The Grey Queen's Gown

I'm sure most of you have seen/read the new issue of Unsettling Wonder, and I'm very excited that my short story, The Grey Queen's Gown, is featured in this issue. 

The theme for the issue is 'fairy brides', and I find it interesting that both pieces of original fiction are about selkies - are these beautiful creatures of folklore in the midst of a popularity surge that I've somehow missed? I hope so! I'm still waiting to receive my copy but I can't wait to read the other stories and articles, the contents page has me hooked already.

Happy reading, and please feel free to comment with any constructive criticism; feedback is always welcome :)

public domain resource

After reading an article by Jack Zipes in The Public Domain Review I explored the site further and found that it is a beautiful resource for images, audio, film and text. For the fairy tale enthusiasts there is this page, which contains fantastic versions of Tennyson's Morte d'Arthur, Spencer's The Faerie Queene, and various collections of folk and fairy tales from around the world.

Source: Public Domain Review

Why the newest fairy tale magazine might reignite Britain's folk heritage

...Unsettling Wonder was officially launched at the beginning of the month - click the logo to explore the website!

If you follow any of the blogs I link to on my sidebar, then chances are this won't be news for you! But in case you missed the deluge of blog posts last week, here is a bit of information from the website:

Unsettling Wonder is about going back to...that troubling, entrancing glimpse into story. Childhood affords us the first glimpse, but it is by no means the last. And the oldest stories—the fairy tales we met in childhood, the folklore and folk traditions that gave rise to them—can still be woven together for telling today. We want embrace [sic] and celebrate, re-imagine and re-invent, our folk traditions, the wild and variegated scrapheap of story and theme and motif that lies open to the magpie gaze of the writer.

But why do I think Unsettling Wonder could 'reignite Britain's folk heritage'? 

After having a look around the site I was struck by a couple of things: firstly, of the five members of staff listed, four of them have strong links to Britain, particularly to Scotland. Secondly, in the 'about' section of the website, which provides a type of mission statement for the magazine, we can read that the magazine wants to tell the tales of 'Woods and princes, elves and fools, voyages and rolling cheeses, tricksters and righteous sages, kings dressed as beggars, stories told by thieves.' Rolling cheeses? Now, that's not something I've ever seen mentioned specifically before by a fairy tale magazine! Cheese rolling is an ancient - and possibly pagan - British tradition that is still celebrated today in the Cotswolds. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have never heard of such an event happening elsewhere in the world.

Does the British folk and fairy tale need a renaissance?

Maybe. Maybe not. I think when most people think of the British fairy tale, chances are they'll be thinking of the works of Victorian writers who, for all their moralising, produced great works and great names that stay with us: Andrew Lang, Charles Kingsley, Christina Rossetti...What I personally love is the slightly blurred boundaries between folk tales and fairy tales that occur: Victorians wrote moral versions of familiar fairy tales, but also incorporated that moral tone into stories of fairies, sprites and all the other mischievous little folk whose legends litter our countryside. Kingsley's The Water-Babies is an example of this, yet it is still called a fairy tale.

And things seem to have been a bit quiet since then (although perhaps the passing of time will make it easier to see otherwise...) Fantasy is something that Britain has always done well, in short stories and novels, but I'm not aware of any rejuvenated fairy tales that have had much impact. American writers seem particularly good at producing the 'modern' fairy tale set in, say, a desert or a high school. But I haven't seen many British writers take the fairy tale in that direction - perhaps we are struggling to move on from the unique blend the Victorians produced for us? A lot of fairy tale magazines/ezines seem to be based in America and have American editors too.

I don't know. I'm just speculating, and I won't pretend I've spent hours and hours researching this - I am basing this purely on my own observations (so criticise me, agree with me, attack me - lets debate this!) But perhaps Unsettling Wonder will allow British writers to shake off the dust covering their tomes of folk and fairy tales, and re-explore a land left behind long ago, creating new footprints in the dust...

