Few months ago, I've read the first book of the Grimm Chronicles, Prince Charming Must Die and shortly after that, I was able to read book two Happily Never After. Those two were fun to read and because I've enjoyed reading them, I'm interviewing Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky, authors of the Grimm Chronicles.
Welcome Is and Ken!
Tell us something about yourself, your background, where you were born/live?
Ken was born in Milwaukee. He loves s'mores and received his MFA in writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Isabella was born in Delavan, a small town west of Milwaukee. She knows how to castrate pigs because she grew up on a farm!
What was your work prior to becoming a writer?
Starbucks. Both of us, actually! A strange coincidence. Ken still works there part-time and also teaches college English classes. But he doesn't drink coffee. He likes chai lattes.
When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?
Isabella has a hard time pinpointing it. For Ken, it happened years and years ago, around middle school. He'd been drawing comics up to that point, but then he picked up a graphic novel that had lots and lots of writing and only a few pictures. He ate it up and tried writing one himself. It turned into a crazy 300-page novel about dark creatures attacking a group of mercenaries who are stranded in a gas station and ... you know what? That really sounds like a cool story. Maybe he should re-write it.
Do you see writing as a career?
Maybe some day! For now, it's a means to an end. A way to get the stories out of our heads to give our sanity some relief. But then more stories pop up. And you have to get rid of those, too, or they crowd your mind until it's all you can think about.
Is "Grimm Chronicles" your first book series? How many books do you plan to write for this series?
Our first series. Our goal is 12 books, one coming out every two months. For every 3 books, we'll put out a print edition. We have a plan. In the next three books, Alice is going back to school. Then, she's going to compete in a big fencing competition. Then ... well, let's just say the last three books are going to be pretty scary.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in writing the Grimm Chronicles?
Finding the right fairy tales to incorporate into each story is the hardest part. We must have read Grimms' Fairy Tales a dozen times. You read them, and then you wait for an idea to pop up in your head ... and then you put that idea into one of the stories.
How long does it take for you to write one book?
That's a tough one. Well, since the books come out every two months ... we don't have much time! But we've planned ahead. We have an outline for each of the remaining books. We have the fairy tales picked out. We have the characters and the story plotted out. We know what's going to happen ... and we're really excited.
Do you ever experience writer's block?
There are moments where you try to get from one scene to another and just can't figure it out. It can drive you nuts! But you just have to push through it and remember you can always fix it up when you're revising the next draft. That's the best part about writing: knowing you can go back and change things. As long as you keep that in mind, you should be able to beat writer's block.
Can you write in a public place?
Isabella works on the books on her patio with her pets. Ken prefers to write at his desk, which he's sort of turned into a steampunk paradise. But he also occasionally writes at the local library.
What kind of books do you usually read?
Isabella is a big fan of Cormac McCarthy of all things! Ken especially enjoys short story collections, and he's also reading The Hunger Games on his Kindle. Ken also really, really likes the Encyclopedia Brown books for some reason.
What are you reading right now?
Isabella is reading House of Leaves. Ken is reading old Raymond Carver stories while his arm heals from repetitive stress. He's also reading textbooks on writing, which he plans to use for his English classes he's teaching this coming semester.
Amazon Link
On the eve of her 18th birthday, high school junior Alice Goodenough feels on top of the world. Classes are almost finished. She's about to start her summer job at the local library, where she'll be surrounded by all of her favorite books. And she has a wonderful boyfriend.
Then the rabbit shows up. The giant talking rabbit. He has a message:
200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.
Literally.
With the help of a magic pen and paper, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm brought all of their characters to life. The world was a more magical place ... for a time. Cinderella found her prince. Briar Rose's spell was broken. The dancing princesses spent their nights hidden away in a secret underground city. The old miller's boy found true love.
Then, slowly, the Grimms' characters began to change for the worse. They became Corrupted. Evil. They didn't belong in our world, but it was too late for the Brothers Grimm to destroy them.
Only a hero can save the day. Every generation for the past 200 years, a hero has been chosen to fight the Corrupted and rid the world of the Grimms' fairy tales. To her horror, Alice has been chosen as the next hero. As her 18th birthday nears, she begins to realize life is never going back to normal. School will never be the same.
As for her boyfriend, Edward ... well, he might be hiding a terrible secret.
This book also contains the following original Brothers Grimm fairy tales:
- Snow White
- The White Snake
- The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat
- The Godfather
Amazon Link
200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.
Literally.
Now the characters of the Grimms’ stories walk among us. With every day that passes, they grow more evil. They are the Corrupted, and only a hero can save them.
For 18-year-old Alice Goodenough, that means taking precious time off from her summer vacation. In addition to volunteering at the local library, Alice must stop the Corrupted who are now actively hunting her down. With the help of her magic pen and her trusty rabbit friend, the world has suddenly gotten a lot more complex. The Corrupted are everywhere, and only Alice can see them for what they truly are!
