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The Sirens  by Emilia Hart is a heart wrenching tale of the bond between women and the affection forged by sisterhood. Told through the narratives of Lucy, a university student fleeing a bad relationship, her sister Jess’ teenage diary, and the story of twin sisters Mary and Eliza who have been forced from Ireland onto a convict ship headed toward Australia, Hart’s novel is an epic adventure of both body and soul. The mysteries of femininity and the sea haunt The Sirens . Lucy and her sister have been diagnosed with rare skin conditions causing painful scaling, and although their relationship has become distant, Lucy travels to her sister’s home in her time of need. She finds Jess’ cottage on Comber Bay deserted, and, using her journalistic skills, she delves into an historic series of true crime disappearances as she pieces together the secrets of her sister’s life and her own. Although the contemporary story is fascinating, I especially loved the chapters devoted to Mary and Eliza’s relationship. Born in Ireland in the late 1700’s, the twins are devoted to one another with Mary narrating the visual world for her blind sister Eliza. Their bond as sisters helps them survive a harrowing ordeal at sea and provides context for the mystery at the heart of Jess and Lucy’s modern lives. Emilia Hart’s prose sings throughout the whole of the novel. She oscillates between third-person storytelling in both past and present tense and first-person accounts from diary entries, holding the readers’ interests as the plot of her novel unfolds. Beneath the story of sisterhood and the deep bonds of trauma forged between women is an empowering message of strength and resilience, and, like the sirens of mythology, the characters learn to harness the power of their collective voice to bring justice to an unjust world. The text drips with the watery images of the salt-laced sea, and those drawn to the ocean will delight in Hart’s rich descriptions. Hart, the author of Weyward , is an expert at weaving together generations of narratives to create engaging and cohesive tales, and The Sirens  is the perfect choice for a meaningful and atmospheric summer read. You can find it here . Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Selkie Moon  is her debut novella. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author), Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or visit her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

I’ve been writing about home keeping for many years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned to enjoy, it’s cleaning with essential oils. I’ve written about them a lot, and this post is adapted from a previously published work. Anyway, I thought sharing two of my all-time favorite, super-easy cleaning recipes would be useful for readers. But first, some caveats:   I am a fan of natural cleaning, but I believe that when a home has sick people in it, then strong cleaners, like bleach, are in order (diluted, of course). I recognize that all readers won't agree with me, but we'll have to leave it at that. I won't budge on this one. Essential oils come from nature, but that doesn't mean they can't do harm. They should be kept far away from children and pets. Essential oils can stain. Keep that in mind when using them (even diluted) around fabric. Also, remember that they are actual oils, so they may leave streaks on shiny surfaces, like glass. Essential oils do not last forever. Store them in a cool, dry place. If a bottle begins to lose its scent, toss it. Below is my favorite, easy, general cleaning recipe. You can use it in the kitchen, bathroom, playroom--you name it.      Lavender, Mint, and Lemon Cleaner 5 drops of lavender oil 5 drops of peppermint oil 5 drops of lemon oil a small squirt of gentle cleaner, like Dr. Bronners or Dawn 32 ounces of warm water      Squirt the soap into the bottle, then add the essential oils, all of which have antiseptic properties. Slowing add the water. If you can use filtered water, that's even better. Shake before using.   The following is great for floors, and can even double for an all-purpose cleaner, in a pinch. Sweet-Smelling Floor Cleaner 1/4 cup of white vinegar 5 drops of pine or rosemary or cinnamon or lavender or thyme or lemon oil Quart of warm water Mix all ingredients together, in order, and start cleaning. Remember to swish the mop in the water to recombine the ingredients from time to time. (You may use the oils in any combination, if you'd like.) There you go. You can clean most of your house with these two recipes, and your home will smell divine! Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.

