Ravenous Wednesday with C. Margery Kempe!

Is it just me or does our Succubus mascot here kind of look like Kate Winslet? Why I only now just noticed this is one of life's little mysteries and one that does not need to be solved. For we have far more important things to discuss today, the first being welcoming the lovely C. Margery Kempe back to Un:Bound!

First we had to get her and her evil twin, Kate, back from England where they gallivanted around the pub scene with our own Adele. For those of you who think I'm just a LITTLE jealous about this gallivanting ... you're totally right. :-)

For those of you who've visited us here before, or, who are Ravenous Romance readers or writers, you will remember Margery as the author of one of my fave RR books, CHASTITY FLAME. Hopefully we'll see a sequel to that in the near future! In the meantime, Margery and her evil twin (or is Margery the evil twin? I get so confused...) have been busily writing and publishing other stuff (see below for a list and links!). But luckily not so busy that she was unwilling to write a post for us today and stop by for drinks! Vodka martini, Margery?

Today's post is about the lure of fairy tales. And may I just say I grew up reading the original Grimms Fairy Tales and was mightily disappointed at the lack of bloodshed in the Disney retreads.

Anyway, onto Margery's post!

The Timeless Lure of Fairy Tales

My latest story for Noble Romance Love Me Like a Reptile is another fairy tale narrative. This time it's set in the modern world, unlike my last one, Spinning Gold, an M/M tale set in the Middle Ages. Madeley, a young woman who works in a pub Thameside, wonders why it is that she always seems to be kissing frogs instead of princes—and then she meets a talking frog who promises he's something more. Should she believe him?

Setting aside the Motörhead song that did inspire the title (no, not a big fan of Lemmy, it just got stuck in my head and ended up a story, as so often happens J), the real inspiration is of course the fairy tale of the Frog Prince. Spinning Gold grew out of Rumpelstiltskin. I'm already working on a Cinderella story, too.

That's not all: under my real name, I have a fairy tale novel Pelzmantel out as well, based on All-Fur (also known as Thousand Fur) and my previous short story collection, Unikirja/Dreambook was also based on myths and fairy tales from Finland. But I'm not alone: my colleagues at Ravenous Romance and Noble Romance also write an awful lot of fairy tale stories, too, like Bednobs and Beanstalks and Rapunzel's Release.

Why do fairy tales eternally return? We never seem to get tired of them. While most people know the Disney versions best (shudder), surprisingly few have read the Grimm versions upon which they were based, in turn based upon oral retellings of German and Alsatian women which were then shaped by the brothers to form a "national" heritage. The Kinder- und Hausmärchen had a political intent as well as a literary and linguistic one. The idea of a German nation (as well as many other European nations) did not exist until the 19^th century. Just as a Neapolitan wouldn't consider herself that same "nation" as a Sicilian at that time, the various republics had a local outlook, which the Grimms and many others thought should be united. The stories were a rhetorical device for forging that identity through a shared heritage of stories.

If you read the actual tales, you may find yourself surprised at all the clever servants who outwit their masters, parents who kill their children and siblings who actively fight against one another to the death. We forget how harsh life was in fairly recent times. In our time of relative comfort where children are coddled and made the center of their parents' existence, it's hard to imagine a time when parents might have to choose between children and survival.

But these are the stories that have sunk into our bones: tales of survival and magic. Across the world versions of these stories are told and re-told with different names and different details, but they have the same power. These narratives explore how we cope with danger, with grief and with opportunity—how we make choices at those pivotal moments. And that's why they'll never go out of style.

Excerpt from Love Me Like a Reptile:

Why do I always get the frogs? Madeley wondered for the umpteenth time as she wiped down the bar. They come on as such charmers, but once they move in—ah, well, it was the same old story. For the first few days after he left, the extra expanse of mattress was luxury enough, but the lack of sex was taking its toll. While she'd gotten rather creative with her sex toys of late, she had to admit there was no substitute for the real thing.

Marshall had lasted in her flat as long as he did only because he lasted so long in bed each night, bringing her to several exquisite peaks before coming himself. Of course, the way he always screamed, "Rock and roll!" when he came got up her nose, but compromise was part of life, or so her mum always advised. Good sex outweighed an annoying tick or two.

She sighed. It had been really good sex.

"Madeley, can you take the rubbish out to the tip?"

Mr. Dudek poked his head out from the kitchen, his bland face looking concerned.

Madeley grinned. She was the only one who knew his secret—her boss was afraid of the dark. This strapping guy with the barrel chest, whose very presence could discourage the most belligerent drunk, trembled at the thought of facing the dark passage behind the pub.

"Yeah, all right."

Madeley heaved the two bags into the skip and stretched her tired arms over her head, looking up at the sky. Not even a star to wish upon. Damn light pollution. She turned to head back into the pub when something caught her eye. Bending, Madeley squinted to see what had caught the thin beam of the security light.

It was a frog.

The pub lay so close to the river that it wasn't a bit unusual to see all kinds of skittery creatures hanging around the bins. A salamander even appeared in the gents one night, but Noel swore someone had smuggled it in. Was there a large international ring of salamander smugglers, she'd asked him.

This creature, however, was no ordinary frog. For one thing, it was enormous. Madeley couldn't be certain, but she would easily guess it to be more than twenty centimeters long. Gold streaks along its back glistened in the weak light, but the rest of its skin was a kind of olive green like fatigues. Most startlingly, its yellow-gold eyes appeared to be following her every movement.

Don’t be daft; it's just scared. Madeley put her fists on her hips and took a step forward. "Shoo," she said, her voice too loud in the darkness. The frog picked up its forefeet and adjusted its position slightly to follow her movements. She could almost hear the wet sound of those little green feet on the tarmac. A shudder of revulsion passed through her. Disgusting creature!

"Love me like a reptile," Madeley said the words out loud to assuage her sudden discomfort. "Don't make me laugh."

"Frogs aren't reptiles, you know."

Madeley's heart jumped into her mouth. She jerked her head right then left, but there was no one to be seen. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned toward the creature. "Who's doing this?"

"I am," the frog said, its mouth snapping with finality on the second word.

"Pull the other one," Madeley said with a snort. "Noel?" It would suit his sick sense of humor, but as she cocked her head to listen, there was only the rush of the river out of sight, the gabble of passing crowds, and the cars whizzing by on the Embankment.

"Seriously," the frog continued, its voice as reasonable as if the two of them had been chatting about the weather. "Frogs are amphibians, not reptiles."

"Well, I guess you have your category for Mastermind." Madeley shook her head, but it didn't get any clearer. And the frog was there still, blinking its giant golden eyes at her.

"Will it help to tell you I'm enchanted?"

C. Margery Kempe writes sexy stories for people who appreciate a little humour with their steamy romance. Visit her website (http://www.cmkempe.com) or stop by Sundays at Nights of Passion (http://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com) for more.