Mythical Monday (16)

It seems there are many books based on or influenced by Myths and Mythological Beings.

There are so many different Mythology and Mythological Beings recorded. Some are very popular and well known, others not so much. There are many similar beings, yet different depending on the culture it’s based in.  The definition of Myth covers about anything in the Urban Fantasy/Fantasy realm to me.

I’ve invited authors to share briefly the Mythological being or Myth that influenced their character(s) or story, or what their character(s) are based on influencing their books.  Hosting here, one author and being or myth per week.

This week we have:

YA Fantasy author Chloe Jacobs

Talking of Hansel and Gretel influencing her story.

GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING started off as a twist on the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel, mostly
because I’d been thinking of doing a fairytale re-telling for a long while, but I didn’t want to do something that had already been re-done to death (Cinderella, Snow White). I’ve always found Hansel and Gretel a fascinating little tale. It’s one of those stories that got watered down over the years and not many people remember the original.

You might think it’s about two kids who get lost in the forest, lured into a witch’s clutches by the delicious scent of gingerbread, only to realize that the witch wants to have them for dinner. But hey, they’re lucky enough to escape, right? So all is good.

Ah, not so much. The real story of Hansel and Gretel is a lot darker than that. In fact, the two children didn’t get lost so much as they were left in the woods to die by their parents, who are apparently fine with the idea of letting their kids be torn apart by wild animals if it means having a couple fewer mouths to feed. And although the kids did escape, it was only by pushing the witch into her own oven and burning her alive, and when they finally find their way back home, everyone rejoices because the mother (also painted as an evil w(b)itch), has died.

When I decided to use this fairytale as the jumping off point for my book, I researched other myths and stories about witches who prey on children, and found the Greek myth about Lamia. She was a serpent-like creature, the daughter of Libya and Belus, and of course, Zeus (the biggest philanderer of all time) had an affair with her. Zeus’s wife, Hera, was tired of being cosntantly shamed by her jerk of a husband doesn't punish Zeus. No, she punished Lamia by compelling her to eat her own offspring, which drove the poor woman insane and ended up in Lamia developing a taste for children.

What started out for me as a simple Hansel and Gretel re-telling turned into a pretty dark fantasy. When all is said and done, GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING is about more than Hansel and Gretel or Lamia. It’s about a young human girl who gets tossed into another world where everyone there hates her just for being human. It’s about her trying to find her way home, and learning what home means. It’s about an evil demon prophecy. It’s about an eclipse that will turn everyone into vicious monsters. And it’s about a hot goblin king with the ability to walk in dreams…

The actual bit about Hansel and Gretel and Lamia ended up being a very small piece of the whole book but it was necessary for the rest of the story to come together, and I got to satisfy my need for research! LOL

Thank you so much for letting me come chat here today!!

Chloe Jacobs


About Chloe Jacobs:

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Find Chloe Jacobs at:
Site:  www.chloejacobs.com
Twitter:  @Jacobs_Chloe
Facebook:  Chloe Jacobs
Goodreads:  Chloe Jacobs

GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING

While trying to save her brother four years ago, Greta was thrown into the witch’s fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerous world where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a dark side that comes out with the full moon.

To survive, seventeen-year-old Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young Goblin King, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back…


Purchase Greta and the Goblin King now:

Barnes & Noble
Book Depository