More From This Author
Books & Stories
(Lost Guardians Book 1)
Author Note
Just hoping everyone enjoys the story (and the rest of the anthology). If you like it, please check out some of my other work...and of course, the rest of Grendel Press.
Story Art Sneak Peek
Amazing Artwork By Daniela Rivera
"Woodwose"
Anthology: More Than A Monster
Release Date: Sept 8th, 2023
Preorders: Coming Soon
About the Author: Born in Nottingham, England, Jennifer R. Povey (she/her) now lives in Northern Virginia, where she writes everything from heroic fantasy to stories for Analog. She has written a number of novels across multiple sub genres. She is a full member of SFWA. Her interests include horseback riding, Doctor Who and attempting to out-weird her various friends and professional colleagues.
Release Date: Sept 8th, 2023
Preorders: Coming Soon
About the Author: Born in Nottingham, England, Jennifer R. Povey (she/her) now lives in Northern Virginia, where she writes everything from heroic fantasy to stories for Analog. She has written a number of novels across multiple sub genres. She is a full member of SFWA. Her interests include horseback riding, Doctor Who and attempting to out-weird her various friends and professional colleagues.
Q & A
How does it feel to have this story published for the first time?
Pretty solid. I believe in this story, which deals with a cryptid/monster most people have forgotten about. I'm happy to be able to highlight it!
What inspired the idea for your story?
It came from a prompt, actually. The prompt was to write a story from the point of view of a cryptid.
I came at it from the angle of a cryptid trying to live in human society and facing the same kind of prejudice everyone who is "different" experiences.
I came at it from the angle of a cryptid trying to live in human society and facing the same kind of prejudice everyone who is "different" experiences.
We know that writing can be a tumultuous journey with a lot of obstacles, what is your kryptonite as a writer?
Words 36,000 through 46,000 of a novel. I always get "stuck" there. Short stories are much easier.
Clearly, you’ve succeeded at writing a captivating story for GrendelPress, but we all start somewhere. What advice would you give yourself as a young writer?
Don't take rejections personally. They are rejecting that specific work, not you (and if they start rejecting you, that's not an editor you want to work with).
We’d like to argue that every good story makes both the author and the readers feel something. What perspectives or beliefs have you challenged with your story?
This story is ultimately about prejudice. It's about the way we try to force people to fit the mainstream (white, straight, cisgendered, ablebodied and neurotypical) mold. I hope to remind people that even if somebody has a full coat of fur, they can be a person.
What do you love most about your story’s genre?
I have a certain fondness for taking the real world and changing it just a little bit. In this case, certain cryptids are real, acknowledged as people (but not always treated as people) and known to everyone.
Tell us about your favorite author. What about their book(s) call to you and how do they inspire your own writing?
Picking just one is hard, but I'm going to go with C.J. Cherryh because we both love anthropological type stories. I actually try not to be inspired by her, because she has such a distinctive voice I end up *thinking* in it when I read her stuff and am always afraid I'll start writing in it! But what calls to me is the cool aliens and the multi-layered focus on society.
What are some other genres you’d like to break into and why?
I write across so many subgenres and I've sold so many stories in different ones. Weird west is the one I haven't really managed and it fascinates me, plus horses.
If you had to pick another story of yours to share with your readers, what would it be?
Ooh. That's a tough one, especially as the one I'd most like to highlight doesn't have a release date yet.
So, for right now, i'm going to go with a flash piece called Cavesong, which I think might appeal to Grendel Press readers and has the advantage of being free online.
So, for right now, i'm going to go with a flash piece called Cavesong, which I think might appeal to Grendel Press readers and has the advantage of being free online.
