“When I was a child, sadness was the islands- rocky, yes, but small and containable, easy to leave. Now sadness was the sea. So I went in... I knew the water was cold, but to me it felt warm. No-that's not right. It felt like nothing.” SadnessChildhoodDepression Book:The Gloaming Source: The Gloaming
“I say nothing, so she can assume I'm feeling whatever emotion she wants me to feel.” Men Book:The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories Source: The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories
“I want to know what haunts me. The ghosts that obscure my face in the mirror, that speak in my head when I’m trying to think, that pull my hands back when I try to reach out. I know there’s something; I just don’t know what it is yet.” FantasyHorrorHauntingGothicShort Stories Book:Things We Say in the Dark Source: Things We Say in the Dark
“The graces are restless today. They pweet and muss, shuddering their wings so that the feathers stick out at defensive angles. I feel that restlessness too. When the sea is fractious like this – when it chutters and schwaks against the moorings, when it won't talk but only mumbles – it's difficult to think.” GriefSeaOceanRemorse Book:The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales Source: The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales
“But it doesn't matter how hard it is to get there, or how dark and rocky the sea. We'll all still try. What other choice do we have? Every childhood is an island.” SeaChildhoodThe Gloaming Author:Kirsty Logan
“I met Baba Yaga at the end of childhood – past pigtails and fairytales, but not quite ready to give up on make-believe.” ChildhoodAdolescenceTeenageFairytaleFairytales Book:The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales Source: The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales
“Painted and smiling, I balance on my trapeze. Luka is poised ten metres away, his muscles shining under the lights. The wooden circles in his earlobes twitch as his jaw clenches, unclenches, clenches.” CircusIslandTrapezeAcrobatAerialist Book:The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales Source: The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales
“He told me my whole life happened because I got things other people weren't using, and since he's been gone I've lived my whole life on that same principle. He told me a lot of things, and the most important of those things is never, ever to use the word wish.” SpiteWishesDemonsDjinnGenie Book:The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories Source: The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories
“Momma was with the pony last night. Lily and me have him in the mornings, and we give him a wash with the shammy cloths and a soapy bucket so he's ready for Jade to look after him the next night. I think Momma must ride him too rough because he's always sweating and white-eyed when we get him, pulling tight at his rope and spreading his wide beige lips. He won't settle forever and ever, he just turns circles around the stake. Me and Lily get nervy watching him paw scoops out of the backyard soil.” GirlChildNew Orleans1920s Book:The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales Source: The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales
“Elimae was a magician with a key in her mouth, a foreign language, a matryoshka doll: uncomplicated on the surface, but with a dozen secret selves hidden inside. She thought I didn't notice her, but she's all I did notice.” MagicianFairytaleFairytale RetellingCinderella Book:The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales Source: The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales
“She used to be all right, Una, when we were kids. I liked that she wasn't fussed about her antlers.” Love StoryUnusualTailsSurrealIslandAntlers Book:The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales Source: The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales
“We fall asleep as close as ears of wheat: chest to back, fingers entwined. I kiss the skin at the nape of her neck, soft like rabbit fur. I dream of nothing.” LoveAustraliaWildernessOutback Book:The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales Source: The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales
“I see the ratty dressing gown had gone; she's also wearing a pretty floral dress and her hair is shining pale as opals.” BeautyBlonde HairSimilie Book:The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories Source: The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories
“It's time for a story. I know, I know, the night is noisy. Don't be afraid. The storm rises on its hind legs, bats our tiny house in its paws - but the smaller a mouse is, the more likely iy is to escape. Here, we slip through the cracks of the world.” StoriesDarknessMouse Book:A Portable Shelter Source: A Portable Shelter
“The Cruellest things do not hide in the dark.” LifeDarkness Book:A Portable Shelter Source: A Portable Shelter