#storywishlist – Fairy Tale Central

Story Wishlist: The Master Thief

Published on October 30, 2022October 30, 2022 by ChristineLeave a comment

Welcome back for this month’s story wishlist!

Though this month’s fairytale has yet to see any adaptations in the wild, it seems to have lots of potential for one. Let’s take a look!

THE MASTER THIEF

Genres

Christine

MIDDLE-GRADE FANTASY – All the hilarious shenanigans in this one would play so well to a humorous middle-grade take. Maybe even more as a prequel to the actual fairy tale itself in which we get to see the master-thief himself go off in his youth and become the legend he is today.

COMEDY HORROR – There are some pretty bizarre and grim occurrences in this tale—from the thief literally using a dead body as a decoy to stuffing a parson and clerk in a sack and convincing them ghosts are walking about. Yeah, it’s a wild tale and basically already is comedy horror.

HISTORICAL FICTION – This tale would work so well in such a huge variety of historical settings. It’s a rare fairy tale in which no magic is involved and thus could work in any sort of time period. I think a Victorian take on this would be particularly fun. (Actually, the more I think about it, the more I really, really do want this one retold in the Victorian era.)

GRAPHIC NOVEL – The visuals in this one are pretty wild but far-too-fun and I think it’d make for a great graphic novel.

* * * * * *

Merie

I agree with all of Christine’s answers on this one! I’m thinking steampunk would be a cool option as well. Wouldn’t be too far-fetched if our genius thief was a tinkerer too! He could use mechanical crabs instead of real ones, for example! I don’t know, but it sort of works, right?

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Hayden

Aside from a traditional fantasy retelling (my stock answer for our obscure tales) I think this would make an AWESOME heist-style story. At first I was thinking in a contemporary setting, but then I saw Christine’s idea for a Victorian historical fiction novel, and I love it. Something combining the cleverness of Sherlock Holmes with the gloomy atmosphere of a Dicken’s novel.

Authors

Christine

ARTHUR DAIGLE – A chaotic protagonist and insane schemes is right up this author’s alley! I would love to see what he’d do with this tale.

LEMONY SNICKET – The master of absurd fiction himself. Retelling this one in the same vein as his All The Wrong Questions series would be incredible and just all kinds of hilarious.

ALLISON TEBO – This tongue-in-cheek kind of humor and mischief is this author’s trademark and I know she’d make such a hilarious story from this one!

* * * * * *

Merie

K.M. Shea would be fantastic; I just know it.

* * * * * *

Hayden

Kate Stradling does a good job with more obscure fairy tales, so I could see her doing this one.

Pre-Existing Story Worlds

Christine

ONCE UPON A TWIST TALES WORLD by Kirsten Fichter – Because this non-magical fairy tale would work so well in this non-magical fairy tale world! And I’d love to see what kind of delightful spin Kirsten would put on this tale.

TWO MONARCHIES WORLD by W.R. Gingell – Oh man, the master-thief just feels like one of Gingell’s wildly chaotic characters and the (somewhat morbid) humor is also entirely suiting of this author. This fairy tale would fit into her fairy tale series so, so well.

* * * * * *

Merie

The world of Sarah Pennington’s Bastian Dennel, P.I. would be a perfect setting for a retelling!

* * * * * *

Hayden

Now we OBVIOUSLY need our own Kirstin Fichter to retell this one in her series, and I’m also stealing Christine’s W.R. Gingell answer, because this story would work so well in her Two Monarchies books.

Movies/TV

Christine

I can absolutely picture this as a humorous animated movie. Some of the parts may need to be…toned down a little, but otherwise, it is comedy gold and would be a hilarious ride! I can see Dreamworks taking on one like this.

And if BBC ever wanted to make a series again like Merlin or Robin Hood, this would work sooo well in that style.

* * * * * *

Merie

Hmm… I’ll simply second Christine’s answers, again, for this one xD I can’t think of anything in particular, but I do think this would make a fun and cute (?) film adaptation.

* * * * * *

Hayden

I’m actually having trouble with this one. A part of me can see it as an animated film, while the other is seeing it more as an episode in a miniseries.

Are you planning to retell this tale?

Christine

I doubt I’d ever retell this fairy tale specifically BUT I’d love to create a character one day inspired by the master-thief. He’s just too fun! I also love the crazy dynamics between him and the count. That would be a really fun sort-of-enemies, sort-of-family relationship to explore in a novel one day.

