A New Year's Resolution #YDSF2019

Welcome 2019! Like most people, I have big plans. At least they're big for me. Book 2 is due by mid autumn, I have a novella due (hopefully) no later than Valentine's Day, and the usual...exercise more, find new fairy tales and folklore, etc. And it's also a good time to take stock of my reading.There’s been a lot of articles about diversity in the publishing industry. It’s the idea du jour—people want to see themselves reflected in the art around them, be it writing, movies/tv, music, etc. It’s something I think about more now that I’m a parent and want to make sure that my daughter sees herself in our culture. But just like wanting to have better citizens means raising them, wanting to see more diversity in culture means seeking it out.So, in that vein I’m setting a myself a task for 2019. I'm calling it my Year of Diversity in Speculative Fiction--#YDSF2019. I will read one book a month that features people of color as main characters. Since one of my favorite genres is speculative fiction, I’m going to concentrate on that corner of the market (just as I tend to read about women in historical novels). I think it’s a genre that has the best opportunity to expand the mind and therefore should allow for a wider world of characters.I hope you will do the same, or just send ideas for books I should consider. And if you’re looking for a book to consider, A Smuggler’s Path follows a Latina noblewoman and smuggler of magical contraband who uncovers innate magical abilities she must hide or be executed for war crimes.Whether you read my book or read someone else’s, traditional or indie make it a year of mindful reading. And if you choose to participate, let everyone know with #YDSF2019 Happy New Year and may it bring you new and exciting reading!Books I read:January: The Edinburgh Seer by Alisha KlaphekeFebruary: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida CordovaApril: This Time by Azaaa DavisMay: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca RoanhorseJuly: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi AdeyemiSeptember: The City of Brass by S.A. ChakrabortyDecember: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

On the twelfth day 'til Christmas...

Okay, it's really the thirteenth day until Christmas, but I post on Tuesdays. Nevertheless, on Wednesday, December 12th we're twelve days away from Christmas Eve. My family has asked for my Christmas list, but what I want, they can't buy. But you can.For those twelve days the digital version of my book, A Smuggler's Path, will be half off! I like to think of it as an early Christmas present to anyone who wants to take a chance on an epic fantasy series with a Latina heroine in a world based on myths, fairy tales and nursery rhymes. And it's the gift that keeps on giving because every sale is like a present for me!I'm getting the word out and hope the holiday price of $3.99 (3.49 GBP and Euro; 5.99 CAD) will help me get my Christmas wish--sales and reviews!Get your digital copy today!Excerpt from A Smuggler's Path: An Enchanted Isles Novel (Book #1 of the Enchanted Path Series:His breath came in tight, short bursts. The pain was the worst at his throat and in his lungs. This was a powerful spell. Old magic. Mage magic. He prayed to the Goddess that he’d die before he hit the ground.The instant before he died, Delaware Humphrey considered himself lucky. Death meant release from all his secrets, all his troubles. Their slow suffocation a torture in comparison to a relatively quick death.It was his fault, but it wasn’t his problem anymore. And there was plenty of blame to go around.But for Canto and the rest of the Enchanted Isles, Delaware knew his murder would start the unravelling of secrets and troubles that could bring all the Isles tumbling down...      

Choose Your Own Adventure?

Do you ever wonder why you write? A recent comment left on a previous post reminded me that most writers (mind you I haven't taken a poll) write because they looked for a particular story and didn't find it. The lack became so irksome that they decide to fill the void themselves with a story of their own making.It was the same with me. As much as fairy tales can leave me feeling unsettled, it's nothing to some of the modern stories I find about women. More often than not, women (or girls) don't go on adventures willingly. They're dragged along because they're the smartest one in the room or they're trailing some boy. And they're never Latina.I'll be honest, I say that last line with reluctance. It can be tiring banging the drum for an entire people because then you become the drag in the room reminding everyone to acknowledge your existence. Exhausting, isn't it? But I'd be a terrible protagonist in my own life if I didn't tackle the hard topics.It made me think about one of my favorite book series, Choose Your Own Adventure. At times it was like playing The Oregon Trail--all paths led to death (or dysentery). Nevertheless, it was so much fun to go back and pick a way to finish the story. Were you feeling dangerous? Cautious? Curious? You were the protagonist and so you chose what happened next.All those early female protagonists bothered me so much because they never chose their own adventures. They went from one situation to another because they were chosen. That's why I enjoy the new princesses (Hurray for Ralph Breaks the Internet!) so much--agency. Isn't that a great writer word? Becoming instrumental in the story of your own life. Worthy of the Logophile. Agency is the most important thing to a writer, especially if you were driven to write because you wanted to take control of a story and then share it. It's even more profound when you're a indie author.Anyone else choosing their own adventures in writing? Or any other creative endeavor? 

