reads, Recent Reads

The Old Dragonโ€™s Head

Publisherโ€™s Description Constructed of stone and packed earth, the Great Wall of 10,000 li protects Chinaโ€™s northern borders from the threat of Mongol incursion. The wall is also home to a supernatural beast: the Old Dragon. The Old Dragonโ€™s Head is the most easterly point of the wall, where it finally meets the sea. In… Continue reading The Old Dragonโ€™s Head

research

Isle of Skye: Fairy Glen

The Isle of Skye is rich in fairy lore. One of the most magical-looking is the miniature landscape of grassy, cone-shaped hills and whimsical rock spirals of Fairy Glen. There is no documented folklore linking the landscape to the realm of myth, and there have been no actual sightings of fairies, Fairy Glen is rich… Continue reading Isle of Skye: Fairy Glen

research

Legend of the Pussy Willow

"The Legend of the Pussy Willow" In an old Polish legend, many springs ago, a mother cat was crying at the bank of the river where her kittens were drowning. The willow at the river's edge longed to help her, so they swept their long graceful branches into the waters to rescue the tiny kittens… Continue reading Legend of the Pussy Willow

research

Scottish & Irish Werewolf Folklore

The Scottish Wulver Unlike the French loup garou, not all werewolves terrorise humans giving into their blood lust. The Scottish wulver of the Shetland islands, just north of the Scottish mainland, is a benevolent werewolf. The wulver was thought by the ancient Celts to be its own species between a man and a wolf. Folklorist… Continue reading Scottish & Irish Werewolf Folklore

Short Fiction, Writing

Reimagining Red Riding Hood

Recently I have been exploring the concepts behind the Red Riding Hood fairytale. There are two main versions I have used as inspiration for writing a new short story. The version by Charles Perrault called โ€œLittle Red Riding Hoodโ€ and the version by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm called โ€œLittle Red Capโ€. Both examine a young… Continue reading Reimagining Red Riding Hood

reads, Recent Reads

Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales

Publisherโ€™s Description Baba Yaga is an ambiguous and fascinating figure. She appears in traditional Russian folktales as a monstrous and hungry cannibal, or as a canny inquisitor of the adolescent hero or heroine of the tale. In new translations and with an introduction by Sibelan Forrester, Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in… Continue reading Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales

reads, Recent Reads

Horseman

Publisherโ€™s Description Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Bruntโ€™s grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says thatโ€™s just legend, the village gossips talking. More than thirty years after… Continue reading Horseman

Writing

Forthcoming: Dark Poetry

Iโ€™m pleased to announce my debut venture into dark poetry will feature in Eldritch and Ether Anthology. My folklore inspired poems include Scottish female vampire folklore in โ€œMy Baobhan sithโ€, while โ€œThe Otherโ€ explores dark inner duality and mythologies of the Sun and Moon inspired โ€œA Silver Queenโ€. More details to be announced soon!

reads, Recent Reads

American Indian Trickster Tales

Publisherโ€™s Description Of all the characters in myths and legends told around the world, it's the wily trickster who provides the real spark in the action, causing trouble wherever he goes. This figure shows up time and again in Native American folklore, where he takes many forms, from the irascible Coyote of the Southwest, to… Continue reading American Indian Trickster Tales

Short Fiction, stories

Eerie Christmas 2 Release

Perfect timing for horror enthusiasts, Eerie Christmas 2 was released on 11th December 2021 and published by Black Hare Press. Eerie Christmas 2 features my horror story โ€œThe Yule Trollsโ€ inspired by the Icelandic Yuletide tradition of the 13 Yule Lads, mischievous trolls who lure children into misbehaving and the darker end that awaits them… Continue reading Eerie Christmas 2 Release