Smoke, Steel, & Ivy  is the first book in Amy Trent’s Enchantment Retold Collection , and it will transport you to the space of Once Upon a Time. The novel opens with Ivy, the eldest daughter of a newly-remarried King Rupert, telling her little sister a fairy tale. Ivy is one of twelve sisters, known in traditional fairy tales as The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and she has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. When King Rupert arranges a contest to choose an heir to marry one of his daughters, Ivy is put under even more pressure because she has already fallen in love with a common soldier named Major Collin. In order to protect her sisters from bad marriages and find her happily-ever-after with the man she loves, Ivy must depend on both the magic she encounters in the world and the magic she stores in her heart. Trent’s Enchantment Retold Collection  is much more than a series of fairy tale retellings. Trent examines lesser known tales in her work, following her Twelve Dancing Princesses inspired novel with retellings of Kate Crackernuts in Clever, Cursed, and Storied  and tales of kind and unkind girls in Curses, Diamonds, and Toads . Trent’s characters are engaging and her narratives will keep readers turning the page, but she excels at her examination of the power of storytelling itself. In Smoke, Steel, & Ivy , Trent has created a contemporary heroine struggling with traditional restrictions, and she sweeps readers into her fairy tale world with a sweet romance that will leave them wanting to know more about the enchanted landscape she has created. Smoke, Steel & Ivy will steal your heart, and when you finish it, the second and third installments in Amy Trent’s series will be waiting for you. I loved this book! You can find it here . And you can read my review of Clever, Cursed, and Storied here . Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

Unless you’re dead tired and ready for slumberland, like how Cinderella must have felt after a day of toil, you probably need some help in falling asleep. As we get older, we often sleep less, then try to sleep in, then sleep in too much, then have insomnia—it can be a dreary cycle. The answer isn’t to get on prescribed drugs that shouldn’t be taken for years (like Ambien). Instead it’s shutting off the chattering narrator that seems to suddenly start yapping endlessly the second your head hits the pillow. Fortunately, I have tricks for that, and I’ll telling you my three favorites today. They can be used to both fall asleep and get back to sleep. First is meditation, and I prefer a dedicated sleep meditation. A soothing voice and a book with the right focus is what you need, and that is highly personal and individualistic, so I won’t tell you which ones to use—you’ll have to judge further yourself. But I will say that I like the Great Meditation channel on YouTube, which is free. Michael Sealey is a popular YouTuber who uses hypnosis to help people fall asleep, and I find him incredibly soothing. (If hypnosis seems scary to you, this should help soothe your fears.) Second, is using sound or “soundscapes” to fall asleep. There are at least a thousand on YouTube, and I don’t have a favorite channel, but I do love green noise and trains in the blizzard soundscapes. Just have fun with it and experiment during the day to see what your ears like. You’ll find a soothing solution. Finally, and I’ve saved the best for last, is listening to audiobooks. The trick is that these books must be old favorites or they will be too stimulating. My current favorites are a popular biography of Queen Victoria by Julia Baird and The Last Seance , by Agatha Christie. Both have narrators with excellent voices and are just ever so slightly dull due to overfamiliarity, which is a good thing because you want to be lulled. If you don’t subscribe to Audible, like I do, they will be very expensive, and even with an Audible account, they are pricey. But luckily, if you have a library card, you can download an app like Libby , which lets anyone with a library card borrow audiobooks. The downside with Libby is that you have to wait to borrow most of the books, and you can’t keep them forever, but I still think it’s a good option. There are also podcasts that read old stories and books, and YouTube offers a lot as well, but I have no recommendations. I still think both are worth checking out, though. There you have it, my favorite ways to quiet your mind so you can fall asleep. This is the last of my series. I hope I’ve provided you with at least a few good tricks to catch more than 40 winks. May you always rest like Sleeping Beauty. Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.

