K. A. Laity
"Better be friendly when the frogs come ‘round;
Say "how d’ye do?" or they’ll swallow you down."
The True Story of the Willimantic Frogs?Willimantic, CT—Local residents take great pride in the giant frogs who perch atop spools on the bridge to downtown Willimantic. This is hardly surprising in a town where the same amphibians grace the official Windham seal. But haven’t you wondered if there’s more to the legend than just an eighteenth-century yarn about a great frog battle? [Don't know that story? Check it out at the Windham Textile and History Museum's webpage.] Now local writer K. A. Laity has crafted a folk tale to explain the ‘real’ story behind The Willimantic Frogs, an account which The Chronicle has called "highly imaginative."
Various rumors have been whispered over the years about the importance of frogs to the Windham area. A totem of the indigenous tribes? A conspiracy of the town selectmen? And what about that great frog battle? The Willimantic Frogs tells the story of one native Nutmegger who encounters the reality behind the legends. What ancient secret lurks in the primordial mud below the bridge?
Author K. A. Laity has had numerous stories and articles published in various magazines around the country such as The Beltane Papers, The Seeker Journal, DreamForge, Quadrado, Rictus, Avalon Rising, Indy, Millennium, and Weird Times. While Laity invented the folktale of The Willimantic Frogs, she based her novel Pelzmantel on the Grimm’s folk tale “Allerleirau.” Her writing career took off in 1995 when British author and filmmaker Clive Barker chose her story “Revelation” as the winner of his Lord of Illusions Short Story contest, calling her writing "full of fluent style and poetic dialogue."
The Willimantic Frogs is a pocket-sized chapbook. It is available at some local Willimantic merchants. It may also be purchased directly from the author for $3 (including postage).
CONTACT INFO:
K. A. Laity
kate[at]kalaity.com
http://www.kalaity.com/chap.htm