Ello everyone! Here with my final blog post for this week is an interview I had with the amazing Jaidie Philips! Jaidie's new book, This Gray Canvas, just hit Amazon three days ago, and I'm so excited to share about it! Without further ado, here's the interview! C: Hello Jaidie! It's so nice to have you on the blog! Let's go ahead and get started. First question: How did you get started writing? When did you begin to seriously write? (As in, with the mindset of, "this could be published"?) J: I started writing when I was ten with my sisters (Kayti and Rissy). We would always come up with the most wacky storylines to play out with our toys and as our dad was passing our room one day, he stopped and watched us play for a minute before saying, “Hey, that's really cool! You should write that story down.” And we did, on a Kindle Fire 7…lol… It was terrible but we really enjoyed it so we kept writing books until finally we wrote Unfortunate Events: The Dragon Prince Chronicles 1 in 2021! That was the first book we felt satisfied with, that we read and didn't cringe, so after much, much editing we finally published it and the second book in the series Prince of Vengeance and are currently working on publishing book three in the series Trail of Assassins! It was right around the time that we wrote Unfortunate Events that I started to take my own personal writing seriously as well and have published GT and TGC and have also completed another project recently, am about half-way through another WIP, and have written tons of short stories one of which is published in the Heard in Silence Anthology :) And have so many other ideas I can't wait to write and some partly, very badly written manuscripts are stuffed and forgotten somewhere in a drawer of course XD C: Yes, same! I have a lot of old stories shoved away under my bed somewhere. So what genres do you primarily write in? J: YA and MG Fantasy and Contemporary. C: Cool! I write in similar genres. We may have already touched on this, but what was your first ever completed writing project? (And where is it now?) J: Um, Protect WK, that I wrote with my sisters (Kayti and Rissy) when I was ten on a Kindle Fire…lol…It was really bad, it was about horses with swords…haha! Currently it's in a forgotten Word doc waiting to be rewritten yet again at some point. It had some cool concepts (obviously not not horses with swords part tho XD ) we've already rewritten it about five times through the years (it's about humans now…lol…) but it's still really bad, one day we get it right, hopefully XD C: What was your first ever published project? J: I'd love to say it was Unfortunate Events: The Dragon Prince Chronicles 1…but we (me and my sisters) actually *coughs* published a book before that when I was like twelve, for about a month before we unpublished it and stuffed it in a drawer to die…lol… I'm not saying the title, so you can't look it up and it was under pen names so no one will ever find it! All I have to say is, it was really bad XD So, yeah, let's say my first published book was Unfortunate Events ;) C: Of course, now that you've told us it exists...I mean, I love a good challenge. XD Alright, so let's talk about your newest book! How did you get the idea for This Gray Canvas? J: I got the idea from Pinterest actually…lol…I saw a select color photo of black and white pencils…with one green pencil. And that got me thinking, what if you were an artist who only saw in black and white… and green? And Ethan was born! And the research began. I thought I was looking for Color Blindness, like in the movies, you know? Well,, it turned out to be way more complicated than that, see I thought I was looking for simple Color Blindness, but that actually means you just see on a different color spectrum (red is green, green is red ect.) And I was looking for complete black and white vision, like the movies you know? (Except for the color green of course!) Well, months more of research, I found what I needed was Monochromatic Vision or Monochromacy. Well, Monochromatic Vision is super rare meaning only 1 out of 30,000 people have it, and those who do can most of the time only see in black and white, period. But there are a very select few cases of people saying they could see say orange as well. Well, I took that small string and ran with it, and we'll, the rest of the book just sort of fell into place after that :) C: Wow, that's super interesting! I had a relative who was monochromatic, but I had no idea how rare it is! So, how long did it take to write This Gray Canvas? What was your favorite (and least favorite) parts of the process? J: Um, about two months of actual writing if I remember correctly (probably the slowest I've ever written a book considering it's tiny size…lol…) Favorite part was probably writing about the art side of things, since I'm an artist myself it was fun to write about my other passion! Least favorite part was definitely all the research it took to make this book possible and written realistically. *wipes brow* C: Yeah, I can imagine. For those of you who didn’t know, Jaiden Philips has published another novel called The Guild of Thieves. How has writing This Gray Canvas, a realistic middle grade story, been different from Guild of Thieves, which is young adult fantasy? J: Um, very. Honestly TGC was harder, just because of Ethan's condition, but contemporary as a genre is actually easier for me to write because like people know how a car works and what a fridge looks like, so you don't have to explain