Tag: retellings

Authors Spotlight: Favorite Retellings

Published on by ChristineLeave a comment

Happy National Tell a Fairy Tale Day! We have something extra, extra special for you on this momentous day.

As it is, indeed, Tell a Fairy Tale Day, we’ve gathered some of our favorite fairy tale authors to share some of their top favorite retellings out there! Fairy tale authors telling us about fairy tale retellings — what better way to celebrate?

So grab your favorite beverage, and maybe a favorite sweet while you’re at it (it is a holiday, after all), and get ready to stack up that TBR pile!

Intisar Khanani

Brine and Bone
by Kate Stradling

This retelling follows the original lines of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale, and it works wonderfully… by switching up the point of view character to “the other woman.” While there’s definitely a clear sense of the tragedy playing out, there’s also a happy ending, which makes this the first adaptation of this story I’ve ever truly loved.

Read It: Amazon

Ten Thousand Thorns
by Suzannah Rowntree

A Sleeping Beauty retelling set in ancient China with a heroine who’s a martial arts champion?! Sign me up yesterday! Ten Thousand Thorns was a delightful read, with at least one twist I didn’t see coming, and a reveal that had me laughing out loud. Highly Recommend.

Read It: Amazon

Silver Woven in My Hair
by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

A lovely, whimsical short read featuring a cinderella-esque heroine, a grumpy horse, a handsome goatherd, and a monk who can cobble shoes. This is an older retelling and might be hard to find, but it’s worth looking up.

Read It: Amazon

Find Intisar Khanani’s own books!

And check out her:

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Rachel Kovaciny

Falling Snow
by Skye Hoffert
(available in the Five Poisoned Apples anthology)

“Falling Snow” by Skye Hoffert completely enchants me. Hoffert’s writing is crisp and vivid, with startling imagery and descriptions that leave me breathless. Her characters are at the same time mysterious and knowable. This is Snow White set in a magical circus, where everyone is fae except Snow herself, but she doesn’t know that until a newcomer wipes the veil from her eyes, forcing her to come to terms with who she is and why she’s there.

Read It: Amazon

Enchanted
by Alethea Kotis

“Enchanted” by Alethea Kotis pulls many, many fairy tales and nursery rhymes together into one delightful package. Cinderella falls in love with a frog prince, her woodcutter father kills wolves, and then the Red Shoes, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, and other things get woven in as well… it is a riotously good time!

Read It: Amazon

A Little Beside You
by Jenni Sauer

“A Little Beside You” by Jenni Sauer is a new favorite of mine. It’s a cozy, sweet retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, set in a sci-fi world, but with few sci-fi trappings. Two sisters sort of adopt a tough gang member who wishes he wasn’t in a gang, and one of the girls falls in love with him, and the other sister makes a LOT of waffles… trust me, it’s more coherent and wonderful than I’m making it sound.

Read It: Amazon

Snow White
by Matt Phelan

“Snow White” by Matt Phelan is a graphic novel that sets Snow White in a film noir-esque world of haves and have nots, street urchins and socialites, shadows and luminaries. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the way it twists elements of the fairy tale totally delights me.

Read It: Amazon

The Goblin and the Dancer
by Allison Tebo

“The Goblin and the Dancer” by Allison Tebo retells The Steadfast Tin Soldier from the perspective of the goblin that also loves the dancer who is being courted by a disabled soldier. In this, the goblin is really sweet, not a scary jack-in-the-box creep, and he helps the dancer and the soldier survive some pretty dire things.

Read It: Amazon

Find Rachel Kovaciny’s own books!

And check out her:

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Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

Blood in the Snow
by Sarah Pennington

Blood in the Snow is a gorgeous retelling of Snow White mixed with the Goose Girl. I would not have ever thought to put those two stories together, but they blend so perfectly and seamlessly it feels like they were always meant to be paired when you read this story.

Read It: Amazon

Wither
by Savannah Jezowski
(available in the Five Enchanted Roses anthology)

Wither is such a deliciously creepy version of Beauty and the Beast, with all the correct noble and heroic vibes from the main characters, and all the right touches of tragedy that you’re just hoping against hope will get somehow resolved before the end.

Read It: Amazon

Ashen
by H.L. Burke

Ashen is a really interesting take on the Cinderella story, with a Cinderella who has a little bit of a “Rogue from XMen” feel, an epic lava monster, and just a very sweet romance.

