C is for Creation and Cain

         (If you’re waiting until April before officially beginning the April A to Z Blog Challenge, don’t mind me!  I’m just getting a head start.  You can read my Theme Reveal Post here, and when April comes I’ll direct you to the correct letter every day.)

        My A to Z Blog Challenge theme this year is Beyond Pomegranate & Thorns, my immanent collection of short stories, poems, and art inspired by fairy tales, myths, and folklore.  When I talk about myths, however, I’m actually including not just classical Greek mythology but also the Bible.  Remember that the word “myth” in this context doesn’t mean “false or erroneous stories, the opposite of truth.”  Rather, it means “sacred stories that convey profound truths to the people who tell them.”  You can read a bit more about my thoughts on including Bible stories among the traditional tales I’m reimagining, in my prior post Giving the Bible a Kick.

          One of the short stories included in this section of my book deals with Creation (you can read the Bible's story here if you’re not familiar with it) and another deals with Cain and Abel (you can read that myth here) and how I imagined their continued rivalry through cycles of reincarnation.  I’m not including long excerpts of my stories here today because both of them have actually been previously published and you can read them at Friends Journal in their entirety.  (In their entireties?  Whatever.)

        Read “Good” here: It seems like just last week, yet so long ago that the entire universe was a uniform, velvety nothing – deep, without form and void – that I dreamed in my heart of light… 

        Read “Brothers” here: Over and over they were born, those brothers, always catching at each other’s heels…

        Let me know what you think of them!

        As for this rubber block print of the glory of Creation, I made it a couple years before  writing the story, because the wonder of creation is a theme I keep coming back to.  I never tire of the marvelous interconnected beauty of our world and our universe.  You can read about the creation of this rubber block print here.

        The moral of the creation story is that every Creator appreciates having someone enjoy their work.  That’s why I’m sharing mine with you!

        Also, our universe is Very Good.  Treat it that way.

        Do you have siblings?  And was there an unhealthy amount of rivalry, or do you and your siblings support each other in more loving ways?

        Meanwhile, don’t forget to see the wide variety of themes my fellow A to Z Bloggers are doing this year!  You can find all the participating bloggers on the Master List.

        And also, want to hear me read an excerpt from Beyond Pomegranate & Thorns?  I'll be participating in a free, live, on-line group author reading with Strong Women-Strange Worlds on May 1.  You can find all the details here and register now!

[Picture: Behold, It Is Good, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2021 (Image from Beyond Pomegranate & Thorns).]