I’m a sucker for fairytales. Yesterday, Disney re-released a remastered Sleeping Beauty and while I restrained myself from buying it (because really, I do have to have some things on my Christmas list!) I’m very excited. I loved that story.
Of the “classic” Disney princesses, Aurora was my favorite. She’s not without faults, but she has a sense of humor, a sense of kindness and an irrepressible sense of romance. And I like Prince Phillip. Number one, he had a name–unlike Snow White’s prince or Cinderella’s prince, who was just Charming. And he knows how to use a sword. And the villain! Malificent was magnificent! Evil and wronged…and with a fabulous fashion sense.
But I think my favorite characters in the movie are the fairy godmothers. Flora, Fauna and Merriwether…particularly Merriwether. What’s not to love? She’s plump, vivacious, has a wicked temper and is stubborn. My kind of woman.
Right now, I’m working on a fairytale based novella for Blaze. It’s going to be part of a 2-in-1 that I’m doing with our own Leslie Kelly, based on a world she created for an upcoming novella she has coming out in February with Rhonda Nelson and Kimberly Raye. I’m sure Les will be talking more about it as the release date nears, but let me just say that I’ve read Leslie’s story and it rocks! I’m so glad that she’s invited me to write about her world!
My heroine is a fairygodmother…but she’s not happy about it. See, she’s had her heart set on being a princess. Now, she just wants to be free of servitude as a royal matchmaker. My hero is named Jack. He’s big. Really big. Ex pro football player. He doesn’t have any magic beans, but he does have a harp…in the form of his little sister, Harper, who wants more than anything to sing on Broadway. And on it goes…I’m incorporating all sorts of fairytale references into the story and I’m loving every minute of it. I probably shouldn’t talk about the story until closer to the release date, but I’m having so much fun writing it, I just couldn’t help myself!
Like I said above, I’m a sucker for fairytales, so beyond Disney, I absolutely loved the Tenth Kingdom and the new version of Snow White. I can watch Ever After over and over and I still laugh heartily at Shrek. I went wild when Leslie introduced me to author Bettie Sharpe, who wrote a wickedly clever homage to Cinderella called Ember. It’s a free ebook. You have to read it. Be forewarned–this isn’t a straight romance. There’s a darkness to the story that some might find disturbing (think Brothers Grimm times one hundred) and it’s definitely erotica, but damn, is it spectacular. Well worth the time to read, IMO.
So…do you love fairytales? Which are your favorites? Which do you remember reading as a child? Or which movie was your favorite and why?
Oh…and a happy birthday to my Nanie, who would have been ninety today. (See, Nanie, I acknowledged your birthday…no need to show up and freak me the hell out tonight, okay?) Love you and miss you more than you’ll ever know. (Talk about your fairy godmother.)
And to my Aunt Rosie, who is still quite young at heart (and reads all of Carly’s books!)
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Warm wishes for a Happy Birthday go out to Plotmonkey Pals Cherie Japp & Barbara Burnham! We hope you have a fabulous, fun-filled day!
By all reports, Julie Leto was a sweet child once, somewhat shy, preferring to play quietly in her room making up stories. However, being raised with three brothers in a loud, primarily Italian household did have its influences and Julie discovered her inner tough girl. That’s probably why most of her heroines kick serious butt. Writing sassy heroines has worked out, as she’s sold over forty books to four publishers featuring strong, confident women. Julie lives in Florida with her daughter, a spoiled dachshund, a haughty lynx-point Siamese and a wide range of relatives all within driving distance.
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I love fairytales! Ever After is my all-time favorite Cinderella adaptation to date and I could watch it over and over myself. Plus, it has Dougray Scott and the man is simply gorgeous, and Drew Barrymore is one of my favorite actresses. I love the 10th Kingdom, too, and Shrek! but one of my favorites is The Little Mermaid, perhaps because I’ve got a red-headed daughter and she loves Ariel, or maybe because I love Flounder and Sebastian. Could be all of that and more.
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I’m the BIGGEST lover of fairytales! As far back as I can remember I was glued to the tv set when Snowwhite was on, Cinderella, and all the other fantastic Disney classics. I think that’s when my true love of romance started, and it just stayed with me through the years. Picking a favorite is hard considering I love them all. But if I have to pick, it would be Cinderella, and the movie would have to be Ever After, with Drew Barrymore. I think there’s no better version of the story of Cinderella than that movie. And it helps that the prince’s character is a sexy, tall, dark and handsome hottie!
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Oh yeah, I love the fairytales very much. There’s something magical to them, even if they can be a little dark. “Beauty & the Beast” is probably my favorite because I really liked Belle in the Disney movie (though when the Beast turned into a prince I lost interest).
But I remember being in the 4th grade and listening to an audio version of “The Little Mermaid” and it was absolutely haunting, and no happy ending, if I remember correctly. Turning into a human from a mermaid was painful. It was sad, but also beautiful, and though I like the Disney version very much, it’s that audio version I can never forget.
