ŷ������

Hi everyone! Please tell us about yourself here.

Hi folks, I'm Gem and I adore fairy tales of all kinds. In addition to fairy tales, I also enjoy the classics, mysteries, and some modern fiction. I'm a mom to four awesome adult children and grandmother to five amazing grandchildren. I'm retired but do help my husband with his business. My hobbies are reading, knitting, needlepoint, cooking, and baking. We currently live just north of the Phoenix valley in Arizona although we are starting to think about moving back east.

Hey y'all (my Yankee self attempting to reach out to the south, seeing as my wife is from a southeastern state, and we live in the southwest). I'm Larry, Beast to Gem's Belle here in Once Upon a Time-ville. And the husband mentioned in her post above. I consider myself a connoisseur of all things Tolkien (okay, I really consider myself an expert on those things, but I was trying to sound a bit more humble than I actually am) - but also love fairy tales, particularly the earlier versions from the Brothers Grimm and their contemporaries (officially resisting the temptation to type: The Grimmer the Better - and then failing). I'm also a retired high school and college History and Literature teacher.

Hi! I am Lisa and was actually an original member of the old group way back when it was started. (Aging myself here!) I am disabled, so unable to work any longer, but was an educational sign language interpreter and paraprofessional for many years. For the past ten years I homeschooled my grandson, who has decided (and we all think it is the best choice for him at this point) to attend public high school now. So far he is doing great! I am the mom of two grown daughters, one who lives right next door with my grandson, and the other who lives with my wonderful son-in-law and grand-daughter in England. I have been an avid reader ever since I first learned how, and generally have at least three books going at one time - my own actual reading book, an audiobook to listen to while doing my puzzles, and a book I am reading to my grand-daughter. My favorite genres are fantasy, especially fairy tale retellings, historical fiction, and cozy mysteries.

Hi, I’m Nic! I have always loved stories, especially ones that have made their way through history in their many forms.
I’m currently obsessing over fairytale, folklore and mythology retellings that follow a woman’s perspective (Natalie Haynes and Jennifer Saints kind of work).
I’m also really drawn to Celtic folklore and keen to explore more fiction and fantasy novels that explore other cultures and stories as well.
Excited to see everyone’s recommendations and insights about what they’re reading and interested in. ✨🏺⚔️🍀☕️📚

Hello!
I’m Shanna, daughter of Lisa up there. 😄 I also was in the original group ages ago. I’m a single mom who loves next door to my parents and we have a joint bookcase in her library of books that we both want to read.

I have always loved fantasy and fantastical books. I really enjoy fairy tale retellings and dark fantasy. I’m also a big fan of sassy no nonsense taken heroines and talking animals. I love a fantasy with a mystery to solve too!

I’m also a fan of historical fiction, cryptids and their lore, most dystopian YA novels and quirky romances.

Some of my favorite authors are Patricia Briggs, Patricia C. Wrede, Neil Gaiman, Katie Macalister, Kim Harrison, Mercedes Lackey, Jim Butcher, Shane Silvers, and Laura K. Hamilton.

Looking forward to seeing what we get up to!

Nicole wrote: "Hi, I’m Nic! I have always loved stories, especially ones that have made their way through history in their many forms.
I’m currently obsessing over fairytale, folklore and mythology retellings th..."

Hi Nicole and welcome, great to have you!

Shanna wrote: "Hello!
I’m Shanna, daughter of Lisa up there. 😄 I also was in the original group ages ago. I’m a single mom who loves next door to my parents and we have a joint bookcase in her library of books t..."

Welcome, Shanna. I'm going to look into the list of authors you mention... I fear my TBR list is going to get longer!

Hello, I'm Adriel, Lisa's other daughter who lives in England. I work in a bookshop and have for the past 12 years so I know a lot of things about books I've never read. I will occasionally read books outside of my comfort zone because of work, but my first love is fantasy of any kind. I also like sci-fi, kids, teens, romantic fiction, and a bit of cozy crime. I have an 8 year old daughter that I still read to so will have a book on the go with her at any point.

Favorite authors include Patricia C. Wrede, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Becky Chambers, and Brandon Sanderson (I have been reading all his books lately)

Howdy y'all!

I'm Kyle. While I read and enjoy books from practically every genre, fantasy has always been among my favorite to read (both adult and YA fantasy). I've loved reading from a very young age and ended up with a degree in literature and writing. I see some mentions above already of some of my favorite fantasy authors like Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, and Brandon Sanderson. A few other fantasy authors among my favorites include Naomi Novik, Scott Lynch, and Joe Abercrombie.

I non-book related things, I work as a paralegal for a firm that specializes in environmental and land use law. I enjoy hiking, backpacking, and everything related to that, board games, and cooking (along with the eating).

Looking forward to reading some books with y'all and adding to my TBR list, which can never grow too fast!

Adriel wrote: "Hello, I'm Adriel, Lisa's other daughter who lives in England. I work in a bookshop and have for the past 12 years so I know a lot of things about books I've never read. I will occasionally read bo..."

Hi Adriel! Good to have you. I've always wanted to work in a book store or library... kind of like a wonderland for me. Looking forward to suggestions you might have.

Kyle wrote: "Howdy y'all!

I'm Kyle. While I read and enjoy books from practically every genre, fantasy has always been among my favorite to read (both adult and YA fantasy). I've loved reading from a very youn..."

Welcome Kyle, nice to have you in the group.

Hi, my name is Julie and I love fairytales. I have loved fairytales ever since I was young. I also have been exploring classic literature and have enjoyed the fantasy genre for quite a while.

Some favorite authors of mine would be: Daphne Du Maurier, Brandon Sanderson, Ally Carter, Kiera Cass, Lisa Genova, Charles Martin, and many more.

