Generation of Heroes

Generation of Heroes

My husband’s a World War II buff, and I too value the rich legacy bequeathed by that generation of heroes. Sometimes I wonder how the stories and screens of the past century would have looked different had the dramatic and traumatic events of two world wars never happened. Certainly, both Hollywood filmmakers and New York…

A Legend of the Flood

A Legend of the Flood

The image I chose to accompany this post shows opposing dragons on a vibrant Chinese-style silkscreen. Today’s tale actually depicts an epic battle between two great serpents, BUT: #1, I couldn’t bear to look at snakes on my website :). And #2, in this Chilote legend of the flood, both snakes and dragons symbolize our…

The World’s Last Witch Trials

The World’s Last Witch Trials

“It’s just another old story,” Nicolás Serrano insists to Melissa Travis in my first book Destiny at Dolphin Bay, as they debate the existence of a legendary Chilean ghost ship. His grandmother would beg to differ—her grandparents were caught up in the chilling drama of probably the world’s last (and completely nonfictional) witch trials in…

The Tinder Box

The Tinder Box

Today’s story opens with the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, depicted on a series of Danish shortbread cookie tins in my collection. Sure, you know these classics: The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling… I have three of these eight special editions, and one is called…