Q. Why do you use such old-fashioned language?

A. I know that the old woman’s “voice”—a sort of Early Modern English from the mid-16th Century—can be difficult for readers sometimes. But, somehow, it seemed like the way she’d tell a tale. And, this period in the development of our current language lends itself to rhetorical flourishes in a way that Modern American English doesn’t seem to. You kind of expect it, I think.


Q. What’s with the crone, anyway. Is she a witch? How come she keeps popping up?

A. I think that she can be a witch—if you believe in them—or maybe a magical time- and shape-shifter, if that works for you. I like to think of her as a force for change, one who can make things happen quickly. Really, it’s up to the reader to decide how she works her magic—or to let it ride.


Q. How do all those kings and queens and princes and princesses and ordinary folks end up in the same village?

A. Yes, well…I hope readers don’t take the settings too literally. Like other aspects of the Tales, the palaces, the villages, the farms and the forests are literary conventions, rather timeless and placeless, than historically grounded. Like they are in conventional fairy tales.


Q. Why imitate classic fairy tales?

A. Good question. It seems to me that the fairy-tale form invites exploration and exploitation (in the best sense of the word)–and that the time’s right to test the limits of the form a bit. I have to admit I get a lot of pleasure from not having to sweat over-much the details of time, place and personality. Fairy tales are pretty darn economical when you want to explore an idea.