Stormy weather: Rusalki, Vodyaniye, and other forms of water magic in modern fantasy

In my last post I talked about how I incorporated the story of Gray Wolf into my books. With Hurricane Florence currently playing will-she-won’t-she with my part of North Carolina, today seemed like a good time to talk about how I worked various forms of magical water creatures into my stories, along with some good […]

Thrown to the Wolves: Writing Russian Fairy Tales into Contemporary Fantasy

Last time I talked about how I incorporated the character of Baba Yaga into my novels. But she is hardly the only Russian fairy tale character I have repurposed for my own ends. The one who appears in all three of the mini-series that comprise The Zemnian Series, and who was one of my favorite as […]

Was Baba Yaga Really So Bad, Anyway?

Before I jump into the meat of this post, I have a request! One that should be pretty simple and easy to fulfill. The official release date of The Dreaming Land isn’t until September 22, AKA the equinox, but I’ve already published the paperback of Book 1 so that people can start posting reviews. So if you […]

Whose overcoat have we come out from under, anyway? Some of the sources for my novels

Last week I talked about synesthesia and other sources of inspiration. As part of that I touched on some of the literary, as opposed to personal, sources of inspiration for my novels. This time around I thought I’d delve into that topic a bit more deeply. No doubt there will be more posts on it […]

“A Girl Behind Dark Glasses” by Jessica Taylor-Bearman

A Girl Behind Dark Glasses Jessica Taylor-Bearman Being a teenager is difficult. It’s a lot more difficult when you’re suddenly saddled with a debilitating illness. For those of you who’ve seen Jennifer Brea’s award-winning documentary “Unrest,” “A Girl Behind Dark Glasses” is the story of Jess, the English ME sufferer featured in the film. It […]

Synesthesia and Other Sources of Inspiration

Last week I wrote about writing with/about altered perceptions. This week, in keeping with the same trend, I thought I’d write a little more about altered perceptions, and some of the sources of inspiration for my characters and stories. Having your perceptions altered in some way can be terrifying, and certainly makes things difficult, but […]

“Forfeit” by Dick Francis

Forfeit Dick Francis I hadn’t read “Forfeit” in, oh, twenty years or something, until I recently picked it up and reread it. As always, rereading is as enlightening as reading. “Forfeit” is one of Francis’s slighter works in many ways, but it gets added depth by the interactions between Ty (the hero) and his wife […]

“Nocturne” by Kat Ross

Nocturne (The Fourth Talisman #1) Kat Ross A few months ago I got “The Midnight Sea,” the first book in this omni-series or mega-series or uber-series or whatever you want to call it, through a giveaway. It was definitely the stand-out of all the books I got through that particularly giveaway, and so I’ve been […]

“River of Shame” by Susan Clayton-Goldner

River of Shame: A Winston Radhauser Mystery: #4 Susan Clayton-Goldner “River of Shame” is the fourth book in the Winston Radhauser series, and it continues the themes of the first three: family life and human relations, thrown into high relief by violent crime. The story starts a few months after the end of book #3, […]

Tripping Out: Writing About Altered Perceptions

I’m currently reading Jessica Taylor-Bearman’s A Girl Behind Dark Glasses, about her experience as a teenager with severe ME/CFS. I’m interested in her story not just because, as someone with a chronic illness, I’m interested in the stories of other people with chronic illnesses, but because, like most people in her situation, she has to try […]

E. P. Clark: Author, Book Reviewer, and All-Around Literary Handiwoman

Author: elenapedigo