Where did February go?

I've fallen behind in my blogging but not my writing or researching. The library's become my second home and I've lost count of how many times I've requested a novel/resource book. I knew there'd be some research involved but I didn't expect this much, and I must be careful and not lose myself in the research.

With that said, I recently checked out Tales from the Fjeld. The tales are pretty brutal, which I like since there's this tendency to sweeten fairy tales/folklore. Not the case here. Take "The Sweetheart in the Wood." Our heroine's set to marry this dashing suitor and heads out into the woods to his home/castle for her wedding. She arrives a day early and finds the castle empty except for a room of gowns, a room of jewels, and lastly a room of rotting, bloody corpses. Yep, he's a serial killer. She ducks under the bed in time to witness the suitor return home with another potential bride...

I know, it's a cautionary tale, but it rocks some vengeance and who doesn't enjoy a little revenge in a story. Happy reading and writing.

Theodor Kittelsen

Bears. Bears will be playing a critical role in my novel. For the past year I've been googling bear-sightings in California and well bears in general. During my search I found this drawing by Theodor Kittelsen, "En Uheldig Bjornejakt" or Bearhunt Gone Wrong. In my research of Kittelsen it appears he's more known for his fairy tale drawings and trolls, so I haven't had much luck in finding out what inspired this drawing. I find it both comical and somewhat disturbing as Mama Bear looks to be having way too much fun. For now I'm posting the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodor_Kittelsen-En_uheldig_bjørnejakt.jpg.

Enjoy.