Marking Time with Tale Friends

The other day I was trying to conjure up my quarantine fantasy (not that being under quarantine should be anyone’s idea of a fantasy other than the whole stuck on a desert island with your dream lover, but that’s for another post). It included things like spending an entire day in bed with meals delivered up to my bedroom and reading an entire book, cover to cover, without interruptions. Actually, that last one figures in a lot of fantasies of mine!It got me thinking about what people do when they’re stuck at home and because this is a blog primarily about how I feel about fairy tales, it seemed only natural to consider what a quarantine would be like with one of them.First, I’d stress clean with Cinderella. I have a feeling even after the prince whisked her away from servitude, he’d find her scrubbing the throne room floor on particularly anxious days.The only sewing I do is the occasional button reattachment, so it might be nice to learn some handy crafts from the Valiant Tailor. Bonus: he knows how to brag and won’t mind if I crow about my meager accomplishments.After all that activity some peace and quiet might be in order and who better than to spend some moments of quiet contemplation with than The Little Mermaid (obviously pre-foaming). Shared meditation requires someone unobtrusive and she is it!Meditating makes me sleepy and I know Sleeping Beauty knows about napping through your troubles. It’s not the best way to deal with a problem, but it plays into my desire to spend an entire day in bed. She’d totally understand and never judge.Eventually I’d have to get up again and face the reality of all the people in my house who are quarantined with me. I love my family, but I love alone time too. To remind me of how lucky I am that I’m only sharing my home with two people and a dog, I’d switch with Snow White. Cooking, cleaning and sharing space with seven people—my nightmare!To clear my head after all that togetherness, I need to take a walk. Who better to invite along than Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma? They like the woods, despite the occasional double-talking wolf, and after you’ve survived being eaten, socially distant hiking should be a breeze.And lest your think I’d only hang out with the goody-goodies, I think some baking with the Old Woman in the gingerbread house, while risky, is worth learning how to make baked goods the size of building! And because I’d ask before nibbling on her frosted shingles, I think she’d forgo trying to make me into a pie.Lastly, Zoom cocktail hour with The Evil Queen because I am almost positive she can mix a mean drink!Who would you spend your quarantine with, if you could pull them out of your favorite stories?

Writing while...

As a writer in the 21^st century, you’re often asked to share more of yourself than you’re comfortable with in order to gain readership of your intended work, be it blog posts or novels. The field is so crowded with talent that something has to help you stand out.When I started my writing journey, I promised myself that privacy was an important aspect of my life and as such there were topics I would never discuss. And yet, there are times I feel compelled to share a little more about me than I have in the past.I’ve always made plain that I am a woman who writes with a feminist bent and also in the hopes of making room for Latina protagonists. What I rarely discuss is the Afro-Latina experience. My family originates from Puerto Rico, which has a rich history that includes Spanish, African and Taíno ancestry. I comprise all three (according to Ancestry.com) and my appearance often confuses people perhaps due to the combination—especially in the summer when I ditch my “soup can” rollers and opt to let my curly hair “do what it do”.

I rarely make a big deal about the Afro part of my Afro-Latinaness, but it’s nonetheless jarring when I’m having a conversation with someone, also of Latinx background, and they are surprised when I say something in Spanish. It’s understandable, if irksome, when I have to explain myself (a task I’ve had to undertake since I was a small child) to non-Latinx people, but when I have to do it with those who should know better, it stings. It something most Afro-Latinx people contend with on a regular basis.In the fantasy worlds I create, it’s never a question. My protagonists have to deal with so many other problems—illegal magic, talking to the dead—that I prefer to have the matter of their race/ethnicity as merely fait accompli and get on with whatever mythic mayhem is in store. But real life, though free of magical duels and vengeful spirits, has its own complications.The job of a good writer is to entertain first and if the writer is lucky, they also find a way to educate. Sometimes it’s the job of the writer to educate first and hope it’s enough to make sharing something personal worth forgoing a little entertainment.Are you a writer? Is there something you take for granted when you write that might benefit others? Are you a reader? Is there something you wish you saw more of?On a lighter note, my novella, The Cemetery Circle, is finally available in paperback! Support indie authors!

