don’t know, is the first paperback collection that I made of all of the stories (at that time), so it includes the prequel, The Departure, Mythical Investigations, The Gnome Situation, and Dragon Bounty. By the way, you can grab The Departure for free when you sign up for my mailing list.
Thank you, Heather, for sharing your thoughts on The Bayou!
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