The Gadoury Dreamer

The story of "Allerleirauh" has haunted me for most of my life. When I was a child I had heard this story, and the magic (and the dresses) stuck with me for years. Perhaps it was a story that I was always meant to write. With inspiration, help from friends, and a boost of confidence, I set out to write my very own 'fairy tale'  retelling . . . with "Allerleirauh."  On the eve before the release of "Allerleirauh," I wanted to share the ten things I love about this story - and hopefully you - as the reader - will love it too. 1)  The Romance:  If there is one thing to know about me, it's that I love Love . I love Romance . I love reading it and watching it in all sorts of platforms: movies and books. One of my favorite things about "Allerleirauh" is the sweet romance between Prince Klaus and Aurelia. I wanted there to be a sweet romance in balance of the horrible relationship between her and her father. There's a beautiful...

Welcome to "My Favorite Things: Top 10!" Post I'm here to talk about ten things that are my absolute favorite. I suppose you could consider this as a "getting-to-know-you" kinda post. I thought it would be fun to share a bit more about me on the eve of the "Allerleirauh" release! I hope this keeps you fully entertained, and that you're whistling along with Julie Andrews by the end. 1) Books. Yeah, I guess that's a given. What sort of author can you be if you don't just love  books? Preferably, I go for more of the YA novels with a mandatory pinch of romance. Some of my favorite books are: The Shiver series, Fangirl, To All the Boys I Loved series, A Court of Thorns and Roses series, There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom, Sarah Dessen books (Just Listen, The Truth About Forever) The Ring, Zoya, Pride and Prejudice. . . you know, classics.                                       ...

Welcome back for Part Two of the "Allerlierauh" Playlists. Yesterday, I released part one, "The King and His Promise" playlist  - showcasing most of the music I listened to when writing "Allerleirauh." Today, you're in for a real treat. When it came to part two, or as I call it, the "Klaus" section, I listened to a lot of emotionally driven scores. I wanted to capture not only the new palace of "Saarland der Licht," but Aurelia's interactions with Lord Crestwood, Adelais and Klaus. During this time, our main protagonist is struggling with her past - struggling with what's occurred in Tranen and the haunting ghost of her father. She begins a friendship with Klaus, which is confusing, scary, and exciting all at once for her. Klaus tries to encourage Aurelia to live her life and to see herself as more than what might have happened in her past. (He doesn't know who she is and what exactly she's endured.) His kindness...

Music plays an important role in many parts of our lives - whether it be a love song we share with a person, music we enjoy to listen to when we're on a road trip, or . . . in a writer's life, songs that inspire the landscape of our novels. Much like in the movies, music helps to shape characters and inspire the emotional scenes! I wanted to share my own playlist with all of you today (and give you a sort of musical sneak peek) that I listened to while writing "Allerleirauh." The music should set up a more 'melancholy" sort of scene - where you can tell by the music that something isn't right. One can almost hear the loneliness of Aurelia's world, and how isolated she feels after the abusive ordeal with her father. Towards the end of the playlist, emotions are heightened by the need to leave. . . and the music sets the stage for Aurelia's escape from Tranen, and her transformation into "Allerleirauh." Much of it is purely score / mus...

~Retelling A Unknown Classic~ “Allerleirauh” is one among the unknown and unfamiliar fairy tales in the Grimm Brother’s collection. Charles Perrault wrote his own unique version of the story entitled, “Donkeyskin.” I’ve been entranced with this story since I was a child – completely enraptured by the details of the magical gowns the princess requests and wears to the ball. But there was something about her story that stuck with me throughout my life. When I had the opportunity, I knew it was her story that I wanted to write. Donkeyskin:  http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/ perrault11.html Allerleirauh or “All-Kinds-of-Fur”:  http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/ grimm065.html When I approached writing my own version of the story, I wanted to stay true to the fairy tale. But I also felt it to be really important to delve deeper into the characters; to explore them and bring their stories to life. With many hours of research into the tale, and different elements of the “hist...