Spotlight & Giveaway: The Curse Girl by Kate Avery Ellisen!

Yesterday, Kate Avery Eillsen, author of The Curse Girl, stopped by A Backwards Story to chat about her book, what draws her to a particular fairy tale, and what board came The Curse Girl would be. If you missed it, you should definitely check it out. But before you go off to explore Fairy Tale Fortnight again, have you entered our giveaway of The Curse Girl?

Interview with Ann Hunter, author of The Subtle Beauty + Giveaway!

Today, Ann Hunter, author of The Subtle Beauty and the upcoming Fallen, has stopped by to share a special interview with us — not from her own perspecctive, as an indie author writing twists on fairy tales, but from the POV of her villain-turned-antihero, Sylas Mortas.
Click through to see what Sylas has to say for himself, and then enter to win a copy of Fallen!

UPDATE: Ann has made her book, The Subtle Beauty, free for the remainder of Fairy Tale Fortnight! Make sure you grab your copy!!

Fairy Tale Lookbook: BELLE from Beauty and the Beast

Even though I know it's a big time-wasting procrastination tool, and that I don't have even a smidgen of extra time when I'm hosting an event like this, I can never resist doing a lookbook for you. Yes, in theory I could do these well in advance — at any time of the year — to which I say, have you met me?
So. Last-minute procrastination it is.
But taking a few hours to browse online for things my favorite characters would wear — taking a moment to visualize them as a real person, going about their real fairy tale life in this sometimes drab world — is a nice little time-suck, so I'm okay with it.

Click through to see how I envision a modern day Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and let me know in the comments if you agree with my choices, and how you'd dress up one of your favorite characters!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Read if You Like...

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish

I know this was supposed to go up yesterday, but I ran out of Tuesday...

Anyway: It's Top Ten Tuesday(ish) time again, and this week's prompt is Top Ten Books to read if you like ___________. Of course I'm doing fairy tales, but since I've already sort of covered this ground before, I thought I would re-share the original vlog with you, which covers fairy tale recommendations for all different types of readers.

For the full list of books mentioned and their classifications, check out the original Book Pushing: Fairy Tales post here.

But though there are well over 10 recommendations in that video, I couldn't stop there. So, I decided to try my hand at a Like/Try/Why chart, ala Reads both Epic and Fierce.  The results are below. Let me know if you agree or disagree, and what you're suggestions are, in the comments!

Click here to go back to the Fairy Tale Fortnight Main Page,
where you can access the schedule or find out more!

Excerpt & Multi-book Giveaway from Barbara Silkstone!

Yesterday, Bonnie featured a guest post from Barbara Silkstone on "Fairy Tale Therapy," aka, what to do when life "tips your tiara," and how her stories came to be. Today, Barbara has offered up an excerpt from The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters, as well as a giveaway for all of you!

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9:00 a.m.  A bell rang and Leslie moved to his seat. The bailiff called the Court to order and the judge entered. We all stood.

The judge was female, about fifty-five, with a stubby body. She wore a long white wig like the judge in Alice in Wonderland. Bum luck pulling a lady-judge. I’ve learned that women are usually less compassionate with other women. She wasn’t going to be sympathetic to my flights of fancy. The worst part was she was probably in Leslie’s pocket.

As I slipped into position at our table my straight skirt rose up my legs. I tugged at the hem catching my bracelet on my pantyhose at mid-thigh. I struggled to free the gold links from the tougher than steel fibers of my run-resistant hose. My every movement succeeded in tangling me with myself. My right wrist felt permanently attached to my right thigh eight inches short of being obscene.  

As the true horror of my situation sank into my brain, I watched the lawyers take turns going up to the podium to announce their names and whom they represented. Dallas Little was attorney for Leslie Archer. Glick waddled up to the stand, “George Blackstone Glick for the plaintiff, Algernon Green” he said in a big, booming voice.

“And for the Defense?” the judge asked.

I was sweating. I couldn’t stay in my seat. You had to walk up and announce yourself. I edged out of the chair bent over, hobbling, wrist on thigh, and skirt way up where it shouldn’t have been. I tried to act as professional as I could under the circumstances. I flashed the judge a self-deprecating smile.