Juliet Marillier’s stunning new novel, The Amber Owl , opens as Stasya, a young woman who lives on the edge of Heartwood Forest, and Lukas, a village goatherd, are telling each other stories. The two have been friends since childhood, but although Stasya feels at ease with Lukas, she keeps many of her spiritual rituals and unique abilities secret because she knows that widespread discovery of her gift for talking with animals might endanger her. Only her dog Flip, a shapeshifting companion, knows the full truth about Stasya’s talents, and when a group of soldiers arrives in the village threatening to tear down the Heartwood Forest, Flip transforms into a sparrow, flying into town to gather information that will help Stasya protect her beloved wilderness. The soldiers have been sent to locate the treasure hidden in the forest center, and when Stasya raises her voice in protest and uses her storytelling to incite rebellion, the men mark her as dangerous. Her unique ability to calm animals coupled with the amber owl amulet she wears around her neck garner suspicion, and she and an injured Lukas are eventually transported to Dragon’s Keep to be questioned by the vicious Ruler of the Northlands. Stasya stands against the Ruler’s cruel threats, vowing to always protect the forest her grandmother taught her to cherish. With the help of an unlikely ally who slowly reveals the details of his own surprising story, Stasya and Lukas attempt a daring escape from Dragon’s Keep, undertaking a journey that will test the bounds of their friendship as they each discover their place in the world. Marillier’s prose sings with both beauty and pain as she describes the way Stasya uses her gifts to help animals in need. Stasya can feel the anguish of even the smallest animal, and she sees the natural world as a sacred place, which in turn allows readers of the story to regard wildlife with wonder and contemplate the ancient wisdom of the trees. Marillier’s writing also explores human connections, presenting complex relationship which unfurl in the contexts of family dynamics, political power struggles, and slow-burn romantic attractions. The Amber Owl  is a perfectly paced book filled with unpredictable plot twists and poignant, emotional scenes. I couldn’t put it down! The gorgeous cover, detailed map of the Northlands, and exciting plot structure of the novel all make for a rewarding reading experience, but my favorite feature of The Amber Owl  is its brilliant commentary on storytelling itself. Stasya uses stories to understand the world, to affect change, and to heal people. As the narrative unfolds, characters interrogate the old forest tales they have heard, knowing that “every story has some truth in it.” The measured revelation of various characters’ stories underscores the importance of both speech and silence, and narrative pauses in the tales within the tale of the novel call attention to the endless possibilities that unfinished stories ignite. As The Amber Owl  reaches its own conclusion, it provides a satisfying closure to Stasya’s journey while also priming readers for the second book in the Heartwood Duology . Marillier has created a compelling story that sheds light on the art of storytelling itself, and it is this nuance which elevates The Amber Owl  to the highest literary status. The Amber Owl  is an alluring story of friendship, community, nature, magic, storytelling, and love. I can’t wait to see where the second book will take me! Don’t miss this one! You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Selkie Moon  is her debut novella. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author), Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or visit her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

We are thrilled to present The Contest Issue 2025! Scroll down for a list of the winners in prose and poetry, and first lines for each piece in Spellbound, The Contest Issue. Click on the PDF to download and read the issue for free.  Click the box to download and read our Summer 2025 Contest Issue!  What’s inside: Winner in Poetry OUR GLASS HEARTS – 6 Those born with glass hearts are Of fragile make, Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman are award-winning folklorists, teachers, and writers. Together, they founded The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, teaching creative souls how to re- enchant their lives. Their work can be found in Enchanted Living, Uncanny Magazine, Fairy Tale Review, Star*Line, and others. Runner Up in Poetry  BOTTLE OF THE JINN – 7 In silence, I feel the weight of my past, Clinging like a shroud of ancient mist. Murray Eiland is a poet interested in speculative fiction, and finds inspiration from myths. He is an archaeologist specializing in the Near East (DPhil Oxford University). Runner Up in Poetry  SUMMONING RED RIDING HOOD – 8 Make a circle of wolves in a dark forest on a moonlit night. Helen Patrice is an Australian writer living in Naarm. She writes speculative poetry and short fiction, creative non fiction, and memoir. Her books: A Woman of Mars, Palaeontology For Beginners, She Too, Three Cycles of the Moon, The Communicant and other stories, and Paper Birds (2025). Winner in Prose  THE SEA WITCH – 10 In the deepest part of the ocean plain, where seagrass waved and eels writhed in the current, a sea witch lived in exile. Far from the crystalline halls of the undersea palace, she made her home of woven grass, spindly ocean wood, and sorrow.  Alison Weber is a writer and artist inspired by fairytales and the Golden Age of Children's Book Illustration. Her work is for everyone who still dreams of magic. Alison lives near Seattle with her tiny family and beloved creatures, where she is currently building her dream illustration business. Runner Up in Prose   AFTER HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER – 15 Snow White rarely spoke her own name. It was something other people said — two words called out in affection or mockery, or laced with awe or disbelief.  Nomi Mini is a researcher who recently completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge. Outside of her academic work, she is passionate about nature-based art, folklore and fairytales, and her creative work was most recently featured in the University of Cambridge’s Blackbirds Poetry Magazine and won a Judges' Prize at Wild Warwick’s art exhibition. Runner Up in Prose  THE CHANGELING – 20 There was once a carpenter and his wife who lived in a beautiful little cottage in a picturesque village with a delightful village green and a clear, crystal stream running through. The cottage garden was full of red poppies, sky blue cornflowers and majestic hollyhocks growing against a stone wall. Sarah Das Gupta is an 83-year-old writer from Cambridge, UK who has also lived and worked in India and Tanzania. She started writing three years ago after an accident which limited her walking to a few yards. Her work has been published in over twenty countries. She is interested in Folklore and legends. She has recently been nominated for Best of the Net and a Dwarf Star. For  Spellbound, The Contest Issue,  Deborah Sage was our Judge for Poetry and Amy Trent was our Judge in Prose. We are thrilled to have such dedicated and capable judges and we’re delighted to bring you their selected poems and stories. The poems and stories they meticulously selected showcase fairy tales from obscure to familiar, and each winner brings a unique perspective to their work. We at The Fairy Tale Magazine  are pleased to carry forward the fairy tale storytelling tradition and happy to share tales and poems with you. The Fairy Tale Magazine  is made possible by the generosity of our Fairy Godparents Club members and many of our authors. Our staff members volunteer their time. If you enjoy this issue and giving feels good, we welcome your donation, small or large. You may give via PayPal to The Fairy Tale Magazine  ( thefairytalemagazine@gmail.com ).

