About the Book
Title: The Fairytale Chicago of Francesca Finnegan
Author: Steve Wiley
Genre: Fantasy
“Did you know most anything that matters in this city was built by
magic before it was built by men? Of course you didn’t. This city is different
from other cities. The true history of it is unpublished. Lucky for you, I know
it all by heart.”
~ Francesca Finnegan
In Chicago, a secret L train runs through the mythical East
Side of the city. On that train, you’ll find a house-cat conductor,
an alcoholic elf, a queen of the last city farm, the most curious
wind, and an exceptional girl by the name of Francesca Finnegan.
When we first encounter Richard K. Lyons, he is a man who has
long forgotten the one night, when he was still a boy called Rich, when
Francesca invited him aboard the secret L for an adventure though the East
Side. The night was a mad epic, complete with gravity-defying first kisses,
mermaid overdoses, and princess rescues. Unfortunately for Rich, the night
ended like one of those elusive dreams forgotten the moment
you wake. Now, Rich is all grown up and out of childish adventures,
an adult whose life is on the verge of ruin. It will take the
rediscovery of his exploits with Francesca, and a reacquaintance with
the boy he once was, to save him.
Excerpt
Excerpt
Fairyism
There is magic in the city.
When Rich Lyons was a little boy, he learned of the magic from an old, cockeyed, Captain Hook–looking magician. The old man sat alone at a table for two outside a neighborhood bar every summer day, all day, always with a glass of twinkling whiskey. He said the twinkle had once been in his eye, but had blown out one windy day and splashed right into the whiskey. Rich liked how the twinkle twinkled in the whiskey. He liked it so much, he asked the old man if he could have it. The man told Rich he didn’t need it, because he already had a twinkle of his own, and besides, that particular twinkling whiskey tasted like shit, worse than Malört[1], if that’s possible.
“You be careful,” the old man warned, “because in the city of wind, a twinkle may blow out. The wind here, it twirls and sings like a music-box ballerina. It plays tricks and tells stories like an old-man magician. Like me, like this …”
And so, the old man performed tricks for Rich and regaled him with city folklore and fantasy. He said the Great Chicago Fire was arson, started by a fire-breathing dragon from the Fulton River District who was fed up with the cold winters. He said the Chicago River started flowing backward when a giant sea serpent sneezed so powerfully, it changed the direction of the current. He said the sky was purple (not black) above the city because a wicked witch had stolen all the black for her cats and bats and witch hats.
Rich’s favorite story was one about the L trains, and how each had come to be named for a color. The old man said the colors arrived when the first skyscrapers did. Before then, all the trains were the same dull brown. On the day the first skyscraper went up, a rainbow, unused to encountering buildings so high in the sky, accidentally crashed into it. When the rainbow crashed, each of its individual colors went splattering in all directions. Some landed on the L trains and stained them. The only train to miss a color was the Brown Line, because, the old man said, it was offline for repairs.
The old man also said there was one line, a secret line, that got a splash of lavender.
One day, Rich asked the old man if he could use his magic to tell fortunes. The old man said, well, hell, of course he could, it was a matter of simple city magic. Rich asked if he might hear his own fortune. He wanted to know what he would be when he grew up.
The old man told Rich there wasn’t much he wouldn’t be when he grew up. He would be a father, a husband, an uncle, a brother, a friend. He would be a ghost in the graveyard. He would be a vice president of something. He would be a pisser in the pancake batter. He would be a reveler-adventurer. He would be a hider and seeker. He would be a rocket man. A businessman.
And, he would be a rich man.
Author Bio
Steve
Wiley, Author
Steve is a father, husband,
uncle, brother, friend, and purveyor of fairy stories. He grew up in and around
Chicagoland, where he still lives with his wife and two kids. He has been
published in an array of strange and serious places, from the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce in Washington, D.C., to Crannóg
magazine in Galway, Ireland.
This is his first book. He has an undergraduate degree in something he has
forgotten from Illinois State University and a graduate degree in something
equally forgotten from DePaul University. You can email Steve at Lavenderlinepress@gmail.com, or visit thewileymancan on
Instagram.
Illustrator Bio
Chris Cihon
Chris
is an artist who studied at Columbia College Chicago. He is a Chicago native and
has lived here all his life. Chris’s paintings have been showcased in many
local galleries and beyond. When he feels like it, he travels elsewhere to find
inspiration. You can reach him at Chris.cihon@gmail.com, or visit _ccihon on Instagram.
Links
Book Website: www.fairytalechicago.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/fairytalechicago/
Kirkus
Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steve-wiley/fairytale-chicago-francesca-finnegan/
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