I was recently fascinated by the folklore of fairy beings like leprechauns which have a long and conflicting history in Irish folklore. Far from the jovial trickster at the end of a rainbow who if caught can be forced into providing a pot of gold, the less-popularised stories of leprechauns in Irish folklore cast them… Continue reading Dark Fantasy & Leprechaun Lore
One of my recent reads was the paranormal urban fantasy, Vigil by Australian author Angela Slatter. The first book in the Verity Fassbinder Series follows the paranormal private detective Verity Fassbinder set in an alternate version of Brisbane city, Australia where Verity acts as a mediator between the mortals (Normals) and the paranormal community (Weyrd).… Continue reading Vigil
I am very pleased to announce my fantasy story "Sands of Time" will be published by Black Hare Press in the forthcoming Lockdown Fantasy #6, a series of speculative fiction anthologies produced during COVID-19 lockdowns. I will also have a dark fantasy appearing in the forthcoming Lockdown Phantoms #3. More details will be available soon… Continue reading Forthcoming: Fantasy Anthology
The Australian Fairy Tale Society is delighted to honour LORENA CARRINGTON as winner of the 2020 AFTS Award. Congratulations Lorena! We are so glad … 2020 AFTS AWARD
The tawny frogmouth is a species of nocturnal bird native to much of Australia. It is well known in Australian landscapes for the staring red-gold eyes, the camouflage resembling a branch or broken tree stump and it’s seemingly unworried response to human presence. I was walking in the early morning at a pine forest near… Continue reading Australian Tawny Frogmouth Folklore
A constant interest and inspiration in my writing and daily life is the environment. Recently, Australia has suffered some of the worst bushfires on top of a lengthening drought. While I was travelling in Europe from August-October 2019, I started thinking about a possible new idea for novel. First, I needed to write a short… Continue reading Curses, Storms & Talismans
In Iceland, the Yule Cat, Jólakötturin, is a traditional monstrous figure that purportedly prowls the countryside on Christmas Eve devouring those who did not receive new clothing items for Christmas. There are many debates over the origins of the Yule Cat in Icelandic tradition which does not appear to be mentioned in written form before… Continue reading Iceland’s Monstrous Yule Cat
The City of Brass is the first installment in the debut fantasy series The Daevabad Trilogy by American author S. A. Chakraborty based on early Islamic folklore and legends. The City of Brass follows female protagonist Nahri, a con-woman and thief who grew up an orphan on the Cairo streets during Ottoman-French occupation. Nahri has… Continue reading The City of Brass
I recently read Dead Beat by Jim Butcher, the seventh novel in the Dresden Files. Harry Dresden is Chicago private detective and professional wizard, struggling to make a living and control the powerful magic he wields. Dead Beat is set three days before Halloween when Märvra, vampire Queen of the Black Court and Harry's enemy,… Continue reading Dead Beat
Human survival has always been dependent on the natural environment and many mythologies show links between folklore and human fear of environmental instability. I was curious to explore folklore dealing with how past and present cultures attempt to explain and avoid disastrous environmental fluctuations. As human survival is so clearly linked to a stable environment,… Continue reading Folklore & Nature
Leanbh Pearson 
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