Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 108

Coming Very Soon: Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World

Here is the cover for the soon to be released Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World. This one has over 180 tales in it and has a word count of over 530,000 words with 828 pages. In comparison, Cinderella only had 442,000 words.

And I have enough material to offer a second volume of Beauty and the Beast tales if this one is well-received. I kept cutting material with the hope that a second volume will happen. I didn't want this book to end because this group of tales remains my personal favorite even after years of working with them. If anything, I love them even more. Each book in the SurLaLune series gifts me with a greater appreciation for these tales, but I am usually very much ready for them to be done, kaput, so I can move on to the next one. I only wanted this one done because it had to end so I could share it with others.

And if you love Beauty and the Beast, I don't think this book will disappoint. I hope not!

The book is coming in October and I plan to dedicate the month of October to the tale on this blog. So buckle up!

New Book: Hero by Alethea Kontis

Hero by Alethea Kontis will be released next week. Kontis wrote one of the most popular fairy tale themed novels published in 2012, Enchanted (The Woodcutter Sisters). Hero is the second book in the Woodcutter series and will be followed next October by the third book, Beloved. So if you are a fan, you have more to read and anticipate very soon!

Book description:

Rough-and-tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she's the only one of her sisters without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, "Did romance have to be part of the adventure?" As in Enchanted, readers will revel in the fragments of fairy tales that embellish this action-packed story of adventure and, yes, romance.

National Book Award 2013 Longlist and Fairy Tales

Almost three years ago, I posted about the Petition to National Book Foundation on Behalf of Fairy Tales. Then last year it was announced that the stipulation against fairy tale inspired materials had been removed.

For those of you not wanting to click around the web, I'll sum up: There was a petition sponsored by Maria Tatar and Kate Bernheimer to have this language removed from the guidelines for the National Book Award:

“collections and/or retellings of folk-tales, myths, and fairy-tales are not eligible,”

From the petition's Facebook page in September 2012 (two years after the petition was started):

Fantastic! Marvelous! News! The National Book Awards Entry Rules & Guidelines no longer exclude collections and/or retellings of fairy tales, folktales and myths.

That in itself is cause for great rejoicing.

And this week the 2013 National Book Awards Longlist For Young People’s Literature was announced. And a notable fairy tale related title is in on the list: Far Far Away by Tom McNeal. It's not a retelling of any particular tale, but the influence of the Grimms cannot be ignored--after all Jacob Grimm is a main character. And if that fills you with trepidation, don't worry, it's a fascinating book. My initial favorable reaction grew stronger the longer I was separated from it since it stayed with me longer than many other books do.

Another finalist is The Real Boy by Anne Ursu. Ursu garnered SurLaLune attention a few years ago with her release of Breadcrumbs--a book unapologetically inspired by Andersen's Snow Queen--another highly recommended fairy tale retelling. And while this title to her nominated book alludes to Pinocchio, I don't believe it references the tale too much if at all from the previews I've seen. But it hasn't even been released yet, so who knows?

There are many other wonderful looking books on the list--I've only read Far Far Away myself, but I am also thrilled with how many fantasy genre books are represented. After all, I am of the generation in which fantasy was always second class literature unless it was a rare Newbery Medal winner. I admit that I am grateful to Rowling--and so many other authors--for making fantasy so mainstream over the last decade.

Congrats to all the Longlisters--this is the first year that the list has reached 10 titles, too:

Kathi Appelt, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)

Kate DiCamillo, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (Candlewick Press)

Lisa Graff, A Tangle of Knots (Philomel, A division of Penguin Group USA)

Alaya Dawn Johnson, The Summer Prince (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)

Cynthia Kadohata, The Thing About Luck (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)

David Levithan, Two Boys Kissing (Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House)

Tom McNeal, Far Far Away (Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House)

Meg Rosoff, Picture Me Gone (Putnam Juvenile, a division of Penguin Group USA)

Anne Ursu, The Real Boy (Walden Pond Press/an Imprint HarperCollinsPublishers)

Gene Luen Yang, Boxers & Saints Boxed Set (First Second/an imprint of Roaring Brook Press/Holtzbrinck)

Fairy Tales Canvas Bag Sale on CafePress

The canvas tote bags on CafePress are $10 through midnight tonight with coupon code TOTALLY. I own several of these and love them. Here's a link to the SurLaLune bags.


Here is the fine print:

Only applies to canvas tote bags, subject to availability. Coupon code TOTALLY must be entered at checkout. Promotion starts on September 18, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. (PT) and ends on September 18, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Discount cannot be combined with other coupon code offers. All orders must be from the CafePress Marketplace. Offer not valid on bulk orders and any product numbers starting in 030. Offer valid online at CafePress.com only, and may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice. This promotion cannot be applied to past orders.

