I’d like to start off by thanking Rie for letting me share with you some of the things that inspired “Core Craving,” the flash fiction piece I have in the Hides the Dark Tower anthology.

The story is set in the city of Trikala in Thessaly, Greece. The fortress and the tower in the story really exist; they are a central feature of the town and a prime tourist attraction, but as I live at the base of the fortress, I find it imposes itself on my life on a daily basis. I got to thinking about how much a building absorbs of all the souls who have lived and died in it and what would happen if it developed sentience.

During the renovation process, that has been on-going for many years, and by doing the English translation for the website Kastra.eu, I learned a lot more about the castle.

The fortress, built on the foundations of an ancient citadel dating back to the 4^th century BC, was a strategic fortification in the region and featured in many major battles. Now, however, it has become a café and summertime amphitheatre. I got to thinking that perhaps the building itself would feel a little hard done by. What if it felt humiliated over this change in role? Structures of this nature were often blessed with sacrifices, human or animal, to bring the blessing of the gods and through all the battles and bloodshed perhaps the building would have developed a carnivorous appetite.

“Core Craving” explores these possibilities, probably in only a few more words than I have written here.  I am honoured that it made it into the anthology alongside so many other great stories from renowned and respected writers who have breathed life into the many aspects of towers in the Hides the Dark Tower anthology.

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