Stolen Songs Release Party: Interview with Enna

 

Hello, everyone! You thought we were done with the Stolen Songs releases? Well, we have one more book to celebrate: Kendra E. Ardnek's A Little Persuaded, which releases today! This is the final-for-now installment in the Austen Fairy Tale, and it blends The Little Mermaid with Jane Austen's Persuasion. Today, you can meet the main character, Enna, in a short interview — and tomorrow, swing by Light and Shadows to get my thoughts on the book as a whole.

About . . .

A Little Persuaded

Seven years ago, the mermaid Enna loved a human prince, but fate was against them. Now Kelantis is in danger and her journey to save it has brought the prince back into her life.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

Kendra E. Ardnek

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her. When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she's frequently known to act before she thinks.

Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Newsletter || Instagram || TikTok || Amazon 

Interview with Enna

Welcome to the blog! To start, tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything that you feel is important for us to know to understand what makes you, you.

Hello, I am Enna, the younger daughter of King Elliot of Kelantis. I ruined my beauty by ... some foolishness when I was younger, and so I spend my time now devoted to the people. Seeing to their needs. Making sure that the city is secure. Going to land if we need to retrieve information from the humans. That sort of thing.

A very noble duty all round. Who would you say has had the biggest influence (for good or ill) on your life thus far? What was the most important thing you learned from them?

Probably Lady Mussle, who is the Guardian of the ocean's magic. I'm her apprentice now, but even before that, she was always like a mother to me, after my own mother's death. Probably the greatest lesson she ever taught me is that even if the people never appreciate my sacrifices, as long as I know I am in obedience to the will of Austere and am serving in their best interests, that is what matters.

An important lesson to learn. Now, at this point, you’ve lived both above and below the waves, with both humans and merrin. What’s something that you think Merrin do well that humans could maybe take lessons from? On the flip side, what’s something that humans do well and Merrin could stand to adopt?

I think that the humans could learn to care less about the passing of time. The difference between the hours of day are ... less noticeable under the sea than they are on land. As for the Merrin, I think they could learn to care less about the physical appearance. My people are vain. 

That seems to be a common trait with mer-folk in many story worlds. What was the hardest part about leaving your home in the sea (even temporarily) to live on land?

The fact that I was doing it in defiance of my father's orders. It was necessary, though I don't know now what we're going to do with the information I gathered, but I know he is unhappy with me. 

I'm sorry; it's always hard to be in conflict with family. To finish up, what is the one thing you hope people most remember about you?

As I said, it doesn't matter how I'm remembered, as long as I know that I made the right choices and the necessary sacrifices. 

That's a very noble attitude . . . one more people could stand to adopt. Thank you for answering my questions! And thanks to all my readers for reading!

Are you excited to read Enna's tale? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hello, all! As some of you may be aware, Kendra E. Ardnek just dropped four new Beauty and the Beast retellings: Snow Quest Like Home (which combines B&B with The Snow Queen and a few other stories — plus bonus crossover with another series!), Fairer Than Beauty (a Twist of Adventure in which the main character did not want to be in this story), The Dragon (a Western fairytale I haven't read yet), and Thornrose Estate, which blends Beauty and the Beast with Northanger Abbey and rapidly claimed the spot of Favorite Austen Fairy Tale. Seriously, y'all — I loved this story so much, and I think you will too. And, of course, I'm going to give you all the reasons why.

Reasons to Love Thornrose Estate

1. Calla is such a relatable heroine. This may be a surprise to those who read Snowfield Palace, but once we see Calla out of Rina's shadow . . . oh, I would so be friends with her! As with her Austen equivalent, she's a bookworm and, dare I say, fangirl who takes refuge in her favorite stories and tends to view life in narrative terms, and it gives me life every time she reflects on the narrative appropriateness of particular occurrences. And I think her struggle — trying to navigate life away from home and family in a world where there always seems to be info she's missing and working to figure out who she is in the face of who others are telling her she should be — is something that will resonate with most of us.
   
