Guest Post Creating the Unseelie Court By Deedee Davies A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court May 19 to 25, 2014 Editor: Scott Sandridge ~ Bee's Knees Reviews

A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court

A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court

May 19 to 25, 2014

Editor: Scott Sandridge

Guest Post

Creating the Unseelie Court

By Deedee Davies

As a kid, I was always fascinated by mythology, folklore and faerie stories, a fascination that has stayed with me through the years. When the opportunity came up to contribute something for the Seelie and / or Unseelie Court for Seventh Star Press, I just had to write something for it!

There were certain themes I really wanted to include that would hopefully allow the reader to identify the traditional elements from folklore, and give the story a bit of legitimacy.

Faeries are known for granting wishes, making bargains, and usually making sure that the human gets short shrift in any deal they make. I wanted the deal Rhian makes with Crackle to be just that. She gets exactly what was promised – with added extras! While wracking my brains for suitably two-edged gifts, I was inspired by the spider-silk clothing that’s been made in the last few years http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/g/golden-spider-silk/ so I imagined the dress would look pretty similar to this cloth – but with a few stowaways!

I’m a very visual person – I split my spare time between artwork and writing – and I tried to make the Unseelie Court itself as visually striking as possible. I had quite a clear vision of it in my head, which was a twisted, hellish setting, where the courtiers are more and more terrifying the further in you go. I also wanted to make the Unseelie king part-terrifying and part-attractive, with a short fuse and the same capricious nature as the rest of his kind. I have a hankering to make some artwork based on that character before too long!

Deedee is a writer interested mainly in the fantasy, horror and science-fiction genres. Inspired by turn of the century fantasy and science-fiction, she wrote a great deal as a youngster, returning to it in 2012, when she finished her first draft novel. Since then, she has had 5 stories published, 3 of them in Seventh Star Press anthologies. Deedee is also a cover artist, with around 30 published book covers under her belt. She lives in Plymouth, UK with her partner, 9 spiders and 4 snakes.

Blog: http://deedeedavies.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeedeeDaviesAuthor

Website: http://www.3dfantasyart.co.uk/

About the Editor: Scott M. Sandridge is a writer, editor, freedom fighter, and all-around trouble-maker. His latest works as an editor include the Seventh Star Press anthologies Hero’s Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions, and the two volumes of A Chimerical World, Tales of the Seelie Court and Tales of the Unseelie Court.

Editor Links:

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/scottmsandridge

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/smsandwrites

Website/Blog:

http://smsand.wordpress.com

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5772749-scott-sandridge

Book Synopsis Tales of the Seelie Court: The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the first volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Seelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the "good" faeries. But "good" and "evil" are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us.

Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Seelie Court, from authors both established and new, including George S. Walker, Eric Garrison, and Alexandra Christian.

But be warned: these faeries are nothing like Tinker Bell.

Stories Included in Tales of the Seelie Court:

"Extra-Ordinary" by BC Brown

"Dead Fairy Doormat" by George S. Walker

"Taggers" by Christine Morgan

"Wormwood" by Alexandra Christian

"The Harpist's Hand" by Steven S. Long

"Sanae's Garden" by Chantal Boudreau

"Mark of Ruins" by SD Grimm.

"Birdie's Life at the School for Distressed Young Ladies" by JH Fleming

"Cultivated Hope" by Jordan Phelps

"Seelie Goose" by Eric Garrison

"I Knocked Up My Fairy Girlfriend" by Brandon Black

"The Body Electric" by Sarah Madsen.

"The Last Mission" by Cindy Koepp.

"The Beggar-Knight & the Lady Perilous"

by Matthew A. Timmins.

"The Filigreed Lamp" by Edward Ahern.

"Keys" by Michael M. Jones

"Like a Sister in the Proper Court" by Lisa Hawkridge

"Gnome Games" by Saera Corvin

"The Goat Man's Garden" by Marten Hoyle

Be sure to also see A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court, for more tales of the Fey!

Book Synopsis Tales of the Unseelie Court: The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the second volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Unseelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the "evil" faeries. But "good" and "evil" are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us.

Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Unseelie Court, from authors both established and new, including Michael Shimek, Deedee Davies, and Nick Bryan.

But don't be surprised if these faeries decide to play with their food.

Stories included in Tales of the Unseelie Court:

"In Plain Sight" by Rebecca Leo

"The Wunderhorn" by David Turnbull

"Treehouse" by Kim Smith

"I'll Watch Over You" by Angeline Trevena

"The Enemy of my Enemy" by Deedee Davies.

"Maestro" by Nicholas Paschall

"Prey of the Boggart" by Rony Blechman.

"Fear of Little Men" by Mike Pieloor..

"Faerie Stories and the Bean Nighe" by Carmen Tudor..

"Gifts" by Michael Shimek..