I wanted to shout out a huge thank you to my oh-so talented doppelganger, Lila DiPasqua who not only shares my passion for history and writing, but has a similar first name and shares the same birthday as I (seriously!!!). I’m so thrilled to be part of her Princess Blog Party and after reading Awakened by a Kiss, I am sooooooo ready for more.
So let’s get this party started, shall we? Please raise your hand for me if you grew up on fairy tales. Hey now. I expect every single hand to be raised. Be it Disney based or Grimm based or Hans Christian Anderson based or Charles Perrault based, they all had one thing in common. No matter how dire the circumstances, true happiness and true love would always find a way. A beautiful sentiment, wouldn’t you say? Even in my 30’s, I’m still in hot pursuit, though not of my prince — for I was fortunate to not only find him but keep him — but of trying to write the ultimate fairy tale in the guise of a historical romance. I dream of writing about the awe and magic of what I felt when I read my very first fairy tale. Only now that I’m an adult, that awe and magic includes WAY more. Like scandal. And sex. Lots of it. What is better than scandal and sex? The research and its unexpected findings while trying to write my historical tales. I am utterly astounded at unearthing things no reader would ever believe, but I weave them into my stories all the same because I find them utterly fascinating. Allow me to give you an example of the bizarre sort of deconstruction I like to do when it comes to my stories. I’ll use the story of the Frog Prince as an example.
What is fascinating about the Frog Prince Tale is that the author of this tale knew something most readers didn’t. That a frog CAN turn into a prince in real life. How, you ask? There are certain frogs, like the Bufo Marinus, which secrete a toxin that wards off predators. When licked (or kissed, as is the case of our princess) it causes the burning of one’s skin and eyes and can lead to hallucinations. So sadly, the heat rising through the body of our princess had nothing to do with passion or love whatsoever. And the prince didn’t actually exist. But the frog did!! How is THAT for a fairy tale? All that really matters, though, in the end, is that our princess lived happily ever after. Even if it was with a frog. Are you in any way disturbed by this twist? Or intrigued? If disturbed, don’t read my books. If intrigued, the Scandal Series is just the series for you. Only I write about people. Not frogs.
QUESTION: So my question to you today is this, what is your favorite fairy tale and why?
My favorite fairy tale is Cinderella. Why? Because I grew up with a wicked stepmother and can relate to the poor girl. Seriously.
I’ll be giving away two signed copies of Lord of Pleasure. Each signed copy will include a $5 gift card to Starbucks.
Please indicate if you’re outside the US in your comment.
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To win Delilah’s giveaway you must:
1. Answer Delilah’s questions below in your comment.
2. You MUST be a follower/subscriber of Lila DiPasqua’s blog (through Google Friend Connect).
3. You must reside in the USA.
* Winner will be announced on Tuesday Nov. 2nd, 2010– selected at random from the commenters of this post.
Read a yummy EXCERPT of THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED HERE.
Ways to increase your odds of winning are found at the very bottom of this blog.
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I live in England so i don’t count for this but my favourite Fairy Tale is Cinderlla mianly because i like that she gets the prince leaving her horrible family behined
Raising my hand!!!!
I think my favourite fairy tale is Sleeping Beauty….I would love to have such a nice long sleep….hehe!!!
Valerie
in Germany
I grew up with the Hans Christian Anderson tales. I loved those so much as a kid but; I am not sure why. Maybe cause it was magical as a kid. My favorite now is Beauty and the Best ever since I saw the disney movie. That movie just really captured my attention. Made me laugh, cry, & just feel like you were a kid again watching a great fairy tale. Your book covers are beautiful. You are a new author to me.
Sue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com
Good morning Lila and Delilah,
This has been the best blog party I’ve participated in. My favorite is Beauty and The BEAST.At a very young age it taught me that it was what was inside that showed a person’s real beauty.She couldn’t help falling in love with the man he really was and she was able to see that. Good luck everyone.I look forward to reading Lord Of Pleasure Delilah as well. I’m a GFC follower under Lucky47 and an email subscriber to Lila’s newsletter.
Carol L.
Always liked Cinderella — a fairy godmother helps the poor maid attend the glamerous ball and catch a prince for a happy ever after. Whats not to love 🙂 Also always liked the ugly duckling turning into the beautiful swan.
Hello, Delilah! Thank you for writing your wonderfully wicked romantic reads : ) Beauty and the Beast will always be my favorite Fairy Tale–I fall for the lovelorn Beast every time. However, I closely identify with Cinderella. My mother and I always lived with her parents, with whom I was extremely close. My mother’s brother and sister were very jealous, and there was always dissent in the family. Nothing I ever did as a child or an adult met with approval from my aunt and uncle. When my grandmother became to ill to continue cooking and running the house while… Read more »
My favorite is Cinderella! I love rags to riches story! I loved the idea of a fairy Godmother watching out over me too! Very magical!!! Thanks for sharing today!
I’m a follower
My favorite is Sleeping Beauty. I like the idea of three fairy angels looking out for my best interests and waking up to a kiss!
GFC follower.
jenma76 at hotmail dot com
My favorite is Beauty and the Beast because of the way love transformed Beast and the way Belle loked past what was on the outside.