2. Hansel is an absolute delight of a love interest. Simultaneously the voice of reason in many circumstances and an absolute sweetheart with regard to his loved ones, including Calla, Hansel is the most sensible person in the entire book, and I love him for it. He's his sister's staunch defender, and he reaches out to help and support Calla when others leave her floundering, and he's just generally wonderful. I only wish that we could've seen even more of him than we did, since he and Calla are so lovely together.
3. The villains are eminently loathable. You know how, with regard to the Harry Potter fandom, fans tend to hate Umbridge so much more than Voldemort because Umbridge is a familiar villain, one of a type they've probably encountered themselves at some point? That's what Kendra does here with the villains in Thornrose. We have the manipulators, the false friends who make it seem like they care for you but are only really using you for their own ends. (Can't say who those are, but if you've read Snowfield, you probably have a good guess about one of them, and if you've read NA, you can guess the other.) And we also have the John/Gaston character in Johnston, a man whose pride makes Calla's strengths into something he has to "forgive" and who's more than happy to ignore her discomfort with his attentions if it means getting what he wants. And, let me tell you, it is so satisfying to see them get their due in the end.
4. So many mysteries to unravel — and it's very satisfying to get some answers! If you've read Snowfield Palace, you know that Kendra left us all on quite the cliffhanger with many, many unanswered questions. Thornrose Estate finally gives us some answers, but sparingly, and Kendra weaves them in with other mysteries: why can't Calla remember half her life — and why does she keep losing bits and pieces of more recent memory? Why do so many important people seem to have such an interest in her? And what the pumpernickel is going on with the Forest? Calla's memory means she's often just as uncertain as we are, but we know just enough more than she does to put pieces together, and the effect is just so good. It's one of the main reasons I ended up devouring the second half of the book in one night.
5. Northanger Abbey and Beauty and the Beast are an excellent pairing. Kendra hasn't missed once on her fairy tale and Austen combos! I will say that this is much more Northanger Abbey than it is Beauty and the Beast — while there are plenty of B&B elements, this doesn't really read like a straight retelling of that fairy tale. The story does make up for this somewhat by giving us two in-world versions of B&B that Calla loves and uses as the chief basis for trying to figure out all the strangeness she's stumbled into. That said, even if you look at it as just a Northanger Abbey retelling, Thornrose Estate is excellent.

If you haven't already preordered Thornrose Estate, you can pick it up on Amazon now! So, how excited are you for this retelling? And who's the most relatable protagonist or familiarly-loathable villain you've ever encountered? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Broken Mirrors Release Party: Interview with Ginny [Snowfield Palace]

Hello, everyone! It's less than a week until Christmas — but if you're excited for new fairy tale retellings, you may feel like Christmas has already arrived! That's right, it's Broken Mirrors release week, and right up until Christmas Eve, we're celebrating several new Snow Queen retellings! Our first, of course, is the latest in Kendra E. Ardnek's Austen Fairy Tale series, Snowfield Palace, which blends The Snow Queen with Mansfield Park. You can find my review of the book (which is quite good) over on Light and Shadows, or you can stay here and keep reading for a special interview with Ginny, the lead character of Snowfield Palace. And, of course, make sure you check out the release main page for all the stops and a special giveaway!

About . . .

Snowfield Palace

The Austen Fairy Tale #4

Ginny doesn't belong in Snowfield Palace, but she has nowhere else to go. An old promise between her mother and Lady Bethim keeps her off the streets when she's left alone in the world, and she's eternally grateful for the home - and the friendship of Kaimund, Lady Bethim's son. She makes herself useful however possible and life is quiet.

Until the far-too-charming Prince Hans and his sister Maia visit and send her world spinning. A shattered mirror is nothing to laugh about, and a new, dark magic could destroy everything.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

Kendra E. Ardnek

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her. When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she's frequently known to act before she thinks.

Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Newsletter || Instagram || TikTok || Amazon 

Interview with Ginny

Welcome to the blog, Ginny! To start out, please share a little bit about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything you think we should know.

I - oh! I ... I'm not used to being the one people as questions. I'm not the interesting one. Just the homeless ward who keeps Lady Bethim company.

If you have a whole book written about you, I suspect you're more interesting than you think. Now, I understand that you were taken in by the family of your mother’s friend after your parents’ death. Tell us a little bit about this family. Is there anyone you’re especially close to? Anyone you particularly like or dislike?

The Bethims are a noble family, and yes, Lady Bethim and my mother were friends when they were girls. I'm eternally grateful for their charity. I ... I wouldn't be so bold as to say that I'm particularly close to anyone, though I am ... Well, Kaimund, he ... oh, but it isn't my place to think about him like that.

Hmm, I think we're all looking forward to meeting this Kaimund. Moving on, your world is home to some fascinating magic that’s beginning to become more widely accepted. What’s your view on the magic of your world? Do you find it frightening, or fascinating?

