Tag Archives: little red riding hood

Tropes—A Good Thing?

Another feature of a good story is tropes. Before you give tropes a bad rap, they actually can be handy. Readers have different expectations for the books they read, and tropes can help you meet those expectations.

In an old blog post, I mentioned the tropes I would be having in my fairy tale retelling.

Little Red Riding Hood Retelling
Dire Wolf Character
Young Teens
A Crush on a Prince (Who Can Fly!)
Talking Animals
Found Family

Here’s more I’m adding:

Character With Physical Disability
Confronting Bullies
Mad Scientist

Introducing My Wolf Character

I mentioned my main female character and special male character, but I have to mention an important side character: the wolf. Or should I say, the dire wolf.

Nan meets the dire wolf in the woods. Little does she know that the wolf is actually a human girl who consumed a potion by a powerful alchemist. And she’s related to Prince Deverell in some way.

The Setting Of It All

Every good story must have an intriguing setting, and I aim for that in my “Friend of the Dire Wolf” tale.

Nan, my Red Riding Hood character, lives during a Medieval-like era. She’s an orphan, and back in Medieval times, they didn’t have orphanages or foster homes like the ones we’re familiar with. Rather, she would either have to live with next of kin or live and work in somebody’s business. In her case, she dwells and works in an inn based in a hamlet, or a very small village. It offers mead, pottage, and fresh bread, and with this particular inn, the sleeping quarters are divided into women’s and men’s rooms. What’s super-unique about the building is that it’s made of stone, which makes it extra protective against shady folk. All the staff carry keys, which they use to lock and unlock the doors, ensuring the inn’s security.

However, the stone walls prove weak against a mysterious arsonist. An arsonist that flings white fire so hot, it can melt the stone (According to real life science, it is possible for white fire to do that.).

Introducing My Hunter Character

I submitted my fairy tale retelling to Beyond the Bookery. Hip-hip-hooray!

Everybody do a happy dance. 🙂

Another character bio is here, and it’s on the significant male character in my Red Riding Hood retelling.

Yes, I do have a huntsman in my story. Actually, he’s a prince, too.

Prince Deverell is of the country Lusanda. He’s fourteen years old, and like the people of Lusanda, he has the inborn ability to fly, as well as shoot fire and wind from his hands. Assigned by Elohim (the Supreme Creator God of the world), he hunts for monsters created by the alchemist, who’s intent on harming the weak and helpless.

Introducing My Red Riding Hood Character

I’m close to submitting by Red Riding Hood story, you all!

The official publishing date is March 3rd, and it’ll be in an anthology from Beyond the Bookery. Hooray!

In the meantime, here’s a bio my main female character, who’s the Little Red Riding Hood character, of course:

Thirteen-year-old Nan is an orphan who lives with and works for Madame Ethel, an innkeeper in the country Bueron. She’s kind, smart, and a problem solver. She has a physical disability that slows her gait, and when trekking through the woods, she needs a walking stick. Having a prideful streak, she likes to show she can do things herself. She loves reading and dogs, and she can shoot a crossbow (as long as her legs don’t wobble underneath her).

Yet Another Book Review—A Little Red Riding Hood One

That’s right. I wrote another book review, only this one is on a picture book retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The book is written by Lari Don and illustrated by Célia Chauffrey.

Without further ado, here’s the link to my book review, posted on Jennifer Hallmark’s blog.