Less Fairy, More Tale

It's been far too long, dear reader, since I've written. Not that I'm not writing--I've been working on editing the third book in my four-book series. But I have been woefully negligent with my social media. It's an offshoot of my mixed feelings about marketing.Therefore, I'm going to write one of my rare writing posts. I don't write them often because I hardly feel like an expert. However, I have learned a few things while working as an indie author.How to keep series notesNote taking is a skill that most people don’t master. Writers are notorious for jotting down a thought or an idea on a napkin, the corner of a menu, or on the myriad little notebooks that are half full with scribblings we can’t identify under penalty of death (which is what it feels like when you lose an idea). Think of all the amazing stories that go unwritten because the perfect sentence is now in the trash with a wad of gum stuck to it!While I don’t pretend to know everything about note-taking—I’ve been guilty of the lost gum-wad note—and I don’t assume this will work for everyone, here’s my guide to notes.

1. A series is a marathon, not a sprint

The same idea can be applied to a writing career, but that’s another post. What I mean by a marathon, is no one runs a marathon without a plan. I may write as a pantser, but I take notes like a planner (which is to say, after the fact). Each of my books has a dedicated notebook (yes, millennials use pen and paper) where I write the names of each of my characters in the inside cover. Lots of times I forget the name of a tertiary character or that a main character has a last name.

2. You have a life and so do all your characters

I have a great memory and I still forget at least ten things a day because I have a life outside of writing. It’s hard enough keeping all my stuff in order (and my daughter’s, and my dog’s) without having to memorize ten to twenty character’s lives! I have a separate notebook of just arcs, so I know where each of my characters have progressed by the end of each book, that way I don’t have to go back and remember if Periquito is still friends with Perensejo. I also include what they look like and a timeline.

3. Confused? You won’t be after this episode of Soap

Extra points for anyone who gets the reference! Essentially, it means I write a summary of how everyone ended their story in each book. This is separate than the arc journal because it connects how all the characters have related to one another. Character X might not have cliffhanger at the end of the book, but Character Y does and it will effect Character X.

4. Places are people, too

In my series, there are places that the characters visit frequently and they need to be described in each book, hopefully without repeating the exact words each time. I have a section of my arc notebook dedicated to buildings. I also include things like rules, special words, sayings in Spanish, and because I write about fantasy, any magical objects or spells.This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I think I've shared enough of my general insanity to be helpful instead of daunting. 

Random Joy in Weird Times

Whenever I'm given unexpected good news, I think about the Valiant Tailor. It was a small thing, working away at his trade and then pausing for a snack only to be interrupted by pestering flies. He ended their buzzing with one blow and was so tickled by the fact he made himself a sash proclaiming the feat.These days it's the small victories that have to be celebrated. For an indie writer, small victories have to be gathered up whenever possible to make sense of the madness of wanting to make this a profession. But they do come.My novella, a small but meaningful project, languished for a while. I was going to make it into an audio book, but the costs were a touch prohibitive. Then I was alerted to the fact that Draft2Digital got their printing off the ground. I opted to try it and then thought nothing off it with the world slowing swirling out of control. Today I was greeted by a surprise package:Seeing it made me smile. And I think smiles are definitely victories. Hope you find your smile today!

Not all those who wander...

When I was about eight, I watched Alice in Wonderland over and over again. I loved the chatty and catty flower garden. I memorized all the Cheshire Cat's lines. I hated the ending. I didn't want Alice to back to her old life. I hoped she would learn to navigate the ins and outs of Wonderland. Later, I read Through the Looking Glass and learned that Alice became a queen--the first in my reading of fairy tales because most girls became princesses. But she still went back, discovering the whole episode was a dream.This morning, while searching my brain for a post topic, I thought about Alice and her adventures. And that led to other girls who attempt escapades and the outcomes.Firstly, they are never undertaken by choice. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is conked on the head and awakens in Oz, all the time demanding to make it back home despite having wanted to run away with Toto before the tornado. Red Riding Hood was on an errand for her mother.Secondly, the girls always want to return home. Dorothy and Alice takes on unimaginable risks because they want to go home. No matter how much danger they face and overcome, they still want to get back to the worlds they knew.Lastly, and almost peripherally, they came from nice homes. These weren't the Cinderellas or the Snow Whites, who were mistreated. Maybe that's why they were in such a lather to get back home.Of course the comparison is when boys from fairy tales leave home and go on adventures. They seek fame, fortune and tend to get both and much more. They never return home and really don't want to return. Sometimes I'd watch Alice in Wonderland and wished she'd wandered a little longer.Until today, I didn't know who to attribute the "Not all those who wander are lost." I've learned it came from J.R.R. Tolkien and The Fellowship of the Ring. It got me thinking about the need to wander, if only for a change of scene. So maybe the saying could be, "Not all those who wander need return." 

