Today I’m joining the Blog Tour for the release of two wonderful authors I know, Tricia Mingerink and Kendra E. Ardnek! They have allied themselves with four other authors because every single one of them is releasing a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling. How cool is that? You can check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour here.
On to the interview!!
What is your unique twist on The Twelve Dancing Princesses?
Tricia: The most unique thing about my version of 12 Dancing Princesses is probably the setting. It is book 3 of Beyond the Tales, and this series is set in a fantasy kingdom that is a blend of Medieval meets early American frontier. Think Davy Crockett/Daniel Boone meets a medieval fairy tale. It is filled with castles and canoes and buckskin clothing and mountains inspired by the Appalachian Mountains. So the dancing slippers that the 12 dancing princesses wear out each night happen to be moccasins in my version, though they still live in a castle.
Kendra: Well, it was supposed to be a shift from twelve princesses to just one, but then it turned out to be a gender-swapped re-imagining with a vaguely Russian setting, and a fun music-based magic system.
What are your favorite fairy tales?
Tricia: I love so many fairy tales, it’s hard to choose! Growing up, Beauty and the Beast was a favorite (and not just the Disney version). But I also have come to really love 12 Dancing Princesses and the Goose Girl, thanks to some really stellar retellings of those tales. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is also another favorite of mine.
Kendra: All of them? I have a particular love for obscure fairy tales, especially ones that are just plain weird. Since we’re talking 12DP, though, the one I’m going to shout out is Dorani, which is the Arabic (I believe) version of 12DP, which also features elements of Cinderella and Rapunzel. I love it because instead of ending with “let’s get married and live happily ever after”, it actually begins with the marriage, and ends with “Let’s get to know and respect one another and live happily ever after” and … it’s perfection.
Why did you choose The Twelve Dancing Princesses for your retelling?
Tricia: As 12 Dancing Princesses has become one of my favorite fairy tales, I always planned to retell it as part of Beyond the Tales. I started hinting at it all the way in book 1 Dagger’s Sleep. It just happened to work out that my 12 Dancing Princesses retelling happened in the same year as the Tattered Slippers 12 Dancing Princesses retelling, and I was really excited to be able to join the challenge this year!
Kendra: Because it’s what people voted for when I asked them which one we needed to retell this year. This one specifically … has been floating around in the back of my head as a concept forever (Okay, ten-eleven years.) Once upon a time, I had a character named Aleenia the Story Fairy (I maaaaay someday still write that story – the world-building was FUN), and her biggest annoyance was that the fairy tales had been distorted over time – for instance, Cinderellla and Snow White used to be one fairy tale (Snowella White) and The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a smushed together version of two stories – the Twelve Princesses and The Dancing Princesses. I don’t know what The Twelve Princesses was supposed to be about … and The Dancing Princess wound up waaaaaaaay different from my initial concept so … it was an adventure.
How do you get inspired to write?
Tricia: I have become really addicted to candles, and I now own A LOT of them. I’ll pick anywhere from 1 to 3 candles that have scents that remind me of the setting or atmosphere of the book, and I’ll burn one of those while I write and edit the book. For these fairy tale books, I tend to also re-watch some of my favorite fairy tale movies to get me re-inspired to write my own fairy tale retellings. I may have re-watched the Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses movie a few times while writing Poison’s Dance. That movie happens to be my favorite of the Barbie movies, and the score and animation are unexpectedly beautiful for a non-Disney kids movie.
Kendra: Confession time – I don’t write for myself. I create stories for myself, but I write them down so I can share them with the world. So … in short, I have a group of girls that I will send pretty much everything I write so they can fangirl over it. I am very fueled by fangirling.
What fairy tale retellings do you recommend outside your own?
Tricia: K.M. Shea is my favorite author, and her retellings are always hilarious and so, so good!
Melanie Cellier is a close second when it comes to favorites, and she has a lot of fairy tale retellings to binge (and they happen to all be on audiobook, which is the best for busy people like me!).
J.M. Stengl has a fun series set in a modern day, yet magical fairy tale resort castle.
Lea Doue has a series that is a very loose retellings following the 12 sisters from her first book, which is a 12 Dancing Princesses retelling (all of hers are also on audiobook!). Lucy Tempest has a series that is filled with action and adventure and twisty interacting realms. They have some violence, but nothing readers can’t handle if they already read my books.
Also, Kenley Davidson, Camille Peters, W.R. Gingell, A.G. Marshall, just to name a few more, not to mention all the other authors who are a part of this Tattered Slippers group release.
Honestly, I could keep going on. I LOVE fairy tale retellings and have connected with many indie fairy tale writers in the past few years. You can find my reviews of the over 150+ fairy tale books I have read on my Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/36134494-tricia-mingerink?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=fairy-tale-retellings
Kendra: Ella Enchanted and then the Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine
The books that Shannon Hale wrote for Ever After High (the cartoons weren’t bad, but they lost a lot of the depth that Hale had given the characters). Also her Rapunzel’s Revenge.
Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Hero’s Guide trilogy by Christofer Healy
Faraway Castle by J.M. Stengl
All of the Rooglewood Collections.
Ravenspire Novels by C.J. Redwine
Zel and Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli
And maaaaany others.I actually have some ranking videos of Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Beauty and the Beast. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are coming soon.
Who is your favorite character from your book? Don’t worry, I won’t tell the others! 😉
Tricia: Daemyn, of course. Though, Alex has a special place in my heart. He had so much growing up to do in these books!
Kendra: I think maybe Rada? Katrine’s nurse. Older mentor figures with secrets are just so much fun.
What is your next project?
Tricia: My next project is book 4 in the Beyond the Tales series, which is a Goose Girl/Wild Swans retelling. I also have a Bluebeard/Robin Hood retelling that will be coming out as a novella sometime in 2021, though I can’t give too many details on that project yet.
Kendra: The Merchant of Menace, book 6 of the Bookania Quests. It’s a mashup of Cinderella, The Merchant of Menace, and the Odyssey, and it’s actually available to preorder now! I’m also working on getting the Twists of Adventure released in a single collection now that all five are released.
About the Authors:
Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her. When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she’s frequently known to act before she thinks.
Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Newsletter || Instagram || Amazon
Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn’t writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.
Find her online at: Website || Goodreads || Facebook || Instagram || Amazon
These books sound so unique and fun! I’ll need to check them out. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you read it.