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Once upon a time, there was a poison apple. This poison apple never wanted to hurt the princess with skin as white as snow, but evil dwarves made her do it. 
by Kristy TateI thought I knew how the Twilight series would end. While I, and half the reading world, waited for the release of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn, I concocted what I thought was the perfect happily ever after for Bella and Edward. After a year of impatiently waiting for the final conclusion, I was hugely disappointed in Meyer’s ending.
But then—wait! Why not use my own happily ever after? Why not create my own series? And so I did. No vampires, no werewolves, but lots of obscure legends and an ending I can’t wait to write. Two of the three planned Beyond books are now published, and I’m not sure if I want the series to end…yet. I love Petra and Emory. I’m not sure I’m ready to let them go. So, at the moment, I can’t say whether the Beyond series will be a trilogy or something much larger. But I do know the ending, and I love it. I hope it will be worth waiting for...
Who doesn’t love fairytales? Princes and princesses, magic, villains, obstacles to overcome to achieve true love—fairytales have it all. They’re an easy escape into an enchanted world. I think that has a lot to do with the current trend in retelling these fantastical stories.
I’d already decided to write some retellings when I was approached by my publisher to write a full length retelling of the fairytale of my choice. I chose Rapunzel for the full-length, leaving me the option of all the other fairytales for my short stories...
...With all of my fairytales, I studied and read all of the old versions, and a few of the new, using names and settings from the traditional tales. Some of the names might seem a little strange, but with all of my main characters, there’s a meaning behind their name.
I enjoy reading fairytale retellings almost as much as I like writing them. I hope you like the way I’ve retold these classic stories, and have fun immersing yourself into every fairytale you read, both traditional and the retellings. As always, happy reading!
by Alethea Kontis
The Real Peter Woodcutter
My maternal grandmother passed away last February. It was the first time in seven years that my siblings and I were together in the same place.
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Read more at A Backwards Story.
The Inspiration for Writing The Fairytale Keeper
Did you know that nearly all cultures have their own version of the Cinderella story? Neither did I until attending a children’s literature lecture in 2007. I don’t know about you, but my mind tends to wander when I have to sit through two hour lectures. So I started wondering. If most cultures have a Cinderella story, was it based on one girl, a real Cinderella? Was Cinderella a girl who lived hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago? Or is there is just something so compelling about the Cinderella story that most cultures make up their own?
Read more at Bookworm Lisa.
January 26 - February 10
There are FIVE chances to WIN!!
Winners will be drawn randomly, entries will be validated and the IP Addresses checked for shipping qualifications to award winnings in order of preference, if indicated. See Rafflecopter entry. Additional restrictions on Rafflecopter apply.
1 - Signed print copy of Shadowskin by Bethany Cassel plus a signed sketch of the Main Character by the author! (US Only)
2 - eCopies of both books in the Beyond series by Kristy Tate: Beyond the Fortune Teller's Tent & Beyond the Hollow! (International)
3 - eCopy of Enchanted Fairytales by Cindy C Bennett! (International)
4 - FIVE Signed paperbacks of Enchanted by Alethea Kontis plus swag! (US Only) (That's five winners. Woop!)
5 - eCopy of The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo! (International)
