Cinders Magazine Volume II Issue Six

VOLUME TWO ISSUE SIX

. . . d e k c i W

TINA CALLAGHAN * HAUNTING READS*SEASON OF THE WITCH *

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ine z a g ma

EDITORIAL Editor Méabh McDonnell

Co-Editor in charge of Social Media Grainne Coyne

Contributors Teresa Mulhern Aisling O'Halloran Bairbre Flood

LAYOUT AND DESIGN Art Director Méabh McDonnell

Hi Everyone, So it’s been something of a unbelievable few months here at Cinders. In early September we were listed as finalists in both the Books and Literature category and the Current Affairs category at the Irish Blog Awards. We had a great night a�ending the awards in Dublin on October 25 where we were delighted to win the Bronze award for Books and Literature and Silver in Current Affairs! We were listed among some incredible blogs, in great company!

It’s hard to believe that this is our 12th issue. I can s�ll remember this �me two years ago, preparing for issue one, so to be celebra�ng the close of our second year with recogni�on like this is something incredible to me.

What is even more incredible to me is the way that other people have embraced Cinders, and have helped to develop it and read it over the last two years. From the sterling work of my partner in crime Grainne Coyne, to the ever present contribu�ons of our regulars, Teresa Mulhern and Aisling O’Halloran, to all of the other amazing contributors who have wri�en and created art for us I can’t get over the amazing team that has helped to make Cinders a reality.

And, cliché as it sounds, awards or no awards, I am so grateful that I began working on this mad, passion fueled adventure, and I can’t wait to race head first into next year. We have new ideas, and new projects lined up and I am so looking forward to sharing them with you in the new year.

All that’s le� for me to say is thank you so, so much for reading. This issue is a special one to me, a special focusing on all things wicked and wonderful that I love, celebra�ng the best in the dark side. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed working on it.

ONLINE www.cindersmagazine.com

www.facebook.com/cindersmag

Méabh

Twi�er: @cindersmag cindersmagazine.tumblr.com

All ar�cles and poems are copyright material of the authors. Any reproduc�on without the permission of the author is prohibited.

Cover Imag unspla sh.coemby Pierrick V a n T roost c ourtes y of

Email: cindersmagazine@gmail.com

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VOLUME TWO ISSUE SIX

FEATURE: SOMETHING WICKED HISTORICAL HEROES

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FEATURE SEASON OF THE WITCH

FEATURE: LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE

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LEARN IRISH SIGN

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INTERVIEW TINA CALLAGHAN

3 CINDERS SAYS � 8 SOMETHING WICKED BY MÉABH MCDONNELL � 12 DARK HORSE � AN INTERVIEW WITH TINA CALLAHGHAN � 16 SEASON OF THE WTICH � WTICHES ON TV AND FILM � 18 FEAR: HOW DO WE BECOME AFRAID � 20 OUR FAVOURITE VILLAINESSES � 23 THE BEST MAGICAL HAUNTING READS � 26 LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE BY BAIRBRE FLOOD � 30 A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO IRISH SIGN LANGUAGE WITH AISLING O'HALLORAN � 34 TRAILBLAZING WOMEN OF THE PAST 36 DISCOVERING HARRY POTTER 38 BOOK REVIEW CORNER BY MÉABH MCDONNELL � 40 EIGHT MAGICAL QUOTES FOR YOUR BEDROOM WALL

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Cinderssays

From films to art to music to television, Cinders magazine looks at what has us clicking our heels this month…

we're watching

Emma Approved The Pemberley gods were listening and gave us a return to Emma Approved! Back when we interviewed Dayeanne Hu�on this summer we had no idea that we were going to be treated to her return in a new series of Emma Approved! Emma has a bunch of new challenges as a lifestyle guru. Her business has taken a hit since she has lost a recent wedding and she needs a fresh outlook and a chance to take some new opportuni�es! Since this is Emma Woodhouse, it wouldn’t be her if she didn’t have a few hiccoughs along the way! We were massive fans of the first series and are absolutely delighted to see the characters return to YouTube!

Charmed We were massive fans of the original series of Charmed, so we weren’t sure what to expect when the reboot was announced. However the more we heard about the decisions being made in the writer’s room and the diverse cas�ng, the more intrigued we were. And we were delighted that we stuck around to try it out. The premise of the show hasn’t changed, in that it’s s�ll the story of three sisters who discover that they are the world’s most powerful witches; the girls each have their own individual powers and there is s�ll a book of shadows. But in this incarna�on of the show, their mo�va�on is different, determined to solve their mother’s murder, the three sisters must come to terms with their powers and eachother. We’re hoping that this new series will have the power to make us love these sisters as much as they love eachother.

Doctor Who We finally got our female Doctor, Jodie Whi�aker! Ever since we saw her first in last episode of the previous series we’ve been dying to see Jodie Whi�aker’s Doctor in ac�on! As people who have loved watching Doctor Who in it’s previous nine seasons, we are delighted to finally see a woman in the main role! We’re delighted to welcome the new companions, along with the 13th Doctor, Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill. What she’s looking for is friendship and who she is in this new incarna�on. Her first adventure is a whistle stop tour of who she is and where she is going. We can’t wait to see what she has coming next.

t e e t n e l e s d e

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WE’RE READING The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green The Smoke Thieves has been burning up our TBR bookshelf for the last few months!

From the brilliant mind of Sally Green, of the Half Bad series, comes a new, gorgeously purple edged book that is pure adventure and joy. The beginning of a new series it follows four teens, a princess, a thief, a revenger and a hunter. Fleeing demons and figh�ng marriages and planning revenge, this is the Princess Bride of books, everything you are looking in for in a fantasy. The characters are brave and charming and will have you gagging for the next instalment.

State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury Sorrow is a Queen governing the court of tears, stepping in for her ailing father who slips further and further into madness every day. Sorrow seeks some sort of comfort in the arms of the boy she loves but she has to try and protect the place that she has inherited.

The book is fueled by poli�cal intrigue where we witness Sorrow try to navigate the poli�cal landscape of her home and try to save her people.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson An Enchantment of Ravens is an incredibly beau�ful winter read. It is a gorgeous lyrical story that takes a talented painter with a set of unusual client - Faeries. This urban fantasy followed Isobel, a painter who’s skill is something that is envied and coveted by the fair folk. However when she receives a royal commission she makes a grave error, she paints weakness into her subjects eyes, something he could be killed for. So she finds herself spirited away to the dangerous faerie court where she has to use her art to defend herself and save her life. We absolutely adored it and cannot wait for Margaret Rogerson’s second book due out in May!

