The old woman of the berries, a Croatian podcast and a meeting of Slavic folklore writers
This has been a long couple of months, and I have largely kept my head down working on a few short stories for some upcoming anthologies (most of which I’m not supposed to talk about yet), and edits on my upcoming novel (which hasn’t been announced, and so I’m not allowed to talk about. Very helpful in creating newsletter content, that.)
But one anthology I can mention, at least, is the Vol 2 of Slavic Supernatural, which is upcoming from a small boutique Croatian, English-language publisher Shtriga Books. .
The story I have submitted for vol 2 is about Baba Jagodowa (pronounced „Yagodova”), a creature from Polish folklore who looks after the forest berries and mushrooms. Very wholesome-sounding, no? (It’s a trick question).
Baba Jagodowa embodies some of that delicious moral relativity which I love about Polish pre-christian folklore. That there are creatures on this land undefined by their relationship to humans. Baba Jagodowa is entirely uninterested in us, as long as we don’t mess with her domain. And why should she be?
How beautiful that there are creatures who are allowed to simply exist outside of our wants, our needs and our desire to centre ourselves.
I look forward to sharing the story with you all once the book is out!
Now the two ladies running Shtriga Books, Antonija and Vesni along with their friend Igor, have also graciously invited me to their podcast, Mora FM, on writing and Slavic vibes.
It was such a treat, talking to fellow Slavs about the differences between Polish and Croatian folklore, as well as the publishing industry in general. I hope you might enjoy this episode, and let me know what you think!
Some stock of WHISPERS IN THE EARTH still available!
Our successful kickstarter campaign last year has allowed us to create two beautiful editions of our folklore anthology: a paperback and an exclusive hardcover.
Now that all the backers have received their copies, we can distribute the remaining stock via The Broken Binding. But please note, the stock is very limited, so consider purchasing soon, to avoid disappointment.
Each of the twenty stories is illustrated with a hand-carved linocut print. No AI in sight. Slow art, one could say!
Again, thank you so much to all who believed in this project and helped me to bring it to life.
Click here to see the listing.
WHISPERS IN THE EARTH – an illustrated anthology
Those who follow me on social media might have seen me post cryptic reels of carving, inking and printing linocut illustrations. I have actually been working on a collaborative project with 19 talented authors.
Whispers in the Earth is an anthology of short stories inspired by world folklore, and how stories travel and grow over time. Each story illustrated by myself with a linocut print, and with smaller illustrations throughout, we offer different formats, from ebook to a super deluxe hardback collectible.
On the 21st of May, in a partnership with The Broken Binding bookshop, we are launching the Kickstarter campaign to raise money for this project.
Putting this book together is a dream come true for me. I love illustrated books, yet that’s exactly the kind of project that would be considered far too expensive and risky by most publishers. Kickstarter offers the opportunity to bring exactly this kind of an unusual project to life, by bringing artists and backers together.
If you want to hear more, you can sign up on the landing page
http://pro.theknowledge.io/whispers
THE WIND CHILD Sold To UCLan! – COMING FEBRUARY 2022
New book deal announcement!
My first middle grade (children’s) book, The Wind Child, is coming out from UCLan Publishing in February 2022!
It’s a Slavic-folklore-inspired novel about how far you would go and what you’d be willing to sacrifice to save someone you love…
It follows young Mara, the granddaughter of Stribog, the God of Winter Winds, who sets out on an epic journey with her shape-shifting best friend, Torniv, in order to bring back her beloved human father back from the land of the dead. On her way she has to rely on her wits to survive as the spirit world of gods and monsters seem determined to stop her.
I’m very proud of this book and I can’t wait to share it with you all!
COVER REVEAL for THE SECOND BELL
The cover for my book baby is finally out!
It’s a beauty, I know! The team at Angry Robot had a real vision for the cover, and they’ve all been so gracious and patient with my many comments and suggestions and this is the final version, done by their very talented designer, Glen Wilkins! I’m a very happy, very grateful author.
Check out the Tor article and an interview with me here.
The Second Bell comes out March 2021!
Salka has to survive in a world which thinks her a monster. She seeks to explore the possibilities of her striga heart even as her mother is willing to sacrifice all to stop her!