Happily Ever After by the Fairytale Feminista

I’ve been writing about happily ever after a lot lately—questioning its validity, holding it up to a modern lens—and it got me thinking… What is happily ever after in a fairy tale sense? I can’t speak to everyone’s needs and feelings, but I know what it would take for me to consider any popular fairy …

An interview with me!

Hey FF readers, Writers are a friendly lot. We like to support each other because no one knows more than we do how difficult and solitary this profession can be. Bloggers understand that more than most and I think it's great the way we reach out to each other to make the big, scary blogosphere …

Reader Blind Date

Hey FF Readers! Happy Valentine’s Day! Reading a new book by a new author is like going on a blind date. You’re taking a chance on love. But you don’t always want to commit to a full meal, or in this case a full-length novel. Why not try appetizers instead? Say a paranormal romance novella? …

Romance by Another Name–My Top 5 unconventional stories about love

Valentine’s day is days away and I’ve never been one to celebrate it. One year in junior high a friend and I, fed up with the day, threw rocks in a pond and named each rock after a boy. It’s my favorite Valentine’s Day memory. Now I write a blog about fairy tales, which for …

The Little Blogger that Could

A lot of ink (and RAM space) has been spent on writer’s block of some sort or another. There are also plenty of techniques people swear by, from writing prompts to mindful walking. Each writer has to figure out what works best. But I’ve yet to see anything about what to do about blogger’s block. …

100 Word Challenge

Once upon a time (almost seven years ago) there was a woman who wanted to see her name on the spine of a book. A secret smile appeared on her face anytime she walked the aisles of a bookstore knowing one day she would see her book on the shelves. But her road to publication …

Things That Are Erased…

How long can fairy tales last? It’s a strange question for a person who writes a blog about fairy tales, like a chocolatier wondering how long sugar will be in vogue. But both are valid questions. Sugar has become the new taboo white powder with rising numbers in diabetes and other obesity-related diseases. Now we …

A Writer’s Winter Fairy Tale Come True

Now that the Christmas season has come and gone, I can make a confession. I really don’t like “It’s A Wonderful Life.” I didn’t see it until I was in college and my roommate expressed horror at my lapse in film viewing. I explained that one Christmas I saw it listed in the TV Guide …

Breadcrumbs and the Dark Woods, the “What If” Game with Hansel & Gretel

I like playing the "What If" game. If you don't know it (see what I did there?) it's the game you play with yourself (or others, rules are optional) wondering what can or did happen. It's especially gratifying with fairy tales. For me, happily ever after isn't enough of a denouement to satisfy. One of …

A New Year’s Resolution #YDSF2019

Welcome 2019! Like most people, I have big plans. At least they're big for me. Book 2 is due by mid autumn, I have a novella due (hopefully) no later than Valentine's Day, and the usual...exercise more, find new fairy tales and folklore, etc. And it's also a good time to take stock of my …