Category: Feminist

Villainous Authors

6/29/2025

I was scrolling, scrolling, scrolling through my socials one morning not long ago and a post popped up that recommended the Mists of Avalon by Marian Zimmer Bradley as a classic read. After muttering a few disgusted expletives, I had a quick flick through some of the comments. They varied between ‘great book and a must read’ to ‘fuck right off, the author is a monster’ along with a whole bunch of comments like ‘I loved this book, and it broke my heart when I discovered MZB was complicit with her husband’s child abuse.’

MZB isn’t the first author I’ve loved who turned out to be a fucking horrific human being and she’s certainly not the last. But reading the comments made me ask the question: What do you do when one of your favourite authors turns out to be a real-life villain?

When Remains to be Told: Dark Tales of Aotearoa was published, I was thrilled that my short story, Fires of Fate, sat cosied up next to a poem by Neil Gaiman. I was so excited that I even posted a video of me flicking between my story and his poem on my socials. Since then, there have been multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and assault against him, including more this year. Now, my story, in all its feminist rage, leans away from his poem, trying to distance itself from the space I was so proud to share. Being such a fan of Gaiman’s work, this betrayal of trust cuts extra deep.

I never read J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, although, I do confess to reading one of the books she wrote when she was pretending to be a man. I have numerous trans friends and acquaintances. So, why would I support someone who actively goes out of her way to incite hatred and denial of their right to exist, and uses the earnings from her books to support her crusade?

I’ve seen many arguments along the lines of ‘you can love the art but not the artist’, and, to an extent, that can be true, but where does the line between the two exist? In buying the art, you're supporting the artist. When you check the book out from the library, you're supporting the author. And, yes, streaming their movies / series is supporting the author. As much as I loved series 1 of The Sandman, I won't be watching series 2.

Do I think that J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman or the beneficiary of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s ongoing income give a shit about me not buying their books? Of course not, but the point is—it’s very important to me. I give a shit. And, if enough of us share that sentiment, then maybe they’ll notice.

There are so many talented and worthy authors out there writing amazing stories. Most of them aren’t problematic and, often, aren’t financially comfortable. So, why would I give my money and tacit support to those who are?

My answer is—I won’t.

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Reclaiming the Crone

6/3/2025

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Speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror etc) is all too often populated with strong, young characters. People and creatures breaking out of their adolescence and at the start of their adventures or approaching the prime of their lives. Where young women and girls and non-binary characters feature more often as main and secondary characters, the same can’t be said for older characters. It’s uncommon for the protagonist to be of advanced years, and rare if that character’s a woman.

Older characters are either cast in supporting roles, like the wise old wizard and the sweet grandmother, or as the evil antagonist, the barrier to youthful success. If the antagonist is a woman—the witch, the hag, the crone—she’s often portrayed as jealous and spiteful, corrupted by age and bitter with disappointment. The crone is frequently portrayed as trying to regain their youth at the expense of the victim (some princess who’s never the hero). Youth is the prize.

In fantasy, crones are depicted as deceitful and ugly old women who use their powers for malevolent purposes. Recall how the beauty of Snow White’s stepmother and Melisandre in Game of Thrones corrupts when their true natures are revealed. As always there are exceptions to generalised observations, examples include Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg from the Discworld series and General Leia Organa from Star Wars—these magnificent characters embrace and celebrate their age and don’t pretend to be anything but what they are—but they’re rare.

The crone, with some exceptions, is a woman to be feared.

In science fiction, crones as characters are often, non-existent or invisible. Check out the list of SciFi books featuring old women compiled by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley HERE.

It’s disappointing that our literary interpretations of alternate and future civilisations are, again and again, bereft of the aged. That there are so very few examples of older women cast as characters who captain spaceships or rule societies or play an active role in revolutions and rebellions. And yet, in terms of readership, women prevail. Read Nikky Lee’s summary of a 2018 James Cook University study HERE.

We need to do better. It’s bad enough having to live in a society that worships youth and strives to push back against the ravages of time through surgeries, fillers, pills and creams. We’re urged to disguise our age with makeup and hair dye, then accused of being deceptive. It’s an unwinnable battle.

I not only need my fiction to offer escape from reality, but I also crave to be represented in the books that I read. I’m not ashamed of my age—it’s hard won. My husband and my parents died younger than they should have—I celebrate every day that I’m gifted. But I’m very aware that I’m often no longer ‘seen’ or ‘heard’. We older women exist, we’ve seen and experienced a lot of shit, and we can’t be fucked putting up with it anymore.

