N.M. Mac Arthur's Blog: Of Magic and Mischief

The Stories That Find You When You Need Them Most

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how certain stories seem to find you. Not the ones you plan to write—those tidy little ideas you file away for “someday.” I mean the ones that crash into your life uninvited and refuse to leave until you give them a voice.

That’s how Icebound: Fabled, Book 1 started for me. I didn’t intend to write a story about grief, courage, or the thin line between innocence and responsibility. I only meant to write about a boy—one who felt trapped by expectations too heavy for his shoulders. But as I followed him through the snow and silence, the story began whispering truths back to me. About fear. About love. About the way we sometimes have to lose parts of ourselves before we can really see who we are.

I think every writer has that one story that changes them, not just as a creator, but as a person. Icebound became mine. It grew with me, taught me patience, and showed me that fairy tales aren’t just escapism; they’re reflections. Mirrors, sometimes cracked, sometimes merciful.

If you’ve ever had a story (or even a single character) sneak up on you like that, I’d love to hear about it.

And if you’re curious about Icebound, it’s the first book in my Fabled series—a fairy tale for anyone who’s ever felt too small for their own destiny.

Icebound: Fabled, Book 1 is available now on Amazon and free to read on Kindle Unlimited until December 18th.

On Losing and Finding Yourself Again

It’s strange how easy it is to lose pieces of yourself without noticing.
Not all at once, not dramatically, but in small ways. In the quiet compromises, the things you stop doing, the versions of you that fade because life keeps asking you to be something else.

Maybe it happens after a loss. Maybe it happens slowly, after years of putting duty before desire, or comfort before curiosity. You wake up one day and realize you’ve been surviving, not living.

That’s something I think about a lot when I write—especially when I wrote Fabled, Book 1: Icebound.

The main character, Prince Destan, isn’t a grand hero charging into battle. He’s a boy trying to remember who he was before the world told him who to be. His journey isn’t just about fighting magic; it’s about fighting numbness. About choosing warmth, even when it hurts.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re rebuilding yourself from the fragments of who you used to be, Icebound might speak to you.

Fabled, Book 1: Icebound is available now on Amazon and free to read with Kindle Unlimited. STORE LINK: https://a.co/d/1tAmjJr

You can also get the first ten chapters free when you join my newsletter right here: https://subscribepage.io/onceuponanew...

Autumn, Fairy Tales, and a Free Read

There’s something about autumn that feels like it was made for stories. The air sharpens, the nights creep in earlier, and the leaves fall like pages from an ancient book. It’s the season of lantern glow, blankets, and curling up with stories that give you both comfort and a shiver down your spine.

For me, autumn has always been fairy tale season. There’s a haunting quality to this time of year—when the woods feel a little darker, the wind whispers, and you almost believe that enchanted (and frightening) things could step out of the shadows.

That atmosphere is exactly what inspired i> Fabled, Book 1: Icebound. Drawing on The Snow Queen and Snow White, it’s a dark fairy tale reimagining filled with grief, identity, and the dangerous beauty of winter’s chill.

And here’s a little gift for fellow autumn readers: from October 3rd–5th, the ebook of Icebound will be free on Kindle. Check it out here and grab your free copy: https://a.co/d/dLIgYrD

So, if you’re looking for something to pair with your pumpkin spice and cozy blankets this week, maybe let a fairy tale keep you company. After all, autumn is the season where magic feels closest at hand.

Icebound: Fabled, Book 1

Spooky Season Reads & A Free Fairy Tale Adventure

It’s officially that time of year when curling up with a book feels even better—blankets, tea, and a story that gives you goosebumps.

I always find myself reaching for books with a little extra atmosphere in the fall: stories that blend magic, mystery, and a touch of danger. From timeless classics like Dracula and Frankenstein, to modern takes like The Bear and the Nightingale or A House of Salt and Sorrows, there’s something special about reading a book that sends a shiver down your spine when the nights start getting longer.

That’s part of what inspired me when I wrote Icebound. It’s a dark fairy tale adventure about grief, identity, and finding hope when everything feels lost—full of dark forests, cursed rings, and dangerous bargains.

And because I want to share this story with as many readers as possible, Fabled, Book 1: Icebound will be FREE on Kindle October 3rd–5th. If you’ve been looking for your next spooky season read, this might just be the one.

Here is the link: https://a.co/d/b9OQrvF

So tell me: what’s your go-to autumn book? Do you love the classics, or are you more into modern dark fantasy?

When Fairy Tales Bite Back

Fairy tales have always fascinated me. At first glance, they’re bedtime stories—simple, whimsical, full of wonder. But if you dig into the originals, you’ll find they were often brutal warnings disguised as entertainment. The Brothers Grimm weren’t afraid of blood. Hans Christian Andersen made you ache with melancholy. Even Perrault’s "Little Red Riding Hood” is less about happily-ever-afters and more about danger lurking in the woods.

That’s what I love most about fairy tales: the contrast. Magic and menace live side by side, hand in hand. They remind us that light only feels bright because of the shadows it pushes against.

As both a reader and a writer, I’m drawn to those darker edges. They’re the reason I wrote Icebound, my own reimagining of The Snow Queen and Snow White. My goal wasn’t to make it grim for the sake of shock, but to rediscover that sharpness fairy tales once carried—the way they could thrill you, unsettle you, and, maybe, comfort you at the same time.

With October rolling in, I think it’s the perfect season to revisit these darker tales. Which classic fairy tale first gave you chills? Was it the wolf, the witch, or something else entirely?

If you’d like to dive into my own contribution to the tradition, Fabled, Book 1: Icebound will be free on Kindle from October 3rd–5th. Maybe it’ll remind you that sometimes, fairy tales bite back.