“Alice Harte. I am here today in my own defense, Your Honor. I am pro se.” I couldn’t reach the microphone on the podium, so I spoke as loudly as I could considering my face was on my stomach.

The courtroom was silent; you could have heard a lawyer drop.

The judge looked flabbergasted. “Are you mocking me?” she snapped.

“Your Honor I have a problem. May I go behind the bench?”

“The correct terminology is ‘May I approach the bench?’”

I hunched forward, pigeon stepping toward her. There were twitters of laughter in the courtroom. The judge banged her gavel. “Silence.  Ms. Harte if you are attempting to make a mockery of this court, I will not take it lightly. Now straighten up.”

The judge’s bench was a good three feet taller than my head. I waddled as close as I could and mouthed the words ‘Panty hose are stuck.’ She didn’t get it.

I figured if I could get behind the judicial platform I could take off my panty hose and roll them up with the bracelet and be done with it. The bailiff was one step behind me as I slipped around the bench and under the judge’s chair. I guessed he’d never seen anyone act that way in court before because he stood there dumbstruck and then broke into gales of laughter. The spectators joined him. The noise was so loud the judge’s gavel-banging couldn’t be heard. It was twenty minutes before they all got quiet and I felt secure enough to walk out from under the judge’s chair. I did so with all the dignity I could muster. I pretended I was Joan of Arc going to the stake.

---

****GIVEAWAY****

To celebrate Fairy Tale Fortnight, Barbara has offered up ebooks of The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters and Zo White and the Seven Morphs, as well as an audiobook of Wendy and the Lost Boys! This is not a prize pack, there will be 3 separate winners! Giveaway ends May 10th, 2014 at midnight. Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter.
**To enter this giveaway, you have to be registered on the Giveaway Registration Form.  Please make sure you have registered, and please do not leave any personal info (like your email) in the comments.  Thanks, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here to go back to the Fairy Tale Fortnight Main Page,
where you can access the schedule or find out more!

Interview & Giveaway with Vickie Johnstone, author of The Sea Inside

Vickie Johnstone, author of The Sea Inside, joins us today to chat about the best magical artifacts, what tale she'd never want to wake up in, and to "fix" the ending of a tale that's always bothered her... And while she's here, she's giving you a chance to get your hands on The Sea Inside!

GIVEAWAY: Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James!

I have loved me some cheesy, cheesy, deliciously cheesy romance novels lately, you don't even know! But I can't say that I've ever read a fairy tale bodice ripper, and now I'm feeling a decided hole in my reading life. Must rectify.

But while it may be awhile before I get to fill that void, it doesn't have to be a very long wait for you - Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author with a fairy tale series under her belt, has offered up a couple of copies her latest fairy tale escapade, Once Upon a Tower!

****GIVEAWAY****

Review: Titan Magic: Body and Soul by Jodi Lamm | #FairyTaleFortnight

 I've read aloud from this gorgeous book for you, and given you the opportunity to win both it and its predecessor, Titan Magic, but now it's time for me to tell you just why I think you should really want this book in your hands, right now.
Right now.

"Shades of Monsters" — guest post from Cat Hellisen, author of Beastkeeper!

A few months ago, before Bonnie and I really started to dig into the planning of this year's FTF, I stumbled across an upcoming fairy tale inspired book from an author whose work had stuck with me for a good long while now. The author was Cat Hellisen, the previous work was When the Sea is Rising Red, and the new book was a Beauty and the Beast inspired piece called Beastkeeper.
And when I say I "stumbled across" it, I mean I actively went looking to see what Cat had coming out next, because I was craving something from her brain (she says in the least zombie way she can muster).

Cat informs me that Beastkeeper has since evolved beyond being a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but that just made me want it included in Fairy Tale Fortnight all the more — I always find it fascinating how pervasive fairy tales are in our lives, that even once something makes it out to the general public and may no longer resemble the story we thing we know, that well-known story is still its origins. It permeates it.