Doubt and a Dancing Centipede

When I first started writing, my schedule was lax. I didn’t worry about how much or how little I was writing because it wasn’t something I intended to pursue in a professional way. It was a hobby and only for me.

The change happened over time and soon I knew I wanted to make writing my career. I started reading up on other people’s writing habits, learning all I could about world-building and character arcs. I attended conferences, workshops and participated in more than one webinar. With each new lesson learned, I improved my craft.

But each improvement brought a kernel of doubt.

How many times did I read about people juggling multiple responsibilities, marketing, and still finding time to write a bestseller? I can fill pages with the names of writers who claimed to write everyday, no matter what! Not to mention the notorious show, don’t tell.

Is this something I can do? That was never a question. The real question was how did I write a book before I knew all that? Did I need to analyze my writing techniques that much?

I keep thinking of this story I read in Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder (one of my all-time favorite books)about the Dancing Centipede and the Jealous Tortoise. If you want the complete story and haven’t read Sophie’s World (which I highly recommend you do) the blog, Just Alchemy does an excellent job.

Essentially, the centipede, Ghawazhee, questioned her methods, methods that had won her acclaim, because she was asked how she danced so well. It paralyzed her and she never wrote again. Tragic!

The point to my rather rambling post is to encourage anyone (including myself) to remember is that sometimes it's okay to block out all the lessons and doubts and just write. In my opinion, writers are inspired more often than they like to admit. Discipline may have helped me publish a book, but imagination made the book possible.

OOO October's Outta the Drawer Originals, part IV

Here we are again, dear readers!October is winding down and before you know it, the end of the year will come and go. I hope some of you have been inspired to dust off some of your shelved work or even start working on some new stories destined for the drawer until the time is right to unearth them.My penultimate offering for OOO October's Outta the Drawer Originals is one of my favorite topics. Witches always top the list, but this is a close second.BaggageA woman returns from a trip only to discover her journey has barely begun.

Unique To This Moment, or Telling Time the Fairy Tale Way

Here's a random fact about me. I really love clever ways of marking the passage of time. Why say, "in a year", when you can say, "when the barren trees are ready for harvest again"?I especially love it when it illustrates a character. Let me explain... Better yet, here are some examples:When a character uses the phrase, "a month of Sundays," I imagine an older, heavyset religious woman--Presbyterian specifically. To be fair, my vision is this specific because it was a phrase often uttered by Mrs. Rachel Lynde on Avonlea (a favorite series of mine when I was a kid and continues to be so).The term, a fortnight casts my mind back to my historical fiction books and I can see a woman in a long gown, sitting in a castle keep, plotting and planning political intrigue. And a British accent because, why not?Often historical fantasy characters have to account for their ages. Young people will refer to how many summers they've seen, while older characters lament how many winters are left to them.All these examples show poetic ways to explain how a person perceives time. And fairy tales has the most well-known phrase of all:Once upon a time...An occurrence that is unique to this moment gives the reader the impression that the story following that phrase has never happened before or since. When I hear those four words, I'm immediately in a fairy tale.Would it surprise you that out of fifty-eight stories, only eleven have the words, Once Upon a Time, in the story? And only two out of the eleven start with once upon a time! Yet, I still know that when I hear those words I'll conjure far away lands and magical tales in my mind.What's your favorite passage of time phrase?On a separate note, I want to thank my readers, who now number over one hundred! Now that's a way to mark time! 