as much as you do in a fantasy. Like people know what New York looks like, but they have zero clue what Darrenton might look like. Tho I do like the freedom of fantasy like I can come up with some random mountain range whereas with contemporary I have to find a real mountain in the exact location where the story is currently at. So TGC was definitely harder to write than GT, because of Ethan's condition and all the research about New York I had to do. But other contemporary projects I've done have been easier, so it just depends. Sometimes I like building new worlds and sometimes I like having the ease of already having (this sounds weird, but) ‘pre-made’ locations so to speak…lol… Also, I usually write YA fantasy and MG contemporary, so fantasy is usually my heavier projects with more complex characters and stronger themes, and contemporary is usually my more light and fun projects to rewind after a rocky fantasy adventure ;) C: Cool! Can you give us the scoop on any upcoming projects you're working on that you can tell us about? :D J: Currently I'm working on a top secret WIP called Project CP, but it's top secret so I won't say much, except that it's another YA fantasy, and there may or may not be some pirates involved ;) And I'm working on editing the second draft of my next MG contemporary story, officially titled Brothers Divided. Again can't say much as of now, but it's about twin brothers, Diego and Steffen, who have never met each other until the book takes place. And tho they're identical twins, they couldn’t be more different, Diego barrel races and Steffen skateboards. The story takes place on a ranch in the mountains of NM, with horses, crazy dogs, endless banter, and themes of brotherhood! And that's all I'll say for now ;) C: It all sounds so exciting! Can't wait to learn more! Okay, final question... Does pineapple belong on pizza or not? J: Definitely not! Tho, I don’t like pineapple in general so I might be biased…lol…. C: We are of the same mind! I don't either, tbh. Okay, that's all for today! Thank you so much for letting me interview you, Jaidie! About This Gray CanvasBecause how did one explain the gray canvas I was trapped in? Ethan was born into a world of black and white a medical condition known as monochromatic vision, but with one exception—he can see the color green. After moving from the Colorado countryside to New York City, Ethan struggles to adjust to the busy and colorless atmosphere. When encouraged to join a local art contest by his grandfather and a peppy bookworm named Sophie, Ethan considers it. But when the bullies at school get a hold of his sketchpad, and make fun of his colorless art, Ethan wonders if he has anything worth sharing at all. Because how could anyone understand the gray canvas of his life? Add This Gray Canvas to your Goodreads here! Buy This Gray Canvas here! About Jaidie PhilipsJaiden Phillips is a teen author residing in the mountains of western North Carolina. She has six older siblings and one set of amazing parents! More often than not, you can find her sketching one of her wild ideas, writing out a scene for a book, or giving her sisters a healthy dose of sarcasm. Her debut novel, The Guild of Thieves, is available on Amazon! Find out more about Jaidie via her LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/jaidenphillipsart Free Character Art!For those who order and submit to this form between June 25th and July 9th you will receive a hand-drawn character card of Ethan, the main character of This Gray Canvas. The picture is digitally colored using only colors Ethan can see, so you get to see him the way he sees himself! Physical cards are available for US residents, international readers will receive a digital card that they can print on their own for themselves. Tour Schedule!Monday, June 24th
Sisters Three - Blog Tour Launch Announcement Rhys-Marie Whitnell - Spotlight Emma Crooks - Spotlight and review Tuesday, June 25th Issabelle Perry - Character Interview Kristina Hall - Spotlight Kylie Beevers - Spotlight and Sneak Peek Virginia Henderson - Book Spotlight Wednesday, June 26th Jaiden Phillips Art - Character Art and Spotlight Lorelei Angelino - Spotlight Thursday, June 27th The Introspective Introvert - Author Interview, Sneak Peek, and Spotlight Writers’ Vision - Spotlight Friday, June 28th Old Fashioned Book Love - Review and Spotlight Southern Story Scribbler (that's me!) - Author Interview Saraina Whitney - Review and Sneak Peek Sisters Three - End of Tour Post
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Hello everyone! Today's post is a little different than normal, but that's because I am collaborating with a bunch of other amazing bloggers for the Fairytale Summer Blog event. Today, I'll be analyzing one of my favorite fairytales, Beauty and the Beast, and its origins (which are crazier than you might think!). Beaumont's storyThis is the classic version that most of us read or have heard of, being the most popular version. Here's a quick recap: a merchant who cares for his three daughters is apprehended by a beastly creature when picking a rose from the beast's castle for the merchant's youngest daughter, Beauty. Beauty's life is traded for the merchant's own, and she grows to fall in love with the beast, even as she is kept a prisoner in his home. The ending is simple and sweet, and the tale has become one of the most beloved. But it's not the original. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont published La Belle et La Bête in 1756 in a children's magazine, not as her own work, but as an abridged version of Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's original piece. She cut a lot of the excess material from Villeneuve's version and basically Grimm-fied the story, making it more suitable for younger readers. As a result, it became the more popular version. And this leads us to our next point... Villeneuve's StoryGabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve is an underrated storyteller. I am so sad to say that I had not heard of her version of this before researching for this article, but I quickly fell in love with her story. Villeneuve's original makes Beaumont look like a picture book; the story has twice as many characters as its adaptation counterpart; we learn so much more about the Beast's backstory, as well as discover that Beauty is more than simply a merchant's daughter. The story is SO good, and is worth the read. But even Villeneuve's story may not be the original. Cupid and Pysche: the true original?To be honest, no one is sure if this is the actual original story of Beauty and the Beast. The story has its roots in Ancient Rome, and was first told by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (c. 125 – 180 AD). Plot-wise, it does seem to fit the mold for B&B stories:
Bonus! Retellings of Beauty and the beastThat's all in the origins department! Wait...what's that? You want some Beauty and the Beast retellings? Oh. Okay. Here are some good ones to try:
All right, that's all for today! Here's the schedule for the rest of the Fairytale Summer Blog event! Thursday (June 20th) – Cinderella by Every Other Name ~ Amelia Grace Friday (June 21st) – Favorite Fairytale Movies ~ Katherine Perry Saturday (June 22nd) – Fairytale Inspired Moodboards ~ C.K Heartwing Monday (June 24th) – Favorite Fairytale Books ~ Virgina Henderson Tuesday (June 25th) – Magical Moodboards ~ Amelia Grace / The Origins of Beauty and the Beast ~ Cate VanNostrand (aka me!) Wednesday (June 26th) – Blog Post ~ Madisyn Carlin Thursday (June 27th) – Favorite Fairytale Retellings ~ Katja Labonté Friday (June 28th) – Snow and Rose ~ Lillian Keith Saturday (June 29th) – My Favorite Fairytale (s) ~ Amelia Grace / Favorite Fairytale Books ~ Rose Q. Addams Monday (July 1st) – Blog Post ~ Jaiden Phillips Tuesday (July 2nd) – Penelope Penwiggles Posts ~ Lillian Keith Wednesday (July 3rd) Favorite Fairytale Books ~ Desiree Thursday (July 4th) – Favorite Fairytale / Thanks for Playing!~ Amelia Grace And stay tuned for a very special guest interview on Friday...
Until next time! ~Cate Hello again everyone! This I, with a (very, very late) new blog post! Today I am doing a new tag I found on the Internet (specifically, from the amazing Katja H. Labonte) called the Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag. The rules (which I could not find anywhere) are pretty lax, but the one I did notice was that the books listed are only first time reads (which hurts me a little bit, as I reread a LOT of books XD). I'm going to post a clean set of the questions at the end, as well as tag a few people. But now, the questions! 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024: Such a hard question! I'm stuck between Dear Mr. Knightley and Lady Maybe... both were such amazingly written stories, and both of these books had plot twists that made me wind up staying up WAY too late to finish the story. I think I'll pick Dear Mr. Knightley... I just resonated with the main character more and the ending was spectacular. 2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024: I have apparently only read one sequel so far this year, and that would be Merlin by Stephen Lawhead. This book was more emotionally jarring than its predecessor, while still having plenty of sword-fighting action and deep themes on being chosen by God. 3. New 2024 release you haven’t read yet but want to: I have found a new love for Jaime Jo Wright's split-time books over the past month. I'm in the middle of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau and would love to read Night Falls on Predicament Avenue, which came out in April of this year. 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2024: I think my most anticipated release would be Novelists in November, which is Wild Blue Wonder's upcoming anthology! This anthology features stories with dark academia vibes (my favorite kind of vibe, so of course I'm hooked) and novelists who push hard at their craft. There's no cover yet, but there is a cover reveal coming soon! If you want to help spread the news, click here to sign up for Kellyn Roth's street team. It's a lot of fun and you'll get to catch early glimpses of the book before its release :D 5. Biggest disappointment in 2024: I don't usually come across books that are disappointing, but I did encounter a novella that just did not jive with me. While I appreciated some of the themes behind Debt of Honor by Ann Malley (found in the otherwise amazing novella collection called Small Town Danger), I did not enjoy the story at all, and it felt like at times, certain sins were being excused or borderline justified. So that was a disappointment. 6. Biggest surprise in 2024: Apart from amazing plot twists in books like Dear Mr. Knightley, Lady Maybe, and Mark of the Thief, I didn't come across any huge surprises. Well, I guess one big surprise was that I ended up loving Mark of the Thief as much as I did. A friend gifted me the book, and while I was grateful for it, I wasn't sure if it would be my cup of tea. I was gladly mistaken. 