We are thrilled to share an excerpt from “Water Like Broken Glass” by Carina Bissett from Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga with a note from the author and an editor’s note from Lindy Ryan.

SYNOPSIS
Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds’ legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the baba yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the baba yaga may find help, or hinderance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch—and these are her tales.

Featuring Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph, with a foreword by Christina Henry and edited by Lindy Ryan, this collection brings together some of today’s leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the baba yaga, and go Into the Forest.

Editor’s Take: Lindy Ryan

Storytelling has often been called the “world’s oldest profession.” As such, it has long been a primary way that humans have handed down knowledge, lessons, and, yes, even entertainment throughout history—prior to the advent of the printing press and prior, even, to the invention of written language. Humans are story creatures: we find meaning in stories, and we encode events, instruction, and emotion into our legends, parables, and fairy and folk tales. These life lessons reflect the beliefs and moral standards of the time, and today’s retellings—a ripe and fertile ground—offer modern writers the opportunity to pass down updated life lessons to today’s modern readers.

Baba Yaga, a figure as old as any in the fairy tale canon, has long been used to offer lessons, many of which are contrary to ideals we hold most dear today—many of which teach us to fear the wild, the unknown, and women who refuse to be trapped inside the tight and unyielding confines of societal expectation. Stories like those in INTO THE FOREST: TALES OF BABA YAGA (Black Spot Books, November 8, 2022) are giving a fresh voice to this forest witch of yore, embracing her darkness and spinning new yarns of how to approach the agency and ferocity of wild women, along with other messages that remind us that not all evil stays hidden in the forest.

A Note from contributor Carina Bissett

Several years ago, I discovered the story of Jannetje Johanna (Hannie) Schaft, a Dutch resistance fighter so dangerous and deadly that she even caught the attention of Adolph Hitler himself. As someone with a family history deeply entrenched in the fight for freedom, ranging from the American Revolution through both world wars, I can only hope that I would be as brave as Hannie and the other men and women who stood against the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands if I was in the same situation. However, I also wonder how the execution of German soldiers in back alleys and dark forests might have affected those who carried out the overt operations. I kept circling ideas of retribution and rage and recompense and how they might change a person.

When the opportunity came to write a story based on the legendary figure of Baba Yaga, I decided it was finally time to explore these questions. I introduced a rusalka, another feminine entity from Slavic lore, in an examination of violence and vengeance. In my story, the rusalka is a drowned bride haunting the Rhine River and the baba yagas are forest mothers, witches determined to stay neutral in the affairs of mankind. When a girl with hair as red as that of Hannie Schaft runs to the river with a Nazi soldier on her heels, the rusalka inadvertently joins the resistance on the path to self-discovery and the power of forgiveness.

Excerpt from “Water Like Broken Glass” by Carina Bissett

The first thing I notice is her shining red hair. It streams past her shoulders like a banner. Following that flag is a soldier.

“Watermeid!” The fleeing girl summons me even though I am only the ghost of a rumor, a common condition for all women who’ve been beaten, broken, and left for dead.

She lunges into the river as the man closes the gap.

“Heks!” She cries out. Witch.

I slip out of the embrace of my favorite birch and into the water below. The girl’s feet crash through the river. Her bare toes cling to the smooth stones. The man’s shiny black boots slip on those same rocks, but he is determined in his pursuit.

He reaches out to catch her, but she stumbles forward, and he is left grasping at the white ribbons trailing from the girl’s long hair.

The soldier’s fingers close in a fist, and her flight comes to an abrupt halt. He lands a blow with his free hand. The girl crashes to her knees, waist-deep in the rushing river. She is fumbling for the trench knife tucked into her waistband when she finally spots me, drifting along the riverbed.

The soldier mutters something guttural as he draws a pistol from his belt. The girl’s lips curve in a blood-streaked smile, and she raises both hands in surrender.

I might not be a witch, but I am a watermeid. A drowned girl. A birch bride. And my arms are empty.

I tangle the soldier’s ankles, drag him to the deepest channel. And then I let go. He surfaces, arms pinwheeling as he gulps for air. When he sets out toward the nearest shore, I follow, hidden in the current. His strokes grow stronger, more purposeful the closer he is to safety. He grasps a handful of grass clinging to the shore before I pull him back into my domain. His eyes widen when he finally sees me, as the river wraps the length of black hair around his throat. His armband pulls free midstream. The cutwater snatches at the flash of red. It curls to reveal a white circle stamped with the harsh black lines of a crooked cross. I permit him to surface, make another attempt for freedom as I gather the sash as tribute. The iron cross pinned to his gray-green collar is the price for our third encounter. And so, bit by bit, his uniform is stripped of regalia until the soldier’s strong body finally fails. His lungs fill with water and weed, and I turn away.