Trudging up literary hill with Jane Austen

I hate exercise. At least I hate the after effects. I'm fine with taking long walks, hiking, and the occasional dance off in my living room. But I really don't like sweating. It's a real handicap when sweat is the proof that exercise is working. After a summer of trying my best to avoid the heat (to little effect), I'm trying to get back into exercising, but for now it's an uphill battle.It's the same with writing. If I ever needed proof that it's a muscle, I've got it now. Marketing has been plaguing me for the past month or so. It's been rather consuming (writing blog posts, creating ads on Goodreads, keeping tabs on sales, fighting with the printer because of a 0.0625 differential on the cover art, etc.) and therefore has blocked out any semblance of a writing regiment. I vowed when school started for my daughter, I would let marketing go on autopilot for at least a week or two and get back to my much-needed rewrites for my novella, The Cemetery Circle (due out mid-October in time for the Halloween season). It's hard to switch gears.But I've been fighting to get back. The hill keeps getting steeper and more daunting. Doubts creep in... Did I lose my skills? Are my ideas viable? Do I remember all my characters' names? Are sentences ending in prepositions really the end of the world?I'm sure you've been there before. Maybe it wasn't writing. Maybe it was exercise or a reading challenge. And the only advice I have is to start small. I have to embrace the little victories in order to work up to the big triumphs. I write in workbooks with writing prompts. I use the back of Jane Austen postcards to write flash fiction and poetry. Once I start trudging up that hill, my legs remember how to find their footing faster. Breathing gets easier and I remember to enjoy the scenery.And when all else fails I pull out my postcard and read dear Jane's (because, in my mind Jane Austen and I are friends) advice:"I am not at all in a humor for writing; I must write on till I am."

Book Release Day and Mother Goose

DREAMSFriday night’s dream, on Saturday told,Is sure to come true, be it never so old.   -Mother Goose Nursery RhymeMy Friday night dream for some time now has been to be a published author. Today that became a reality. By the end of the day my book, A Smuggler's Path, will be available on digital copy on Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Scribd, tolino, and 24symbols! The paperback release date in TBA, but likely sometime in August.I used the Mother Goose quote because a long time ago when I started this adventure nursery rhymes inspired me to write a story about all the characters I remembered. Originally my book was called Mother Goose Mysteries and that evolved into the book currently on all those platforms and patiently (okay, maybe not that patiently) awaiting paperback release.Thanks to all those people who have supported my Friday night dream and to those who have recently signed up for my blog.Check out my author website to learn more about my book, A Smuggler's Path.And a special thanks to those who participated in the Fairy Tale Book Club/A Smuggler's Path contest! Here are the winners:To those of you who prefer a paperback, I apologize in advance that your prize will be late. Thanks again!

Waiting with the Fairies

Most fairy tales have a common event. The wait. It's when everything has already happened, but the ending has yet to arrive. It's that period before the resolution. The shoe fits. The poisoned apple is dislodged. A kiss awakens a long-sleeping princess. The woodcutter splits open the wolf's stomach.But before that, it's the wait. Cinderella has to watch both her step-sisters try on the shoe that is rightfully hers. Snow White has to lay in state until hoping someone will give her the Heimlich. The Sleeping Beauty...sleeps. Little Red Riding Hood is cramped into a stomach with her grandmother.That's how I feel right now. I'm in the waiting room wondering if my story will have a satisfying end. Or beginning. I know this is only the start of my public writing life, even though I've been working on this moment for years. But I'm no shrinking princess or little girl lost. My wait is more pregnant pause than intermission.So, tomorrow, July 24, 2018, A Smuggler's Path goes live digitally and the paperback will be my happily ever after. Or more like cliffhanger before then next installment. If fairy tales teach us anything, it's good things come to those who wait!And speaking of wait, the wait is almost over the free copy of A Smuggler's Path contest. I've also decided to allow any comments from the start of the contest to any post since the Fairy Tale Book Club to be valid as entrance into the contest. So if you comment on this post or any from this month, you're automatically included in the giveaway! Good Luck!

Joys and Sorrows of a Indie Newbie

In a few days, my first book is being released. I am both excited and exhausted. For those of you who have gone through this process, you know what I mean. I'm at that nit-picky stage where a missing punctuation mark feels like a cosmic calamity.Today I discovered that multiple corrections to my cover are still not completed and therefore the release of my paperback will be delayed.At times like these I have to look on the bright side, when what I want to do is "cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war," more or less.

