"South of the Sun - Australian Fairy Tales For The 21st Century" (Submissions Call & Crowdfunding)

Anthology cover design by Lorena Carrington

Once upon a time, Australians fell in love with fairy tales... and they never stopped! 

The formation of The Australian Fairy Tale Society [Est. 2013] marked a new era of fairy tale activity in Australia, that has gone from strength to strength, with local monthly "fairy tale salons" (known as Fairy Tale Rings) meeting in almost every state, annual conferences, a hefty, growing library of resources being made available for members and an ezine exploring old fairy tales and new fairy tale work in all mediums.

A LOT of best-selling fairy tale retellings the world over have come out of Australia (by Kate Forsyth, Juliet Marillier and Sophie Masson, to name just a few of many!) so it's only natural that the AFTS (Australian Fairy Tale Society) has been aiming to take that passion and evident talent, and create new - specifically Australian - fairy tales, as part of their mission. A uniquely Australian, fairy tale anthology is a goal the Society has been working toward since its inception and now we are on the cusp of bringing it to life. But there is a question that must be considered to make this happen:

What is an Australian Fairy Tale? 

This is a question South of the Sun explores. We are challenging assumptions that fairy tales are for children, are European, and must contain fairies and pale, passive heroines. Through stories, flash fiction, poetry and illustrations we are producing inventive, intercultural new Australian fairy tales for young adults and older fantasy readers.  (from the AFTS Pozible campaign page)

While the AFTS has provided a generous 'seed fund' to get things in motion, along with publishing partner Serenity Press, it's going to take a (worldwide) village to make it happen and they - we - could use your help. Please see the official call to arms (and call for crowdfunding help), to make the rest of this mission possible below.

The anthology has an auspicious start, with contributions from notable writers already, including:

• Sophie Masson, the French, Jakarta-born fantasy writer, recently awarded an Order of Australia for services to literature
• Carmel Bird, recipient of the Patrick White Literary Award
• Eugen Bacon, award-winning African-Australian writer
• Cate Kennedy, award-winning novelist and short story writer

And your work could be part of this historic anthology as well! With their ongoing mission to be inclusive, the AFTS has put out a call for submissions to new and emerging writers and illustrators, with the deadline now extended to DECEMBER 13th, 2019 (a reminder for ex-pats and those traveling, that the deadline is Australian time, AEST!) According to the guidelines, contributors do NOT need to be Australian or living in Australia BUT the pieces need to have "an Australian quality" about them. (See guidelines for details.) All accepted contributors will be paid.

Please see the AFTS website for submission details for the anthology HERE.

DEADLINE NOW EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 13, 2019!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Check out the video below to see some of the beautiful styles of art that will be included, and to hear from some of the award-winning writers and contributors to date. (Hosted/narrated by photographic artist and author Lorena Carrington, who also created the cover for the anthology):

Our anthology, South of the Sun - Australian fairy tales for the 21st century, has embarked on an international crowdfunding campaign! https://www.pozible.com/project/south-of-the-sun-1

Tailored for YA + adult readership, rated G, it features original contributions by acclaimed guests, with lush illustrations, reflecting vibrant, intercultural inventiveness. 

Interested in reading more about the state of the Australian Fairy Tale?

You can find some helpful resources below!

• Anthology Website: https://australianfairytales.com/
• Definition of fairy tales by Dr Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario
• A relevant article - Introduction: The state of play in Australian fairy tale: Where to now? - by three fairy tale scholars: Dr Nike Sulway, Dr Belinda Calderone and Dr Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario, writer of our Anthology’s foreword
• Keep up to date with the AFTS Anthology news: on Facebook and through Pozible

'Kindle In Motion' Brings Seven Gorgeously Illustrated Grimm Tales To Life

The Brothers Grimm: Illuminated Fairy Tales, Vol. 1 [Kindle in Motion] Kindle Edition

We only just discovered this wonderfully illustrated fairy tale e-collection, possibly because we prefer paper books for reading and holding, but the whole project appears beautifully done, and the audio sample is pretty nice too.

