The Story Behind ‘Effigies of Old Gods’
I started writing this story in 2020, though it was not published until 2022. Truth be told, the original story looks nothing like the published version of Effigies of Old Gods, though the initial inspiration for the story—a monument in Brno, Czech Republic—remained.
What inspired Effigies of Old Gods?
In the town square of Brno, Czech Republic stands a most unusual statue. Surrounded by aged architecture is the Brno Astronomical Clock, a futuristic obelisk made of black stone. My husband and I visited in 2015 and our tour guide explained that every day at 11 am the monument opens and drops a souvenir marble. He explained that the event attracts a lot of tourists and local children who hope to be lucky enough to catch the statue’s prize.
I had never seen anything like it, nor had I heard of a souvenir-filled monument in a town square. Seeing this statue back in 2015 was the seed that sparked my entire story.
People gather in the town square of Brno, Czech Republic. The Brno Astronomical Clock stands tall in the middle of it all. (Photo taken by Katie Rodante)
The monument itself is unusual in its modern yet futuristic appearance, and I found myself thinking of it again and again over the years since I saw it in person. I knew it would inspire a story idea, and so I started asking myself questions:
What if the statue held something more interesting than marbles?
What if the monument was the center of a village-wide celebration?
I was drawn to the idea of a snowy European village filled with secrets, judgments, and regrets. With those themes in mind, I needed a main character (Esalin) heavy with regret from her past and exhaustion from dealing with the judgmental perspectives of others in her village.
The first draft from 2020 was missing something, though, and so I set it aside to work on other projects. Not every shelved story of mine has me wanting to return to finish it, but this one kept coming to the surface of my mind, begging to be finished.
Then, in 2022, I joined a new writing community.
How did Effigies of Old Gods get published?
That community is called Blanket Fort (And Writing) and is hosted on Discord by Rhonda Parrish. I was excited to join, both as a longtime fan of Rhonda Parrish and as a writer searching for meaningful community among fiction writers.
I had tried a not-small number of writing communities over the years, but had not yet discovered the magical unicorn of a community that wasn’t cliquey and where I felt like I really fit in. Rhonda’s community has been welcoming, friendly, and professional. For almost a year, I’ve looked forward to checking the server and getting to know its members, and it really is a lovely place for writers to hang out online.
As for the anthology, Rhonda Parrish and her community members had decided to create a special anthology together, and every community member was welcome to submit a story. I really, really wanted to at least try to be in an anthology with one of my favorite short story authors, and so I knew I needed to come up with a solid idea for a story.
The anthology title was known early on: Forgotten Lore.
With that in mind, I knew I needed to alter my story to fit the theme and so I did what I always do. I ask myself questions until I come up with an idea I like:
What sorts of forgotten lore could be attached to the monument?
How would this forgotten lore change the entire plot of the story?
Several questions, drafts, and revisions later, Effigies of Old Gods was ready to publish.
The addition of a ‘forgotten lore’ element changed the story drastically, and I have to say, I like the story a lot better as it is today than what I had initially written in 2020.
How can I read Effigies of Old Gods?
Forgotten Lore is available free of charge as an ebook (Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble) and as a low-cost paperback.
Note: All proceeds from sales of Forgotten Lore will be donated to Fauna Foundation.
My anthology mates have written blog posts about their stories and about how this anthology came together. Here are links to some of their posts:
