Tales of The Ink Gypsy...

I swore to myself I would only post something short (ok, so that didn't work) - something to let you all know I haven't abandoned this blog. Something to let you know I've been incredibly busy following story trails - both writerly ones and bigger ones. Life stories. The stuff that life is, that you tell the story about later.

The turn of the year would, I knew, be a time where my attention would be focused on the stories around our hearth, the ones we're making up as we go along. It's been a busy time, trying to coordinate magical moments (as wonderous as magic is, it takes a little preparation to get the ingredients just right) and recording them with all the creative energy we could muster.

As I devoted myself to writing down the tales that I know my son will want to hear when he's older I stumbled across other opportunities and am now getting ready to tinker my wares, so to speak, with the aim that I will be able to support my travelings in the future. So what is it that's keeping me on the back of this galloping horse instead of resting by the fire with you all as I'd planned? I'm on a breadcrumb trail and while I'm not starving yet I could use a pick-me-up (hey - is that a house made of candy up ahead...?!) See below for moe details.

P.S. From My Neck Of the Woods...
(a little update)
So: the breadcrumb chasing. I have this great opportunity at the moment: to write an e-book as part of a 'Writer's Library Series'. It's very challenging trying to find time with a baby-who's-toddling (for the most part) but I'm working my butt off trying to not let this opportunity slip through my fingers. Presuming all goes well and the editor is happy with my work I will be launching a website to coincide with the books release, where all my various writing adventure trails can be followed. I WILL be maintaining this blog, however, as fairy tale themed and inspired writing is an integral part of who I am. I will be linking from the website to this blog (and vice versa) so you shouldn't feel left behind. The other website will allow me to advertise any books I write or am affiliated with, whether fiction or non-fiction, as well as be a place to explore writing, creativity and inspiration in general. This blog - Tales of the Ink Gypsy - is specifically themed for fairy tale inspired writing and while I'm so glad I finally decided to head out into the big scary world with all these thoughts and writings, it doesn't cover everything that I'm working on or thinking about. So The Ink Gypsy get another address to check in at and you, of course, will be most welcome to drop by at any time.

My novel, Deadwood, is currently treading water in the back of my mind (along with a new character who apparently has been there all along, though I didn't notice him until now because he was so small...) while I focus on getting the e-book done but never fear! I will not let the book drown! Part of the reason I'm branching out a little more actively is to support the writing of my novel. It may seem to be all hard work and not much sense at the moment but I have this gut feeling that this is the way forward and by riding this horse I will find the trail of my novel clearer to follow (you seeing a theme here?)

Stay tuned for the new website announcement and link, as well as to see how I did with the e-book (wish me luck, skill and speedy writing!).

PPS Oh yeah - I added a little picture of moi to my profile (in case you didn't notice). A necessary evil if one is writing a book these days. Those who know me personally know how big a deal this is - to step in front of the camera willingly. Ugh! Anyway, this will do I suppose...

Book Review
The Orphan's Tales Vol I: In the Night Garden & The Orphan's Tales Vol II: In the Cities of Coin and Spice - not so much a discovery, as I've had the first Volume for a while but Volume II was released recently and I found I had to read Volume I again.... (see post below for an extensive review and exploration!)


Discovered in the Woods
The Fairy Tales of J.K. Rowling - The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Yes, the book mentioned in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows exists! Well, seven of them do. Handmade and illustrated by Rowling they went for a fortune at a Sotheby's auction but it was all for a good cause. See images, get a sneak peek at the stories and hearhow it all came about at this dedicated Amazon site.


Interactive Children's Fairy Tale Exhibit Once Upon A Time: Exploring the World of Fairytales. Haven't you always wanted to walk into one of your fairy tale books to view it life-size? You could have if you were inn St Louis in 2006! Apparently this exhibition toured other cities last year but I couldn't find any 2008 information. Even if we can't see it in person, these pictures are pretty cool and guaranteed to send you back to your childhood (in a good way!)

