Writing Beneath The Faerie Tree…
So I'd already conceived the idea for this series and I'd shopped a few early versions of other stories around, when I was forwarded a prompt from a friend. It was for ForbiddenFiction.com's gender bending anthology. I wrote the basic story in a few days, under a terrible title: The Tree and the Weeping Girl (I was told by the publisher this was not remotely sexy, that it was, in fact off-putting). Miraculously, it was accepted. As many other writers will tell you: never again was it to be so quick and easy...
The story itself is set in a time and place I plan on exploring further because it has always fascinated me. Beneath The Faerie Tee takes place in an isolated village of what will become northern Spain in a few hundred years. At the time it was a loosely organized area, Christian while still incorporating some of the old beliefs, fiercely distrustful of the Arab-controlled south. I'll be exploring a lot more of that dichotomy further when I write the next story set around this time and place.
Inspiration was provided by the history class covering 711-1492 CE, Iberian peninsula, taught by the Arabic department. It was a fascinating class, expanding on events I'd heard of but rarely gotten such direct information on. The Golden Age of the Rahman dynasty led to the greater European enlightenment known as the Renaissance. Without the preservation and translation of texts by scholars supported by the Caliphate, works that were later disseminated throughout Europe and Northern Africa, the great explosion of art and culture might never have happened.
But a cool historical background is not enough. As a writer I've always been drawn to the hard choices. A supernatural entity is often defined by their powers, their specialness. But what makes them relatable is their flaws and limitations. Superman is too powerful and we must endlessly invent ever more improbable colors of kryptonite. Or kill him off.
In Beneath The Faerie Tree, Isabella never really gets a choice about anything but her ending. The decision is more profound than a short story can capture, especially for her simple background. Yet that's how the story came out.
Well, make of this story what you will and perhaps try out one of the others in the Forgotten Gods series.
For bibliographic references, check me out at Goodreads.com.