Read It: Amazon

Masque
by W.R. Gingell

Masque is a wonderfully complex and intriguing take on Beauty and the Beast that pretty much turns everything you expect from a retelling on its head, convinces you that you were wrong about it even being a retelling, and then knocks your socks off with an unexpected twist, jump, and a hop back into extremely familiar territory!

Read It: Amazon

The Stroke of Eleven
by Kyle Robert Shultz

The Stroke of Eleven is a really fun and unique take on the classic tale of Cinderella. There’s danger. There’s hi-jinks. There’s wit. But there’s also a darkness. And I think it is that darkness which so perfectly underscores the light, bringing a new depth and maturity to the wit and humor of this book. There’s a sense that the stakes are getting higher, and that there might be some permanent consequences for actions and repercussions that may not be all glass slippers and roses.

Read It: Amazon

Find Jenelle Leanne Schmidt’s own books!

And check out her:

A huge thank you to Intisar, Rachel, and Jenelle for sharing these delicious reads with us! And another hearty happy National Tell a Fairy Tale Day to all our lovely fairy tale-lovers out there! May we never stop reading fairy tales. ❤

Now it’s your turn! Have you read any of these? What are some of YOUR favorite fairy tale retellings?

Author Interview ~ The Sultan & the Storyteller by Lichelle Slater

Published on by Christine1 Comment

We are so excited to have author Lichelle Slater here today for an interview!

Lichelle Slater is a USA Today Bestselling author who pens tales full of magic and romance, and it is an honor to have her on FTC! She is one of the authors of the A Villain’s Ever After series, a collection of standalone novellas with villainous twists and happily ever afters.

So settle in as she shares all the juicy behind-the-scenes goodness of her Scheherazade retelling!

Hello and welcome to Fairy Tale Central, Lichelle Slater! It’s an honor to have you here to talk about your Scheherazade retelling: The Sultan and the Storyteller.

When did you first read or hear Scheherazade, and what drew you to retell it?

From the Aladdin song “Scheherazade had a thousand tales.” I knew about 1001 Nights and some of the tales, though, just from reading and exposure as a kid. When I was asked to join “A Villain’s Ever After,” I wanted to retell Scheherazade because I wanted to use a tale/legend/myth that wasn’t super well known. 

What was your favorite element of the original tale, the thing you knew you just HAD to include in your retelling?

Scheherazade’s intelligence and strength. 

Who was your favorite character in your retelling?

Probably my Scheherazade character (Shahira), but I also love broody characters, so Sultan Zayne was fun too. 

Was there a character with whom you identified the most?

Kiara, she’s Shahira’s younger sister and is spunky and caring. 

Is there anything from your life that you incorporated into this story: people, places, experiences, circumstances?

No, I tried to stay close to the world and characters. 

Favorite fairy tale (relation)ship in general?

I love the hate-to-love trope, so stories like Beauty and the Beast are my favorite. 

If this book was a movie or TV series, who would you pick to play (or voice, if animated) the main characters?

Oh man this is a great question! Sultan Zayne would be Navid Mohammadzadeh, Shahira would be Golshifteh Farahani, and my “Jafar” character would be Shahab Hosseini

Favorite and least favorite parts of this story to write?

The trickiest part was figuring out how to use her magic with storytelling. My favorite part is weaving everything together. A lot happens throughout this story that actually continues into the series after, The Sands of Wonder. 

What music did you listen to while writing this story? Do the main characters have theme songs? If you don’t write to music, what music do you think best represents this story?

I played a lot of Indian-style music or music by Two Steps from Hell, Audio Machine, or other music with no words. 

What can you tell us about fairy tale retellings you’re hoping to write in the future and any other works you have available?

This story continues with Daughter of Thieves which has the son of Sultan Zayne and Shahira as the prince. I’m currently writing the second book in the series, Guardian of Thieves! I also hope to write a King Arthur retelling, Alice in Wonderland, more fairytales, and so many good things. 

Personal dragon trainer,
lover of glitter,
writer of fantasy.

​Reading has always been a huge passion, from The Hobbit to Goosebumps. Some of my fondest memories are at the library or being read to, and when I embarked on my journey of becoming an author, I did so with the dream of sharing the worlds in my mind with others.