I find it ... strange. but mostly comforting. I don't know why.

Interesting. If you could safely travel anywhere in the world, either just to visit or to move there permanently, where would you choose to go?

Oh. Oh no. I ... I'm sure I'll have to leave Snowfield Palace someday, but I don't like thinking about that.

Fair enough. Leaving home can be intimidating! Let's get back to you. What’s one thing that you think most people don’t know or don’t understand about you?

That I exist?

Oof. Ok, last question: how do you hope people, either those in your own world or those who read your story, remember you?    

Do they have to remember me? That sounds frightening.

Not as frightening as you might think . . . in any case, thanks for answering my questions! And thank you to everyone reading.

Are you excited about the Broken Mirrors releases? Are you looking forward to meeting Ginny in the story itself? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hello, everyone! Not too long ago, Kendra E. Ardnek released a third installment in her Austen Fairytale series: Emmazel, a blend of Rapunzel and Emma. I very much enjoyed this book — in fact, it surpassed my expectations — so, naturally, I'm reviewing it here on the blog (albeit a little later than I usually would — it's fine; I'll catch up soon).

5 Reasons to Read Emmazel

1. It's a clever twist on Rapunzel. I love the story of Rapunzel, which means I have read a lot of Rapunzel retellings, and I can say that Emmazel is one of the most unique I've come across. It's not a straightforward retelling by any means, but Kendra works in pretty much all the important elements (and some less important ones), and I rather like how she distributed the fairy tale's various roles throughout the story, with characters occasionally trading roles at different points.
2. It's the first version of Emma I've actually been able to finish. Historically, I have not been a fan of Jane Austen's Emma, mostly because the titular character rubs me the wrong way. I tend to get to a certain point, get frustrated, and give up. So, I was a bit nervous when picking up this book . . . but then Kendra gave me a version of Emma who I actually liked and sympathized with (even if I yelled at her more than a bit), and whose story I genuinely wanted to see through to its (very satisfying) ending, and I was quite pleased. That feat alone would get this book five stars from me, but I still have four more points to get through, so sit tight.
3. You can enjoy it even if you don't know the original story. From what I can tell, Kendra makes a point of working in as much of both the original Emma and the original Rapunzel as possible, and other readers seemed pleased with how she handled the Emma elements. However, as previously mentioned, I have never finished Emma, and my memory of what I did read was somewhat hazy in points. Even so, I never felt confused or lost while reading this, and I doubt others would either.
4. I love to see how the past Austen Fairytale characters have grown. And, also, how they slide into new roles with each new fairy tale. It makes for a very fun game of "spot the familiar character." And, of course, it's delightful to watch Elinrose, Earnest, and others continue their journeys, even if they're not in the spotlight.
5. Enchanted cat! Y'all know I'm a sucker for magical or enchanted cats of pretty much any kind, and that continues to be the case. Night is a talking cat and is without a doubt, my favorite character in this book — he's sarcastic and a voice of reason and perfectly cattish. He's fun, y'know?

Have you read Emmazel (or any of the Austen Fairytales) yet? If not, you can pick it up on Amazon in ebook form (and paperback is coming soon) or add it on Goodreads. What's the most unique Rapunzel retelling you've read? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Mid-Year Book Celebration 2022

Hey'a, all! As a reminder, I will be on blogging hiatus for most of July . . . but! I can't have a July without a Mid-Year Book Celebration, even if that would make my life much easier. So, here we are! As per the usual, I'll post the short-and-sweet Best of 2022 (so far) over on Light and Shadows. But if you want all the different categories . . . read on!

Of course, we can't have a book celebration without statistics. I've read 63 books (or 64, depending if you count my copy of both Alice books in one volume as one book or two) and 16,267 pages so far in 2022, which means I'm well over halfway to my goal of 99 books. Interestingly, while this is almost 20 more books than I'd read at this time last year, but it's only about 700 more pages. My average rating is about the same as it was this time last year: 4.3 stars. While every book hasn't been a winner, most have been, plus I've been rereading a lot.

Now for some more specific reading goals . . .

