Today we’re talking to BardLyre and Cliff Hanger, both top tier LitRPG writers on Royal Road!
Thanks for joining us! Right out of the gate, congrats on your success! What drew you to Royal Road, and what was the first thing you read on the platform?
BardLyre: I stumbled across it wholly be accident. I’d taken out a KU subscription, and one of the stories mentioned it in their acknowledgements. I started reading widely on there and, eventually, thought about trying out adding my own scribblings. But it was when I realised you could get ‘previews’ of series I loved that I really started reading!
Cliff Hanger: Pretty simple. I like anime. I watch anime. Then the anime ends and I’m forced to wait… or, I can read the Manga/Light novels. Which I did. I read all the good (and many shitty) novels available. As I searched for more to read, I eventually found royalroad.com (Formerly Royalroadl.com). It was on that website where I read my first and still favorite novel Those Who Aspire to Become Gods: A darker fairy tale novel.
Tell us a little bit about your main series. What sets it apart from the other stories on Royal Road, and how have you sought to make it unique?
BardLyre: One of my readers described the series as ‘Lady Terminator versus the Sadistic Prick.’ I think that sums up the vibe well! Overall, I’m aiming for a blend of LitRPG and Grimdark that’s a little more character driven than can sometimes be the case in that genre!
Cliff Hanger: Inexorable Chaos follows a main character by the name of Quasi Eludo. Quasi is a Summoned Hero for hire. He is a guy that gets summoned to another world as part of his job. He’d been summoned 28 times before and my novel begins right before his 29th summon. In this summon, Quasi finds himself in a world where people gain skill and classes.
In essence, we are putting a slightly psychotic 9000+ year old hero in a completely new environment to play with. Quasi is capable, knowledgeable, experienced, and very crazy.
What has been the best part of being in the Royal Road Community?
BardLyre: I’ve had some awesome support from other writers – lots of advice and plenty of constructive criticism. The ability to get instant feedback from readers too is very helpful – it’s like having hundreds of beta readers!
Cliff Hanger: Comments. I love reading comments. Just knowing that people read my stuff floods my blood with dopamine.
What aspects of Royal Road have been frustrating?
BardLyre: you have to keep tell yourself not to feed the trolls. I’ve been relatively lucky – compared to others I know – but when someone decides they hate your book, but reads (and comments) day after day, it’s pretty wearing.
Cliff Hanger: They keep changing the damn algorithm!
Check out Inexorable Chaos on Royal Road today! Join the millions!
If you could snap your fingers and add any feature to Royal Road, what would it be?
BardLyre: It would be great if you there were a few more tools in order to get visibility. The rush for Rising Stars is a bit OF a pain, and it would be great if that could be smoothed out a little!
Cliff Hanger: SHOW ME THE ALGORITHM!
Tell us a little about what you have coming next! New novels, new series, etc.
BardLyre: The second book in my Tales of Shattered Glass, Stonehand, will be coming out in the very near future. The third book, Shadowbound, is 20k in on Royal Road if people want a preview. Book 1 of my new series with a very different tone – ‘Chance’s Gambit’ – is just reaching its climax. For fans of chaotic LitRPG comedy. Book 2 starting there soon too!
Cliff Hanger: My second series IC: God Games continues with the same main character, except crazier, more creative, and with significantly more cats.
If you could make a cross over with your main character into any other Royal Road series, which one would it be?
BardLyre: I think Daine would enjoy kicking arse and taking names alongside Azarinth Healer.
Cliff Hanger: I think Quasi would get along with Erin from the Wandering Inn. Both are crazy humans, just one of them has been crazy for a much longer amount of time.
Read or listen to Darkhelm today!
Everyone has—for better or worse—a favorite review that sticks out in their head. What is yours? What makes it so memorable?
BardLyre: I love the one I’ve mentioned above, but one from a troll sticks in my mind. ‘If this wasn’t so well written, I’d have fucked it off months ago.’ There’s a compliment in there somewhere.
Cliff Hanger: My most memorable reviews are easily by the people who praise the comedy. For example, here is a comment from a recent review: “genuinely funny to the point I can’t read them on the bus.”
There is also this one: This much good story, me likey very good much, yes yes. This good story. Me not slave of author no no. Me strong independent reviewer and not evil homunculi slave to author-chan.
Honestly, my readers are weird.