Shannon here: Amy R. Anguish shares insight into her latest Contemporary Romance/Fairy Tale Fantasy, Rendersella. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for a print copy (US only). Deadline: Aug 9th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Amy:
Making Fairy Tales More Romantic:
It’s hard to fall in love when you’ve only known each other one day.
Or, maybe I should say, it’s hard to have a romance with depth when you hardly know each other.
But we’ve grown up on the classic fairytales where characters meet, share one or two short exchanges, maybe a dance, and then they live happily ever after. The end.
Needless to say, when I started working on my fairytale retelling of Cinderella, I wanted more. Of course there would be the fancy shoes, and the pumpkin, and a fairy godmother character, though my book has no magic. But I wanted a relationship the readers could actually believe would end in happily ever after instead of something that seemed more likely to end in fights and wondering who that person even is.
Cinderella has always come across as a bit “hard to catch,” with her running away and looking so different when at home. Why not see if I could incorporate the same feeling into my story? So, I did.
Ella Renders wants to have her artwork in the Prince Gallery more than just about anything, but when she bumps into Chaz Prince one morning, looking more like a maid than an artist, she doesn’t want his first impression to ruin her chances. The problem is, he’s best friends with the brother of her best friend. And, once Chaz has bumped into Ella a few times, he wants to bump into her more and more.
I don’t think I ever played hard to get when I was still dating, but it sure was fun to write.
Don’t worry. There’s plenty of time with my characters together, so Ella can believe that Chaz likes her no matter what. And so Chaz can find out what Ella is hiding.
And don’t you find it more romantic when the characters have known each other more than five minutes before they start their happily ever after? It definitely makes more sense to me, though I still love the classics. I also know my husband and I skated around whether we liked each other or not for months before giving in and agreeing to date. And we dated for years before becoming engaged.
Rest assured that in the other two fairytale retellings I’m writing now, I will do the same thing. The classics will never grow old, but I do love a romance that feels like it can actually make it after “the end.”
Question for Readers: What do you think? Do you like it when people rewrite old stories to be new versions? Do you prefer a romance that feels like happily ever after has a real chance at the end?
About Amy: Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good. Learn more & connect:
Amy’s Website Amy’s Facebook Amy’s Twitter
Amy’s Pinterest Once Upon a Page Youtube Channel
About the book – Rendersella:
A pumpkin, a shoe, and a step-sister … real life is no fairy tale.
Ella dreams of her artwork on display in the famous Prince Gallery, but working for her stepmother leaves her eking out sporadic minutes to draw or paint. When her stepsister steals her drawing and claims it as her own, Ella fears she’s lost her chance.
Chaz Prince wants more responsibility at his family’s gallery, but first he must prove he can handle it. Chaz talks his dad into a contest to bring in some new artists, sure this will be exactly what the gallery needs. When he stumbles across Ella’s piece, he not only wants the artwork, but wishes to know the artist.
At the gala to celebrate the contest winners, Ella is determined to let them know the artwork is hers, but time is against her. And where did her shoe end up?
Come back Aug 2nd for Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup!
This book sounds like a great read
Thank you, Beth!
Hey Amy,
Glad to have you again. This book sounds fun. I love Contemporary Romance, whether fairy tale or not. But I do require and realistic happily-ever-after that seems like it will last forever.
I love fairytale retellings. I also do prefer a romance that feels like happily ever after has a real chance at the end. Who doesn’t love a happy ending?
I adore happy endings! 🙂
A happy ending for sure and being an old fashioned reader the happiest the better.
Sounds good to me too!
I like it but it depends on the story. I always like happily ever after endings.
It’s hard not to love happy endings, isn’t it? Thanks for commenting!
I like happy endings too. That’s why mine are all happy. But, realistic too. Not everyone jumps in with both feet at the first kiss. 🙂
Exactly! Thanks for commenting!
I love fairytale retellings, and I love happy endings! This sounds like a wonderful read!
It’s a perfect combination! 🙂 Thanks for commenting.
I am reading this story right now, and loving the hesitant relationship these two have leading up to the “fancy ball”. It does feel like happily ever after will provide a realistic and satisfying ending. Great job, Ms. Anguish.
Thank you so much!
I love fairy tale retellings. This one sounds great! I definitely have to have my happily ever after ending too.
You sound a lot like me. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I like rewrites of fairy tales if they end happily. I would love to read this, Thank you for the chance to win.
So glad you stopped by, Sue!
I have a winner! SueW won the drawing. I appreciate Amy for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.