1. The digital versions will still be available on time, July 24th, 2018.
2. I've learned a lot with this process, which will make it that much easier for book two next year and the novella I'm publishing in October.
3. No more rewrites!

I know all the reversals and headaches will be worth it...eventually. For now, I just hope I get through it in one piece and mostly sane!Commiserating is one of the best reasons to blog. Anyone else have newbie publishing stories? 

A Smuggler's Path - Available July 24th!

Exciting news FF readers!After years of writing (and rewriting and rewriting and rewriting…did I mention rewriting?) I finally have a publication date for my first novel, A Smuggler’s Path. It’s available for pre-order through Barnes & Noble Digital, iBooks, Kobo & Kobo Plus, tolino, Scribd and 24symbols right now.https://www.books2read.com/A-Smugglers-PathA Smuggler's Path will be available on Kindle and in paperback through Amazon in addition to the above options as of July 24th. I hope I can count on all my readers for a read and review! Thanks for the support!Praise for A Smuggler's Path:"Cruz packs a lot of plot into her novel. For example, along with Inez’s noble lineage, she has a history with and lingering romantic interest in Zavier Cole, Canto’s prince whose brother and sister-in-law became king and queen. Multiple backstories, including Inez’s late duchess grandmother and The Enchanted Isles’ origin, provide a rich foundation for the present-day narrative. The author likewise employs myriad characters to further complicate the plot and give Inez reason to distrust nearly everyone. Cruz’s no-frills prose doesn’t stint on wit: Inez’s haunt is Froth, a tavernlike establishment that serves milk and optional syrups.An epic, rewarding tale sure to garner fans ready for sequels."--Kirkus Reviews"A delightfully creative adventure, A Smuggler’s Path stands alone in a very crowded fantasy genre, boasting a youthful, energetic spirit and a wonderful new world to explore for readers of fantasy. Cruz has a gift for quickly creating memorable characters, as well as threading fantastical elements and creative magic through seemingly 'normal' moments of narration, making this a comprehensive and immersive reading experience. A Smuggler’s Path is an entertaining read with a uniquely creative cast of characters, and a colorful world that readers will want to visit again." --Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★

Fairy Tale Book Club (FTBC) update

I hope you’re all as excited as I am to start the ball rolling on the FTBC. There is still one more week before I open the forum to comments about The Goose Girl. As an added bonus for our inaugural club “meeting”, anyone who posts a comment will automatically be entered in the random draw to win a free copy of my new book, A Smuggler’s Path. Here’s a description: In Canto, magic is a commodity, outlawed by the elites after losing a devastating war and brokered by smugglers on the hidden market. But some know it’s more—a weapon for change.Inez Garza moves through two worlds. She's a member of the noble class who works as a magical arms dealer—a fact either group would gladly use against her. Neither know her true purpose—funding Birthright, an underground group determined to return magic to all at any cost.But the discovery of a powerful relic from before the Rending threatens her delicate balance.Inez’s inherent magic, which lies dormant in all the Canti, has been awakened. Now the Duchess’s daughter, radical and smuggler must assume another forbidden title—mage, a capital crime. This will bring her to the attention of factions at home—fanatical rebels bent on revolution, a royal family determined to avoid another magical war, her mercenary colleagues at the hidden market willing to sell her abilities to the highest bidder—and in Mythos, victors of the war and architects of the Rending.Evasion has become Inez’s specialty, but even she isn’t skilled enough to hide from everyone—and deny the powers drawing her down a new path.Three lucky winners will be chosen the day before the book is officially released on July 24th, 2018!I'm looking forward to reading everyone's insights for the FTBC! 

Guest Post on Outland Entertainment!

