Author:
Alex McGilvery has been reading since before he can remember, and writing almost that long. He has published 18 books and is author and editor at his imprint Celticfrog Publishing. He lives in Kamloops with his dog and the stories clawing their way out of his head.

The Frog Prince, Snow White, Cinderella, everyone is familiar with these stories, but not the way they are told in this collection. What if the Frog Prince was really only a frog? Would it be so bad if Cinderella stayed past midnight? Snow White is staying in the woods with the dwarves, but these aren’t her grandmother’s dwarves. Read these tales and more.

Tales of Light and Dark

If my Da had any fault it was he boasted too much about his sons. My brothers were kind when they thought of it, but mostly they never noticed me.


One day a Queen came to see these fine lads. As fair and chill as diamonds she was. I met her at the door. I who was never a part of my Da's boasting, being but a daughter.


The Queen walked into our hut and looked at each of my brothers straight in the eye, and each, from oldest to youngest dropped their gaze before her.


I offered her tea and sat her at our rough table. Seeing our visitor well seated, and likely well drowned by my chatter, my brothers went back to what they do best. That is to talk about what they would do when the world was right and they were rich as kings.


I saw the first storm cloud cross the fair brow of that Queen. She wasn't pleased to be left to a chattering girl while the men ignored her. Queens aren't used to being ignored.


Chapter 16: Swan Brothers