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WE’RE GOING TO SEE A Star is Born Unless you’ve been living underneath a sound-proof rock then you’ll have already been swept into the soundtrack of the hit. Telling the same story that the previous incarna�ons, this one breathes new life into the age old tale. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper light up the screen in a 70s style take where we see a young talented singer get into a rela�onship with an aging star and we see her career rise as his begins to flounder. The soundtrack is a total earworm and has totally lodged itself in to our playlists.

The Hate U Give The Hate U Give was one of the biggest impacts in the YA world when it released last year. The film the powerful story and brings it to a wider audience. Starr Carter lives a normal life in the suburban all-black district of Garden Heights with her family and boyfriend Chris, but for her school life, Starr a�ends Williamson, an all-white school, there she is a different version of herself, something she see’s as a part of life, however while driving home a�er a house party, her friend Khalil is pulled for inspec�on. In an unforge�able turn of events, Khalil is gunned down in front of a horrified Starr when the policeman mistakenly thinks he’s a criminal. In the a�ermath of his death and funeral, ci�zens all over the city begin to demand jus�ce leaving Starr to find her voice and speak the truth. It is powerful, unforgettable and unmissable. .

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WE’RE LISTENING TO Aine Cahill- Water into Wine Aine Cahill is another favourite of ours here in Cinders. A�er interviewing her at the beginning of this year we’ve seen her take massive steps over the last twelve months, releasing strong, big power ballads that are reminiscent of Lana Del Ray and Lady Gaga. From the very first listen of new track Water into Wine you’ll be swaying to those soaring vocals in her chorus. This one has some serious playability. We predict an incredible album from Cahill next year, one that we’ll be first in the queue for!

Sive - Quietly We love Sive here in Cinders, and her new lyrical release, Quietly was one we couldn’t wait to hear. It treads a wild line between folk and jazz with some beau�ful layering of Sive’s voice throughout. You won’t be able to stop listening to it’s haun�ng repe��on.

Saint Sister - Shape of Silence Saint Sister’s debut is out and how excited are we! There are some serious Julie Feeney vibes on this album so we couldn’t resist raving about them again this issue. Their album, The Shape of Silence is the perfect album for this season, haun�ng and beau�ful. It sounds like November feels and we think absolutely everyone should give it a listen.

Compiled by Méabh McDonnell

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The dark and devious ideas conjured up by the concept of ʻwickedʼ has always been utterly appealing to me. I donʼt know if itʼs because the most interesting parts of The Wizard of Oz are the ones where the Wicked Witch of the West shows up - or if itʼs because the word itself is so delectable to say. Whatever it is, wickedness has always been an idea that is endlessly interesting to me and to so many writers that have come before. Do we fear it - or do we embrace it? Thereʼs the question.

THE TITLE of Ray Bradbury’s famous novel, Something Wicked this Way Comes, has become a cultural touchstone for all things fantas�cal and witchy, which is surprising considering the novel itself is about a travelling carnival and the malevolent force that is the ringmaster, Mr Dark.

Nothing about witches whatsoever.

Imagine my teenage disappointment.

However I had always had a so� spot for witches. For darkness associated with women. Because ask anyone, darkness in stories generally means power. And that’s almost always the most interes�ng thing.

Now, it usually means ill-go�en power. Think from the Wicked Witch of the West, to the witch inside the gingerbread house, to Darth Vader even - any character who embraces darkness is most o�en doing it in a way that is morally reprehensible or giving up some essen�al part of themselves to achieve it.

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And that o�en makes them infinitely more interes�ng than the pure of heart heroes that populate their universe. The characters who gave in, who allowed themselves to touch the biggest powers and use them, those are the characters that we want to know more about.

Those are the characters we almost hate to see defeated, because although we know they must be, we also know that the world gets a li�le less interes�ng without them in it.

There are countless academic ar�cles outlining how the witches and malevolent forces in fairytales represented the things that children and adults were supposed to avoid. The things that could corrupt them, change them, cause them to wander from the path of good. There are even more ar�cles that point out just how o�en these tempta�ons came in the guise of women.

Women who had given into their sexual natures and become beings of power and darkness to fear. Women who ate children and kept them prisoner. Women who tried to steal their step daughter’s youth. Women who enacted evil spells because they could.

Women who locked their step daughters away. Women who take girls’ voices. They are all about power.

These women are ruthless, and power hungry.

They punish the pure of heart and take what does not righ�ully belong to them. O�en they upset the status-quo. And thank goodness that they do! Without our wonderfully wicked villains, our protagonists would wander through an u�erly boring existence, ge�ng everything they ever wanted. Think how much sympathy we’d have for Sleeping Beauty if she wasn’t pricked by a spindle.

Would we take any no�ce of Rapunzel if she wasn’t locked away in a tower? Would Gerda and Kai ever have gone on any adventures if The Snow Queen hadn’t kidnapped him?

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These women are ruthless, and power hungry.

They punish the pure of heart and take what does not rightfully belong to them.

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The best stories have the best villains, the dragons that as GK Chesterton said, are the things that can be beaten

The evil in our stories pushed the protagonists to be be�er people. To be more interes�ng people because the best villains make us ask the ques�on ‘Well, how on earth are they possibly going to be beaten?’ It’s usually through their own hubris, or bad luck, or, best of all through the hero’s cleverness that they get beaten. In the case of The Snow Queen, she just gets bored and leaves. They are the an�thesis to the hero, showing what the the heroes could become.

The best stories have the best villains, the dragons that as GK Chesterton said, are the things that can be beaten. If we can look at villains as the characters that represent our own struggles in life, then we can see something of ourselves in them and in the power that they hold over the protagonists.

They’re s�ll always going to be my favourite characters.

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Tina Callaghan has burst onto the Irish YA scene this year with her debut Dark Wood, Dark Water and an Irish Book Award nomination for her brilliantly dark mystery. We spoke to Tina about writing, horror and books.

When did you first want to be a writer?

