Mercedes Lackey

[Cerulean]

One of my two favorite series by her are the Valdemar books called The Owlmage trilogy: Owlflight, Owlsight, & Owlknight. These focus on the Hawksbrothers, who I find more interesting than the Valdemarians (?). They do interact with the Valemarians and provide a good balance. My other absolute favorites are the Elemental Masters series: The Fire Rose, Gates of Sleep, Serpent's Shadow, Phoenix And Ashes and Wizard of London. Serpent's Shadow and Phoenix & Ashes are my favorites, but I didn't care too much for The Wizard of London - but then The Ice Queen was never my favorite fairy tale. Oh yeah, just in case you haven't read these, each of the Elemental Masters book is a retelling of a traditional fairy tale:
The Fire Rose = Beauty & the Beast
Gates of Sleep = Sleeping Beauty
Serpent's Shadow = Snow White & the Seven Dwarves
Phoenix And Ashes = Cinderella
The Wizard of London = The Ice Queen

She's got a new Elemental Masters book called Reserved for the Cat coming out on October 30th in hardcover. I can't tell what the fairy tale is from the blurb on Amazon, though. Can anyone tell? Here's the blurb:

In 1910, in an alternate London, a penniless young dancer is visited by a cat who communicates with her mind to mind. Though she is certain she must be going mad, she is desperate enough to follow the cat's advice and impersonates a famous Russian ballerina. The cat, it turns out, is actually an Elemental Earth Spirit, and leads her to minor stardom.

Meanwhile, the real Russian ballerina has fallen victim to an evil troll who takes over her body and kills her patrons, drinking their life essences in order to strengthen his powers. And soon, the troll focuses his dark attentions on the young dancer...

Her Bardic Voices series is also good, although not as sophisticated as her Elemental Masters books.
Lark and the Wren
The Robin & the Kestrel
Eagle and the Nightingales
Four and Twenty Blackbirds

[Zealith]

Well the only cat fairytail I can think of off the top of my head is puss in boots. That one also has the cat giving instructions  to make it's owner rich.

[Grey Drakkon]

Yep, Puss is what came to mind too.

[Patti L.]

That's what comes to mind for me too, regarding cats, but it sounds like she might be combining it with a version of 'The Red Shoes'.
I don't think I'm going to bother with this one either.

[Cerulean]

Puss in Boots it is, then! I'm sure I'll read it, but not sure I'll buy it - certainly not in hardcover, that's for sure.

[Zealith]

I'll read it when it appears in my library. ^^

[Patti L.]

I hauled some of my cassettes to work the other day & played them.  Anybody else here heard any of the music from the Valdemar books, or the 'Oath' series?
I love 'It was a dark & stormy night', but some of the songs from the Vanyel trilogy are darned good too.
And then, of course, there's the sequel to 'D&SNight'.

[Zealith]

I've heard a few of the songs. D&SN is definately one of my favorites. But the only CD I have is the Vanyel one.

[Patti L.]

I really like the snowdrake song.  "Silver & amythest. . . "

[Zealith]

I like the snow beast song too, I think it was on the oath CD.

[Patti L.]

Yup. Along with 'that song'.  snicker snicker.
Oh, I'm reminded, 'Threes' is in that one, have you seen/heard 'Threes, revision 1.1'?
Hee hee hee.

[Zealith]

I haven't heard either of those saddly. *tear*

[Patti L.]

I should see if I can't find a link over to Firebird. 
Ms. Lackey, as you may have read, used to do computer work for somebody, so she had a filk based on 'Threes' that was pulled over to the corporate world & computer programmers.
Threes is the song that Leslac the bard/minstrel (he considered himself a bard, but by Valdemaran reconning I don't think he'd have rated above minstrel) wrote about their encounter with the bandit who had enough mind magic (telepathic projection, I think) to make anyone looking at him think he was someone they vaguely knew & trusted.

[Zealith]

I remember the story. I would like to hear it, it sounded fun.

[Patti L.]

I just googled the name, & it came up pronto.  I've never had any problem with them, but there was a complaint that came up on the same dozen responses.
Have you, by the way, read the 'Werehunter' collection of shorts from other fictons?

I don't think this is going to work, but I'm going to try to import the cover of the "Sun & Shadow" album, co-written by Ms. Lackey & the "Golden Bough" band.  Nope, not happening.  But a google works really well.