Miss Plot?

For those who don’t know, I love Star Trek. While I’m iffy on the original series, I’ve seen the original cast movies more times than I can count. I watched them after discovering my first love, Star Trek: The Next Generation. My love affair continued through Deep Space Nine, Voyager and even Enterprise (although don’t get me started on the last episode—as far as I’m concerned the penultimate episode was the finale we all deserved)!I love that all the shows were essentially a group of people we cared about and admired who tackled galaxy-changing problems every week (and let’s be honest, with all that’s happening in the world right now I could do with some problems that are addressed and solved in 45-90 minutes). The stories were what you called plot driven. It’s become a shunned phrase for some, but one I’ve never sneered at it.Fairy tales are an example. The story is the most important aspect. Sometimes the characters don’t even have names and yet we accept them. A story starts with a problem and within a few pages the problem is solved. Simple, yes, but effective.A funny thing happened on our way to create deeper stories—we ejected plot. Now T.V. shows, movies and books spend an inordinate about of time delving into a character’s psyche learning what drives them, what damaged them and if the two are the same. It does make for more nuanced storytelling, but it’s also exhausting.Don’t get me wrong, I love a good, meaty story with complex characters that are larger than the lives they lead. And yet, there are times when I crave something easier. I’m guessing this is the perfect time. Have your entertainment tastes been altered by quarantine?

Suspend belief

I spend a lot time on this blog criticizing fairy tales (as only someone who really loves them can), but there is one thing that I truly love about fairy tales--the ability for fairy tale characters to believe in the extraordinary.Cinderella just ran with it when her mother's grave started granting her wishes. The woodsman didn't question hearing voices coming from a wolf's stomach. And the miller's youngest son didn't ask Puss why he needed the boots, he just got them.Not that belief hasn't gotten fairy tale characters in trouble--The Emperor comes to mind, walking a parade route completely nude--but it rarely impedes the story. We're asked to suspend disbelief, but what of characters in modern stories.I've gotten through a lot of reading done during this strange time, and what's irked me in more than a few fantasy books are the main characters unwillingness to believe in the fantastical even in the face of so much proof. I finally figured out why (besides wanting to yank the MC out of the story and put myself in their place). No one should be so stubborn in their need for rationality and order that whimsy no longer has a place in their life. It makes me angry and sad at the same time. Why can't they suspend disbelief?And while I'm sure it would be an interest plot device to hear Cinderella's inner dialogue wondering why her mother's grave is so keen to help her win a prince at a ball instead of getting out of an abusive home, it would slow down the story. Whimsy and the fantastical open up possibilities--escapism at its best. 

Living a Fairy Tale Trope

It’s a familiar trope in fairy tales. Cinderella had her father’s estate. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty both had a cottage in the woods. Rapunzel had her tower with no doors. Belle had the Beast’s castle. In fairy tales, princesses tend to find themselves in isolation.It’s not unusual. These stories were written in a time when most women could measure their worlds in the square feet of their homes. Men worked outside—women, inside. But even modern fairy tales hold to the same truth. In the Disney movies Jasmine has to disguise herself to escape the palace and quickly has to return, while Elsa has been in seclusion for so long her sister Anna can’t even remember the last time the gates to the castle were opened.I’ve been thinking about these women a lot lately in light of recent developments. I hope Rapunzel had half the imagination of Anna or else she would have gone mad. Now, more so than at any other time I can think of, is when we rely on creatives to get over the sense of bewilderment. Maybe Snow White wouldn’t have let her stepmother in if she’d had Twitter to keep her company. Sleeping Beauty could have blogged about her weird kingdom without spinning wheels and started a Go Fund Me page for new clothes. And Rapunzel could have built a simple ladder from repurposed items in her room from a YouTube tutorial.

What I’m saying is, hang in there. Isolation isn’t as isolating as it has been in the past. There’s a lot of uncertainty, but there’s also a lot of creativity. And while I do want to thank all the brave women and men who are on the front lines of this pandemic, I also want to take the time to thank the women and men on the “homefront” playing music, writing stories, and doing the myriad other creative things that have made staying at home more bearable.And a shout out to delivery people—you’re doing amazing work! 

