Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Guest Post: Gifts for Fathers of Fiction From Michelle Boule

Posted by: Veronica Scott
Veronica: Today we have a fun guest post from Michelle Boule, author of LETTERS IN THE SNOW:

A Fictional Father’s Gift Giving Guide

June is almost over. For most of us, June means the end of the school year, the beginning of summer, and a celebration of fathers. If you are blessed enough to have a dad in your life, I hope you showered him with gifts, a great meal, or your company.

Some of us had great dads. Some of us had fathers who could have used some pointers. As a writer, I know that fathers can be great fodder for backstories both good and bad. I thought it would be amusing to look at some famous mythological and fictional fathers to see what kind of gifts they would have received for Father’s Day.

The series I am currently writing involves Greek mythology, so let’s start with Zeus. In Greek mythology, Zeus inspired culture, he orchestrated the Trojan War, and he was the god of justice. He ruled over the other gods at Mount Olympus and was called Father by many.

He was called father by many because he was reported to be the father of some seventy children, most of them not with his wife, Hera, and many of them through forced seduction aka rape. He was egotistical, easily angered, and had no qualms about killing family members. Overall, he was a terrible husband and likely a tyrannical father. For Father’s Day, I think his children would likely have offered blood sacrifices or a vestal virgin.

In Norse mythology, Odin is known as All Father because he was said to be the father of all the gods and some of the prominent ruling families from Northern Europe. He was known as a wanderer, gatherer of wisdom, and creator of poetry. He was, unlike Zeus, not known for his love of justice and fairness. Odin cared little for humanity (that belief belonged to his son, Thor), but was known to be a trickster who reveled in causing wars, strife, and fighting among the peoples and tribes. He was a god of war and ruled both the battlefield and the afterlife, known as Valhalla.

I think Odin was likely an indifferent father who probably only appreciated his sons when they excelled at war. For Father’s Day, Odin would have been given a new sword, carefully crafted for him alone, or a sword stolen in conquest.

One of my favorite rereads, Pride and Prejudice, has a great, if occasionally exasperated, father figure, Mr. Bennet. Poor Mr. Bennet in that house full of, mostly, silly women. He is patient, kind, and tries his best to encourage and support his daughters. Unfortunately, he is very lenient and has little or no control or sense when it matters most. Despite all that, the women in his life adore him and so do I. For Father’s Day, Mr. Bennet would receive a new book from an author he loved or Lydia speaking sense for one entire day.

Harry Potter may not have known his father, but he did have Arthur Weasley in his life. Mr. Weasley had a brood of his own children to love, but he welcomed Harry and Hermione with open arms into his house and family. As the series progresses, Mr. Weasley is shown to be not just a smart, overly enthusiastic collector of muggle artifacts, he is a fierce soldier who stands up for his beliefs and defends those he loves. For Father’s Day, Mr. Weasley would have been given a drone with a camera. You know he would have lost his noodle over that one.

Who is your favorite fictional or mythological father and  what would they have been given on Father’s Day this year?

Letters in the Snow (Turning Creek 3)


Michelle Boule has been, at various times, a librarian, a bookstore clerk, an administrative assistant, a wife, a mother, a writer, and a dreamer trying to change the world. Michelle writes the historical fantasy series Turning Creek. She brews her own beer, will read almost anything in book form, loves to cook, bake, go camping, and believes Joss Whedon is a genius. She dislikes steamed zucchini, snow skiing, and running. Unless there are zombies. She would run if there were zombies. You can find her at:, @wanderingeyre, or on Facebook  

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