Breaking the Glass Slipper: Women in science fiction, fantasy, and horror

For many writers, history can be both an inspiration and a source of plot. No one is going to call a fantasy writer out for “making it up”. With historical fiction, however, you have to be more careful – there are always a bunch of readers out there ready to spot anachronisms. But some writers […] The post Alternate histories – with Sarah Brooks [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com/2025/09/25/alternate-histories-with-sarah-brooks/] first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com].

Zombies first shambled onto our cinema screens in the 1932 film White Zombie staring Bela Lugosi. Early incarnations involved voodoo reanimation and lacked the whole brain-eating aspect. (There’s a really interesting article by Carnegie Mellon University that charts the early history of the zombie). But let us jump to what modern audiences consider a zombie. For that, […] The post Zombies are us – with Leigh Radford [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com/2025/07/31/zombies-are-us-with-leigh-radford/] first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com].

Part of a murder mystery’s charm is the narrative movement from chaos to order. The natural balance of justice is overturned and it’s up to ordinary people – rather than the law – to fix it. The uncovering of clues, red herrings, the many suspicious characters – all of these are essential to a good […] The post Big deck energy – with Frances White [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com/2025/06/28/big-deck-energy-with-frances-white/] first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com].

Fairy tale retellings are always popular. Fairy tales are some of the first stories we learn as children. As well as being entertaining, they are instructive. Don’t stray from the path. Don’t trust wolves, or men. Fill your pockets with stones, not breadcrumbs. If you’re going to steal some herbs for your pregnant wife, be […] The post Unspinning Sleeping Beauty – with Georgia Leighton [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com/2025/05/30/unspinning-sleeping-beauty-with-georgia-leighton/] first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com].

It seems like these days you can’t go into a bookshop without seeing a display of romantasy books. It’s a broad term that applies to everything from secondary fantasy worlds with devilishly handsome princes to witches running cafes and falling for the leader of the coven. You can also get every flavour of spiciness under […] The post Why choose? – with Elizabeth Helen [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com/2025/04/24/why-choose-with-elizabeth-helen/] first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper [https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com].