I currently live in Salt Lake City, UT with my adorable King Charles, Perseus, and work full-time as a special education preschool teacher.

I am a USA Today Bestselling author and was nominated for “Unforgettable Book of the Year” for The Beast Princess and “Mind-Blowing Fantasy of the Year” for The Siren Princess at Penned Con 2020, and as Best Debut Author at UtopiaCon in 2017 for Step Right Up (now Circus of the Stars: Ringmaster).

Welcome to the dragon nest!

To learn more about her books and upcoming releases, follow her:

You can find The Sultan and the Storyteller here:

Thank you for being here today, Lichelle!

A Villain’s Ever After ~ Author Interviews, Part 3

Published on by Christine1 Comment

And now, to wrap up interviews with the authors of a new series of happily ever after retellings . . . from the POVs of fairy tale VILLAINS.

Please give a hearty welcome to:

W.R. Gingell = Rapunzel

*****

You retold Rapunzel for the collaboration. What made you want to flip this specific tale on its head?

When I was asked if I wanted to join the Villains as Heroes story collaboration, a particular seed sprouted. A sharp-edged little sprout of an idea. It was a witch, striding through the forest with the grim determination in mind to make as much of a mess as humanly possible to scare off the next prince before he even arrived by making the villagers far too frightened to send him to her castle. She was spiky, and annoyed, and had something she desperately wanted to protect. And of course, that all screamed Gothel to me.

*****

Were there any particularly hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from writing this book?

Not particularly hilarious, but it was amusing to me. While in pursuance of making Lucien as believably male as possible, I asked a male friend who is similar in character what he would do if he was trying to engage the interest of a standoffish and spiky woman. How would he get to know her; that sort of thing. And the first things he suggested were Questions and Food, the only two things I had already decided were a necessity. Luckily for me, he was useful in building other areas of Lucien’s character as well!

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

I would absolutely be a facilitator! You know: the person that nudges this person toward that person—the one who sabotages your saddle so that your princeling can rescue you from the bush you’ve been thrown into. I sneak in and out, and have all the fun of the story without the angst! Win/Win!

GOTHEL AND THE MAIDEN PRINCE

Lucy Tempest = Swan Lake

*****

You retold Swan Lake for the collaboration. What made you want to flip this specific tale on its head?

It’s one of the few stories considered fairy tales that I don’t see many retellings of, while having a villain seen as among the few irredeemable of any sort. Rothbart is unlike, say, the stepsisters in Cinderella, the sea witch in Little Mermaid adaptations, or the fairy that cursed Sleeping Beauty, who with a few tweaks to the tale can become sympathetic.

His character also had great room for brainstorming, considering how fairy tale villains usually have a reason to why they did evil things. Villainous goals can be as simple as greed, jealousy, vanity or good old fashioned megalomania, but Rothbart had none. Turning Odette into a swan, sabotaging the conditions of her release and future with Siegfried, which led to her ending her life—what did he stand to gain from all that?

There’s also the fact that, in the ballet, the sorcerer was usually depicted in the form of either an owl or a vulture. The image of the white swan at the mercy of the dark vulture sparked my imagination, with great potential for a Villain/Hero romance.

Once those ideas settled in my head the story quickly began to take form, coming up with vivid concepts. The first were references to the ballet; making my heroine a dancer with a career-ending injury, and Rothbart shift into a bird like her.

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

Definitely the sarcastic sidekick, I’ll react in all the appropriately cartoonish ways to offset the hero’s serious nature.

THE SORCERER AND THE SWAN PRINCESS

J.M. Stengl = Little Red Riding Hood

*****

You retold Little Red Riding Hood for the collaboration. What made you want to flip this specific tale on its head?

I chose to retell Little Red Riding Hood because the villain is a wolf, which gives my story a fun twist. I’ve never been partial to “shifter” stories myself, yet I jumped at the chance to write one! Lots of opportunity for humor, drama, and suspense with a wolf on the scene.

I found my villain-hero most interesting to write about from the heroine’s POV. I think he’s an intriguing character in both his physical forms, and I do hope readers agree!

*****

Were there any particularly hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from writing this book?

Just last night, while I took a break from rewriting my epilogue, McLaren the Siamese Sensation, age 1, who resents my occasional lapses of focus on his incomparable beauty and athleticism, decided that my laptop’s keyboard would make an excellent launch pad for his attack on a cobweb in the ceiling corner. The resulting chaos nearly stopped my heart . . .

