Why am I passionate about this?
I write fairy tales and folklore, dark fantasy and horror. I have an academic background in history and archaeology. I am Australian (yes, lots of scary creatures here!) but inspired by this rich, multicultural country with First Nations tales for over 60,000 years. I am fascinated by how fairy tales, folklore and mythologies can be similar and yet so intriguingly different across time and space, written and oral telling. I love the enduring power of the fairytale and how, with each retelling, it transforms it into a new story, and as people travel, new tales are retold and transformed into a new version for a new place and generation.
Leanbh's book list on folklore retellings in fantasy & horror
Why did Leanbh love this book?
I was in my teens during the ‘90s, and as a queer, gender-fluid individual, there was not a lot of good horror fiction with queer characters who were not presented in a demeaning manner, as victims, or made monstrous or stereotypical representations.
I loved Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, which showed me that sexuality and gender identity were aspects of people and not something that defined them entirely. I loved the complex characters and incredible historical research in these books.
I was a queer, gender-fluid teenager who found an understanding of myself and my place in the world through these books. I still find them formative in my development as a queer horror author.
17 authors picked Interview with the Vampire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Anne Rice, this sensuously written spellbinding classic remains 'the most successful vampire story since Bram Stoker's Dracula' (The Times)
In a darkened room a young man sits telling the macabre and eerie story of his life - the story of a vampire, gifted with eternal life, cursed with an exquisite craving for human blood.
When Interview with the Vampire was published the Washington Post said it was a 'thrilling, strikingly original work of the imagination . . . sometimes horrible, sometimes beautiful, always unforgettable'. Now, more than forty years since its release, Anne…