Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart

Tag: Quest of the Hart

Twisting Fairy Tales with Author Mary Waibel

Back when I was doing research for my NESCBWI15 workshop about mining fairy tales, myths, and legends to write fantasy, I scoured the Interwebs for interviews with fantasy authors and also directly contacted a few. Mary Waibel, master of twisting fairy tales, was one of the gracious authors who provided me with an insight into her writing process. Though I couldn’t include all her wonderful info in the presentation itself (it was only an hour long!), it was too good to not share. So Mary let me put it on the blog. Thanks, Mary!

Cover Quest of the Hart 300dpiHow Fairy Tales Inspire Me

by Mary Waibel

I love fairy tales. I always have, but I’m not sure why I fell in love with them. Maybe it was the Disney influence of growing up with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. But regardless, give me a fairy tale and I’m happy girl. I guess it makes sense that my love of fairy tales creeps into my own writing. In fact, several of my books are twists on some well known tales.

Quest of the Hart, my first published novel, and the first book in the Princess of Valendria series, is a reverse Sleeping Beauty. This story all started when a friend suggested I write a book where the girly-girl saves the guy. While thinking about how to adapt this idea, I kept thinking of the princess in the tower needing rescue, and Sleeping Beauty popped into my mind. I pulled out my DVD, sat down with pen and paper, and jotted down the sequence of how things happened in the Disney version. Armed with a plan, I started working on my own version, and Quest of the Hart was born.

Charmed memoriesThe second book in the Princess of Valendria series, Charmed Memories, started out as a twist on Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper. I never intended to borrow from another fairy tale in it, and it wasn’t until someone messaged me and said, {SPOILER ALERT} “This is a twist on The Little Mermaid, isn’t it?” that I realized what I’d done.

The third book in the series, Different Kind of Knight, isn’t a retelling of anything, just a continuation for one of the characters in book two.

When a call for short stories themed around a pocket watch type device came out, I sat down and penned a reverse Cinderella, where the princess used a magical sundial/watch looking device to find the unknown prince she’d danced with at the ball. When I learned the anthology hadn’t gotten enough submissions, I pulled the story and extended it into The Mystery Prince, a novella that I self-published.

The Mystery Prince 300dpiWhile I don’t have a set way for plotting and writing my stories, I do have a way of thinking about how to twist fairy tales into my works.

First, I think it’s important to incorporate as many elements of the original story as you can, but give your own spin to them. For example, In Sleeping Beauty, Aurora is pricked by the spindle and the spell is cast. In Quest of the Hart, Devlin is cut by a magic dagger and the spell is cast. Prince Phillip finds a sword, slays the dragon, and kisses the princess awake. Princess Kaylee has to go on a quest to find a sword, get a drop of dragon’s blood, and make an elixir to wake her prince. In this manner, Quest of the Hart, truly follows the storyline of Sleeping Beauty, but it isn’t a retelling. It’s a twist on the themes.

Second, make a twist. I tend to reverse roles. Have the princess go on the quest, do the dangerous stuff the guy usually does. But you could also make other twists. Set it in the present. Maybe Sleeping Beauty is a girl in a coma and her prince is the doctor trying to wake her up. Set it in space. Maybe Rapunzel is trapped on a faraway planet because her spaceship ran out of gas (thanks to an alien life form who wants to trap her there for her company) and she’s just waiting for another spaceship to land and rescue her. Find a twist that interests you and run with it.

Of course, a fairy tale isn’t complete without a Happy-Ever-After (and this is probably why I love them so much.) No matter what improbable odds are stacked against them at the beginning (a dirty child sitting in the corner who fancies herself in love with the prince-or, as in my version, a bodyguard impersonating a prince), or what obstacles are thrown in their paths (running away when the clock strikes midnight-sending someone else in your place to see who is chosen to be her husband) the characters will be together at the end.

And that’s how I borrow from fairy tales, twist them, and make a new story.

QUEST OF THE HART blurb:

A reverse Sleeping Beauty tale where the princess goes on the quest to save the prince.

Princess Kaylee has never had to fight for anything. Her entire life has been arranged, even her marriage. But when Prince Devlin falls under an enchantment, she finds she is willing to do anything to save him, even if it means fighting a dragon.

Devlin’s own sister, Princess Arabella, is behind the deadly plot. She wants the throne and will use any means necessary to gain it. Her perfect plan unravels, leaving Devlin caught in a magical sleep that is slowly spreading through the kingdom of Breniera. All Arabella needs to finish her spell and claim the crown is a drop of Kaylee’s blood, but obtaining the single drop is proving more difficult than expected.

To save her betrothed, Kaylee embarks on a quest to find an ancient sword and gather a drop of dragon’s blood, while trying to stay out of Arabella’s traps. But Arabella’s traps aren’t the only danger. Time is everything. For once the last inhabitant of the kingdom falls asleep, the spell will be sealed, and not even true love’s kiss will break it.