Note: Illustration © Lorenzo Mattotti. Click on picture to go to see his work for the Hansel and Gretel online exhibition with The New Yorker or visit his website here.

If you haven't yet discovered these award winning books by Catherynne M. Valente you are missing out - big time! I'm currently re-reading In the Night Garden and am just as awestruck as I was the first time through. This book is one of those few that makes me want to not bother writing a single word more of my own and at the same time inspires me so much that I just have to write! It's rare a book will do both those things at once for me but this is one of them and from the little I've peeked at in the second volume - The Cities of Coin and Spice - so is the 'sequel'.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter One of In the Night Garden:

"On an evening when I was a very small child an old woman came to the great silver gate, and twisting her hands among the rose-roots told me this: I was not born with this mark. A spirit came into my cradle on the seventh day of the seventh month of my life, and while my mother slept in her snow-white bed, the spirit touched my face, and left there many tales and spells, like the tattoos of sailors. The verses and songs were so great in number and so closely written that they appeared as one long, unbroken streak of indigo on my eyelids. But they are the words of the river and the marsh, the lake and the delta. They comprise a great magic, and when the tales are all read out, and heard end to shining end, to the last syllable, the spirit will return and judge me. After she vanished into the blue-faced night, I spent each day hidden in a thicket of jasmine and oleander, trying to read what I could in my bronze mirror. But it is difficult, I must read them backwards, and I can only read one eye at a time." She stopped, and the last was no louder than a spider weaving its opaline threads.

"And there is no one to listen."

Intrigued? Ready to 'listen' to her stories? If you are you're in for a delectable treat...

Initially I had planned to write a post on Stories Inside of Stories, inspired by seeing this on my shelf. Then I picked it up and haven't been able to put it back since. I'm enjoying it so much the second time and appreciating the interwoven myths and fairytales Ms. Valente has wrought (because it really does feel as though these books were magikally worked) that I thought I'd share a little of the world that I'm in right now.

The masterfully 'nested' tales surprise you as you open one to discover another lurking within, but there's more to these wonderful books than even that. The writing is so lush and lyrical yet fully accessible at the same time. It's laced with humor and mystery, magic and wonder, and much much more than I have time to write about here. My suggestion is just to read them. Or, if you prefer, read this interview here at Prime Books' Fantasy Magazine to whet your appetite. If you want more (which I certainly did) then click here for an interview in even greater depth at Fantasy Book Critic. To top it off The Green Man Review has a wonderful page all about her - not only with reviews but also with excerpts of her workk including her Winter Queen Speech. (I've also added other links here and there for you to explore...)

One of the things that draws me to these books is, as I mentioned above, the way the stories are nested one within the other. My own thought process is very similar, leading me along many a garden path until sometimes I'm hopelessly lost. Ms. Valente doesn't leave you stranded though. Her path through the stories, though winding, is sure and the journey worth every step. I have a lot to learn from her as clearly my own writing has a lot of developing to do before it ever approaches her caliber! Interestingly it reminds me of writing for theater; pulling different characters together with their different stories on a theme and seeing how they intertwine to become part of each other's stories, making a whole new one in the process. Perhaps I should put my characters on stage more often to see what they bring to it, rather than chase them through their mazes, though each route is valid. In Ms. Valente's hands these characters play their part for one story then, when prompted, reveal their own equally fascinating tale that begs the telling. Add to that the 'wonder tale' aspect, told with such lyrical writing it makes me slow down to read it and absorb it properly and I'm hooked.

I haven't even mentioned the gorgeous ink illustrations throughout by M.W. Kaluta (his website is here, though I can't find his 'Orphan's Tales' illustrations or references).

I'm not the only one so inspired either. Here you'll find music inspired by the stories and an mp3 of S.J. Tucker reading and singing an excerpt from Volume I. Here you will find jewelry inspired by the same.

I want to write so much more but instead will leave you to explore The Orphan's Tales.