I am the type of person to start way more things than I ought to! Some of my other interests include dancing, painting, a new found love of sewing, and baking. I currently work full-time and am taking a few online college classes so I have no time for any of those hobbies right now! lol

I am very excited to see what books I will get to discover in this group!

Hi, my favorite sub-genre that applies to this group would probably be fractured fairy tales that are funny. Generally those are picture-books. But I'm excited to expand my reading in the direction you-all are taking it!

My favorite stories are The Little Red Hen and its variants, particularly The Little Green Witch; I have a listopia for these. I'd love to find the theme explored in a novel for big kids or adults!

I empathize with the red hen, and also very much with The Princess and the Pea because I am sensitive to the kinds of annoyances that some people think are trivial. I don't think that I have a favorite printed version of that tale, but I do like Shelley Duvall's 'Faerie Tale Theatre' video version.

Speaking of which, do we have a thread for anything 'meta' about the tales? I'd like to talk about (view spoiler)[The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales by Alison Lurie, the website Sur la Lune, Jack Zipes, etc. (hide spoiler)]

Hello to the new members! Cheryl, I loved Shelly Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre! It was so much fun.

Hi Julie and Cheryl! Glad you are here.

Julie wrote: "Hi, my name is Julie and I love fairytales. I have loved fairytales ever since I was young. I also have been exploring classic literature and have enjoyed the fantasy genre for quite a while."

Be sure to make have some downtime so you don't burn out.

I'm a baker too, I bake all kinds of things, two years ago I started baking bread. There is a bit of a learning curve to bread but I've had a lot of success.

Cheryl wrote: "Hi, my favorite sub-genre that applies to this group would probably be fractured fairy tales that are funny. Generally those are picture-books. But I'm excited to expand my reading in the direction..."

I have a copy of Jack Zipes' Grimm Fairy tales that are translated from the early versions before they started to sanitize the stories for kids. I don't know Alison Lurie but I'm up for just about anything Fairy Tale related.

If you'd either of you would like to make a selection and lead a discussion, let me know.

Sure, I'd be glad to get a thread started for 'critical' and 'meta' works. Just let me know which folder, or if you want it to be a folder of its own. I can say a few things to lead it off, and post whenever I have something worth saying or asking ... but I don't know that I could keep it fully active (depends on others' interest of course).

Cheryl wrote: "Sure, I'd be glad to get a thread started for 'critical' and 'meta' works. Just let me know which folder, or if you want it to be a folder of its own. I can say a few things to lead it off, and pos..."

Put it in the Welcome folder. I'll probably create a new folder but I'll do that tomorrow. Thanks

Hello, everyone--I'm Susan, and I love to travel with folk tales/fairy tales/myths as they shift and split and twist through time, from their earliest tellings through the latest translations, adaptations, lampoons, and mash-ups.

Favorite early storytellers (and re-tellers) include Ovid, Marie de France, Giambattista Basile, Shakespeare, and the Grimm sibs (of course); more recent obsessions are re-tellers Pamela Dean, Naomi Novik, Jo Walton, Henry Beard & Douglas Kenney, and Phillip Pullman. But that's leaving out far too many favorites.

I made my living as a performer, director, and playwright (mostly of adaptations and retellings).

Hello, Susan! Welcome to the group. Interesting career you have had.

Susan wrote: "Hello, everyone--I'm Susan, and I love to travel with folk tales/fairy tales/myths as they shift and split and twist through time, from their earliest tellings through the latest translations, adap..."

Hi Susan, welcome, it's good to have you. I look forward to your perspective. It's my experience that theater folks often see things from a different angle (my husband it a theater guy - former actor/director).

Gem wrote: "Susan wrote: "Hello, everyone--I'm Susan, and I love to travel with folk tales/fairy tales/myths as they shift and split and twist through time, from their earliest tellings through the latest tran..."

One of the main differences I've experienced is the ability to create a new tribe every time a new theater project is formed. I think theater peeps learn to bond over shared vision and shared labor, and other shared/not shared characteristics fade into less importance--often into no importance at all.
In terms of my writing, I'd guess it's the comfort with dialogue (the kind that makes long tags and adverbs unnecessary). And (because of the genres I worked in) a crazy quilt memory stuffed with all kinds of history and lit and art and music.
I'm glad to meet you and hope to get to know you better (the link to thebardsyard doesn't seem to be alive at the moment, but the work sounds fascinating). And I hope to find a place in this tribe.

Hi! I'm Laura. Fairy tale/classic retellings are among my favorite sub-genres to read along with steampunk, historical fantasy, high fantasy, and, well, a lot of other sub-genres of scifi/fantasy (as long as they're clean and not too dark!). I'm a jeweller, freelance artist, and indieauthor with a background in library and all of my work is inspired by my love of history and fantasy. Besides an art degree, I'm also half-way through my Graduate Gemologist and Graduate of Pearls diplomas.

Favorite authors include J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Brittany Fichter, K.M. Shea, and Jasper Fforde.

Welcome, Laura!
Sounds like an interesting career!

Lisa wrote: "Welcome, Laura!
Sounds like an interesting career!"

Hi! Oh, it is! I really enjoy it though it is definitely a struggle at times. The creative path is not an easy one, but I'm determined to follow it anyway.

Hi. I'm Fiona and I live in Galway, Ireland and I love fairy tales and mythology of all kinds. Favourite authors include Angela Carter (I highly recommend The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories), Daphne Du Maurier, Eowyn Ivey, Morgan Llywelyn, Helene Wecker and Shannon Chakraborty.

Welcome, Fiona!