Kate Forsyth's Blog, page 44
May 12, 2014
BOOK LIST: My Favourite Fairy Tales Retellings
I love fairy tale retellings ... here are a few of my favourites!
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'The Glass Slipper' by Eleanor Farjeon
I read this retelling of the Cinderella fairytale while walking home from primary school one day and was so entranced I walked straight past the turnoff to my street. I might have kept walking for hours if a neighbour hadn’t driven past and honked me back to reality.
I love this book so much that I named my daughter Eleanor after the writer, with her pet name being Ella after the heroine. The Glass Slipper is full of wit and charm and whimsy and word play, the prose dancing like poetry. After I left my primary school, my one regret was that I hadn’t smuggled the book out of the library in my school bag and kept it.
Years later, I found it in a second-hand shop and fell upon it with squeals of excitement. This is very much a classic children’s book, published in 1955 – the Prince does no more than kiss Ella’s hand – but it is so full of joy and innocence, it will always be one of the most magical books of my life.
For 8+
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'The Stone Cage' by Nicholas Stuart Gray
A beautiful retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale, told from the point of view of the witch’s cat, this is an absolute classic fairytale retelling. Reading this as a child is what first made me think of writing my own Rapunzel tale – I wanted to make my heroine a little feistier than Nicholas Stuart Gray’s sweet and loving Rapunzel.
What I love most about this book is the personalities of the witch’s cat and the witch’s raven – one is arrogant, selfish and smart-mouthed, the other serious-minded and scholarly.
For 8+
Cold Iron by Sophie Masson
Published as Malkin in the US, this is a retelling of the English fairytale ‘Tattercoats’, interwoven with elements of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream’. ‘Tattercoats’ is a Cinderella type story, about a persecuted heroine, but in this book it is not the sweet and maltreated Tattercoats who is the heroine, but the brave and feisty serving-girl Malkin, and her friend, the goose-boy Pug. Cold Iron is a small book, but packed to the brim with personality. Sophie Masson writes with a light, deft touch, lavishing attention on her minor characters and on the scenery, so that the book gleams like a little jewel.
I also love Sophie's most recent fairy tale retellings - Moonlight & Ashes and Scarlet in the Snow - gorgeous and romantic and surprising.
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Wild Magic by Cat Weatherill
This is a wonderful fresh take on the Pied Piper legend, which explores why the Piper may have lured away all the children of the town of Hameln and what may have happened to them afterwards. The primary protagonists are Mari and her little brother Jakob, and the land they have been taken to is a place of wild magic, fearsome beasts, and an ancient curse than must be broken if they are ever to escape. The writing is beautiful, and the story itself gripping and suspenseful. I’m surprised this wonderful book is not better known.
For 8+
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Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
I thought, from the title, that this must be a Cinderella- retelling, but it is in fact ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’ which Jessica Day George has re-told in this sweet and atmospheric novel. Even though Jessica Day George has done a classic retelling here, in a fantasy otherworld very much like Europe, and with the plot line adhering closely to the original tale, she has done it with a light touch, a sense of humour, and just enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages. A captivating fairytale retelling.
For 8+
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Since being made into a movie with the beautiful young Anne Hathaway, Ella Enchanted is possibly the best known retelling of Cinderella. As always, though, the book is much better than the movie, being filled with humour and surprise and intelligence.
At birth, Ella is given the gift of obedience by a well-meaning but air-brained fairy called Lucinda. The gift is more of a curse for poor Ella, and so she sets out to find Lucinda and undo the spell. She has all sorts of adventures along the way, some of which include a prince, a pumpkin coach and a glass slipper, but Gail Carson Levine takes great delight in twisting the known elements of this most popular of tales to give it new life.
12+
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Goose Girl was Shannon Hale’s first book, and launched her career. It is a retelling of the Grimm Brothers story ‘The Goose Girl’, which is one of the lesser known tales but still filled with a few gruesome touches, like a dead horse’s head that talks.
Ani, a crown princess, can talk with birds and animals, but her talents are not appreciated in the royal family. When Ani is sent off to marry the prince of a neighbouring kingdom, her treacherous maid-in-waiting schemes to take her place. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl while she tries to find a way to reclaim her rightful palace. With some surprising twists and a satisfying ending, this is a lovely romantic retelling, suitable for children or adults.
For 12+
North Child by Edith Pattou
Known as East in the US, this beguiling book is a retelling of a traditional Norwegian fairytale ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’, which is an Animal Bridegroom type story.
Rose was born into the world facing north, and as a north child, superstition says that she will be a wanderer, travelling far from home. This prophecy is fulfilled when she rides away on the back of a white bear to a mysterious castle, where a silent stranger appears to her night after night. When her curiosity overcomes her, she loses her one true love, and must journey to a land east of the sun and west of the moon to save him.