The girl with the red hair waits for me near my favored haunt, the birch with roots sunk deep into the river. Cradled in the remains of an old channel, a pool reflects a spring sky as blue as a robin’s egg.

“I heard rumor of a watermeid near here. Lucky for me, it turned out to be true.” Her laugh is one of joyous discovery. “Thank you, comrade.”

Curious, I drift closer.

“A woman of action, not of words, I see.” She uncrosses her legs, slides away from the safety of shore, and wades toward me with her hand outstretched. “I’m Tilde.”

I consider slipping away, but her bright-eyed stare dares me to stay. And so, I reach back, brush my fingers across hers, quick as a minnow darting with the current. Satisfied, she offers a mocking salute.

“Welcome to the Resistance.”

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This October, terror returns to Shadow Grove in THE BONE CARVER, the second in Snyman’s Harrowsgate series. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Monique and chat about what’s to come in her brand-new book. Spoiler alert: you’re going to read this one with the lights on, folks.

THE NIGHT WEAVER introduced us to Rachel Cleary, the Crenshaws, a certain dreamy Fae, and—of course—the Night Weaver. Can we expect to see all our favorite characters return to the page in THE BONE CARVER? (Basically, will we get more of Orion Nebulius? Asking for a friend.)

All of our favorite characters from The Night Weaver are making a return in The Bone Carver (Orion included), but we’ll also see some new faces this time around. Some of those new faces, however, are quickly going to become your new favorites, I’m positive. *wink*

One of the things I loved most about THE NIGHT WEAVER was how it seamlessly mixed the essence of young adult terror with the stuff of grown-up nightmares. As the story continues, what can readers expect to see in terms of keeping this careful balance alive?

I hope to continue keeping that balance throughout the series, but it should be noted that Rachel is becoming a young woman, too. So, there will be a gradual evolution in how the story is told. Still, the books will be enjoyable, albeit terrifying for young and older readers. I promise!

In THE NIGHT WEAVER, Rachel went from an unsuspecting bystander to finding herself in a pivotal role in a very dark history in Shadow Grove. So, in some ways the first book was very much an, er, coming-of-age tale (I promise I’m not trying to make puns). I expect Rachel’s grown up a bit, and we will continue to see her grow as she takes on her new challenge in THE BONE CARVER. Can you dish on how her first experience with the Night Weaver will affect her next?

Ha! Don’t worry about it. I guess I wrote The Night Weaver to be a subtle coming-of-age tale without it being too obvious. As for Rachel … Well, as you know, she’s not entirely like normal teenage girls her age and she know things not everyone does. Her responsibilities to Shadow Grove and the residents of the small town are also unconventional and somewhat dangerous. That affects a person, regardless of age. In Rachel’s case, it makes her braver to some extent, and in some cases also a bit reckless.

Last we spoke, you tipped me off that in THE BONE CARVER we’d get to see what happens when the nightmares lurking just beyond the boundaries in Shadow Grove fixate on a single target, and the lengths they’ll go to when they feel … rejected. With the book upcoming, is there anything else you’d like to let readers to expect?

Okay, so without giving anything away: Readers can expect a lot of action, more glimpses into the Fae Realm, a dark twist in Rachel’s personal life, and new friendships being made.

Finally, what can we expect next for the Harrowsgate series? Will there be a Book 3?

DEFINITELY! Book 3 is still in progress now, but it’s going to be even better than the last two books. The Harrowsgate Series will run over 8 books, so there’s still plenty of adventure and terror to come.

Monique Snyman’s mind is a confusing bedlam of glitter and death, where candy-coated gore is found in abundance and homicidal unicorns thrive. Sorting out the mess in her head is particularly irksome before she’s ingested a specific amount of coffee, which is equal to half the recommended intake of water for humans per day. When she’s not playing referee to her imaginary friends or trying to overdose on caffeine, she’s doing something with words—be it writing, reading, or fixing all the words.

Monique Snyman lives in Pretoria, South Africa, with her husband and an adorable Chihuahua. She’s the author of the Bram Stoker Award® nominated novel, THE NIGHT WEAVER, which is the first installment in a dark fantasy series for young adults.

Will you be picking up The Bone Carver? Tell us in the comments below!

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If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

You don’t need to be the next J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, or J.R.R. Tolkein, so stop measuring yourself by their standards when you’re contemplating your future and career. Be the first Monique Snyman. Be you, no matter what, and also, don’t be so impatient with yourself.

