Writing Epic Heroines: The Princess & Others In “Thornspell”

Last week I discussed Writing Epic Heroines, mainly in the context of the Wall Of Night series.

But Thornspell, as a fairytale retelling, presented a unique challenge in terms of writing heroines.

The fairytale, you see, is Sleeping Beauty, the retelling told from the point of view of the prince who breaks the spell—and I quickly realized that 21st century readers were just not going to “buy” the traditional ending.

You know the one: where the prince wakes the princess with the magical kiss,...