A Smuggler's Path by I.L Cruz

Simple Kindness is Golden

Ever get the feeling that rudeness in on the rise? I know it's not a new idea, but that doesn't mean it bears ignoring. Just like anything that requires correcting, it should be revisited.In fairy tales princesses and women who will be princesses are always praised for their quiet accommodation and politeness, which I have noted on more than a few occasions in the blog. However, I've been remiss. Civility isn't just a princess virtue.The story, The Golden Goose, by the Brothers Grimm tells the story of three brothers, the youngest of who is kind despite his family's scorn. Despite being given sour beer and a sooty biscuit, when he's approached by a stranger hoping to share, he does gladly. For his considerateness, he's given a golden goose. In the end, he wins the hand of an unhappy princess when he makes her laugh.It's rare when a gentle act from a man in fairy tales is rewarded. I'll admit that having to marry a man just because your father says the next man to make you laugh can have you is problematic at best, but it's one of the few instances I've found that has a male-centered story who doesn't have to kill or employ trickery to be rewarded. And he wasn't expecting a reward. He just wanted to help an old man in the forest. It's refreshing, in its way.I don't know if I have a conclusion for this post other than to state we should all try being a little kinder to each other. Happy Tuesday!

Author Anniversary: Special Edition

As Fairytale Feminista readers know, I don’t usually post on Fridays, but today I’m making an exception.Happy Valentine’s Day! I don’t celebrate, but last year I found a new reason to mark the occasion. Last year I published my first novella, The Cemetery Circle. It seemed appropriate to release it on Valentine’s Day because it was a paranormal romance that I thought up while on a romantic trip with my husband.However, the trip went better than the publication. I spent most of my marketing budget on my fantasy series, so there was very little left to bring it to anyone’s attention. For a time, I considered the book a failure.But a year later, with three books to my credit, I have a different perspective. A lackluster reception didn’t lessen my need to write or my desire to share it with the world. In fact, I’m thinking of writing a sequel.This Valentine’s Day I want to give a special gift to all the writers I’ve met during this indie pub journey. Even getting something out there is a win. Love the successes as well as the failures. And failures for writers aren’t permanent because all it takes is one enthusiastic reader to get your book in other people’s hands.

Fairy Justice

Imagine if you will Rapunzel still wandering the swamp with her twins in tow and the prince elsewhere, still blind and searching for his love.Imagine the maiden in Rumpelstiltskin handing over her baby to the fairy who demanded her as payment.Imagine the Woodsman never happened by Grannie’s house and Red Riding Hood still being digested in the stomach of the wolf.Fairy tales appeal to our very basic sense of justice. They’re so popular in childhood because for a child everything is concrete. There’s a bad person and a good person. The bad person is punished and the good one is given a new start.It isn’t until we’re older that we see the gray areas. The lack of agency. The casual brutality. The inequalities. And yet, we return to these stories or some modern derivative to feel a sense of vindication.Sadly, life rarely works out so neatly. Bad people continue to behave badly without correction or condemnation. Good people are overlooked It contributes to a sense of disillusionment that only the simply ordered world of storytelling can assuage.Sometimes fairy tales are the balm we need to ease the crazy that is modern life.

The Spinster Queen

Real fairy tales have no end. And this one in particular makes me nostalgic because reading it was the start of my writing career. Check out Rachel's other After Ever After stories.

A Noble's Path release: Part II

Anyone who has considered indie publication or is currently engaged in indie publications knows that, to paraphrase a well-known opening line, it is a truth universally acknowledged that no matter how well a plan is executed, something will gum up the works. For me, it's paperbacks.For my last book it took a month after the digital release before the paperback was made available. This time I think I can better that wait by two weeks. Here's hoping!In the meantime, I'm happy and proud to announce that Book Two of The Enchanted Path Series, A Noble's Path, has gone live as of this morning through these sellers. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors and tell total strangers!And check back at my author website, Book by I.L. Cruz for updates about the paperback release date.