* * * * * *

Merie

Not at the moment, but who knows? I have a feeling a few of the Master Thief’s tricks have already sneaked their way into the backstory of one of my characters…

* * * * * *

Hayden

I actually hadn’t read this one before Kiri brought it to my attention! It’s still so new I don’t have any ideas for it, but I definitely think it has potential for making it into a future book!

What kinds of retellings or adaptations of this tale would YOU like to see?

Story Wishlist: The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear

Published on September 29, 2021September 28, 2021 by ChristineLeave a comment

A tale about a boy who cannot seem to be afraid no matter how hard he tries…and he does try quite a lot, including visiting a very unnerving haunted castle. Truly one setup that is equally hilarious and epic. Talk about story fuel!

Today Hayden and I bring you our #storywishlist for…

THE STORY OF A BOY WHO WENT FORTH TO LEARN FEAR

Genres

Christine

FANTASY HORROR – Because, I mean, this one just screams horror-story. I don’t even really like straight up horror, but this one could make for a really interesting plotline. The haunted castle alone has SO many intriguing elements and I’d love to see it explored more.

COMEDY HORROR – On the flipside, a more comedic horror story would be perfect. To me, that’s what this story already IS. So why not run with it?

MIDDLE-GRADE FANTASY – Toning it down a lot, I could absolutely see this as a delicious, semi-comedic MG tale. The fearless boy who just CAN’T. BE. BOTHERED. is such a great setup for a fun romp of a kid’s story. He’d make an absolutely hilarious protagonist!

* * * * * *

Hayden

MIDDLE GRADE – Christine is right, I could totally see this being toned down into a hilarious middle grade story!

TRADITIONAL YA FANTASY – After all, I don’t know of any retellings of this, so one in an eerie-but-old-fashioned YA fantasy style would be so good.

Authors

Christine

JOHN CONNOLLY – His book The Book of Lost Things was basically fairy tale horror (and definitely filed under adult fantasy, just to forewarn). I could 100% see him doing this fairy tale in the same vein. It fits the style to a T.

NEIL GAIMAN – Pulling out the big names, but YEP. I think this tale would work for him perfectly.

VIVIAN VANDE VELDE – I nominate her to write the middle-grade version. Her MG takes on fairy tales are always hilarious, and I can only imagine the hilarity that’d ensue if she wrote the protagonist of this tale!

EMILY WINFIELD MARTIN – For a more serious, chilling middle-grade take, she’d do splendid. I could imagine this one done in the same format of Snow and Rose.

KATHERINE ARDEN – Some of the ghostly creatures we meet in this fairy tale somewhat reminded me of the demons in her book The Bear and the Nightingale. The tone of this fairy tale matches her style quite nicely.

MIRRIAM NEAL – A snarky boy and delicious creepiness all around? This tale screams Mirriam Neal.

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Hayden

oh my word Neil Gaiman WOULD be perfect!

W.R. Gingell would make this either really spooky or really funny, but probably BOTH.

I have a feeling Juliet Marillier could probably make an excellent mash-up of this tale with another one, sort of like she did with The Frog Prince and The Twelve Dancing Princesses in Wildwood Dancing!

Pre-Existing Story Worlds

Christine

I can’t think of a particular storyworld this would suit. Except for the world in John Connolly’s Book of Lost Things. It’d definitely fit there!

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Hayden

I mean, IF Marillier ever did another Wildwood book…this set in her fantasy Transylvanian world? I CAN SEE IT.

Movies/TV

Christine

Well, Arielle laid out this whole hilarious episode of BBC’s Merlin for this fairy tale that would have just been PERFECT. But since that’s not possible (*sigh*), I think a kid’s animated movie would be fun. (Leave it to me to choose a kid’s animated film for a horror-ish fairy tale.) BUT, if you lessen the more horror bits, can’t you see this making for a really funny animated film about this boy who simply cannot figure out how to be afraid?

This would also make for a GREAT Tim Burton claymation film like The Corpse Bride.

* * * * * *

Hayden

Hmmmm…I’m not sure? But I can definitely see this as being translated into some sort of animated film really well.

Are you planning to retell this tale?

Christine

Probably not. It’s not really the type of fairy tale that fits my style. I doubt I’d ever make a full novel of it, though a short story of some kind could certainly be fun!

