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It’s been a nice weather week here. Of course, it’s gotten more cloudy over the weekend. But I’m hoping that today, like yesterday, it’ll clear up later.
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This weekend was the annual plant sale at the Maple Valley arboretum. I was able to pick up some of the things I was looking for, like bee balm, lemon balm, borage, and a new lilac tree. We also picked up a couple of things that I wasn’t specifically looking for. My husband bought a prickly pear cactus and I got a Wild Asian Ginger plant.
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As I’ve mentioned before, I work with carrots, not sticks. Going and buying plants was my reward for doing all the bank account reconciliations last week. It took me a full afternoon to do the accounting stuff. I feel really good about it. If I can do this every quarter, at the end of the year, my taxes should be really easy.
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So while I’m doing some very specific weeding—just in flower beds—I’m also very deliberately not weeding elsewhere. Or mowing.
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We have a lot of ground bees out here. We don’t mow in April. Possibly won’t mow until it gets really bad, mid-May. I’d rather keep the place “wild” for now so my pollinators have a chance.
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Plus, we do have several “mowing crews” who come through regularly. I want them to have fresh grass to eat as well.
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I’m currently reading a book of short stories by Kelly Link, White Cat, Black Dog. (https://amzn.to/433zdto) I find that I can only read one at a time, then I have to sit with the story for a while, feel all the feelings, think about all the things.
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So far, the stories I’ve read have all been fairy tales set in a contemporary, modern setting. They have all the tropes of fairy tales with princes, talking cats, and so on.
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One of the things I’ve been thinking about is the casual violence of fairy tales. All of that behavior feels highlighted because while it’s normal in a fairy tale, because these stories are set in a modern setting, it’s startling and seems abnormal.
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This morning, I pulled down off the shelf one of the books I had as a kid, The Fairy Tale Book (https://amzn.to/4jR31Pw) to see if I was remembering correctly some of the stories I grew up with.
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Yup. Little girls get their feet cut off. A princess breaks the rules, and has to walk until she wears out seven pairs of iron shoes, and eats seven loaves of iron bread. They are trapped in stone towers or dark forests, made to spin nettles into thread, and so on.
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Frequently, there’s a prince that the princess is trying to save, only he’s been turned into an animal, such as a hawk, a brilliant blue bird, a cat, a frog, a fox, and so on. Then, the only way to turn them back into a person (after all the trials and tribulations) is for the current form of the person to be slain, skinned, their head cut off, etc.
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And yet, these are considered children’s stories. They are fantastical, with lots of talking birds, cats, mice, moles, and so on. They are also filled with princesses who need to prove themselves in order to win the prince of their dream. (And I can’t tell you how often creatures fall in love with the princess at first sight and beg her to be their ruler!)
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Plus, there are the evil fairies and the good fairies and they always seem to be at odds with one another. Sometimes the bad ones die, are burned up with the stinking pile of weeds they grew, are turned into toads or washed away at sea.
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However, and I find this telling: good people are punished if they do bad things, break the rules, make a mistake, etc. Bad fairies or those who cursed the characters in the first place may or may not get their comeuppance. That fairy or witch may just be bad, and that’s the way of the world, with no consequence.
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People in power sometimes do bad things, and there isn’t anything you can do about it.
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So I’m thinking about this a lot. How those books formed my world view. And the sorts of stories that I want to write, the fairy tales that I want to retell, the world view I want to change.
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Cozy Up to Crime Storybundle!
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Pick up the Cozy Up to Crime Storybundle!
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ELEVEN cozy mystery and cozy paranormal mystery books, all for one low price.
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For $5 (or more, if you're feeling generous), you'll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.
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If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus SEVEN more books for a total of eleven!
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This bundle is available for a limited time. So pick up your copy today!
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On Sale This Month at KRP!
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For this month, the Star Tribes box set is one sale! Get all five books, the complete series, for one low price!
Daniel has had enough as a chef. The burnout convinces him to sell the restaurant to his Sous Chef, walk out the door, and never come back.
Kathra Omezi’s star tribe faces poverty on a daily basis. Twenty-five ships in deep space against the entire Sept Empire.
And then a conqueror steps into their lives.
The Mbaysey tribe, and the galaxy, will never be the same.
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Available in May!
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Chocolates and Truffles and Bon Bons, O My!
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Shar Opalbender hates her life.
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Okay, maybe that’s a bit strong. Emo, even.
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Despite her Dwarven heritage, and her family’s expectations, Shar finds no joy in faceting, setting, or polishing gemstones.
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What better way to prove herself to her family (and herself) than to enter, and win, the Realms’ renowned contest, Chocolates Galore!
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And maybe, just maybe, with some magic, luck, and a little help from her friends, Shar also can discover the true meaning of life.
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If there is one beyond chocolate.
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Come enjoy this lovely cozy fantasy with low stakes, delicious chocolates, lots of breaking of the fourth wall, and utter silliness.
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Coming in June!
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A cozy fantasy tale about ice, fire, love, and snow cones!
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When El the Ice Elf asks Mara the fire elemental to marry her, she expects an immediate YES!
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However, a distinct maybe hangs between them.
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Not due to a lack of love, but a lack of tradition.
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The Elves have oodles of ceremonies to choose from.
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As a fire elemental, Mara is singular. She doesn’t know any other fire elementals. She has no true kin. She does want to get married…but the ceremony has to have meaning for both of them.
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El vows to go with Mara to the ends of the world to find rites for Mara to call her own.
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Follow this unlikely couple as they defined themselves, their rituals, and their love in the cozy fantasy sequel to The Ice Elf & The Snow Cone.
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