For 12+
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A Curse As Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
I love fairytale retellings that are set in the real world, at a real time in history – somehow they make the fairytale seem so much more possible. A Curse As Dark as Gold was one of my favourite reads last year – a beautiful, romantic retelling of the well-known Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, set in a British wool town during the Industrial Revolution. This story is really brought to life by the atmosphere of the mill, the heroine’s family home which is being threatened with closure. It also has a really charismatic and surprising villain, which helped add suspense and surprise to this well-known tale.
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis
I had adored C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series as a child and so one day, while staying with my great-aunts, I found this book on a bookshelf and sat down on the floor to look at it. The first line reads: ‘I am old now and have not much to fear from the anger of gods.’
Entranced, I read on to the end, devouring the book in a single sitting. Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, which is not properly a fairytale, except in its obvious similarity to Animal Bridegroom tales such as ‘Beauty & the Beast’ and ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’. It is, however, still one of my all-time favourite retellings.
For 16+
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
This is a heart-rending retelling of ‘All-Kinds’-of-Fur’, the Grimm tale about a king who falls in love with her daughter and seeks to marry her. Known under different names in different cultures, it’s probably best known as Tattercoats, Catskin, or Donkeyskin. In some versions of the tale, the princess manages to outwit and escape her lustful father, before hiding herself in the skin of a wild beast and working in the kitchen of the king of a neighbouring country. In time, the second king comes to recognise the princess hidden beneath the filthy furs, and marries her.
In Robin McKinley’s novel, the daughter does not escape until she has been raped by her father, making this one of the most powerful, and ultimately redemptive, novels ever written about incest.
Robin McKinley has written many other beloved fairytale retellings, including Beauty and Rose Daughter (both retellings of ‘Beauty & the Beast’) and Spindle’s End (a retelling of Sleeping Beauty), which I adore as well.
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Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
A retelling of the Six Swans fairytale, this was Australian author Juliet Marillier’s first published book. Although she has written a number of gorgeous, spell-binding fairytale retellings since – including Heart’s Blood (‘Beauty & the Beast’) and Wildwood Dancing (Twelve Dancing Princesses),
Daughter of the Forest is still my favourite. It is set long, long ago, in Ireland, and begins when Sorcha, the seventh child of the family and the only girl, is only a child. The whole atmosphere of the book is filled with romance, enchantment, beauty and danger, making it one of the best retellings ever written (in my humble opinion).
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Other must-read fairy tale retellings by Juliet Marillier include Wildwood Dancing, Heart's Blood and Cybele's Secret - I love them all!
I also love Margo Lanagan's novels, especially Sea Hearts - a haunting tale of love, betrayal and selkies by one of Australia’s most extraordinary authors.
Thornspell by Helen Lowe
New Zealand writer Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story from the point of view of the prince in this beautiful, romantic fantasy for young adults. Prince Sigismund has grown up in a castle whose gardens and parklands are surrounded by a deep, tangled forest. He is kept locked away from the world, and so longs for adventures like the ones in the stories he loves so much – fantastical tales of knights-errant and heroic quests, faie enchantments and shape-shifting dragons. One day a beautiful and mysterious lady in a fine carriage speaks to him through the castle gates, and Sigismund's world begins to change. He dreams of a raggedy girl trapped in thorns, and a castle that lies sleeping … soon he is caught up in an adventure as perilous and strange as that of any story he had ever heard …
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
What a wonderful, amazing, magical book! I just loved this and think it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long while. I wish I’d written it. A retelling of the Russian fairytale, the Snow Child, set in Alaska at the turn of the 19th century, it seems far too accomplished to be by a debut novelist ... I can only look forward hopefully to many more books by Eowyn Ivey.
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White As Snow by Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee has been called "the Angela Carter of the fantasy field" for her dark and sensuous prose. This is one of the strangest and yet most compelling fairytale retellings I’ve ever read. It is so filled with violence and despair, it is almost unreadable in parts. Yet somehow it haunts the imagination afterwards, giving new depths to the well-known story of Snow-White, and taking it very far away from Disney territory.
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May 11, 2014
BOOK REVIEW: Thornspell by Helen Lowe
Title: Thornspell
Author: Helen Lowe
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age Group & Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/Fantasy for Young Adults
Reviewer: Kate Forsyth
Source of Book: I don’t remember! I either bought it or Helen sent it to me …
What I Thought:
New Zealand writer Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story from the point of view of the prince in this beautiful, romantic fantasy for young adults. Prince Sigismund has grown up in a castle whose gardens and parklands are surrounded by a deep, tangled forest. He is kept locked away from the world, and so longs for adventures like the ones in the stories he loves so much – fantastical tales of knights-errant and heroic quests, faie enchantments and shape-shifting dragons.
