A question that bounced around my head for a while, triggered by Saint Patrick’s Day and his associated myths: How exactly did St Patrick ‘drive all the snakes out of Ireland? History actually has some answers for the sources of this folk tale, but before I knew that, an idea came to me. It took a little longer for the words to coalesce, but a couple of years ago, they came together. They made a nice little fable, and I posted it in a couple of places. And there I let it rest.
The beginning of January this year I was looking at a book called TRIADS OF IRELAND written and illustrated by Olivia Wylie, a writer and artist and a professional gardener whom I’ve met at a few pop-culture conventions, and we also connected online. So it was simple enough to contact her and ask if she’d be interested in illustrating my little fable.
As of March 3, THE SERPENT AND THE SAINT, written by me and illustrated by Olivia Wylie, is released!
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-serpent-and-the-saint-cl-l-redding/1138880416?ean=9781734327144
Serendipity played its part, and this all happened in two months, from the time Olivia accepted the commission to a book in print. It is an exciting time! And now we are looking at another collaboration between her art and my Middle-earth inspired poetry, making individual poems with illustrations into posters, perhaps.
I am so looking forward to when the pandemic is beaten back enough for those pop culture conventions to resume, when I can have my own table with books and all!
LOOSELY SPEAKING... 