 

When e-books eventually make the transition to 'digital paper', (so you can carry one full size book and just re-load it with the novel or volume you want to read that day, still being able to turn pages etc) these sorts of moving books are exactly what we would love to add to our collection!

 

Here's the blurb for The Brothers Grimm: Illuminated Fairy Tales, Vol. 1 [Kindle in Motion]:

From “Rapunzel” to “Hansel and Gretel,” Grimm’s Fairy Tales have enchanted readers for generations. This dramatic Kindle in Motion edition presents seven classic stories—each restored to its original version and reimagined with modern digital illustrations. 

 

Each tale is lovingly portrayed by a different artist: Kali Ciesemier’s vibrant colors animate the thorny path of “Briar Rose.” The sinister course of “Hansel and Gretel” takes a twist in the candy hues of Peter Diamond. Daniel Krall’s richly detailed line work shines amid the wickedly dark “The Juniper-Tree.” Nicolas Rix’s charming storybook style delights in “The Frog-Prince or Iron Henry.” Ashley Mackenzie’s golden tones light up the ball in “Cinderella.” Horses, ducks, and birds turn macabre in Wesley Allsbrook’s wildly gestural portrayal of “The White Snake.” And Rapunzel lets down her hair in Rovina Cai’s hauntingly beautiful drawings. 

Experience the iconic classics you know and love, lavishly illustrated to breathe new life into age-old tales.

 

Did you take note of those illustrator names? No wonder this looks so good!

And a quick (re)listing of the fairy tales:

• Briar Rose
• Hansel and Gretel
• The Juniper Tree
• The Frog Prince or Iron Henry
• Cinderella
• The White Snake
• Rapunzel

And in case you're wondering, these are the Grimm versions, not watered down 'Disney-fied' versions, but at the same time beautifully told with a lovely storyteller feel. (Audio preview is also available on the Amazon page.)

 

A note about viewing options for those who don't have an actual Kindle device:

 This book can be read on any device, including Kindle E-readers. Kindle in Motion books include art, animation, or video features that can be viewed on certain Fire tablets and the free Kindle app for iOS and Android. You can switch features on or off at any time. 

There are a number of other 'Kindle in Motion' books available that might interest readers as well. The Amazon page shows previews of the animation. Each title is linked to its respective page: 

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• The Secret Garden
• The Wind in the Willows
• Off To Be The Wizard
• Bram Stoker's Dracula
• Darkness There: Selected Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
• Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Black Beauty

Merry Krampusnacht! We Are Reading 'He Sees You When He's Creepin': Tales of Krampus'

Tonight, December 5th, is Krampus Night or Krampusnacht - the night before the feast of Saint Nicholas (December 6th). Krampus has had a bit of a revival in recent years, becoming a better known figure in pop culture, but not just as "the horror story of Christmastime" but with respect to him being Santa's partner - his bouncer if you will. Krampus' scary appearance and tools of chains and "switches" are especially for taking the wicked - the Devil through to very bad children - to task.

I have to say, if I was in Saint Nicholas' business, I'd want a formidable counterpart to help me out too! And that's exactly what Krampus traditionally does.

That doesn't mean that's the whole story though.

Kate Wolford - fairy godmother, mentor and cheering leader to fairy tale writers everywhere - has produced a second Krampus anthology, He Sees You When He's Creepin': Tales of Krampus, just in time for the season, and the range of stories are wonderful.

Kate introduces the twelve short stories with one of her brilliant, informative and accessible mini-essays, explaining the basics of Krampus for newbies but also putting some great meat in there for those more familiar with this old holiday character. (We are big fans of all of Kate's intros!)

The previous Krampus anthology released in 2014, Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus, also helmed by Kate and produced by World Weaver Press, was a big hit, and hit the pop culture pulse in conjunction with the horror-light movie Krampus hitting the big screens the following year. (We keep hearing praise for that movie from very different sources, so while that's not our usual fare, we think it's time we had a viewing for our newsroom.)