One day a beautiful and mysterious lady in a fine carriage speaks to him through the castle gates, and Sigismund's world begins to change. He dreams of a raggedy girl trapped in thorns, and a castle that lies sleeping … soon he is caught up in an adventure as perilous and strange as that of any story he had ever heard …
I absolutely adored this book! I love fairy tale retellings, especially ones that are full of magic, peril, and romance, and ‘Thornspell’ is one of the best I’ve ever read. It reminded me of Robin McKinley’s early books, which are still among my favourite fairy tale retellings. ‘Thornspell’ very deservedly won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best YA Novel – it’s a must red for anyone who loves fairy-tale-inspired YA fantasy.
Interested in other fairy tale retellings I have loved? Here's a list!
Helen's website
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May 8, 2014
INTERVIEW: Felicity Pulman author of A Ring Through Time
Please welcome Felicity to the blog:
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Are you a daydreamer too?
A: Always - and always getting into trouble for it!
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
A: Not as such. Writing stories was always something I did, something I took for granted. Only in my 40s did I start to consider it as a serious career - something I now deeply regret.
Tell me a little about yourself – where were you born, where do you live, what do you like to do?
A: I was born in Fort Victoria in Rhodesia, now called Masvingo in Zimbabwe (and perhaps that's why so many of my novels are about displacement, with the characters having to find out where they belong!) I now live in Sydney with my husband, and have two (grown up) children and five grandchildren who keep me busy and also techno-savvy. I love to read, write and listen to music, but I also enjoy bush-walking, surfing, snorkeling and holidays! And did I mention chocolate??
How did you get the first flash of inspiration for this book?
A: I heard a voice! We were on holiday at Norfolk Island, and went snorkeling at beautiful Emily Beach. I put on my mask and, as I put my face into the water I heard a voice say: 'if only I could see my own life as clearly as I can see now.' Who was this girl, and what was so wrong with her life that she wanted to see it more clearly? That was about 10 years before I wrote A Ring Through Time - but I eventually found out the answers to those questions!
How extensively do you plan your novels?
A: I've been caught out in the past not knowing the real ending of my story when I wrote it and being led astray because of it. Now, I start when I know who the characters are and (sort of) what's going to happen to them and I also have a good idea how I want the book to end. Mostly I don't really know how the characters are going to get there and for me, that's the fun of writing - to see what's going to happen next. I don't plan in too much detail, because that would kill the spontaneity of the story for me. And of course things change along the way, including the ending sometimes. But I'm okay with that because the new ideas are usually an improvement.
Do you ever use dreams as a source of inspiration?
A: In one of my first novels, Ghost Boy, Froggy has nightmares about drowning (and for a good reason.) I used to dream about drowning as a child, and still remember the heart-thumping fear of those nightmares. Dreams have often offered encouragement (when I feel I've lost my way.) And I've found mind-mapping an image from a dream a very useful exercise to kickstart the imagination when I'm feeling stuck.
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Did you make any astonishing serendipitous discoveries while writing this book?
A: I was lucky enough to be awarded a May Gibbs Fellowship residency in Adelaide to write A Ring Through Time (although this title only came later.) I'd put in a story idea but was really not sure that the story had 'legs' as I'd envisioned it. My husband and I went to Adelaide a week early, to go on the Murray River princess - a little holiday before I started work. It was a wonderful cruise, made memorable by a visit to the museum at Swan Hill, one of our stops. I found a case of mourning jewellery, brooches etc. woven out of human hair. To this day I don't know if there were any hair rings there, but that's what I 'saw' - and that's when the whole story clicked into place along with its title. A serendipitous find indeed!
Where do you write, and when?
A: I have a very messy study cum library where I do most of my writing. But I also write anywhere and everywhere - even when stopped at the traffic lights if I have a brilliant idea! I also have a pen with a light in it beside my bed to scribble down ideas without having to get up to do it. But if the ideas keep rolling, I'll work by night as well as by day.
What is your favourite part of writing?
A: Finding out what's going to happen next!
What do you do when you get blocked?
A: Going for a walk is always helpful. Or doing the housework - any physical activity that keeps your body busy while leaving your mind free to roam is good. Or I might try writing something in a different genre: an article or short story perhaps. Sometimes I compose haiku while I'm walking. Or I do some mind-mapping, or some other writing exercise.
How do you keep your well of inspiration full?
A: I read a lot (novels, newspapers, journals, research material) and talk to friends, particularly other writers who are always very generous with their time and with their ideas. I have a range of different interests, and I try to keep a balance between work and pleasure.
Do you have any rituals that help you to write?
