Blog Tour: Strange Tales- Bear Sister, Wolf Sister

I have had the great pleasure of hearing amazing storyteller, Daniel Morden, perform more than once, most recently at Hay Festival this year (you can read about it here), so I was delighted to be invited to take part in the Blog Tour for ‘Strange Tales’. This new collection focuses on the spookier side of life, offering deliciously dark stories to read, enjoy and re-tell again and again.

In the second story in the book, ‘Bear Sister, Wolf Sister’, a dark magician decides he wishes to marry one of two sisters who live at the foot of a mountain. Having turned her livestock into rocks and stones when she declined him, the magician turns the object of his desire into a bear and her sister into a wolf. When they find a human baby, the wolf sister sees it as food whilst the bear sister decides to nurture it and so they care for the child. Meanwhile, at the palace, the young prince has gone missing…

Skilfully told with themes of good and evil, of not being deceived by appearances and actions having consequences, this tale- like all those in this collection- begs to be read aloud. Committed to the page in very much the same way as a storyteller might perform it, there is an immediacy and energy which makes it a joy to read aloud- or to adapt and ‘tell’ in turn.

The story is sure to provoke much discussion. Every spell comes at a cost- the magician fails to realise that his casual use of magic to fulfil his own wishes is unwise and suffers the consequences. So many actions need consideration and those which grant our ‘wishes’ might not be the best path to follow! The ending of this story also offers an interesting twist- one sister chooses to stay in her animal form, feeling that this better suits her true nature…

With Hallowe’en and darker nights drawing nearer, ‘Strange Tales’ is perfect for this time of year. However, it is by no means limited to a seasonal treat. These tales speak of darker deeds, of stranger happenings, of twists of fate, of mystery and magic. It’s a wonderful collection, sure to be returned to again and again.

Strange Tales Daniel Morden

Firefly Press ISBN: 978-1915444172

Thank you to the lovely Firefly Press for asking me to take part in this tour. Make sure you follow on to find out more about the other stories in this collection.

Hay Festival: Daniel Morden

The Hay Festival is always one of the highlights of my book-ish year. It is great to meet up with literary loving friends and hear lots of fabulous authors, poets and illustrators discussing their books. Today, I went to hear story-teller, Daniel Morden, who I first heard at Hay some years ago.

The event was just brilliant. Daniel retold one of the stories he has recorded in his book, ‘Dark Tales from the Woods’, drawn from old gypsy tales. There was plenty of laughter and audience participation as we heard the story of ‘The Squirrel and the Fox’. Stopping at various points, Daniel invited the audience to offer suggestions for what might happen next- and there were some very creative ideas!

It is such a joy to listen to a talented storyteller! The audience were completely captivated and a great time was had by all.