In the meantime, we have been fortunate to have just received a copy of the second anthology and have been visiting Krampus stories right through the weekend, with much enjoyment and relish! Somehow these short stories manage to bring the season into focus, even while Krampus - and the darker side of folk - are in the spotlight, and that's quite an achievement. For example, the opening story, in which Krampus meets a less than saintly Cinderella (and ends up doing some very non-traditional fairy godmother work) was a wonderful surprise. There was much more to this story than at first met the eye and we were thrilled to find other folklore at home in fairyland, woven in as well. We wish we could say more to tease you in, but we don't want to spoil the twists and surprises... just grab yourself a copy and then we can chat. ;)

We may be teasing you more in the coming days up to the Winter solstice, so keep an eye out!

And for digital readers, finishing today - December 5th, aka Krampusnacht, you can get Kate's new second Krampus anthology for $3.99 as an ebook. We would suggest it's a lovely early present to send to someone who could use a dose of the season with a twist - or as a reward to yourself for surviving 2016.

Baba Yaga Meets Narnia in T. Kingfisher's New Online Serial Novel 'Summer in Orcus'

When the witch Baba Yaga walks her house into the backyard, eleven-year-old Summer enters into a bargain for her heart’s desire. Her search will take her to the strange, surreal world of Orcus, where birds talk, women change their shape, and frogs sometimes grow on trees. But underneath the whimsy of Orcus lies a persistent darkness, and Summer finds herself hunted by the monstrous Houndbreaker, who serves the distant, mysterious Queen-in-Chains…

Do you remember who T. Kingfisher is? It's the multi-talented, Hugo-award winning artist and writer Ursula Vernon, writing for older readers and adults under a different name, many of which are fairy tales. We have a review of one of her wonderful collections HERE.

Below: Fairy tale short story anthologies written by Vernon with covers also created by her.

And she's at it again.

This time she's taking her latest novel online and is publishing it in twice-weekly installments, for free.

Did I mention the novel is a Vernon-esque mash-up of Baba Yaga (complete with personable walking house) and Narnia? Vernon explains her inspiration for this in her introduction, which I am posting below because I can't think of a better way to get you reading it and supporting her.

When I was young and reading the Narnia books, I detested (as I was supposed to detest) Eustace Clarence Scrubb, who did not enter into the spirit of Narnia at all, who was sulky about grand adventures and had to be turned into a dragon in order to learn his lesson. 

I bitterly envied him being turned into a dragon. I would have given my eyeteeth to be a dragon. 

Years later I read Voyage of the Dawn Treader again and realized that Eustace got a pretty raw deal, although arguably not as raw as Susan, and that you really couldn’t win sometimes. And I had watched The Neverending Story about five hundred times and when I finally read the book, where the child story-teller’s creations are given life and come to him crying “Why have you done this to us?” I was deeply horrified. Artex in the Swamps of Sorrow had nothing on this for sheer awfulness. 

But these were adult understandings, and as I am often a children’s book author, I set out to write a portal fantasy for children. 

I couldn’t do it. 

I couldn’t get out of my own way. Narnia was too important to me. It mattered too much. I could not sanitize it. The terrible, fascinating darkness underneath the fantasy world would not go away. When I put myself in the shoes of my heroine, I knew enough to be afraid. 

There is a legacy in children’s books–I blame the Victorians–for books to reassure children that being a kid is just fantastic, that adulthood is nothing but taxes and hair loss, that being a kid is an idyllic innocence and only a very foolish child would want to grow up. 

Neverending Story interior illustration by Katie Vlietstra

Well, I was skeptical even then, and more skeptical now. And that, too, got in the way of my writing. So eventually I gave up on trying to write a proper children’s portal fantasy and wrote this book instead. 

Summer in Orcus is my portal fantasy. It is my response to Narnia and The Phantom Tollbooth and The Neverending Story, which I read (and watched) as a child, and to Abarat and Valente’s Fairyland, which I read as an adult.
Whatever age you are, I hope you find something worth having in Orcus.

START CHAPTER ONE BY CLICKING HERE

So far there are six chapters and counting at the writing of this post. All we feel we can share at this point is that a smothered young girl named Summer has had her day unexpectedly interrupted by a walking house, that seems to like her and has somehow convinced Baba Yaga this little girl is worth her attention...