When I was nine, I told my mother that I wanted to be a writer. Aged about five or six, I started by copying out stories, making me feel like I was wri�ng. I’ve asked other writers and it seems that this is quite common. It led to wri�ng my own li�le stories, making a decision to be a writer, and eventually to publica�on. Everyone has their own path though. No one should feel bad about theirs.

Who were some of the authors who influenced you?

I loved Enid Blyton. I was a Famous Five fan, and I loved the Mr. Galliano’s Circus books, as well as the Children of Cherry Tree Farm and the Magic Faraway Tree. I read a lot of animal stories by Joyce Stranger. I read the brilliant and spooky comic Misty, as well as my brother’s Victor and Warlord comics and the irreplaceable 2000AD. I read my first Stephen King when I was 11 (Salem’s Lot) and he led me to read a lot of horror.

In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on, from almost all of Shakespeare’s plays, books about the Crusades, to Mills & Boon, horror, and to comedy like Tom Sharpe’s novels, or the work of the cartoonist Gary Larson. Stephen King was my greatest influence, but the point I’m making is that I read widely and voraciously and all of that reading fed into my understanding of how a story works, and how I, personally wanted

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to tell a story.

What is your wri�ng style, to use NaNoWriMo lingo are you a plo�er or a pantser?

I’m definitely a pantser (someone who tells a story by the seat of their pants, rather than by plo�ng the en�re thing first).

Why do you feel this method works for you?

I need the spontaneity. I always know how a novel is going to end. I have a visual imagina�on and my wri�ng is quite visual, so I can see the scene in my head. The se�ng comes to me at the same �me. Then I fill my world with the people who can best experience the story I have to tell. I do get stuck some�mes, because I don’t make a full plan, but asking myself ques�ons usually gets me going again. I’ve tried plo�ng whole novels, but by the �me I’m finished with the plan, I’m bored with the story. I have never finished a story that I planned. It has to be organic, visualised, and free flowing for the magic to happen.

What was the inspira�on for Dark Wood, Dark Water?

The curse that besets the town in Dark Wood Dark Water is based on an actual curse on my home town. I have known about that history all of my life, and it was always going to be my first novel. I knew that it was, in the same way that I knew I was going to be a writer. That’s just the way it is.

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I have a visual imagination and my writing is quite visual, so I can see the scene in my head. The setting comes to me at the same time.

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What were some of the challenges you found wri�ng Dark Wood, Dark Water and how did you overcome them?

Because I’m a pantser, I get stuck occasionally. The key for me is to think of my characters as real people, so I leave the laptop, onto which I compose directly, and scribble a few ques�ons to myself about where I’ve le� my people and what would they logically/emo�onally do to get out of that situa�on. That usually kickstarts me. I enjoy having a problem to solve, but only if it lasts a short while. It is not pleasant to be really stuck. When this happens, it usually means I’ve gone in the wrong direc�on with the story. The solu�on for me is to go back (in gaming terms) to the last save point and try a new direc�on from there, elimina�ng the tangent that was wrong. The bad feeling inside tells me that I’m going wrong and won’t let me con�nue. I trust that ins�nct.

What was your favourite part of developing the characters?

Again, because I’m not a planner, my story people grow with the story, on the page. I don’t do character sheets or any sort of planning!

What do you hope that people will take away from reading Dark Wood, Dark Water?

I hope that people will enjoy reading it! I write about standing up to evil. I write about the importance of love, friendship, hope and courage. I hope that people will take from Dark Wood Dark Water whatever speaks to them.

Wri�ng is a conversa�on that is incomplete un�l the story is passed to a reader. If the reader takes something good from the story that I didn’t intend, that’s fine by me.

Everyone views life in their own unique way, from their own unique experience. I’m not preaching to anyone. I write to entertain and to talk about what it’s like to be human. A�er that, it’s up to the reader to bring their own perspec�ve to the story.

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Everyone views life in their own unique way, from their own unique experience. I’m not preaching to anyone.

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Make writing a habit by writing every day. Never give up. Never lose hope (you will, but fight to get it back again)

What are your plans for wri�ng next?

I’m almost finished book 2. When it’s finished, I’ll discuss book three with my publisher and editor and write it! I plan to write many more novels, but that’s as far as plans go for the moment. I am a writer and I always will be. That’s the plan!

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Write stories that will sustain your own interest over a long period. Make wri�ng a habit by wri�ng every day. Never give up. Never lose hope (you will, but fight to get it back again). Get back up if you get knocked down. Advocate for your work. Improve, work hard, enjoy it. Keep on keeping on. Tomorrow might be the day. And buy Dark Wood Dark Water from bookshops or online from Poolbeg.com or Amazon, the Book Depository etc. If you buy it, you will be happy.

True story (subject to terms and conditions…)

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THE BEST EVIL LADIES

Worst evil

villains The evil villains of the real world are unfortunately, impossible to vanquish. So we like to remind ourselves of the ones that are vanquishable and our favourites of their stories

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QUEEN MÉADHBH

THE EVIL QUEEN

There’s something about sharing your name with an ‘evil’ mythological figure that makes you want to learn everything about them. Queen Méadhbh of Connacht was a central figure in the legend ‘An Táin Bó Cuailgne’ or ‘The Ca�tle raid of Cooley’. Queen Méadhbh was the Queen of Connacht in the West of Ireland. She went to war to claim a bull so she could be equal with her husband. So the armies of Ulster gathered to defend Cooley. Unfortunately for them, all but Cúchullain (Ireland’s answer to Hercules) were struck down with sickness. So each member of Méadhbh’s army was forced to fight Cúchullain individually. Each man lost. Despite this, Méadhbh s�ll managed to get the bull, but ended up losing it when it fought the white one on the way back to Connacht. It’s a story where Cúchullain is the hero but where Méadhbh’s choices were the ones that I remember. She was the character with the power. It was on her words that those men went to war and her a�empt to be equal with her husband that made the story happen. The fact that she loses is supposed to make us believe she is the villain. I’ve always seen it as the way the story is wri�en, but not the truth.

