{Blog Tour} Interview & Giveaway with GRIMM CHRONICLES Author Ken Brosky

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Last month, Ken Brosky wrote a Little Red Riding Hood-themed short story entitled Legacy of Red during A Week of Little Red here at A Backwards Story!


The short story was a taste of what readers get when stepping into the world of The Grimm Chronicles, a series he co-wrote with Isabella Fontaine.  Legacy of Red has now been included in the Volume 2 compilation of The Grimm Chronicles!

~*~


Ken Brosky received his MFA in fiction writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He also teaches English at Madison College. This is his first Young Adult series. 

 Isabella Fontaine owns a farm in Wisconsin and enjoys reading weird books like House of Leaves. This is her first Young Adult series.

 Follow Ken and Isabella on Facebook and at their website.

 An interview with 
author Ken Brosky

How did you and Isabella come up with the concept for The Grimm Chronicles?

We started with a simple concept: the hero's journey. Then we flipped it, threw it in a blender, baked it, added some cinnamon sprinkles ... well, you get the picture. The point is we tried to do something just a little different, but still familiar. We wanted scary monsters, but not so scary that it would fall outside the Young Adult genre. And we didn't want blood and gore, so when our creatures die, they just sort of burn away like paper on fire. 

 And we wanted our hero to have to use her brains.

What is the co-writing process like?

Ken always writes the first draft. Isabella goes through it and makes it good!

How many episodes do you envision there being in the series?

There will be 12 total episodes. Every 3 episodes follows an arc. Each arc has its own theme, and bleeds into the next arc toward the end. The story is cohesive, and it's going to have a good ending. We promise that.

As much as we may love any particular tale, each has its own "problematic" aspects (for me, I can't get over the fact that Prince Charming has to find Cinderella, the glorious love of his life, by matching up her feet. I mean, really?). Which problematic aspect of a tale really gets under your skin?

I agree on that one! The thing with fairy tales is they were sort of designed for children, but there were two other parts that make them interesting: 
1. They had moral themes. They were meant to send a message. 

 2. When the Brothers Grimm started shaping them, it was time of disease and hard living, so that sort of slips in, too. (Hence the step-sisters of Cinderella sawing their feet off to squeeze into the glass slipper!) 

 The fairy tales that really creep me out are the ones where the parents decide one day, "Oh well I'm poor. Better sell of one of the kids." The original Hansel and Gretel is a bit much, too ...
Your favorite obscure (or less well-known) fairy tale?

"The Musicians of Bremen." Look it up. There's nothing more hilarious than a story about singing farm animals who scare away robbers!


What made you fall in love with fairy tales--and decide to write a book about them?

I think all of the fairy tales are really interesting ... some of their themes just happen to be utilized a little too much. Like Disney's obsession with Prince Charming. And it's important to remember they're just tales with morals, and some of those morals might be outdated at this point. 1812 was a vastly different time than 2013 ...
QUICKFIRE FUN STUFF:
This or That?
Tower or Dungeon?

Tower. With archers stationed on it.


Seven League Boots or Glass Slippers?

How about a nice pair of dress shoes so I can look nice when I teach?
Prince or pauper?

I see myself as a prince. But my bank says I'm a pauper. And the cable company is breaking down my door ...
Would You Rather...
Ride in a pumpkin carriage (sticky) or climb a hair-rope (tiring) to get where you're going?

The pumpkin carriage would probably be the most familiar. My car is pretty messy right now, so adding a pumpkin smell would actually be an improvement.


Face 3 Billy Goats Gruff or 3 Bears from Goldilocks?

Hmmmm... that gives me an idea for the series...
Drink an Alice-ish "Drink Me" potion or eat part of a witch's gingerbread house?

If the gingerbread house has a couch made of Peeps, I'm there.
Be cursed with blindness (Rapunzel) or knife-like pain when you walk (Little Mermaid)?

I really, really like walking. But I really, really, really like seeing.
Thank you so much, Ken!  I've been enjoying The Grimm Chronicles series and am looking forward to the final three books in the series!
  ~*~
O F F I C I A L   I N F O:
(of the series)

Title:  THE GRIMM CHRONICLES, Vol. 1
Author: Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky
Release Date: Aug 03, 2012
Publisher: Brew City Press
SUMMARY:

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 stop 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. 

This book contains the first 3 episodes of the critically acclaimed series: 

Episode 1: Prince Charming Must Die! 
Episode 2: Happily Never After 
Episode 3: Revenge of the Castle Cats

Additional features for this special edition: 
- An introduction 
- Two special "Lost Diaries" 
- A behind-the-scenes interview 
- A collection of original Grimms' Fairy Tales 

THE GRIMM CHRONICLES is intended for Young Adults aged 13 and up. 
The goal is to provide Young Adult readers with a strong, charismatic young woman in the role of the hero and provide readers with a positive protagonist who uses her brain to overcome obstacles life throws in her way.
Title:  THE GRIMM CHRONICLES, VOL.  2
Author: Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky
Release Date: Out Feb. 13, 2013
Publisher: Brew City Press
Received:  For Review
SUMMARY:

 200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm changed everything. 

 With the help of a little magic, fairy tales were made real, manifesting all over the world. Charming princes. Gold-hunting dwarfs. Terrible step-mothers. Heroic animals. 

 Then, slowly, they began to change. Everyone—from Prince Charming to the old miller—grew more evil. Corrupted. A hero was chosen to stop them, hunting them down one by one and destroying them with the help of a magic pen and a special rabbit assistant. 

 For 200 years, the hero’s magic pen has been passed on from generation to generation. The newest hero is Alice Goodenough, an 18-year-old junior from Washington High School. While her friends spent their summer working and having fun, Alice found herself doing battle with creatures most human beings don’t even realize exist. A giant snake. A blood-sucking prince. A terrifying half-man, half-hedgehog. Dastardly dwarfs intent on mind-controlling everyone who uses a cell phone. 

 Now, senior year has begun. With it comes a new challenge at school, where bullies have grown bolder and classes more challenging. As if that’s not enough, Alice must face off against a collection of Corrupted who all share a terrible secret, one that might awaken a creature capable of doing untold damage. To uncover the secret, Alice will have to face off against a man-eating lizard, a bloodthirsty sea captain, and a mysterious wizard who can see into the future … 

 This book contains: 

 Episode 4: The Orphanage of Doom 
Episode 5: Blood and Thunder 
Episode 6: The Order of the Golden Dragon 

 Bonus Material: 
The Lost Journal of Eugene Washington 
Assorted fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm 
A Legacy of Red (First seen here at A Backwards Story, whoot!)
~*~
****Giveaway*****
Ready to check out the Grimm Chronicles series?

5 winners will receive an e-book copy of
THE GRIMM CHRONICLES, Vol. 2

 Giveaway ends April 11th!

 Enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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