Wicked Fairy Tales Author Spotlight – Claryssa Berg
This interview is part of Wicked Fairy Tales Month at ForbiddenFiction.com. With the launch of our first anthology of erotic fairy tales, we decided to give folks more of a glimpse behind the scenes. So, to celebrate, we will have a drawing, author and staff interviews, and other fun bonus materials. For more information on this an the Wicked Fairy Tales anthology, see HERE.
Claryssa Berg
Claryssa Berg is a Norwegian writer of smutty fairy tales of various kinds, who has been published in English since 2004. When she is not twisting myths and ravaging fairy tales, she lives a quiet life in a smallish city in the middle of Norway, together with her son and her cat.
What was your favorite fairy tale as a child and why?
I was in love with many fairy tales as a child, but had a particular fondness for classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. I liked the princesses of course, but the wicked witches even more...
What is your favorite as an adult and why?
My current favorite is White-Bear-King-Valemon, a traditional Norwegian fairy tale, similar in many ways to Beauty and the Beast.
What is the appeal of traditional fairy tales?
I think that the strength of fairy tales in the old days was their ability to take human experiences and explore them in a "safe", mythic world. Now I think their strength is that they allow us to add some glamour and mystery to the mundane. In fairy tales themes like love and sexual awakening becomes magical again - I think we need that as modern, biased people.
Most people think of fairy tales as children's stories. What makes a fairy tale erotic?
In many, many fairy tales the erotic aspect is already there, only shrouded. You just have to "undress the tale" to reveal the sexual themes. Might also add that fairy tales were originally not for children.
Would you describe for us your writing process?
I usually get inspired by the original fairy tales. It's like treasure hunting: I take the story and mull it over until I find a golden nugget.
How long have you been reading and writing erotica?
About ten years.
How did you come up with the idea for your story (or stories) in the Wicked Fairy Tales collection?
Milk* was an attempt to explore relationship between the Queen and Snow White, maybe it wasn't all black and white? Snow White is usually portraied as a powerless victim, relying on dwarves and princes to make things right. In my mind the only way to make her strong was to explore her weakness - or submission.
Demon in the Well is toying with the "bewitched prince"-theme. In the The Frog Prince, one of the frog's conditions if he was to return the golden ball, was to sleep in the princess's bed - I got curious... what happened in that bed? I also wanted to see how that fairy tale played out in a contemporary setting.
*Publisher's Note: Milk was the work that inspired us to start the Wicked Fairy Tales anthology!
AVAILABLE:
Demon in the Wellby Claryssa BergShort Story (4140 words)Genre(s): Contemporary, Supernatural, FantasyClara inherits her old aunts' house and with it the responsibility to feed "the demon" in the well. Clara doesn't believe in demons, or witches, or magic of any kind – until she drops her pearl necklace into the well and, to her astonishment, a voice from the deep says that she can have them back if he can eat by her table and sleep in her bed. (F/M) Also available in the Wicked Fairy Tales anthology. |
Milkby Claryssa BergShort Story (2844 words)Genre(s): Fantasy, Horror
Also available in the Wicked Fairy Tales anthology. |
Deep Water Graveby Claryssa BergShort Story (1570 words)Genre(s): Contemporary, HorrorDiana is fascinated by the stories about dead sailors who are said to enter the bodies of huge, black cormorants and visit the living in that guise. One night she is visited by one of the dead men–who has come borrow her warmth. (F/M) Also available in the Touched by Death anthology. |
And more in development!