Summer in Orcus will be available in full when the serial has been run in full, early in 2017. Unlike some serial novels, this one is completely finished and edited and avid readers are in no danger of never finding out the end of the story. We are looking forward to the journey very much, and will likely be sad when we read 'The End'.

Frog Road: from the amazing imagination and talented fingers of Ursula Vernon

Northlore Series Open Call for Submissions!

We just recently posted a review by OUABlog reviewer, Leena Naidoo, HERE, for the first volume in this series, "Folklore" and now an exciting opportunity from Nordland Publishing has arisen.

Here's the announcement from the official website:

Open Call for the Northlore Series 

  

We are pleased to announce the second open call of the series: Myth. 

We are looking for short stories between 3-8000 words and Poetry of any length.
This collection will contain the secret history of the Norse gods.
“Over a period of 400 years, Christianity came to the Scandinavians, sometimes at the point of a sword.  

Slowly it spread, until only small pockets of the old religion persisted. 

The gods of the North understood their time had come. They withdrew from the world, disappearing into the realm of myth. 

But they did not die. This is their story.” 

Three books, three themes, one vision: Northlore.

 

Before you submit your work, please be sure to follow the publication guidelines.

"The Northlore Series: Volume One - Folklore" - Review by Leena Naidoo

"The Northlore Series: Volume One - Folklore" 

Stories edited by MJ Kobernus, Poetry edited by Katie Metcalfe

Review by Leena Naidoo

Editor's Note: I wasn't quite sure what to expect when Once Upon A Blog was offered a review copy of this book, but I have to say I found this anthology of short stories and poetry to be right up my alley and very much worth my time. I'll leave it to Leena to give you the lowdown, but suffice it to say, I personally recommend this book for people interested in Nordic folklore and fairy tales and will be on the lookout for upcoming books in the series. (Stay tuned for opportunities to contribute to upcoming volumes!)

Jacket description: 

Volume One of the Northlore Series is a modern collection of Scandinavian Folktales, told in new and often surprising ways. With humour, drama and and more than a little tension, you will be drawn into a world of Trolls and Huldr, Elves and Mara. We live in a world full of hidden creatures, if you have the eye to see them. And if you don't, the wonderful illustrations contained in the book should help! The book itself has mystical significance as 33 is a magic number. Is it a coincidence that there are 33 inspired contributions? Well, yes, actually, it probably is. Welcome to the Northlore series. Poetry and prose inspired by Scandinavian Folklore. In turns funny, horrifying, sexy and sad, what you seek is within. Warning! Do NOT feed the animals.

Mention Scandinavian folklore and I think of snow, Vikings, trolls, magic, and Norse gods. They have a distinct sense of humor, a certain amount of gore, and offer a glimpse into the human condition. Northlore, an unusual anthology of short stories and poems, delivers on all these points—except for the gods. Don't expect dragons, trips to Valhalla, or rescues of those under enchantment or stolen by elves. Instead, you might find the reason Grandma warned you about that, or why Mother might have acted so. Or the possible fate of an ill-informed tourist…

Here are just a few highlights of this collection:

Hold the Door, by Sarah Lyn Eaton, makes for an excellent beginning. With a strong voice, we are introduced to images of the terrors and cold of the Northern darkness, and the magic just beyond the threshold. Here we learn of the practicalities of Norse winters, where safety, food and warmth come first. It's a wonderful story of a new shield maiden's bravery when facing a magical adversary. 

There are selkies too. A slightly twisted modern version in Between Two Worlds, by Claire Casey, was, without a doubt, one of my favorites. Set in modern day Kirkwall, Orkney; it reminded me of my visit there. Though I didn't see any selkies myself, it's easy to believe that, had I met one, I too could have stolen its coat and accepted the consequences... 

Gustave Trolle — a strange, satisfying tale of a cursed man — was one I did not expect to enjoy, but ended up finding extremely intriguing. At first, it seems a bit of history about a Bishop. It grows into a modern urban fantasy and ends in what may one day be a fable. I would never have considered a troll in this way before, and will now have to redefine my concept of them.