• I have successfully tracked my reads beyond just using Goodreads. I switched over to using a Google form based on the one Kendra E. Ardnek uses (literally; she let me copy hers, and then I modified some questions). It's much easier than the spreadsheet, though there are still some things I want to adjust. (For instance, my decision to track particular tropes was . . . frankly unnecessary. I'll finish it this year, but I don't think I'll do it again next year.)
• Towards 12 books published before 1975, I have read seven books. Three of them are Narnia; two are Lewis Carroll. But the other two are Chesterton and medieval poetry, so it's not all rereads. Plus, I'm in the progress of reading Dracula via email subscription.
• Of my goal of 15 non-speculative fiction books, I've read either seven or nine, depending on whether or not you count books of poetry. That puts me at either halfway through or a bit over halfway through, so I think that's pretty solid.
• As far as catching up with the Tor.com Wheel of Time reading series . . . I have managed maybe two chapters of The Great Hunt? It's a very frustrating book. I can probably still meet my goal if I really get with it, but honestly? I will be pretty pleased with myself if I just finish this one book by the end of the year.
• And finally, we have my effort to read more poetry. This has had mixed results? I haven't quite managed once a week like I originally intended, but I've made up the weeks I've missed with some weeks in which I read a whole book of poetry. Most of what I've read has been out of a book of George Herbert's poems that I got for a class at Cedarville, but I've also read one of the Ticket to Write anthologies, Tolkien's translation of Gawain the Green Knight, and some miscellaneous poems by Poe, thanks to another email subscription.

All right! Overall, I think most of my numbers are looking shiny . . . but not as shiny as the books, so let's get on with it.

1. Best book you've read so far in 2022:

 

A lot of my reads this year have been rereads . . . but even if they weren't, the answer to this category would probably still be a tie between Cinderella Must Die (W.R. Gingell) and The Goblin Emperor (Katherine Addison). These books are vastly different; one is a Cinderella retelling featuring a villainous Cinderella, a very clever pair of stepsisters, an indomitable aunt, and some very clever magic. The other is one part epic, one part political intrigue, one part mystery, one part character drama, and, inexplicably, one part feel-good fantasy even though it should not, by all rights, be as heartening as it is. But they're both excellent, and I love them immensely.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2022:

We have another tie here, this time between My Soul to Take (Bryan Davis) and Crown and Cinder (Kendra E. Ardnek). Again, these are vastly different books, but both very good. My Soul to Take is a worldhopping post-apocalyptic fantasy that leans a bit dark, but also has some wonderful family themes and an uncrushable hope. And Crown and Cinder is what happens when Pride and Prejudice and Cinderella mutually derail each other, plus fire magic and Kendra E. Ardnek's signature humor and style — I would argue that it's one of her best books yet.

3. New release you haven't read yet but want to:

There are so many that could fit this category. I am doing terribly at keeping up with new releases. But the specific ones I'll call out are Of Fire and Ash by Gillian Bronte Adams (which I did buy in hardcover earlier this year, so there's that!), The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman (which I've kept getting distracted from reading), and The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar (which just came out, so I think I have an excuse.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:

I mean, I'm hoping to get Through a Shattered Glass out this year . . . and I hear Wyn Estelle Owens is working on another book . . .

 

 

But if we want a book with an actual cover? The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. I'm super excited to return to Scadrial and the adventures of Wax and Wayne. Plus, it sounds like we're getting a lot more Cosmere connections with Marasi! So much to look forward to!

5. Biggest disappointment:

I don't know why I finished A Wild Winter Swan (Gregory Maguire). Probably because I was procrastinating on something. But it was deeply frustrating. Not as much so as some other books I can think of, but still . . . not great.

6. Biggest surprise:

 

I picked up Stolen Mayfly Bride (Sarah K. L. Wilson) with low, low expectations. The other book in the collection I'd read was, to be frank, a candidate for the last question I answered. But once I got into the book, I was entranced. Wilson knows how to write fae, she knows how to write romance, and the writing style was marvelous and poetic. This was a KU read, but honestly, I think I'm probably going to end up buying a copy.

7. Newest favorite character:

While I've met a lot of great characters so far this year, there's no question who my new top favorite is: Maia Drazhar (The Goblin Emperor). I love him so much, y'all. He starts out the book awkward and anxious, a cast-off, half-foreign emperor's son who's grown up far from the court and without many people to love him, who wants only to avoid offending or causing trouble for anyone and who's so genuinely and helplessly kind and caring. And he grows into an emperor who truly wants to serve his subjects, who learns to stand up for himself and others, who uses his position and power to help those he can (even those who would be overlooked). He's just wonderful.

 

And on the topic of The Goblin Emperor . . . while I don't love them quite as much as Maia, several other characters also make the favorites list, specifically Csevet, Cala, Beschelar, and Csethiro.

