My Twenty-First Anthology Publication – Curse of the Sword by Dragon Soul Press

I’m over the wolf moon to add another fairy tale anthology to my collection!

My young adult folk horror reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood, “The Dark Side of the Wolf Moon,” is out in Curse of the Sword by Dragon Soul Press.

If you love reimagined fairy tales, you should totally grab a copy of this fabulous anthology here.

A Peek Into “The Dark Side of the Wolf Moon”

Every time I see a submission call asking for fairy tales or folklore, I have to write a story. I’m obsessed with reimaginings, so I’ll always find time to do them, even when my publishing plate is overflowing.

Little Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite fairy tales from when I was younger, so I decided to write a young adult folk horror reimagining with original lore for Curse of the Sword.

On the night of the wolf moon, the first full moon of the year in January, Imogen braces herself to venture through the Alpha Woods in a blizzard to take a birthday cake to her boyfriend, Clayton, but the snowstorm should be the least of her worries. Before she leaves home, Imogen’s grandmother gives her a scroll tied with golden twine and reminds her about Lyzidos, a dangerous wolf spirit from the village’s folklore. Not believing in old stories, Imogen brushes this off as her grandmother only being her mysterious self, tucks the scroll into her red coat’s pocket, then sets off for Clayton’s cottage. Imogen’s journey through the Alpha Woods turns deadly when she’s chased by a silver-eyed wolf, gets lost in the blizzard, and eventually arrives at her destination to find that Clayton is being controlled by Lyzidos. The line between fantasy and reality blurs as Imogen realizes she’s descended from the sorcerer in the old tale who cursed the wolf spirit, and if her blood touches the soil, Lyzidos will fully return and lead attacks on the village. As ancient magic awakens inside her, Imogen must find a way to free Clayton and decipher her grandmother’s scroll before the horrors from folklore can reroot themselves in the heart of the Alpha Woods.

I had a blast writing this story. It has so many things I love—folklore, ancient magic, winter imagery, a forest setting, romance, and thriller vibes. Still, it’s super different from my other reimaginings. The more I bring my own twists to fairy tales, the more I push myself to think outside the box.

Opening My Copy of Curse of the Sword

The anthology was published on March 30, and I got my copy soon after. When my paperback arrived, I found out that “The Dark Side of the Wolf Moon” is the first story in the book, which is such an honor.

You can watch my video of me opening Curse of the Sword here.

I’m so happy to be in another fairy tale anthology.

Thank you so much to Jade and the whole Dragon Soul Press team for publishing “The Dark Side of the Wolf Moon” in Curse of the Sword. I love being featured in Dragon Soul Press’s anthologies, so having the opening story in one is a dream come true.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll never venture into the woods under a wolf moon. There’s no universe where that would end well.