The other day I got my contributor's copy of Mythic Resonance, in which I had a story inspired by Snow White. I've always liked stories with a mythical, legendary or folk tale theme. Years ago, I read a whole lot of books in a fairy tale series, from The Nightingale by Kara Dalkey to one by Charles De Lint in which Jack the Giant Killer is a modern lass called Jackie, who slays her giants in a city of present-day Canada. There was also Tam-Lin by Pamela Dean, based on a Scottish border ballad. I also loved Nicholas Stuart Gray's beautiful The Seventh Swan, a sequel to the fairy tale, which explores what it might be like to be that poor Prince stuck with a wing instead of an arm; it was set in Scotland, a Scotland in which there is magic and creatures from Celtic folklore.
More recently, Margo Lanagan's Sea Hearts has played with Selkie folklore and Tender Morsels, which I'm reading now, is inspired by the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red.
This anthology is full of stories inspired by, but not always actively based on, folk tales and myths.
I thought, in celebration of its release, I'd do something Mary Victoria did with an anthology in which she was published: invite as many of the authors as I could contact and some who were not in it, but who have written folklore/legend-themed fiction, to do a guest post on this web site. So far, I have had acceptances from: Mary Victoria, who will tell us about her universe in which everyone lives in a great World Tree inspired by the one in Norse mythology, Alan Baxter, who wrote a fairy tale about being kidnapped into Faerie and his fairies are not at all nice, something you find out when you read enough folklore, Paul Freeman, who is a major fan of Geoffrey Chaucer and wrote a cheeky narrative poem for Mythic Resonance in Chaucerian-style verse, but fortunately modern English, Donna Maree Hanson, whose contribution to the anthology was a thoughtful, rather sad tale which was a twist on the Medusa myth, set in the present day. Satima Flavell has promised a piece. Her story in MR was an adaptation of John Keats' poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci, not to mention a cheeky reference to a song by Lee Hazlewood, sung by Nancy Sinatra and the composer at one stage. Drat you, Satima, the song is running over and over in my head since I read your story!
The wonderful Margo Lanagan will be joining us around the end of March, when she comes home from China and gets over her jet lag. ;-)
I'm still asking people and may end up asking the publishers to pass on my invitation to anyone I couldn't find on-line so this will be messier than Mary Victoria's series of posts.
Meanwhile, my very first guest post has come in from Gillian Polack, feminist, mediaeval scholar and fabulous fantasy writer.
More recently, Margo Lanagan's Sea Hearts has played with Selkie folklore and Tender Morsels, which I'm reading now, is inspired by the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red.
This anthology is full of stories inspired by, but not always actively based on, folk tales and myths.
I thought, in celebration of its release, I'd do something Mary Victoria did with an anthology in which she was published: invite as many of the authors as I could contact and some who were not in it, but who have written folklore/legend-themed fiction, to do a guest post on this web site. So far, I have had acceptances from: Mary Victoria, who will tell us about her universe in which everyone lives in a great World Tree inspired by the one in Norse mythology, Alan Baxter, who wrote a fairy tale about being kidnapped into Faerie and his fairies are not at all nice, something you find out when you read enough folklore, Paul Freeman, who is a major fan of Geoffrey Chaucer and wrote a cheeky narrative poem for Mythic Resonance in Chaucerian-style verse, but fortunately modern English, Donna Maree Hanson, whose contribution to the anthology was a thoughtful, rather sad tale which was a twist on the Medusa myth, set in the present day. Satima Flavell has promised a piece. Her story in MR was an adaptation of John Keats' poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci, not to mention a cheeky reference to a song by Lee Hazlewood, sung by Nancy Sinatra and the composer at one stage. Drat you, Satima, the song is running over and over in my head since I read your story!
The wonderful Margo Lanagan will be joining us around the end of March, when she comes home from China and gets over her jet lag. ;-)
I'm still asking people and may end up asking the publishers to pass on my invitation to anyone I couldn't find on-line so this will be messier than Mary Victoria's series of posts.
Meanwhile, my very first guest post has come in from Gillian Polack, feminist, mediaeval scholar and fabulous fantasy writer.
Working on mine now, Sue! Except that it's refusing to come out as a halfway intelligent article on myth and instead trying to come out as a rambling conversation.
ReplyDeleteWaffle away all you like, Mary! I just want to know why /how you came up with life in a world tree. :-)
ReplyDelete