Oh dear, I can't stop writing in blank verse

Fantastique Unfettered is still open to submissions for its Shakespeare Unfettered issue. I wanted to submit a story I wrote, but its far too short (I have unintentionally written my first ever piece of flash fiction.)

by Schnellart @ dA

I've written a piece about Ophelia, under water. I read and re-read the scene where Gertrude tells Laertes how his sister died, and tried to use similar images, and even mention plants that Gertrude talks about. Then, when I'd written a first draft, I thought about making it a real challenge to myself...so I re-wrote it in blank verse.


Good grief, I had no idea how much it would mess with my head! I don't know how Shakespeare could have held a normal conversation after a long stint writing - my brain was translating everything, and all I could hear was the iambic pentameter rhythm pounding in my head. I've experienced this before after reading Shakespeare, but I had no idea writing in blank verse would do the same thing; I thought my head would be pleased to be shot of it! Isn't it described as the rhythm most suited to the English language? Something like that - maybe that's why my brain couldn't let go. 


I would even recommend it - it was a fun sort of challenge, after all, how often can we say we've tried to write like Shakespeare? And if anyone submits a piece I would love to hear about it, or about anything Shakespeare-related that inspires/amuses/means something to you...

The second time

I know it's trite, but the second time feels so much better than the first...

string her up on the pomegranate tree

...I think it must be because somewhere inside, I worried that it was a fluke when I first saw my name in print. 

Apologies for my absence; unfortunately I had to read Theodor Adorno's The Culture Industry during the last week of term, and it inspired a spell of nihilism with regards to my work and my blog. The challenge has been to accept that he makes a very good point, but to take it with a pinch of salt so I don't feel like I'm stuck in a Matrix. [Life is meaningful and we are all important, despite the powers that seek to control and repress us!]

I'm going on holiday on Saturday and will return in the middle of next month, hopefully with tons of inspiration and a few stories to tell. Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather if like me you are a surprised and warm Brit, and take care all x

String her up on the Pomegranate Tree

I am thrilled to announce that String her up on the Pomegranate Tree has been published in Volume magazine! I am now anxiously awaiting its arrival, with my fingers crossed that it will fit through the letter box...


Volume's launch party for issue 9 was last Thursday in east London, and I'm really annoyed that I couldn't make it, but it sounded like an amazing night and a great success. You can buy a copy of The Girls issue through their website, or wait for the PDF download to be released. 


I have posted an excerpt of the story here.

Upcoming publication

String her up on the Pomegranate Tree will be published in the upcoming issue of Volume magazine. 


There will be a launch party on Thursday, 15 March in London, with free entry (click the link under the picture to view the Facebook event.)


This is very exciting for me, as it is my second published short story. It was in the final round of consideration for publication in another magazine but didn't quite make the cut, so to have it accepted by Volume has reassured me that my 'never give up!' attitude can pay off! Knowing it is being distributed in the UK also feels wonderful, because it means I'm building my platform on my home turf as well as in the vast universe that is the Internet.


I will post again with download links when the issue is released, but for now here is a sneak preview...

String her up on the Pomegranate Tree - Extract

What is there in a look? What can cause an allure so strong that all carnal thoughts escape a man as he betrays his wife? Is it her mascara? Can she buy designer brands with the money she makes from her deviant escapades?

Parvaneh and Shadi consider these things as they push their trolleys through the towering aisles at Tesco. They weave between the shoppers in a dream-like state, trusting that their young children are following in their squeaky-wheeled wake.

Out of the corner of their eyes they see a flash of light. They turn to see a woman head to toe in black, bending down to observe the flour. Their stomachs knot and their eyes widen.
 
Is that her?   

©2011-2012 A.L. Loveday

Volume magazine

A letter from the other side of the world

I received such a lovely surprise in the post last week - a card from Tahlia, of Diamonds and Toads! (Sorry it has taken so long to post my thank you!)


The card was thanking me for the donation I made towards start up costs for a new fairy and folktale magazine...a donation that wasn't a lot, that I thought wouldn't make a difference. But I suppose it still meant something - it meant enough to send a card and not an email - and that's what counts. 


It takes so little effort to do something for someone else, that could maybe make their day; a 'good morning', a smile, a hand getting a buggy on a bus...a small donation to a good cause, and definitely, definitely, a card through the letterbox from the other side of the world!

^chuffed!