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Welcome to Conversations with Fairy Whisperers, Rachelle! Glad to have you here in our space connecting the fairy tale retellings readership with the creators of the stories they love. Tell us about yourself, what fascinates you about fairy tales and how did you begin writing retellings of them?
Hello! I am so happy to be a guest on the blog today. It’s a special thing to connect with readers outside the pages of my novels. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the recommendations and content on your website, so thank you for including me.
Fairy tales are so deeply woven into the fabric of our culture, it’s hard to know where my love for them began. Was it classic Disney? Was it the giant, hardback copy of Grimm and Andersen that sat on my bedroom shelf? I think the best stories have stuck around for centuries because they resonate with the human condition. Fairy tales help us to feel seen, to feel hopeful, or to feel frightened of the right things. They are a reflection of the darkest and lightest parts of our lives.
So, when I began writing, fairy tales naturally found their way into the structures of my plots.
Of all the styles and formats retellings come in—pictorial, screen, graphic, illustrated, or written—which do you most favour?
I grew up reading Robin McKinley, Shannon Hale, Gail Carson Levine, and so many other beautiful writers who brought fairytales to life in a brand new way. Novels will always be my favorite way to experience a story because of the depth of character.
That being said, I also went through a serious obsession with the artwork of Brian Froud. I don’t know if you can call his paintings direct retellings, but his characters are often inspired by ancient folklore from the British Isles.
Oh, I can totally see how his paintings can be seen as retellings! Some academics, like Jack Zipes, argue that illustrations are as valid a form of fairy tale retelling as written ones, and I agree with him. And since you mentioned growing up with anthologies of the mainstream fairy tellers’ work, do you have a favourite fairy tale? What aspects of it appeal to you personally, and why?
I do have a terrible weakness for Beauty and the Beast. Wouldn’t it be beautiful if true love could break all curses and change men from monsters to princes? Unfortunately, this . . . kind of hope has led many women to stay in abusive situations for too long.
But Beauty and the Beast is about more than just saving monsters from themselves. It shows a love the transcends physical attraction, and I think a lot of us long for a deep heart connection like that. Despite the many critiques of Beauty and the Beast (Stockholm syndrome as romance), I still will devour a good retelling. And I tried to show a healthier relationship in my version than might be expected. Although boundaries are so important, I will always be moved by the sacrificial love intrinsic to the tale.
My debut novel, Sky of Seven Colors, was inspired by Beauty and the Beast in small ways (A gothic castle. A bargain to save a life.), but really it came from the stories of goblin kings stealing human brides. Sky of Seven Colors is not about true love. It is about the difference between being loved and being wanted. It’s a story about finding your voice and taking back your power. Plus a touch of the Dark Crystal and The Giver.
My novel Embergold stays true to the happily-ever-after of a fairy tale, but there are still so many twists in the plot.
That’s interesting! I have seen B&B retellings that use goblins as the Beast. So, you could say you have two books that drink from the fairy tale’s plot to retell it. In your opinion, what makes a retelling stand out? What do you consider the joys and challenges of writing in this specific subgenre?
A good story is a good story, even if you’ve read it before. Sometimes, familiarity is comforting, and then all the creative little twists can be more appreciated. I love Melanie Cellier’s retelling series, even though I always know where the plot is going. She’s just so clever, and she make you love her characters.
Little changes can make a big difference, like an untraditionally grumpy heroine, a new consequence to magic, or a combination of classics that makes everything feel new.
And speaking of changes, in your opinion, what fairy tale is the most complicated to reinvent, and why?
A literary agent once told me that Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are the most common retellings they see. With Alice in Wonderland, the original story was meandering and disjointed on purpose. So, though it might be often done, writing Alice to fit the expectations of the fantasy genre is no easy task.
You recently published Embergold, a story that combines “Beauty and the Beast,” our favourite tale on this site, with dragon-and-maiden folklore and some bits of historical inspiration for the world. How did you come across the idea for this story, and what can you tell us about its creative process?
I started out thinking about the story of Rumplestiltskin. Why would a creepy little man want a baby to raise in the wilderness? Of course you can think of a hundred horrible reasons right out of the gate, but I wanted a more creative reason than pure depravity. So I started to imagine the character of Gilde, a child raised in isolation for a magical purpose.
That’s quite the revelation! This puts the relationship between Gilde and her father under a new light I hadn’t considered and it clarifies a lot in hindsight. And on the matter of dragons and maidens, do you have a favourite story with this archetype and what do you find most appealing about it?
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine has a haunting depiction of the maiden and dragon relationship. I was always fascinated by the way the heroine pities the dragon, fears it, and appeases it in order to survive.
None of that made it into Embergold, though. I was more inspired by the story of Eustace from Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where being a dragon is a curse. It makes Eustace powerful, and it makes him lonely.
Many authors who started their careers writing retellings later abandon fairy tale retellings for other genres and story ideas. Do you plan to continue writing retellings or will you move on to other projects?
I suspect my stories will always feel a bit like a fairy tale. It’s been a lifelong obsession. But my debut novel, Sky of Seven Colors, wasn’t a real retelling. Many readers described it as a new fairy tale they’d never read before, and my next book is more like that. The story I’m crafting now combines pieces of Davy Jones’s Locker with tales of sea monsters and maidens lost to the waves.
So you’ll be doing Folkloric Fantasy next! We look forward to that. And looking back at great books already published, if there was a Hall of Fame for retold fairy tales, which would you consider the best retold stories books and why are they worthy of inclusion in said Hall of Fame?
I’ve already mentioned a few here, but I think my absolute favorite is Beauty by Robin McKinley. I also adore Hollow Kingdom by Claire B Dunkle (A terrible Stockholm syndrome story about a goblin beast. The world building is unmatched.)
Is there an author who you view as a role model for your own writing?
I’ve read everything ever written by C. S. Lewis, though my writing is nothing like his. Juliet Marillier is an inspiration for character development and historical grounding, though my books are geared toward a young adult audience, so they are much more tame than her adult fantasy romances. I love Kierra Cass’s hooky stories, but nothing I write is quite that flashy. If I could write prose half as well as Rebecca Ross, I would rejoice.
Mostly, I just love to read. I love so many books I can’t name them all. One day, I found I had my own stories to write, so I did. I’m sure they are a patchwork of all the authors I’ve read.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Rachelle! We will be keeping an eye on your future books, which we hope shall be many more in the years to come.
Thank you for the opportunity! What a pleasure.
