Our first guest of honour this week is the fascinating Maureen McGowan, who has written a unique fairytale series, and now finds her new, YA dystopian series to have a lot in common with fairy tales! Welcome, Maureen!
Dystopia as Fairy Tale by Maureen McGowan
Fairy tales endure because they give young
children a chance to safely explore their deepest darkest fears. Those fears
still resonate with us as adults, as do the emotions evoked when we first heard
the stories, and I think that’s a strong reason why fairy tale adaptations for
teens and adults remain popular. We all want to feel those strong emotions
again and again.
My first two novels, Cinderella: Ninja Warrior (Silver Dolphin Books, 2011) and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Silver
Dolphin Books, 2011) were fun, adventurous twists on the classic stories,
written for kids age 10 and over. I loved writing those books. I loved creating
stories that had familiar elements but “fixed” the problems I, as an adult
reader, saw in the classics. Like: why would Cinderella stay with her step
mother if she treated her so badly, or why would she assume a royal marriage
would make things any better? Or, the tiny problem of Sleeping Beauty being,
um, asleep for most of the story. Talk about a passive heroine! J
But I have to say, I’m even more excited
about my new series The Dust Chronicles, and while it’s darker and more serious
than my Twisted Tales books, I think it has more in common with fairy tales
than first meets the eye.
Deviants (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012), the first book in The Dust
Chronicles, is a supernatural thriller, with a post-apocalyptic setting and
elements of dystopia, horror and romance. (I love that you can blend genres in
the Young Adult market!) But what occurred to me, when Marie approached me
about being part of this fairy tale themed week, was that, in many ways,
dystopian novels are the new fairy tales.
Think that’s a stretch? Hear me out. J
Fairy tales feature oppressive villains who
exert total control over, not only the heroines, but over entire kingdoms. That
sounds exactly like dystopian societies.
Fairy tales put their heroines in dark
desperate situations from which they long to escape. So do dystopian novels.
Fairy tales are set in alternate worlds
that look a little like our own but with big twists. So do dystopians.
Fairy tales often include elements of magic
and/or the fantastical. And most dystopian fiction has an element of the
fantastical and/or science fiction. Deviants
has both.
Fairy tales pit good against evil. So do
dystopians.
Fairy tales feature the triumph of the
underdog or the oppressed—often children or teens—over their oppressors. So do
dystopians.
Fairy tales disguise evil under something
that first appears benign or friendly: Evil queens in disguise, witches hiding
in candy houses, beautiful step-mothers seducing grieving fathers. And the main
tenet of dystopian fiction is an evil power lurking under the guise of a
Utopia.
In my new book Deviants there isn’t a castle, or an evil queen, or a handsome
prince—exactly—but there is a domed city and an oppressive Corporate-like
society, the executives of which act as evilly as the worst fairy tale queen.
And there are monsters. Ugly scab-covered monsters. Plus a hunky love interest
who, well, sometimes turns into a monster too.
The thing I love about all fantastical
fiction, whether it be fairy tales, urban fantasy or dystopian Young Adult
fiction, is that it allows we as authors and readers to explore the darkest
corners of our fears and fantasies—from the safety of a book.
Here’s a short snippet from the start of Deviants. Don’t you think it could be
the start of a modern fairy tale?
Excerpt:
The air at the uppermost reaches of Haven is hot
and thick with the stench of rat droppings. Small price to pay for free food.
Normal girls run screaming when this close to rats, but I can’t afford luxuries
like fear.
The sky looms close to our building’s rooftop, and
I duck to avoid cracking my head on a beam. If this section of the dome was
ever painted blue, the pigment wore off long ago, leaving barely reflective
metal panels.
Bent at the waist, I creep forward and scan the
less-than-five-foot gap between the roof and the sky. Heat and darkness press
in from all sides and sweat trails down my spine. I wish I could carry some
form of light, but a lantern would make the rats run. Behind me, something
moves.
I crouch deeper and spin.
“Who’s there?” My voice comes out higher than I’d
like, and the rats echo with screeches.
A large shadow slides across the roof near an air
vent, and I press myself down, gravel digging into my knees and palms. The
shadow’s too huge to be cast by a person, but my pulse engulfs my senses,
blurring my eyes, filling my ears, clouding my judgment.
I blink and the shadow’s gone; all that’s left is
the undulating wave of rats over rats.
Shielding my nose to block the smell, I draw in
long breaths. You’re okay. You’re safe.
No one knows.
For a longer excerpt, click here,
or download the sample for your kindle or kindle app.
A recently reported Bowker Market Research
study found that 55 percent of buyers of Young Adult fiction were adults and
78% of the time they were purchasing for their own reading—that is, they
weren’t buying the books for their kids. I talked about why I love YA fiction
here.
Do you read YA Fiction? Why or why not?
Answer for a chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Deviants and a signed trade paperback copy of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior.
Maureen McGowan always loved writing
fiction, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few
years to channel her energy into novels. After leaving a career in finance and
accounting, she hasn't looked back.
Aside from her love of books, she's
passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.
She lives and writes in Toronto, Canada
where she attends the Toronto International Film Festival each year.
Website: www.maureenmcgowan.com
Twitter: @MaureenMcGowan
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowanBooks
Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/maureenmcgowan
Maureen's Contest: Answer Maureen's question above - Do you read YA Fiction? Why or why not? - for the chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Deviants and a signed trade paperback copy of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior. The contest will close at midnight tonight and the winner will be announced tomorrow on this thread
