The Starlit Wood: Kat Howard

Today’s visitor to The Starlit Wood is the delightful Kat Howard, talking about her tale “Reflected”.

1. What was the inspiration for your story in The Starlit Wood?

My story, “Reflected,” is a retelling of “The Snow Queen.” My favorite part of that story has always been the enchanted mirror, and so I wanted my version to focus on that.

2. What appealed to you about a fairy tale anthology?

I’ve always loved fairy tales and their retellings. The Datlow/ Windling anthologies were some of my favorite books when I really got into reading fantasy, and so the opportunity to be part of something like that was a thrill.

3. Can you recall the first fairy tale you ever read or that was read to you?

I can’t recall the first one I read, but the one that left the earliest impression was the Disney Sleeping Beauty movie. Maleficent was legitimately powerful and terrifying and I loved that even as she scared me.

4. What’s your favourite folk/fairy tale and why?

I’ve always loved Beauty and the Beast. My earliest impression of it was a story that showed that someone who truly loved you would see you as you truly are, and that has always felt like magic to me.

5. What’s next for you?

My most recent novel, An Unkindness of Magicians, just came out. Next up is a short fiction collection, A Cathedral of Myth and Bone, which will be out next fall.

Photo by Shane Leonard

Kat Howard is a writer of fantasy, science fiction, and horror who lives and writes in New Hampshire. Her short fiction has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, performed on NPR, and anthologized in year’s best and best of volumes. In the past, she’s been a competitive fencer and a college professor. An Unkindness of Magicians is her second novel. Her debut, Roses and Rot, was released from Saga Press in May of 2016, and was a Locus Award finalist for Best First Novel. Her short fiction collection, A Cathedral of Myth and Bone, will be out in 2018, also from Saga. You can find her on twitter, where she is probably posting about her cat

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