Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m talking to Cath Lauria about her new novel Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest, which is part of the Marvel: Heroines range of prose novels from Aconyte Books. It’s due out as a global ebook and US paperback on the 4th May 2021, followed by a UK paperback edition on the 22nd July. If you fancy exploring the Marvel universe in the company of a smart-mouthed, gunslinging, badass monster hunter (and who wouldn’t?) then definitely check this book out – it’s a lot of fun, and Elsa is one Marvel character I would love to read more about!
First of all, here’s the publisher’s blurb for Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest…
Elsa Bloodstone just can’t catch a break. She’s barely finished shutting down a hive of ratmen when a special ops squad turns up guns blazing – and they’re shooting at her! It’s nothing a good grenade can’t sort out though. When Elsa returns home, she discovers an unexpected guest claiming to be her long-lost sister, seeking her own stolen Bloodstone shard. The Bloodstone is the secret to Elsa’s superhuman powers, and a shard in villainous hands is seriously bad news. Cue globetrotting adventures full of monster-smashing. But danger stays one step ahead of them as Elsa realizes her sister isn’t quite what she seems, and an old enemy with a secret about her family’s past could overturn everything Elsa’s ever believed.
And now let’s get straight on with the interview.
Track of Words: To start off, for anyone who isn’t familiar with her could you talk a bit about who Elsa Bloodstone is and what we need to know about her?
Cath Lauria: Sure! Elsa Bloodstone is the daughter of a Marvel character called Ulysses Bloodstone, the original owner of the bloodstone shard she wears. He was all sorts of things, but primarily a monster hunter, a job that Elsa took to once she learned about her family history. The bloodstone shard gives her a variety of superhuman abilities – improved strength, speed, durability, and a greatly increased healing factor. She’s a sassy Brit who loves her weapons, especially guns, and while she can be a team player if she has to be, typically she does most of her work alone.
ToW: With that done, how would you describe your new novel Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest?
CL: Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest is basically a treasure hunt, with plenty of monstrous interludes, which I feel like plays perfectly into her strengths as a character. I wanted the chance to show off her skills while bringing in other characters she’s worked with in the past, but it was also a nice way to take her out of her comfort zone, because she’s forced to have a partner for the journey, which is really not her style.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, what can you tell us about the rest of the book’s cast of characters?
CL: It was SO MUCH FUN figuring out who to bring into Elsa’s book. This was my first time working on a project in such a vast established universe, and while there were a few characters who were off-limits up front, I still had a fair number of people to work with when it came to the rest of the cast. I mean, for starters, Elsa inherited her father’s crew of a vampire and Frankenstein’s monster, so things were off to a fun start with them. Deciding on an original character who would work with the plot and be a good foil for Elsa was also really exciting.
ToW: Were you already a fan of Elsa’s character before you started work on this book, or was working on this your introduction to her?
CL: This project was my introduction to her, but as soon as I read her character biography I knew she was going to be amazing. I read as much of her backstory and previous appearances as I could find – thank goodness for digitalized comics – and I just got more and more excited about writing her the deeper I went.
ToW: Elsa’s a lot of fun to read about – how much fun is she to write about?
CL: Oh, she was ridiculously fun to write about. She’s the kind of person who says everything that everyone else is thinking, and she does it all with a kind of ‘come at me’ style that I just love. She was a little challenging at times because I’m not British, and she is, but I was able to explain some of those potential anachronisms away by the fact that she’s spending a lot of her time in Boston these days, where her father’s old manor house is.
Bloodstone Issue 1 (2001) marked the first appearance of Elsa Bloodstone
ToW: Of all the stories you might have written about Elsa, what inspired you to go for this one in particular?
CL: It’s hard to avoid writing about Elsa without bringing her father into things. Ulysses Bloodstone was a long-running character in the Marvel ‘verse with a lot of connections, and he had a very strong influence on Elsa, whether she was actually raised knowing him or not (official canon is unclear on the subject). So I wanted a story that engaged her with her father’s legacy, but in a new way. That’s where the idea of a sister came into things, and as soon as I saw a reference to her father’s many secret bases, I thought – bam. Treasure hunt.
ToW: I enjoyed all of the passing references to the wider Marvel world and other well-known names that you included. How much fun was it fitting these in, and working out what Elsa would think of these characters, and how she would talk about them?
CL: The thing about Elsa is, she commands a lot of attention whenever she shows up in the Marvel ‘verse but she doesn’t actually have a lot of back-content. So when it came to finding people for her to interact with who made sense, the choices were pretty easy – I largely relied on people she’d teamed up with before. That gave me some basis for her reactions as well, but a lot of that was the result of simply understanding her character.
ToW: Beyond the comics, did you draw inspiration from anywhere/anyone else in particular while planning and writing this book?
CL: I’m a big fan of urban fantasy, and Elsa really lends herself to the archetype of the strong and competent monster-slayer living her best life. My favorites in that genre always have more going on than meets the eye, though, so in order to keep all of her conflict from being external, I had to dig into the emotional side of things and provide a chance for her to be more than just that archetype. That said…I mean, I grew up with Buffy and Xena, so writing a badass lady who tends to get the last laugh in a fight just felt right to me, ha 😊
ToW: If someone were to read this and then want to find out more about Elsa and her adventures, do you have any recommendations for what to read next?
CL: Elsa shows up all over the place pulling cameos, but hasn’t had her own series since 2001, I believe. I really liked her interlude with Jessica Jones and her comic in Battleworld, and if you want pure crack, the Nextwave comics are fun. Also, everyone should know about Jeff the Land Shark. Seriously, look him up.
ToW: What do you hope readers will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?
CL: I hope that they’re more interested in Elsa Bloodstone! She’s one of a number of Marvel characters who definitely have the chops for more time front-and-center, and I hope my book does her justice and gets readers excited for more of her content. Because, let’s be honest, she really needs to headline her own series.
ToW: Do you have any plans to write more about Elsa Bloodstone in future?
CL: Ha! See the above question about her having her own comic book series! (Hey Marvel, call me!) In all honesty, I would love to revisit Elsa if the opportunity presents itself. She’s fantastic.
ToW: Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on with Aconyte for future release, or anything else you’ve got in the pipeline in general?
CL: Part of why I love working for Aconyte is the sheer variety of projects they’ve got going at any one time. Short form, long form, horror and sci-fi and superheroes, there’s something for everybody. I’ve got several new pitches under consideration right now, and one of the Marvel ones concerns a character in the Spiderverse. No, not that one 😉 But a very cool person nonetheless. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
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Cath Lauria is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine. She is a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, suspense and romance fiction, and has a vast collection of beautiful edged weapons.
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Thanks so much to Cath for taking the time to talk to me for this interview, and for giving us the lowdown on Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest. I had a total blast reading this book, and can highly recommend it – you can check out my review here.
See also: all of the other Marvel-related interviews and reviews on Track of Words.
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