How Fairy Tales Inspire Modern YA Fantasy with Angie Dickerson

In this episode, author Angie Dickerson discusses her YA fantasy novel 'The Star Blessed,' her inspiration from fairy tales like Rumpelstiltskin and Catskin, and her journey as a writer. She shares insights into world-building, themes of courage and hope, and her love for retelling fairy tales.

See this Episode's Blog post Here: www.valeriefentress.com/blog

Chapters

 00:00 Introduction to Fairy Tale Retellings

02:01 Exploring The Star Blessed

04:07 Character Development and Personal Experiences

06:48 Themes of Sacrifice and Perseverance

09:18 The Journey of Writing YA Fantasy

11:24 The Allure of Fairy Tale Retellings

14:47 Impactful Books and Their Influence

17:43 Looking Ahead: Future Projects

Let's discover great books together!

Follow for more:
FB: @bookworthypodcast
Instagram: @bookworthy_podcast
YouTube:  BookWorthy Podcast - YouTube
tiktok: @valeriefentress

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

How Fairy Tales Inspire Modern YA Fantasy with Angie Dickerson

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity but reflects the full conversation from the BookWorthy Podcast. Grab a cup of coffee, listen, and read along.

The blog version of this episode is available at www.valeriefentress.com/blog

 Valerie - Welcome to Bookworthy, where we discover children's books, board books, and YA books that your kids will love and you can trust. Today, we're kicking off season 10, and I couldn't pick a better guest to start year three of Bookworthy because five years ago, I released my first picture book, A Fairytale Retelling of Red Riding Hood. And today's guest has her own YA fairytale retelling. So I already know we're going to be fast friends. Today we're talking with Angie Dickinson, the author of the YA fantasy, The Star Blessed, which is a reinvention of two fairy tales, Rumpelstiltskin and Catskin by the Brothers Grimm. I can't wait to hear more about this intriguing tale and introduce you to this charming author. Welcome to Bookworthy, Angie.

Angie- Thank you so much for having me.

Valerie -I love fairy tale retellings, and fairy tales are very important to me. So when I saw Rumble, still skin and cat skin, you know, mashup, I'm like, okay. Got me asking questions, which is a good thing. But to get us started, we have to do the random question of the week. And this week it is, what is the weirdest food combination you enjoy?

Random Question of the Week.

Angie - Okay, so I feel like I should be able to come up with something really crazy, but the thing that pops to mind right now is just something my husband thinks sounds disgusting, which is pickles and sour cream. I love pickles and sour cream together. And I don't know, I got it from, I think, one of my aunts, so I know I didn't come up with it myself. She was like, " This is a great combination, you should try this. And I'm sold, so good stuff.

Valerie (01:41.492)

Okay. I've, I'm used to cucumbers and sour cream, like putting those two combinations together, but okay. I'll knock that in the weird category. So I guess so. I have to try it. Or what is it? Daniel Tiger says you've got to try new things because they might taste good. So, I'll have to give that a try. Well, Angie, why don't you tell us a little bit about your book, The Star Blessed?

The Heart Behind The Star Blessed

Angie - So the Star Blessed, as you mentioned, is a fantasy YA fairy tale reimagining. So it's got inspiration from both Rumpelstiltskin and Kaskin, which is a lesser-known grim tale, but that one has a lot of different iterations and titles. So you may have heard of one of them. Anyway, so.

This story is, it's also, you know, it's an original tale all on its own. It's about a girl named Princess Saren. And she is a young woman who has just reached, you know, the age of maturity. And she has been kept in isolation pretty much her entire life, shut up in a tower in her castle. And her father, who is quite mad, but he's still the king, and he's still in charge. He has decided that it's time for her to come out of isolation and to be introduced to the court and take her place. So this is what she does, and she finds that she is not very welcome. The court is hostile to her. Her father is very disappointed in her, and so she has a lot to navigate. At the same time, the kingdom is suffering under this poison season that comes every year in the form of these poisonous mushrooms that pop up, and they infect the air, they infect the crops, they infect the water. And so the kingdom is just struggling. And so she is taking her place here as a royal in the midst of this suffering. At the same time, she has a little secret, which is just this, this power that she is uncomfortable with, unsure of, and it's new to her, and it's humming through her blood, and she is just trying to figure out how to make sense of that. We have another POV character as well, named Corrin. He is the new personal guard to Princess Saren, and he is actually here at the kingdom because he is trying to protect his country, or his island, which is part of the same kingdom, from being infected. So he is not very happy with the royal family right now.

Angie - And yeah, so he's got the job of guarding the princess, and she is trying to make sense of her new role and her secret magic.