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I love fairy tales I love Cinderella against t he odds of being locked up and treated horribly by the step mother she gets the prince in the end. I love the magic of Disney we usually go 5 times a year I wish I could be the one to win a stay in the castle.
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I do love fairytales, I like Beauty and the Beast -Bell is a strong female heroine. I also love the scene in Sleeping Beauty where she is dancing in the woods with her animal friends as her dance partner.
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Happy Birthday Cherie and Barbara!
I love fairytales too. Cinderella is really my favorite. I remember watching the television movie version with Leslie Ann Warren and Stuart Damon. I LOVED it!! Still do!
Publisher Update: Since New Concepts Publishing who at present doesn’t pay me royalties or send out royalty statements, I notified Fiction Wise where NCP had uploaded my book. I am not the only author involved. There are many who are being shafted by this company in more ways than just non-payment of royalties.
My book actually reached the #25 spot but I never received a statement concerning sales or at the very least money for the sales. Fiction Wise e-mailed me yesterday and said they had notified NCP of my complaint and if I had not heard back from them within 7 days to let them know. So, hopefully if NCP doesn’t contact me in the allotted time Fiction Wise will remove my book from their site and give me a record of my sales. Keep your fingers crossed.
Have a great day all,
Cher
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I love fairytales too! My dad read all of them to us when we were little, and then he started changing up the stories so we were in the fairytales. My favorite movies would be Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast. I saw Sleeping Beauty at the movies when I was around 7 or 8. My dad took me, my best friend, and my little brother(he was about 4). I still kid him to this day that he cried when Prince Phillip killed the dragon.
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I loved “Enchanted” when it was released last year. I laughed. So hard. My “little one” was actually little when Disney started releasing their animated classics on VHS. I watched Cinderella so many times I started talking like the mice. 8O And I heard “Under The Sea” in my sleep. She was Ariel for Halloween that year.
I think all little girls learned about HEA’s from fairy tales…and we also learned that we had to kiss a lot of frogs before we found our princes. :wub:
Now that she’s engaged, we’re going back and getting those classics in DVD for any eventual grandkids.
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I am a sucker for Cinderella. I love all of the ‘princesses’ (go figure I have all boys). I did talk my 6 year old into watching “Enchanted’ (I got it for my birthday and had never seen it…it was good). I will have to check out the 10th kingdom.
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Yikes! I forgot. :wallbash:
Cherie and Barbara! Have great days!
Julie and Leslie, I can’t wait for ya’ll’s fairy tales!
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Julie — I absolutely LOVE The 10th Kingdom, as do my girls! I think it’s time to break out the DVD and watch it soon!!!
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Julie,
I am a lover of all Disney Movies. My first movie date with my husband he took me to see Aladdin. I loved it. We use the song “A Whole new world” as our first dance. But my all time absolute favorite has always been the Little Mermaid. I Love Ariel!!! When my daughter was a infant I used to play the movie for her. She would giggle. Now she’s four and sings the all the songs by heart. She loves Ariel as much as I do. That is the reason i have the original VHS, the special DVD, the Little Mermaid 2 and just bought her the 3rd movie Ariel’s beginning.
And yesterday my husband went out and bought her the special Sleeping Beauty DVD. She’s so excited. I’m excited because it has a the new trailer for the new TinkerBell movie that’s coming out. yeah!!! :wub:
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Happy bday Cherie and Barbara…I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends…I don’t have time right now to say much more, but I will pop in again later…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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I love Beauty and the Beast. It is so romantic with the whole friends before love. Favorite Disney movie of all time.
Donna Kauffman has a great line of books with fairy godmothers “The Glass Slipper Inc.” series. My favorite is “Not So Snow White” I love reading books with sports involved and in this particular book the heroine is the athlete.
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I love all things Disney, and I’m a sucker for happy endings, so I was so excited to see the re-release of Sleeping Beauty. I really want to buy it for my 3 year old niece who thinks she is a princess…lol I know she will love it and I will enjoy watching it through her eyes.
The February novella sounds like fun, can’t wait to here more about it!
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I’m a big fan of fairytales. The one I remember most from when I was a little girl was Cinderella because my parents used to read the Disney book to my sister and I and we all watched the movie. I was a huge fan of the mice, I just thought they were so cute, especially Gus and Jack.
As for which ones are my current favorites, I’d have to go with a split between The Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty. I just have a soft spot for them both.
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I have never seen the 10th Kingdom. I am adding it to the list. I never really got into fairy tales until my own little princess came to us. My folks just did not read to us. But I LOVE them!!!!!
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Love those fairy tales! As a child, I recall we had this big book
of fairy tales which we read over and over! Our favorites were
Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red
Riding Hood. The Disney films began to be produced back in
the ’40s and we LOVED them! ( Am I dating myself or what? )
Family film favorites still include Disney, especially Sleeping
Beauty. Add to the list : Princess Bride, which is a favorite for
all three generations of the family!!
