Season 4, Episode 1: A Fairy Tale Flipped

Writing in the Dark is back! To kick off Season 4, Julia F. Green and Ralph Walker welcome Betsy Ellor to discuss The Daughter Cells, a short story by Daniel M. Lavery from the collection Merry Spinster.Reading: The Daughter CellsThey explore how the author turns Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale of self-sacrifice into one of agency, complete with body horror, funny and biting critique of human culture, and a reimagined plot with a triumphant, if dark finale.They also discuss Betsy’s new book, Hera, Kingdom of Lies, and how she created a story that centers Hera’s experience, drawing parallels between the immortal goddess’s experience and today’s overwhelmed working moms, both of whom struggle to maintain order amid chaos and patriarchy.This conversation highlights the staying power of our oldest stories, why we come back to them again and again, and inspiring new interpretations that make these stories more relevant than ever. Guest BioBetsy Ellor lives near the beach in a house filled with color and chaos. When not at her desk, she’s usually hiking, hunting for shells, or annoying her teenage son. She’s the editor for the anthology Heroic Care: 35 Writers & Artists Show What It Means to Care, and author of Sara Crew and My Dog is NOT A Scientist. Her latest novel, Hera: Kingdom of Lies, is a Circe meets Scandal reimagining in a way every working woman will relate to. Her writing has been published in Spine Magazine, 5 Minute Lit, and The Creative Collective.Find her on Instagram, Substack, and Threads.You can find Writing in the Dark on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and subscribing is a great way to support this work. Thanks, as always, for listening.Listen to previous episodes.Writing in the Dark is co-hosted by Julia F. Green (Substack, website) and Ralph Walker (Twitter, website) and edited by Aaron Fyler, with cover art by Jarmusch. Get full access to Writing is Joy at writingisjoy.substack.com/subscribe