Editor’s Note: Nicole Lyons and The Lithium Chronicles Volume II

Editor’s Note

Raw. Fierce. Brave. Brazen. Honest. These words are often (and accurately) used to describe Nicole Lyons’ writing. I’ve also seen her called a crazy bitch; the real burn is that Nicole lives so much inside her truths, she’s able to say, “Yes. I am a crazy bitch.” One of the things I admire most about my lioness is that she never allows naysayers to hold power over her. Nicole takes what is meant to be derogatory and makes it into a crown. Bipolar Affective Disorder, however, doesn’t genuflect before her; BAD is always seeking to usurp the reign she has over herself.

Working so closely with Nicole on the Lithium Chronicles has shown me facets of her being that I’ve never before seen through my friendship eyes; to be her editor is a fascinating position. Nicole neither appreciates nor responds to placation the way some other writers do. Trying to help her through a crisis of confidence sometimes triggers my own anxiety because I want so desperately to make sense of her mind—I want to say brilliant mind, but Nicole would only tell me to shut up. That’s the thing about my lioness—she’s unpretentious. In this, the second volume of The Lithium Chronicles, Nicole is a speeding train in which we are the passengers. By the end of this exhilarating journey, we will have seen the things that have made her into a humble woman, and we will respect her all the more.

—Kindra M. Austin, co-founder of Indie Blu(e) Publishing