Hey FF readers!In an attempt to generate some buzz about my upcoming novel, A Smuggler's Path, I wrote a guest post for Outland Entertainment about the search for universality entitled, Fairies with Dark Faces. Drop by the website and then feel free to learn more about my book on my other website, booksbyilcruz.com 

The Witch

As a young girl, I wanted to be a witch. They were mystical and wise. People came to them for help. Most importantly, witches had magic. They could conjure spells, brew potions, and divine the future. In short, they effected real change with power, knowledge and will. Who wants to be a princess when that's available?According to fairy tales, everyone.Princess-hood is usually a desired outcome for most women in fairy tales. It usually allowed them to leave a difficult or abusive situation. Cinderella abandoned being a scullery. Snow White was saved from the creepy obsessions of her step mother. Sleeping Beauty got to leave the woods and wake her entire kingdom. In the latter two cases, they were born princesses, but it didn’t mean much until they found a prince. What if they wanted different things?The Evil queen never needed a man’s permission to exert her will.But we’re taught to root for the vulnerable princess (or scullery) and despise the witch. To be fair, witches who use their power to kill little girls who might be prettier than them are despicable. However, I try and look at it from their point of view. The world in which these women lived considered magic evil, especially in a woman. Her only acceptable power was perceived power, i.e. the power she could wield through her husband or other male figure. Historically speaking, the witch represented everything a patriarchal society feared—a woman with power over men and the natural world. So, if your only acceptable power is being pretty enough to convince men to follow your orders, is it any wonder a prettier, younger woman is a threat? She shouldn’t have killed the girl, but her fear was real.I’m an adult now and I’m still fascinated with witches--their mysteries and knowledge a source of endless study. They’re my go-to paranormal/fantasy read and my preferred heroine to write about usually has some supernatural abilities (as well as other strengths). Not only does it bring a little magic to the everyday, but it always reminds me of my power. And maybe a potion or two…

Bad Choices and the Epic Adventure

A couple of days ago I was reading a post on a blog I follow, Life in the Realm of Fantasy, and it posed the question about crisis points for a character. Her example was driving down a road where the signs are missing, but the character keeps driving anyway. I think of a fork in the road—one looks peaceful but long, the other ominous yet short. A character takes the short cut. If you have a minute, you should definitely read her post, Crisis and the Point of No Return—it’ll get you thinking. It certainly did that for me. Are bad decisions necessary for a good story?Try this story: Once there was a woman who received a mysterious letter in the mail. In it she was promised adventures and a great treasure if she agrees to participate in a game fraught with peril. She tears up the letter and says, “Do you think I’m crazy?” and continues with her day.It was a sound decision. Who in their right mind responds to letters from strangers promising prizes only if the participant agrees to danger? Maybe that’s why so many fantasy novels take place in the past—our modern minds imagine scams, conspiracies, and other rational explanations. The scenario only becomes a story if the woman agrees to the terms, which the everyday person would consider a bad idea. It’s what makes books, TV shows and movies so appealing.As a child, I was very practical. I got into trouble like any other kid, but I was rarely foolish. I saved that kind of thinking for my reading. In reading I was allowed to take the forbidden path and hunt for treasure. My books were about kids who jumped on their bikes after dark and headed for the haunted house in order to free some ghost from a curse. I watched the Goonies and thought they were nuts, but I was glad someone was crazy enough to poke in dank caves for me.Writers are pushed to make situations difficult for their characters. In fantasy, it isn’t enough that the protagonist has a speech impediment—she has to be the only person who can read the magic spell that saves the kingdom and do so without a mistake. Why does she have to do it? If any of us were presented with a similar situation, we’d hide under our beds until the crisis was over.So, does it follow that bad decisions lead to good stories? Maybe yes, maybe no, but sensible decisions rarely become novels.Any thoughts?Special thanks to Connie Jasperson, blogger for Life in the Realm of Fantasy, whose great post sparked an idea for my bloggers block!

My Guest Post on The Once and Future Podcast!

Hello Readers!I'm excited to write that I was given the opportunity to participate in a guest post in anticipation of my fantasy novel, A Smuggler's Path, being released later this summer!Please take a moment to visit the website, The Once and Future Podcast, and then check out my post on their blog and read about the need for more heroic mothers in speculative fiction.Thanks for the support!