Musing on the Muse

Next week, A Noble’s Path, the second book in my Enchanted Path series, is being released. It’s a bittersweet moment. I’m hoping that it leads to more interest in the series, but I know it also means having to embrace more marketing. It’s not my forte, not because I’m shy, but because it means selling myself as much as selling my book. The book I don’t mind talking about—I get very few opportunities to do so—but talking about myself seems immaterial to the writing process.Then again, maybe that’s not so true. There have been quite a few instances lately where a book has been reviled because the writer was considered insensitive to the subject matter, which happened to be outside their background. I write about Latina protagonists because I’m Latina and I felt there weren’t enough of us as leads in stories. I write speculative fiction because I love the idea that a story is not limited to what we know. And yet I wonder if the former statement negates the latter?Is it limiting to only write from a Latina perspective just because I’m Latina? Would it be equally limiting to only write from a female perspective because I’m a woman? I think about all those fairy tales dictated and transcribed by men, who gave little to no agency to women. Caucasians who included minorities as caricatures as plot devices for stories. In those instances, the writers were limited by their gender and ethnicity not knowing anything but their own narrow perspective. It made their characters wooden and incomplete. And yet, it does give us some insight into white male rationales from a certain time period.I suppose my opinion on this subject has yet to coalesce. Should a writer be allowed to write from all viewpoints? Isn’t trying to get into the heads of people unlike yourself the beginning of attempted understanding? In an ideal world, it would be. In reality, it alienates people. One side defensive, trying to justify their right to write whatever they want. On the other, a cancel culture that precludes debate or discussion. Again, I haven’t made my decision.The only thing I can say is my desire to see myself and my daughter in stories drove me to write, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen myself in Anne Shirley, Elizabeth Bennet and Jo March as well as countless other women and men as I immersed myself in their stories. Great stories should be universal and personal, simultaneously because stories should connect us—joyfully, painfully, in humor and in sadness—by making us seek each other out and talk about it.

After Ever After

The Continuing Story of Inez Garza

Divided loyalties test Inez Garza. The infamous incident at the Academy of Natural Studies has forced her to work for the King’s Men while continuing to serve the hidden market.Supporting Birthright furthers the cause of Magical Return, but the cost may be the fall of the royal house and losing Zavier forever.And the strongest pull of all is her growing and erratic magic, which demands everything and offers only destruction in return.Inez must decide where her loyalties lie—saving Canto or saving herself.A Noble’s Path: Book Two of the Enchanted PathNow available for pre-order from these sellersRelease date: January 31, 2020 from above sellers and Amazon (print and digital)And don't miss Book One: A Smuggler's Path 

January with Thumbelina

January is a quiet, broody month. The end of the holiday season is as sudden as the beginning of it. The weather is unpredictable and rarely appreciated. And the new year has a sense of urgency to be different or at least better than the last. It’s all exhausting!I think about Thumbelina hiding out with the field mouse for the winter all cozy and grateful. Of course, the peace doesn’t last because the old field mouse because the next in a long line of creatures that think Thumbelina should marry. Thumbelina is forced to run away to avoid yet another arranged marriage. That’s what January feels like, a forced marriage between your expectations and other people’s—uneasy and slightly ominous.And yet, this is the month I’ve decided to release my new book. Crazy, huh? And yet…This post is a short one and I fear the next one will be, too. But routines are promises you make to yourself. So even a short post is a promise kept.Keep a lookout for A Noble's Path, book 2 in the Enchanted Path series.

Early Happy Holidays

Dear FF Readers,The last weeks of the year are running by and like everyone else I have a lot on my plate to include putting the finishing touches on my upcoming book, A Noble's Path.So I want to take the opportunity to wish all my readers a happy and healthy end of the year filled with holiday cheer and lots of sweets! My blog will return January 14th, 2020.[gallery ids="848,849,850" type="rectangular"]

Happy Holidays :)

Does this come in Faery?

I use lots of keystrokes analyzing fairy tales. Today I want to discuss why we're so fascinated by them. They're old and antiquated. They're stilted and repetitive. They're sexist and...really sexist!So why the appeal? One answer is royalty. In a healthy majority of the stories good deeds, virtue, cleverness, and beauty yield majestic results. Most end with a man or woman being married into the royal household. And yet. Royalty is old and antiquated. Stilted and repetitive. Sexist and...you get the picture.Nevertheless, they're two concepts I'm fascinated by despite my modern sensibilities. Fairy tales are little glimpses into wish fulfillment. Adventure. Rewards. Escape. But what about royalty?In real life royalty is a prescribed life. Everything is planned along a well-trod path. Separate and above. It sounds just as stultifying as being an indentured servant or a maligned orphan. Why is that considered a fairy tale ending?Personally, I like a little pomp. It adds excitement to the everyday. Fairy tales and royalty are the pop of color we all crave once in a while.