Beyond Grimm: Stories & Rhymes from the Dark Corners of Fairyland (Not for Children) - Hardcover

Kessler, Alan S.: - Alan S. Kessler was born in Columbus, Ohio. He is a lifelong Ohio State Buckeye fan (mostly football and basketball), and also a fan of the Cleveland Browns who have been rebuilding since 1964, the year the team last won a league championship. The darkness in his writing is partlycaused by the pain the Browns have caused him over the years (smile). Kessler is married, has four children, three grandchildren, and a dog, Brownie. He is a vegetarian but if available, will gladly eat a few White Castle burgers, the thin patty with 5 holes drilled through it making the meat almost nonexistent.In addition to his novels and short stories, Kessler is a published poet, playwright, soccer coach, and 6th degree black belt. In his novels and short stories, Kessler creates complex, marginalized, and often flawed characters in stories exploring the nature of good and evil and the corrosive effect of racism, abuse, and social injustice. His writing is influenced by childhood pain. As he stated in a blurb about his most personal novel, Shadowlands: "I was born in a small town in Ohio. The Midwest is associated with wholesomeness and family values. I know frompersonal experience this isn't always the case. Those corn fields often hide more within them than the sound of the wind." The past can cripple, but for Kessler it created a writer; one who has empathy for even his imperfect characters who are neither good nor bad but inhabit the gray area in-between. His writing is both dark and hopeful with forgiveness and understanding woven into the worlds he creates. No one is judged...Except the truly evil. Alan S. Kessler believes in social justice and retribution toward those who oppress the powerless and harm the innocent.Kahn, Kali: - Kali Kahn lived from childhood through her high school years in Montpelier, Vermont, in an older house bathed in the natural light of many large windows and filled with visual art. Her happy place was sipping cocoa while drawing and dreaming by a roaring fire in the wood stove on cold wintry days. From a young age, she relished keeping her hands and mind busy designing, drawing, and engaging in imaginative play with whimsical props, objects, and toys. At bedtime, her mother read fairy tales, myths, and stories rich with elaborate illustrations and fanciful words. Kali's childhood education included a mix of local public schools and a few middle years in an alternative school with a focus on creative making and stage productions. At Montpelier High School, she was a regular in the art room as inspired by the beloved late artist and educator Barbara Austin-Hutchins. Kali spent her senior high school year enrolled in the Digital Media Arts Program at the Central Vermont Career Center where she explored diverse media and earned college credits under the engaging direction of Matthew Binginot (www.matthewbinginot.com/). Her post-secondary years at the Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts expanded her artistic and academic horizons under the guidance of professional artists such as Shanth Enjeti (www.shanthenjetiart.com/), who encouraged her to sharpen her skills and pursue her own unique vision. Kali's major influences include the luminous and detailed illustrations underpinning the animation of Hayao Miyazaki; the illustrated graphic novel series of Neil Gaiman; and animated series such as Nickelodeon's "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Kali currently resides in Leesburg, Virginia, where she works in a variety of media in her home-based art business.