Haute Cuisine, by Gregg Chamberlain, is a delightful tale of a three-headed troll. It's a bit of silliness best read over a glass of pre-dinner wine, or told with a twinkle in your eye. 

A northern collection would be incomplete without the dark and horrifying. Northlore's most terrifying story features draugrs — vengeful, almost indestructible undead — perhaps the forerunners of modern zombies. Although other nightmarish creatures are plentiful, they are well balanced by the light-hearted. Enter modern Huldufolk (hidden folk of Iceland), with their bewitchment and elfish ways, all seeming dependent on us humans for love and understanding. Other stories read like X-Files, with ancient creatures meeting modern spelunkers, fabled beings mating with city journos; and things that go bump in city-central apartments.

In addition to short tales, this anthology contains poetry, some of it haunting, like Fossegrim. Others, like Mara, My Love, draw more from fairy tales or the Otherworld — trolls, witches, nightmares, magic, ancestry — they are all there.

Even with the sometimes unusual editing (due to some of the authors being non-native English speakers), I found Northlore well-written with a diverse range of voices and talented storytellers. I will happily add this anthology to my ever-growing collection of fairy tales from around the world. There are a few gems I'd like to revisit from time to time, and I like the way the traditional is married with the modern.

Recommended to: Fans of The X-Files, those curious about modern Nordic (especially Icelandic) fairy tales, and those looking for alternatives to Grimm and Perrault.

Disclosure: A complimentary copy of the book was sent to the reviewer in exchange for an honest review.

Leena Naidoo lives in South Africa and has loved fairy tales ever since her mum used to tell her old Scottish stories. Her own stories draw on Gaelic and Scandinavian tales and can be found under her pen name, Anushka Haakonson, at  www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnushkaHaakonson . Her all time favorite fairytale is East of the Sun, West of the Moon, which she fell in love with when she read Dianna Wynne Jones' Fire and Hemlock. Her is blog is called Inbetweener https://leennanaidoo.wordpress.com.

"Stepmothers and the Big Bad Wolf" - Review by Tahlia Merrill Kirk

"Stepmothers and the Big Bad Wolf - Fairy Tale Villains Reimagined"

Edited by Madeline Smoot

Review by Tahlia Merrill Kirk

Editor's Note: You know when the Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine, offers to write a review. that the book is either something special, or unique, or perhaps both...

Jacket description: 

There are countless villains found in the pages of fairy tales—ogres, giants, even a witch or two—but none seem to capture the imagination like the stepmothers and wolves. Here nine authors tackle these villains. In some, the wolf or stepmother becomes the hero. In others, they retain their original threatening nature. In all the stories, the villains are presented in a new light. Rediscover your favorite villains in these new fairy tales.

This spring, I attended the SCBWI Austin writing conference where I made lots of new friends and learned about every aspect of the publishing process, from social media to book contracts. Having a limited budget, I hungrily eyed the book sale table like Charlie Bucket trying to decide which candy bar to buy with his last dollar. 

And then I spotted this little gem:

Being in the fairy tale business, there was no question in my mind that this would be the book I took home. My newly acquired treasure is even signed by the editor, Madeline Smoot, who I had the pleasure of meeting a minute after buying the book (wish I’d snapped a pic!). 

The book’s title ended up being 100% accurate--Stepmothers and the Big Bad Wolf is a collection of ten short stories that focus exclusively the two iconic characters of stepmother (Cinderella’s specifically) and wolf. 

Since the current trend is to write tales from the villain’s perspective, I was expecting lots of echoes of Maleficent here, especially in the stepmother stories. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that none of the stories utilized the cliche first person narrator saying “let me tell you my side of the story”. 

In fact, the key to these retellings’ success is that most of them have antagonists rather than villains. Villains are characters designed to be destroyed. They lurk and cackle in Antagonists are meant to cause conflict that can be resolved. The conflict causers in this collection take many forms--from an abusive husband to Cinderella herself. 

Perhaps my favorite part about this collection is the wide variety of settings. For example, “Soteli Ma” takes place in an Arabian-esque world, but instead of the expected domed palaces and handsome sheiks, writer Laura Ring surprises readers with a wilderness survival story. Jump over to the UK, right after Arthurian Legends, and you find “Wolfsbane” full of torchlight and heavily guarded fortresses. Keep reading, though, because there’s even a story set in futuristic Antarctica! 