Special greetings to Cherie, Barbara, your Nanie, and your Aunt
Rosie!!
Pat Cochran
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Oh fairytales, Disney, and most of all SLEEPING BEAUTY are favs of mine!!! Thanks for shring the link with us!!! :flower4you:
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I still love Princess Bride. It’s funny and twisted, my kind of tale!
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“Beauty and the Beast” and “Cinderella” are my favorites. The Disney adaptions were great, too. I could watch those movies all the time and never get tired of them.
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Julie, I cannot wait to read your story and am so excited that we get to revisit my fairy tale land again! 10th Kingdom is also one of my very favorite movies; we pull it out and watch it as a family every year or two. And I will not deny being a little influenced by it when creating my world in the bedtime stories novella. (Though, of course, there is no “fading to black” in my fairy tale world like there was in a G rated TV movie…
And I also loved Sleeping Beauty for many of the same reasons. Philip was a great prince, strong and brave, but also down to earth and charming. Way better than the other fairy tale princes of the era (imho!) I will definitely be picking up that one, if only for my own collection!
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First of all:
To Cherie J & Barbara B. May you both have a wonderful day filled with family & friends and of course 
& :present1:
:pumpkin: Have to use these icons this month!!
Julie & Leslie, can’t wait to read your “fairy tales” that are coming out. I’m looking forward to hearing more about them.
:wave: Hi Pat C., I’m so glad someone else here remembers the 40′s!! I loved all the Disney movies, still love them. I would have to say Cinderella is probably my favorite but it is hard to choose. My favorite adult “fairy tale” is Pretty Woman. I also liked Enchanted! Thanks for mentioning The 10th Kingdom, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it or Ever After. I’ll be checking those out!! Always love hearing about a movie I haven’t seen. With all the new TV programs on I’m not watching movies much.
Cher, good luck with NCP. Keep us posted.
:yikes: :vampire:
:pumpkin:
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Plotmonkeys and Jungle Crawlers,
I received two nasty e-mails this morning from the owners of New Concepts Publishing. They called me a thief, a liar, a moron, an idiot and a psycho. I’ve never been called names like that before so you can guess it’s very upsetting. It makes me feel dirty like I have done something wrong. They also told me that if I posted their e-mails in a public forum they would sue me for copyright infringement.
I am having a phone conference with my attorney this afternoon. I will keep you guys apprised of any further developments.
I have to say this whole thing has sucked my writing joy out down to the last drop.
Cher
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OMG, Cher! I’m stunned and shocked!!! I don’t know the details, but I know YOU, and I’m very angry on your behalf, as well! :cursing:
Do NOT let them, or anyone else, steal your joy of writing. I know you’re upset right now (and rightly so!), but use that anger/emotion to write a damn good book. And just know that you have a ton of support here for you!
BIG HUGS :hug2:
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Thank you, Janelle.
Cher
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Cher, I am SO SO SO sorry you’re experiencing this dark underbelly of the business!! I hope your attorney can help you resolve this situation so you can run in the other direction.
Please do keep us posted!
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Thank you, Leslie. I will be sure and keep you guys posted. :hug2:
Cher
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i love fairytales too. Especially Cinderella in all her incarnations. Have you read any of the Mercedes Lackey takes on fairytales? I love them. They have all the elements that i love. Keep an eye on the date for when Snow White is pulled. You don’t want to have it gone before Xmas and not get one. I am going to go buy my own copy. I can’t trust anyone to get me what I want. Ever.
Cher- I don’t know what they are talking about but obviously they don’t know YOU.
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Happy Birthday Cherie and Barbara
My favorite is also Sleeping beauty. The WaltDisney Version is lovely.
the art work takes my breath away and the characters are just perfect.
My favorite villian of all the Disney Fairy tales is Malaficent. She is just pure evil. The fairy godmothers are just the greatest and PRince Phillip is everything a prince should be good looking, he can sing (once upon a dream) ride a white horse and can handle a sword.
What a guy. :dog1:
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Um, actually Sleeping Beauty’s Prince does have a name. He’s Prince Ferdinand.
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In the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty, the prince is named Phillip. Of that, I’m sure. Snow White’s prince didn’t have a name and Cinderella’s prince was Prince Charming, though I’m not certain anyone actually called him that in the movie.
I did see a reference to a Prince Ferdinand in a ballet version…but to me, Ferdinand will always be either a) King of Spain or b) a bull who likes flowers.
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Happy Birthday Cherie and Barbara!
Sleeping Beauty has always been my favorite. I love fairy tales but most of the books I read as a child were the Babar the elephant series, and Dr. Seuss!
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We LOVE LOVE LOVE the 10th Kingdom here and THe PRincess Bride, because they are just so wonderful, *sigh* I am feeling in a 10th Kingdom mood now – SUCK AN ELF!