The 2012 Olympics are over. If you weren’t in the UK you might not have been aware of just how transformative these two weeks were. That I’m even talking about it is evidence enough. Like many of my geek and writer friends I’ve often found myself in the position of fighting against the popular attention…
Category: folklore
Six Sentence Sunday: The Price
Six Sentence Sunday has rolled around again: if all has gone well, I am in Dundee. After the long day of travel, I suspect I may still be in bed. Let’s hope! In the midst of packing and tying up loose ends, I was also writing (well, when am I not?). One of the things…
Six Sentence Sunday: Pelzmantel
As always, drop by Six Sentence Sunday to browse through the offerings and discover new writers. Once upon a time, there was a queen. She had hair of brilliant gold. It would shine like burnished metal in the sunlight, dance in moonlight spears. Her face had the radiant glow of genuine happiness, for she loved…
Six Sentence Sunday: Palakainen
A simple concept: six sentences to win you over. Here’s mine, from “Palakainen,” one of the stories from Unikirja. As a special treat, you can read the entire story at Mythic Journeys. See the rest of the titbits at Six Sentence Sunday. And think about buying the ebook version of Unikirja. Kiitos. Swanlike she was…
Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Jade Warrior
FUN WITH SLEDGEHAMMERS OR“IN SEARCH OF THE SAMPO” When did these filmmakers look into my dreams? I am, perhaps, one of a small number who form the ideal audience for this film that spins together Finnish mythology and wu xia action, but I’m sure its magic will appeal to a wide audience—if they can get…
Unikirja Reviewed!
Rie McGaha over at the Pagan and the Pen reviewed Unikirja and had some really wonderful things to say about it. In fact, I’m thinking my feet aren’t quite touching the ground: K. A. Laity has written a marvelous collection of stories that have the dreamlike quality of bedtime stories. I was mesmerized by these…
Review: Ponyo
My pal Peg convinced me to run off for a matinee this week even though I have a million and one things to do what with the approaching semester. We saw the latest Ghibli film, Ponyo. I love Miyazai’s films, so no surprise, I really enjoyed this one, too, though it doesn’t rate with the…
Guest Blogging at Sia McKye’s Thoughts over Coffee
Join me over at Sia McKye’s Thoughts…Over Coffee where I’m blogging about the difficulty of introducing my weirdly-titled short story collection, Unikirja, as well as Finnish folklore and mythology. Sia is a terrific blogger who hosts all kinds of writers and writing tips, so you would do well to bookmark her. I’ll be checking in…
Signing: Eastline Books TODAY!
Yes, it all begins at noon: East Line Books, Old Village Plaza, 1714 Route 9, Clifton Park, NY 12065 (Just north of Rt. 146 on Rt. 9 across from Snyder’s Restaurant, between Clifton Park Pizza and Captain’s Treasures). I will be playing my kantele off and on — and if that’s not enough of a…
A Taste of Unikirja: Palakainen
Here’s another taste from Unikirja, “Palakainen”. This one’s quite a bit different from the comic tale “Vipunen” because it’s based on a murder ballad from The Kanteletar. When I began to compose this story, I found it developed a peculiar rhythm to capture the feel of a ballad narrative, including the repetitions of phrases peculiar…