Guest Post: Looking Ahead at The Twist Tales

I am so honoured and excited to have Kristen Fichter on the blog!!! I have been only following her newest blog for a little over a year, but from the small interaction I know her as such a nice person and her love for fairy tale retellings is so contagious I totally believe I am more obsessed with them than I was before. (If you're looking for good fairy tale retellings, check out her blog. She has plenty of reviews you can look through.)

Photo by Erick Zajac on Unsplash

Okay, let's get into the guest post, which was so interesting to read I bet you guys will enjoy it. 😊

I am one of those writers who writes by the seat of their pants - Or, a panster, if you will. My plans for what book I'm working on and even what I'm writing in that book change constantly, so I don't normally announce titles or release dates until I'm 100% POSITIVE that's what's coming next. Just keeps things more flexible and easier for me.

My fairytale series, Once Upon a Twist Tales, has been that way since the beginning. I'm never quite what comes next until I get there (or at least to the overlooking hill). I have ideas for the next few books, but I can't say if those will actually be the next few books. However, I can offer a sneak peek into some retellings further on in the series (or spin-off series, if it comes to that) that I'm really looking forward to writing. Ya know, once and if I get there.

Cinderella the Cobbler 

I've seen the Twelve Dancing Princesses story where the solider was turned into the cobbler (*looks at the Barbie film*), and it just got me thinking: what if Cinderella was the cobbler instead of the slipper-wearer? I'd retell it as a mystery/private investigator story, where Cinderella is hired by the prince to locate someone - probably a spy - based solely on the footwear the person left behind. Since glass slippers aren't that common, it shouldn't be that hard to find the spy, right?

Clara the Gingerbread Baker

I love The Nutcracker. I've always wanted to write a Nutcracker retelling, and I think the Twist Tales will eventually get one. When Clara inherits her grandfather's beloved bakery, she's horrified to discover it's been overrun with mice. Throw in a random solider who has connections to her grandfather, refuses to talk about his past, and has a broken leg that practically makes him useless for anything except for sitting and cracking nuts for the bakery's sweets - and that may be more than Clara can handle.

The Lion and the Journalist

The Wounded Lion is one of the obscure tales that I'm dying to retell. So far, there are no retellings of this Spanish fairytale - that I can find. The story centers around a shepherdess who helps a wounded lion and ends up facing off with a giant to save a prince. In my version, however, the shepherdess is a new journalist looking for that first big story to jumpstart her career. In a time when the politics of the Lions and the Giants threaten to topple a country into war, she's very interested to know if the mysterious man she's saved from being run over by a railcar is a Lion who can give her the story she's looking for.

Snow White and the Snow Queen

I've seen a lot of mashups involving Snow White of the famous tale, but I've yet to read any mashups that use both Snow White and the Snow Queen. It'll be a lot of snow, guaranteed, but I'm interested in seeing what would come out as a retelling. When a rogue band of dwarves kidnap his bride-to-be, one tribal prince would risk blizzards and more to rescue her and bring the ransom dwarves demand. The problem? The ransom is his tribe's special mirror, the most valuable and and powerful object of the north - and they won't be giving that up easily.

A Bit of Gold: A Rumpelstiltskin story

THIS is something I can announce. The official title and fairy tale retelling that are to be book five of the Once Upon a Twist Tales. I'm really excited about this book, since it'll wrap-up the last of a certain arc with a much-beloved Trothen alchemist. I don't have a official release date yet, but I'm hoping for sometime next year. Here's your teaser: When Rumpelstiltskin can't make gold for himself, he'll go after the alchemist who can.

Doesn't her ideas just sound like the best things ever? All of them are so good, I would 100% read them for sure. My personal favourite is the Nutcracker retelling.

Fun fact is that I do know of a Snow White and Snow Queen Mashup. I'm not sure I've mention it here yet, but one of my favourite game series is a hidden object fairy tale retellings called Dark Parables. I am so obsessed with them (I have played all of them except for one because for some reason it became unavailable to play *cries* and its preview was so good too) and all of the stories are pretty good (even the ones that are not as good as others are still pretty good overall). One of them happens to mix Snow White and the Snow Queen together into one of my most favourites stories ever. It is the third one in the series. If you're interested in them, I highly recommend you play in order because a lot of them are connected to each other and it isn't as good if you can't understand the connections. Technically, though, they are basically standalones stories. Can still be enjoyed I think out of order but I genuinely think you will be a little confused with some of them. (Yes, this is me convincing you to pay some amount of money to play all of them. And, hey, there is one site that still has that one unavailable game up to play... I am totally plotting to pay money to get access to this one game I have been deprived of. My fandom love for this game series is incomplete without knowing the end of this story.)

Also I am very excited for this Rumpelstiltskin retelling!!!!!!!!! Cause I was thinking I needed a story with this character in it so...

Anyway, I hope that all of who have venture here today enjoyed this guest post (and me rambling about Dark Parables)!

Here's the blog tour list, and farewell for now, Virtual Paper Adventurers!

April 5^th

-          Welcome & Giveaway @ A Synesthete Writer

-          Author Interview @ Living Outside the Lines

-          Favorite Fairytales About Siblings (Guest Post) @ Lands Uncharted

-          Book Review @ Christine Smith

-          Book Review @ Tower in the Plains

April 6^th

-          Snow White and Rose Red Tag @ A Synesthete Writer

-          Author Interview & Book Review @ Madi’s Musings

-          Looking Ahead at the Twist Tales (Guest Post) @ Virtual Paper

-          Book Review @ E. Kaiser Writes

April 7^th

-          Snow White and Rose Red Mad Libs @ A Synesthete Writer

-          Inspiration for The Bear of Rosethorn Ring (Guest Post) @ Ink Castles

-          Favorite Characters from the Twist Tales (Guest Post) @ Living Outside the Lines

-          Book Review @ Shieldmaidens of Shiloh

-          Book Review @ Live. Love. Read.

April 8^th

-          The First Chapter @ A Synesthete Writer

-          Awesome and Obscure Fairytales (Guest Post) @ Madi’s Musings

-          SWRR Elements in The Bear of Rosethorn Ring (Guest Post) @ Abigail Falanga

-          Book Review @ Blooming with Books

-          Book Review @ C.O. Bonham

April 9^th 

-          Winner & Wrap-Up @ A Synesthete Writer

-          Author Interview & Book Review @ Virtual Paper <<<<<<< (What's this, you wonder... 😂😇😉)

-          Retelling an Unknown Fairytale (Guest Post) @ Live. Love. Read

-          Book Review @ Living Outside the Lines

-          Book Review @ Ink Castles

Which story idea retelling of Kristen's did you liked the most? Are you thinking of playing Dark Parables??????