A: I have an 'altar' with charms and amulets and artefacts that, for one reason or another, have significance for me. Sometimes I burn essential oils, but mostly I just get on with it. Starting a new novel is always my greatest challenge: I have to trick myself into it. Once I have an idea, I open a folder and then chuck notes into it - news items of interest, research material, scribbled ideas - anything that might have some relevance to the new story. Sometimes voices and visions come into it too, or perhaps a conversation between two characters. I write it all down and file it until I am clear about where the story actually starts - and that's usually because I've already written the beginning without knowing it. Once I've made a start, I can keep going - but facing a blank screen is terrifying!
Who are ten of your favourite writers?
A: Only 10??
Enid Blyton was my favourite as a child (I think I'm still writing versions of The Magic Faraway Tree!) Ayn Rand was a huge influence in my teens. Connie Willis, Phillip Pullman and Guy Gavriel Kay are current favourite fantasy writers. I like C.P. Snow and Maeve Binchy for their memorable characters; Sharon Penman, Geraldine Brooks and Ellis Peters for historical fiction; Helen Garner and Jodi Picoult for difficult and interesting topics; Jane Austen for all sorts of reasons, plus Elizabeth George and other crime authors too numerous to mention.
What do you consider to be good writing?
A: I'm less concerned about posh literary writing, being more interested in reading a story with a heart, and that takes readers on a journey with characters they care about.
What is your advice for someone dreaming of being a writer too?
A: Read a lot and write a lot. Be professional in your approach: near enough isn't good enough when you send off a mss to a publisher. Getting published has never been so tough, so be prepared to think outside the square, try different genres - keep learning, keep writing, and don't give up.
What are you working on now?
A: My new novel for adults titled I, Morgana has just been accepted by Momentum, the e-publishing arm of Pan Macmillan. (Very exciting!) I'm now thinking about the sequel.
Felicity's website
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May 6, 2014
SPOTLIGHT: Felicity Pulman on High v Low Fantasy
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One of my favourite books as a child was Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree. I remember that delicious thrill when you just knew that those children wouldn’t get back to the doorway of the tree in time, and that a new (and horrid) land would swing in and then they’d be trapped. And I sometimes think I’ve been rewriting versions of these books ever since.
True confessions (and with apologies to Kate!)
Beginning with The Hobbit and LOTR, I’ve never been able to ‘get’ high fantasy: those magical lands with magical creatures and magical characters with impossible names just never captured my imagination quite like those fantasies that are grounded in reality – and here I’m talking timeslip scenarios – or what one might call ‘low’ fantasy.
These are the sorts of stories I love to read, whether the jump is to an Otherworld (think Guy Gavriel Kay’s marvellous Fionavar Tapestry trilogy or Philip Pullman’s wonderful Dark Materials trilogy) or a jump back into the past. Connie Willis’s Doomsday Book is one of my all-time favourites, going back to the time of plague in the middle ages, but I have also enjoyed her timeslips back to World War II (Blackout and All Clear.) And of course I love timeslip movies too – like The Lake House and Sliding Doors.
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The perceived wisdom is to ‘write what you know’. I prefer to write the sorts of stories I love to read. And so I, too, have gone back in time with my novels for children and YA, such as Ghost Boy and, of course, A Ring Through Time, and also the Shalott trilogy which taps into Arthurian legend through a timeslip to Camelot in the middle ages. My latest novel (for adults) is I, Morgana – this time exploring one of the most maligned and enigmatic of Arthurian characters, and with a timeslip to the future (to be published in June by Momentum.)
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High or low fantasy? I think both subgenres are of equal value in that they both tend to follow Joseph Campbell’s ‘hero’s journey’ scenario whereby a central character is led to or forced to accept a quest of some sort and has to venture forth into the unknown, undergoing trials, meeting challenges and setbacks, and also reaching a new level of self-awareness along a circular journey that leads home, usually in triumph with ‘the boon’.
And isn’t this, really, what every good story is about? In my opinion, it is the author’s challenge to create a character, or set of characters, that readers will care about, and who will take them on a vicarious journey of discovery of the world outside, but also on a journey within, where they find out who they really are, along with all their strengths and their weaknesses; and they experience that trial by fire by which we are all tested in our lives and which, hopefully, will give us the courage to become our best selves, either as characters within a story or – and perhaps more important – as characters in our own life story.
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May 4, 2014
BOOK REVIEW: A Ring Through Time by Felicity Pulman
Title: A Ring Through Time
Author: Felicity Pulman
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Age Group & Genre: Historical/Contemporary Parallel for Young Adults
Reviewer: Kate Forsyth
Source of Book: I bought my copy
What I Thought:
I really enjoyed this novel! I love books which slip from the present to the past, and I found the setting of Norfolk Island really interesting and atmospheric.