Anyway, Cat is here today to tell us a bit about that. Enjoy, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Shades of Monsters

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Inside the cage was a beast. At first, Sarah thought it was a bear, with its lowered head between great hunched shoulders, but then it moved and it was clear that this was no creature she’d ever seen in any book, or on television or at the zoo. There was the essence of bear, yes, but also of wolf, of lion. It was a king beast, great and gray, with coarse fur like matted wires, teeth long as her fingers, eyes like lost planets.

- Beastkeeper, Cat Hellisen

Interview with Lindsay Mead, author of The Beast + Cover Reveal!

Lindsay Mead is a vlogger buddy of mine, but I have been a bad friend, because I somehow didn't know until very very recently that Lindsay was releasing a steampunk Beauty & the Beast retelling! Of course I had to jump on the chance to get Lindsay involved and pick her brain about her story, which she was happy to oblige me in!
Check out our little chat, as well as the awesome cover reveal trailer Lindsay made for the book, below!

Tips for Writing a Fairy Tale, from Kelly Martin!

Kelly Martin joins us today to discuss tips for digging in and writing a fairy tale! Click through to see what she has to say, and what has worked for her, when it comes to what she looks for and what she strives for in a fairy tale retelling!
And keep an eye out later in FTF for a snippet of her book Betraying Ever After!

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Fairy tales have always interested me. Not just fairy tales, but fairy tales told in a 'different' way. If you do a search on Amazon, you can find a whole bunch of pages dedicated to them. Some are obvious retellings {so obvious you wonder why the author changed the characters names anyway} and some are subtle.

I'm a fan of the latter.

A Reading of Keturah & Lord Death by Martine Leavitt!

I'm back with another Fairy Tale Fortnight excerpt for you, this time from Martine Leavitt's FANTASTIC, lyrical, gorgeous Keturah and Lord Death! I love this story, and the language of it, and wanted to just keep reading and reading it to you.
Take a listen, let me know what you think in the comments, and keep an eye out over on the Fairy Tale Fortnight main page for my upcoming review!

Top Fairy Tale Curses and Punishments

There's nothing like a good curse — a punishment, some justice, comeuppance, or just a good, ironical so there. It's something fairy tale writers and tellers have heaped on their subjects casually and plentifully for as long as the stories have been told. They range from the macabre to the weird to the downright horrific, and here are a few of my faves...

Cursed into the form of a bear.
This is fairly low on the list of curses, because though I imagine it would be pretty awkward, maybe it would be kinda cool sometimes, too? Being all powerful and RAHRRR.
And I mean...you live in an enchanted castle, Bear. What more do you want?

Review: Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen [vlog]

It's time again for another Fairy Tale Fortnight vlog! This time, it's a review of Danielle L. Jensen's STOLEN SONGBIRD, which you guys voted for -- it won in a *landslide*! I'm glad to see you are so eager for this one, because I sorta lurved it.

GIVEAWAY: While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell!

Yesterday, Elizabeth Blackwell, author of the just-released Sleeping Beauty retelling, While Beauty Slept, stopped by to talk about writing strong female characters in a traditional historical setting, and just what it means to be a "strong female" character.
So now you've heard her talk the talk — today you're going to get to see how she walks the walk! Click through for a chance to get your hands on a copy of Elizabeth's book, While Beauty Slept!

****GIVEAWAY****
To celebrate the recent release of While Beauty Slept, Elizabeth has offered up one signed hardcover copy to one lucky Fairy Tale Fortnight reader!

If the Glass Slipper Fits... Disney Princesses & the Perfect Shoe — guest post from Beth!

You guys know I love pulling fashion into the mix when I can. Besides being fun to zone out and pretend shop for things I will never, ever buy because I'm poor, it's so fun to picture characters in a real-life setting, and to use their written/animated "personalities" and extend them into the rest of their "lives"... which is why I'm pleased to welcome Beth to the blog today, to pair up some beloved Disney characters with their perfect shoe! Beyond being super fun, it TOTALLY FITS the fairy tale realm. Shoes are kind of a big deal, y'all.

So take a look below, and then let us know how you think Beth did, and/or your picks in the comments!

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So Misty & Bonnie are hosting Fairytale Fortnight again this year. And if there's one thing I adore, it's fairytales (or fairytale retellings). Clearly...my second eyeshadow collection* was inspired by them!

