Funny thing happened on the way to publishing books. Fairy tales. May #InkRipples



Simply put (according to Wikipedia)  A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features folkloric fantasy characters, such as dwarves, dragons, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, griffins, mermaids, talking animals, trolls, unicorns, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. 

Once upon a time I didn’t like fairy tale retellings. But one day I was home and bored, sitting on the couch, covered by a blankie, and in desperate need of a new story to read. I picked up a copy of The Curse Girl  by Kate Avery Ellison, a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I sat, and I read, and before I knew it I was done. Imagine my surprise when I enjoyed it! Then I read Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge  Another Beauty and the Beast retelling. A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn  a Sleeping Beauty retelling. Maybe you see that I was starting to like them.

One day, while reading messages and reviews for my first published book The Weaver. I realized one of the most common comments was how the book had a fairy tale feel. Though The Weaver isn’t a retelling, I thought it would be a good idea to take the series forward with fairy tale retellings. So I wrote The Wishing Well – Cinderella retelling, and then one of my favorite books, The Lumpy Duckling – well, that one’s obvious, right?  Right?

The moral of the story is that I now enjoy fairy tale retellings and have even used it in my own stories. As a special bonus today, click this link to read my Goldilocks retelling, Pillaging https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6NdYVO_8LENVXduc2JQOE51c3M/view?usp=sharing

I’d love some retelling recommendations. Which have you read and loved?

#Inkripples is a themed meme hosted by Mary Waibel, Katie L. Carroll, and Kai Strand posting on the first Monday of every month. To participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, and link back to the three host blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation. Themes and images and more information can be found here.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 1, 2017 at 7:44 AM

    Oh, I have some recs (which I'll share here even though this is part of my blog topic for next week)! Robin McKinley's Beauty, Rose Daughter, or Spindle's End. Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (book much better than the movie), Fairest, or Ever. Malinda Lo's Ash or Huntress. And, of course, Mary Waibel's Quest of the Hart, Charmed Memories, or They Mystery Prince, but I'm sure you've heard of them. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorMay 2, 2017 at 7:00 AM

      I've read several of those, but I really need to add McKinley's books to my list. Thanks!

      Delete
  2. Beverly Stowe McClureMay 3, 2017 at 6:59 PM

    I love your fairy tale books and have been waiting for more. Hint, hint. Next week for my #InkRipples I'm posting about a radio show of fairy tales. Before your time, young thing, but it was fun for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorMay 9, 2017 at 7:55 AM

      Sorry I took so long to respond. I read your comment and answered in my head. I find I do that a lot. Ugh! Thanks for the kind words for the Weaver Tales. Me? Young? Ha ha!

      Delete
  3. Meradeth HoustonMay 9, 2017 at 8:41 AM

    I'll double down on Katie's suggestion of McKinleys books. They are great!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Susan Kaye Quinn, Author of Open Minds, Presents:

Image
Finding Time to Write the Sequel by Susan Kaye Quinn, author of Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) Even before I decided to self-publish my new paranormal/SF novel Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) , I knew it would be a trilogy. But once I had made the decision to publish, the need to get busy on the sequel(s) kicked into high gear. Except that I was also publishing a book. Most writers find it difficult to balance writing with all the other demands in life. Even people who are lucky enough to write full time (which I am, since I write while my kids are at school), there’s still a tug between writing time and all the other things that need to be done. Once you’re published, this all changes, and not for the better. Now, not only do you need to write and get the kids to school and get the laundry done, but you also need to market your book, which can mean everything from actually getting it published (edits, covers, websites, blogs)...
Read more

Robot Writing - What It Is & How to Avoid It

Image
Many beginner writers fall into the habit of what I like to refer to as “robot writing.” It’s when you basically write your scenes like a grocery list. Ex: Marcy stood and walked across the room. Then she picked up the candle stick to inspect it. She blinked when she noticed the spot of dried blood. Marcy dropped the candlestick and ran from the room. I call it robot writing because when I'm reading it I tend to fall into a robotic pattern and start to sound like the robot from the old Lost In Space series. "Danger. Danger. Will Robinson." You may as well put numbers in front of each sentence: First Marcy stood and walked across the room. Second she picked up the candlestick to inspect it. Third she blinked when she noticed the spot of dried blood. Fourth she dropped the candlestick and ran from the room. Don’t get me wrong, robot writing is absolutely acceptable in your first draft, no matter your writing experience. Your first p...
Read more

Don't Be Closed Minded. Read a Banned Book. #Giveaway

Image
On this list , compiled by the ALA, of the top 100 challenged books of the decades 1990-1999 and 2000-2009, I've read: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Adventure of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Blubber Crank The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time The Dead Zone The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things Fat Kid Rules the World The Giver Harry Potter (series) The Hunger Games (series) The Kite Runner The Lovely Bones Olive's Ocean Speak Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes That Was Then, This Is Now Thirteen Reasons Why Twilight (series) A Wrinkle In Time I would recommend any of them, but especially the titles I've linked. The thing with me and banned books is that I don't get it. The banning thing. Why would you ever feel the right to keep a book out of the hands of other readers? Why would you feel you have the authority to say what some can and cannot read? Do you have the right to voice your o...
Read more