writing – K.A. Ramstad

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

More Fairy Tales Of Course: Part Two—Plus a Call to ARC Readers and Book Promoters

Welcome back to my announcing fairy tale retellings. 🙂

If contemporary fiction is more your jam, Beyond the Bookery has a collection, called To Love You, which contains contemporary retellings of the classic, old stories.

More Fairy Tales Of Course: Part One

Happy New Year, everyone!

I’m announcing more fairy tale retellings from Beyond the Bookery, and these announcements are multiple blog posts during this month. I’ll list the titles with their Amazon blurbs.

Here are the first two. Don’t they strike your fancy?

Of Might and Mettle: A Brave Tin Soldier Retelling by Michelle Emmanuelli

Waking Courage: A Collection of Fantasy Fairy Tale Retellings by Madisyn Carlin and Samantha Seidel

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.

Map of Your Imaginary Planet?

Are you a sci-fi author? Author Joseph Ficor shows that you can create a map of your planet’s diversity of climates. It’s helpful for both you and your reader, and it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Develop a Thick Skin? Maybe? Maybe Not?

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “thick skin,” especially if you’re a writer and listen to advice on dealing with critiques on your stories. Mentors tell you, “Have a thick skin,” or in other words, “Don’t let what they say wreck your spirit.” At least, I think that’s what they mean. But should we simplyContinue reading “Develop a Thick Skin? Maybe? Maybe Not?”

A Christmas Detective Story by Elizabeth McD

How about a holiday detective story? This one was written by Elizabeth McD, aka Creative Wending. It features Detective Coleman, who also starred in Elizabeth’s “When Angels Sing (another story I posted on this blog).” Without further ado, here’s “The Newborn King,” a story fitting for teens and adults.

There’s Always Tomorrow

Hi, all. Thought I’d give you an update on my stories. You’ve probably heard of my work-in-progress, The Galdur Snow Dog. If you haven’t, here’s the link to an old blog post that describes the book. Anyway, I submitted my proposal for this book to another publisher, and I’ll see if they’ll give it aContinue reading “There’s Always Tomorrow”

Write Your Own Tale

Hi, friends. This is a repost of one of my old blog posts. It’s where you can create your own fictitious work. In other words, you can create your own short story based on the picture prompts. Click on the link, read the guidelines, then hit reply to the post and write away.

Wrote a Fairy Tale Retelling?

Hi, all. Anyone wrote a fairy tale retelling (or planning to)? There’s a submission opportunity for a novelist who wants to contribute to fairy tale collections. It’s perfect for any Christian writer (fantasy, historical romance, or contemporary romance) who knows a thing or two about the fairy tale genre. Thank you, Liv Blogs Again, forContinue reading “Wrote a Fairy Tale Retelling?”