The primary point of view us that of Ally Bennett, a contemporary teenager whose family has just moved to Norfolk Island. Ally is troubled by the fact that her ancestor was the last prison warden of the island and he is loathed for his cruel treatment of prisoners. This causes tension between Ally and some of her fellow school students.
Ally finds a diary kept by her ancestor’s daughter, Alice. It tells the story of a developing romance between Alice and a convict, who are drawn together by their shared love of music. This diary was really well-done – the voice seemed authentic and the historical details rang true.
Ally’s and Alice’s stories touch through time, and the two stories are woven together neatly at the end.
I’ve always enjoyed Felicity Pulman’s stories but I think this is her best to date – and I loved the Australian setting!
Writer’s website
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May 1, 2014
BOOK LIST: The most gorgeous fairy tale books in the world
I thought I’d celebrate the launch of my own fairy tale picture book TWO SELKIE TALES FROM SCOTLAND by doing it now!
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I'd love to add to my collection so if you know any other utterly gorgeous illustrated fairy tales, please tell me in the comments so I can add them to my collection.
Here are my favourites (in no particular order):
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This is the most beautiful version of 'The Singing, Springing Lark', the Grimm Brothers' variant of 'Beauty & the Beast'(here titled 'The Lady & the Lion') - the illustrations are utterly exqusite!
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Paul Zelinsky's gorgeous 'Rapunzel' which sets the story in the Italian Renaissance which is, of corue, what I did to in my historical novel BITTER GREENS
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More by Paul Zelinsky, one of my favourite children's illustrators - this is a brilliant rendition of 'Rumpelstiltskin'
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Paul Zelinsky's 'Hansel & Gretel' - doesn't the witch's cottage look delicious?
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My absolute favourite fairy tale artists is K. Y. Craft - I'd give almost anything to have her illustrate one of my books. They are so gorgeous, intricate, mysterious and magical! This one is 'Twelve Dancing Princesses', which is also one of my favourite fairy tales
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A swoon-worthy 'Cinderella' from K.Y. Craft
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'Sleeping Beauty'from K. Y. Craft
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A lovely version of the 'Tam Lin' ballad, retold by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Jason Cockcroft - I also have versions of this story by Susan Cooper and Jane Yolen
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This exquisite retelling of 'Persephone' is retold by Sally Pomme Clayton and illustrated by Virginia Lee
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My favourite Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, 'The Snow Queen' is illustrated here by Vladyslav Yerko in a mesmerisingly beautiful edition
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Oscar Wild's fairy tale 'The Happy Prince' is illustrated beautifully by Jane Ray
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Finally, this utterly beautiful version of 'Wild Swans', retold by Naomi Lewis and illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert
You may also be interested in this blog on The Sources of the Grimm's Fairy Tales or The Magic of the Number Three or My Twelve Most Spell-Binding Fairy Tale Retellings Ever
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT - I LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
April 30, 2014
SPOTLIGHT: Two Selkie Tales from Scotland
To celebrate, I’m devoting the blog to Selkie and other fairy tales for the next few days. Enjoy!
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The Story Behind the Story of TWO SELKIE TALES FROM SCOTLAND ...
My grandmother’s grandmother was Scottish.
Her name was Ellen Mackenzie and she grew up on the Black Isle in the Highlands of Scotland. Her home was edged on all sides by the waters of rivers and firths leading out to the sea.
Ellen’s mother was called Margaret McPhee, and as everyone in Scotland knows, the McPhee clan was descended from Selkies. The name McPhee is derived from an older version of the name MacDuffie, which comes from the Gaelic term MacDubhSithe, meaning ‘son of the dark fairy’. Family legend says that the first McPhee took a Selkie as a bride!
Ellen emigrated to Australia in the 1850s and, apart from some books and clothes and a sprig of heather, she brought a head stuffed full of old tales. She told these stories to her daughter Jinny, who told them to her daughters, Clarice, Gwen and Marjory (nicknamed Joy), and they – my great-aunts and grandmother - told them to me.
I always loved the tales of selkies, who were seals in the water and humans upon the land. It seemed the best of both worlds. People drowned if they sank beneath the waves, and mermaids could only flop about helplessly on land. Selkies, however, could plunge through the fathomless deeps, and then shed their sealskin and run and dance on the shore. I loved wondering if I had Selkie blood in me, and if one day I’d find the way to transform into a seal.
Like many Scottish fairy tales, ‘The Selkie Bride’ is full of love and loss, magic and mystery. A Selkie woman is seen dancing on the shore. A man steals her sealskin and hides it from her and so she is trapped in human form.