Because I love color and princesses (don't judge me), I begged offered to compile a list of heels that would compliment specific Disney princesses. This is pic-heavy, but hopefully inspires the same awe and whimsy that these magic-tinged young women have, for generations.

Anna, from Frozen:



Ariel, from The Little Mermaid:

The FTF Movie Watch-Along & Twitter Chat!

Well, my dears, voting ended yesterday on which movie we'd be watching and tweeting along to TONIGHT, and the winner is...

Well, it was a tie.  You guys couldn't decide between two movies, neither of which was Mulan leaving me to wonder just what is wrong with you, exactly? I mean, it's MULAN. It's basically perf. And it's been ages since I've watched it, and I've had "I'll Make a Man Out of You" in my head for days now. . .
WHATEVS.

Review: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede | #FairyTaleFortnight

So, Adult Misty and Actual Child Misty walk into a library... stop me if you've heard this one before...

Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #1) by Patricia C. Wrede
Get It | Add It
212 pages
Published July 1st 1992 by Scholastic, Inc. (first published September 18th 1990)

Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.

Over the winter, I just wanted something purely fun and enjoyable to read, so I posted a picture on Instagram asking for people to help me decide between Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing with Dragons and Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle. It was a pretty fiercely fought battle, but in the end, I ended up weighing what everyone had said, reading the first lines of each book (which just made it harder), and somehow deciding to go with Dealing with Dragons. It was really a coin-toss, and I think I would have been happy with whichever way I'd gone, but having read Patricia C. Wrede before, I know that she's able to create characters with personalities that make me smile, and I needed some smiling.
Dealing with Dragons did not disappoint on that score.

Guest post from KM Randall, author of Fractured Dream + Giveaway!

Join me, my lovely Fairy Tale Fortnight-ers, in welcoming KM Randall, author of the upcoming debut Fractured Dream, to the blog! KM has stopped in today to talk about the big H.E.A. and how it came into play when she was writing Fractured Dream. Take a look below and let us know your thoughts in the comments!
And don't forget to enter to win 1 of 7 copies of the book!!

Top Ten Unfamiliar Retellings, from Debz of Debz Bookshelf!

Debz of Princess Debz Bookshelf has jumped into the Fairy Tale Fortnight festivities with both feet, posting her own schedule of FTF reviews and giveaways, and general fairy tale lovin'. But TODAY, Debz joins us here at FTF central with a guest post on her Top 10 Favorite lesser-known retellings (and some of her favorites are my favorites, too!).
Take a look through her list below, and then let us know some of yours in the comments!

The "Strong Female" Fairy Tale... — guest post from Elizabeth Blackwell, author of While Beauty Slept

Elizabeth Blackwell, author of the recently released While Beauty Slept, joins us today to talk about the struggle to find a balance between writing a "strong" character and a traditional one — and what a "strong" character means to her.
Check it out below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!
And keep an eye out for a giveaway of a signed copy of While Beauty Slept, 'cause it's coming up soon in FTF!

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The “Strong Female” Fairy Tale—How Much is Too Much?

Modern readers love a kick-ass female heroine (see: Katniss in The Hunger Games; Tris in Divergent, etc. etc.). Disney’s gotten the memo, too: Merida in Brave and the sisters in Frozen are much better at determining their fates than poor, wimpy Snow White. The beauty of reinterpreting fairy tales is that you can tell a traditional story with a modern spirit, creating strong-willed heroines who challenge and rewrite their own destinies. In fantasy, you can play by whatever rules you want.

But if you take a historical-fiction slant—as I did with While Beauty Slept—there’s an additional challenge.

Interview with Danielle L. Jensen, author of Stolen Songbird!

Later in FTF, I'll be sharing my thoughts on Danielle L. Jensen's debut, Stolen Songbird, via a very enthusiastic vlog. But until then, Danielle has dropped in to chat with us about building the world of Trollus, her writing process, and how she'd probably end up having to wear a crusty donkey skin if she were in a fairy tale.
Check it out below, and tell us your thoughts in the comments!

A Reading of Jodi Lamm's Titan Magic: Body & Soul!