I imagine things were pretty smoky when Cinderella was sleeping in the ashes. I mean, it had to have smelled like old fire, not to mention the disgusting refuse that people tended to toss into the hearth back in the day. And the soot particles must have affected her ability to sleep at night. Luckily, none of us are sleeping in the ashes, at least I hope not, but that doesn’t mean our air quality doesn’t affect our sleep. Allergens have a major effect on sleep—especially dust mites . Pollen is also a huge problem , which I know from personal experience. Tree and grass pollen make my face itch horribly and turn it a fiery red. The night time scratching makes sleep even more difficult than usual. Clearing the air in your bedroom is the only answer. That means dusting frequently, keeping windows closed when your allergies are at their worst, and changing the air filter for your house. These things are a drag—especially closing windows, because I’m a fresh air fiend, and fresh air absolutely promotes sleep. Once you’ve done all that, get a HEPA air purifier for your room. I swear my sleep improved by at least 20 percent after I bought one. Mine was pretty cheap and it works great. We liked it so much that we have one in our family room as well, and Todd and I are both bothered less by allergies. We did buy it from Amazon, and I get why people don’t want to buy there, but here's  a link to learn more about this cheap and effective air cleaner. There’s one more important element to healthy air for healthy sleep: A fan. Not only do fans cool and freshen the air, which they very effectively do, they also provide the white noise that many of us need for a good night’s rest. Like many other fan fanatics, I love the Vornado , which really moves the air and cools the room. No other fan comes close, in my experience. It’s well worth investing in. That’s all for now. Next time, I’ll be discussing meditation and other tricks for slipping into your dreams. Until then, rest easy. Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.

In Circling Flight  is a heart wrenching but beautiful book which tells the story of two women navigating emotional loss in the hills and hollows of Appalachia. The first part of the novel focuses on Leda, a young widow who speaks directly to her deceased husband as she goes about the daily tasks of caring for the goats on her property called Way Out Farm. In the depths of her grief, she adopts a rescue dog and names him Sirius, after the star that heralds the dog days of summer. She begins volunteering at soup kitchens to put her own struggles into wider perspective, and when money is tight, she takes a job as an adjunct writing professor at the local college. The connections she forges with the people she meets allow her to embrace the joys and pains of human life. She finds solace in the cyclical turning of the seasons and the endless rotation of the stars, inviting her new friends to celebrate the equinoxes and solstices which mark the forward progression of time. As the book moves toward its second part, the story branches deeper into the experiences of Leda’s friend Shannon, a single mother of two young children who is desperate to escape the harmful effects of mountaintop mining that have filled Appalachia with pollution and disease. As Leda’s relationship with Shannon’s cousin Sean (a war veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) develops, and as Shannon connects with a new female partner, readers learn about the family's migration to from Ireland to America. Harrington deftly weaves Irish folklore and fairy stories through the narrative, introducing readers to the Celtic cross-quarter holidays that round out the wheel of the year. Dedicated to "the swallows who build in the eaves of houses," In Circling Flight is a love song to the Appalachian landscape and the resilient people who live there. In addition to a compelling plot, Harrington presents a beautifully crafted story which spirals forward with grace and precision. “I can’t understand how you make something this soft and pretty from what grows on the back of a goat and comes out of the mouth of a caterpillar,” Sean tells Leda in reference to the shawl she has knitted from the cashmere threads of her goat’s fur, and this casual statement serves as a symbol of the miraculous transformations scattered throughout the novel. Harrington’s characters are fully formed humans who turn their pain and grief into beauty and connection through the transformative power of storytelling. In Circling Flight  is a book I will spiral back to again and again because each read will yield new discoveries about life, loss, and love. I highly recommend this beautiful book! You can find In Circling Flight   here and can learn more about Jane Harrington’s latest work Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories that they Spin here . Like and Follow The Fairy Tale Magazine’s YouTube Channel for access to our upcoming interview with Jane Harrington and access our Fairy Tale Voices Series here . Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon , was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