Valerie - You have a unique cast of characters that all have little secrets hidden somewhere, and so that makes it a very engaging story to read. Even as you were explaining it, I'm sitting like, I'm getting total high school vibes. Like the awkward kid in the new school. Was I like, was your experience in high school kind of that awkward, like, who am I? What do I do with myself?

How High School Prepared Angie Dickinson  to Write The Star Blessed

Angie- For sure. I was a homeschool kid up until about 10th grade. Yeah, 10th grade is when I went to high school. And so I was very much thrust out of isolation into the world. And that was quite the experience. So maybe that's where that came from.

Valerie - Maybe so, maybe so. It's fun to think about where our ideas come from. Now, what made you drawn to Rumpelstiltskin and Catskin as kind of your inspiration and re-imagining source?

Angie - Yeah, so Catskin was the original inspiration. And that was partly because I saw a writing prompt online somewhere that was a challenge to rewrite or write a retelling of Catskin, just because these prompts were digging into lesser-known fairy tales. And so I wrote a short story, and I could sense Rumpelstiltskin kind of elbowing his way into the story. And so that excited me quite a bit just because I love Rumpelstiltskin. That's the one I was more familiar with growing up, although I did have a version of Catskin that I knew, which was a picture book called Princess Furball. And so that's the one I was familiar with. And so I knew a little bit about it. But once I wrote the short story, there was definitely that feeling of there's a lot more to this. I've got to explore. I've got to go deeper. So that's how that came about.

Valerie - Very neat. Now, what does world-building look like for you in this, you know, in your writing?

Angie Dickinson on World-Building in YA Fantasy

Angie - Well, I am not much of a plotter ahead of time. I'll tell you that. I'm more of, I'm a pantser or a discovery writer, if you will. And so I just knew at first that this was a fairy tale world, you know, just what that looked like to me is where I started. You know, there was a kingdom, and there was a castle, and there was danger. And so that's where we started. And then I, I loved playing around with different, just natural elements in that world that could do different things, things that you couldn't find in our world. And so that's how I started to build that system.

Valerie - Very neat. kind of take what we know and what we enjoy and kind of give it our own tweak. And that definitely gives us all new perspectives and new worlds to explore, which is lots of fun. Now, what do you hope kids or young adults walk away from your book with?

Angie - I love that question. And partly because it's not something I think about it all while I'm writing, for the most part. It's something that, you know, I think about when I've gotten several drafts in, you know, okay, what sorts of themes are emerging? And the themes that I noticed emerging in this story were themes of sacrificial love, perseverance, courage, and overall light triumphing over darkness. And I just want the teens who read this book to understand that no matter what darkness they're facing, because this character in the story does face some very poisonous darkness, there is always light to be found, and the light always overcomes it. And I just hope that that shines through for these readers.

Valerie - That's kind of what we're drawn to fairy tales for, that good conquers evil. just that reminder that even when things are hard, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and there is, you know, a sense of either not so much a prince to rescue us, but someone is waiting for us on the other side. And, you know, we know that to be Jesus, but you know, to help kids connect those dots, what we're looking for is heaven and, you know, just wanting to long for that even more. And so that's super fun, that's why I love fantasy so much too. Now you have another book that was your first book, it's called Truth Cursed. Why don't you tell us a little bit about that book?

The Inspiration Behind Angie Dickinson’s Truth Cursed.

Sure. So Truth Cursed is also a young adult fantasy. This one follows a young woman named Cressida who has just been deposited at the beginning of this book at a boarding school for young ladies. And she has a bit of a secret, and that is that she is under a curse to only tell the truth. When she's asked a direct question, she has to say exactly what she knows to be true in response. And so that, you know, that brings some awkwardness to her experience at boarding school. But not only that, she finds shortly into her time there that it is actually a school to train spies. She has some personal stakes in what they're investigating. And so she's excited to become a spy. They're going to go to the royal palace up in the mountains, and they're going to investigate the royal family. So she's excited to become a spy; however, she still can't tell a lie. And so a spy who can't lie is in a little bit of a tricky spot.

Valerie- That does sound like a crucible of trouble. Too fun. Well, Angie, why don't you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? What led you to write YA fantasy?

Angie Dickinson’s Desire to Write YA Fantasy

Angie - Sure. Well, I was a big reader as a kid. And just I, I think the books that initially really drew me into fantasy were The Chronicles of Narnia. And I don't think I read a lot of fantasy other than that as a kid. But when I got to the young adult reading stage, I started to dig into it a little bit more. And that's when I found things like fairy tale retellings.

