Cindy C Bennett?is the YA author of several books. She lives in Utah with her two daughters. Both of her sons have married, giving her two more daughters (in-law). She loves gooey cookies, dark chocolate, and cheese popcorn. She hates housework and cooking, and has no plans to become a domestic goddess. She occasionally co-hosts a geek podcast with her son, called Geek Revolution Radio. Her favorite pastime—other than writing—is riding her Harley.

Guest Post by Cindy C Bennett – Who Doesn’t Love Fairytales?

Who doesn’t love fairytales? Princes and princesses, magic, villains, obstacles to overcome to achieve true love—fairytales have it all. They’re an easy escape into an enchanted world. I think that has a lot to do with the current trend in retelling these fantastical stories.

I’d already decided to write some retellings when I was approached by my publisher to write a full length retelling of the fairytale of my choice. I chose Rapunzel for the full-length, leaving me the option of all the other fairytales for my short stories.

The first story I chose was Beauty and the Beast, titled Beautiful Beast, because I’d long been having the story running around in my mind, long before I realized it was a retelling of that specific fairytale. I’m very proud of this story, and sometimes wish I would have written it as a full-length. It’s my only retelling that doesn’t have any magic or anything paranormal involved. You’ll have to read it to find out what makes him such a beast . . .

Red and the Wolf followed, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with a paranormal twist, not a retelling you see often, but one that makes sense with the popularity of wolf stories. Snow White is probably the most magical, with fantasy lands and a centuries old curse. The Unmasking of Cinderella is a modern day version, with a touch of magic that’s unexpected. Finally, I chose The White Swan, based on the ballet Swan Lake. Because this is the least known fairytale of all I chose from, I had the most freedom in taking this where I wanted—and yet, I chose to keep fairly close to the story.

With all of my fairytales, I studied and read all of the old versions, and a few of the new, using names and settings from the traditional tales. Some of the names might seem a little strange, but with all of my main characters, there’s a meaning behind their name.

I enjoy reading fairytale retellings almost as much as I like writing them. I hope you like the way I’ve retold these classic stories, and have fun immersing yourself into every fairytale you read, both traditional and the retellings. As always, happy reading!

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