We’re trying something different today! Instead of a typical review of a fairy tale retelling, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing an author who has written one.
Kristy Brown is the author of Cinderfella, a modern-day adaptation where the roles of the prince and Cinderella are reversed, as well as bit of gender-swapping for the evil stepsisters and fairy godmother. The story follows the adventures of Ash, farm boy aspiring to be a doctor, and Ellie, princess on the run from an arranged marriage, and there is plenty of excitement and drama to keep you on your toes!
But without further ado, let’s meet the author.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Kristy Brown?
Hello. I’m Kristy and I write mostly teen/YA and a little NA. I’m from a small town in the UK and I have two children who are 14 and 11, guess that makes me feel old!
I trained in contemporary arts and performing arts, originally wanting to act. I did some theatre and then had my first child. It was whilst he took his naps that I began writing my first ever published story, Kiera’s Quest, a four part fantasy series for tweens with Muse It Up Publishing. I feel like my writing has come along way since then and I’m now writing my ninth book.
How long have you been a writer?
I wrote a lot of poetry in my teens, but didn’t start writing again until I was thirty. I wish I’d started early as it’s my passion.
What drew you to fairy tales, as a reader or a writer?
I adore fairy-tales. Ever since I was tiny and my mum read them to me. I had a collection of them all. And I’d re-read Cinderella and Snow White most days. I love Disney too, even at my age! There’s so much romance and fantasy in them and without getting deep, there’s so much bad stuff going on in the world today that escaping into a fairy-tale sometimes makes me feel safe and happy. I think these stories have been around forever and they will continue to be.
Tell us a bit about your retelling.
My retelling of Cinderella, Cinderfella, plays around with the roles, so that he is the mistreated pauper, and she is the princess. Also the stepsisters become brothers and the Godmother becomes a male.
What inspired you to move the story to a modern day setting?
I wanted to move it to modern day, because it felt fresh and there are lots of traditional retellings already, take the films The Slipper and the Rose for instance. Also I wanted to make it a bit darker and put a little passion in, as us older folk still like to read a tale with a hint of spice.
And what inspired the role- and gender-swapping?
The role swapping was the main pull for me as it gave me lots of room to play around and it was really fun writing it.
I absolutely loved Gerry, the fairy godfather. He reminded me a bit at times of Clarence Odbody from It’s a Wonderful Life. Tell me a bit about what was going through your mind when it came to writing and creating him.
What a lovely compliment, I never likened him to Clarence before, but I see why you think that. Gerry was created to add a touch of humour to the tale. He is a character very close to my heart. I also wanted to show a closeness between him and Ash, as Ash has no real family left.
I really enjoyed the sort of “post-Cinderella” feel that I got from this book. When we first meet Ellie, she’s already got the royal life and the glass slippers, and we get to see a bit of what it’s like to sort of go in reverse of the rags-to-riches tale, while also getting a Cinderella story out of Ash and his journey. Was that intentional, sort of creating this reverse and yet parallel structure?
I always wondered what would have happened on her way home from the ball. What if she didn’t make it home in time? That gave me a lot of scope and from that Ash was born.
What was your favorite part to write in this retelling?
My favourite part was the love between them, the hidden identies etc. Writing it made me feel like a kid again, with its magic and happily ever after.
Was there anything that got left out, or any surprising twists you wished you could have incorporated that just didn’t work out?
Nothing gets left out that I want in! But the kidnapping plot sort of just happened, so I ran with it.
Have you worked on other retellings? Anything exciting you want to share?
I have no other retellings as yet, but hope to write many more in the future. I’m currently writing the final book in my YA Paranormal Romance series (Muse It Up Publishing) Summer’s End which is available in print and e-book through Amazon and most online shops.
What advice would you give to up and coming fairy tale retellers and other writers?
Advice? Let’s see… try and keep some components from the original as it ties the old to the new. And write something that you’d love to read, hopefully then others will.
If you’d like to check out Kristy Brown’s book, click the link here! Also like and follow her facebook page for updates on her other projects.