  ~ The North Wind ~ A Stranger's Tale Illustrated by Adam Oehlers Whenever I’m asked what I write, I have to pause for a moment.
How do I say that I write my own fairy tales without the instant assumption that I write for children? That instant dismissal that what I write isn’t something to be considered serious. How do I convey that fairy tales are so much more than what people perceive them to be? Fairy tales have been around for a long, long time. They were passed down from mother to child generation after generation, well before many people could read or write. And with each telling, something would change. Small things. A new element would be added, or removed, day may turn to night, the cat becomes a dog, the humble hearth witch a hideous thing of nightmares. But always, the message, the lesson, the moral… remains the same. Folklore has been an integral part of human civilization since the very beginning. A blending of the oral and written traditions and a merging of various renditions of the same narrative. For instance, the Cinderella tale can be traced back to ancient China and Egypt, with variations emerging based on the cultural background of the storyteller. Even though fairy tales are often associated with children, they were originally something for both adults and children to enjoy. While they can be cautionary tales for children, with important life lessons to be learnt (this is a whole other topic that I may just write about all on its own) most are quite dark, gruesome, and violent and if you have read many of the original Brother’s Grimm tales, you will know exactly what I’m talking about. Fairy tales have always played such an integral part in our lives and these old tales that have been so carefully collected and preserved so that we can still enjoy them today, contain so much wisdom. They speak to us of the mystery of this world and beyond. Of nature, of birth, of life and death. They are ruthless, they are brutal, they contain something in them which we cannot let go of. We are drawn to these old tales. Something about them compels us to continue telling them, to continue reading them, to twist them and put our own spin on them, whatever that may be. To try to recreate, to try to learn and above all, I believe it is to try to understand. And they can still teach us so much if we only let them. This is what I write. Tales to make readers think. To make them feel. To make them face hard truths and realities with hidden depths and layer after layer of meaning and thought and symbolism. I write with the intention of recreating the way old storytelling was once told. I like to think that A Stranger’s Tale would have been one of those tales that could fit so seamlessly inside a volume of a Brother’s Grimm collection. My story, Old Mother, another tale that could seamlessly slip from the lips of one person to another, travelling through the winds of this world and told and retold by so many, something changing ever so with each new telling. This is what I write. This is where my heart lies. With the tales of old, brought into the present to remind us of the importance of the oral and written words and the power that they contain.
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 When we first launched A Stranger's Tale, only a few months in, Covid hit.
I worked in Emergency at the time as a Clerk and it was the beginning of one of the most busiest and stressful times of my life. We were physically and mentally exhausted, worried and frightened of what was going on in the world. While I worked extra shifts and overtime, some days even missing breaks to work through, my little book took a back seat as did my plans for a book launch, something I'd dreamed about for as long as I've been writing. From there, we went into lockdown after lockdown. Events were cancelled, bookstores closed and the only source of self-promotion I had, was Instagram. And what an awesome and supportive community that is! Sales were doing great but being from Australia meant that postage costs to international readers was also quite high. But still you guys showed your support and paid the crazy rates! I teared up quite a few times because self-doubt has always been a constant with me so with every review left, with every sale that came through, I grew more and more confident in my little story. Then, Australia Post increased their prices and my heart sank. I had to up the price. For a while I didn't. I didn't think it was fair to charge so much but as time went on, I began to tally up how much I was losing from this and eventually had to increase the cost of postage. Still, those sales kept coming through. But I wondered so often, how many people weren't able to order directly from me because of this? How many missed out, even though they really wanted a book? And this right here is why I'm thrilled that Adam Oehlers is running this pre-order. Because now, the other side of the world gets access to copies that are signed by him and that come with a stunning, limited edition print of our Stranger. Copies of the book that aren't attached with exuberant postage cost that are an absolute killer for indie authors and their sales. Our book was launched during a time where the whole world stopped. A time when so much was uncertain. Now, it gets a second chance. 