The Evil Queen is probably the most prevalent trope of them all. The evil and terrifying woman who takes the place of our heroine’s mother, only to try and remove her from power too. The evil queen takes the universal idea that built fairytales, that women must be jealous of one another, and want to over power. As any person who reads these stories will already know, they’re nothing, Snow White is nothing without the vindic�ve vengeful stepmother who desperately wants her step daughter’s heart. The iconic details of the poisoned apple and the magic mirror. The forgo�en details of the poisoned comb and the con�nually choking corset fall by the wayside in the popular Disney adapta�on. But we have so much to fear from this woman even with just her poison apple. She is someone we are shown is beau�ful on the outside, but then transforms into someone hideous.

THE EVIL FAIRY Evil fairies are the best fairies as anyone will tell you, but her turn in Sleeping Beauty is the one that is the most memorable and the most diabolical that she appears. Her pronouncement at the beginning of the fairytale is one of the most malevolent maledic�ons in the history of stories. Of course in the Charles Perrault version of the tale the reasoning for the fairy’s vindic�veness was her anger at not being invited to Sleeping Beauty’s christening - clearly giving us the moral that it’s important who you invite to par�es! Of course the evil Fairy has been given icon status by her turn in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, as the incredible Maleficent. Who can resist the elfin green lady who turns into a fire breathing dragon?

MEDUSA There are countless villainesses among the Greek myths. Many of those including the Greek goddesses themselves. However there were the stand out villainesses and the wonderful story of the Gorgon, What more can you want than a woman who can turn men to stone, just by looking at them? It’s casually terrifying. Just one look. That’s all it takes. There’s something so incredibly chilling about the immediacy of it. And that’s what gives Medusa her enduring power as a story villain. Medusa was the gorgon of the Perseus myth, beheaded when Perseus used a mirror so that he could fight her, and not see her face. That’s the story that we hear now. What we don’t hear is that Medusa was transformed into a hideous gorgon because of Poseidon’s rape of her. We don’t hear the story of Perseus keeping her head as a weapon. Medusa has become a symbol of rage. A symbol for screaming and the anger that women feel. We stand quite rightly behind that.

THE WITCH IN THE WOODS This one is more frightening and significantly older than most of the Grimm fairytales. While the witch living at the heart of the deep dark woods is the starring figure of Hansel and Gretel, the woman with the delicious house, that betrayed just how dangerous the woman who resides inside was. The child ea�ng witch is a powerful fear that has cropped up again and again in pop culture (look at Hocus Pocus, The Blair Witch Project or even the much more recent horror, The Witch).

We see a version of her in the Russian Baba Yaga, with her chicken legged house. The witch that lives inside the wood represents fear and unknown. The things that go bump in the night, that lurk just out of reach. The things that should maybe stay undisturbed. We love every one.

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FEAR: How Do We Become Afraid?

We始ve all experienced fear. It始s something that comes with life. But just because fear is an inevitability doesn始t mean that we shouldn始t understand it better. Our resident Psychologist, Dr Teresa Mulhern delves into where our fears come from and how they can affect us.

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FEAR is a concept that most of us are familiar with. Some of us may even have our own fears – irra�onal or en�rely logical. When a fear becomes incredibly intense and is focused on something that poses limited or no real threat, this is known as a phobia. Some of the more common phobias include claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (fear of heights), aichmophobia (fear of needles – one of my early fears), ophiophobia (fear of snakes), and arachnophobia (fear of spiders).

Each of us may have our own fears and o�en they may not impact our everyday lives, but there are people for whom their fears can be quite debilita�ng. For instance, a friend of mine was so intensely frightened of spiders that her fear generalized to anything that even resembled a spider – this once resulted in a panic a�ack when the she had the stem of a tomato (which somewhat resembled a spider) thrown in her direc�on. How exactly does a person acquire such an intense fear? Why are we afraid of the things that we’re afraid of? This is a ques�on that Aileen Leech, an Irish researcher from the University of Gent, has a�empted to answer within her PhD. Of course, she can explain this work far be�er than I could, so she has been kind enough to outline her work!

Aileen Leech: “Spiders are scary because….?” I began my masters research with this ques�on and now in the final year of my PhD I am ge�ng somewhat closer in understanding why and how people come to fear spiders and other objects/events. The research I am interested in focuses on the extent to which fear and avoidance are two separate behaviours. Many people assume that if you are fearful of something you will naturally want to avoid it. However, this is not always the case. (As a side note, I Teresa- have an intense fear of needles, but I won’t avoid them because I know how important it is to have regular blood checks and relevant vaccines).

For my research we use explicit and implicit measures to assess peoples levels of fear towards spiders, and the extent to which they want to avoid/approach them.

Self-report ques�onnaires are a great way of gauging people’s percep�on of their fears but they don’t give us all the informa�on we need. We use implicit

measures that require people to respond both accurately and under �me pressure to assess their personal biases. That is, they do not have enough �me to think about how they want to respond but rather it forces them to respond in a way that is similar to a gut reac�on. This gives us a greater understanding of the individuals implicit responses to spiders.

Results have shown that whilst the majority of people respond in a fearful (or at least a nega�ve) way towards spiders, fear does not predict a person’s willingness to approach/avoid the spider. That is, people demonstrate nega�ve reac�ons to spiders whilst, at the same �me, are willing to approach the spider and touch it if they were asked to.

These types of experiments provide evidence that fear and avoidance do not always go hand in hand and can be considered independent of each other. Interes�ngly, we found that people’s implicit bias to approach spiders predicts real life approach behaviour. In other words, if you can easily and readily respond on the implicit task that you can approach spiders, then you are more likely to approach a spider in real life. This may seem a li�le obvious and perhaps not a very important point, but un�l we had conducted this research it was almost assumed that levels of fear would predict ability to approach, but these findings suggest the opposite. We are currently conduc�ng an experiment that is a�emp�ng to manipulate peoples implicit biases and explicit behaviour. We are employing a mindfulness task that allows people to think differently about their fears and we are interested to see if engaging in a mindfulness strategy will indeed manipulate or change how people respond to spiders. Data collec�on is ongoing and it will be very exci�ng to see what the findings suggest!

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A friend of mine was so intensely frightened of spiders that her fear generalized to anything that even resembled a spider

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SEASON OF THE

WITCH

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I loved the magic that they represented and I loved watching them in whatever guise they appeared.

The trend of witches on TV was big in the 90s, with all of our witchy icons gracing multiple screens. But weʼre seeing our witchy favourites make their returns to our screens this year.