Though the Selkie bride pines for the sea and her own kind, the man marries her and they have children. Eventually, the Selkie bride finds her sealskin – often with the help of one for her children – and so she returns to the sea, leaving her human family bereft. In many tales, her descendants are seers and singers, poets and players. Often they have webbed hands and feet, or may have been born with a caul of skin over their heads. If so, their families hide or destroy their caul so that they will not run away to the sea. I always loved that story, and wished that I had been born with Selkie blood so that I could swim through the waves with all the sleek grace of a seal, but still dance in the moonlight whenever I wanted.
A lesser known tale is ‘The Seal-Hunter and the Selkie’. A man who makes his living by slaughtering seals finds himself transformed into a Selkie for a night, and charged with the task of saving the life of one he has injured. He is overcome by remorse and promises to never kill a seal again. This was always one of my favourite tales, for I’ve never liked the idea of killing such beautiful creatures. It was also, I thought, more joyful and hopeful than many of the Selkie tales, which are often tragic, and so was a bright counterpoint to the melancholy feel of ‘The Selkie Bride’.
I loved retelling these two old tales, and tried to recapture some of the lilt of my grandmother and great-aunts’ voices in the story’s cadences and rhythm. They are stories I will love to tell aloud.
All the illustrations above are by Fiona McDonald for the book - here's the link to her blog.
Want more Selkies? Check out this blog I wrote last year ...
April 29, 2014
BOOK LIST: Books Read in March 2014
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The Caller – Juliet Marillier
This is the third and last book in Juliet Marillier’s gorgeous YA fantasy Shadowfell trilogy. I have really enjoyed these books, which are, as always with Juliet’s books, filled with wit, warmth and wisdom. You must read them in order – Shadowfell, Raven Flight, then The Caller – as the books tell the story of the continuing adventures of Neryn and her journey to understand and control her magical talents as a Caller. Set in a land very much like ancient Scotland, with all manner of extraordinary faery creatures, the Shadowfell books weave together history, fantasy, folklore and ancient wisdoms to create a beautiful and powerful story. These books are a perfect read for a dreamy, romantic teenage girl – I love them now but oh! How I would have loved them when I was fifteen.
Dance on the Volcano: A Teenage Girl in Nazi Germany – Renata Zerner
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Children of Terror – Inge Auerbacher & Bozenna Urbanowicz Gilbride
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As part of my research for a novel I am writing that is set in Nazi Germany, I am reading a great many memoirs of people who lived during those terrible times. Although neither of these memoirs has the poetic intensity of Elie Wiesel’s heart-wrenching Night, they are nonetheless poignant and distressing, particularly Children of Terror which is written by two concentration camp survivors. It seems impossible that such things can have happened. Yet they did. It’s so important that we read these stories and make sure that such atrocities can never happen again.
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True to the Highlander – Barbara Langley
After reading a few emotionally harrowing books, I felt in desperate need of some light romance. True to the Highlander was perfect. Utterly predictable, but done with flair and humour, and I always love a medieval Scottish Highlands setting.
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The Paris Affair – Teresa Grant
Teresa Grant has written a series of historical mystery novels set during and just after the Napoleonic Wars. Her French heroine Suzanne is married to an English attaché and spy, and together they negotiate their way through murder, intrigue and passion. The stories are always a little slow, but the historical detail is spot-on and the interaction between the characters and their slowly unfolding relationships makes up for it.
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The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
I have had this book on my shelf for over a year now and have been avoiding reading it because I knew it was going to be a harrowing read. And it is! However, it is also utterly brilliant. It deserves every bit of praise it has garnered. I urge you all: READ IT! Another book which I am insanely jealous about and wish that I could have written.
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Cart & Cwidder – Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favourite writers from my childhood and Cart & Cwidder is one of my favourite of her books, and so it was the one I chose to re-read for DWJ-month in the blogosphere – a global celebration of her books and writing. This is the story of a family of musical travellers in a world divided between North and South, and has DWJ’s trademark mix of the ordinary and the magical. A truly delightful children’s fantasy.
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The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater
I really enjoyed this book by Maggie Stiefvater, which re-imagines the Scottish fairy tale of the kelpie, or water-horse, into what feels like a fairly contemporary setting (it actually felt like the 1950s but the time of the setting is left intentionally vague). The result is a beautiful, dark, poignant book of danger, magic and love that feels very true. I have previously read Maggie Stiefvater's book Shiver and really enjoyed that too, so I'm now hunting down a few of her other books. This is a wonderful read for anyone who loved Margo Lanagan's Sea Hearts (The Brides of Rollrock Island).
Here's my LIST OF BOOKS READ IN FEBRUARY 2014
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April 28, 2014
BOOK LIST: Books Read in February 2014
The last few months have been insanely busy for me, with all sorts of deadlines whizzing past my ears as a consequence of having four books with three different publishers coming out this year, as well as a hectic touring schedule. As a result, my usual rate of reading has been much slowed as I spent most evenings writing instead. Nonetheless, I managed quite a few books in February - I hope some of these entice you to read them too.
