It is with great delight and pleasure that I announce the publication of the next dark fairy tale!
One Last Kiss is a darker retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and it was a joy to write. I was very happy to get it done in time for an October release as it is a more supernatural take on the classic fairy tale while reaching back to the original story of "Sun, Moon, and Talia" from the 1600s than the more sanitized version that the Grimm Brothers published two centuries later.
So, enjoy the tale, and keep a watch out for more dark fairy tales coming out soon!
Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Dark Fairy Tales
To be honest, Crimson or Gold was going to be a one off story, a darker Cinderella to stretch myself a bit as a writer.
But then two other fairy tales entered my head with a "What If", and I found myself intrigued by the idea of a dark Sleeping Beauty and dark Snow White. So I gathered up my paper and preferred pens, and I started plotting and writing. My husband got to listen as I hashed out ideas in between blowing my nose and coughing when I was sick, and he was willing to toss a few ideas back to make me think about what I was plotting.
And tonight, I finished the first draft of the Dark Sleeping Beauty story. It is completely written out by hand and sitting next to me on the desk, waiting for me to start typing it up which will begin tomorrow since I'd like to give myself a night off *laughs*. This story has been quite the task master, insisting I work on it whenever I can and even keeping me up late a few times as words poured out of my pen. Of course on the plus side of things, this is going to be getting out within the next month.
The hardest part of this story was actually *ending* it since it wanted to keep going down the lane of Happily Ever After to explain what happened next. But I think it's ending in a good spot, and if I add any more to it, the story quality will go downhill.
Besides, those additional scenes don't really add to the story nor does it wrap up any 'loose ends'. Just more characters wanting to talk when they're not needed.
But then two other fairy tales entered my head with a "What If", and I found myself intrigued by the idea of a dark Sleeping Beauty and dark Snow White. So I gathered up my paper and preferred pens, and I started plotting and writing. My husband got to listen as I hashed out ideas in between blowing my nose and coughing when I was sick, and he was willing to toss a few ideas back to make me think about what I was plotting.
And tonight, I finished the first draft of the Dark Sleeping Beauty story. It is completely written out by hand and sitting next to me on the desk, waiting for me to start typing it up which will begin tomorrow since I'd like to give myself a night off *laughs*. This story has been quite the task master, insisting I work on it whenever I can and even keeping me up late a few times as words poured out of my pen. Of course on the plus side of things, this is going to be getting out within the next month.
The hardest part of this story was actually *ending* it since it wanted to keep going down the lane of Happily Ever After to explain what happened next. But I think it's ending in a good spot, and if I add any more to it, the story quality will go downhill.
Besides, those additional scenes don't really add to the story nor does it wrap up any 'loose ends'. Just more characters wanting to talk when they're not needed.
Friday, January 20, 2017
Best Laid Plans
So, this past weekend, I was writing, determined to get my Beauty and the Beast short story done and published before the month was out, and on Sunday, I thought it was completely done at 25 pages and around 15k words. Then I sent it to my beta reader.
"Are you trying to do a novel in a short story?" was the kindest thing she said (which I actually appreciate instead of someone squealing and stating it's the best thing ever!!) She went on to explain that I pretty much had done next to nothing in the story and there was quite a bit that needed to be done in it. Also, the ending didn't make any sense.
I admit I was a bit aghast at that, but I realized she was right. I had been trying to write a novel in a short story, and there were so many holes, the story was practically the crib notes version of what it could be. There was so much more that needed to be done in this story to get a good tale out of this. So, I'll be taking that "crib notes" and expanding on everything that is there, and turning it into a novel.
Of course, this means that my plan for publishing a fairy tale short this month, then next month, and finally the anthology in March has been completely derailed. See, Beauty and the Beast is one of those that is included in the anthology, and also, if this story needs something of a novel rewrite, then I'm gonna have to rethink the other story I have planned plus the anthology only special story.
What does that mean for my writing? Well one of my goals for 2017 is tho have a novel written, edited, have a cover on it, and published on Amazon by no later than November. I will be shelving Beauty and the Beast for the immediate future to focus on one of the novels that I actually have a great deal of it written out by hand. When I get stuck on that story, finish that story, or need something to do when I don't feel like writing pages upon pages, I'll pull Beauty and the Beast out and poke at it to see where it wants to go and how it wants to get there.
I'm not throwing the story or the idea away, but it definitely needs a lot more meat on those bones before it can be ready for anyone aside from my beta readers to read. Mainly because I hate promising my readers a steak and lobster dinner only to hand them a McDonald's Happy Meal.
"Are you trying to do a novel in a short story?" was the kindest thing she said (which I actually appreciate instead of someone squealing and stating it's the best thing ever!!) She went on to explain that I pretty much had done next to nothing in the story and there was quite a bit that needed to be done in it. Also, the ending didn't make any sense.
I admit I was a bit aghast at that, but I realized she was right. I had been trying to write a novel in a short story, and there were so many holes, the story was practically the crib notes version of what it could be. There was so much more that needed to be done in this story to get a good tale out of this. So, I'll be taking that "crib notes" and expanding on everything that is there, and turning it into a novel.
Of course, this means that my plan for publishing a fairy tale short this month, then next month, and finally the anthology in March has been completely derailed. See, Beauty and the Beast is one of those that is included in the anthology, and also, if this story needs something of a novel rewrite, then I'm gonna have to rethink the other story I have planned plus the anthology only special story.
What does that mean for my writing? Well one of my goals for 2017 is tho have a novel written, edited, have a cover on it, and published on Amazon by no later than November. I will be shelving Beauty and the Beast for the immediate future to focus on one of the novels that I actually have a great deal of it written out by hand. When I get stuck on that story, finish that story, or need something to do when I don't feel like writing pages upon pages, I'll pull Beauty and the Beast out and poke at it to see where it wants to go and how it wants to get there.
I'm not throwing the story or the idea away, but it definitely needs a lot more meat on those bones before it can be ready for anyone aside from my beta readers to read. Mainly because I hate promising my readers a steak and lobster dinner only to hand them a McDonald's Happy Meal.
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