But Mac provoked a strong enough reaction to fill his attention deficit for at least ten minutes. Sadly, the cobweb is still up there . . .

What with my cats taking turns at sitting on or walking across my laptop keyboard whenever I take a break (theirs are interesting compositions, for sure!), and my file getting irreparably corrupted just pages before I finished my second draft (my computer-whiz son came to my rescue that time), I’ve had plenty of pratfalls with this book!

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

When I was a child, my favorite fairy tales always included animals, so “animal companion” is a natural fit. Yet “sage helper” also calls to my heart, so I’d be both. You know, a combination of the best roles.I was the kind of kid who cheered for the Big Bad Wolf or the world-weary wish-granting fish or the fox who carried stupid princes around on his tail, then asked them to cut off his head and paws.

Nowadays, as a reader and a writer, I go a bit more for romance, but well-written beasts blessed with sagacity are still a draw.

*****

THE BAKER AND THE WOLF

A.G. Marshall = The Little Mermaid

*****

You retold The Little Mermaid for the collaboration. What made you want to flip this specific tale on its head?

I actually considered several other fairy tales before choosing The Little Mermaid. My original plan was to expand my short Rumpelstiltskin retelling, The Curse of Gold, into a full novella. But when the dust settled from everyone choosing their stories, no one had chosen The Little Mermaid. So I decided to go with that one and write something completely new. There is so much material in the original story, and I was excited to return to it.

This retelling absolutely includes ideas I couldn’t use in my other retelling. First is Pup, a seal sidekick who helps the sea witch. I really wanted to include a seal in Princess of Mermaids, as they’re basically dog mermaids and extremely cute, but it didn’t really fit. (Seriously, look up pictures of fat seals. Adorable.) I also enjoyed getting to explore a darker side of mermaid lore, as these mermaids are really more sirens than the pretty mermaids you see so often.

And then of course, there’s the sea witch character. When I was researching Princess of Mermaids, I found myself fascinated with her, although she isn’t so much in that retelling. She’s described in a pretty disgusting manner, as she lives in a house made from the bones of shipwrecked humans and has snakes crawling over her bosom, but she’s not as evil as many retellings portray her. She tries to convince the little mermaid to abandon her plan. She’s very honest with her about the pain it will cause and how little chance she has of succeeding. In the end, the little mermaid’s stubbornness is her downfall. So I played with that element of the story. The sea witch is practical at heart and tries to dissuade the little mermaid from her plan, but the little mermaid is focused and determined to get what she wants. It puts them on a collision course.

*****

Were there any particularly hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from writing this book?

There’s one particular scene where the sea witch transforms into a human, and all my beta readers had one question: “Is she wearing clothes?” She wasn’t, and I didn’t want to magically have clothes appear because that doesn’t happen in any other scene where a mermaid transforms. So I had to find a workaround, and it honestly took a few months until I was happy with the solution. But it worked out in the end and now everyone has clothes.

I also had the opportunity to visit Hawaii to do ocean research while writing this book. My childhood best friend lives there, so I visited her to soak up some atmosphere. She, her husband, and their daughter have a cameo in the book, which is a lot of fun. Their daughter is very outgoing. She would run up to complete strangers and tell them that whatever she was wearing that day was her favorite. I basically transcribed one of those interactions into the story and made it a way for the sea witch to see a bit more of human life.

I also discovered that saying you’re writing a book about mermaids is a great icebreaker in Hawaii. I took a sailing lesson (more as research for Serafina’s story than this one), and as soon as I mentioned writing about mermaids, I had the crew’s attention for the rest of the voyage.

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

I always want to say something off-the-wall for questions like this, but I’ll stay straightforward and choose godmother. Honestly, I’d make a great godmother, fairy or otherwise (although I’ll take the magical powers if they’re available). I love helping people and solving problems, and I also love telling people what to do. It sounds like a great gig to me.

THE PRINCE AND THE SEA WITCH

Sylvia Mercedes = Sleeping Beauty

*****

We were unable to reach this author for an interview.

*****

CARABOSSE AND THE SPINDLE SPELL

The last book in this series releases tomorrow, so you know what that means: you can read the whole series start to finish!

And DON’T FORGET to check out their author profiles on Amazon and hop over to their social medias to give them a follow so you can keep up on their other books, including upcoming fairy tale retellings!