In search of other stories--part one

As you know, dear readers, I have a complicated relationship with fairy tales. On the one hand, they're a great source of historical values and entertainment. But on the other, the anachronisms are hard to stomach sometimes. Especially as a woman.Even with my serious case of doublethink, I seek the stories out to better understand them, and to understand where we came from. Not only do I read fairy tales and folklore, but I also love mythology. I read Greek myths as a child and thought they were the perfect mix between fantasy and history, just like a fairy tale. And their purpose was to explain the unexplained. That led me to Norse mythology, Celtic folklore, and then it hit me. What about the other stories?I know I've beat this drum before--diversity and inclusion is something I'm passionate about--but I'm not talking about that exactly. The other stories I'm talking about are related to other cultures. I think I remember learning about a trickster storyteller from an African culture and one or two stories about Hindu gods, but very little else. As a Latina and specifically a Puerto Rican, I learned nothing about Taino mythology. Why is that? Honestly, the only answer I have for that is if they're not looked for, they can't be found.Indigenous peoples all over the world have myths and legends that are strikingly similar and vastly different than the ones from northern Europe. Stories about fairies, little people, monstrous creatures, gods and goddesses. These are stories that should be available and told again and again.In the coming weeks I hope to do my part, small as it may be, to help shed light on other stories and show how similar, and how different they are from the stories we all know. I hope you'll share stories, too. 

Gardening Tips from Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Mary Mary quite contraryHow does your garden grow?With silver bells and cockle shellsAnd pretty maids all in a row I am a terrible gardener. More to the point, I’m a reluctant one. I find people and animals more rewarding than plants, so it’s hard to make myself pay the attention necessary to keep them alive. My mother is always trying to encourage me to plant things, but I always say the same thing,“It doesn’t work.”But she buys me plants which I promptly kill. I like gardens, but they're for other people. I imagine those people are also great at craft projects and make their own sausage. I picked my creative outlets, so I had to think of this from another angle. I like practicality, so I decided to try practical gardening.So I tried this year to keep a small herb garden. I cook a lot and I was tired of throwing out unused fresh herbs. At first it worked rather well. I cheated and bought one of those already started herb gardens which all sit in the same pot from the farmer’s market. After watering them for a few days I caught the planting bug and bought a few more. Then a vacation dawned and I actually worried about their well-being without me there to care for them. I bought those water globes, but there weren’t enough at the store for all my plants. So, I consigned the un-globed to Mother Nature and hoped for the best.I returned to a still thriving garden. I was surprised and even more surprising was how much I cared. So I kept watering and tending. I even started snipping some for dishes that needed fresh herbs. I felt smug—the way you do when you buy all organic and free trade—and planned for more plants.Then the inevitable happened. My cutting had damaged them. It kept raining, so I reasoned I didn’t have to water them as much. The purple basil lost its purple. My tarragon wasn’t growing any leaves. I started to lose interest. And then two incredible things happened. First, the sunflower seeds I leave out for the birds and squirrels had been planted and I had a surprise sunflower blooming in my garden. Then a blub I had thrown in an old garbage can because it had died began to grow. It made me think of the nursery rhyme, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary because if you looked in my old garbage pail you’d find a light bulb, shriveled tulip bulbs, and kitty litter left by the previous owners to keep the pail from tipping in the wind.My planned garden was dying, but a new magical one was flourishing. The sunflower already had its “day in the sun” and now the garbage plant is flowering. Hubby wants to kill it because it brushes against the car when we leave the garage, but I refuse. It’s become my affirmation. All summer I felt guilty because I wasn’t able to get my writing done. But now I know it was lying dormant, just waiting for the right time to flourish. 

