Author Bites - Malinda Lo on Fairy Tales

This is a slight deviation from the normal guests posts that I have authors do. This time around I asked Malinda a few questions and she gave a few answers! I'm sure you'll find them just as thought-provoking and exciting as I did! And an apology to Malinda for taking me so long to get this up. Damn backlogs!

What made you take on Cinderella and spin it so differently, namely the gender role reversals of the "fairy godmother" and the "prince"?

Since my goal was to retell a very well-known fairy tale, when I started thinking about how my version would be different, I knew I had to think outside the box. I was a student of anthropology at the time and was very interested in folklore. Much of the folklore I read centered on mischievous and potentially malevolent fairies — there were no tales about a benevolent fairy godmother. So I decided to make the fairy in my retelling a more traditional fairy, based in Irish folklore in particular. At the time, I didn't read much YA, so I had no idea that this was the new big thing! (As in the novels by Melissa Marr and Holly Black, etc.)

But changing the gender of the "prince" was not as well-planned. The first draft of Ash was not at all gay; Ash fell in love with a male prince. Then I sent the draft to a friend to read, and she told me she thought the prince was boring, but this other character (a woman) was very intriguing. I realized, then, that Ash was actually falling in love with this other female character. The idea of rewriting it into a "lesbian Cinderella" kind of blew me away at first. I had to really think hard about whether I was willing to go there (because I thought it might be detrimental to publication), but once I decided to do it, I went for it.

Was Cinderella your favorite fairy tale growing up?

Yes. :)

Are you planning on re-writing any other well-known tales to give them a fresh spin?

I have some ideas, yes, but nothing concrete yet.

Do you find the more traditional Cinderella's just as strong-willed as your Ash?

If you mean the traditional Cinderella stories from different cultures ... I'm not sure. There is room for any Cinderella to be seen as strong-willed, but most traditional fairy tales did not emphasize her strong will, but rather her modesty and ability to work hard. These stories really did have a moral: work hard, obey your elders, and you will be rewarded. It basically rewarded those who did not have a strong will.

And I think, most importantly, will there be a sequel? Or is the "happily ever after" the best place to end it?

There is no sequel to Ash. I've always found the Cinderella story to be complete as it is; it's about finding true love, not living with it day after day. But I am writing a companion novel which is set in the same world as Ash, but several hundred years earlier. It's about that kingdom's very first huntress.

Ash by Malinda Lo + Contest!

Pub date - September, 2009

Pushed into indentured servitude for her stepmother in the City to pay off her father's debts, Ash is consumed with grief. She misses her family and her happy life at the edge of the Wood where old magic used to linger in the air like fairy breath. her only joy comes from the brief, stolen walks in the woods with the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean. Ash's single, unspoken hope is that someday he might steal her away, as fairies are said to do.

But on the day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, from Kaisa she learns the art of the hunt, how to ride and track. Their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, but it grows and changes, and with it, Ash reawakens her capacity for love - and her desire to live. (book back blurb)

Yeah, you won't be seeing this version of Cinderella as a Disney cartoon anytime soon. That's for sure. Disney isn't quite there yet on the whole same-sex-relationships thing. Give them another 50 years or so and maybe.

This was an intense story and immediately, well, as soon as the evil step-mother takes control of Ash's life, you feel for her. You (well, I do) want her to just get back at that evil bitch for the way she treats Ash and her twisted logic on who owes who what for debts. Ana needs to be drowned in her own pomposity and Clara, with a little more backbone, can actually be a pretty cool person. I liked that little twist. Instead of making both step-sisters nasty, there's a glimmer of hope in one of them that Ash can gravitate to when the need calls for it. It's a nice, slim little bit of padding for her in her otherwise crappy life.

I was at the same time loving the language the book is written in and kind of irked by it. Of course, it's told in the way of older fairy tales. I have to say, Lo does a better job of it than Neil Gaiman with Stardust. It comes off much more naturally and fitting to the story. But at the same time the stilt in the dialogue had a tendency of blending the characters together at times. I understand it's the style but at the same time most people, especially "lower" people, talk using contractions. That kind of took the reality out of it a little bit for me.

I liked the way the book tied Ash's mother into the story even though the largest appearance she makes is when Ash visits her grave. The end ties everything together although I felt it was a little too easy and could have been a loophole in the "contract" that a fairy would have seen coming. They're too conniving to be had and while it makes sense, I think it's something the fairy should have spotted that. But, I guess, at that point, Ash had cleared enough hurdles and deserved it.

What I found really astounding was the way Ash stood up to her step-mother and sisters. When she gets caught coming back from the ball and her step-mother hacks off her hair, instead of weeping, Ash just says, "it suits me" and thanks her, only enraging her further. Granted there were times I wish Ash had just up and run away because the opportunity provided itself plenty of times, but everything happens for a reason and her persistence and will paid off.

The thing is, as much as I really liked this story, I wasn't too compelled to finish reading it. I don't know why. There's no good reason for it. I don't have many complaints about it at all. I really liked the story, I loved Ash and her relationship with Kaisa but . . . I don't know. It's just one of those books that I've read it once and I'm all set. I don't really need to read it again. This happens every once in a while. It didn't strike the right fangirl chord with me and I just can't explain why. It just didn't.

But that aside, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone to read. It's a touching and moving re-telling of Cinderella that, I think, puts the rest to shame. And for all of the "old tyme" style and world that it's told in, it's been updated for the modern era. It truly is awesome. The language sucks you in. Ash's story and plight and pain just puts you right into her shoes and you can't help but cry for her. Her step-mother and step-sister Ana will make you angry, without a doubt, but it'll all be worth it in the end. Even though the fairy world plays a decent enough part in the story to be entwined in nearly every aspect of Ash's, and the "low" people's lives, it still makes for a realistic story that, I'm sure, echoes across many cultures.

And I just have to say I love how the fairy world and its tales are still within Ash's society. They were once very real but slowly forgotten to nothing more than tales. It makes you think about our own lore and just what could be real with those fables we hear. It really makes you think.

CONTEST TIME!

You want my ARC of Ash? It could be yours, plus some BEA swag with it. Here's what you have to do--

Comment with your email (in a Blogger profile is fine) answering this question - What's your favorite fairy tale? If you don't answer this question, your entry won't count.

Extra Entries--

+ 1 for new followers
+ 2 for current followers (meaning you're a follower prior to reading this post)
+ 2 for linking to this contest anywhere (+1 for each subsequent link, up to 5 additional points), provide a link for proof otherwise it won't count

Total potential entry points - 6
Ends July 19th.

Good luck!