Warning
Contains spoilers for Night Journeys, Melantha, The Lily and the Clockmaker & Talvi and the Stars
Walking with Strangers
Night Journeys; BFS Horizons
The lines of text scrawled across the walls of the maze are taken from the original Alice books. They include excerpts from The Walrus and The Carpenter poem and the White Knight's song, and the A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky poem which closes Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.
As well as the White Rabbit, the Tiger Lily and the Lory are also original characters from the Alice books. The Lory's repeated assertion that it knows more than Alice because it is older, is directly borrowed from the caucus race scene.
In reality, the first movie adaptation of Alice in Wonderland was filmed in 1903, with an 8 minute running time, and starred May Clark as Alice. It was shot mostly outdoors in Britain, and although portions are missing, it has survived relatively intact to this day. It is now in the public domain and sections of it are featured in the Night Journeys book trailer.
You can watch it here.
You can watch it here.
The cover artwork of Night Journeys features an adaptation of an original illustration by Sir John Tenniel. It appears in chapter one of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
The Harbingers
Night Journeys
The setting of The Harbingers was influenced by Grimms' fairy tales and the illustrations of Arthur Rackham.
The story is inspired by Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca. The relationship between the sisters Imogene and Clementine is a parallel to that of Mrs de Winter and Rebecca de Winter, as the living is constantly haunted by the memories of the deceased 'other woman'. The girls' mother is also a nod to the housekeeper Mrs Danvers, who holds an unhealthy obsession with Rebecca - just as the mother does with Clementine.
The two sisters are each represented by a bird: Imogene by a dove and Clementine by a crow.
Deciduous
Night Journeys
Jacob Cray is named after the main character from Chris Wooding's novel The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray.
Anna Rackham is named after the famous artist Arthur Rackham, whose works often featured intricate foliage details.
Anna's alarming condition, and the concealment of her in a separate part of the house, was inspired by Bertha Mason in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Bertha is the 'madwoman in the attic', present in the lives of everyone at Thornfield Hall, even if they don't realise it.
Caslowe Hall and its neighbouring village are inspired by a real place: Denna Hall and Burton village in Cheshire, England. Like Caslowe, Burton is also surrounded by a salt marsh.
The story is set just after the end of the Second World War. This accounts for tape being present on some windows as a protection from bomb blasts, and Martha's death during an air raid. Due to his profession as a farmer, Jacob would have been exempt from military service.
Melantha
Dare to Shine
Melantha is a reimagining of Thumbelina, and its opening is practically identical to the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, diverging at the point of the main character's birth from a flower.
Short-Tail is based upon the swallow from Thumbelina, who she saved during the winter months. Short-Tail and Melantha falling into a blackthorn bush references the thorn which paralysed the swallow in the original fairy tale; and their departure for the warm countries at the end of the story also echoes the ending of Thumbelina.
Melantha is a name of Ancient Greek origin. When Widow Iversen settles on it, it is because she believes it means 'flower'. This is not far from the truth: the name consists of 'mel' (dark) and 'antha' (flower); thus Melantha means 'Dark Flower': appropriate since Melantha herself subverts her mother's expectations of the perfect child.
The story takes place in the Silkeborg Forests. This is Denmark's largest forest, and is a nod to the Danish author of Thumbelina, Hans Christian Andersen.
The Lily and the Clockmaker
Fae Thee Well
Lys's concealment of her true name, and the fairies never referring to each other by true names, echoes a major component of fairy folklore which states that speaking a true name grants power over someone. Her demand for payment of equal value for the destruction of her flower and wings is also taken from fairy folklore.
Hans's hometown of Gütenbach was once a thriving centre of cuckoo clock production. This began when farmers made clocks during the winter, and in the first half of the 19th century, their craft progressed to a major industry, with the Black Forest clocks being particularly popular in Britain. However, by 1852, the year the story takes place, these had largely fallen out of fashion.
The story takes place on Beltane, also known as May Day. This is said to be a liminal time when fairies are particularly active, accounting for the dances in Kensington Gardens.
The mention of Queen Victoria living at Kensington Palace before her ascension to the throne in 1837, as well as her birth name of Alexandrina, is true to history.
In the Victorian language of flowers, lily of the valley symbolises a return to happiness. This corresponds with the stories of both Lys and Hans, as they co-operate to understand each other and find new forms of contentment with elements of the other's world.
Talvi and the Stars
Fairytalez; Selections of Anthropomorphic Regalements
The original version of Talvi and the Stars was made up on the spot in 2015. I met a terminally ill little girl named Maddie who was self-conscious of her appearance due to aggressive treatment. I told her about a fox who was shunned for his differences but ultimately found his power and friends by being true to himself. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, Maddie passed away. Even though I have since performed the story hundreds of times and written it down under the title Talvi and the Stars, I personally always think of it as Maddie's Story, and can still picture her face in front of me whenever I tell it live.
Talvi is the Finnish word for winter.
The story is inspired by the Finnish legend of the northern lights, which says that they are made by a magical fox sweeping up the snow with its tail. The modern Finnish word for the aurora, revontulet, comes from the folklore, and translates literally as "fox fires." This legend also formed the basis of my YA fantasy series The Foxfires Trilogy.
The story also takes some inspiration from The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen and Casper the Friendly Ghost. The interaction between Talvi and the reindeer herd is heavily based on the stock scenario observed in the Casper franchise, paying homage to it by the reindeer believing Talvi is actually a ghost.