Thursday, October 27, 2011

My Love Affair With Fairy Tales by Kristine Grayson (and GIVEAWAY!)

I don’t remember when I first encountered fairy tales. I do recall thinking no one was more beautiful than the wasp-waisted Cinderella from the Disney film. I don’t recall what I thought of Prince Charming, way back then.


When I was four, my parents took me to Disneyland. I have a vivid memory of going on the Snow White ride, which went through a cave. Somewhere in that cave, the Wicked Witch stirred her caldron and glared and me. I screamed, “Let’s get out of here!” and would have jumped off the boat if my father hadn’t grabbed me.

I remember the terror, because back then, fairy tales were real. (In fact, that memory is so vivid that thirty years later, when I went back to Disneyland and the ride remained, I wouldn’t even look at it. I figured it was cheesy, and I didn’t want to know. In my memory, it’s beautiful and horrifying and alive.)

But the strongest influence on my fairy tale life was a babysitter whose name I no longer remember. The daughter of one of my father’s colleagues, she read fairy tales to me—obscure fairy tales, from many cultures. Then, because she was heading to college, she gave me her fairy tale books. I still have them. They’re battered now, but treasured.

And clearly, they jumble up in my head. Sancho Panza in Utterly Charming has a secret identity from Norse mythology. (He has others as well. You can find out more about him in Completely Smitten from WMG Publishing.) I steal from Greek Myths, Celtic lore, fairy tales, and Shakespeare. I figure that when you’re writing a book about make-believe, you should reference the best.

Even though I fracture them, I love fairy tales. I love the hidden meanings and the scary women, the handsome men, and the weird spells. I love them all, which is why I play with them.

Maybe I love them the most because deep down, I do believe in happily ever after. I just believe that HEA doesn’t just happen; it takes work. And that’s the only thing that the fairy tales miss.

About Kristine Grayson (from her website)

Kristine Grayson always wanted to be a romance writer when she grew up. She became one in the late 1990s with the publication of her first romance novel, Utterly Charming. Since then, she has published five more novels, including Absolutely Captivated and Totally Spellbound.

Her work has won the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and she has been nominated for several other awards. Publishers Weekly has called her work “a delight,” and Best Reviews labeled her “the reigning queen of paranormal romance.”

Her next novel, Wickedly Charming, will appear in May.

Giveaway Details

Sourcebooks is going to send one lucky winner a copy of Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson.

If you would like to win a copy of Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson please leave a comment about what intrigues you about the novel or this guest blog.

As part of your comment, you must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner.

For an additional entry, blog about this giveaway or post it on your sidebar. Provide a link to this post in your comment.

I will be using random.org (or a monte carlo simulation in excel) to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to US and Canadian residents (Sorry!).

No P.O. Boxes.

The deadline for entry is midnight, Friday November 11th.

Good luck!

11 comments:

  1. I think this is a great plot for a book and I would really like to read it. I have not yet read a book by Kristine Grayson but I will now.

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  2. I had a similar experience at Disney-- but it was the Haunted House ride I almost jumped off of :) Would love to read this book, I love the cover! treesandink@yahoo.com

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  3. Thank you for talking about this book. I love this kind of plot and this is a new-to-me author. I loved fairy tales as a child, but as an adult watching the Disney versions and reading the tales to children, I find the stories a bit two dimensional. This story that brings it to the modern world seems to 'flesh' the old tale out.

    Thanks for the post and the giveaway opportunity.
    sundee94@comcast.net

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  4. Very interesting guest post! I like what Kristine Grayson said about HEAs. I also enjoy fairy tales, obscure ones as well as contemporary, newfangled ones with a twist!

    Please enter me in this giveaway. I'll post it in my blog's sidebar.

    suko95(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. Fairy tales are so special. I'd really enjoy this books. Thanks for the chance to win it.

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  6. Fairy Tale got my attention. I guess I'm still a kid that way. I love a happily ever after ending.

    Margaret
    singitm@hotmail.com

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  7. When I think of the fairy tales I read growing up, what came to mind was happily-ever-after. That was way before I even know about romance and books. Now I link them together, even though I know original fairy tales were much darker. Now, I like seeing elements of them in stories.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  8. Fairy tales are the ones that give us dreams and hopes when we are little girls! Is a great way to build our imagination and I always love to read about Prince Charming! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ilepachequin[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  9. Thanks for this lovely giveaway. Fairytales make life brighter and more hopeful. Ellie. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  10. Happily ever after does take work, you are so right! The Fairy Tale comes from those times you know in your heart that you could never love anyone as much as you love your "Mr. Wonderful most of the time".
    Thanks for a chance=)
    Lethea B
    Luvdaylilies at bellsouth dot net

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  11. Thank-you to all who entered this giveaway. The winner has been chosen and posted.

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