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
Wow – thank you all for posting and helping us celebrate with Lila!!! My dearest Elizabeth,Would have loved to have included you in my giveaway 🙁 I’m with you on Cinderella!!! My dearest Valerie,Just because I chose Cinderella as my favorite doesn’t mean I didn’t equally love all the other fairy tale…like Sleeping Beauty 😀 I’m all about sleep, lol. My dearest Sue,My father used to read to me out of this huge book of Hans Christian Anderson stories. They were magical in a real sort of way, which is why I related to them. And THANK YOU for the… Read more »
What a fun post! I’m a Cinderella fan too. It was the first fairy tale I remember reading as a child, but Disney’s The Little Mermaid comes in a close second. I love how Ariel sacrifices something of value to achieve a bigger dream.
Casey Crow
http://www.caseycrow.com
Well, we have so much in common 🙂 Mine is also Cinderella and I grew up with not only a wicked Stepmother but also a wicked stepfather. My parents divorced when I was two and my dad got re-married a year or so later to my stepmom who was in the picture before the divorce. My dad was older with lots of money and she was young, hot and blond living with no money and a son of her own. She was chasing after my dad for years and she finally hooked him, moved into the house and immediately got… Read more »
I’m not going to lie I was a Disney fairy tale kid. They were the ones to introduce me to fairy tales. I loved them all. My favorites are Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. After watching the Disney versions of these I tried to find other versions of these tales that were more darker and more real. I do find myself more drawn to Cinderella stories though. I just love that she was able to beat the evil step mother.
Delilah – I’m so excited about your new series!!!
My favorite fairy tale is Sleeping Beauty. I’ve always thought it so romantic how Aurora had to be awakened by true love’s kiss. I also like the Disney version of The Little Mermaid and Beauty & The Beast. So many great songs in those movies!
I’m a follower and US resident.
sowickedlovely(at)live(dot)com
My dearest Scorpio,Waking up to a kiss is definitely another way to go. *wicked grin* My dearest ThroughTheHaze :),Transformation stories are just SO freakin delicious, aren’t they? I know I always go back and forth between all the stories I love and my favorites. My dearest Casey,Another Cinderella fan — woot!And yes, Disney’s The Little Mermaid was amazing and special in so many ways. It was the first Disney movie I saw a gazillion times in the movie theatre when it first came out and couldn’t get enough of it. The humor was amazing, the music was amazing and Ariel… Read more »
Hi Delilah! So good to “see” you here! I’ve enjoyed your novels starting with Mistress of Pleasure and look forward to your latest!
My favorite is Beauty and the Beast… and even in historical romances, I also like the beauty and the beast theme!
delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com
My favorite is Beauty and the Beast. I like where a person looks past the exterior to get to know the real person. As a quadriplegic I always hope people will look past the obvious to get to know me.
+2 Tweeted about today’s post/contest…. http://twitter.com/#!/jone402/status/29396459201
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast because I grew up watching it (I literally watched it again and again). It has such a great story that resonates with so many other present romance stories.
My favorite is Beauty and the Beast. I like the message of the story, about looks not being everything.
I’m going to say Cinderella because i remember watching it as a kid and loving it so much. Fond memories and all that. sigh …. Long time since i was a kid but i still like watching it.
Lisa B
modokker at yahoo dot com
Hi Delilah!
What a cute pic:) It is a dream of mine to wear a gown like that with a theme to match for a birthday party… maybe one of these years I’ll finally do it! *raises hand* I grew up on fairytales too! My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast because I always wanted to be Belle and find my own Beast so we can live happily ever after in our castle:) I see there are alot of B&B fans in the audience today, lol! And no your stories don’t sound disturbing to me… I’m definitely intrigued.
Hi, Delilah and Lila! Love the post, fairytales are so great. I love the ‘once upon a time’ there was a etc etc…and all sweetness unfolds. As an adult, I have to admit that reading the naughtier versions just makes the escapism so much more fun! My favorite fairytale, is, like so many comments on here today, Beauty and The Beast. I think espescially in today’s world, it is so important that the beauty within wins the prince.
Ohmigoodness, I almost forgot to post today.
♪♫Hey there, Delilah ♪♫ (sorry, couldn’t resist). Thanks for this post. I love the fairy tales, and I’d be hard-pressed to pick just one. I’ve always been partial to The Ugly Duckling.
My dearest MrsShukra :),So good to “see” you, too! I think Beauty and the Beast is totally beating out my Cinderella vote, lol. My dearest Joder,You are an inspiration and I totally agree. One always hopes people will look past the obvious. And like I told MrsShukra, I think Cinderella is getting outvoted by Beauty and the Beast. Grin. My dearest Jeanette, Maureen, Lisa B, and Maria who are all Beauty and the Beast lovers too,So I’ve counted it all out. The Little Mermaid gets 1 vote, Cinderella gets a vote of 8, Sleeping Beauty a vote of 4, and… Read more »
My dearest Noelle,
I love that song! And it’s not just because they’re singing my name, lol. Thanks for “singing” it to me. I have to say, the Ugly Duckling is a story I also related to. I was a tom boy for the longest time and never saw myself as remotely pretty. Time made me feel more comfortable in my skin. And so did my now husband *waggling brows*
The problem I’ve always had with the Frog Prince is that, all in all, I’d rather have a pet frog (and I used to keep pet frogs). Even with having to deal with escapee crickets, frogs are more interesting than most princes.
I like the Ugly Duckling story in that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that every kid has an awkward/Ugly Duckling stage. There’s hope for even the geekiest of us. 🙂
ironss[at]gmail.com
retweeted today’s contest +2
and etc.
Your twists, like you sound delightful! I’m going for Snow White because she had dark hair like I did!,