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A Game of Thrones: A Song of Fire & Ice – George R. R. Martin
I feel as if I must be the last person in the world to read A Game of Thrones. And I love fantasy fiction! I think I decided some years ago to wait till the whole series was out before I began to read it … but of course, it still isn’t finished.
So I decided I really should be more in step with my times and so I limbered up my arm muscles and picked up the first book in the series.
What did I think? I really enjoyed it. The world building is unusually deep and vivid, and the story is full of surprises. Although it’s a big book, with a lot of characters, I didn’t feel the pace dragged. I loved the dire-wolves and the child protagonists, and I loved the political intrigue. I’ll go on and read Book 2, and I may even watch the TV series …
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A Dreadful Murder – Minette Walters
This book is published as a ‘Quick Read’, which describes it very well. The book is only 122 pages long and that’s with nice, big font size. It really is a novella, but it was perfect size to be read in a single setting which was something I wanted after plowing through A Game of Thrones night after night.
The book is based on the true story of the murder of Caroline Luard, which took place in Kent in August 1908. Her body was found dead in broad daylight in the grounds of the large country estate in which she lived with her husband. It does not take long for the village to begin accusing her husband of the murder and eventually he committed suicide, unable to live under the cloud of suspicion.
Minette Walters retells the story in simple and concise language, postulating another theory as to the identity of the murderer. Her conclusions feel right to me, and I can’t help feeling sorry for Mr Luard.
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Revealed – Kate Noble
I really enjoyed Let it Be Me, a fresh and sparkling Regency romance by Kate Noble, and so thought I’d try another by the same author. Revealed is not quite as wonderful as Let it Be Me, but it was amusing and charming and the romance was really quite sweet. I was not overly fond of the heroine when the book began because she was so perfect – beautiful, rich, with exquisite taste – blah, blah, blah. But she did grow new depths as the story continued and became much less of a spoiled princess. And I loved the spy sub-plot. I always think a romance is improved with a little murder, mayhem, or intrigue thrown into the mix.
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Night – Elie Wiesel
This slender book is Elie Wiesel's harrowing account of his teenage years, spent in Auschwitz. It is told very simply and bleakly, without much description or dialogue, as if spoken to someone quietly listening. This makes it feel very pure and real, though sometimes the effect is one of emotional numbness which is, in its way, even more heart-wrenching. Wiesel describes the taking away of his mother and little sister to the gas chambers, his struggle to survive and to look after his father, and his own loss of faith in God and humanity with the same clear and unfettered honesty. I ended the book with such a lump in my throat I could scarcely draw a breath. A profoundly moving book, and one that everyone should read. My edition came with Wiesel’s acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize:
"And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of universe."
It made me want to speak out for all the injustices I see in the world and ashamed of myself for not doing so.
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The Ocean At the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman
I have never really got the Neil-Gaiman-as-literary-god thing. I’ve read quite a lot of his books and enjoyed them all, particularly Stardust. I really liked The Graveyard Book too, and thought it had some lovely writing in it. But he didn’t give me goosebumps. He didn’t make me prickle all over with awe and amazement. He didn’t bring that lump into my throat and that prickle of tears into my eyes, which is how I always know if a book is truly great.
Well, now he has. The Ocean At the End of the Lane is a truly great book. It’s full of Big Ideas, yet is still a compulsively readable story. In a way, it’s very hard to categorise. It’s neither a book for adults or for children, but a book that can be read by both. In fact, I can see it being one of those touchstone books, that a child reads and loves, and returns to again and again as an adult and finding ever new things in it. Yet it is such a slim book. Like the pond at the end of the lane, that is really an ocean that contains within it the whole universe, this book is brimming over mystery, magic, and wisdom. I am awed and amazed, and so, so jealous of Neil Gaiman’s talent. This is a book I wish I could write.
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A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’ Engle
Reading Nail Gaiman’s utterly brilliant novel The Ocean At the End of the Lane reminded me of a book I had loved as a teenager but had not read again in years - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Éngle. So I dug out my tattered old paperback (this is why I never get rid of books – so I can put my hand on a book whenever I want it) and read it again for the first time in many years. First published in 1962, A Wrinkle in Time is older than I am but it has survived the years remarkably well. It too is a novel full of Big Ideas expressed through a very readable story, with a beguiling mixture of humour and horror, philosophy and fantasy. It is a very different book from Neil Gaiman’s but both have a trio of three women who seem very ordinary on the outside but are indeed both mysterious and powerful. I’m really glad I read it again and I have gone and put both books on my teenage son’s bedside table.
Here's the list of Books Read in January
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT - I LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
April 24, 2014
INTERVIEW: Katherine Clements author of The Crimson Ribbon
Are you a daydreamer too?
