Where Fairy & Folk Tales Aren't Far From the Truth

Print of Medieval French Village by GregsFineArt on Etsy.

Confession time: I am a huge fantasy lover. It's one of my favorite genres to read, and always has been. I love a book that can transport me to another world; I love that feeling you get when you're reading a fantasy novel and you can almost believe in magic.

So far, though, I haven't succeeded in writing any big-scale fantasy. Fantasy poems? Yes. Fantasy short stories? Yes. But so far, my novels and novellas have been composed mostly of historical and contemporary fiction. However, I've considered trying to write a fantasy novel at some point. And every time I consider it, I think of the same kind of world I'd love to be able to create.

You can find its equivalent in series like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or Kristin Cashore's Graceling Realm books, or the Inkheart books, or the Inheritance Cycle, or the Chronicles of Narnia; because  I absolutely adore rich fantasy worlds that stand on their own. I love fantasy realms where the setting is vaguely medieval, where a walk in the woods after dark could get you trapped in a faery ring until the end of time; the kind of world where storytellers are respected and wise, kings rule the lands and host extravagant balls, and the enchantments are tangible even through the pages. I love fantasy worlds where the fairy and folk tales are not so far from the truth.

Another good example of that kind of world are the books Ash and Huntress by Malinda Lo. Ms. Lo's fantasy world is the same kind of rich and gorgeous realm I'd love to create. Fairyland is a real place, huntresses and princes go hunting in the woods, greenwitches perform burial rituals, and Renaissance-esque festivals are held in the street. Ash especially, in my opinion, reads like an old-fashioned fairy tale, and I love it!

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Awhile back, I checked out a whole bunch of authors' websites and blogs. I was looking for email addresses; I wanted to see if I could contact some of the authors whose books I'd enjoyed. To begin with, I wanted to tell them how much I'd loved their books; but aside from that, I also wanted to ask if they would answer a question for my blog. Not a whole interview - I know most authors are far too busy to accept that many interview requests - but just a random question I could post like an interview. Malinda Lo was one of those authors, and the first to answer my interview question! Which means that today, I'm essentially posting my very first author interview. Needless to say, I'm super excited about it!

I wanted to ask something that related to her books, but I didn't want it to be the kind of question you find in the website FAQs, either. And so I asked Ms. Lo about fantasy creatures.

Personally, I have a few favorites. I adore faeries, the kind with lovely fluttering wings and tiny, delicate features. If they've got an attitude like Tinker Bell, so be it! I still think they're fantastic. I also love the ocean, and so it's probably no surprise that I love mermaids as well. Elves like the kind in the Inheritance Cycle or the Lord of the Rings trilogy are awesome, but a Narnian faun would be a great friend to have, too. And of course, I'm a big fan of mythology, so those Greek nymphs are yet another favorite of mine!

There are so many different kinds of fantasy creatures out there, and everyone has a differing opinion on which ones are the best. So I decided to get Malinda Lo's take on the subject and asked: If you could meet any one mythical/fantasy creature, which would you choose and why?

This is the answer I received:

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The problem with meeting mythical creatures is that usually, all the most fascinating ones are very dangerous. And though I'd like to think that I'm super brave, honestly, I'm kind of a chicken when it comes to putting myself in physical danger. But there are two creatures that I do find especially interesting. The first is (you're going to groan) a unicorn. I know, I know! Every girl likes unicorns! (Unless they like zombies.) It's true, but I've always been fascinated by all the mythology around the unicorn. And maybe the unicorn is the least potentially dangerous of mythical creatures (unless you're talking about killer unicorns, like in Diana Peterfreund's books). So, a unicorn. 

But I'd also really like to meet a huli jing. That's Chinese for fox spirit; in Japanese myth they're known as kitsune. They are probably extremely dangerous, because they're tricksters. I have no idea if I'd survive a meeting with a huli jing. Maybe they'd think I wasn't nearly interesting enough to do anything to. I think that would be my best hope: that I'm far too average to be of interest to a huli jing. And then I could observe them from afar, safely, before I escape fully intact.

Full disclosure: I agree. I much prefer unicorns to zombies! There's really no competition - a zombie is a brain-dead corpse that just wants to eat your flesh. Unicorns are so much better.

But back to the mini-interview - isn't that just a fantastic answer? I'd never heard of a huli jing before, but I think they sound amazing! I just love mythology; it's always so intriguing. Maybe I should start reading some Chinese myths...

Anyway, thank you so much to Malinda Lo for giving me the opportunity to post my first author interview! And to my readers, now it's your turn - what's your favorite fantasy creature?