By Her Sword
by Erin Branch & Evelyn Shine
Released: Jun 03, 2025
Genre: Anthology
Why this book and why now?
A few years ago, my (Erin Branch) now-partner Evelyn Shine and I were discussing how we’d love to see a sapphic fantasy anthology. Then we decided that we should make that happen. “By Her Sword” is the second collection we’ve released, and we intend to keep going with more sapphic fantasy anthologies each year with a different theme. They’re a great way to get a taste of new authors’ work as well as read some bite-sized stories from your favorites.
How does it feel to finally share this book with readers?
Just like with last year’s anthology, “The Pull of the Tide,” we’re thrilled to share it with readers. We love how diverse the stories are, from the settings to the characters. If you like sapphic fantasy, we think you’ll find at least something you really love in this collection.
What’s one fun fact about your book that most people wouldn’t know?
We found several new author friends (who contributed to this anthology!) by running around the 2024 GCLS conference while handing out bookmarks for “The Pull of the Tide”. We were thrilled that many people recognized our covers after seeing them online. Writing is often a solo endeavor and being a part of an anthology is really special because it brings authors together.
What 3 things would your main character want with them if they got stranded away from civilization, and why?
My (Erin) contribution to the anthology is a short story about Awe and Hunt, who were the MC’s D&D characters in my debut novel, “Di-Curious.” Awe, a magical musician, would chose her gold lute 3x over because she stored all her important spells inside it.
Which character do you relate to the most, and why?
I definitely brought some of my own imposter syndrome to this story, as Awe feels like she’s not as good of a musician without the magical instrument that she put so much work into imbuing with spells. I’m a plotter and I need my outlines and beat sheets to remember everything while I write. If my computer (and cloud backups) were suddenly gone, I’d be struggling!
Publishing a book is a huge accomplishment and it’s time to party! Choose a celebratory beverage for one of your main characters to toast the release of your new book.
The magical coffee featured in my story, for sure. Coffee also resurrects me from the dead each morning.
If your book had an official mascot, what (or who) would it be?
I think the official mascot of all the anthologies we produce and books we write would have to be our spunky cattle dog, Shine, who thinks she’s the main character of life. (Yes, Ev based her pen name on this creature.) She keeps us on our toes with her herding breed antics and reminds us it’s okay to be silly.
Were there any books, movies, or personal experiences that influenced this story?
I can’t speak to what influenced each author’s story, but here are some comparative books and movies to the tales in the anthology. Assume “but make it sapphic” on all of them.
-Blue-eyed Samurai
-Gideon the Ninth
-Dungeons and Dragons (the new movie and the game)
-Doctor Who
-The Scarlet Pimpernel
-Dragon Age
If you could have dinner with any author, living or dead, who would it be?
We can’t wait to see many of our anthology authors in Albany at GCLS this year! We’re planning on grabbing dinner together.
