Also, moderation is not going back on yet, so you can still comment to your hearts' delight.
Now onto the programming.
All right, I'm here with an interview with Hope Ann, the author of a lovely series of fairy tale retellings based on the Fruits of the Spirit. I've only read the second book, (while I've had the opportunity to read the first book, and it's even now sitting on my kindle waiting for me, it's Beauty and the Beast and I have to be in a special mood to enjoy a B&B retelling. However, now that I've read the sequel, I do intend to read it soon), but it instantly shot up to one of my favorite Rapunzel retellings. I'm not sure if it quite outranks Rapunzel's Revenge, but it's close. It's very close.
That cover's gorgeous, too, although I always forget that it's green when I'm not looking at it. It's very much a yellow story to me for ... reasons. Someday I ought to do a post about me and colors and what various colors mean to me. Still, it's a gorgeous cover for a gorgeous stor, and at least there's yellow in it.
Anyway, official book information:
A glittering sword.
An ancient oath.
A blackened rose.
And a melody which ties it all together.
Evrard and Roinette, twins separated at birth, are caught in a battle beyond their own limited powers. With their ability to walk in the melody realm, catching glimpses of the light and darkness underlying Aslaria, comes even more danger.
Deadly mistbenders. Writhing walls of blankness. Hateful drumbeats. As a warrior in the Melody, Evrard has seen it all. But his own ability in the melody realm pales in comparison to the Prince’s melody, the legendary prowess of past Wingmasters, and even the depth of his sister’s song.
To rescue Roinette and evade the trap almost certainly set for him by those who want his power, Evrard knows he’ll have to be careful. Even if he can find the Wingmaster’s sword, there’s no assurance he’ll be able to defeat a mistbender on his own. In the end, will his and Roinette’s efforts matter if the Prince brings an ancient oath to fulfillment, shaking the very foundation of Aslaria?
Add on Goodreads
And now an author interview!
Hello and welcome to Knitted By God's Plan! Can you tell my readers a bit about yourself?
I’m the oldest of nine children, a Christian, a conservative, a creationist, homeschooled, a writer, I love Lord of the Rings, and live on a small farm. *takes deep breath* There, all the important things in one sentence. *smirks* Fantasy is my favorite genre and I love collecting shiny things, such as pendants, cool stones, and daggers. I also climb trees on occasion, love watching waves crash against rocks (in YouTube videos, since unfortunately we don’t live near a beach), enjoy Doctor Who and Sherlock, watch and rewatch inspiriting music videos…oh yes, and I do write as well.
The Legends of Light seems to be an allegorical series of fairy tales focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit. Can you tell me where you got the idea for this brilliant combination?
I, umm, can’t remember actually. I got the idea a number of years ago and it’s been maturing until I dusted it off last year. There was a contest for rewriting a fairy tale, and that might have been my original inspiration for wanting to retell more fairy tales. I like having some sort of allegorical theme to my stories. Whether I thought of coupling the Fruit of the Spirit to fairy tales all on my own, or whether my Dad mentioned writing about the Fruit of the Spirit and I coupled it to fairy tales later on, I can’t remember. But once the idea lodged in my brain, it stuck until I actually did it.
This second book, focusing on joy, retells Rapunzel. Can you tell me why you chose that Fairy Tale to demonstrate the Fruit?
Some fairy tales are easier to assign to an aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit than others. Love fit perfectly with Beauty and the Beast, for example, and joy fit really well with Rapunzel, mainly because of the singing. There is a decent amount of singing in Rapunzel. That’s how the prince finds her in her tower, and then later, when he’s blind, that’s how he finds her again. Singing coupled naturally to the theme of joy and it went from there.
What are some of the other twists you make on the tale?
Wellllll, I can’t give too much away. But one main twist was making the making the main character (normally the prince) and the Rapunzel character siblings instead involved of a romantic attachment. I enjoyed doing that because, if I have romance in my fairy tale retellings, I want it realistic. Not ‘oh, I’ve heard her sing from the window and she’s so pretty so I’m going to marry her’. (That is part of the reason I love Beauty and the Beast, because the two get to know each other for about six months before she agrees to marry him.)
I've heard tell that some of the future books in the series will be obscure fairy tales (a move I thoroughly applaud). I happen to know that some obscure fairy tales can be pretty weird. What's your favorite weird fairy tale?
Oh yes, there are some weird ones. Sometimes I’ll stare at the story and wonder what I just read. But one of my favorite obscure fairy tales is Fairy of the Dawn. I can’t remember if it was Grimm or Anderson, but I really like that one.
What advice would you give any writer who wants to attempt a fairy tale retelling?
Have fun with it! Most fairy tales read like outlines, leaving the background and motivation and characters to the writer’s imagination. The basic outline can take place in a fantasy setting, or a steam punk setting, or a scifi setting. You can add twists so even those who know the story won’t be quite sure how it will end. You can have stories set before or after the fairy tale itself…the possibilities are endless and exciting.
Would you happen to know your MBTI personality type, and if so, how would you say it affects your writing style?
MBTI personality types, yes! A friend got me into personality typing not long ago. I’m INTJ-A. I think that is part of the reason I take a very umm, scheduled approach to writing. I like everything laid out. I like to have deadlines. I like to move in a logical order. And I can flip easily between several projects in one day. Also INTJ’s show the least emotion out of the various types (I’m pretty sure, anyway) therefore, most of my characters suppress their emotions as well.
About the Author
Hope Ann is a Christian authoress who lives on a small farm in northern Indiana. She was homeschooled and now helps teach several of her eight younger siblings.
She has been writing for over five years, and has so many story ideas that she doubts she will ever stop. Her favorite genre to write is high fantasy with a touch of the allegorical. A close second is futuristic suspense. Her goal is to not only entertain with her stories, but to provide inspirational fiction for young adults.
Predictably, she loves reading fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, and futuristic suspense. Her favorite authors include J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Frank Peretti, Mark Twain, and Serena Chase.
Her hobbies include photography, movie making, knitting, tree climbing, writing e-mails to friends, listening to Celtic music, and collecting shiny trinkets for story inspiration.
You can visit Hope’s blog at authorhopeann.com, or follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.
So that's Hope. Also, she's having a giveaway!
Giveaway!!! (LINKS BELOW)
I’m giving away a beautiful, one-of-a-kind mug with the Legends of Light logo emblazoned on its side, along with a Song of the Sword bookmark. Due to shipping costs, at this time the mug giveaway is limited to the USA. However, I do have a second giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card, along with another Song of the Sword bookmark, for international readers! Please only enter one of the giveaways.
I'm also supposed to review the book over at O.Scarlett today, and hopefully I'll get it up before midnight. I've been trying to crunch through edits on Lady Dragon, Tela Du and juggle my own party, and completely forgot about this post until today. While I have read the book, I still need to write the review. For now, know that it's an amazing book and I highly recommend it.
Brilliant idea to combine fairy tales with the Fruit of the Spirit!
ReplyDeleteAnd I like what she said about fairy tales being like outlines. Never thought about it like that, but it makes sense, and opens up lots of possibilities for retellings. Very cool.
~R~