Between Charmed and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina we have a lot to love about witches on screen this autumn. Editor Méabh McDonnell talks us through the best witches on screen and why she loved them.

I HAVE always loved playing dress up. Digging through my fancy dress box, finding dark dresses and costumes to inhabit. But may favourite dress up experience was always pretending to be a witch.

I’ve always loved witches, ever since the first fairytales that I listened to as a child. Whether they were gate keepers for gigan�c treasures , as in the Tinderbox, or evil stepmothers who poison apples. Women who have the power to change into wolves and ravens. I loved them. I loved the magic that they represented and I loved watching them in whatever guise they appeared. I loved Hermione Granger like no character I had ever encountered before.

And Hocus Pocus remains one of my absolute favourite childhood films, giving me everything from deliciously evil bad guys, The Sanderson Sisters and, the world’s best talking cat (sorry Salem!), appropriately clueless teenagers and kids on the run. The adventure that takes them through the no-adults-allowed version of Salem for Halloween was scarily accurate of my perfect version of Halloween. Obviously, I always assumed that I would live! From then, all it had to do was have a hint of witches in the series and I was there.

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Sabrina Spellman was the first experience I had with the female driven comedy that I now love and the women of Charmed, while some�mes overly focussed on their love lives and lacking in diversity gave me an interest in paranormal shows and paranormal fantasy which has stuck with me to this day. Don’t even get me started on the awesomeness that is Willow Rosenberg.

worshippers in a dark and twisted version of the perfect American town. Sabrina (played excellently by Kiernan Shipka) is a teenage witch on the cusp of her 16th birthday, but she takes us in a completely different direc�on where she is forced to decide between her mortal half and her witchy half.

She is accompanied by a perfectly nerdy Harvey and passionate, well informed friends.

That trend has con�nued into television today. From the extremely witchy Vanessa Ives in the under appreciated Penny Dreadful (which I for one s�ll miss) or the new, witch love story we’ve been treated to in A Discovery of Witches, the dark arts are clearly running strong on our TV screens. Bonnie Bennet remains the unsung (and underserved) hero of The Vampire Diaries and s�ll is objec�vely the best

We have the witchy magic that permeates the Charmed reboot, where the three sisters are brought together as Macy , Mel and Maggie—who, a�er the death of their mother, discover they are The Charmed Ones, the most powerful witches, and together they possess the "Power of Three".

Each sister has the usual magical power, which they use to help protect innocent lives from supernatural demons - because who doesn’t love that on a Saturday night! There have been some controversies in rela�on to their cas�ng on the show, but we’re s�ll eager to check it out.

Recently we have has seen the return of the Charmed sisters in the reboot of the show and even Sabrina Spellman in a totally different guise with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

The witches of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina are seriously old school, Satanic

“

And I s�ll find myself just as in love with the witches as I always have been and I’m always eager to see more and more of these powerful women crop up in my TV. Long live the season of the witch!

Recently we have has seen the return of the Charmed sisters in the reboot of the show and even Sabrina Spellman in a totally different guise with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

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of Magic

reading LIPS TOUCH THREE TIMES BY LAINI TAYLOR Laini Taylor writes magical stories so well she may actually be magic herself.

Lips Touch Three �mes is one of her earlier works but it is just as beau�ful.

With a collec�on of three stories all of which revolve around a fateful kiss you will not be disappointed. A woman who travels down into hell to rescue the man she loves, a demonic curse following a young woman and a wonderful modern adapta�on of Chris�na Rosse�’s Goblin Fruit. Goblin Fruit is a par�cular stand out, where we meet Kizzy, a girl who wants. Every day of Kizzy’s life she is filled with wan�ng and desire, so much so, that it brings a goblin to her door. A goblin who is desperate to take her heart.

There is power in Laini Taylor’s magical stories. These are stories filled with power and dark desire. With nightmare and with illusion. With everything that we love about the autumn season. You will not be disappointed.

We love a good magical haunting story to give us goosebumps here in Cinders! Here are a few of our favourite mystical, dreamlike reads to curl up with for November!

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TITHE BY HOLLY BLACK We raved about Holly Black in our interview with her earlier this year. The sequel to The Cruel Prince will be out in January, and we can't wait. For the perfect Halloween tale, we return to Faerie where we can see where the stories began. Tithe tells the story of Kaye, a girl who has always loved the odd and the strange, and as a child in her grandmother's home could see faeries.

Now she's 16 and she and her mother have returned to her grandmother's home, to the place where she once saw faeries. To the place where she can see them s�ll. Kaye returns to a reality that once seemed childish and fun and now is filled with dangers, predators and untold secrets. Her former friends say they need her help, but what if their help could lead to Kaye's death? Tithe is the first urban fantasy our editor MÊabh ever read and remains to this day one of her favourites.

THE ACCIDENT SEASON

BY MOIRA FOWLEY DOYLE The Accident Season by Moira Fowley Doyle is the perfect story to read around halloween, it's even set over Halloween! What more could you ask for? The story follows 17 year old Cara, who's family suffers from a very unusual curse, during the bone season, every trip means a broken bone. A paper cut won't stop bleeding. Accidents lead to death. In the sleepy Irish town where here family live they retreat, they fear during the accident season.

The book is a delicious mystery and will fill every reader with keen interest in the fates of Cara and her family. In their ability to survive the Bone Season. You want to know what happens next, right?

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TANGLEWEED AND BRINE

BY DEIRDRE SULLIVAN This �me last year we were delighted to welcome the beau�ful Tangleweed and Brine to the world. The truly beau�ful collec�on of re-imagined fairy tales s lush and drama�c and dark. This month sees the paperback release of Tangleweed and Brine which includes every one of the beau�ful stories from Deirdre Sullivan and the breathtaking illustra�ons by Karen Vaughan plus one new story, Waking Beauty. If you haven't allowed yourself to fall in love with the spectacular scenes that fill Tangleweed and Brine yet, you absolutely should. The darkly feminist take on the stories that so many of us were told as children is worthy of si�ng on the shelves right in between the originals and Angela Carter's.

