So the Victorian Christmas wasn’t always so perfect, with all the social ills of the period, but in Dickens’ view, Christmas was what you made of it. And I think he understood the celebration far better than a lot of people do today. What makes a perfect Christmas, or other holiday event? Three things: I …
Now that we’ve been on the subject of British food at Christmas, who’d have guessed that a little bit of crusty, puffy goodness would become the nucleus of a holiday controversy? I can’t remember when I became interested in Yorkshire pudding; probably from an old boyfriend’s British mother decades ago, although I don’t remember her …
Long read (17-18 min.). As cold winds blow down from the north towards the end of November, households start prepping for Christmas. We’re going to take a stroll back to Victorian times, via a story that has been a beloved part of the holiday season for 180 years. Steep some mulled wine and pour a …
Someone asked me the other day how, as an author, I felt about A.I. Let me answer that by mentioning a query in one of the Facebook groups for authors that I belong to. A fellow asked this question: if he used A.I. to create an entire novel for him, would it be ethical for …
This poem has long been one of my favourites. Written by Walter de la Mare, an English poet who passed away 1956, it’s one of his best known works. He also wrote short stories and novels, many of them about the supernatural. You can find all kinds of analyses of this piece on the internet, …
Just in case you were thinking that old books are dusty things collected by boring people with their heads buried in parchment, let me introduce you to the Devil’s Bible. The Devil’s Bible – sounds like something Satanists would use, doesn’t it? Or maybe a tome written by the Prince of Darkness in a darkly …
October is the month made for ‘creature features’, and one of my favourites is Jason and the Argonauts (1963). The story is a classic from the mythology of ancient Greece. It’s a grand heroic tale full of adventure, love and betrayal. Jason was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolkos, as well as …
Vintage creature storytelling at its best: Ray Harryhausen Read More »
Curses and hexes are possibly the oldest form of magic, going back to distant recorded history. Magic was an everyday part of life for many ancient peoples around the world. Babylonians used clay tablets to dispel witchcraft and Romans made leaden curse tablets to defeat their enemies. Greeks hired professional magicians to create kolossoi, or …
Why do we love ghost stories? Well, we have fun being scared. Even babies like being a little spooked, as in the game of Peek-a-boo we play with them, which has been described as ‘an infant jump scare’. When we read a good spooky story or watch a creepy movie, we’re scared without actually being …
