Wicked Fairy Tales Author Spotlight – Mina Kelly

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.

Mina Kelly

Mina Kelly lives in one of England's most historic cities. During the day she cooks from Roman recipes and swings medieval swords, trying to convince the tourists that history is more than just a pretty background to a photograph. From this she draws inspiration for her mixed up myths and flirtatious fairy tales, and has an especial fondness for things that go bump in the night.

INTERVIEW with Author:What was your favorite fairy tale as a child and why?

I always liked Roald Dahl's version of Little Red Riding Hood best.

"The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang bang she shoots him dead."

What's not to love about an asskicking Li'l Red?

What is your favorite as an adult and why?

Little Red Riding Hood still has a bit of a spell over me. I recently saw 'The Company of Wolves' for the first time, which is based on several of Angela Carter's reworked fairy tales. Red Riding Hood is the epitome of sex and death fairy tales, that splash of scarlet running through it.

What is the appeal of traditional fairy tales?

Fairy Tales are about archetypes, which makes them easy to relate to and easy to remember. I have a collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales, which really drives home to age of some of these stories - though many were updated to try and bring in Christian morals, you often find yourself facing a Devil that's clearly something older and less evil. The most popular tales are usually those with the simpler morals, but the further you dive into the tradition the more complex they become.

Most people think of fairy tales as children's stories. What makes a fairy tale erotic?

The reader. And all the sex and blood.

The determination to sanitise fairy tales (which dates back to the Grimms, rather than the oft blamed Victorians) has left a lot of them a little twee-er than they ought to be, with some odd plot holes, but at the end of the day they were cautionary tales for adults as much as children. Rapunzel is a tale of how preaching chastity and home schooling your daughter won't stop her getting pregnant, after all.

How did you come up with the idea for your story (or stories) in the Wicked Fairy Tales collection?

A Little Night Swimming is a tale of repression and release. There's nothing less repressed than the ocean. Mermaids and sirens used to lure sailors to death by drowning, but what could possibly tempt someone into the wild sea? Sex could.

AVAILABLE NOW:

A Little Night Swimming by Mina Kelly Short Story (4190 words) Genre(s): Contemporary, Supernatural, Fantasy Becky knows better than to be trapped by the tide at night, but it's funny how a bottle of cheap vodka can overcome an entire upbringingby the sea. She grew up with all the myths, too, but when her cute rescuer invites her into deep waters for a swim it's notso much the mer as the maid that makes Becky hesitate. (F/F) Also available in the Wicked Fairy Tales anthology.

And more soon!