In a recent work, I explored one of the worst shipwrecks that occurred off south-eastern Australia, a notorious stretch of coast known as the “shipwreck coast”. I have been fascinated by the history behind a treacherous, narrow bay, the Loch Ard Gorge named after the 1878 shipwreck of the Loch Ard merchant ship, one of… Continue reading Gothic Horror of the Shipwreck Coast
One of the most interesting folklore research I did recently involved the Aztec Empire in Mesoamerica. I have always been fascinated by the Aztec Empire and the many intriguing mythologies and my latest research was into the god of Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli. The death-god is often depicted in constant combat with the opposing force, the god… Continue reading Aztec Rituals & the God of Death
As the celebration of Women in Horror Month comes to an end, I’ve got a vampire themed dark micro-fiction coming soon in Blood Lust (Legends of the Night, #2) by Black Ink Fiction. For a final hurrah, here’s a sneak peek at one of my most recent dark fiction works, the folklore, history and vampires… Continue reading Showcasing my Dark Fiction: Coming Soon
Continuing the celebration of all things women in horror, I’ve got a horror/dark fiction short story set in the Australian Alps inspired by the wendigo legend, case of a cannibalistic monster or a monstrous human? Coming soon in Gluttony (Seven Deadly Sins, #6) by Black Hare Press. Here’s a sneaky peek at my story “The… Continue reading Showcasing Horror: Dark Fiction Coming Soon
Continuing the celebration of all things women in horror, I’ve got a microfiction story set in Viking Age Iceland coming soon in April Horrors by Raven and Drake Publishing. Here’s a sneak peek at the inspiration behind my story “Necropants” and the grisly Icelandic folklore. https://videopress.com/v/abjmhEhN?posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwritingdeskpoetry.files.wordpress.com%2F2021%2F02%2Fnecropants.jpg&preloadContent=metadata
One of my favourite fairytales is the story of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ recounted by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, with two variations in the tale published in the 1812 and 1857 versions to accomodate a wider selection of similar folktales. From the fairytale and folklore indexes developed by Professor Ashlimanm , the ATU system identified at… Continue reading Reimagining Hansel and Gretel Fairytale
While it’s Women in Horror Month, I’ve been researching gothic and dark folklore themes. Here’s a few of the diverse research topics I encountered including the history of witchcraft and an Icelandic folklore sure to make your skin crawl. Witchcraft: the Devil’s Influence Accusations of witchcraft have a long history. The era of associated with… Continue reading Horror, History & Folklore
The past several weeks, I have been exploring many different aspects of European folklore, particularly involving the Fae. Below is a series of some of my research favourites, fae beings and associated folklore. Seelie and Unseelie Fae In Scotland, the Fae are often divided into the Seelie and Unseelie courts, or the Light and Dark… Continue reading European Folklore
My research has been delving into the folklore of mortal dealings with the Fae. References to the performance of tasks, is common in folklore, see the Thompson Motif Index for an example of “Tests” present in folklore. In modern fantasy an traditional fairytales, three (also a commonly tool for repetition in fairytales) tasks or quests… Continue reading Impossible Tasks & the Fae
In Icelandic tradition, the Yule lads are thirteen trolls who arrive, one one each of the 13 days before Christmas then depart in the order they arrived, on the subsequent days following Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, the troll witch Gryla, leaves the mountains to enter the city, seeking any children who had been ill-behaved… Continue reading Iceland’s Yule Trolls
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