Guest Post by Savage Beauty Author Casey L. Bond - Why Fairy Tale Retelling - Excerpt
Title: Savage Beauty
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling
Editor: Stacy Sanford/ The Girl with the Red Pen
Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens/ The Illustrated Author Design Services
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR
Aura took everything from Luna: her home, her family, and her love by murdering the prince who’d chosen her instead of Aura.
Luna wants revenge, but she’s running out of time. She must sever the magical bond tying her life to Aura’s before their eighteenth birthday or be bound to her forever. In desperation, she seeks help from a dark fae prince, but the price is steep – a piece of her soul.
Fate is a real witch. Luna was willing to give up anything to stop her sister, until Prince Phillip of Grithim, the brother of the only man she’s ever loved, falls into her life. Neither of them can fight their attraction, despite their guilt.
With Aura hell-bent on destroying everything she holds dear, Luna must decide whether she wants revenge or Phillip. She can’t have both, and in the end, this may be a battle both sisters lose.
**Savage Beauty is a fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty... with fae witches. :)
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Guest Post
Why Fairy Tale Retellings?
by Casey L. Bond
The world loves fairy tales. That’s a general statement. I’m sure there are some people out there who don’t, but in general, people do. There’s something about them that’s timeless. Something hopeful. And in a world where all you see on the news are negative stories about crime, political scandal, or worse, fairy tales are just what we need to escape.
Readers love it when the characters of their newest read sweeps them into a world that’s more fantastical than their own. They want to experience heart-thumping adventure, romance, ups and downs, highs and lows, twists and turns. They want the unexpected but familiar. And they want happily ever afters. Who doesn’t, right?
That’s why I write retellings. I recently visited a class of gifted, and incredibly bright, fifth graders. We talked about fairy tales and I asked them to come up with twists on the old plot lines…. And boy did they deliver! They loved it and their imaginations went wild with new ideas.
When I wrote Riches to Rags, I thought it would be interesting to see Cinderella’s life happen in reverse. With Savage Beauty, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, I wanted faeries (of course) and a curse of sleep that was incredibly unique.
My next retellings will be of Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast, and I’m writing a fae fantasy loosely based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I’m so excited about releasing them. I get excited every time I think about a new possibility or way to twist the old and familiar tale into something new and exciting and maybe a bit dangerous.
Retellings come in all forms. If you love contemporary romance, there are retellings based on fairy tales. Katy Regnery’s The Vixen and the Vet is a perfect example. If you like science fiction, check out Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Fantasy? C.J. Redwine and Sarah J. Maas deliver. If you love villain-based story-lines, Stacey Rourke is queen. And Sarah J. Pepper has some amazing retellings as well.
And these are just a few. There isn’t enough paper in the world to hold all of the amazing retellings available out there! So, I hope you check some of them out. If you’ve read any of mine, thank you. I can’t tell you what it means to have people read and enjoy my imaginary friends.
I hope this post brought a smile to your face on this Monday morning! <3
~ Casey B
Excerpt
“I was going to try to hike out of here in the morning. I’m glad you woke, actually. I was hoping you could give me directions?” I would have asked her to lead me to the edge of the dark forest, but she wasn’t what I expected. She hadn’t hurt me yet, but it was clear that she didn’t want me in her home. And I didn’t want to push my luck by staying any longer where I wasn’t welcome.“Do you have any idea what today is?” she countered.
My God, she was beautiful. I shook my head to clear it. What was significant about today? I had no idea.
“It’s the first day of autumn,” she said dryly. “The equinox. The fae will celebrate. They’ll be hunting in the forest today, and some are very fond of the taste of human flesh.”
Well, damn. I stared at her pointed ears and gulped. “Are you fond of it?”
Her lips curved into a cruel smile. “Not particularly.”
“Should I leave tonight then? Before daylight?”
“It’s midnight. While some are already celebrating, others are already in the wood, waiting for some unsuspecting prey to waltz by.
I watched an unfamiliar emotion roll over her features. “You’ve been my guest, you say? Have you poked your nose anywhere it doesn’t belong?” Her eyes narrowed as she waited for my response.
“I’ve eaten from your garden, slept in your chair, and washed in your creek. I’ve made friends with Cat, whom I will continue to call Cat until you divulge her name. And I’ve tidied things a little. I promise to send food to replace what I took from your garden as soon as I get home.”
Her head ticked to the side. “You cleaned my house?”
“Just the kitchen and sitting room. I kept this door closed as much as I could. It won’t quite shut, and the other door is locked.”
She flicked her eyes at the small gap in the bedroom door and then smiled at me. “I know you weren’t in there.”
“How?”
“Because if you had picked those locks, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me now.”
She left me and Cat behind as she walked out of the room, her footsteps completely quiet. I looked down at my furry friend and she looked up at me and then followed her master. It felt wrong to stay in the young woman’s bedroom, and since I didn’t sense an immediate danger from her, I followed Cat, dabbing at the stinging wound on my neck.
A growl came from the main room just as I stepped into it. “You moved my things.”
“I told you I cleaned,” I defended.
“Yes, well you shouldn’t have touched my things! Now, how will I find what I need?” She scowled at the shelf and the spices arrayed on them.
“They’re in alphabetical order.”
“Alphabe—” Her word faded away as she took in my handiwork. I thought she liked it until she gripped the counter and swiveled her head toward me. “Perhaps now is the perfect time for you to walk through the dark forest.”
“Do you overreact to organized spices and kindness very often, or are you just cranky because you woke from your nap?” I snapped, immediately regretting the words. I wasn’t a coward, but neither did I want to die at the hands of a fae witch.
To my surprise, she didn’t gut me. Instead, a slow smile stretched over her lips, as brilliant as I’d imagined. Not that I’d imagined she had those small fangs...
About the Author
Award-winning author Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction. You can find more information about Bond’s books via the following links:
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