PRETTY MONSTERS BY KELLY LINK Kelly Link is a genius. No really! She is a cer�fied genius, ask the McArthur Grant people! Her YA collec�on Pre�y monsters is a brilliant examina�on of death, magic, mys�cism and humour! Some of our favourites form this collec�on include: The Wrong Grave, Magic for Beginners and The Faery Handbag.

They tell the story of a man who decided to dig up the poetry he buried with his girlfriend and got a lot more than he bargained for... namely, her corpse. There's the TV show where a boy must save a beau�ful adventurer named Fox and also honour his family. There's the girl who's grandmother has disappeared inside of a magical handbag and she has to figure out a way to rescue her. And if that isn't enough there are several other stories to haunt your dreams!

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life On the

outside Bairbre Flood has just finished a radio documentary about three women who lived for years in Direct Provision. Direct provision is a means of meeting the basic needs of food and shelter for asylum seekers directly while their claims for refugee status are being processed rather than through full cash payments. It often comes under criticism by both advocates and people in the system. Here we get the privilige of an insight into these three womenʼs lives.

‘WHEN you go back to your room the sadness comes.’ Elsie said, ‘You can’t work, you can’t have a be�er educa�on, you’re s�ll wai�ng for your paper, you don’t know when they’re going to answer you. You’re just stuck there.’

For my latest documentary I talked to three women; Elsie Nwaora, Nomaxabiso Maye and Florence Eriamantoe who lived for years in Direct Provision. This was the system set up almost twenty years ago to provide accomoda�on and meals to asylum seekers while their claim is being processed.

Intended to be a short-term solu�on, it seems to have created even more long-term problems.

‘I s�ll haven’t been able to get myself back because of the memories of stuff that happened in there.’ - Florence The lack of access to cooking facili�es, the overcrowding (Florence lived in one room

with her family for more than six years), the lack of privacy and the strain this puts on family dynamics are all obvious: but perhaps what’s less tangible is the subtle loss of dignity and self-direc�on that Direct Provision incurs. ‘You have no autonomy’ as Nomaxabiso puts it. Everything is done for you. Who wants to live like that?

Most Direct Provision centres are situated in isolated areas, and Noma recalls how the place she was sent to, Drishane Castle, County Cork was ‘spooky’. ‘It’s a very old castle. It looks beau�ful from the outside.

It’s very hidden away from the local community - you know, that separateness of people: that this is the local community and these are asylum seekers.’

The women had almost no contact with the locals there. ‘It was very rare you’d see people interac�ng with Drishane residents.’

Noma said. I put it to Noma that it’s hard for

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Irish people to get to know people in Direct Provision as we usually meet people through work and college, and she agrees that ‘this is where the trick is.’

‘If you allow people to par�cipate in those things (college, work,) then you allow people to get to know each other. I met a lot of friends through college - had I been in Direct Provision si�ng there, there’s no way I’d have.’

Florence and Elsie also described how isolated they felt from the wider community and Elsie noted, ‘The way it is, people didn’t know...that place there is the hostel, the Direct Provision centre; people didn’t know about it.’

“

This physical isola�on isn’t helped by the fact that none of the women were allowed work during their �me in Direct Provision.

(Although there is a limited possibility for this now following a Supreme Court decision earlier this year, none of the women would have qualified as their cases were under appeal.) ‘You weren’t able to do anything’, Florence said. Boredom and anxiety wear away at the body and mind and the effect on the physical and mental health of people in Direct Provision can be devastating.

‘I won’t lie, I went through this myself,’ Nomaxabiso said, ‘And I didn’t see it happening, it was just the li�le things. I don’t have sleep, no appe�te, this and that...and this is what the government is

If you allow people to participate in those things (college, work,) then you allow people to get to know each other.

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“

Those kids were the kind of kids that are very active, but for the first time in my life I saw kids that were quiet. failing to understand because it’s cos�ng the state more to keep people in that way.’

‘I started blaming myself and feeling like a failure, ending up in a place like that.’ Nomaxabiso Nomaxabiso managed to get on a course, ‘but somebody else did not have that opportunity that I had and people just fell into depression. They fell deep into depression. I could tell you horrible, horrible stories and people with young children, most of them would lose their children to social services...they couldn’t look a�er their children because they were depressed.’

Nomaxabiso is just gradua�ng from her degree in social work this year and says that she would like to work with migrants because she understands where people come from, ‘people come with various challenges from various backgrounds.’

Florence too is studying social work in UCC, and both women hope to bring their experiences to help families in the future.

life I saw kids that were quiet. That’s when it dawned on me that the kids knew everything that was happening. It was horrible.’

Florence’s husband was deported, but she was allowed stay while her children’s case was being heard through the courts. ‘I know ten to fi�een women, their husbands were deported and their family has been destroyed.’

All three women spent years trying to rebuild their lives a�er ge�ng their papers and moving into the wider community. The sudden switch from years of ins�tu�onal living isn’t easy. Elsie describes how her daughter was six years old when they finally got their papers. Having never lived anywhere other than the Hostel, her daughter couldn’t get used to a house away from the friends she’d grown up living with: ‘She’d always say, ‘Mum, I don’t want to stay here, let’s go back to the Hostel...maybe if she didn’t spend six years in the Hostel and she just grew up in the house she will just see that is normal.’

One of the most distressing parts of being an asylum seeker is the threat of deporta�on which hangs over you. All three women spoke about deporta�on being the worst aspect of their lives.

Largely hidden away from Irish society, people in Direct Provision rarely have their voices heard, and there’s much we can learn from these women’s experiences.

Florence described how immigra�on officials would come in the middle of the night to take people away. ‘They would have their cars and staff members surrounding the buildings...There was this woman we had to hide in the wardrobe with her kids. I’ve never seen anything like that. Those kids were the kind of kids that are very ac�ve, but for the first �me in my

If you would like to learn more about Elsie, Nomaxabiso and Florence, you can listen to Bairbre’s radio documentary: h�ps://soundcloud.com/bairbreflood/lifeon outside You can follow Bairbre on twi�er @bairbreflood or h�ps://yearningcurve.com

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30

Sign Language for beginners This month we are continuing our regular feature, learning Irish Sign language with Aisling OĘźHalloran. We continue this education by learning further phrases that we associate with springtime and food. Be aware that this is just a basic introduction to a vibrant language. If you would like to find out more about ISL log on to www.irishdeafsociety.ie.