Yes, absolutely.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was young. I used to write stories and create imaginary worlds as a child, and co-wrote my first novel when I was about twelve years old (a Lord of the Rings rip off, complete with terrible illustrations). But I lost my way for a while and didn’t start writing again until my thirties.
How did you get the first flash of inspiration for THE CRIMSON RIBBON?
I became interested in the 17th century after reading Rose Tremain’s wonderful novel Restoration. I began reading history about the period and was fascinated by the English Civil Wars. It was in a biography of Oliver Cromwell that I first encountered Elizabeth Poole, a mysterious woman who gave evidence of providential visions to the Army Council in an attempt to influence the trial of Charles I.
Something about her intrigued me and this led to more research about women’s history during the period. After that it was a process of finding a story that allowed me to explore some of the themes and experiences that interested me. Using a relatively unknown figure gave me some factual structure but a lot of freedom to do this. I recently picked up my copy of that same Cromwell biography and found the bookmark I used back then – it was a train ticket stub, dated almost ten years ago, so Elizabeth has been hanging around for a long time!
How extensively do you plan your novels?
For The Crimson Ribbon I didn’t do much planning at all. I had characters, a beginning, and I knew where I wanted to end, but not how I was going to get there. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this, as it took me ages. For my second book, I’ve had to plan more thoroughly, though I find that, despite my best intentions, things change as the characters develop and they begin to misbehave.
Do you ever use dreams as a source of inspiration?
Not yet, although my characters sometimes inhabit my dreams.
Did you make any astonishing serendipitous discoveries while writing this book?
Not really. I made a lot of small discoveries that influenced the direction of the story. One of the things I love about writing historical fiction is taking the facts and then creating a story around them – filling in the gaps, if you will. It’s like solving a puzzle.
Where do you write, and when?
I prefer to write at home or somewhere quiet. I’m experimenting with public spaces at the moment – libraries mostly – but it has to be peaceful. I can’t work with distractions like music or TV. I prefer to be near a window with a view of trees and sky. I dream of having my own study. I write best first thing in the morning, and in the evening, but I’m hopeless in the afternoon.
What is your favourite part of writing?
I love rewriting and revising. For me the first draft is about finding out who the characters are and getting the shape of the story down. My first drafts are nearly always bad, but after that the fun begins. I love taking a scene and polishing it, finding exactly the right words or right image to make it work. And I love the moments when something just clicks – the perfect research fact turning up at the point you need it, or the times when a character comes alive and does something unexpected but somehow inevitable. My very favourite thing is when I’m completely inside a scene, seeing it, hearing the characters speak – utterly lost in the world I’ve created because it’s so real to me. Those are the moments that make writing a joy.
What do you do when you get blocked?
Sometimes I need to step away from a piece because it isn’t working, or I’ve tangled myself in knots. I take a walk, go for a swim, go dancing or call a good friend; anything to take myself outside of my own head. It’s been said many times, but the answers nearly always come eventually, if I just stop worrying about it.
How do you keep your well of inspiration full?
Reading mostly, both fiction and non-fiction. Every time I read a history book I find more ideas. I watch a lot of costume drama too. I like to visit historical houses, castles, museums, art galleries etc. Time off is important. Thinking time even more so. I always remember, some years ago, hearing Rose Tremain talk about the importance of just sitting and staring out of the window. It’s important to remember that this can be essential work too.
Do you have any rituals that help you to write?
Lots of tea.
Who are ten of your favourite writers?
This changes all the time but for today I’ll go for some of my favourite ladies: Sarah Dunant, Hilary Mantel, Jane Austen, Sarah Waters, Rose Tremain, Charlotte Brontë, Rosemary Sutcliff, Susan Cooper, Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot.
(Kate: Oooh, many of these are among my favourite writers too!)
Rosemary Sutcliff
What do you consider to be good writing?
Writing that transports the reader. Writing that is convincing and emotionally engaging in some way. Really good writing contains truth, or reveals something, and does it with beautiful, pleasurable, perfectly chosen words.
What is your advice for someone dreaming of being a writer too?
Read a lot. Write a lot. Write anything. Then rewrite. The craft and the magic are in the rewrite.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on my second novel – as yet untitled – which is a re-telling of the legend of The Wicked Lady. (You might know the 1945 film with Margaret Lockwood and James Mason that was loosely based on the same story). The legend tells of a noble-born highwaywoman who terrorized Hertfordshire in the 1650s. I’m bringing together research on the real life figure to whom the legend has traditionally been pinned, and the myths surrounding her, to create something entirely new.
Kate: it sounds wonderful - I'll be looking out for that!
You can follow Katherine on Twitter at @KL_Clements
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT - I LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