Transformations with The Little Mermaid

 Having a blog has taught me some interesting things about myself. Some things I already knew and the blog just solidified the fact (i.e. I thrive on deadlines because without them my default is lazy). Some were funny (like how ridiculously happy it makes me when someone leaves a comment). How guarded I am was a big surprise.I like meeting people in person. I strike up random conversations on mass transit, waiting for my daughter to be dismissed from school, in elevators, etc. I’ll answer questions, give advice and even share my phone number if I think we’re going to be friends (I know this is totally against what Winnie the Pooh taught me when he sang “Be too smart for strangers.”). I really like to share because invariably it leads to others sharing with you. I’m not a blabbermouth, but I’m rather open.Not so with the internet. It took me two years to put my real name on the blog. I still don’t have a Facebook account because I’m uncomfortable having people randomly find me (I know what you’re thinking—but you have a blog!) and I do as much as I can to avoid signing up for anything that requires personal information. It’s something I continually struggle with—transformation is tricky. It’s like my relationship with the Little Mermaid.I have a real problem with The Little Mermaid. The Disney version tells the story of a 16 year old who falls in love with a man she’s only seen once and proceeds to defy her father, give up her legs and voice to a sea witch, and then find a way to make the prince fall in love with her. Being Disney, she is able to persevere and win his love after which her father gives her legs and she and Prince Eric sail off into the sunset happy and married. Her age is my biggest qualm because as the mother of a headstrong daughter I shudder at how easily King Triton gave into Ariel’s hissy-fit. It’s the same reason I really dislike Romeo and Juliet (two teens throwing the ultimate hissy and make good on the threat “If I don’t get my way, I’ll just die!”). Despite writing YA I’m against hyperbole.But the original story has her trading her tail for legs, which makes her the most graceful person on land but she must experience the pain of walking on dozens of knife points with every step. What did I learn? Real transformation is painful—a constant battle. Even after all that pain the tragic Little Mermaid opted to let her true love be happy with another instead of taking his life to regain her tail. I’ve never been a fan of martyrdom, but it makes a point.Now, I’m almost ashamed to say, I finally read the original work by Hans Christian Andersen. (Imagine someone with a blog about fairy tales not having read a fairy tale!) In the real story she does lose the prince (and a chance at an immortal soul), but because of her selfless act she’s asked to join the “daughters of the air” who after three hundred years of good service earn an immortal soul. Being air she can bring breezes and “carry the scent of flowers through the air, bringing freshness and healing balm wherever we go.”What all versions have in common is sacrifice. To get what you want, you may have to give something up. For me it’s anonymity. That’s probably why I started this blog by rewriting fairy tales…it gave me a place to hide.After two years of blogging, I think I’m finally ready for my land legs even with the risk of stabbing knives (Does that count as hyperbole?). I still have issues with The Little Mermaid, but I understand what it’s like to know where you want to be and pursuing it.Welcome to the new Fairytale Feminista blog, answering life’s questions one fairy tale at a time. See my new About Me page!

The Valiant Little Tailor and Other Brave Declarations

If ever there was a fairy tale character to look up to, I think Grimm’s The Valiant Little Tailor should be at the top of the list. Here was a man who had no problems telling the world about his amazing deed, even though the “seven in one stroke” he killed were only flies who wanted his jam. It led to other great deeds with giants, unicorns and even marrying a princess.The reason I admire the Valiant Little Tailor (or VLT for short) is his ability to declare his accomplishments to anyone and everyone he meets. I think we all have parts of ourselves of which we’re proud, but don’t date tell anyone. Mine is easy—I’m a writer.I know that sounds like a statement from Captain Obvious, but I find it challenging to tell people I’m a writer. I have this recurring fantasy where I finally tell everyone while simultaneously passing around copies of my newly published book. In a sense, I’m a closeted writer and I only tell people I trust to keep it quiet.But why? As I continue to navigate the publishing world, words like platform and following keep popping up. I know my silence will only hurt my chances of generating buzz and keeps me from things like Facebook and Twitter. Even this blog has the name FairytaleFeminista, but I’ve never listed my name. It’s hard to put yourself out there, but people who want to make their living in creative fields have to do it constantly.Writing becomes so personal because it’s mostly you and your words inhabiting a cozy universe of your making. In this world you can delete the unpleasant bits, reword the awkward phrases, and configure personalities that fit into your creation. When your writing becomes public, you can’t erase what other people think, do, or write about your work. And honestly, who’s a bigger control freak than a person invents people and decides their fates based on the needs of a plot. Doctors have nothing on writers when it comes to a God complex!Was VLT on to something? Should we just emblazon our truth on a sash and wear it out in the world? When is the right time to “come out” to friends and family about your literary aspirations? Will it be more like a debutant announcing herself at a cotillion or am I declaring my alternative lifestyle, horrifying the practical 9 to 5ers in my life? Well, I’ve taken a few positive steps in that regard and introduced myself as a writer to a stranger. That was easy. Let’s try some more.Hello, my name is Ivia Cruz and I’m a writer. I’ve written three novels and I’m working on a fourth.That felt good.Now what should I do about that LinkedIn page?How about you? What’s your VLT story?