Dark fantasy author Catherine McCarthy is chatting with me today about her new book, The Wolf and the Favour.
Bio:
Catherine McCarthy weaves dark tales on an ancient loom from her farmhouse in West Wales.
She is the author of the novellas Immortelle and Mosaic and novels A Moonlit Path of Madness and The Wolf and the Favour. Her short fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines, including those by Black Spot Books, Brigids Gate Press, and Dark Matter Ink.
In 2020 she won the Aberystwyth University Prize for her short fiction.
Time away from the loom is spent hiking the Welsh coast path or huddled in an ancient graveyard reading Dylan Thomas or Poe.
Please tell us about your current release.
The Wolf and the Favour tells the story of ten-year-old Hannah as she strives to come to terms with being rejected by her mother. What makes the story special is the fact that Hannah has Down syndrome. I believe there is far too little representation in literature told from a neurodivergent voice, especially stories that depict the central character as the hero of their own future.
What inspired you to write this book?
Two things inspired the story: My past experience as a primary teacher (especially my experience teaching children who had learning difficulties) and the house in which I live—a 200 year-old Welsh farmhouse which has an overgrown lane behind it that climbs all the way to a farm. The lane is backed by woodland, and at night it is possible to hear the cry of the fox and the hoot of the owl. I thought, what if a wolf lived in the woods? A wolf with blue eyes, one who tells stories from ancient Welsh folklore. It all started from there.
Excerpt from The Wolf and the Favour:
The following is a short extract, taken from the prologue. It’s winter, and the lane and woodland beyond are coated in crisp white snow. Hannah (M.C.) is about to venture farther along the lane than she has ever done before (thus both physically and metaphorically accomplishing her goal) …
Come on Hannah, you can do it.
It wasn’t Hannah’s own voice that spoke, not even the one in her head. And it wasn’t Dada’s voice, even though she’d heard him say those exact words somany times. And it wasn’t her voice, because she’d been gone for such a long time. She sniffed and wiped a cold trickle of snot onto her coat sleeve.
See, that’s what frightened her about The Lane—it spoke to her. It had always spoken to her.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’ve recently started work on a collection of dark fairy tales that are re-workings of tales originally told by The Brothers Grimm. I’m hoping to retain the identity of the original tale, while at the same time putting a completely new spin on it, for example by telling it from a different character’s perspective or adding unexpected twists.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve always written. My mother taught me the rudimentaries of writing before I started primary school, and that, accompanied by a love of books and stories, started me on my journey and also inspired me to teach. However, I didn’t publish my first book until 2015 as I was too busy teaching to dedicate enough time to writing prior to that.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
As I mentioned in the previous question, I only dabbled in writing while teaching, but now I’m free to write as much or as little as I please. There are very few days I don’t write, even if it’s a blog post or such like. I tend to work best between 3pm and 7pm as it fits in with my daily routine.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I guess this is more of a tip than a quirk, and more of a rule than a tip because I really cannot stress this enough: If you’re a writer, you really MUST read you work aloud before submitting it to any publisher, and read it with expression, as though to an audience rather than use a text-to-speech app. Better still, find someone who is willing to be your real-live audience, someone who will offer a critique of your work and not just praise it. Simply invaluable!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
From around the age of four I wanted to be a primary school teacher, a profession I ended up working in for twenty-eight years. I guess my mother instilled that in me because she was such a wonderful ‘first’ teacher and role model.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Only to say I would love you to follow me on socials and perhaps dip your toe in my work. I have several novels and novellas out in the world and many anthology appearances, all of which can be found via the links on my website. If you would like to keep up to date with all my latest news, please subscribe to my Substack via the website or here: https://substack.com/@cmccarthywriter
Links:
Website | Twitter (Now X)
Thank you so much for featuring me, Lisa.