It's the beginning of Autumn and I find that fitting as my mom, Anne, heads into the last stage of her life. She will celebrate, God willing, her 100th birthday this December, 2014. She still lives in her home of sixty years and walks about it with her walker. She has slowed down quite a bit over this last year, but there is still a bit of the fiery independent woman I knew as my mom that shows from time to time. She still can come up with a sarcastic quip or eye roll. She still has a stubborn streak about what she will or will not do. Her memory is failing. She sleeps more and more, but she still laughs and sings. She still loves visitors and enjoys the beauty of a flower or other small item that brightens her day. 

Because she has lived so long, mom is financially stressed. Of course she is unaware of it. I have worked to keep her healthy and happy since my dad passed away at the age of 80. We are trying to raise enough money to get her through her remaining time. We have set up an online fundraiser at Anne, 100 years of love.And I have created a special editing service called  Quick Crits for Anne. The money from these special crits will go towards the care of my mother. I am hoping that many of you who have had edits from me will find this new 'quick look' useful. Please spread the word to other writers. Not only will they get valuable feedback on their manuscripts, but will help a worthy cause. 

It's Halloween and what better day for an author to hop into the woods. It's gray and cloudy. Stormy winds are stirring and getting ready for a howling good evening. But before I run off to greet the ghouls and goblins at my door, it's time to join the author blog hop. 

I was invited to participate in the blog hop by my great friend and critique buddy Gayle Krause. Gayle is a prolific author with an entertaining blog of her own. Please hop back and visit her blog, The Story Teller's Scroll, after you spend a short time with me. Now to answer those author questions:

1. What are you currently working on?                                                                                                  At the moment I am working on a middle grade steampunk story. The idea came from a bit of back story in my short story My Dangerous Heart. One of the lead characters had an unusual occupation as a boy and I decided to explore that occupation with a new character in a novel.                                                                                                 
2. How does it differ from other works in the genre?                                                                          Steampunk stories are generally geared for a YA audience, but the protagonist in my novel is a bit younger. At 14 he should appeal to middle grade readers, although his hard life has forced him to 'grow up' fast.                                  
3. Why do you write what you do?                                                                                                          I've always been a prolific reader. I write the kind of stories that I love to read. Real life items get thrown into the pot to be simmered down with imagination and come out reinvented. I love fantasy and nature and finding the 'magic' in the most mundane things.                                                                                                                                     
4. What is the hardest part about writing?                                                                                            For me the hardest part is to silence the perfectionist. I can get trapped refining and editing a scene and never move on to the next one. It's great to have a perfect opening, but eventually you have to let go and write the rest of the story. 

Now that I have given you a peek at my creative process, let me introduce two fellow authors who will be moving the author blog hop forward in November. 

The first one is Jennifer Carson. Jennifer was my editor for the steampunk anthology, Real Girls Don't Rust. Jennifer is a dream editor, supportive and caring about her authors with a good ear for fine tuning a story. You can visit her at her blog: The Dragon Charmer. As well as being a great editor, she is an author of fantasy tales such as Hapenny Magick.  Jennifer Carson lives in New Hampshire with her husband, four sons and many furred and feathered friends. She grew up on a steady diet of Muppet movies and renaissance faires. Besides telling tales, Jennifer likes to create fantasy creatures and characters and publishes her own sewing patterns. She is also the head Mid-grade editor at Spencer Hill Press.


The second author I'd like you to meet is Rachel Schieffelbein. You can visit Rachel at her blog: Writing on the Wall. Rachel was one of my fellow authors from the anthology, Real Girls Don't Rust. In her tale, Seeing Red, she turned the story of Little Red Riding Hood on its head. 
Rachel Schieffelbein lives with her husband and their four kids in the same tiny town she grew up in. She spends her time reading, writing, and coaching high school speech and theater. She enjoys writing characters she can relate to, ones she would want to hang out with, or fall in love with. She hopes her readers will love them, too. Her debut novella, Secondary Characters, came out last spring from Swoon Romance.

Now I think I hear the first goblins scratching at my door, so I will have to leave you. Make sure you hop forward to visit Jennifer and Rachel and back to see Gayle and all the other authors before her. That's what blog hopscotch is all about, meeting new and exciting authors. Enjoy!

I’d like to welcome Gayle C. Krause author of Ratgirl, Song of the Viper as a guest to my blog. Gail’s story is based on the classic tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin and we’re going to discuss ‘reinventing’ a fairytale.

Thanks for having me as a guest on your blog, Roxanne. Fairy tales are one of my passions and I’m happy to discuss them with your readers today.

