 1) Tell us about your story
Hollowed: A Tale of Malice is a gender swapped origin story for Maleficent, named Malice in this story. Told from a split perspective to give the reader a deeper understanding of the story you didn’t know you didn’t know. Love, loss, betrayal, and magic are the centralized themes that will have you losing your heart to the Hollows. 2) What inspired you to write it? I love to read reimagining’s of familiar stories that turn them on their heads in a creative way. Colleen Oak’s retellings were a big inspiration for me while writing Malice’s origin. 3) Do you prefer Villains to Heroes? Villains are by far my favorite to write, especially when thinking about their origins. Not to mention, everyone know that villains have all the best lines. 4) Is your story a standalone? Yes, Malice’s story is a standalone that can be read separately from any of the other stories in the anthology and doesn’t connect to any of my other universes currently… 5) What's next for you, writing wise? Malice’s story kicked off a series of reimagined villain origins for me. I have plans to rewrite the histories of many other villains including Ursula, Cruella De Ville, Jafar, and more. They’ll all appear separately as ebooks and then together later as a paperback collection down the line.  1) Tell us about your story
My story, the Legend of Tremaine, is the origin story for an evil pair of crystal shoes and a good looking glass. These magical items go on later to appear in more modern fairy tales I’ve written about other common fairy tales (Cindi/Ella, the Little Mermaid, and so on). It’s great fun to read up on the traditional fairy tales and but a different or interesting spin on them. 2) What inspired you to write it? I’ve always wanted to tell sort of an alternate beginning for the shoes in Cinderella and her evil stepmother. Since I already have a Cindi/Ella retelling, it seemed to make the most sense to go on and tell about the crystal caves and the magic there. 3) Do you prefer Villains to Heroes? I love both, I think, but I’m a sucker for an amazing hero. The villains definitely need a chance to tell their side of the story, but heroes win the day in my books. ;) 4) Is your story a standalone? The Legend of Tremaine is the prequel to a series of Modern Fairy Tale retellings I’ve done. My Cinderella retelling comes next in the series, then the Little Mermaid, and then Snow White/Rose Red, but you can pick these up in a boxset bundle. They’ll also be out as an audiobook later this year. I have a related Princess and the Pea retelling that will be out in August, but the whole series comes to a close in a Snow White retelling where Snow White is the villain (ha! Maybe the villains really are my favorite!) in the story from Cindi/Ella’s point of view. It all wraps up in August 2020. 5) What's next for you, writing wise? Next… Hmm… That’s a good question. I’m actually working on the conclusion to my modern fairy tale series now, and I’m pretty pumped about that. Cindi must dodge seven foul dwarves, a host of mythical creatures, and a bevy of sentient poisoned apples before she can face down the wicked Snow White Queen.  1) Tell us about your story
The Tower was written specifically for the anthology. I set myself the challenge and I enjoyed writing it much more than I thought I would. I took inspiration from the film Tangled, as it is my favourite Disney movie, and the novel Flowers in the attic. I wanted my characters to have some depth and some flesh on their bones, and I wondered what it would feel like to be trapped in that tower if you had no natural talents, like painting or sewing. Nothing that would keep you busy. What would you do with your day? I think the social isolation we are all experiencing is reflected in the story. Loneliness can kill, it is terrible for your mental health, how do you cope when you are all alone and have no way out? 2) What inspired you to write it? My love of Tangled the movie started me off, then I took the fantasy element and I went somewhere darker and found a path back to my favourite genre of Horror writing. 3) Do you prefer Villains to Heroes? Oh, my what a question. A villain that you can love, that you can follow and see the reason behind the villainy is someone I can root for. Likewise, a hero that is honest and does not see themselves as a hero is also a great attraction. I think Captain Carrot in The Discworld stories is a fantastic hero as he is simple and honest and true but for no other reason than that is his nature, he wants no reward. Then again, a villain that is just evil, and wants to hurt and destroy is not my cup of tea. 4) Is your story a standalone? I am not sure, could the story continue? Maybe. But I like where I left it. A sequel might be difficult to write. 5) What's next for you, writing wise? I am writing a story for an anthology being run by www.caabpublishing.co.uk called Born in a black cab. The story has to start in a London black cab. It is quite a fun idea and I am enjoying the challenge. The story has been quite raunchy so far, which is unlike me, but I can feel the dark pull once more and I know the characters are about to take a sinister turn. Personally, I can’t wait as I have always embraced the darkness.  1) Tell us about your story
My story, Stepsisters: Evils of the Flesh, centers on the evil stepsisters and their jealously toward Cinderella. In most versions of the story, the stepsisters are portrayed as self-centered, dumb, and mostly harmless. It was my thought that I could change the harmless into a psychotic element and really use their jealousy to change the story up. 2) What inspired you to write it? I’ve always had an interest into alternative versions of well-known stories and the what if elements. I’ve also felt that the stepsisters should have been eviller than they were portrayed, so I used those elements to create a story that does not have a happy ending, or maybe it does. I guess it all depends on how you look at it. 3) Do you prefer Villains to Heroes? This is a tough question. I don’t always see the bad guys as the villains, I guess it depends on the story. For example, in the Hellraiser series, Pinhead is not necessarily a villain. Instead, he is performing acts he is meant to do. The villain may actually be the ones who open the box. I find that often I may overanalyze the characters, delving into their details, to see the intricacies of their characters. So, for me, like the villains and heroes alike. 4) Is your story a standalone? I wouldn’t say my story is a standalone, but rather an alternate telling of the story. 5) What's next for you, writing wise? I have a huge backlog to write. I plan on a few short stories this year, but am placing most of my focus on novels/novellas. I have three books currently in progress that I hope to finish soon. I’d say my biggest focus will be finishing the book Humantula, the third in a series that follows Sharkantula and Slothantula. I’ve been on a B-Movie type kick lately. They are fun to write and I enjoy the ridiculous aspect of them  1) Tell us about your story
I chose to tell the story of the witch from Hansel and Gretel. It is a very different version to what you may be used to and while she starts as a witch, she becomes something more. 2) What inspired you to write it? I liked the Hansel and Gretel tale when I was younger but you never found out why the witch ate children and I wanted to answer that question. My character has no choice but to eat them in order to survive. 3) Do you prefer Villains to Heroes? I like the heroes, but I prefer it if they have a dark side too. I don't like completely 'good' characters. 4) Is your story a standalone? Yes, I think I tell her story from when her troubles started up untill the story we know. 5) What's next for you, writing wise? I am releasing a new book tomorrow called New Moon and I am working on a vampire novella.  1) Tell us about your story
My story is a new take on the sea witch from The Little Mermaid. Cecelia took over running the docks from her father when he died. She is used to getting what she wants and when a mysterious man shows up, looking for his friend, she wants him. 2) What inspired you to write it? I wanted to put together an anthology on the villains from fairytales and I chose the sea witch because there is not a lot known about her. I wanted to show her when she was younger and why she turned out the way she did. 3) Do you prefer Villains to Heroes? I do prefer the villains, I think they make more interesting characters and I like learning why they do what they do. 4) Is your story a standalone? Yes, this is a one off story. 5) What's next for you, writing wise? I will be working on an academy book for the summer and I hope to start a new PI series in the fall. |
 
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About the Author:S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland. “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” 
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