Is your bedroom stuffy? Do you find yourself tossing off your bed covers in frustration at 3 A.M.? If so, you’re probably suffering from too much heat in your bedroom. Along with too much light  and the wrong bed linens , hot, stuffy bedroom air is a sleep killer.  Your body needs to cool down  to sleep readily and well. A hot, airless room will ruin good sleep. This is why people who live in big cities or can’t afford whole house air conditioning get window units. It’s why people used to sleep on fire escapes in New York before AC window units became available, and who can blame them? So how cold should your room be for optimal sleep? The best temperature is 65 degrees, but experts say anything between 60 and 67 is good. I personally like 65, because it’s cold enough for me to feel that I must cocoon under my bedding. The need to cocoon releases my body into relaxation and a kind of mini hibernation. Most people are like me, although their perfect temp may vary. Understand that 65 degrees is quite cold for a bedroom. If you’re outside, 65 degrees it’s a bit chilly, but it feels a lot colder inside, because houses are built to be warmer than the outdoors. Obviously, it’s not as cold as a “meat locker,” but I use that term to impress upon you how important it is to cool down at night. Ideally, your room should be extremely dark and chilly. What if you are sharing a bed with a person who hates the cold? First of all, if they don’t much like the cold, but sleep easily and well, then they just need to adjust. After all, the insomniac is the one who is truly suffering. You and your partner could also try the Scandinavian Sleep Method , which allows each sleeper to have their own duvet/blankets, creating their own sleeping nest. Or, if you are really motivated, you can try separate bedrooms, which I strongly advocate. Todd and I haven’t shared a bedroom for most of our long marriage, and it’s made us closer and more affectionate, because we don’t resent each other at night. He piles on the blankets in his room, and I snuggle under my own top sheet and cotton blanket in my own very cold room. Separate bedrooms are on the rise. Married couples sleeping separately is now at 35 percent and rising. The practice is called “ sleep divorce ,” a term I don’t love. Anyway, Todd is a thrasher and a snorer with serious chronic pain since his teens. I’m a chronic insomniac who wakes at the slightest noise, and who must have a cold room, so we both are advocates of this method. Cinderella was probably too dead tired to notice if the ashes were cold or still held warmth from the fire, but those of us who struggle with sleep need a cold, dark room. Period. Next time I’ll tackle air quality and freshness. Until then, sleep easy and dream deeply. Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.

Do you like reading in the sunshine or in the air-conditioned house? Either way, be sure to add The Fairy Tale Magazine’s ocean inspired collection of books to your summer reading list! Mermaids are at the heart of summer fairy tales, and you’ll find the shades of them in Kell Woods’ novel Upon a Starlit Tide , a mashup of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. Filled with ocean imagery, this book is the perfect thing to quench your thirst for historical fiction and fairy tale. You can read my review here. Mermaid Moon  by Susann Cokal tells the story of a sixteen-year-old mermaid named Sanna who is searching for her land born mother. Like Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid, Sann must interact with a sea-witch, gaining the legs she needs to uncover the secrets of her family’s past. One of my favorite Little Mermaid retellings doesn’t feature mermaids at all! My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl  is the stunning novel by Rosa Guy that inspired the Broadway musical Once on This Island . This heartbreaking, tropical novel features a young, dark-skinned girl in love with an aristocratic young man. Guy’s descriptions of the people and gods who populate the island will delight readers, and her sophisticated exploration of transformation will make you think of the fairy tale in a new way. Those looking for a more contemporary take on mermaids will enjoy An American Mermaid  by Julia Langbein. In this book, a high school teacher has written a best-selling book about a mermaid and is attempting to take part in its film adaptation. What follows is a humorous and poignant look at disabilities and transformation. You can read my review here . If you prefer selkies to mermaids, you must read Rose Sutherland’s beautiful novel A Sweet Sting of Salt . This sapphic retelling of selkie legends is set along the coast of Nova Scotia in the mid-1830s and it is dedicated to “anyone who has ever been lonely.” I love this book! You can read my review here . The Sea House  by Elisabeth Gifford explores the selkie legends of the remote Scottish Islands. When the bones of a baby with fused tail-like legs are found beneath a house, the new owners must investigate the past if they hope to heal the future. Although House of Salt and Sorrows  does not feature mermaids or selkies, this Gothic retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Erin A. Craig is full of nautical details. From the wind swept cliffs to the haunting waves, the seaside settings will keep readers captivated, while the mysterious murders will keep them on the edge of their seats.  Sara Underwood evokes tales and characters from Greek mythology in her novel   Lies We Sing to the Sea . This book forces readers to consider the generational effects of patriarchal violence against women as they follow the story of a young oracle named Leto. You can read my review here . Finally, The Wicked Deep , by Shea Ernshaw, takes readers to the cursed town of Sparrow where, two centuries ago, three sisters were drowned for witchery. Each summer they return, luring boys to the harbor and pulling them under. This spooky tale is sure to add some chills to the hot summer weather. Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/ Cover Image by Pixabay