7. Favorite new author in 2024: I haven't actually found any authors that are new favorites; Michelle Griep, Jane Austen, Stephen Lawhead, and Jennifer Nielson have dominated my 2024 reading list. I suppose I could tentatively say Brandon Sanderson after reading his YA sci-fi masterpiece that is Skyward, although that is subject to change depending on if he gets "weird" with his stories or not. 7. Favorite new author in 2024: Oh, I definitely have a favorite ship from 2024. I came into Brownwyn thinking it was a retelling of Emma, my least favorite Jane Austen story, only to find out it was actually a retelling of my most favorite (is that right? I don't know if that's right XD) Jane Austen story, Mansfield Park. I definitely shipped Bronwyn and a certain character (I can't tell because spoilers), and their relationship was actually the basis for my own retelling of Mansfield Park (details to come later!). 9. Newest favorite character in 2024: Asking me to pick one character out of the 40-ish fiction books I've read so far is just plain cruel. But I'll try. XD I suppose I would have to pick Charis, an Atlantean princess and one of the two MCs, from Taliesin. Charis is such a resilient character - even through the death of those closest to her and the destruction of Atlantis, her home. I want to be able to be that resilient in times of trouble, and so her character has really resonated with me. 10. Book that made you cry in 2024: There were actually quite a few books this year that have made me shed more than a few years: Lady Maybe, All the King's Horses, Twisted, Dear Mr. Knightley, Merlin... For this question, I have to answer All the King's Horses. This book tactfully handled the topic of suicide so well, and the fact that the author did so within a historical setting (when mental health was a sign of "weakness") was even better, in my opinion. This book made me cry on more than a few occasions, including one late night sob session I will never fully forgive the author for. Overall though, it was a good read. 11. Book that made you happy in 2023: I wouldn't really categorize the books I've read this year as making me feel "happy", necessarily. There are some books I've read that are humorous, awe-inspiring, or are just plain odd. The closest I could come to answering this was a book that I enjoyed a lot, and that would be Sins of the Past, which was a novella also featured in Small Town Danger. This book was a thriller that, while it didn't exactly "spark joy", it did leave me pretty amazed by the author's writing talents and her ability to keep the reader guessing. 12. Favorite book-to-film adaptation you saw so far in 2024: This is a bonus one, because I not only watched the movie, but I also read the book that it was based on. As part of my story research, I read Mansfield Park and watched the 1999 movie. I have loved this particular adaptation because I think it captures the themes behind Mansfield Park. Oh, yeah, and Jonny Lee Miller plays Edmund. Which just makes the movie 50x much better. 13. Favorite bookish post you’ve done so far in 2024: I didn't really do any bookish posts this year. The closest I came to that was when I did an interview with Janeen Ippolito about her book, Nobody's Hero, which I've linked above. 14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far in 2024: I've been very good about not buying many books this year (I think I've only bought like, four, and it's the middle of June). I do have a copy of Ignite coming in August, and it really is such a beautiful cover. Pre-orders are still up for this book, by the way, so go ahead and buy your beautiful copy. 15. Books you need to read by the end of 2024: I have a lot of books I need to finish (and a few to start), so I'll just run through what I remember. Winter, White, and Wicked by Shannon Dittemore (a gift from a friend that I need to start and finish) Break the Beast by Alison Tebo (a Kindle Unlimited book that I need to finish) The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (this has been on my currently reading shelf for too long, I think) A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell (I promised my siblings I would read this) Not much of a list, I know, but considering that I'm about to take four classes, a research thesis seminar, and another internship, my list is looking very positive. ;) All right everyone, that's all for now! Which books in this post have you read (or at least want to read)? Do you want to see more of this blogger's tag? And the people I hereby vote to carry on this tag are... You! Anyone who has read books this year (I think that's most of us here :D) is welcome to do this tag. And here are the questions! 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024. 2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024. 3. New 2024 release you haven’t read yet but want to. 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2024. 5. Biggest disappointment in 2024. 6. Biggest surprise in 2024. 7. Favourite new author in 2024. 8. Newest fictional crush/ship in 2024. 9. Newest favourite character in 2024. 10. Book that made you cry in 2024. 11. Book that made you happy in 2024. 12. Favourite book-to-film adaptation you saw so far in 2024. 13. Favourite bookish post you’ve done so far in 2024. 14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far in 2024. 15. Books you need to read by the end of 2024. Until next time!
~Cate |
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