Continuing this series of interviews with my fellow contributing authors on the romantic fantasy anthology First Love, we have Galina Trefil, whose fascinating short story The Rusalka of the Murashka delves into forgotten Ukrainian folklore.

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

A fellow author, V. P. Allasander, was kind enough to draw my attention to several upcoming Dragon Soul Press anthologies. I’m not generally a fantasy author, so the topics seemed a little difficult for me, but I do love a good challenge.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

The murder of an innocent spawns a seductive creature which stalks a Ukrainian village for centuries.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

Overall, it depends on the story, but I am much more drawn to writing tear-jerkers with hard-hitting back themes.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

In truth, I don’t consider my tale, The Rusalka of the Murashka, to be a pure-blood “fantasy” story. It’s based on authentic Ukrainian folklore, featuring a female monster/benevolent deity, the rusalka, whose origin predates Christianity. So much of the indigenous beliefs of Europe have been obliterated. As a Slavic writer, I enjoy showcasing what little managed to survive. The rusalka is especially fascinating as it is a creature that was once a human female. It evolved into something else, something immensely powerful, only as a result of being murdered. It then murders in turn as many men as possible. To my mind, this mythology existing at all is a tremendous reflection on the prevalence of gender-based violence that Slavic women in times of yore must have endured.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Betrayal, lust, and vengeance are present throughout all, I would say, but the biggest theme is the loss of innocence.

What inspired your story?

I am a great fan of traditional costuming and hair wraps. I was researching Ukrainian wraps and jewelry and thought it would be nice to write a story which showcased the way they designated the different ethnic and economic groups. The concept of a korali necklace being so important, I knew, would ring true for Ukrainian readers and, I thought, might convey a part of the culture over to those without that heritage.  Furthermore, my adopted sister is from Shargorod, the village featured in the story.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

None of the characters in this particular story were life-inspired, thankfully. In some of my books, I’ve invested a great deal of myself and others, but not this time.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

Whenever I start a project, I always think that I know my ending. However, like a bunch of bullheaded teenagers, my characters tend to ignore my wishes and go haywire. For example: the twist in the end of The Rusalka of the Murashka was not intended. I was already writing a separate full-length book though, set in Shargorod.  The rusalka in this story does feature in that book.  I didn’t originally plan it that way.  It just happened.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

A lot of people have to turn on the TV for entertainment. For me, my keyboard is my TV. I may have to edit, but at least I don’t have to wade through commercials.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

This is a field in which there is truly no justification for gender discrimination and yet female authors still have less chance of being published. It’s the world where J.K. Rowling had to use her initials, rather than first name, to get off the ground.  Personally, I’ve also been told to publish as a man before; been told that “no one would believe a woman could write this.” That does more than hurt my feelings or offend me. It directly impacts my future livelihood. As a female horror author, I see a lot of ways in which other female authors are struggling in this industry. The big-time publishing world should be held accountable for this trend, but currently that’s just not happening.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

In fiction, there is some validity to it.  If you’re portraying, say, a profession that you don’t know, what do you do? You research until you’re to the point where you can at least pass for knowledgeable. But, even then, there’s got to be a halfway point. If we wrote only what the things which are based on our personal experience or research, literature would be a good deal more boring than it is and the fantasy genre wouldn’t even exist. One of the keys of being a good writer is our ability to imagine other points of view, other time periods, and things impossible to the world of modern science. Innovation is every bit as important in fiction as knowledge.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

Put that way, I suppose I’m a genre slut and come by it honestly. My main genre is horror, but I also like to do human rights themes. Whenever I do a human rights story though, it often involves quite graphic violence. I don’t believe in sugar-coating. The Rusalka of the Murashka is one of my more toned-down pieces.

Which writers inspire you?

Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Isabel Allende, Edith Wharton, Anne Rule.

What other books or short stories have you written?

I am rather a bit of a hermit. Most of my work hasn’t been made available publicly yet. Currently, my book The Incomplete Ones: A Tale of Slavery and A Cape for Kali are available on Amazon. My short stories and articles have appeared in Neurology Now, UnBound E-Magazine, The Guardian, Tikkun, Romea.CZ, Jewcy, Jewrotica, Telegram Magazine, Ink Drift Magazine, The Dissident Voice, and Open Road Review. I’ve also appeared in the anthologies Flock: The Journey and Suspense Unimagined.

What is your current work-in-progress?

I always tend to have several projects going at once.  At current, I am working on the second book of my series Don’t Say Gypsy. These books are feminist short story collections, showcasing the racial discrimination and violence perpetrated against the Romani people of Eastern Europe. Project two is a series exploring the human rights violations going on within California’s prison system, focusing largely on gladiator fighting. Project three, The Silent Tsar, which is currently five or six chapters from completion, is the tale of a medieval Russian vampire. Its first book ties in to the rusalka story featured in First Love.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Learn to love the editing process. Until you learn to take pleasure out of it and see it as an opportunity, things are going to be heck.    

Find out more about Galina Trefil at her blog here.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).