I already mentioned that Jodi Lamm's Titan Magic series gets all my feels for life, which is why I'm so happy we have an awesome giveaway going for it. I'll be telling you more in detail just how I felt about this book soon, but until then, I thought you might like to get a feel for what you could be winning.
Enjoy!

Friday Face Off: the Books of Bayern series

I'm kind of amazed I have featured Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern series (aka The Goose Girl, et al) on Friday Face Off before.  I've long commented on the differing designs, and for awhile, when it was just the top (hardcover) and middle (paperback, 1st release) sets, I was very adamant on which I preferred. In fact, I've been meaning to replace my paperback edition of the 2nd book with the original hardcover, and then complete the series. BUT THEN, they released the UK paperbacks (bottom), and though I still looooove the original cracked-oil-painting style of the hardcovers, the new versions are just so damn pretty!
So now I turn the debate over to you. Which versions would you reach for on the bookstore or library shelves? Which would you rather display on your own shelves?

Which one did it better? 

GIVEAWAY: Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel! | #FairyTaleFortnight

Earlier in FTF, Second Star author, Alyssa B. Sheinmel, stopped by to talk about her book and her love of Peter Pan. Later in FTF, Bonnie will be sharing her thoughts on Second Star (insider tip: she was a fan).
But in the in-between time, we thought we'd give you a chance to win a copy!

The #FairyTaleFortnight Cover Guessing Game!

I love puzzles and guessing games, and that little niggling feeling that you get in the back of your mind when you know you know something. (Okay, I hate that, but I love to hate it, you know?) So I love doing combining those things and making a cover guessing game for you every year for FTF!

...But it turns out: you're really good. Even when I think I have you guys stumped, you seem to get them with relative ease. I guess you really like your fairy tales. ;)

Spotlight: Maleficent Movie Trailer Discussion

source

Us fairy tale lovers constantly have our ears pricked  for news of the next adaptation, continuation, reinvention, or anything with even a whiff of the fairy tale about it, so of course many, many of us have been eagerly awaiting the long talked-about release of Disney's Maleficent.
So I give you: trailer. Check it out, and then let's discuss!

Guest Review: The Mirk and Midnight Hour by Jane Nickerson, from Emily!

The following review comes from Emily @ Oh Magic Hour, who wanted to share her thoughts on Jane Nickerson's The Mirk and Midnight Hour. Don't forget, we've got an interview with Jane up, as well as a giveaway for 2 copies of the book, so make sure to check those out!  But now, on to the review — take it away, Emily!

Interview & Giveaway with Merrie Haskell, author of Castle Behind Thorns! | #FairyTaleFortnight

It's no secret to anyone that I love Merrie Haskell's middle grade fairy tale / adventure stories. Full of plucky characters, well-executed fantasy elements and a ton of heart, they're pretty much perfectly geared to make me love them. So of course, I'm thrilled to welcome Merrie back to the blog for Fairy Tale Fortnight! She's dropped in to chat fairy tales with us, and offer up a special prize pack of books that frankly, I'm a little jealous of... =D

Vasilisa the Beautiful: a modern reimagining from Sophie Weeks!

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Today, I am pleased to welcome back Sophie Weeks, author of Outside the Spotlight [review], whose "Princesses and Chambermaids" story last year took on one of the more memorably bizarre tales out there, The Goose Girl.
This year, Sophie's back and at it again, giving us her interpretation of Vasilisa the Beautiful.  Baba Yaga during the Cold War — it's not one you want to miss!

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When I first read Vasilisa the Beautiful, I think I was about seven. It was in the kind of book of “world stories” that substitutes in Kipling for most of the southern hemisphere. But this strange Russian story with its glowing skulls, terrifying (yet oddly sympathetic) witch, and wonderful magical doll always stayed with me. It was many years before I read it again, but I immediately remembered, with great vividness, Vasilisa's sisters sending her off to Baba Yaga to borrow some fire. If you haven't had the chance to enjoy this story, you can find a pretty standard version of it here. In the little story that follows, I have plucked Vasilisa from her Tsarist setting to land her squarely in the middle of New York's Russian emigre community at the height of the Cold War. I hope you enjoy my interpretation. 