It is an admirable thing to not only have big dreams but to reach for them. Often the effort to reach them is arduous but we climb anyway, inch by inch, drawn onward as we anticipate success. Whether it's goals of wealth, longed-for recognition of our peers or something more personal it's generally expected and accepted that some work is required on our part before it is reached. Nevertheless, it's always a shock to encounter obstacles. I'm not talking about the rough terrain that brings the inevitable blisters and bruises along the way. I'm talking about Giants. The ones with a 'capital G' - the ones it didn't occur to you to plan for, the ones you didn't realize were hoarding the treasure for themselves.

Just when you've heaved yourself over the last mountain, have found the castle and are ready to relax a little it comes as a great shock to find not everyone is as pleased with your achivements as you are. Suddenly your castle is full of green-eyed monsters and greedy ogres. Feeling their own dreams belittled and threatened by having to share a little of their territory, they suddenly begin sniffing you out and hunting you down - ready to throw you out or devour you, depending on their mood. A dismissive comment here, a backstabbing there and suddenly you're on the outside again, wondering how you ended up, in addition to being tired from your climb, having your very existence threatened - ie. your work opportunities, your reputation and most frightening of all, your future.

I have more experience in this than I ever thought I would. I had a big dream and pursued it as best I knew how. I even moved to a different country. Imagine my delight when I got the call of my dreams - invited to enter the castle of my dreams, become privvy to the inner workings of that wonderous place. I had succeeded! The first week I was walking on clouds. To be amongst those greats and a part of the machine, no matter how small a cog, felt like such a privilege. Despite my considerable experience I was happy to do even the most mundane of tasks and fetch coffee for the likes of these; so grateful was I to be an accepted part of the family. Except that I wasn't. By the second week it was apparent there was a lot of strain behind those smiles and more often than not people were more preoccupied with holding onto their place at the table than doing their part in keeping the castle running smoothly. I began to notice the cracks in the castles facade, the barely functioning workings and worst of all, the insidious rot that seemed to be spreading, causing even the nicest people to reveal their hidden monsters. The castle of my dreams was not at all what I had believed it to be. I ran. I made it out alive, though it felt only by the skin of my teeth. I was small enough that I was quickly forgotten and the giants turned their attention to other climbers, ones far more skilled and threatening than me.

I wrote my first version of 'Beanstalk Vertigo' for one of those climbers who has gone far in his success. Despite his achievements he still feels he is under more strain being chased by giants than in climbing into the sky. Whatever heights he achieves or treasure he gathers, the threats continue and grow and, through my friend's eyes, I've had glimpses of just how scary those giants can be.

It's very hard to imagine difficulties with giants when you're staring at an imposssibly tall beanstalk of your own to climb but reaching the top is only half the battle. The other half is staying there - especially if you discover your dreams have all along only been castles in the air.

In revisiting this piece I realized it reflected my own experience more than I initially intended and made me all the more glad I had escaped the castle and now have my feet back on the ground. Next time I climb a beanstalk I promise myself I will be ready to face any giant that challenges me. Despite one dream's reality revealing itself to be a nightmare I'm willing to try again. Apparently I'm a compulsive climber. I will not give up on my dreams.

When I started this blog I didn't realize that I would be prompting myself to write essays as I explored the ideas behind my creative scibblings. I haven't left myself much wiggle-room for the good old blog-staples of personal updates and seemingly random discoveries so I thought I'd try a new adding a little, far less formal, Post Script.

Oh yes, and I'm expreimenting with allowing two double postings per page instead of one.. the idea being that you can instantly see if you missed the previous post AND I get to add more goodies and updates to the sidebar for you to explore!