8. A book that made you cry:

I don't think there were any actual tears, but The Goblin Emperor did produce a lot of Emotions, so . . . there's that?

9. A book that made you happy:

 

 

Search for the Astral Dragon (Bryan Davis) didn't quite make my "favorite book" choice . . . but it felt a lot like Davis's Dragons in Our Midst series, which meant that, in a way, it also felt like coming home.

10. Favorite post you've done so far this year:

I am very pleased with my "Writing Tips and Tricks (That Shouldn't Work as Well as They Do)" post that I put up back in March. (I'm toying with the idea of doing more posts about writing craft . . . thoughts, anyone?)

11. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

All of them, haha. But specifically . . . several Wheel of Time novels, The Untold Story, The Lost Metal, and Bryan Davis's Song of the Ovulum series (as a reread). Will I get to any of them? Who knows. I certainly don't.

 

Well, that's my celebration! How about you? What were the highs and lows of your last six months, reading-wise? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Midnight Curfews Release Party: 5 Reasons to Read Crown & Cinder

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Midnight Curfews release party, where we're celebrating the release of THREE new Cinderella retellings! You can learn about all three at the release info page, but we'll be taking it one book at a time. The first of these? Kendra E. Ardnek's Crown & Cinder, the sequel to Rose Petals and Snowflakes. This take on Cinderella, blends it with Pride and Prejudice, and then derails both stories, to magnificent effect. This was the Austen Fairy Tale that I was most excited about and had the highest expectations for, and I very much enjoyed what I got. I'll tell you why in a minute . . . but first, a bit about the book and author.

About . . .

Crown & Cinder

The Austen Fairy Tale #2

It is a fact universally acknowledged that a girl, in possession of stepmother and stepsisters, must be in want of a fairy godmother to come whisk her away to some ball, where she might fall in love with a prince and live happily ever after...

Lizzy hated facts universally acknowledged.

Lizzy is a Cinder. However, conjuring fire at one’s fingertips isn’t considered appropriate in polite society, so she hides among her family's servants. Besides, her ruse also serves to protect her country from the Mistress's mad quest for power. No, it's much better all around if she lets her stepsister live her life.

But now the Gardener has taken the Mistress's throne, her motives unknown, and three royal balls have thrown Lizzy into the path of the most irritating king in the land. Meanwhile, can her beloved stepsister ever find a man willing to look past her farmer father? It's a complicated mess and Lizzy only wants out.

Too bad the Forest doesn't care what she wants.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

 

Kendra E. Ardnek

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her. When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she's frequently known to act before she thinks.

Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Newsletter || Instagram || TikTok || Amazon 

5 Reasons to Read Crown & Cinder

1. Cinderella and Pride and Prejudice are a match worthy of Austen herself. I think it's fair to say that a lot of people's first instinct when combining Pride and Prejudice with a fairy tale would be to pair it with Beauty and the Beast. Which isn't unreasonable . . . but the dominant themes and concepts in Pride and Prejudice fit much better with those of Cinderella. Both are stories about, as Kendra put it, "class distinction, falling in love at balls, and dysfunctional families" — and, of course, a young woman escaping a disadvantaged situation through an unlikely romance.
2. Look, when we said "derails," we meant derails. The tagline for this book is "When Pride and Prejudice derails Cinderella" — though I would argue that the derailment is pretty much mutual. This is not the kind of P&P retelling that's a scene-for-scene retelling of the original, just with a new setting and a little twist or two. Kendra hits all the important story beats, and she has some fabulous takes on the classic scene (Darcy/Darren's first proposal is particularly excellent), but this is still very much its own story.
3. I really enjoy Kendra's versions of Lizzy and Darcy. And most of the characters, really, but particularly those two. This version of Lizzy is fiery in more than personality — she's a Cinder, which means she can produce flames from her fingertips and which also makes her of questionable status in her society. On top of that, her efforts to protect her home and family from the Forest's Mistress have made her a bit of a schemer, which is fun. On the other hand, Darren (this story's Darcy) is the king of a neighboring country, Ember, and while he doesn't have the initial bite of the original, he's pretty great. (We also get to see his interactions with his sister on screen, which is, y'know, lovely.)
4. All your favorites from Rose Petals and Snowflakes are back. As is the fallout from that book! We see the effects of the change in management, as it were, of the Forest, as well as the results of some broken curses and how they affect other lands. And, delightfully, Elinrose and Earnest are both significant characters in Crown & Cinder. It was really fun to see them back.
5. You don't have to read Rose Petals and Snowflakes to enjoy Crown & Cinder. You will get spoilers for RP&S . . . but anything that's important is explained in the book to the degree necessary to understand what's going on. Of course, once you read Crown & Cinder, you'll probably want to go back and find out what happened before . . . but the point is, you can read Crown & Cinder first if you want to.

