I started writing poems and short stories soon after having learnt how to write. However, for many years, periods of creative writing were followed by rather long breaks. I suppose there were two reasons for that. First, I just didn’t sufficiently believe in my capacities. A small critical comment was enough to discourage me. Second, I devoted a lot of time and energy to the studies. I am a linguist, currently teaching and doing research at a university, and academic career, at its early stage, didn’t really allow me to concentrate on writing. I started to write regularly only after having completed my Ph.D. dissertation. Then I first concentrated on poems. These were often ironic retellings of old fairy tales. Then I turned to short stories, which, again, involved an interaction of humor and fairy tale motives. Then one of these stories suddenly became the first chapter of a whole…