 

Heidi at The 2013 Southern Festival of Books

The 2013 Southern Festival of Books Schedule is now online. The festival is held each year in Nashville, this year on October 11-13. If you look carefully at the Friday schedule, you'll see:

Friday
3:00-4:00 pm, Chapter 16 Stage
Cinderella: Tales from Around the World
Heidi Anne Heiner

You can also view a list of this year's authors here. This is my second time presenting at the fair--I had fun talking about Bluebeard two years ago. And I've been attending as a reader for more years than I can count--not long after it started that is, so I've attended more years of the 25 years than not even when I lived away from Nashville.


Anyway, I will be discussing Cinderella and Cinderella Tales From Around the World for my allotted hour. That will go quickly although I have to think on my feet since I adapt according to the audience that sits down--can't discuss incest themes in Cinderella too deeply if a bunch of school kids appear in front of me! But if there's only adults, that's always what entertains them...

And the Chapter 16 stage is under a tent but outdoors, so I hope for good weather and a working microphone, the latter is a sure bet because this festival is run very well.

I may sneak in a bit about Beauty and the Beast, too, since that is what has filled my brain this year along with Diamonds and Toads, two books coming your way fairly soon. If you want them!

New Books: Charming (Pax Arcana) by Elliott James

Charming (Pax Arcana) by Elliott James will be released on September 24th. This book, slated to be a series, plays with the Prince Charming fairy tale tropes and is being promoted with several supporting novellas which I will list below.

Book description for Charming (Pax Arcana):

John Charming isn't your average Prince...

He comes from a line of Charmings -- an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chain mail and crossbows to Kevlar and shotguns, John Charming was one of the best--until a curse made him one of the abominations the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, John tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. That is, until a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar...

Description for Charmed I'm Sure which is $.99 and available now:

This is the first in a series of short stories by debut author Elliott James. The first of his novels, Charming, will be out in September 2013.

When Tom Morris encounters a naked man walking along the interstate with no memory of how he got there, the smart thing to do is drive away. The only problem is, Tom Morris has secrets of his own. Like the fact that he comes from a long line of witch finders, monster slayers, and enchantment breakers, or that his real name is Charming. John Charming.

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls is also $.99, will be released 9/17, and draws some plotting from Snow White (And I'm sorry if the title gives you an earworm--it gave one to me!):

This is the second in a series of short stories by debut author Elliott James. Nothing with the Cunning Folk is ever free. When John Charming goes to Sarah White for help with a minor ghost problem, he soon finds himself dealing with a restless spirit on a completely different scale. And the last thing you want to be when hunting a water spirit is out of your depth...

Pushing Luck is $1.99 and will be released October 15th:

This is the third in a series of short stories by debut author Elliott James. Trying to make money off the grid, John Charming discovers an underground poker tournament where the hors d'oeuvres are made of human flesh and the players are gambling with much more than their money. All bets are off.

The final two releases do not have cover images yet. The next will be Surreal Estate for $1.99 released on January 14th:

The line between reality and dream is never entirely clear under the best of circumstances...and when John Charming finds himself being hunted through a nightmare house, it is far from the best of circumstances.

Finally, Dog-Gone will be released February 18th for $1.99:

Somewhere in Alaska a locked house full of ripped apart bodies and one teacup poodle covered in blood. Somewhere in Alaska, the voice of a dead woman speaks through a car radio. And somewhere in Alaska, the last surviving descendant of one of John Charming's only friends is being pursued by nightmare hounds. The dog days have begun.

New Book: A Question of Magic by E. D. Baker (Baba Yaga Included!)

A Question of Magic by E. D. Baker is officially released on October 1st, still a few weeks away, but it is a new book that features Baba Yaga, so I wanted to highlight it since Baba Yaga is on my brain this week after reviewing the new Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales by Sibelan Forrester yesterday.

Baker is prolific and is getting quite a few fairy tales under her belt. I appreciate that she is now offering up so many "second string" tales, the ones known by fairy tale fans but not so much by the public at large. Hence Baba Yaga here and Snow White and Rose Red in her Unlocking the Spell: A Tale of the Wide-Awake Princess last year. She has more titles on the horizon, too, with The Bravest Princess: A Tale of the Wide-Awake Princess due out next spring. That one draws from Snow White, so no, not a second string fairy tale for that one!

Book description:

Serafina was living the normal life of a village girl, when she gets a mysterious letter--her first letter ever, in fact--from a great aunt she's never heard of in another village. Little does 'Fina know, her great aunt is actually a Baba Yaga, a magical witch who lives in an even more magical cottage.

Summoned to the cottage, Serafina's life takes an amazing turn as she finds herself becoming the new Baba Yaga. But leaving behind home and the boy she loves isn't easy, and as Serafina grows into her new and magical role answering the first question any stranger might ask her with the truth, she also learns about the person she's meant to be, and that telling the future doesn't always mean knowing the right answers.

In her inimitable and bestselling way, ED Baker has crafted a funny and romantic story that combines some fabulous details from the original Slavic tale, with an all new spin!

New Book: Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales by Sibelan Forrester

Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales by Sibelan Forrester (Translator) , Jack Zipes (Foreword), Helena Goscilo (Contributor), Martin Skoro (Contributor) was released in August but took me more than a few weeks to acquire due to backorders. I have a fondness for Baba Yaga, so I ordered the book. No review copies here. (I have to say that for full disclosure!)


