Why Myths and Monsters?

Our third anthology published last month and we are so thankful for all the support and positive feedback we have received.

I think we’ve shared a little bit about how we write these anthologies: we choose a trope, a theme, or an image and all write stories based around that. It may surprise you that “myths and monsters” was not our original prompt for this anthology.

Since we have a phoenix in our title and logo, I though it high time we paid tribute to that in some way. The very first prompt I gave out was “Dangerous Pets and Where to Hide Them.” But what that really boiled down to was “Fantastic Creatures.”

Mythology was a natural springboard for many of us and as the story premises started coming in I remember getting super excited to see the multi-cultural flare the anthology was taking with Mexican, Nordic, and Greek mythology and one Spanish historical fantasy.

Sure, fantastical creatures in fantasy worlds are always interesting to explore. They evoke wonder and fear in us. But there is something extra special when you bring that closer to home through the mythology of real-life cultures. I think we’ve all wondered if there was some truth to the stories of the Loch Ness monster. (Just me?) Or Big Foot.

These stories remind us that there is still some mystery in the world. Some things still exist which cannot be explained. And that is comforting because it leaves room for magic, miracles, and wonder.

So how did we land on the current title? Let me tell you, it was a difficult process. The time has come to share some of the runner up titles. Enjoy!

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