research, Writing

Fox Folklore

Pinterest Image FOX IN MYTHOLOGY: Many cultures around the world depict the fox in their myths and lore extensively.  In Mesopotamian mythology of the early centuries, you will note how everyone regarded the fox as a sacred animal that belongs to the Goddess Ninhursag. The fox was her loyal messenger. FOX IN FOLKLORE: The Finnish… Continue reading Fox Folklore

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Upon A Starlit Tide

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ ** I received an ARC for an honest review ** Description Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758. To Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of a wealthy French shipowner, the high walls of Saint-Malo are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are busy trying to secure advantageous marriages, Luce spends her days secretly being taught to sail… Continue reading Upon A Starlit Tide

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A Sorceress Comes To Call

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ Description Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesnโ€™t have any doors between roomsโ€”there are no secrets in this houseโ€”and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily… Continue reading A Sorceress Comes To Call

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The Crimson Road

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ ** I received an ARC for an honest review ** Description Violet Zennor has had a peculiar upbringing. Training as a fighter in underground arenas, honing her skills against the worst scum, murderers and thieves her father could pit her against, she has learned to be ruthless. To kill.  Until the day Hedrek Zennor… Continue reading The Crimson Road

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The Girl with No hands

- The Handless Maiden, by Denise Grobbelaar Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812 Version) A miller, who was so poor that he had nothing more than his mill and a large apple tree which stood behind it, went into the forest to gather wood. There he was approached by an old man, who said, "Why do you… Continue reading The Girl with No hands

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The North Wind

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ ** I received an ARC for an honest review ** Description Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it is Wrenโ€™s responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for… Continue reading The North Wind

events, Writing

BSFA Awards Longlists

Excited to annouce my collection Three Curses & Other Dark Tales and edited anthology Cursed Shards are both longlisted for the 2024 British Science Fiction Association Awards! Here's the longlisted works for 2024 BSFA Awards: https://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-longlist Great to see so many Australasian authors across all categories too! Cursed Shards is published by IFWG Publishing International… Continue reading BSFA Awards Longlists

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Twice-Spent Comet

** I received an ARC for an honest review ** โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ Description The fall from hopeful revolutionary to prison laborer is a hard one. Ferโ€™s world has shrunk from the whole damn universe to this anonymous asteroid and the four other convicts who share it with them. Itโ€™s a fitting end, for someone who used… Continue reading Twice-Spent Comet

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My Fav 3 Reads 2024!

You can check out my top 3 favourite reads for 2024 here on Shepherd.com 2๏ธโƒฃ0๏ธโƒฃ2๏ธโƒฃ4๏ธโƒฃ ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ“š You can see more of books that inspire me here ๐Ÿ“šโฌ‡๏ธ

research, Writing

The Goblin Market

BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI One of my favourite dark folklore infused pieces. Enjoy! ๐Ÿ–ค "Goblin Market" - Arthur Rackham Morning and eveningMaids heard the goblins cry:โ€œCome buy our orchard fruits,Come buy, come buy:Apples and quinces,Lemons and oranges,Plump unpeckโ€™d cherries,Melons and raspberries,Bloom-down-cheekโ€™d peaches,Swart-headed mulberries,Wild free-born cranberries,Crab-apples, dewberries,Pine-apples, blackberries,Apricots, strawberries;โ€”All ripe togetherIn summer weather,โ€”Morns that pass by,Fair eves… Continue reading The Goblin Market