I'm the author of a number of fantasy novels for children and young adults. I grew up in Yorkshire and can’t remember a time when I
wasn’t writing stories. I loved reading, too, and aged nine my favourite
books were the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. When I’d finished
them I was desperate to read more – so I got an old blue notebook and
started writing my own tales of Narnia. Maybe it's not surprising then, that my most recent book is: 'From Spare Oom to War Drobe: Travels in Narnia with my nine year-old self' (Darton Longman and Todd, 2021) It's a mix of literary criticism and vivid memories of the child I was, who passionately wanted to go to Narnia herself.
This blog is named from a phrase in a Western Irish fairytale called 'The King Who had Twelve Sons', where the hero has to ride 'over seven miles of hill on fire, and seven miles of steel thistles, and seven miles of sea.' The book of the same title is a collection of essays in which you'll find me talking about fairy brides, Japanese fox-spirits, selkies and White Ladies - taking a new look at Cinderella and the Sleeping Beauty and other fairy-tale heroines - following the fortunes of the Lost Kings of Fairyland - finding what happened when William Butler Yeats successfully summoned the Queen of the Fairies, and wondering why and in what circumstances people actually believe in fairies.
You can find more about me and my books at my website: https://www.katherinelangrish.co.uk/
If you like what I'm doing here on the blog and feel like supporting me, you can buy me a cup of coffee at this link! ... or possibly some biscuits for my lovely dog, Polly! 😊
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