HAPPY READING!

A Villain’s Ever After ~ Author Interviews, Part 2

Published on by Christine3 Comments

And I’m back with the second of three posts interviewing the authors of a new series of happily ever after retellings . . . from the POVs of fairy tale VILLAINS.

Mmmmhmmmmm, you read that right.

Please give a warm welcome to:

Nina Clare = Cinderella

*****

You retold Cinderella for the collaboration. What made you want to flip this specific tale on its head?

I was looking forward to flipping the character of the villainess of the story. I picked one of Cinderella’s stepsisters, and made her very flawed but with some redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the challenge of writing a selfish character who goes through a transformation. I don’t know why ‘bad’ characters are more fun to write than ‘good’ ones, but they just are!

*****

Were there any particularly hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from writing this book?

I am owned by a dog with firm ideas on when morning walkies begins. She jumps onto my lap then sits on my desk to give me the ‘It’s time’ look. She managed to sit on my keyboard during this novel and wipe my screen. Some panicked minutes ensued when I thought I’d forgotten to turn on my backup – happily, all was not lost. And yes, I got out of the door on time next morning. Do not mess with a spaniel and her walks.

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

There is no contest. I love the fairy godmother archetype—a little eccentric, a tad reclusive, can work creative miracles with vegetables—yep, sounds like me…

THE STEPSISTER AND THE SLIPPER

Allison Tebo = The Steadfast Tin Soldier

You retold The Steadfast Tin Soldier for the collaboration. What made you want to flip this specific tale on its head?

I’ve had an infatuation with goblins (or any ugly little creature) for some time. I had also watched a YouTube video where a Lego orc had a crush on Arwen that, alas, didn’t work out. I found myself thinking that the ugly guy should have had a fair shot at winning the girl’s heart. I was determined to do an elf and goblin love story and was on the lookout for an opportunity to present itself. When I joined the A Villains Ever After collaboration shortly thereafter, I began looking through fairy tales to retell and discovered, with delight, a reference to a villainous goblin in the story of The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Here, at last, was my opportunity to write the goblin and elf romance. The rest is history!

*****

Were there any particularly hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from writing this book? Like a very tired writing day when you stared at your screen until you realized you had the wrong book open?

I really don’t remember anything like that happening during the writing process. However, when I was writing interviews for the blog tour promoting The Goblin and the Dancer’s publication, I did make one hilarious gaffe. One of the questions in the interview was, “If Grik came to tea, what would you serve him?” I said I would serve him rock candy and human jerky.

What I meant was the kind of jerky found in our world, not a goblin world. Obviously, it came out wrong and sounded downright bloodthirsty. At least it was on brand: I can definitely see the witches in fairy tales serving human jerky! Fortunately, my sister pointed it out to me before I published the post and I switched the phrase to beef jerky. Luckily, she caught it. If she hadn’t, people would be afraid to come to my house for lunch thinking that I would turn my guests into chewy snacks!

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

The fairy godmother, no question. I would love to have godchildren (I would be like their crazy, magical aunt) and the idea of spending my days popping in and out of people’s lives armed with a great costume and a wand and giving away stupendous presents is very appealing. Spending my days helping people or, perhaps, causing some mischief? That’s the life for me!

*****

THE GOBLIN AND THE DANCER

Lea Doué = Hansel and Gretel

*****

You retold Hansel and Gretel for the collaboration. What made you want to flip this specific tale on its head?

For this particular tale, I knew most of the more common fairytales were spoken for by the other authors, so I brainstormed less common ones that still had a clear villain. I wanted something that was still recognizable to most people. One of the first that came to mind was Hansel and Gretel. I knew I didn’t want my main character to BE the wicked old witch, so making her the witch’s daughter seemed logical. And when the gingerbread man stepped into the story, I had to run with it (pun intended, of course).

*****

Were there any particularly hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from writing this book?

Does dropping crumbs on the keyboard count? Because, let’s face it, when you’re writing descriptions of sweets and making Pinterest boards full of cakes and pies, you’re gonna be craving things. I kept a pen nearby to escort out all the little crumbs that fell between keys. My lap cat may have ended up with chocolate on her nose once.

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

Can I be the helpful librarian? Or, like, the old lady on the roadside who gave the soldier the invisibility cloak in The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I guess that’s kind of a godmother. (And I’m tired enough that I just typed that as “dogmother” three times in a row, and now I want to write a fairy dogmother into a story. THAT’S where ideas come from. Ha!)