First the book description:

Baba Yaga is an ambiguous and fascinating figure. She appears in traditional Russian folktales as a monstrous and hungry cannibal, or as a canny inquisitor of the adolescent hero or heroine of the tale. In new translations and with an introduction by Sibelan Forrester, Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales is a selection of tales that draws from the famous collection of Aleksandr Afanas'ev, but also includes some tales from the lesser-known nineteenth-century collection of Ivan Khudiakov. This new collection includes beloved classics such as "Vasilisa the Beautiful" and "The Frog Princess," as well as a version of the tale that is the basis for the ballet "The Firebird."

The preface and introduction place these tales in their traditional context with reference to Baba Yaga's continuing presence in today's culture--the witch appears iconically on tennis shoes, tee shirts, even tattoos. The stories are enriched with many wonderful illustrations of Baba Yaga, some old (traditional "lubok" woodcuts), some classical (the marvelous images from Victor Vasnetsov or Ivan Bilibin), and some quite recent or solicited specifically for this collection

Now my thoughts:

Essentially, this book is a collection of Baba Yaga tales--the most in any English language compilation--with a six page foreword by Jack Zipes, a similarly long preface, and a 31 page introduction--for me the highlight of the book. It is much faster and lighter reading than the ever excellent Baba Yaga (International Folkloristics, V. 3) by Andreas Johns, a book YOU MUST own if you are at all interested in Baba Yaga. Very excellent but more scholarly in tone than this book which will appeal more to the more casual fairy tale reader while still satisfying some academic bent. There are 29 tales followed by an endnotes section and index, so the book is usefully compiled, too. The notes focus primarily on explaining Russian terms as well as describing variants to episodes in the tales. So many anthologies don't have as detailed an index as this one offers either. And the notes are a trivia or scholarly minded reader's dream.

The book itself is hardcover with fine colorful images throughout--they are all glossed by Helena Goscilo. There were some images new to me. Goscilo's captions are excellent and leave one wanting to find even more Baba Yaga imagery.

I did have one sad moment however. Near the end of the introduction is this page:



That's the shoe I created from Ivan Bilibin's illustration years ago on Zazzle. Zazzle no longer sells customized shoes (and their customer service quality has deteriorated) so I have ended the SurLaLune affiliation with them. Those shoes were awesome though. I don't own this pair--I wish I had ordered more styles for myself--but the pair I do have are quite thrilling.

SurLaLune isn't mentioned anywhere else in the book, but that is neither here nor there. It's an excellent book and a worthy addition to my library.

And, as a reminder, there is an annotated Baba Yaga on SurLaLune. There aren't many tales in that section since I decided to focus on AT-313H*: The Girl Escapes from a Witch. (I do need to update this to the ATU numbers.) I have recently updated the Book Gallery and Modern Interpretations pages which offer new titles that were not available when this book was published.

Bargain Ebook: Dragonfield: and Other Stories by Jane Yolen

Dragonfield: and Other Stories by Jane Yolen has been reduced in price for the ebook edition to $2.99. The book has been out of print for a while, so this is another triumph for a book never having to go out of print these days and the author still getting a bit of the sale price unlike with a used book sale. Hooray!

Book description:

Award-winning author Jane Yolen transports readers to new realms of dragons, sprites, and rogues in twenty-seven magical stories and poems

“That’s what dragons are for, after all, to call forth heroes.”

Jane Yolen enchants and enthralls with an exquisite collection of short fiction and poetry brimming with sympathetic monsters, unlikely heroes, and all manner of magical amazements. Exploring the depths of human love, pain, and folly in these unforgettable tales, Yolen gives life to a cast of unforgettable characters: a selfless young woman whose sadness brings forth beautiful gifts, a deluded musician whose song spectacularly fails to soothe a savage beast, and an alien salvage crew mining gems from the mind of a dying poet. Here be dragons, outlaws, kings, mermen, and dream weavers, sprung from the unparalleled imagination of one of the world’s foremost fantasists.

This ebook features a personal history by Jane Yolen including rare images from the author’s personal collection, as well as a note from the author about the making of the book.

New Kindle Stuff and Bargain Ebook: Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile

Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile is $1.99 TODAY ONLY in ebook format. You have to have a Kindle of some type for this book, not just a Kindle app on a phone or tablet. But this is a nice way to have the first five issues of Fables if you do have a Kindle device. Heck, I own to paper versions of these and still spent another $1.99 on this today.

And the new Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Next-Gen Built-in Light, Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers was announced today as well as the upcoming Kindle Match program which has me thrilled beyond words: Introducing Kindle MatchBook: For thousands of qualifying books, your past, present, and future print-edition purchases will soon allow you to buy the Kindle edition for $2.99, $1.99, $0.99, or free.

Book description:

WINNER OF FOURTEEN EISNER AWARDS

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber. Collects FABLES #1-5.