J.W. Hawkins talks about his new book Tales of the Wythenwood which is being released today.
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I love words. This is why I wrote Tales of the Wythenwood. Now, saying I love words may seem odd, perhaps more usual would be the maxims we often hear from writers. I love writing, I love being creative, I love fantasy, sci-fi, intergalactic cat literature…take your pick. Now, for me, all of these are more than true (bar the cat thing), but the overriding factor that underpins all that drove me to write this book is a lifelong love affair with words. Words aren’t just functional units of language used to communicate meaning, they are alive, like music they have rhythm, tone, tempo—a living pulse. I find that thinking of words in this way has sadly become a rarity in modern literature.
I grew up absorbing a lot of classic fantasy and literature (my dad used to read Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson and H.G. Wells to me as bedtime stories). This was my first introduction to fantasy and sci-fi with works such as ‘The Lost World’, ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’ and ‘The Time Machine’ enthralling me with the florid 19th century literary vernacular. Then, of course there is a certain Professor Tolkien—A linguist! Whose passion for words weaves vivid tapestries that enraptured my nascent self as they have for generations of readers. Although thematically different, this is the essence, with contemporary sensibilities, that I have tried to capture in Tales of the Wythenwood.
“As moonbeams stained all they touched an otherworldly blue, she imagined them as fairies, half-remembered from childhood tales, come to light the darkness.”
From Tales of the Wythenwood: The Taker of Faces.
This is all very well and good I hear you cry, but what’s it about? Tales of the Wythenwood is a collection of dark, allegorical fantasy stories set in a mysterious fairytale forest—The Wythenwood. It has five short stories and a novella, each visiting different themes that mirror the world in which we live with new characters introduced in each yet interconnected by the lore and worldbuilding of the forest. Great Oak, an omnipotent power, hatches plans to crush dissent. Injured Desideria is helped by a mysterious creature—but what is its real intent? The Taker of Faces stalks the night for her next victim. Will this be the one that sates her need and provides all that she craves? Indoli, a benevolent master of manipulation learns the consequences of teaching his ways too well—and soon the fate of the entire wood is at stake.
These are just a few juicy tidbits to entice you. All stories are accompanied by illustrations, many by the wonderful Matthew Burton.
Now, a word on darkness. Darkness and light, good and evil, right and wrong and the thousands of almost imperceptible shades of gray in between are key themes of the book. The first story in the collection ‘Gerald the Mangy Fox’ started as many creative pursuits do—from boredom. I aimed initially to write a children’s story tinged with the kind of darkness you find in the original fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen (the kind where kids get eaten by wolves and giants make bread from the bones of English people). However, having a childhood where I had been read the entire adventures of Sherlock Holmes before the age of six, alongside cannibalistic Morlocks (H.G. Wells) and Telltale Hearts (Edgar Allan Poe), my early years nightly murder-fest has given me a natural predilection for the interminably grim. So, the intended dark-hued taint quickly descended into jet black fantasy better suited to older teens and adult readers. As such, the tone of ‘Gerald’ is slightly different to that of the other tales, but I kept it in as it gives a nice introduction to the world while foreshadowing the darker elements to come.
I intend to write more in the world of the Wythenwood, with the full-length novel ‘War of the Wythenwood’ scheduled for release in 2025.
Tales of the Wythenwood is available in eBook and print formats from Amazon on 31 August 2024.
J.W. Hawkins author of Tales of the Wythenwood.