Be sure to read to the end where you’ll find my personal favorite, “The Wolf Listens”, which features a Native American girl forced to live in a British school. She is surrounded by teachers who actively work to erase her racial identity. Basically, If you feel like you’ve been-there-done-that with fairy tale retellings, you’re definitely in for a treat with Stepmothers and the Big Bad Wolf. It takes two of the most popular tales, breaks down their walls, and reassembles them into radically different structures.

This review was written voluntarily, without any compensation or affiliation with any of the authors or editors for business purposes.

Tahlia Merrill Kirk is Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine, and an official partner of Once Upon A Blog.

"The Golden Arrow and Other Tales": Review by Sarah Lawson

"The Golden Arrow and Other Tales"

Review by Sarah Lawson

Editor's Note: The author of The Golden Arrow and Other Tales is also an accomplished musician, recording and performing as a professional violinist. She composed and recorded the soundtrack for the trailer for her book, which I am including below. You can check her Facebook page for her performance schedules, new recordings and for additional updates and details on her book release.

Jacket description: 

A forsaken princess must leave her room for the first time in her life... to rescue her father’s kingdom.

Three knights are bound to protect a city... by satisfying a ravenous dragon’s thirst for blood.

An old widow’s handsome new companion never speaks... but that’s the least mysterious thing about him.

An enchanted weapon bestows unlimited power upon the one who wields it... but at a price.

In this debut collection of short fiction, Samantha Gillogly weaves a quartet of original tales from the threads of classic European fairy story tradition. Freshly imaginative, yet evoking a bygone era, The Golden Arrow and Other Tales enchants with new stories about timeless archetypes that feel as though they’ve always been with us.

Coming May 1st, 2015 from Artistic Media Associates, Inc.

Like most of us here, while I adore classic fairy tales, I’m always curious about new ones. So imagine my excitement when I was given the chance to read The Golden Arrow and Other Tales by Samantha Gillogly--a collection that I can sum up in one word: delightful. Four stories weave together classic motifs and I quickly fell in love with each character, even the dastardly ones, because they were at once both familiar and new.

Gillogly’s anthology cover a wide variety of tones--sometimes enchanting, sometimes ominous, and once or twice they are downright gruesome. However, from the first page, it’s clear she has mastered the fairy tale narrative voice. The first line, “The princess had sight, but she had no eyes”, instantly grabbed my attention. I wanted to read more about this princess who was born with blue flowers where her eyes ought to be and her arduous quest to save the kingdom. Out of all the stories, though, my favorite was Dragonsblood, which includes a monstrous woman (a theme I’m currently studying) and knights straight out of Arthurian tradition. My inner medievalist was thrilled! For other fairy tale scholars, you may be interested to hear I was particularly impressed by the author’s use of the Rule of Threes. It came up multiple times, but always slightly differently so that it never felt boring or repetitive (a tricky thing to do with that particular motif).

Incidentally, the author, who is also a professional musician, wrote and performed the music for the trailer. The track, “Telling Tales” is skillfully done, with a distinctive Celtic feel. I think it accompanied the collection well and was very fantasy-esque, which was perfect. 

If I had to criticize anything about the book, I’d say that the dialogue seemed a bit heavy at times. Since dialogue tends to be sparse in most fairy tales, the amount of discussion Gillogly included in her stories occasionally tripped up the pace. Of course, this is a small criticism and rarely takes the reader out of the action.

It truly was a pleasure to read this collection. Gillogly does more than just play with fairy tale themes; she fully engages with them and creates fleshed-out, compelling stories so rich that it’s hard to believe that they were written in this century.  I wholeheartedly recommend The Golden Arrow and Other Tales to any Once Upon a Blog reader.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE

Disclosure: A complimentary copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Lawson is currently earning my Master’s Degree in Literature at the University of Rochester and will be writing her Master’s Thesis on the Brothers Grimm. On a non-academic level, she has been working on a series of fairy-tale retellings for about five years.