Fabled, Book 1: Icebound STORE LINK: https://a.co/d/4FOOAMP

Why Fairy Tales Endure

There’s something timeless about fairy tales. They’ve been whispered by firelight, written into leather-bound books, and reimagined in every generation. Some sparkle with whimsy, others carry shadows—warnings wrapped in wonder. But what makes them endure is the way they balance hope and danger, reminding us that magic always comes at a cost.

That tension is what drew me to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. Its haunting imagery—a boy with a shard of cursed mirror in his eye, a queen of frost offering comfort that comes at a price—has lingered with me since childhood.

It’s also what inspired my own story, Fabled, Book 1: Icebound. At just thirteen, Prince Destan finds himself trapped in a dark bargain: a cursed mirror, a heart sealed in a chest, and a queen who promises to take away his pain in exchange for his memories.

Here’s the exciting news: Icebound will be FREE on Kindle from October 3–5!
This is the perfect chance to explore the darker side of fairy tales—one where love, loss, and identity collide against a frozen backdrop.

If you love:
Dark fairy tales
Reluctant princes
Cursed mirrors
Magic, danger, and heart

…then this adventure might be for you.

Until then, tell me what fairy tale has stuck with you the most?

A Gift for Dark Fairy-Tale Readers

Big news, friends! From October 3rd–5th, my debut novel Fabled, Book 1: Icebound, will be completely free on Kindle.

Icebound is a dark fairy-tale adventure inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. At its heart, it’s a story about grief, identity, and finding hope when everything feels lost. There’s magic, danger, and a cursed mirror that steals more than just reflections.

If you’ve been curious about my work or love fairy tales with a darker twist, this is the perfect chance to dive in.

Grab your free copy here: https://a.co/d/5QG3tqV

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you pick it up—and if you do, come back and tell me your favorite moment or character. Your comments and reviews mean the world to indie authors like me.

Here’s to stories that chill and warm us all at once.

The Stories That Shaped Me

When I think about the books that shaped me as a writer, two always come to mind: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

The Little Prince taught me that children’s stories could be wise, bittersweet, and deeply moving—a fairy tale that wasn’t afraid of sadness. I still remember reading it in 5th grade, realizing for the first time that a story could be both whimsical and heartbreaking.

The Snow Queen, on the other hand, showed me the beauty of cold imagery, haunting villains, and the kind of atmosphere that lingers with you long after the last page. It was less about “happily ever after” and more about what we lose and find in the process of growing up.

Those two stories planted seeds that eventually grew into Fabled, Book 1: Icebound, the first book of my Fabled series. My world is darker, my characters more flawed, but the spark that drives me still comes from those timeless tales.

What about you? Which childhood story still lingers with you today?

Icebound, Free Chapters, and Ebook Giveaways

Hello, readers!

If you’ve been following along, you know I’m passionate about all things fairy tale. My debut novel, Fabled, Book 1: Icebound, is now out in the world, and I’ve got a few little gifts and gatherings to share with you.

✨ Start Reading Icebound for Free
You can grab the first 10 chapters of Icebound when you subscribe to my newsletter. It’s the best way to step into the story and also get behind-the-scenes updates, lore drops, and author notes.
👉 subscribepage.io/onceuponanewsletter

📚 Join the Book Clubs
I’ve set up three places where you can read along, chat, and dive into all things dark fairy tale:

StoryGraph Challenge (Once Upon a Dark Fairy Tale) — choose any dark fairy tale retelling and read along with us.
👉 https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading...

StoryGraph Bookclub (Once Upon a Dark Fairy Tale) — dark fantasy and fairy tale retelling bookclub! Join and enter for a chance to win the full Icebound eBook
👉 https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_cl...

Fable App Bookclub (Dark Fairy Tale Reads) — focused on Icebound for our first book, with discussions and community posts. Join and enter for a chance to win the full Icebound eBook
👉 https://fable.co/club/dark-fairy-tale...

🎁 Giveaway
If you join the Fable App Bookclub or the StoryGraph Bookclub you’ll automatically be entered to win a copy of the Icebound ebook. I’ll be announcing the winner right inside the club so we can celebrate together.

📖 Where to Buy Icebound?
If you’d like to dive right in, Fabled, Book 1: Icebound is available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
👉 https://a.co/d/0sySMVZ

Thank you to everyone who’s been supporting this journey, whether through likes, follows, comments, or just quietly cheering from the sidelines. It means more than you know.

– N.M. Mac Arthur

Welcome to Of Magic and Mischief

Hello, readers!

This is my very first blog post here on Goodreads, so thank you for stopping by. I thought it only fitting to start with a little introduction—and, of course, a touch of magic.

I’ve always been drawn to fairy tales, the kind that linger long after you’ve closed the book. They’re not just bedtime stories. They’re warnings, whispers, and windows into the deepest parts of ourselves. From the Snow Queen’s icy bargains to the Grimm Brothers’ shadowed woods, these tales are equal parts wonder and danger.

That balance between magic and mischief is exactly what I try to capture in my own writing. My fantasy series "Fabled" grew out of a lifelong fascination with folklore, fairy tales, and the timeless struggle between duty and freedom. The first book in the Fabled series, "Icebound", takes inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, but with its own twists of cursed mirrors, dark bargains, and characters struggling to hold onto their humanity.

If you love stories that are just as chilling as they are enchanting, then you’re in the right place. I’ll be using this space to share reflections on writing, folklore, and the books that inspire me (along with some behind-the-scenes glimpses into Fabled).

I’d love to hear from you, too. What’s the fairy tale that haunted you the most when you first read it? Drop a comment! I’m eager to chat with fellow lovers of the strange, the beautiful, and the bittersweet.

Here’s to magic, mischief, and a few shadows along the way.

– N.M. Mac Arthur