Fairy tales are once again leaving the nursery and reaching an older audience. Plots that emphasize the darker aspects of the stories are becoming popular in movies, Hansel and Gretel, Witch Hunters for example. Gayle, when approaching a classic tale and reinventing it for a modern audience what do you look for?

For me, personally, I am drawn to the darker organic fairy tales. By this, I mean the story has sinister, intriguing aspects to it, which can be exploited to write a gritty, heroic rendition.I think there’s more room to elaborate on the less obvious aspects of the fairy tale, and weave a story today’s teen would be interested in.

What drew you to the Pied Piper story?

The darkness, the rats, and the oppression the villagers suffered at the hands of the corrupt mayor and his corporation, and a strong female character to battle them.

Fairytales have obviously stood the test of time. Like myths, they are passed down from generation to generation. What do you feel allows a fairy tale to appeal to audiences over such a long span of time?

For a story to hold a child’s attention it must be entertaining, and arouse curiosity, but most of all it must stimulate the imagination. Actually, that’s the exact same criteria needed to make a YA novel successful.

Fairy tales were originally told around the hearth at the end of a long day. However, the stories weren’t the tales of magic and mayhem we know today. They were actually gossip of the town or village, told to teach a child lessons on the meaning of life. A brother and sister abandoned in the woods by a father. A young girl tricked by a man, who tries to lure her into a sexual relationship. A loving daughter turned into the servant of her own home, by a jealous stepmother. What better fantasy than to embellish the true facts of life?

Today, fairy tales are still told as a way for children to distinguish between fantasy and reality. By dealing with the universal problems a child must face, fairy tales encourage psychological development and emotions, that hopefully lead to wise decisions on the child’s part.

How close do you think a reinvented fairytale should remain to the original?

There are two points of view on this question, and perhaps the definitions lie in how we describe the story.

One is a retelling. In this version of the fairy tale the plotline is closely followed. It may be expanded into a YA or MG novel and include new information, but essentially it remains the same story as the original.

The other is an adaptation, where the text is given modern tools and expressions and the story is loosely based on the original. Stories with strong female characters, or weak female characters, who can be re-invented as strong, to take charge of their lives, makes manipulating the traditional tales fun and a great creative outlet for the author or screenwriter. Thus, the current influx of reinvented fairy tales for the big screen.

Do you have a favorite retold fairytale?

Yes. My favorite fairy tale as a child was The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Juliet Marillier’s first YA novel, Wildwood Dancing, incorporates the story of The Frog Prince and The Twelve Dancing Princesses with the realm of Otherworld creatures.

And they all lived happily ever after . . . fairytale twists often pick up the original story after the closing scene and question how true ‘happily ever after’ is. Does Ratgirl take us further than the original story?

Ratgirl sets the stage for ‘happily ever after,’ but to actually see the result, I’d have to write the sequel. The story ends with the characters and setting in place, but the time has not yet arrived to see if they in fact do live ‘happily ever after.’

If the idea for a sequel that’s floating around in my head comes to fruition, I’m thinking it won’t be all that happy unless Jax or Andy Stone take a stance against the evil that will follow them to the New Continent.

Ratgirl will be available at all retail outlets February 5, 2013.

 

Good News Nelson
Written by: Jodi Moore
Illustrated by: Brendan Flannelly-King
Published by: Story Pie Press, December 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9842178-3-0
Price: $14.99
Ages: 4-9
Rating:  5 stars
Reviewed by: Roxanne Werner

 Synopsis: Paperboy Nelson only delivers the news to his neighbors; good or bad, it is not his to control. But cranky old Mrs. Snodberry’s reaction to a story about abandoned cats makes Nelson wonder if he can do something.

Good News Nelson combines the talents of Jodi Moore, author of When A Dragon Moves In, and illustrator Brendan Flannelly-King. Together they create an uplifting story without any sugary after taste.

Packaged in an oversized hardcover edition, the jacket design echoes the newspaper theme. The black and white back cover sports a bold headline and story column layout. Inside Flannelly-King’s illustrations provide a muted backdrop for the developing story.

Paperboy Nelson finds it is not enough to deliver or read the news. It is not even enough to care. Bad news doesn’t turn into good news without people taking action.

Crotchety Mrs. Snodberry’s pessimism is the perfect foil to Nelson’s youthful enthusiasm. With a tip of the hat to Dicken’s Scrooge, her “bahs” are the spur to Nelson taking action.

 But what can one person do--especially one small boy? Young readers will find Nelson’s story both inspiring and empowering. The plan he devises to help save one hundred abandoned kittens is practical. He comes up with an idea and carries it out by himself. Although adults become involved, Nelson is the pebble that starts an avalanche of goodwill.

Readers will root for one small boy who refuses to give up and let bad news rule the day.