Droids & Dragons Authors, Laura Kordowski and Simon Erdile

Laura Kordowski and Simon Erdile

518 Publishing Company welcomes the dual author team, Simon Erdile and Laura Kordowski. The two live in Albany, NY and have been writing together for a little over a year.

"We are also working more on our long-term goals as a couple. Being together opened up more writing and creative opportunities for us."

Simon Erdile has been published in the New York State Assembly internship committee's distinguished intern reports for 2013. The second half of the writing team, Laura Kordowski, is a first-time published author. She published the memoir, 'A Taste for Air and Water' that dropped July 2026.

On an individual level, Simon's influence is from online educational content where Laura's influence is greatly inspired by art and music. Their favorite genre is fantasy which helped develop their writing style.

Simon & Laura's short story in Droids & Dragons is, 'The Dragons of Peebles Island'. It was inspired by going to nature preserves together like Peebles Island in the Capital Region.

"There is a lot of imagination in discovering nature and the uncertainty of its environment. We questioned what could potentially happen to natural landscapes if they no longer were a sanctuary."

The standout passage from 'The Dragons of Peebles Island'' is the fight scene between the dragon and the droid. The boy scout intervenes creating an unlikely solution for peace.

      Enraged, the droid turned to face the boy scout. “Silence! I’ve had enough of you meddlesome humans! Prepared to be vaporized!”, shouted the droid.

Hunter pulled a slingshot out of his pocket, grabbed a small rock, placed it gently in the cradle of the slingshot, pulled it back, and let fly. The rock went flying and landed between the droid’s eyes, piercing its circuit board. The droid’s head pulled down, it short-circuited and collapsed to the ground lifeless."

“That was incredible! You saved my life!”, shouted the Komodo dragon.

        The boy scout then said to the lizard Koko, “You’d better not be out here causing trouble and disturbing the wildlife. Otherwise, that will happen to you! Come on. It’s time for you to go to bed. I’ll run out to the store and buy you meat if you’re hungry.

When we asked Simon and Laura who their favorite authors were, Simon responded, '1984'' by George Orwell. "I also enjoy Orwell's short form essays reflecting on British society and essays on aspects of writing." Laura's response was Paulo Coehlo and his novels about transformation and enlightened storytelling. "The 'Alchemist' is a classic and all-time favorite given to me as a teen by my sister."

All writers have superpowers, and with Simon it's the quality and dynamics of his writing style. His practice of editing at least one thing, no matter how small each time he looks at a piece he's putting together. Laura describes her superpower as dedication. Writing classes, book talks, and writing sessions are a few examples of how she sharpens her skills and shows her developing interest in the trade.

If you are looking for a good quick read, then check out Simon and Laura's story, 'The Dragons of Peebles Island'. Droids & Dragons. is available on Amazon and drops 9/25/2026.