Dear Fairy Tale Friends, First, we’re sending a giant thank you to everyone who participated in our fundraising contest. We received so many fantastic submissions that our judges tell us the final decisions were difficult to make! Below are the winners for The Fairy Tale Magazine ’s Prose & Poetry Contest 2025: POETRY Poetry Winner Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman Runners Up in Poetry Murray Eiland Helen Patrice PROSE Prose Winner Alison Weber Runners Up in Prose Nomi Mini Sarah Das Gupta Many thanks to our judges for this year's contest:  Deborah Sage, Poetry Amy Trent, Prose Look for the winning stories and poems to be featured in "Spellbound" our upcoming bonus issue of The Fairy Tale Magazine  due out on July 15th! We will host a Zoom reading in celebration of the winners on July 26th.

Tossing and turning? Unable to get comfortable? Do your sheets cling to your body? Do they feel crispy or damp? Are they cool or hot? Cinderella surely never thought of such things while sleeping in the ashes, although she may have once she hit the palace. Yet, for the rest of us, the answers to my questions are important for good sleep. Sheets are a key factor for a restful night. The truth is, most people don’t wash them enough and have fallen for the myth that high thread count always means better sleep. But cool, crisp percale sheets may be the answer for you. They’re the only kind I sleep on, and a lot of other people with sleep issues have found comfort in percale. Percale is a 200-400 thread count cotton (never buy a cotton/polyester blend) fabric that admittedly, is a bit on the rough side, but is also very cool. These are the kind of sheets you may remember from childhood. And maybe your mom, like mine, was a firm believer in percale sheets hung out to dry in the sunshine. The resulting super clean, cool, fresh, rough sheets were like a sleeping pill. Sadly, many people consider hanging sheets out to dry to be tacky, but wealthy people do it all the time, and it’s much better for the environment than your dryer. My mother developed a clearing among the trees on our huge lot, and no one complained. (Also, you should know that many states have “right to dry” laws on the books, so no one can complain, legally speaking, in those states.) So, percale is the answer. I get mine from Vermont Country Store . I admit that they aren’t cheap, but they do give hot sleepers like me a cool, crisp night—and heat and stuffiness are the enemies of good sleep. Many people swear by high thread count sheets, saying they love the softness of that fancy Egyptian cotton thread, and if you have them and are enjoying blissful nights of sleep, then I’m both happy for you and envious of you. But if you are tossing and turning, if the ultra-soft sheets cling unpleasantly to your skin, if they feel a little dirty, even when they are clean, because they are too soft, then please do get percale! And now that I’ve mentioned sheets feeling dirty, please know that sheets should be washed at least once a week for insomniacs, while normal sleepers can go two weeks. After than, the collection of body soils makes the sheets much worse to sleep on. I keep a fresh set of sheets handy and will change them in the middle of the night if I can’t sleep. So please, wash the sheets! ( Here’s a detailed discussion on frequent sheet washing that should convince you if you’re skeptical.) That’s all for now. I’m actually laying in bed on my sheets as I type this. I put a fresh set on yesterday, and yes, I did sleep very well last night. Next time, I’ll focus on how cold your bedroom should be for good sleep. Until then, may your nights be cool and sleepy. Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.