We are so thrilled to have J.M. Stengl on the site today for an interview!
J.M. Stengl is the author of the Faraway Castle series, a series in which each book retells a different fairy tale. Today she’s pulling back the curtains and sharing fun behind-the-scenes tidbits on her King Thrushbeard retelling, plus giving us a little taste of the other books in the series and what’s coming next!
So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s chat books and fairy tales!
Hello and welcome to Fairy Tale Central, J.M. Stengl! It’s an honor to have you here to talk about your King Thrushbeard retelling: The Lady and the Wish.
When did you first read or hear King Thrushbeard, and what drew you to retell it?
My first memory of this story was reading it in a collection of Grimm’s fairy tales that had been my mother’s when she was a child. I remember most of the stories in that collection and would love to do retellings of several more, but this one was a must.
What was your favorite element of the original tale, the thing you knew you just HAD to include in your retelling?
As a child, I was oblivious to the sexist overtones and simply enjoyed watching the heroine change from an obnoxious, entitled princess into a hardworking, unselfish, and humble young woman. As an adult and a writer, I saw so much delightful opportunity for humor! So, my story is a blend of humor and one underlying theme: character growth.
Who was your favorite character in your retelling?
As far as someone I would like to know, probably the hero, Raoul Trefontane, aka “Manny.” He is justifiably hurt and angry at the way Gillian scorns him, and he wants to see her humbled, but his heart softens toward her, and he demonstrates a lot of patience. He’s a pretty great guy.
Was there a character with whom you identified the most?
Shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but . . . Gillian. All I had to do was imagine myself as drop-dead gorgeous and privileged, then channel the self-absorbed aspects of my own character, and she took life on the page!
Is there anything from your life that you incorporated into this story: people, places, experiences, circumstances?
Probably the most obvious is dealing with a loved one with dementia. My mother died of Alzheimer’s, and my mother-in-law also has dementia. They were both bright, lovely women who suffered from the sad effects of the disease.
Favorite fairy tale (relation)ship in general?
My favorite stories feature dynamic (as opposed to static) characters. My favorite overall fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast, for much the same reasons as I love King Thrushbeard: a character must choose to emotionally mature through experiencing difficulties and ultimately learns how to love unselfishly. Of the two, Beauty and the Beast has the advantage that an off-stage character, not the romantic interest, applies the hardship to the selfish character.
If this book was a movie or TV series, who would you pick to play (or voice, if animated) the main characters?
Gillian: maybe Scarlett Johansson or Margot Robbie?
Manny: Hmm. I don’t honestly know many modern actors or actresses. May I pick an Formula 1 race driver? Carlos Sainz Jr. is Spanish, not Italian, but . . . he’ll do. Heheheh. Only problem is that I think even Gillian would remember those eyes!
Favorite and least favorite parts of this story to write?
Favorite: Just about all of the “wish” scenes, especially the 100 poodles and the statues’ garden party.
Least favorite: Any scene I have trouble getting right the first and second time . . . Beginnings, endings, and transitions are always difficult for me, and my first attempt at the Christmas scene was boring. I’m so glad I kept working at it!
What music did you listen to while writing this story? Do the main characters have theme songs?
I can only listen to classical music while writing—something without words. I’m easily distracted, so I usually write in silence. I don’t have theme songs either. Sorry! But I did study up on popular 60’s dance music for the ghostly dance scene—the Locomotion, the Swim, the Madison, the Watusi, the Twist, etc. That was fun!
If you don’t write to music, what music do you think best represents this story?
For a movie soundtrack, maybe Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” It’s Italian, and it illustrates the passing seasons, which works well for Gillian’s story. I’m listening to it while I answer these questions!
What can you tell us about fairy tale retellings you’re hoping to write in the future?