Quest of the Hart can be purchased at MuseItUp PublishingAmazonBarnes and NobleKoboiBooks, and Smashwords.

Book Excerpt:

Abella’s fingers trembled on the hilt of the dagger as desire for the animal swept through her. He was perfect, not a point out of place or a blemish on his coat. She gazed longingly at him, until a sound from Kaylee brought her back to the task at hand.

Shaking her head to clear it, she watched Kaylee speak to the creature. Did she honestly expect him to answer? Arabella stopped her snort before it gave away her presence. There would be no better chance than this.

Holding the dagger before her, she lined up Kaylee with the tip of the blade. It had to be a perfect throw, as she would not get another chance. She dipped the blade forward once, twice, thrice, then let it fly through the air with a flick of her wrist. The blade spun, end over end, sailing forward. Arabella held her breath, watching, praying her aim was true.

The dagger flew on target, but just before it buried itself in Kaylee’s back, the princess moved, and the dagger embedded itself into the chest of the hart.

Author Photo- Mary WaibelAbout the Author:

Twisting Tales One Story At A Time

YA Author Mary Waibel is a romantic at heart. Her love of fairy tales, fantasy, and happy-ever-after fill the pages of her stories.

When not twisting her own tales, she can be found with her nose buried in any book she can get her hands on. Some of her favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Shannon Hale, Lisa Shearin, and Kristin Cashore.

Mary lives in upstate New York with her wonderful husband, hockey player son, and two cats. Many a Friday or Saturday night she spends hours gaming with family and friends. In the fall and winter she can be found at the ice rink, cheering on her son and his team, and in the summer, she enjoys escaping with her family on camping trips all over the states.

Interacting with her readers is one of Mary’s favorite parts of being an author. You can find her at these sites: author websiteFacebookTwitterGoodreads, and author blog.

Mary Waibel Author of The Mystery Prince on Twisting Fairy Tales

My good writing buddy Mary Waibel is celebrating her newest release The Mystery PrinceMary is a master at taking fairy tales and giving them unique twists and she’s sharing her inspiration behind some of these tales. Let’s all give her a big welcome on her release day!

Cinderella_by_Elena_Ringo Elena Ringo http://www.elena-ringo.com

Fairy tales are so much fun to read, and I’ve found they make great stories to twist into something new. My first book, Quest of the Hart, is a reverse Sleeping Beauty tale where the princess goes on the quest to save the prince. It all started when a friend suggested I write a story about the girly-girl saving the guy, and I fell in love with taking these well known tales and changing them into something else.

Quest of the Hart 200x300

Cover by CK Volnek

THE MYSTERY PRINCE  is a twist on Cinderella, without the wicked step-sisters and step-mother. And, instead of the prince searching for his true love, the princess is the one roaming the countryside for the mysterious stranger who captured her heart at the masquerade.

Add in class differences that could result in imprisonment, flogging, or exile, and the hope for a happily-ever-after seems dim. But, as Nor (my version of a Fairy Godfather) continually tells Tristan, “You have to have faith.”

The Mystery Prince 300dpi

Cover by CK Volnek

The Mystery Prince, a novella

Book Blurb:

Tristan enjoys being in the shadows as Prince Rand’s bodyguard. Similar in looks, the two often exchanged places in their youth, but he never expected the king to order him to impersonate the heir to the throne in order to win the hand of a princess.

Princess Zoe needs to find a husband. After a year of searching with no success, her father insists on hosting a masquerade ball for the eligible princes of the nine kingdoms. Not one prince piques her interest, until she meets the mysterious stranger who won’t tell her his name.

When Tristan meets Zoe he finds the girl of his dreams. The only problem? She’s a princess and he’s impersonating a prince―a crime punishable by imprisonment and floggings. Unable to tell Zoe his real name, he gives her a special navigation device. One that leads to the owner’s true love. Will this magic device lead Zoe to Tristan, or will her true love forever remain a mystery prince?

Buy The Mystery Prince on Amazon.

Author Photo- Mary WaibelAuthor Bio:

Mary lives with her husband, son and two cats. When she isn’t twisting fairytales, she enjoys reading, playing games, watching hockey, and camping. Her Princess of Valendria series (Quest of the Hart, Charmed Memories, Different Kind of Knight) are available from MuseItUp Publishing and other major retailers.  Her novella, The Mystery Prince, is available at Amazon. Her Faery Marked (book 1 in the Faery Series) will be available from BookFishBooks this summer.

You can find Mary Waibel at:

http://marywaibel.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/authormarywaibel

https://twitter.com/mewtweety14

Mary Waibel on her new YA Charmed Memories

A big welcome to Mary Waibel and her newest twist on an old fairy tale Charmed MemoriesI loved Mary’s Quest of the Hart and can’t wait to read Charmed! Welcome, Mary!

