It seems there are many books influenced by or based on Myths and Mythological Beings.
There are many different Mythology's 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.
Why Bad-Ass Faeries?
From the very beginning of recorded history the mystical and magical has touched our world, existed beside us. Perhaps it was just our way of explaining the unexplainable, or perhaps with more open eyes we were able to see beyond the confines of our own understanding. Whatever the reason, we have always told tales of the Other. The Fae. The gods. Beings with abilities different than our own. Powers beyond those we could command.
Powers we respected.
Well. Respected until this century. With the explosion of literature and entertainment media and cotton-wrapping children, the fae and their kin have in many regards become a faint shadow of what mankind had known before. They have been relegated to merchandising opportunities, softened as to not upset young children…or anyone else.
But there are those of us that know that faeries are not all goodness and light. Heck, faeries are RARELY goodness and light at all. There are those that remember that faerie tales were warnings, not entertainment. It is with this in mind that we created
The Bad-Ass Faeries anthologies. To dedisnefy the fae. To reeducate the masses. To respect the fae and give them their proper due.
We have taken the root of the legend and brought it into the modern day, pairing the fae nature with some bad-ass human archetype. A reminder that the fae are among us, that they adapt and they blend, and they most definitely should be respected.
Why? Because the fae have been mischievous, they have been malevolent, they have been warriors. Seldom, if ever, have they been playthings for children. While there are accounts of the fae doing good, there are many more that warn of their treachery, or the swift nature of their retribution if not shown the proper respect.
Consider the redcaps. They are nothing but murderous thugs. They live by killing lone travelers and soaking their caps in their victim’s blood.
Consider the pooka. Seemingly nothing more than a horse, but climb onto it’s back and you will find yourself on a wild ride that more likely than not will find you drowned in a loch at the end of it.
Consider the faeries themselves, said to steal babes from their cribs and leave changlings in their place.
See, the thing about the Other is even if they appear similar to us, their goals, their understanding, their ways are distinctly different.
We forget the old ways at our own peril.
But we never truly forget, do we? Just take a close look at our traditional superstitions…horseshoes hung over the door as protection against evil (to prevent fae from entering a dwelling); throwing spilt salt over your left shoulder—the sinister side—to ward off bad luck (or the mischief of the fae, many of whom feel a compulsion to count each of those grains of salt, diverting their attention away from the person throwing it.), bells hung off of motorcycles (the sound of the bell said to ward off faeries…or in this case, road gremlins.), and four-leaf clovers for good luck (and to allow the bearer to see through tricks played by faeries.)
Needless to say, remembered or not, the fae have left a lasting mark on our society.
For over a decade we and our authors have been exploring this concept and the Otherness of the fae.
The Bad-Ass Faeries anthologies are now out of print, but we are currently funding a commemorative collection,
The Best of Bad-Ass Faeries featuring the highlights of all four books. If the campaign does well enough, we are even considering a brand-new collection featuring Tuckerizations of our backers.
So clap your hands…NOW! Because you better believe in Bad-Ass Faeries!
Back the campaign: Make 100: The Best of Bad-Ass Faeries
About the Author:
Award-winning author and editor Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for longer than she cares to admit. In 2014 she joined forces with husband Mike McPhail and friend Greg Schauer to form her own publishing house, eSpec Books (
www.especbooks.com).
Her published works include six novels,
Yesterday's Dreams, Tomorrow's Memories, Today’s Promise, The Halfling’s Court, The Redcaps’ Queen, and
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn, written with Day Al-Mohamed. She is also the author of the solo collections
A Legacy of Stars, Consigned to the Sea, Flash in the Can, and
Transcendence, the non-fiction writers’ guide,
The Literary Handyman, and is the senior editor of the
Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series,
Gaslight & Grimm, Dragon’s Lure, and
In an Iron Cage. Her short stories are included in numerous other anthologies and collections.
She is a member of Broad Universe, a writer’s organization focusing on promoting the works of women authors in the speculative genres.
In addition to her literary acclaim, she crafts and sells original costume horns under the moniker The Hornie Lady, at literary conventions, on commission, and wholesale.
Danielle lives in New Jersey with husband and fellow writer, Mike McPhail and three extremely spoiled cats. She can be found on Facebook (Danielle Ackley-McPhail) and Twitter (DMcPhail, BadAssFaeries, eSpecBooks, and TheHornieLady).
To learn more about her work, visit
www.sidhenadaire.com,
www.especbooks.com or
www.badassfaeries.com.
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