* * * * * *

Hayden

I don’t have any plans to write a retelling of this one, but I’d certainly love to read one!

What do you think of our list? What kinds of retellings or adaptations of this tale would YOU like to see?

The Nixie of the Mill-Pond ~ Story Wishlist

Published on July 29, 2021July 28, 2021 by Christine2 Comments

A beautiful woman rising from the water, a bargain struck in the moment, a valiant attempt to save one’s child from the consequences of a parent’s thoughtlessness, a price demanded, and a woman on a mission to save her husband.

Please grab a cool drink and a shady seat and join us for the #storywishlist of:

THE NIXIE OF THE MILL-POND

Genres

Arielle

POST-APOCALYPTIC – A weird pond about which haunting tales are told, a flood that crashes over a community just when they thought that maybe they were safe from any more apocalyptic happenings, an old woman rumored to have the answers but no one knows if she still lives or not, mmhmm, take it away, writers.

MAFIA – Tell me this wouldn’t make a smashing story with a mafia queen having made a bargain for a boy and tracking him all his life waiting for a chance to make her move. I want it.

* * * * * *

Christine

TRADITIONAL FANTASY – Clearly we need some sort of traditional take of this fairy tale, since there are no retellings (that I know of?). I’d love to see the events take place more or less the same, but expanded and thrust into a richly fantastic, medieval style world. Romance, peril, magic, a dash of amnesia, and a happily ever after—everything you need for a fantasy!

QUEST FANTASY – I would like to know where the random old woman got that golden comb, golden flute, and golden spinning wheel??? I think a story in which either the wife or maybe an apprentice of the old woman or someone has to go on a quest to retrieve these in order to save the husband could be a fun take.

LIGHT FANTASY HORROR – The nixie stealing away the husband, the random woman who just happens to know everything that’s going on, the wife having to do tasks by the pond at midnight, the giant flood near the end—these are all a great setup for something pretty eerie. This whole fairy tale feels a bit more…heavy to me than some others. I could definitely see any retellings taking on more of an eerie feel than a fluffy romance. Maybe not straight up horror, but something fairly dark and mysterious would aid to this tale well.

SPACE OPERA – All I’m sayin’ is: SPACE NIXIE

PIRATE FANTASY – Because what if the nixie didn’t live in a pond but the OCEAN, and the poor wife has to become a pirate to not only find the nixie in the sea but travel the seas to find golden loot that will entice the nixie and give her back her husband??

* * * * * *

Kirsten

CELTIC FANTASY. The whole aesthetic of this tale makes me think of the rich, green Celtic legends. The romance and magic I think could be easily adapted to a Celtic feel and setting, and it’d be great. I mean, I wouldn’t even be mad if someone wanted to put a slight Arthurian spin on it.

PIRATE FANTASY. Christine, I’m SO THERE for this!

REVERSE FANTASY. Switching the roles of humans and nixies almost makes this a Little Mermaid-esque story. What if it were the humans who demanded the beloved child in return for protecting the underwater realms? The seafolk prince has heard many warnings against going close to the surface, but an accident gets him too close to the world above. His wife then must go on a quest to bring him home again — before it’s too late. But are these seafolk a colony of nixies or mermaids or selkies? You tell me.

HISTORICAL FICTION/MYSTERY. This story depends heavily on magic, so I realize that it’d be a beast to retell without magic at all. But I’d love to see someone give it a go. Reading certain parts of this fairytale gives me pioneer/colonial vibes; perhaps even something Roanoke. When a beloved son of the colony goes missing, and the word “Roanoke” is the only clue left behind, how far would his loving wife go to bring him home again?

ELEMENTAL FANTASY. Sorry, my recent desire to binge-watch the cartoon Avatar series is popping up here. How in the world can you read this and not pit the nixie as a water bender? I kinda get the feeling the poor huntsman/stolen son is an earth bender, but arguments could be made for him to be an air bender as well.

Authors

Arielle

EMILY CLAIRE – Her historically accurate Regency mysteries are great to read, and this would be delightful set then.

JENNIFER FREITAG – We were talking a month ago about how few novels are about couples having adventures after they get married, and the bargain + curse elements of this tale are right in her wheelhouse.

* * * * * *

Christine

JOANNA RUTH MEYER – I could absolutely see her doing a delicious, semi-dark, epic fantasy take of this one. Mmmmm YES.

