Varla Ventura

writer, traveler, lover of the strange

Varla Ventura

I am the author of Fairies, Pookas and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm, The Book of the Bizarre; Beyond Bizarre; Among the Mermaids; and Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires & Other Creatures of the Night. I am a lover of all things truly strange and freaky, and spend a good deal of my time reading and researching stories of the unusual variety. I live in the North Woods where all manner of things tap, tap, tap at my windowpane at all hours of the night.

Fairy Tale Contest Second-Place Winner! Hungry Woods by Nicole Williams

Second Place: Nicole Williams This beautiful story came in early on in the contest and stood out right away as one of my favorites, even after reading so many amazing entries. Although the first paragraph was part of the contest entry, I believe that Ms. Williams could easily out-write my intro any day. When I

Fairy Tale Contest Second-Place Winner! Hungry Woods by Nicole Williams Read More »

Fairy Tale Contest Honorable Mention: Cameron’s The Cook & The Princess

I hadn’t intended to do any kind of third place. In fact, I’ll quote myself by saying, “there is no third-place!” However, I decided to post an honorable mention in the contest: probably the youngest writer to submit an entry (at least who admitted it) this 15-year-old author did a damn fine job. Short stories

Fairy Tale Contest Honorable Mention: Cameron’s The Cook & The Princess Read More »