My short story “Ilsa and the Dragon” is available in the brand new anthology Beauty and Wickedness!!! This is a collection of sixteen fairy tale retellings and brand new fairy tales. I didn’t base my story off of a traditional fairy tale this time. I had a clear picture of the dragon in the story, and while I wasn’t sure how a few things would shake out until I started writing, I knew I wanted to write about this dragon, and he doesn’t fit in any traditional fairy tale I’m aware of.

This collection is the first volume in Ever After Fairy Tales, a new series of fairy tales retold, reimagined, and new. This is the first time I’ve started a series knowing it would be a series from the get-go. The other series I’m working on is A Procession of Faeries, which is faerie-themed – as opposed to fairy tale-themed. Yes, there is a difference 🙂 even though there is some overlap. I’ve got a few other series in the works as well. I’ve found anthology series to be easier in some ways to organize than stand-alones. There’s an overall theme, but each volume can have a more specific theme. For example, the theme for the next volume in the faerie series is faery paths, portals, and passageways. That still leaves a lot of room for the authors to be creative, but allows the stories to have something in common that ties them together.

I’ve got three – or five, or maybe even six…I’m afraid to look at my list – new stories to write in the next month, so I’m going to continue to be super busy. And I’m still working on reading the many books that are part of the homework for the fantasy workshop I’m taking in April. Whew.

Jasper has his checkup on Thursday, and will hopefully get the okay to go back to hiking and ball playing. I suspect he won’t get the full green light, and that we’ll need to do more tests, but he does seem to be feeling a little better. Paws crossed… 🙂