This week, YA Highway‘s blog prompt is to name a fable or story we’d like to see a retelling of. We’re also encouraged to be creative and come up with our own version.
I have always been fascinated with fairy tales and fables. I even played around with an updated retelling of Cinderella in one of my romance novels (His Make-Believe Wife, under my pen name, Kayla Russo).
I’d actually intended to write a few more fairy tale-based romances, and had even started one based on one of my favorite fairy tales, Rumpelstiltskin. It was to take place in a modern-day wrecking yard (where old cars go to die). The woman who owned the wrecking yard would discover an odd little man wandering around the yard. I don’t remember the details, but likely it was something like the woman would have to figure out his name to find love.
I ended up completely jettisoning that version of the idea. I did go on to write the book, which was originally published by Berkley as Unforgettable, but is now available as The In-Between (again using my pen name Kayla Russo). The little old man was replaced by teen ghosts, Laura and Johnny. Rather than figuring out their names, the heroine (and hero) have to figure out how Laura and Johnny died to free the dead lovers from their bondage on earth.
I’ve had another idea cooking for a long while that likely will never see the light of day. In that story, a fairy godmother appears in the apartment of a hard-driven, type-A woman. But before the fairy godmother can grant any wishes, she has a heart attack and drops to the floor. Just before she dies, she transfers the mantle of fairy-godmotherness to the type A woman. Now the woman has to be fairy godmother, which of course ruins her life.
So, what are your favorite fairy tales and fables? What would you like to see retold?
I like the fairy godmother idea, Karen. That could be a really good story… with movie potential! I would encourage you to let that idea simmer some more. π
Thanks, Colin. I thought about writing that one as a screenplay too. π Just have to squeeze it in with all the other ideas floating around in my head!
I like the fairy godmother idea, too. There’s so much relatable to that because haven’t we all wished for someone to pop up and make our dreams come true? I’ll check out the link to your book, too π Here’s my YA Highway Post
Oh, I like your ideas! And love the pic from Shrek’s godmother LOL I agree with Colin, you should work on it π
Well, I have one more TANKBORN book to finish (REVOLUTION), then another to re-write, and then maybe… I’ll have to take a look and see if I ever wrote anything on that book. Thanks for the encouragement, Juliana and Colin!
Yes, the fairy-godmother thing seems screenplayish to me. Kind of like THE SANTA CLAUSE and the one about the tooth fairy with The Rock in it.
I love the Fairy Godmother idea! It would be a fun way of telling the story from the other side of the table. What does a fairy godmother do? How does she help people? Does she have to help people? What a fun idea.
The fairy godmother idea would be so cool! I’d love to read anything with a fairy godmother as the main character.