{Interview} Michelle Davidson Argyle, Author of BONDED: Three Fairy Tales

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Check out my review of BONDED: Three Fairy Tales!

Michelle Davidson Argyle has previously stopped by A Backwards Story twice with guest posts about BONDED! 

The first, "A Different Sort of Fairy Tale," talks about how she came up with the idea for CINDERS, the Cinderella tale in her collection that was first self-published before making its way into the BONDED collection.

The second, "A Darker Collection of Fairy Tales," gives readers a sneak peek at the three tales used for the BONDED anthology!

I've also reviewed two of Michelle's non-fairy tale contemporary novels,

THE BREAKAWAY and PIECES!

~*~

Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites. She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life. 

Visit Michelle on her website, Facebook, and Twitter!

An interview with 
author Michelle Davidson Argyle

What gave you the idea to write Sleeping Beauty from a fairy's POV?

I had already written the first two novellas in my collection and knew I wanted to write a prequel. Since my husband's favorite villain is Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, I kept wondering how I could work with that. Then I realized, hey, why does she turn into a dragon, anyway? It all went from there!

Please tell us about your fascination with the obscure fairy tale One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes.

It's a fairy tale many people don't know about, so I thought that might be fun! More than anything, I wanted to retell that fairy tale because I've read it since I was a child. My parents had a big collection of Grimm's tales, and that was one of them. I remember the little sketch at the beginning of a girl with one eye. It was kind of freaky, and stuck in my mind for a long time, obviously!

During last year's Fairy Tale Fortnight,
Michelle wrote an awesome guest post
and featured this image she grew up with
from One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes.
Check it out for some more behind-the-scenes commentary!

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 think I'd have to choose Cinderella, as well. I've always had issues with how she doesn't seem to do much (aside from being used by her family) to earn everything that's handed to her. This explains why I felt the need to write CINDERS and explore the complications of believing an easier life is just a fairy godmother away.

Which fairy tale would you most like to spend 24 hours inside of, and which the least?

Probably Rapunzel the most and Hansel and Gretel the least (yuck for eating people!)

You have a fairy godmother who is granting you one perfect day: what does that entail?

Sushi, curry, and cheese, and a day on the beach with my husband.

QUICKFIRE FUN STUFF:

This or That?

Tower or Dungeon?

Tower.

Evil Queen or Wicked Witch?

Evil Queen.

Seven League Boots or Glass Slippers?

Glass Slippers.

Would You Rather...

Have a prince who makes out with your, um...corpse, essentially, or a prince who can only remember who you are by your shoe size?

Prince who makes out with I, um ... corpse. At least he'd remember me for me!

Drink an Alice-ish "Drink Me" potion or eat part of a witch's gingerbread house?

I hate Alice in Wonderland with every fiber of my being, so I'd have to choose the gingerbread house.

Be able to spin straw into gold or have precious gems drop from your lips when you speak?

Spin straw into gold! I think the gems would get annoying.

Be cursed with blindness (Rapunzel) or knife-like pain when you walk (Little Mermaid)?

Oh, that is tough ... probably the pain when I walk. At least I could just ride in a carriage all the time or something ...

Thank you so much, Michelle!
I always love having you stop by and visit us!

  ~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  BONDED
Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Release Date: Out Nov. 1, 2012

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

What happened after Cinderella married her prince? How did the evil sorceress in Sleeping Beauty turn evil in the first place? Discover these stories and a world filled with magic, forbidden love, elves, sprites, dragons, and the most powerful creatures of all— the fairies —in BONDED, a collection of three fairy tale inspired novellas.

CINDERS: A Cinderella sequel. Money can’t buy love, but magic isn’t a sure bet either. Cinderella, now officially a princess, finds royal life is not what she once dreamed. When a mysterious elf from her past stirs up long-suppressed passion, Cinderella begins to wonder if there really is love beneath the spell that captured her husband’s heart. But undoing magic can be harder than casting the initial spell, and the results are even less predictable.

THIRDS: A retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale, One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes. Issina is surrounded by magic, yet none of it belongs to her. Despised and abused by her mother and sisters, she finds comfort when she meets the beautiful elves living in the nearby woods. The elves want to help her discover her own magic, but it’s not the kind of power she hoped for, and she learns there is more to magic than getting what you want.

SCALES: A Sleeping Beauty prequel. The sun never sets in the realm of the fairies. When the young fairy Serina looks into her sister’s eyes, she sees darkness for the first time. After her mother is murdered, Serina defies fairy law to follow her sister to the human realm. There she discovers the strength of a bond, the weight of a promise, and the darkness in her own heart.