JENELLE SCHMIDT – She tackled selkies in An Echo of the Fae and it was FASCINATING. I’d love to see what she’d do with nixies!

SARAH PENNINGTON – I really loved her Blood in the Snow novella. It was so rich and magical. I could see her doing a gorgeous retelling of this fairy tale!

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Kirsten

BRITTANY FICHTER. Definitely have to echo this one. It’d be brilliant.

WYN ESTELLE OWENS. I’d love to see a Celtic-esque spin on this tale by Wyn; she’s done something similar with Twelve Dancing Princesses already (in her novel The Dark King’s Curse), and I think this would be an excellent addition to that world.

K.M. SHEA. I do enjoy how a lot of Shea’s retellings stick fairly close to the original tale, and seek to explain the fairytale with all of its unique details. I think she could do wonders with this fairytale.

Pre-Existing Story Worlds

Arielle

SERENITY HOUSE by A.W. Exley – This tale has a lot of gaslamp potential, and I can totally see it fitting into her Edwardian fantasy world.

GLIMMERS by Emma Savant – Specifically in her urban fantasy variant of this world. Spooky pond, generational bargain, woman trying to find the man she loves: perfect.

ONCE UPON A WESTERN by Rachel Kovaciny – It would be a great little western tale in Rachel’s world, especially with a pond like some I’ve seen in places like Montana.

* * * * * *

Christine

THE CLASSICAL KINGDOMS by Brittany Fichter – Her tales aren’t afraid to get a tad dark, but also have such amazing romances. I could absolutely picture this story taking place in her fairy tale world.

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Kirsten

I already answered this question with my answers above. Sometimes it’s too hard to separate the authors from their storyworlds!

Movies/TV

Arielle

MERLIN-ESQUE FANTASY – It’s a CLASSIC Merlin-style adventure. Arthur finds a woman wandering in the forest, becomes enamored of her (or of helping her), Merlin knows she’s enchanted and/or has found out about the man under the curse and figured out they’re linked, hijinks ensue with at least one “Don’t be a clotpole, Arthur” and “MER-LIN!“

Check out the Apprentice Adventures post tomorrow for another Merlin-esque version!

* * * * * *

Christine

I imagine this being a darker, more serious fantasy film like Snow White and the Huntsman. Which…wasn’t my favorite film, but had a lot of potential, and I’d love to see something like it attempted again. The Nixie of the Mill-pond could definitely have that flavor that film was going for, and I think could make for a fascinating and aesthetically pleasing movie if done right.

* * * * * *

Kirsten

LIVE-ACTION FANTASY. This just needs to be a movie — full and rich and lush and fleshed out. All the magic and fantasy; nixies and babies and promises; basically, all the glorious things. Something that isn’t afraid to dive into some backstory stuff, but is pretty faithful to the flavor and details of the original story.

ANIMATED MUSICAL. Because too much of this story screams to be retold in The Swan Princess style. Pretty please??

Are you planning to retell this tale?

Arielle

At the moment, no. But you never know what’ll turn up…

* * * * * *

Christine

I think it’d be a delicious one to retell! I have no immediate plans whatsoever, but it’s certainly not one I’d say no to if a plot bunny decided to be extra persistent.

* * * * * *

Kirsten

I’d love to, but unfortunately I don’t have any plans to do so now. I already mentioned that it’d be difficult to tackle a non-magical retelling (which is what I’d be doing), so I’m gonna need some time to sit and chew on all the delicious details.

What kinds of retellings or adaptations of this tale would YOU like to see?

Story Wishlist: The Twelve Huntsmen

Published on May 30, 2021May 30, 2021 by Christine2 Comments

Writing our story wishlists for obscure fairy tales always feels a little like that first step you take into fresh snow, especially the first snowfall of the season. It’s exhilarating and magical and the scope for imagination is endless.

Grab your coat and follow us down another trail as we discuss retellings for:

THE TWELVE HUNTSMEN

Genres

Arielle

COURT INTRIGUE – I mentioned in our commentary that if The Selection had been more like this tale, I’d have enjoyed it a lot more (no offense to the author). So now, picture, if you will, a nationwide search for eleven girls who look like your princess. You net, oh, forty or so. You whittle that number down to twenty. Then, day by day, you pare it down still further to eleven. Eleven girls who study their princess, who learn to walk and talk like her. But WHY are they being chosen? Is it an elaborate prank? A masquerade a la The Phantom Menace? A new bodyguard protocol? Just why has this search been conducted? And what does it have to do with a revenge mission? That, my dear writers, is for you to tell us. Chop, chop.