When I finished writing Quest of the Hart, Trevor, Kaylee’s brother, kept hounding my thoughts. He insisted he had a story to tell, and was adamant that I tell it.

After several starts and stops, I had a rough draft that had nothing to do with a fairy tale (like Quest did), but made me keep thinking of The Prince and the Pauper. It was a case of mistaken identity. Two identical girls who disappeared at the same time, one is found but has no memories of her past, so which one is she.

Several drafts later, with a few (hopefully!) unexpected twists and turns, Charmed Memories was born.

Prince Trevor has always placed duty to his kingdom above the desires of his own heart. But when his betrothed is lost at sea, he finds himself torn between honor and love.

After four years of searching for the missing princess, he begins to secretly long for Lady Bri, the Woodland Guide he works with each day. But the law says he must marry a princess, and Bri is barely a noble.

When Trevor learns that Bri shipwrecked at the same time and place as the princess, he begins to believe he has finally found his bride-to-be. But his happiness is short lived. Bri has no memory of her past, and the princess wasn’t the only girl who disappeared from the ship.

Desperate to prove Bri is his princess, Trevor unwittingly places the two of them in grave danger. Buried in Bri’s memories are deadly secrets someone wants kept from the light of day, and learning who she is may cost more than either is willing to pay.
Purchase Information

Mary lives with her husband, son and two cats. When she isn’t twisting fairy tales, she enjoys reading, playing games, watching hockey, and camping. Her debut novel, Quest of the Hart, and the companion novel Charmed Memories, are available from MuseItUp Publishing and other major retailer.

You can find Mary at:

@mewtweety14 (twitter)

Quest of the Hart by Mary Waibel

Please welcome fellow Muse author Mary Waibel as she interviews Prince Devlin from her YA fantasy Quest of the HartBased on the interview, this book feels like it’s going to be action-packed. Mary is giving away a copy of the book while on her blog tour. Use the rafflecopter below to enter!

Cover Quest of the Hart 300dpiMe: Welcome, Prince Devlin.

Devlin: Please, call me Devlin.

(He smiles, his silver eyes shining like coins, and I barely hold back a sigh.)

Me: Oh, well, thank you so much, Devlin, for taking time away from your duties to chat. I’m sure you have so much to do, with your wedding just a week away. And speaking of your wedding, I have a few questions about Princess Kaylee.

D: I’ll answer what I can, but I only have a few minutes. Kaylee and I are going for a ride soon.

Me: I’ll be as quick as I can, then. So, how did you and Kaylee meet?

D: We have an arranged marriage. In fact, until a few days ago, I’d never seen her. But, now that I have, I can say she’s wonderful. Kind, caring, smart, funny. Did I mention beautiful?

(Princess Arabella saunters in during his descriptions and groans.)

Arabella: Please, isn’t there anywhere I can go in this castle where it isn’t Kaylee this and Kaylee that? I thought it was bad when it was Devlin this and Devlin that. Things will be different before the day is out, though, I promise you that.

D: What do you mean?

A: Nothing. Aren’t you supposed to be out riding with Kaylee?

D: Oh, yes. I’m late. It was very nice meeting you. I hope you enjoy the wedding.

(Devlin leaves, and Arabella smirks.)

A: Not if I have anything to say about it.

(She slinks from the room.)

Me: Well, I guess we’ll just have to read Quest of the Hart to see what that was all about!

Quest of the Hart blurb:

A reverse Sleeping Beauty tale where the princess goes on the quest to save the prince.

Princess Kaylee has never had to fight for anything. Her entire life has been arranged, even her marriage. But when Prince Devlin falls under an enchantment, she finds she is willing to do anything to save him, even if it means fighting a dragon.

Devlin’s own sister, Princess Arabella, is behind the deadly plot. She wants the throne and will use any means necessary to gain it. Her perfect plan unravels, leaving Devlin caught in a magical sleep that is slowly spreading through the kingdom of Breniera. All Arabella needs to finish her spell and claim the crown is a drop of Kaylee’s blood, but obtaining the single drop is proving more difficult than expected.

To save her betrothed, Kaylee embarks on a quest to find an ancient sword and gather a drop of dragon’s blood, while trying to stay out of Arabella’s traps. But Arabella’s traps aren’t the only danger. Time is everything. For once the last inhabitant of the kingdom falls asleep, the spell will be sealed, and not even true love’s kiss will break it.

Quest of the Hart can be purchased at the MuseItUp bookstore.

Author Photo- Mary WaibelAbout the Author:

Mary lives with her husband, son and two cats. When she isn’t twisting fairytales, she enjoys reading, playing games, watching hockey, and camping. Her debut novel, Quest of the Hart, will be available from MuseItUp Publishing April 19, 2013. The Lost Princess, a companion novel, will be available from MuseItUp Publishing in August 2013. You can find Mary Waibel at:

http://marywaibel.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/authormarywaibel

@mewtweety14 (twitter)

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