So let's see:

Book Review:
I just finished Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst and enjoyed it very much. Now I must mention that ordinarily I'm not a big fan of 'Into the Woods'-style tales - you know, the ones where Cinderella meets Snow White and all their stories overlap? It's a personal thing of course. That said I still enjoyed this book, which says a lot about Ms. Durst's storytelling. I was hooked at the idea of The Wild grabbing everyday objects, like shoes, and turning them into fairy tale objects, like seven league boots, to enable its escape and turn a modern day city - and its inhabitants - into fodder for fairy tales. Though clearly aimed at older grade children and up it's still unpredictable and quirky and enjoyable for adults too. In particular, the sequences where the heroine has lost herself and is struggling to remember are very dream-like and beautifully handled, giving more mature readers something a little meatier to chew on. The ending is satisfying and the epilogue nicely balances out any sugary sweet after-taste the conclusion might lead you to having. It's also a very quick read (always a bonus with a baby in the house!). Though at times the writing felt as if it were forcibly geared toward grade level readers, overall it was entertaining and I will happily pick up the author's next book. Quite a different and refreshing take on a very tired theme that's worth checking out (if you like fairy tales, which, since you're reading this, I presume you do!).

Discovered in the Woods:
Ooh yes - here's some links I simply must share:

The Enchanted Forest - did you ever go to one of those little amusement parks on a fairy tale theme (and no, I'm not talking about Disneyland)? I did. I remember a wishing well, where I fervently wished my deepest wishes in whispers before my parents could find me, an huge shoe you could climb up into (from The Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe) an oversized pumpkin house (Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater) and other wonderful things. This site is one of those little places. Though it's now sadly in disrepair the archival photos still capture some of the enchantment young visitors like me felt. Makes me wish I had a few spare million dollars to bring it back to life... (after feeding the hungry and finding a cure for cancer of course!)

From the National Library of France here's a lovely presentation with wonderful, rarely seen images of
The History of Fairy Tales - covering Birth of a Genre, A Marvellous Universe, In the Heart Of the Family, the Ordeal and in Everyday Life. A wonderful summary in pictures and brief commentary text of the influence of fairy tales on our past and our present.

Novel Update:
And how is my novel going? Specifically my 2007 NaNoWriMo novel, currently titled 'Deadwood'?

I'm still writing it! Though that's no surprise I've found I still have quite a way to go before I finish my first draft. Although I've let the frenzied word accumulation of NaNoWriMo and November (and December) dwindle it is never far from my thoughts and growing slowly. My FMC (Female Main Character) has just gotten herself into much more trouble than she thought she would, simply by letting herself fall asleep in the wrong place at the wrong time... so I can't leave her there! I must go now and see just who it is that discovers her there and what she does when she realizes what she's done...

Though it's true that I tend to work on multiple projects at once, keep checking for updates. If you read my unedited-first draft-first-chapter during NaNoWriMo and liked it you may just be surprised one of these postings by another little excerpt... once I get over my 'page fright' of how shocking some of this first draft stuff can be, that is!

You know what I think?
I think you got less in those magic beans than you bargained for
I think you got less, far less – and far more
At first wondrous green sprouted tendrils of promise,
Curling and winding an irresistible lure
Dizzying heights of adventure climbed in breathless elation
You reached many places others never dared dream…
Then you discovered the castle - already taken
A giant problem you were sure you could face
Quick wits and talent kept you safe, out of danger
Seizing opportunities, treasures, and stowing their weight
But the smell of success roused appetites from slumber
Invitations to dinner had you as the main course
Bone-grinding teeth bared in too-eager smiles
Crushing heels lumbering and looming toward you
You wish that your beans hadn’t burgeoned so far…
So you’re hiding it out in the oven (of all places!)
Watching gold-counting tyrants command tunes at their whim
Cramped with new perspective your worry is building
You crave an escape from this beanstalk vertigo
But your legs begin trembling as you realize for certain
You’d be hunted to pulp scrambling down to the ground
No choice but to topple the overgrown dreams,
To axe down the hopes holding you up for so long
What’s left is a story ending with less than its start
A story of jack - just Jack – and that’s all.
Image © Marcus Trucket - click on image to be directed to his website, Mad Hamster Studios, where you can see a larger version.