CLOCKPUNK – I’m playing Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella right now, which is less clockpunk and more ‘puppet theater with a bit of flavor of clocks’ but I want clockpunk vibes, I want clockpunk aesthetic, I want these girls and clocks and magic and science all mixed together in an elaborate masquerade where the clock rules all…and the clock is running out.

DYSTOPIAN – Imagine if the ‘kingdoms’ in this tale are various rebel factions in a dystopian government. Dad wants his son to marry the daughter of one faction to unite them by marriage. Lo and behold, his son is in love with the daughter of the dictator or whatever the ruler of the dystopian land is. And even though she sympathizes with the rebels, she is not about to let her man marry the rebel princess. No, sirree.

* * * * * *

Christine

EPIC FANTASY – Or, like, ANY type of full on fantasy. I mean, we’ve got twelve epic ladies disguised as huntsman, political intrigue, a TALKING LION, a battle against wits, secrets and ruses and all manner of antics. The potential here is ENDLESS. I’m honestly surprised this one has next to no retellings.

TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES MASHUP – Literally the setup is so perfect. Twelve girls living a secret life? This could so easily be mashed up with 12DP, and I am 100% here for it!

SUPERHERO – The whole idea of the girls disguising themselves absolutely makes me think of a good ol’ superhero hidden identity. Maybe the prince is actually a VILLAIN and the girls disguise themselves as minions to bring him down or…something? I don’t know. But there’s all sorts of fun that could be had with this!

CIRCUS FANTASY – The whole talking lion bit makes me think of a circus. What if the girls have to disguise themselves as circus performers for some reason? The prince could be the evil and/or misguided circus master?? And what if it’s some sort of magical fae circus? Skye Hoffert’s Falling Snow story (found in Rooglewood’s Five Poisoned Apples anthology) got me HOOKED on creepy fae circuses and now I want moooore! I think this fairy tale would be the perfect layout for one!

PIRATE FANTASY – The Twelve Pirates instead of Huntsmen??? Yep, yep. I wants it. Gotta love it when females disguise themselves as pirates and cause all sorts of havoc. XD

MIDDLE-GRADE FANTASY – Because every fairy tale needs a fun little MG retelling, yes? So many bits of this fairy tale are quite humorous and I think would add well to a lighthearted MG take.

SPACE OPERA – Okay but what if the girls didn’t just have a vendetta against one prince, but like an entire GALAXY? Ah, the chaos that could be had.

POLITICAL INTRIGUE – There had to be a reason for the king to tell his son to marry that princess as his dying wish. AND there had to be some repercussions when the prince turned around and sent the princess on her way when he was reunited with his original love. Can you imagine all the political drama that could take place??? I could even see a retelling that is set right after the events of the original fairy tale, following the aftereffects of the prince choosing his first betrothed over the princess his father chose for him. Did the kingdoms go to war? What happened???

HISTORICAL FICTION – If you take out the talking lion (and just made him an adviser or something), this could easily be set in the real world. I’m not sure what time period or setting I’d even want. Maybe an Asian setting, Mulan-style? Okay, yes, that’d be epic!

* * * * * *

Faith

DARK-ISH FANTASY: I’d love to see a traditional fantasy retelling of this that might be a bit darker. Perhaps more of a revenge tale (wriggles eyebrows) where the princess is disguising herself as a huntsman and planning to enact vengeance on her lover for his failings.

WUXIA FANTASY: Cross-dressing heroines are quite common in historical martial arts stories, so I feel this storyline would fit right in!

STEAMPUNK FANTASY: I feel like this could be a fun and strange fantasy world – what with talking lions and disguised huntsmen. Perhaps this could be a more light romp with an extra dose of humor and wit.

Authors

Arielle

MORGAN G. FARRIS – I’m not really enchanted by the love story in this tale personally, but I feel like Morgan could make it likable. Plus, after Michael in her Chalam series, I’d like to see what she did with the servant here. Ehehehehe.

MICHELLE PENNINGTON – Not going to lie, I may or may not just want Pennington to write more fantasy in general, but this would be great from her, especially if she did a mermaid twist on it. Or a contemporary teen fantasy version? Oh yes, she’d kill it.

