"Feminist fairytales, timeless stories." Meet a horse that tells only lies, wolves who speak of curses, and a magical raven who utters riddles. "A Dash of Magic, and a Hint of Wicked." From the landscapes of medieval castles, modern skyscrapers, and Regency ballrooms, this short story collection features strong female leads and women saving themselves. "A literary glass of bourbon after a long day." A powerful debut book by Byrd Nash. WARNING: This collection draws upon the original fairytale source material and is Grimm-esque. It will not be suitable for all readers. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE FAIRYTALE SHORT STORIES The Wicked Wolves of Windsor “I’m not going to eat you,” said the wolf as he kept pace with the bicycle. “I only want to talk.” Between the wicked wolves of the Wild Hunt and her violent father, Doireann needs all of her wits to survive. A dark retelling of Red Riding Hood in a magical fantasy England, post WWI. The Queen’s Favorite Feeling the rough scaliness of his hand, the queen could only whisper, “The witch lies, sire. Who knows what mischief she wanted to cause between us?” Queen Elaine and her talking horse must speak the truth to free themselves from a monster. An empowering tale of surviving domestic violence set in a medieval landscape. A Society of Heartless Women Murder, betrayal, and revenge is in fashion in this Jane Austen horror satire set in Regency Bath, England. Granny Starseed Between drownings and gunfire, when will granny leave? A hippy witch and her talking raven upset the lives of her family when she comes to visit their suburban home. Milking Time A magical fantasy set in Regency England, where a not-so-ordinary farm girl duels a sorcerer. The Prince Learns a Lesson A graduate student is given an impossible task: transform a spoiled prince within three days. A contemporary magical fairytale. Amazon Reviews "...reads like an old-fashioned book of fairy tales, but with a modern twist . Full of lore and magic..." " A literary glass of bourbon after a long day. " "A great collection of unpredictable and fun short stories with whimsical and dark undertones ." " A dash of magic, and a hint of wicked ." "Nash has a knack for bringing a new twist to old stories... keeps you on edge guessing ..." "So often stories of magic are about old male magicians. Byrd Nash does not shy away from strong female characters or minorities ." " Feminist fairytales, timeless stories ." "...in all of the stories the main character was female and a strong one at that. No damsels in distress here ." "These tales handle universal truths but include diversity, humor and even a dash of a modern setting. All the magic, none of the archaic ." -- author, K.A. Miltimore "The Queen's Favorite... reads like a wonderful legend ... A Society of Heartless Women... a horror story by way of Jane Austen's droll sense of humor ." -- author, Helen Whistberry What authors and books influence you?  Patricia McKillip has a lyrical beauty to her writing that reads like poetry. Her book The Forgotten Beasts of Eld I consider a classic. I generally buy anything she writes as soon as it is published.  Authors I also enjoy include: Carol Berg, Lois McMaster Bujold, C.J. Cherryh, Julie Czerneda (The Webshifters and The Trade Pact Universe), Nina Kiriki Hoffman (the Spores fairy novels), Diana Wynne Jones (particularly The Dark Lord of Derkholm and The Year of the Griffin), Rosemary Kirstein (Steerswoman series), and Martha Wells. The writing tone for the short stories found in Wicked Wolves really varies. Why is that? That was by plan. Short story collections in fantasy were once very popular and I always loved reading the different authors all in one book. I wanted my reader to experience the same wonder, excitement and the unexpected that I did when reading those collections. Does Wicked Wolves have a theme? The theme for me in writing this collection was to explore everyday women faced with extraordinary challenges. However, while these are magical tales, each protagonist wins by using her wits. Are these literal fairytales? No. The stories are heavily influenced by classic fairytale themes such as how they handle wishes, blessings, curses, the bestowing of magical gifts, disguised characters, talking animals, and the relationship between family members. Those reading the original source of fairytales will see the connection. What are some specific influences for this book? Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Judith Merkle Riley, and Susanna Clarke all heavily influenced the short story The Society of Heartless Women. What are some of your favorite childhood authors?  C.S. Friedman ( In Conquest Born is an amazing story), Ursula Le Guin (reading the Earthsea trilogy when I was child and returning to the book Tehanu published later, blew my mind), Tanith Lee (the Flat Earth ser