Shopping and Fashion

Boot

Blonde

Buying

Cap

Clutch

Cut

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Drama

Dip dying

Eyeshadow

Hair

Hairdryer

Ring

Shopping

Towel

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Bag

Calculator

Break

Test

Sport

Spelling

Internet

Home

Work

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Slipper

Wash

Sock

Primary

Runner

Hair Straightener

Secondary

Staff

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trailblazing

women of the past

Our interest in trailblazing women from history is never ending. This month we look at some of our favourite pioneers, writers, innovators, artists and monarchs.

Cleopatra Inspired by the nice guys over at HistoryMachinePodcast.com and their coverage of Egyp�an generals, we decided to talk about the awesomeness that is Cleopatra. She is so much more than an Elizabeth Taylor movie. She was the last ac�ve ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. She was also a diplomat, naval commander, linguist, and medical author. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great .Her na�ve language was Koine Greek and she was the first Ptolemaic ruler to learn the Egyp�an language.Cleopatra's legacy survives in numerous works of art, both ancient and modern, and many drama�za�ons of incidents from her life in literature and other media

Mary Sidney Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (née Sidney) was one of the first English women to achieve a major reputa�on for her poetry and literary patronage. Mary Sidney was born on 27 October 1561 at Tickenhill Palace in the parish of Bewdley in Worcestershire.By the age of 39, she was listed with her brother Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare, as one of the notable authors of her �me in the verse miscellany by John Bodenham, Belvedere. Sidney was also known for her transla�on of Petrarch's "Triumph of Death" (from Triumphs), but it is her lyric transla�on of the Psalms that has secured her poe�c reputa�on.In addi�on to the arts, Mary had a range of interests.

She had a chemistry laboratory at Wilton House, where she developed medicines and invisible ink.

She was one of the foremost women of her �me up un�l her death at 59 leaving an incredible legacy.

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Rosalind Franklin Rosalind Elsie Franklin was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who made contribu�ons to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite.[2] Although her works on coal and viruses were appreciated in her life�me, her contribu�ons to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely recognised posthumously.Franklin is best known for her work on the X-ray diffrac�on images of DNA, par�cularly Photo 51, while at King's College, London, which led to the discovery of the DNA double helix for which James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

Franklin is best known for her work on the X-ray diffrac�on images of DNA, par�cularly Photo 51, while at King's College, London, which led to the discovery of the DNA double helix for which James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

Valentina tereshkova Valen�na Tereshkova is a re�red Russian cosmonaut, engineer, and poli�cian. She is the first woman to have flown in space, having been selected from more than 400 applicants and five finalists to pilot Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. In order to join the Cosmonaut Corps, Tereshkova was honorarily inducted into the Soviet Air Force and thus she also became the first civilian to fly in space. Before her recruitment as a cosmonaut, Tereshkova was a tex�lefactory assembly worker and an amateur skydiver.Having orbited Earth 48 �mes, Tereshkova remains the only woman ever to have been on a solo space mission. In 2013, she offered to go on a one-way trip to Mars if the opportunity arose.

Frida Kahlo Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican ar�st who painted many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and ar�facts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore ques�ons of iden�ty, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her pain�ngs o�en had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addi�on to belonging to the postrevolu�onary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican iden�ty, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. She was disabled by polio as a child. Un�l a traffic accident at age eighteen caused lifelong pain and medical problems, she had been a promising student headed for medical school. During her recovery, she returned to her childhood hobby of art with the idea of becoming an ar�st.Kahlo's work has been celebrated interna�onally as emblema�c of Mexican na�onal and Indigenous tradi�ons, and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depic�on of the female experience and form.

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Discovering Harry Potter Iʼm coming up on my 28th birthday, which makes it almost 18 years since I first encountered Harry Potter and my attitude to books and reading was changed forever. With that in mind I decided to revisit my first reading of the series and my initial reluctance at engaging with the now world famous books.

I WAS A RELUCTANT Harry Po�er reader.

Despite being aware of the books from the age of six, I didn’t actually read them un�l I was nine. There was a simple reason for this: Harry Po�er makes absolutely no sense when it’s taken out of context and this can prejudice a young reader.

You see, from the ages of six to ten I a�ended Speech and Drama classes once a week.

We would put on plays once a year, but we would also do an exam at the end of each year so we could earn a cer�ficate and move up to the next level. It was like a music exam but not quite as terrifying. Generally you prepared a project to talk about: a book to discuss and a passage to read.

The first year I a�ended a boy from my school was in the same class as me, and when we were preparing the passage we were to read for the exam, he arrived with Harry Po�er and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Now I’m not certain, but I’ve a feeling that I recognised the cover of the book – but I

didn’t know the story (that’s important).

I remember thinking that Harry looked in his mid-twen�es (just visualise the Bloomsbury cover of Philosopher’s Stone without knowing Harry is 11 – I s�ll think I’m jus�fied) and that he was carrying a briefcase. Already, my interest was waning.

I had no interest in reading about businessmen.

My confusion was compounded by the fact that the passage he had chosen to read is Harry’s final confronta�on with Quirrell. I’ll let that sink in for a few seconds.

I had no idea who these characters were and no idea what they did, to bring them to this point of the story. I think I was vaguely aware that they were wizards but then I also thought they were businessmen, so my opinion of their magic was coloured. I thought that Harry and Quirrell were lawyer-y types arguing about magical boring documents (because that’s what it sounds like if you’re dumped in the middle of that story without any background informa�on).

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A few interes�ng things to note about that scene if you’re hearing it having not read the rest of the book: 1.The fact that Hogwarts is a magical school for teenagers isn’t men�oned ( I would have been totally into that).

2. Hermione is the only female character to get even a men�on, and again, she isn’t in this scene, so I think I thought she was a secretary and not a par�cularly important character, so I was under the impression there were no girls in Harry Po�er (I hated it when children’s books were either all boys – I liked to have a some girls in the mix!).

3. Snape’s sabotage of Quirrell’s sabotage at the Quidditch game is men�oned: I think I interpreted this as corporate match fixing. (It all sounded like very dull business to me).