COLLABORATION – Hold on to your hats, fairy tale fans. Just imagine this tale as one of those novella box sets. Twelve different authors. Twelve different POVs (more if you include the prince/servant/etc.) One girl who vows to take back her life. Eleven girls who follow her. And then, SURPRISE! A thirteenth novella, from the lion’s POV (dibs, maaaaybe?). It can be fantasy, it can be Regency, it can be urban fantasy—the possibilities are endless. Just to throw some names into the ring, how about: Brittany Fichter, A.G. Marshall, Kenley Davidson, Shari L. Tapscott, Michelle Pennington, K.M. Shea, Emma Savant, and Melanie Cellier?

* * * * * *

Christine

SKYE HOFFERT – Can I volunteer her to do that circus idea? Because, seriously, I want a creepy, magical circus retelling of ALL the fairy tales from her now!

HEATHER DIXON – I could absolutely see her doing a really epic take on this. And since she already did a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, we know she totally excels at balancing large casts.

PATRICIA C. WREDE – I’d be so curious to see what sort of fun, epic spin she’d put on this tale!

JILL WILLIAMSON – She did a fantastic job writing a female character who had to disguise herself as a boy in the Blood of Kings trilogy. I’d LOVE to see what she could do with a whole pile of disguised girls!

KATHERINE S. COLE – Because she is fabulous at balancing big casts AND comes up with the most unique premises.

ARIELLE BAILEY – That space opera idea I mentioned? Hi, yes, Arielle would ROCK IT. Big casts and epic females and battle of the wits? This has Arielle written all over it!

* * * * * *

Faith

ELIZABETH LIM – I think she could do a fabulous new take on this story.

MELANIE CELLIER – She has written quite a lot of fairytales, of which the majority are either well known fairytales or ones close to that. I’d love to see her take on a more obscure tale and what she would do with it.

Pre-Existing Story Worlds

Arielle

Can Patricia C. Wrede write a retelling set in the same world as her MAGICIAN’S WARD? Because that would be SUPERB.

Also the aesthetic of Clara Diane Thompson’s MOON MASTER’S BALL would be great for this tale.

* * * * * *

Christine

THE (FAIRLY) TRUE TALE SERIES by Liesl Shurtliff – Though I’ve only read one in this series so far, I ADORED it. Shurtliff’s humorous little world was a delight, and I’d love to see what she could do with this fairy tale!

THE PRINCESSES OF WESTFALIN WORLD by Jessica Day George – Can you imagine if Rose and all her sisters ended up having to disguise themselves as huntsman for some reason? I WOULD PAY GOOD MONEY FOR THIS.

* * * * * *

Faith

Melanie Cellier’s THE FOUR KINGDOMS world.

Movies/TV

Arielle

The court intrigue version I mentioned? I’d love to see that as a Netflix show, yes please and thank you. Something with a Reign vibe. Mmmhmmm.

* * * * * *

Christine

With all the many characters and politics and lover quarrels and everything else going on, I feel like this would work best in a mini-series or TV series format, where there’s plenty of room to explore all the characters. Maybe a sort of fantasy drama like ABC’s Once Upon a Time? That’d be a lot of fun.

BUT. I certainly wouldn’t say no to a fun animated take as well!

* * * * * *

Faith

I’d like to see a movie adaptation done in a vein similar to perhaps Snow White and the Huntsman. Or even a more comical approach like Mirror, Mirror would be fun!

Are you planning to retell this tale?

Arielle

Oh, yes. There’s a Venetian masquerade version tempting me, a Regency version that may or may not fuel more than an RPG campaign, and NOW CHRISTINE’S THROWING SPACE OPERA MY WAY, which she KNOWS I have a hard time saying no to. Rude.

* * * * * *

Christine

Well, I WASN’T. But now my circus idea is tempting me something fierce…

* * * * * *

Faith

I don’t have any current plans – however I love the talking lion element! That I might have to find a place for in a story in the future. 😀

What kinds of retellings or adaptations of this tale would YOU like to see?

