 To mark the release of Hex Life, an anthology of eighteen never before seen stories of witches and witchcraft written by popular female fantasy authors, including Kelley Armstrong,Rachel Caine and Sherrilyn Kenyon who have contributed new stories from their own bestselling universes and edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering. We have an article from Christopher and Rachel on the top five misconceptions about witches. Witches Are in League With Satan – I was born and raised in the Appalachian foothills, a place largely removed from society and filled with wild and wonderful women who believe in both magic and the redemptive power of the blood of Christ. These so-called Granny Witches were a necessary part of life for rural folk, many of whom lived in remote areas and had no access to medical facilities or news sources. These Christian craftworkers were often relied upon to heal the sick with herbs and salves, remove curses, and predict the weather. Magic Is Either “Black” or “White” – Magic is magic. It is a tool used by people who, themselves, can be either “good” or “bad” or anything in between. Beyond the fact that evil-doers can send mixed, muddy signals about the truth of magic, the labels “black” and “white” are rooted in racism, where the traditional practices of African-originated individuals, many of whom were enslaved, were seen as bad or wrong, and often feared to be used against white people. Witches Are All Women – The fallacy in this belief should be obvious to most, but there are those who only associate witchcraft with womenfolk. Often, people will designate a male witch with the misnomer “warlock” as a way to set them apart from female witches, but the origins of this word make it something of a derogatory title. Warlock was traditionally used as a label for someone who was considered an oath-breaker—a historically serious accusation! Not to mention, these terms are distastefully heteronormative and binary and really have no place in the current social climate. Witches Were Burned At the Stake – While there is some evidence that men and women were burned to death as punishment for being accused of the heresy of witchcraft, this practice was largely limited to the European continent, primarily Germany. The preferred methods of dispatching undesirables in America and some other parts of the world were hanging, crushing beneath stacks of terribly heavy stones, and starving. In fact, of all the witches tried and executed in the infamous Salem witch trials, not a single one of them was burned. The idea of burning witches persisted likely because it looked better on the silver screen and was much more dramatic than the alternatives. Witches Love Cats – Not necessarily. Cats are perfectly fine creatures and there are certainly many witches who may choose them as their familiar, or simply a household pet, but they do not hold the monopoly on companionship. There are many witches who have preferred to hang out with dogs, goats, horses, and myriad other creatures. At some point during the Middle Ages, cats inexplicably became linked with the devil and, as such, were killed in great numbers during the scare of the Black Plague. This association with evil carried over into the witch trials, where women who were accused of being witches were assumed to consort with reviled felines, who carried communications to and from Satan. Give Alma Katsu’s tale in Hex Life, Gold Among the Black, a read for an exemplary sample of a cat-alternative familiar. CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) The Map of Moments. He has also written books for teens and young adults, including Poison Ink, Soulless, and the thriller series Body of Evidence, honored by the New York Public Library and chosen as one of YALSA’s Best Books for Young Readers. Upcoming teen novels include a new series of hardcover YA fantasy novels co-authored with Tim Lebbon and entitled The Secret Journeys of Jack London. A lifelong fan of the “team-up,” Golden frequently collaborates with other writers on books, comics, and scripts. In addition to his recent work with Tim Lebbon, he co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola. With Thomas E. Sniegoski, he is the co-author of multiple novels, as well as comic book miniseries such as Talent and The Sisterhood, both currently in development as feature films. With Amber Benson, Golden co-created the online animated series Ghosts of Albion and co-wrote the book series of the same name. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead and British Invasion, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, the online animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson) and a network television pilot. The author is also known for his many media tie-in works, including novels, comics, and video games, in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Angel, and X-Men, among others. Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com RACHEL AUTUMN DEERING RACHEL AUTUMN DEERING is an Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated writer, editor, and book designer from the hills of Appalachia. Her debut prose novella, HUSK, was published in 2016 and drew praise from many critics and fellow writers. Her upcoming novel, Wytchwood Hollow, is set for publication in 2018. She has also written, edited, lettered, designed, and published comics and short prose for DC/Vertigo Comics, Blizzard Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics, IDW, Cartoon Network, and more. Deering is a rock 'n' roll witch with a heart of slime. She lives with a bunch of monster masks in suburban Michigan. “Deering deftly crafts vivid, melancholic, and truly disturbing psychological horror with an authentic vibe of Appalachian noir. It will haunt you.” Paul Tremblay, Author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil's Rock Please visit her at http://rachelautumndeering.com/index.html HEX LIFE Hex Life brings you ancient tales of witches, wickedness, evil and cunning. Stories of disruption and subversion by today’s women you should fear. These witches might be monstrous, or they might be heroes, depending on their own definitions. Even the kind hostess with the candy cottage thought of herself as the hero of her own story. After all, a woman’s gotta eat. Titan Books is proud to present this myriad of original dark tales in this anthology overflowing with fortunetellers and much more. Immerse yourself in Kelly Armstrong’s Otherworld universe once again in ‘Black Magic Momma’, Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires realm in ‘Home’, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-hunter Hellchaser world in ‘Toil and Trouble’, and many more supernatural and magical tales of witchy delight! BRAND-NEW TALES FROM THE MISTRESSES OF MAGIC: ANIA AHLBORN, KELLEY ARMSTRONG, AMBER BENSON, CHESYA BURKE, RACHEL CAINE, KRISTIN DEARBORN, RACHEL AUTUMN DEERING, TANANARIVE DUE, THEODORA GOSS, KAT HOWARD, ALMA KATSU, SHERRILYN KENYON, SARAH LANGAN, HELEN MARSHALL, JENNIFER McMAHON, HILLARY MONAHAN, MARY SANGIOVANNI and ANGELA SLATTER   Comments are closed.
|
Archives
April 2023
|
RSS Feed
|
|