“Lethia, who’s a simple village girl … finds herself waylaid by a werewolf, and in her attempt to hide, she ducks into an abandoned shack that belonged to a demonologist. Werewolf breaks in, bites her torso, her blood spills onto a ritual circle that was left on the ground and they fall into hell.”
Through Lethia’s humble beginnings, and the hardship she must endure throughout her origin story, perseverance resounds. Not just in her tenacity, but in the messaging and motivations of the author himself. This may just be the beginning of her tale, but to put it in Lethia’s own words (no spoilies), one must choose to be happy. To look at their circumstances not as a burden but as a “left-handed gift.” It’s the kind of premise that often speaks to me: all gas, no brakes, presuming the reader can hit the ground running and take new information in about a setting as it is presented. It fuels a love for worldbuilding, storytelling, and gets me excited to talk about the nature of writing itself. Where do we take our inspiration from and what sets one writer apart from another?
When it comes to Moonlight Soldier’s Legends of Celosia: Origins (LoC) (2023), these questions were even more present in my mind. Luckily, The Cascade had the opportunity to sit down with the author behind the pen name, local self-published writer Corey Van Egdom, to discuss LoC and what it’s like being an indie author.
What drew you to particularly adult fantasy, rather than other subgenres?
I find a lot of adult media feels like it’s stuck in one of two camps … It has to be dark, it has to be edgy, there has to be drama … or it’s just too lost in its own joke, too lost in trying to be silly, funny, or what have you… Sometimes a better way to tackle something serious is straightforward and not always poking it with a stick and laughing at it. There are some topics I feel should be treated with actual due diligence and respect. So … I’m trying to create something for an adult audience that is trying to balance the two.
There are moments where there is drama, heavy topics, and those are treated with gravity. But there are also moments where it’s not afraid to be silly … It’s honest in itself.
Your writing style has a narrative, almost Dungeon Master-y feel. Is that intentional?
I’ve enjoyed D&D and RPGs, but it’s also partly happenstance. This is just me writing how I write. I’ve always been objectively thinking … my writing style, my voice, has always felt like, “Here are the characters, this is what they’re thinking, this is the situation, and this is how they puzzle it out.”
Where do you take inspiration from for LoC?
I would say it would be the Song of the Lioness (1983-1988) by Tamora Pierce. Honestly, that was the book that helped solidify my love for female protagonists … the protagonist is a tomboy through and through … She becomes a knight. What does she do with that? What are her adventures? … I do take some inspiration from that because I like seeing the growth. I like how human the characters feel.
Is there any particular message you hope readers take from LoC?
I think the closest message/question I’ve intentionally put in my book is just ‘what would society look like if the topics of nudity and sexuality weren’t taboo?’ … That’s why the first chapter in my book frontloads a lot of nudity.
Tell me more about your process
I’m a very audio/visual kind of person. So when I am writing I like to have something in the background. Like some lo-fi or smooth jazz or something… And just being in a public space with another creator… Sometimes I need to soundboard my ideas. I need to be like, “Hey I have this idea, I could run it like this.”
What has been your reason for continuing to pursue self-publishing?
I just wanted to create something I wanted to see. I’ve wanted to see this story. I’ve wanted to see these adventures… And I like the idea of someone taking something seen as a curse, and being like “I can do something good with this.” I want to take this and do something good with it.
What motivated your pen name for the series?
No matter how dark the night gets there’s always going to be a moon. Even when there’s a new moon, you always know it’s there, no matter how dark things get. Moonlight Soldier, in a very romantic sense … is there to show you that there is light no matter how dark things get.
Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