Story Wishlist: Toads and Diamonds

Published on April 25, 2021April 25, 2021 by Christine1 Comment

Toads and Diamonds, The Fairies, Diamonds and Toads—this fairy tale has had a few names over the decades but not many retellings. Today, the FTC godmothers are here to (hopefully) inspire you to write more. (Give us alllllll the books!) Join us as we pitch story ideas for:

TOADS AND DIAMONDS

Genres

Arielle

MERMAID FANTASY – This feels like it would make such a great story translated to life Under the Sea. So much becomes even more fun when you add THE GREAT BIG OCEAN to the mix.

SWORD AND PLANET – Wouldn’t this be a great tale in a John Carter of Mars, vintage sword-and-planet style fantasy (with updated perspectives)? A talented girl needing help before she’s destroyed, an evil mother bent on destroying her…yes?

URBAN FANTASY – Do I say this almost every month? Yes. Do I plan to stop anytime soon? Absolutely not. We need more good/fun urban fantasy (and contemporary fantasy) fairy tale retellings, guys! I’d love to see this one done as more of a temporary curse on both girls than a lasting blessing/curse on each.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN FANTASY – jewels, snakes; tell me you can’t see this in full Egyptian fantasy splendor, with a young pharoah and a village girl and a ‘goddess’ blessing/cursing the sisters. Mmm, I might just keep this one all to myself to write.

* * * * * *

Christine

TRADITIONAL FANTASY – ’Cause I gotta put this every single time. But I think every fairy tale deserves a good ol’ traditional retelling that follows along with the story fairly closely to the original.

MIDDLE-GRADE FANTASY – Gail Carson Levine wrote one for her Princess Tales series, but I would never say no to more! This story just screams middle-grade fantasy, full of comedy and self discovery, and all sorts of fun-loving MG things!

FAIRY TALE CROSSOVER – This is such a short fairy tale but full of many fairy tale tropes, I think it’d be a super fun one to throw in with OTHER fairy tales. Perhaps a crossover with Cinderella in which the evil stepsisters end up cursed with toads falling from their mouths by Cinderella’s fairy godmother? Or Rumpelstiltskin who doesn’t help the girl spin straw into gold but just makes diamonds fall out with every word. The potential is ENDLESS.

REGENCY FANTASY – Because trying to live by societal rules while gems and/or amphibians fall from one’s mouth with every word would be one absolutely hysterical situation and I would pay good money for this.

GENDERBENT FANTASY – Same story but make it BROTHERS. Because why not???

SUPERHERO – What if everyone was born with weird abilities and the sisters weren’t blessed and cursed with gems and amphibians falling from their mouths but simply born that way? Exploring how they’ve lived with such abilities AND how they use them to fight evil (or be supervillains *wriggles eyebrows*) would just be all sorts of fun.

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Faith

ANCIENT GREECE FANTASY – I feel like this could be turned into an interesting story with a Greek mythological feel to it.

BAROQUE FRENCH HISTORICAL FANTASY – I’d love a take on this story in Baroque France – perhaps during the Sun King’s luminous reign! And then the youngest daughter’s new powers could take her right to the court of Louis XIV himself!

YA MODERN RETELLING – A fun, cute retelling with the two sisters in high school and all the chaos that ensues when suddenly they are “blessed” and “cursed” by a meddlesome fairy

GEORGIAN ERA HISTORICAL FANTASY – I’m just all over the historical eras with this one lol! But I loved to see a version set in early America. The prince could be changed into some rich guy or noble.

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Hayden

TRADITIONAL RETELLING – I always go for something traditional when we come across a fairy tale that doesn’t have many retellings! Toads and Diamonds is no exception.

REGENCY – okay, but imagine all the complications a poor mamma would have in marrying off her daughters in Regency society when one has diamonds falling from her mouth and the other’s got toads!

Authors

Arielle

MICHELLE PENNINGTON – She’s good at writing contemporary YA romance, and I would love to see her tackle contemporary fantasy with this or the mermaid fantasy I mentioned above (she’s great at mermaid books too).

NINA CLARE – It would be fun to see her do a Regency-fantasy version of this, especially set at holiday time!

EMILY CLAIRE – Regency mystery! She’s so good at it with her HiFi Spinsters’ Sewing Circle series, and I can see this being a fun one to do with magic or without.

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Christine

VIVIAN VANDE VELDE – I can only imagine the crazy shenanigans she’d come up with for this story! I’d love to see her take on a middle-grade retelling of this one in the same vein as her novel Frogged.