🙏❤ Head on over to Adam's website www.nomadicalley.bigcartel.com/ where you'll find the link to the pre-order! But hurry as it's fast approaching the deadline before the pre-order ends. Oh, how I love libraries! Those beautiful, sacred buildings full of learning. Growing up, I loved visiting the library. I loved my school library the most and clearly remember our old librarian who would read to us, who made sure her library was kept clean and her books respected and who taught her students that same respect. There's always a sense of nostalgia whenever I visit a library. I get swept up in it. The rows of books, the hushed, almost revered silence and of course, that wonderful smell of books. Something akin to walking into a bookstore. Books. I discovered Christopher Pike's books in a library. R.L Stine, Caroline Keene's Nancy Drew mysteries and of course, Roald Dahl. Dahl enchanted me. Dahl may have been the very first author who inspired me to become one too. Keene made me want to be a detective and Pike and Stine... well, their books are the reason I always tend to lean to the dark side of reading. Every now and then, I love to pick up a good horror and even some of my own writing has some of those darkish elements to it. Gosh I loved their books. So you can imagine my reaction when I received some lovely photos last week of A Stranger's Tale in its new home at the East Gippsland Shire Council Library in Bairnsdale. I can't begin to describe to you the feeling. Knowing that my book is freely available to all, that it rests upon a shelf waiting for someone to inspire as so many had once inspired me is just incredible. What an absolute honour. A huge thank you to the lovely people over at the Romsey Co-op for such a heart-warming display of A Stranger's Tale. If you're visiting the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, pop by Romsey and check out this beautiful store which stocks all kinds of unique, handmade items from locals. Including yours truly. Perfect for those special Christmas gifts you won't find in the major stores. Buy local and support small businesses if you can this year.  I'm thrilled to say that there are now signed copies of A Stranger's Tale available at Birch and Bear in Northcote. A huge thank you to Kim and Donna for supporting an indie author. I just love your magical store!   The August issue #133 of Aurealis magazine is out now and I’m super happy to announce that A Stranger's Tale received a bit of a glowing review by Eugen Bacon. The Aurealis Magazine is one of Australia's most iconic Fantasy/SF magazines, so to get an honest review and a glowing one at that, is a big achievement for my little book. As with all reviews, there's always that dread that it will be negative. But reading is very subjective and while I’m quite blown away that A Stranger's Tale has yet to receive any bad reviews, I’m also quite realistic in the fact that it will happen at some point. Although I dread the day, I like to think I’ve mentally prepared myself for it. So when I read this wonderful review, the two sentences that I homed in on were the negative ones and I’m please to say, I took it very well. In fact, I felt almost relieved and have taken the feedback and used it to fix up some errors I didn't know existed. For that, I’m grateful. All in all, these are the kinds of reviews to be proud of, the kind of reviews to learn from and I’m so happy to be able to share it with you all.  It's not every day you walk into a butcher shop and see them selling books. But the amazing fellas over at Burnbrook Fields in Romsey have a few signed copies of A Stranger's Tale out on display! I live in such a beautiful and supportive community. Never imagined I'd see my book sitting on an old butcher's block or above the meat displays, but damn it looks good! Oh, and yes, that is a Hannibal cookbook...   ATTENTION FOLKS! I have some big news! Signed copies of A Stranger's Tale are officially available for purchase at Red Door Books in Lancefield. This is a dream. Not only to publish my own book, but to see it on the shelves of a bookstore. A big thank you to John and Emma for their support during such an uncertain time. Because of COVID-19 I haven't been able to approach any bookstores and now that Victoria is back in lockdown while we ride out this second wave, my book has had to take a back seat once again. But that's ok, my little tale will get its chance to shine soon. For those of you who are from the Macedon Ranges, head on over to this beautiful bookstore located in the heart of Lancefield. Have a browse, buy a book or two (mine preferably!) and support a wonderful, indie business.  Launch day is here! Adam Oehler’s ‘Thistledown’ exhibition launched today and i’m over the moon to see that the original illustrations from A Stranger’s Tale are on display. What an incredibly surreal feeling it is, to see my characters... my world... hung on the walls of a New York art gallery. To see the exhibition please visit: http://www.havenartgallery.com So many pieces are already spoken for but there are still some stunning ones left including ‘The North Wind’ piece. I’m excited to be the proud owner of two. 'The Embrace’ and 'The Stranger’ Both of which I feel are coming back home to me after a long adventure. And what an adventure it has been! Below is a live launch video of Adam and Erica from Haven Gallery who discuss the works in greater detail. I love the fact that, even during these strange and frightening times, where businesses have had to close their doors, they’ve still found a way to exist and to share art with the world. We will never stop creating art. Of any medium. As long as there are people who want to see it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for supporting us. x  A Stranger’s Tale made it to the finals of the Indie Book Cover Competition!
Out of 198 books, a panel of fifty judges and three gruelling, nail biting rounds of public voting, we made it to the final four. While we may not have made winner, we are super happy to have made it to the final four and are so proud of how far our book has come since it’s release. Thank you Samantha Goodwin for hosting such a great competition. |
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