4. As you can see from the above: The Quidditch match is men�oned. Now that’s just gobbledegook to the unini�ated.

Dumbledore is men�oned by surname, another headscratcher, I think my brain decided he was Harry’s boss in the firm, but I think I was savvy enough to figure out that it was a sport of some kind (I disliked many sports in my youth, par�cularly books about sport), and as far as I recall I decided it was a magical version of Rounders. (again, had they men�oned brooms�cks I would have been totally into it).

5. It’s a very talk-y scene, with no magic and no ac�on (very compelling once you’ve read the rest of the book – but I hadn’t) so for all I knew, the en�re rest of the book was like this. It was the worst book advert I’ve ever encountered.

It made such an impression on me that every �me a�er that when friends of mine (who knew I was into reading and fantasy) swore I would adore Harry Po�er, I refused to believe them. I don’t think I even picked up a copy off the shelf to read the back cover (because I s�ll believe that much would have convinced me).

I was a very stubborn child, and when I decided that I wouldn’t like something, I was fairly sure of my own judgement (as disastrously wrong as it may have been on

this occasion).

It wasn’t un�l a friend gave me a copy of Philosopher’s Stone for my 9th birthday that my curiosity was piqued. A�er all, I was never one to turn down new reading material if it was handed to me. So I began my foray into Harry’s world, star�ng with the Dursleys.

Now, for someone who had been refusing to read these books because I thought they were about boring business people, perhaps the Dursleys were a bit of a rocky place to start. But I remember beginning the book, reading the first page, and stopping. I remember feeling the way you do only when you discover a new author, a new story, and you stop and savour.

You do it because a part of you knows you have discovered something wonderful, something magic. You’ve just opened Ali Baba’s cave and stepped into the wardrobe all at once.

For a second everything is as magic as what’s in those pages. You don’t know what’s going to come next but you do know that whatever it is, it’s going to be amazing. A part of you almost doesn’t want to con�nue reading, because then the awesome poten�al of that magical story will always lie before you, never tarnished by reality.

But you open the pages and con�nue on your adventure anyway. Elated and excited in only the way that wonderful books and stories can make you feel.

The funny thing is that I had that feeling not when I was reading about Harry’s des�ny, or Hagrid’s flying motorbike or Harry’s first le�er from Hogwarts.

I felt it when I was reading about Vernon Dursley’s factory, Gunnings. This incredibly book, the book I refused to read about businessmen changed my mind forever, not with magic, not with adventure, but with drills.

I had no idea about the thrill ride that was coming next.

–Méabh McDonnell

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BOOK VIEW RECORNER OTHER WORDS FOR SMOKE

BY SARAH MARIA GRIFFIN SARAH MARIA GRIFFIN is someone we’re a big fan of here in Cinders. Her strange, sprawling stories have the ability to crawl inside our minds and haunt us long a�er we le� the pages behind.

Other Words for Smoke is no different. Taking on old tropes, the haunted house, the aging psychic, and the vengeful spirit she weaves them into a new frightening and chilling story.

Mae and Rossa are twins spending a summer in Dorasbeg with their grandaunt Rita and her ward Bevan. But they have no idea of the danger they are walking into. Especially the malevolent spirit of Sweet James, who haunts the walls, eats teeth and bones and creeps into people’s minds. He’s easily comparable to the worst, abusive boyfriend you can imagine and he has the twins and Bevan squarely in his sights.

Other Words for Smoke moves through the story like a slowly ratche�ng gear. It gets �ghter and �ghter, making you fear for the characters every move un�l you’re worried they’re going to break. Keep an eye out for it come March, you won’t be sorry.

THE EMERALD CIRCUS

BY JANE YOLEN ENTER THE EMERALD Circus and get ready to be amazed by the transforma�ons of your favorite stories. Jane Yolen is one of our absolute favourite authors here in Cinders. Most anything that she has wri�en is incredible fantasy that frequently takes our breath away.

She operates the role of Ringmaster for this new collec�on where she spins modern fantasy classics in tales that go well beyond Wonderland and Oz, down the rabbit hole and back again.

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This collec�on lets you go back to—and beyond— and re-imagines stories that we adored as children and as adults: The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and many more.

A girl blown away from Kansas returns as a sophis�cate with unusual gymnas�c abili�es. A talented appren�ce, forging her first sword, is suddenly le� to the mercies of Merlin. Alice’s infamous nemesis has jaws and claws, but also lacks the essen�al: a sense of humor.

These stories are wi�y and bold, and unexpected. The collec�on brings together the best in Jane Yolen’s magical stories and puts a new perspec�ve on them.

GIRL SQUADS

BY SAM MAGGS PEOPLE, Girl Squads, despite it’s somewhat gimmick-y �tle, is a wonderful ray of light! A book all about the female friendships that have rocked history, is exactly what the world needs right now. Its mission statement is to show how much female friendships ma�er. And that is something we strongly believe in here in Cinders.

The magazine was founded on female friendships, they’re in the nuts and bolts of every page. So we were delighted to see a book come into us that celebrates the best in female friendships, ones that we had never even heard of!

Some of our favourites to read about were The Haenyeo, amazing real life mermaid divers in the Korean Straits; French revolu�onaries Manon Roland and Sophie Grandchamp; the patrio�c Women’s League of Iran; lady pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, even the women scien�sts of Antarc�ca.

We adored learning about these women, they were smart and intelligent and incredible!

It doesn’t hurt that Quirk Books have a knack for pu�ng together the most gorgeously designed volumes that always will look good on the book shelfs.

We say we stand with Girl Squads. We say long live female friendships and definitely support learning more about them!

Compiled by Méabh McDonnell

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Eight Magical Quotes Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible.

–Carol Moseley Braun Real magic is not about gaining power over others: it is about gaining power over yourself.

–Rosemary Guiley That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's s�ll here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.

– Charles De Lint One of my rules is never explain. A writer is a lot like a magician, if you explain how the trick works then a lot of the magic turns mundane.

– Laurell K. Hamilton Compromise and tolerance are magic words. It took me 40 years to become philosophical.

–Hedy Lamarr Words to me were magic. You could say a word and it could conjure up all kinds of images or feelings or a chilly sensa�on or whatever. It was amazing to me that words had this power.

–Amy Tan I don't believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.” ― J.K. Rowling “I am sure there is Magic in everything, only we have not sense enough to get hold of it and make it do things for us” ― Frances Hodgson Burne� , The Secret Garden