Are you excited about Crown & Cinder? What's your favorite retelling of Pride and Prejudice? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 

Frosted Roses Blog Tour: Interview With Elinrose

 

Hey'a, all! A bit late, but it's day four of the Frosted Roses release, and today we're spotlighting Kendra E. Ardnek's Rose Petals & Snowflakes, an Austen-inspired take on the tale that combines Sense and Sensibility with Snow White and Rose Red. There were a few hiccups with the release, but the ebook is now available for purchase, and the paperback will be up later next week. In any case, I'll be interviewing Elinrose, one of the two main sisters, in a minute, but first, as usual, we have to get the official details on the book, the author, and the Frosted Roses.

About . . .

Rose Petals and Snowflakes

 

The Austen Fairy Tale #1

After their father's death, and thanks to their older half-brother's wanderlust, two sisters find themselves caught in the politics of mysterious forest. Elinrose finds herself in direct conflict with the wood's Mistress, while Snowmari hides a deadly secret that could mean her death if found out. Can their bonds of sisterhood withstand these trying times? Or will they even make it out alive?

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads || Preorder the Sequel

Kendra E. Ardnek

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her. When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she's frequently known to act before she thinks.

Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Newsletter || Instagram || TikTok || Amazon  

The Frosted Roses

The Frosted Roses are six retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, each one fantastical and magical. You don't want to miss any of them! You can learn more about the books and find the full tour schedule on the tour page.

The Frosted Roses are the result of the 2020 Arista Challenge. The Arista Challenge is hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek; it invites fairy tale authors to come together in community as they work on unique retellings of a selected fairy tale.

An Interview With Elinrose

Welcome to the blog, Elinrose! As usual, to start out, please tell us a little about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything you think we should know.

Hello, I am the elder princess of the North Country. I do pretty much anything required of my position. And I suppose you should know that there's nothing I won't do for my family and my people.

That's wonderful. Speaking of family, tell us about your sister, Snowmari. What’s your relationship with her like? What’s your favorite thing about her? Your least favorite thing?

Mari and I are close, and we have been since her birth. We don't always get along, but what sisters do? Favorite thing? How can I limit it to one favorite thing? She's bright and beautiful, and she lives life with an abandon that leaves me breathless. I do wish she would be more careful, sometimes, and her penchant for melodrama can be ridiculous, but that's the way she is, and why she has me. 

And I'm sure she's glad to have you. As a princess and as an older sister and aunt, I’m sure you have many duties and responsibilities. Can you tell us what those look like and how you feel about them?

A lot of paperwork, a lot of convincing people to get along, a lot of convincing people that they actually do want to do the thing they don't want to do, a lot of worrying about things so other people don't have to. How I feel about them isn't important - I am the one in position to do them, so do them I shall. 

A very noble attitude. Over the course of the story, you find yourself living in two different places: your home, the North Country, and the Forest. Which do you feel you prefer? Was it difficult for you to adjust from the former to the latter?

North will always be my home, but the Forest certainly has its own charm. Even if it's very loud. The adjustment has been very difficult, I will admit that freely, especially as I worry for my older brother who has been left to settle into the position of king alone. I know he always counted on my support.

I can understand why you'd be worried, but I'm sure he'll manage. If you could have one wish granted, no catches, what would you wish for?

That my sister could live openly as herself, without fear.

That was a quick answer! One last question: how do you hope people, either those in your own world or those who read your story, remember you?

That I took care of the people I cared about.

A very noble thing to hope for. Thank you for answering my questions!

~~~~~ 

What do y'all think of Elinrose? Are you excited to meet her and her family? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops!
Thanks for reading!

September 25 Tour Stops

 Interviews:
Rachel Rossano - Snowmari
Dreams & Dragons - Elinrose
Mae Heller - Kendra E. Ardnek
Ellwyn's Blog - Kendra E. Ardnek

Reviews:
The Arista's Directory
Madi's Musings
Blooming With Books
The Lost Review of Odd Books + Mini Interview!
Live. Love. Read.
Light & Shadows
Fantastical Notions
Paper, Ink, & Lizard