One day this spring, while at a workshop, Kevin J Anderson said, “You always know what you’re getting with a Leah Cutter story. Two middle-class white girls from suburbia.”

(In case any of you are wondering, yes, he was being 100% sarcastic.)

He did, however, hit the nail on the head.

Readers can’t predict what they’re going to get when they pick up a story of mine. I personally believe the only thing that’s common from one of my stories to the next is that there’s some level of weird. Sometimes that story is only slightly flavored with the weird. Other times, well, the story is a bit more out there.

The story this week, I’ve been told, is weirder than normal, for me.

Part of that is because this story is based on a Hungarian myth called, “The Dragon Rider.” Eastern European myths have a different rhythm than western Europe. The cycles are different, not just the “tell me three times” that you have in fairy tales that are more familiar to most western readers, but how things escalate (or don’t).

The very first short story I sold professionally is a re-told fairy tale. It’s based on the Hans Christen Anderson story, The Red Shoes. But because she’s a country western dancer, it’s The Red Boots.

I don’t have any novels that are re-told fairy tales. I was able to figure out the “spiritual brother” of this short story, however.

Of Myst and Folly is a post-apocalyptic fairy tale.  (Remember, I started off this post talking about levels of weird and expected.) It isn’t so much about existing fairy tales but about ones that start with the coming of magic in a post apocalyptic world.

You can read the prequel to the novel here, Of Rifts and Myst.

In the meanwhile, welcome to my weird world. I hope you enjoy the following story.

Lizard Horses

Here and gone!