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This story is no longer available in the Strange Horizons archive, by request of the author.


Special thanks to Casey Callahan, for showing me where to start.


Lisa Mantchev


Lisa Mantchev casts her spells from an ancient tree in the Pacific Northwest. When not scribbling, she is by turns an earth elemental, English professor, actress, artist, dog wrangler, new mommy, and domestic goddess. For more on her work, see her website. To contact her, send her email at lisa_mantchev@hotmail.com.
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Tempered And Spiced: A Recipe for Mythic Fiction 
I have been told over and over that no one would be interested in what I have to say, that I am the “wrong kind” of minority to count. That my ancestors’ tales of enchantment and wonder—and so, mine—are irrelevant. Yet I know better, and I refuse to listen to anyone except the little girl inside me, the one who needed to see herself and share her magic, to know she belonged and that her brown skin was as beautiful as her Sanskrit name. Who believes that myths and mythic fiction are meant for, and reflect, all of us.
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2 Mar 2026
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