ARIELLE BAILEY – Totally nominating our own Arielle to write a regency retelling. *grins Arielle’s way*

SHANNON HALE – This just feels like the type of fairy tale she’d take on and I’d love to see it!

JESSICA DAY GEORGE – Another author who I know could do all sorts of fun things with this story.

ROBIN MCKINLEY – For a traditional fantasy take! I would love to see another retelling done by her like Beauty that follows the events of the original fairy tale so, so well. Just…expanded. Lol.

PATRICIA C. WREDE – She actually made a reference to this fairy tale in her Enchanted Forest Chronicles (kudos to Jenelle Schmidt for reminding me of that!), so clearly she NEEDS to retell it. That would be such fun!

A.G. MARSHALL – Because of course. I know she could make such a fun retelling of this!

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Faith

MARY CASANOVA – Not sure if anyone remembers the American Girl books: Girls of Many Lands. I read several of those books – one in particular that I owned was Cecile: Gates of Gold about a girl in 1711 France. Though that was a middle grade book, Mary has been writing some YA and adult books of late. I think she’d be perfect to flesh out a Baroque French inspired fairytale retelling of this story!

ELIZABETH C. BUNCE – She wrote a Rumpelstiltskin story that was really entertaining. I think she could do a fun, maybe even dark twist on Toads and Diamonds!

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Hayden

I was recently reminded of ADRIENNE YOUNG’S books, and I think she could do a magical, Nordic-inspired twist on this one!

W.R. GINGELL – I think this is a story that could easily be woven into her Two Monarchies series.

Pre-Existing Story Worlds

Arielle

GLIMMERS by Emma Savant – I know I say this one a lot too, but it really is a fantastic world and series. Christine mentioned a young and inexperienced fairy godmother idea in our commentary, and that is tailor-made for Emma’s world.

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Christine

THE TWO MONARCHIES SEQUENCE WORLD by W.R. Gingell – The crazy events of this story beg for Gingell’s tongue-in-cheek humor and vivid characters and wildly magical world of her Two Monarchies series.

THE AFTERVERSE by Kyle Robert Shultz – Another author who exceeds in humor and crazy characters. This story would fit SO WELL in his Afterverse books!

THE TALES OF AMBIA by Allison Tebo – Insane curses and misguided fairies? That has Ambia written ALL over it! This fairy tale would be such a fun addition to this series!

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Faith

Gail Carson Levine’s ENCHANTED series. This is such an amusing fairytale, it would go perfect in her world!

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Hayden

This is always the hardest question for me on these things! But I think A.G. Marshall’s FAIRY TALE WORLD would work here.

And as I mentioned above, W.R. Gingell’s TWO MONARCHIES world.

Movies/TV

Arielle

NOIR MINISERIES – This tale has the potential to be a great noir mystery or mafia story, with the one girl being so good at jewel dealing that it’s said she ‘speaks jewels’ and the other the ‘snake in the grass’ trying to take her down. Plot twist if at the end, magic is found to be real and that’s how both got their names.

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Christine

This one totally seems up Disney’s alley! I could definitely picture a humorous CGI film like Tangled with a fun twist on this fairy tale.

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Faith

I’d love to see a medieval fantasy set movie or miniseries of this fairytale.

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Hayden

So I can definitely see an adaptation going two ways—either a really ridiculous, tongue-in-cheek sort of lighthearted comedy OR a really dark fantasy one (the first thing that came to mind is something like The Witcher, though that’s usually much darker than we go for here on FTC!) I’m not sure if I’d really ENJOY either of those two, but they seem the genres best suited to the story.

Are you planning to retell this tale?

Arielle

Not exactly, no, not in story form anyway. I maaay, however, incorporate a few of the Regency ideas here into a Regency fairy tale RPG campaign at some point. *sideways glance at my Regency RPG players*

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Christine

I’ve never wanted to outright retell this fairy tale BUT I’ve always found the concept fascinating and have been severely tempted to use it in a story one day. So…yes and no? Not sure I’ll ever do a full-on retelling, but if a person just happens to be cursed and/or blessed to have things fall out of their mouths by a misguided fairy in a story of mine one day…I wouldn’t be surprised.

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Faith

No, I don’t have any plans to retell this one. Though it might be a funny easter egg in a story to allude to. 😀

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Hayden

I don’t have any plans to now, but that could always change!

What kinds of retellings or adaptations of this tale would YOU like to see?