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Oh, I’ve always known that language had power. Growing up, I had to force myself to speak a certain way in order to “blend” in better. If I didn’t, I was bullied by my peers. Even today, when I go to my childhood home, I change my dialect and the words I pick are wholly different to when I’m not there. So, language has a lot of power, especially if you need to survive adolescence.

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

Lies Like Love by Louisa Reid. I read that book quite a few years ago, but it was such an impactful tale and beautifully crafted book that I still find myself thinking about it.

How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader?

I’m a Libra, so balance, in general, comes naturally to me. I do, however, take into account what readers enjoy/despise, and allow their preferences to sometimes guide me on my journey.

Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?

I wouldn’t call it spiritual per se; it’s rather cathartic for me to write. I have all these characters living inside my head, an ultimited amount of stories that need to come out, and everything battles for my attention when I’m not writing. So, although I have my writing rituals, and for some it could even feel spiritual in a way, but it’s more of a therapy session for me.

And of course, what’s next for Rachel and clan?

Well, in The Night Weaver, readers got a taste of the horrible things Shadow Grove often attracts, but in The Bone Carver, we get to see what happens to those nasties hone in on a single target and the lengths they’ll go to when they feel… rejected. There are also some new characters being added into the story, but the old ones make an appearance, too. The sequel is a different kind of scary, but scary nonetheless.

Be sure to check out The Night Weaver! You can find Monique on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and also at her website.

Will you be picking up The Night Weaver? Tell us in the comments below!

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Children in Shadow Grove are going missing—spirited away into the forest by an unknown presence as if lured into the darkness by the Pied Piper himself. But that’s not the worst part. Nobody is looking for them—in fact, nobody seems to even acknowledge they’re missing at all. There’s no missing posters, no search parties, no frantic parents. This isn’t the first time something tragic has happened in Shadow Grove, either. The town’s history is peppered with the strange and the horrific, from poisoned school lunches to devastating factory fires—all events that have been glossed over in the town’s history with startlingly bland recall. The only people who seem concerned about the newest calamity are the kids that have not yet been taken.

Rachel Cleary’s family, along with her neighbors the Crenchaws, harbor a clandestine, multigenerational obligation: to guard the perimeter of the forest at the edge of Shadow Grove, maintaining an uneasy peace with the magical beings who live in the forest. It’s not so much a matter about keeping things out of the forest but keeping other naughty nighttime beasties in. And for years, it’s worked—a delicate, if tenuous, balance has been more-or-less kept, even if the occasional shadow does slip through the bounds. But now it seems like something nastier than usual has made its—her— way through the cracks: “There’s something wrong with the forest. It’s waking up.”

In addition to the recent slew of missing children, the adults of Shadow Grove are acting….very Stepford…but Rachel suspects there’s a deeper link to the strange events in Shadow Grove—and this new darkness is not only far from over, but it may be deep enough to swallow the town whole. With the help of her eccentric, elderly neighbor, a Scottish hottie, a childhood friend turned handsome socialite, and a super hot fae prince, Rachel discovers that the dark presence lurking around the edges of the forest of Shadow Grove belongs to the Night Weaver. Modeled off the Black Annis, a blue-faced, iron-clawed, child-gobbling bogeyman in English folklore, the Night Weaver doesn’t only prey upon the flesh of children, but on grief, fear, and pain—making her both the monster under the bed in a scared child’s bedroom and a fitting personification of the dark shadow that lives in the back of the mind of anyone who has experienced tragedy. If Rachel wants to save the missing children and the adults of her Shadow Grove, she’ll have accept that the small town she’s grown up in is anything other than normal, and that sometimes nothing is as it seems—and that the only way to find your way out of the darkness is to move toward the light.

Though at times the story moves perhaps a little too quickly and is not entirely free of YA tropes, The Night Weaver is nonetheless a well-laid dark fantasy and a clear entrance into a new series that will invite in a new generation of horror readers.

The Night Weaver is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of October 15th 2019.

Will you be reading The Night Weaver? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

SHADOW GROVE IS A PERFECTLY PLEASANT TOWN …

Shadow Grove isn’t a typical town. Bad things happen here. Children disappear, one after the other, and nobody is doing anything about it. Parents don’t grieve, missing posters don’t line the streets, and the sheriff seems unconcerned.

Seventeen-year-old Rachel Cleary lives on the outskirts of Shadow Grove, next to the creepy forest everyone pretends doesn’t exist. Usually the forest is filled with an eerie calm, an unmistakable graveyard solemnity. But the trees have started whispering, forgotten creatures are stirring, and the nights feel darker than ever.

Something is stalking the residents of Shadow Grove, changing them into brain-dead caricatures of themselves. It’s up to Rachel to stop the devouring of her hometown before all is destroyed and everyone she loves is forever lost.

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