Living a Fairy Tale Trope

It’s a familiar trope in fairy tales. Cinderella had her father’s estate. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty both had a cottage in the woods. Rapunzel had her tower with no doors. Belle had the Beast’s castle. In fairy tales, princesses tend to find themselves in isolation. It’s not unusual. These stories were written in a …

A Smuggler’s Path by I.L Cruz

Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub

In Canto, magic is a commodity, outlawed by the elites after losing a devastating war and brokered by smugglers on the hidden market. But some know it’s more–a weapon for change.

Inez Garza moves through two worlds. She’s a member of the noble class who works as a magical arms dealer–a fact either group would gladly use against her. Neither know her true purpose–funding Birthright, an underground group determined to return magic to all at any cost.
But the discovery of a powerful relic from before the Rending threatens her delicate balance.
Inez’s inherent magic, which lies dormant in all the Canti, has been awakened. Now the Duchess’s daughter, radical and smuggler must assume another forbidden title–mage, a capital crime. This will bring her to the attention of factions at home–fanatical rebels bent on revolution, a royal family determined to avoid another magical war, her mercenary colleagues at the hidden…

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Simple Kindness is Golden

Ever get the feeling that rudeness in on the rise? I know it's not a new idea, but that doesn't mean it bears ignoring. Just like anything that requires correcting, it should be revisited. In fairy tales princesses and women who will be princesses are always praised for their quiet accommodation and politeness, which I …

Author Anniversary: Special Edition

As Fairytale Feminista readers know, I don’t usually post on Fridays, but today I’m making an exception. Happy Valentine’s Day! I don’t celebrate, but last year I found a new reason to mark the occasion. Last year I published my first novella, The Cemetery Circle. It seemed appropriate to release it on Valentine’s Day because …

Fairy Justice

Imagine if you will Rapunzel still wandering the swamp with her twins in tow and the prince elsewhere, still blind and searching for his love. Imagine the maiden in Rumpelstiltskin handing over her baby to the fairy who demanded her as payment. Imagine the Woodsman never happened by Grannie’s house and Red Riding Hood still …

The Spinster Queen

Real fairy tales have no end. And this one in particular makes me nostalgic because reading it was the start of my writing career. Check out Rachel’s other After Ever After stories.

Rachael Farrimond

Introduction

Please note that ‘Spinster’ in the title is using the original meaning of the word, i.e. a woman who spins, rather than the modern meaning of an unmarried woman.

This is the third story that I wrote for Christmas 2018, this one for my mum. The story she chose as the jumping off point was Rumpelstiltskin. At the time, I thought this was quite an odd choice as Rumpelstiltskin is not the most savoury of characters. But my mum explained that she chose this because the heroine of the story (the miller’s daughter) saved herself.

I had never thought of the story in that way and had to go back and re-read it to pick up on what she meant.

If you are not familiar with the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, it starts with a miller boasting about how his daughter is such a good spinner…

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A Noble’s Path release: Part II

Anyone who has considered indie publication or is currently engaged in indie publications knows that, to paraphrase a well-known opening line, it is a truth universally acknowledged that no matter how well a plan is executed, something will gum up the works. For me, it's paperbacks. For my last book it took a month after …

Musing on the Muse

Next week, A Noble’s Path, the second book in my Enchanted Path series, is being released. It’s a bittersweet moment. I’m hoping that it leads to more interest in the series, but I know it also means having to embrace more marketing. It’s not my forte, not because I’m shy, but because it means selling …

After Ever After

Rachael Farrimond

Introduction

For Christmas 2018, I asked my family to name their favourite fairy tale or Disney film, and from their answers I wrote a short story for each of them looking at what happened after “Happily Ever After” had been uttered.

Well, I did for the stories based on my parents’ choices. The one for my sister went in a slightly different direction (I’ll get to that at a later date).

Anyway, here is the first of my After Ever After stories written for my dad and using The Sorcerer’s Apprentice as the jumping off point.

Does The Sorcerer’s Apprentice count as a fairy tale? If you’re thinking of the Nicholas Cage film, then probably not; but Disney’s animation of the piece of music by Paul Dukas most certainly does. Dukas wrote the music as a symphonic poem (basically music that tells a story). The story itself was…

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The Continuing Story of Inez Garza

Divided loyalties test Inez Garza. The infamous incident at the Academy of Natural Studies has forced her to work for the King’s Men while continuing to serve the hidden market. Supporting Birthright furthers the cause of Magical Return, but the cost may be the fall of the royal house and losing Zavier forever. And the …