~ Sophie

Review: Beauty by Nancy Ohlin | #FairyTaleFortnight

Fairy Tale Fortnight is in full swing here on the blog, but it's high time I pull the ole vlog into this -- so I give you my first vlog of FTF, a review of BEAUTY by Nancy Ohlin!

Vlog viewers voted on this one awhile back, and many of you were eager to hear my thoughts on it. Hopefully, those thoughts won't disappoint you too much, 'cause suffice to say, I was not a fan...

FTF & WYA — a note on 2 twitter chats + VOTING on the FTF movie watch-along!

First up, I have a little piece of housekeeping. For those of you who read along with the #WednesdayYA book club, this month's twitter chat of Please Ignore Vera Dietz has been postponed to next Wednesday, April 30th at 8:30 EST. Hope to see you there!

Now on to the business of Fairy Tale Fortnight —

I've had a lot of fun in recent years doing movie view-alongs in my other event, Austen in August, so I thought I would carry that tradition over into FTF. So this coming Sunday evening,  I invite all of you who have Netflix (or own the movie) to join me in watching it together and tweeting along while we do.

But the question is, what are we going to watch?

GIVEAWAY: Titan Magic prize pack from author Jodi Lamm!

By now, you probably know I love Jodi Lamm's Titan Magic stories. Love. L-O-V-E.  I'll be sharing my thoughts on the 2nd book, Titan Magic: Body & Soul later in the event, as well as reading a little excerpt for you, but to tide you over until then, here's your chance to snag these books for yourself...

Interview & Giveaway with Danielle E. Shipley, author of The Wilderhark Tales!

A few days ago, Bonnie hosted a guest post on having to walk a mile in a fairy tale character's shoes, as well as a piece of flash fiction inspired by the tale "One Eye, Two Eyes and Three Eyes." Both of these pieces came from Danielle E. Shipley, author of the Wilderhark Tales, who has dropped in to chat with us today about all things fairy tale.

Check it out below, and then enter to win a copy of The Seventh Spell, one of the books of her Wilderhark Tales series!

Disney Princesses As...

Last year I showed you Disney princesses as all sorts of things (hipsters, steampunk princesses, zodiac princesses, princesses in lingerie... a whole menagerie of "princesses as," as well as princesses IRL). But the internets just cannot get enough of Disney princesses reimagined (thank god), and for awhile there, it seemed like I was stumbling across new incarnations of them nearly every day!

So I'm back this year with another little spotlight on these fun, inventive, intriguing creations from a whole slew of talented artists.  Check them out below, and let me know your favorites, or any you've run across, in the comments.

source

Top Ten Tuesday: Fairy Tale Worlds

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish

This week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Top 10 Characters Who __________, and since it's FTF, I of course related this back to fairy tales. So today, I'll be telling you about the Top 10 characters whose worlds I'd like to visit. This may sound a bit easy (I mean, why would I not want to visit a fairy tale world?), but when you consider the sheer amount of curses and men kissing corpses, most of these realms make me a little leery. Surprisingly, not so easy to come up with 10. Which led me to a slight revision — let's make it Top 5 I want to visit, and Top 5 I don't.

Guest post from Alyssa B. Sheinmel, author of Second Star! | #FairyTaleFortnight

Later in FTF, Bonnie is going to be telling us her thoughts on Alyssa B. Sheinmel's contemporary Peter Pan retelling, Second Star, and we'll also be giving you a chance to win a copy. But first, Alyssa has stopped in to talk a bit about how Second Star came to be!

Interview: Jane Nickerson, author of The Mirk and Midnight Hour!

Yesterday, I offered you the chance to win a fairy tale retelling that is high on my wishlist, Jane Nickerson's Civil War-era Tam Lin retelling, The Mirk and Midnight Hour. Today, Jane has dropped in to chat a bit about the book, how she chooses the tales she retells, and share a deleted scene!
Check it out below, and then make sure to go enter to win a copy!

#FairyTaleFortnight Giveaway Hop — enter to win a box of fairy tale goodies!

Once again, Bonnie and I have teamed up with Kathy from I Am A Reader to bring you the Fairy Tale Fortnight giveaway hop! There are nearly 100 unique giveaways going on in this year's hop, so lots of chances to win something amazing to fill your fairy tale fix!
Deciding what to give you fairy tale lovers is one of the delights of the event for me, but also one of the stresses — I want you to be able to read all of my favorites!
So to that end...

Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer | #FairyTaleFortnight

I've waited so long to be able to share this review with you guys. SO LONG.
[Almost as long as Cress' hair. ba-dum-tss]


Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer
Get It | Add It
Sci-Fi / Fairy Tale Retelling, 560 pages
Expected publication: February 4th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Okay, so technically I've already talked about this book a good deal, and it has been reviewed (briefly, but numerous times...) via vlog. But this written review is long overdue, but I'll be honest when I say part of why I wanted to save this review for Fairy Tale Fortnight is because I loved it so much that I don't really even know where to begin...

Create-A-Cover Challenge, Year 3 | Fairy Tale Fortnight

There's nothing like a good photoshopping session (or in my case, a good gimpin') to waste time and get the creative juices flowing. Or the procrastinating juices, maybe. You know what? I'm just going to stop talking about juices and get straight to the point — I love me a good mock book cover. I love making them, I love seeing what other people have made, and I love imagining the stories they might contain. That's why I make sure to include a cover challenge every year for FTF. Fairy tales are ripe for the plucking when it comes to mock covers: they're recognizable, they tell stories all on their own (and they're stories we know), and stock images for them are pretty readily available. Win/win/win.

Kristen's Top Middle Grade Fairy Tale Retellings | Fairy Tale Fortnight

Today's guest post comes from Kristen of The Book Monsters, long time blogging buddy and children's librarian extraordinaire. Kristen's here to chat with us about some of her favorite fairy tale retellings that are aimed at a middle grade audience, for either your own reading pleasure or to share with the middle graders in your life! Take a browse through and let us know in the comments which you've loved and which you'd suggest.

GIVEAWAY: The Mirk and Midnight Hour by Jane Nickerson!

Well, my loves, it's time for our first giveaway of Fairy Tale Fortnight 2014, and it's one straight from my own wishlist — Jane Nickerson's The Mirk and Midnight Hour!
Jane will be dropping in throughout the Fortnight to chat, but we're going to kick things off with a look at this second book in her wartime South retelling series, this time taking on the ballad of Tam Lin! Check out the book below, and then enter to win a copy for yourself!

Fairy Tale Your Life...

Buzzfeed (and the internet in general) has been on a fairy tale kick lately, so I thought we'd take a moment to TAKE ALL THE QUIZZES and get to know our fairy tale alter-egos a little bit better. This is part 1 of a little series on our own fairy tale AUs; get your clicking finger ready, brace yourself for the possibility of an UNhappily ever after, and let us begin...

Partying like it's 2013... In Case You Missed It

Hey, so maybe you didn't get invited to the cool kids table last year, or maybe your memory is crap.
So in case you missed it, here is some of the awesome fairy tale goings on that, um...gone on last year. So if your family is over for Easter and driving you the special kind of crazy, tell them you have super important things to do, make your escape, and then sit back and browse and browse and browse...

*  We had another Create-A-Cover challenge, and I sorta still want to write a story to go with my Wolf cover... (Insider tip: you might want to start thinking of your covers for this year... ;P )

Fairy Tale Fortnight 2014 Participation Linky

Click here to go back to the Fairy Tale Fortnight Main Page,
where you can access the schedule or find out more!

So. Maybe you've followed along during Fairy Tale Fortnight in years past. Or maybe you see all the cool stuff going on this time 'round. Either way, you're thinking, 'I want in, where do I sign up?'
Well. Here. =)

I started Fairy Tale Fortnight not just because I needed an outlet for my slight obsession (true), but because I wanted others to join me in that obsession - more fairy tale stuffs ending up in my feed, the better!

So if you want to get in on the Fairy Tale Fortnight action, feel free to link up awesome bits below! Reviews, discussions, lists of the best tales/villains/ridiculous endings - there's no limit to how much you can share, and everything fairy tale-related is welcome! [Though if you post something unsuitable to children or workplaces, and that's not clear by the title, please label it NSFW!] 

Don't be shy - get posting and enjoy the Fortnight!