Writer of myth-inspired fiction and essays rooted in Slavic Folklore, exploring liminal spaces, and quiet, dangerous magic
Who I am
I'm Mary Paliescheskey, a writer of magical realism and myth-inspired speculative fiction rooted in Slavic folklore and ancestral stories. I write about the quiet places where magic lingers-forests, forgotten villages, and the edge of the ordinary-where survival and transformation matter more than heroics.
I've been telling stories for as long as I can remember: turning backyards into frontier towns, piloting lawn-chair spaceships between shrub-planet systems, and inventing worlds where magic hides just out of sight. That sense of wonder never left. It threads through everything I write.
You can read an early chapter of my novel, The Stone's Healer, in the literary journal, The Write Launch.
Folklore, Roots, and Returning
A few years ago, a course assignment asked me to research a pantheon of gods. Instead of looking outward, I returned to my own roots and found myself drawn deeply into Slavic mythology. With access to university libraries, I uncovered a wealth of folklore, ancestral beliefs, and long-forgotten deities.
Those stories reshaped my work. They now form the backbone of my current novel-in-progress and the essays I share through House of Baba's Bones, where I explore myth, Baba Yaga, and the power of liminal spaces.
Other Writing
Before turning to fiction, I wrote personal essays and creative nonfiction. My work appears in Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Sons, Cup of Comfort for Teachers, Birthing Choices You Have to Create the Best Birth Experience for You and Your Child, and regional parenting magazines.
Earlier in my career, I also published scientific research in peer-reviewed journals, including Infection and Immunity, Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, and Journal of Infectious Diseases.
My research background continues to shape my approach to research-driven worldbuilding and mythic systems.
Beyond the Page
I work full time at the University of California, Irvine. When I'm not reading or writing, I find joy in ceramics, knitting, and chalk pastels. I live in Southern California with my husband and sons, where we enjoy long bike rides, the pool days, and the magic of ordinary life.