[I totally need a fairy dogmother in a story now!]

*****

HANSEL AND THE GINGERBREAD QUEEN

Alesha Adamson = Twelve Dancing Princesses + Hades & Persephone

*****

You combined retellings of Twelve Dancing Princesses and Hades and Persephone for the collaboration. What made you want to flip these specific tales on their head?

When Camille Peters told me about this idea of twisting the classic fairytale to have the villain be the hero, I almost immediately had three different ideas pop into my head. I thought about the Frog Prince, Sleeping Beauty, and the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I had been thinking about The Twelve Dancing Princesses for a different fairytale idea and I just couldn’t get the story out of my head. Before long I started writing Drake and Rayna’s story and told Camille I was all in.

The idea for Hades and Persephone actually came later. I was talking to my good friend Julene about my book. We were bouncing around ideas when suddenly she was like, “Wait, he ferries them across the moat? Alesha, that’s just like Hades and Persephone, with Chiron ferrying them all into the land of the dead! You could have them all give him a gold coin or something.”

At first I was skeptical, but it sounded like a good idea, so I told her I’d think about it. A few days later I had to tell her what a genius she was because everything worked out so perfectly to make it Hades and Persephone as well!

Then one day I woke up with the idea for Marion’s story meshed with my original Frog Prince Idea—which later turned into Tom Thumb. I couldn’t let go of this villain idea or of myth retellings. I started studying myths and the ideas just exploded from there, until I had a full-blown series on my hands (Marion’s book getting shuffled down to book four as the chronology of various stories started to come together). Thus, Ever After in Vilastoria was born. I only wish I could write as fast as the stories come to me.

*****

Were there any particularly hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from writing this book?

I’m not sure I can really think about a behind-the-scenes moment, but there have been a lot of book bloopers. 

Being dyslexic, spelling has always been, and still is my number one nemesis. It is extremely frustrating to have a large vocabulary and be unable to spell it. It is also extremely entertaining when spell check changes the word I’m trying to say into a whole different word, or when I inadvertently write the wrong word.

Of course there were things like sliver branches instead of silver and I accidentally wrote Drake as Darke numerous times (hopefully I got them all fixed). Then there were a few of my favorites. I wrote: “Edmond, gently whipped her cheeks…” To which Jana, my editor said “I love this typo, giving her face a gentle whipping.” My sister found another hilarious one. I wrote: “She placed her finders into his…” Until I made this typo, I hadn’t realized that finders and fingers were only one letter apart. There were so many, I wish I’d written them down. Writing a whole novel was definitely full of fun moments and entertaining bloopers.

*****

What role would YOU fill in a fairy tale: sage helper, sarcastic helper, animal companion, godmother, etc?

Like many of you I long to be the heroine of my story and find my own happily ever after. 

Barring that, I first thought that maybe I’d be a fairy godmother, but then I remembered that fairy godmothers usually go about granting wishes or giving helpful things to poor lowly souls. Camille has been my own fairy godmother on several occasions including when she encouraged me to write this book. Fairy godmother, while an amazing role, isn’t exactly me. 

I’m the person people come to for sage advice. In high school my friends would teasingly call me grandma because I was a year older than everyone else and I was always handing out words of wisdom. One of my friends wrote a rather hilarious story about all of us being attacked by boobas in high school, and titled one of her chapters: “Alesha the wise.” 

In dating I usually wax eloquent about relationships and talk all about important things to know. While I didn’t get the guy, he usually goes on to use my advice and find his own happily ever after. 

So, I think I would take on the role of sage helper, coming in to hand out some wise advice that the main character would promptly ignore for half of the book, thinking they knew better.

*****

THE DARK KING AND THE ETERNAL DANCE

I don’t know about you, but where I live, winter and autumn are currently dueling for mastery, which means it’s perfect reading weather. Go load up on these books, then curl up and READ!

And DON’T FORGET to check out their author profiles on Amazon and hop over to their social medias to give them a follow so you can keep up on their other books, including upcoming fairy tale retellings!

HAPPY READING!

Author Interview ~ The Lady & the Wish by J.M. Stengl

Published on by Christine8 Comments

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.

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Thank you for being here today, J.M. Stengl!