When I set out to write the first novella in the Ghost Assassins of Bijou series, I did so with the conscious decision to portray the invisible crone. I went further than that—I weaponised her invisibility. Although it’s not always explicit, more and more of my recent stories feature older women as the main character. I’m reclaiming the crone as a feminist icon and whether they’re the hero or the villain depends on your point of view.

If you consider my characters to be evil, then I suggest that you should fear the crone!

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Letters From Elsewhere

9/14/2023

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Letters From Elsewhere is my first published collection of short stories and is available as an ebook on all your favourite platforms.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/LettersFromElsewhere

For print version, search directly on your local Amazon or Barnes & Noble site.

Blurb
This genre-blending collection is rich in characters who aren’t always what they seem at first glance. Space pirates, Fire Elves and living grotesques take us on journeys across the multiverse and deep into the hidden crevices of the mind. These stories interrogate what it is to be monstrous; and along the way, they confront the patriarchy and explore the spectrum of sexuality. If you like your fantasy and science fiction a bit dark, laced with humour and sometimes spicy, these stories will entertain, disturb and challenge you.

“Jacqui Greaves titillates with this outstanding collection of speculative encounters, visits and ventures by otherworldly beings, each tale sharpening our understanding of the human condition and the tiny role we play in the universe. Cosmic, cautionary, and compelling, served up with a sprinkle of humour and a good dose of sauce, Letters from Elsewhere is a satisfyingly good read.” —Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories.

What inspired you to put together this collection?
I’ve been writing short stories for almost a decade now, so I’ve built up a large catalogue. Quite a few have already been published in various online magazines and anthologies, but over the years most of those publications have disappeared into the ether, leaving my stories orphaned. Others have just never found their place in the world.
Earlier this year, SpecFicNZ ran an online workshop on getting your short stories published. It got me thinking. When I went through my files, I realised I had a lot of orphaned and unpublished stories just sitting there doing nothing. So, ‘Letters From Elsewhere’ was born.
The collection covers a broad range of speculative fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, erotica and horror.

What on earth possessed you to mix your genres?
Honestly, I don’t set out to mix genres. I set out to ask “What if…”
Most of the stories in this collection are either fantasy or science fiction, with a few lying further afield on the spectrum of speculative fiction. A little under half incorporate explicit sex.
My genre blending is best demonstrated in the story ‘Moths to a Flame’, which has elves fucking in space – so fantasy, science fiction, erotica and a hint of historical fiction all twisted together in the space of a couple of thousand words.
I’m not afraid to include sex in my stories – after all it’s such a primal driver for humanity. I use the word erotica, because it’s a catch all, but I get frustrated when people interpret that to mean romance. The sex in my stories is not often of the romantic kind, it’s more about pleasure, and sometimes it’s weaponised. In ‘Flower Girl’ sex is used for pleasure, as a punishment, to celebrate and as a negotiation tool.

Does the collection have a theme?
For me the theme of the collection is ‘what it is to be monstrous.’
Are we born monstrous, or do we become monstrous? It’s not that simple. Our genes, our family, our experiences in the universe all feed into creating who we are. I believe we all have a monster lurking within. Whether that monster is unleashed on the world is a consequence of multitudes of small decisions and actions.
Several stories in this collection, e.g., ‘Persuasion’, ‘The Grotesque Wars’, ‘Please Sign the Waiver’, cause us to question who the real monster is. Often my tales are told from the perspective of someone we would consider a monster, e.g., ‘Starkiller’, ‘You are Already Dead’, ‘The Abyss’. I want my readers to sit in the monster’s skin and question their own monstrousness.

Most of your stories include strong female characters. Why?
I’m a feminist and a bisexual, so I naturally include strong female characters and queerness into my stories. I’m so tired of misogyny and the patriarchy – it’s just exhausting having to deal with them decade after decade. So, I write ‘What If’ stories where women rebel against expectations and oppressors get their comeuppance. Some of these stories, e.g., ‘Redundant’, have been influenced by real life.

You use humour to great effect. Why?
I once went to a book launch where someone else read out one of my stories. The audience were in hysterics. I was surprised because I hadn’t intended for it to be funny; it just was. That still happens, but I’m more aware of it now and use it consciously.
Some of these stories deal with big, serious issues, like death and the end of the world. By adding elements of humour, I think it makes it easier for the reader to handle these heavy subjects, while not slipping into a pit of despair.

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