The next book in the Faraway Castle series will be a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I also have ideas percolating for a series connected with my contribution to the A Villain’s Ever After series, The Baker and the Wolf, which is a romantic Little Red Riding Hood reimagining set in the Faraway Castle world—but a century or two in the past. It’s still just ideas at this point, so I can’t elaborate, but I’m excited about it.
Can you tell us a little bit about the other books in the Faraway Castle series and what tales they retell?
Sure!
In timeline order:
The Little Siren: (Free on my website) A short novella about Kamoana the teenage mermaid and her forbidden friendship with Tor, a nerdy scientist boy.
Cinder Ellie: A short novella about Ellie as a teen working at Faraway Castle and trying to protect cinder sprites from extermination.
The timelines of these next two books mesh, so they can be read in either order.
Ellie and the Prince: A retelling of Cinderella—Ellie’s longtime crush, Prince Omar, begins to seek her company, which gets her in trouble with her boss.
The Siren and the Scholar: A retelling of The Little Mermaid—Kamoana’s enchantress mother erased both her memory of the man she’s loved since they were teens and his memory of her. Kammy, in human form, now has three days at Faraway Castle to figure out who the man is and convince him to kiss her.
The Rose and the Briar: A retelling of Sleeping Beauty—Rosa, the head gardener at Faraway Castle, must protect an evil sleeping princess from all princes seeking to kiss her awake. When two handsome princes start snooping around her magical garden, steps must be taken—even though one of them is irritatingly charming.
The Lady and the Wish is book four in the series.
The Mirror and the Curse: A retelling of Snow White—Princess Eddi intends to win both the Faraway Castle Cup flying-horse race and Prince Fidelio’s heart away from her rival, Raquel. So why do her thoughts and her heart keep turning back to Kai, her best friend? And is whoever keeps sabotaging her races actually trying to kill her?
Jill Marie is a native of southern California who, after a whirlwind life as a military wife, now makes her home with her husband in North Carolina, where she serves at the beck and call of two spoiled cats and several adorable grandchildren. Obsessions include all things animal rescue, fairy-tale romances, knowing the lyrics to the best songs from old musicals, and perfecting the perfect pastry crust.
During her former career as a historical romance novelist, Jill Marie won both the Carol Award and RWA’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Now she prefers her novels to include a dash of magic along with the heart-melting romance.
To learn more about her books and upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter and follow her:
You can find The Lady and the Wish here:
Thank you for being here today, J.M. Stengl!
Fairy Tale Central 
This was great! Really enjoyed this interview.
I think we have similar taste in music. I love Classical music but also love 60s pop. I knew what the Locomotion was without having to Google it. 😛
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Thank you, Allison!
Yep, you and I both enjoy the old tunes (bebop!) and the classics. Like, you know, Love Train, etc. 😉
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The Lady and the Wish is my favourite book in this series, and one of my favourite Thrushbeard retelling. I’ve read it a couple or three times and enjoyed it every time. : )
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Happy dance
Thank you so much, Bethany! I’m so glad you like it so much! I honestly did love writing it. Coming up with the wish scenes was just plain fun! Heh.
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The wish scenes were fun, but I honestly loved reading Gillian and her character development. I normally don’t really care about that too much, but it really stood out to me as a prime feature of this book. Well done on her!
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Thank you, Bethany. I struggle most with gradual and realistic character development. I am a “Miss Fix-It” personality, and the temptation to grow Gillian up too quickly was strong in this book! I had help from my daughter with the pacing, which made all the difference. 🙂
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Thrushbeard is one of my favorite fairy tales, and its hard to find novel length retellings of it. I stumbled across this one and fell in love with J M Stengl’s writing style! It was really fun to read this interview and find out more behind the scenes information about one of my favorite books!
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Thank you, Amanda!
Comments like yours are SO encouraging! I’m working up to start writing book 6 soon. Yay! It’s intimidating to attempt a Beauty and the Beast story when there are already SO many on the market. I just need to remember to think “Faraway Castle story” and let it happen. 😉
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