Books like Beauty by Robin McKinley or The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale really captured my attention. And I loved the idea of being a writer in general ever since I was little, but I really didn't see it as a profession that people had. And I think when I understood that there were people behind the stories that I loved who actually created them, that just boggled my mind. And I thought that would be a cool thing to do, but I had no idea how.

So there was a lot of, you know, pretending to be a writer as a kid. But when I got to college, and I was majoring in British literature, and I loved my writing classes, and I was just, I thought, why do I not actually do this? Why don't I just give it a shot? And I think it was after college, early in my marriage, that I first decided to start writing fiction. And my first manuscript was complete when my first son was born.

And that was just a very, you know, that was a very cool feeling. And I started to feel that maybe God had a plan for this interest that had followed me around my entire life. And so that's when I really decided to keep going.

Valerie - That sounds like quite the journey. It's fun to see how all authors come from different walks of life and kind of what kind of moves them in that direction. What about fairy tales made you want to do a retelling?

Angie - I think it was just the fact that I was quite steeped in fairy tale books as a kid. Every time I went to our library, I was looking for illustrated fairy tales because I had just found the most gorgeous ones, and I was just captivated by those stories. And then my family had large collections of the books that just had 20 to 30 fairy tales, and I would just read through them, read through them.

And I would, and I'm a big rereader as well, and I always have been. So those stories just, you know, they just locked in my brain. And so when I saw that prompt, that, you know, challenged me to write the Catskin retelling, I thought, I feel like I have something to add here. You know, I really have a lot of fairy tale knowledge just kind of stored back in my brain. And I love reading retellings where you can, whether it follows the story really closely or it's just little hints and nods to it. I love picking up on that. So I just, I'm a big fan of retellings and all sorts of fairy tales.

Valerie - It's fun as a reader to be like, like, I think I read Sarah Ellis, the Wonderland trials. And I was like, this is so cool. Cause you're like thinking through Alice in Wonderland and like, Oh my gosh, these, all these little nods to like this, you know, story that I know so well. And so it is very comforting, and it makes it very friendly. And almost in a sense, like you're walking to a comfortable place, going to grandma's house, that kind of thing.

Angie - Yeah, I think that's true. And I think that's why I always was a rereader too, because you return to the things that, you know, they made you feel comfortable in a certain way or comforted. And so when you return to those stories that you've always known, or you're reading something new, but you kind of know what's coming, you know, there's definitely a feeling of maybe trust, okay, I trust that this is going to have a happily ever after, even if it's really dark right now.

Valerie - Very true, we like those happily ever afters. You can answer this a little bit, but was there any other career that stirred you to not be a writer?

Angie - Well, I, yeah, I'm a homeschool mom. And so that was definitely, you know, I knew that that was the most important thing for me to do was to give my kids all of my energy and all my creativity. And that's just my top priority. And I've been homeschooling for over 10 years now. So I knew that was what I wanted to do as soon as I became a mom. And so there was definitely kind of a question in my mind of, should I be doing this now? Should I be pursuing the writing now? But as it happens, I don't write all the time. It seems to be clear to me that when there are times that my family needs more of my kids and I need more of, they don't need my brain to be bisected into the writing brain and the teaching or the mom brain.

But there are also times when it just makes sense, which is probably why I do most of my writing in the summer, honestly, but not always. Summer, nighttime, that kind of thing. But when my kids were babies, there was a lot of nap time writing.

Valerie - Yes. You find, you find the holes in the schedule, and like, can get in this many words in at least 20 minutes. Too fun. Well, Angie, what's your favorite book?

Angie Dickinson’s Favorite Books 

Angie (16:19.169)

This is a tough one. I know it is a tough one. And I've got a few titles up here right now that are jostling for attention. I would say I'm going to separate this into kids' books and adult books, if I may. Thank you. Favorite kids' books, and I say this because I still read them. I still read them to my kids and to myself, the Chronicles of Narnia. And I'm just going to cheat and say that's one book because I've got an omnibus edition. I could just pretend it's one book. But the Chronicles of Narnia, you know, they just taught me so much about my own faith as a kid and even as an adult. They still do. But also about the intersection of faith and imagination.

It's just been a real joy to me to continue to see that in my life as it plays out, and the way it was first introduced to me in those books. But as an adult, I would say Lord of the Rings, probably, although it's not as high on my list of rereads because it's such a commitment, but it has, you know, had a huge impact on me. And I just love those books.

Valerie (17:39.705)

Well, Tolkien did write them as one book, but yes, it was the original omnibus book. Too fun. Well, what's been one of the most impactful books in your life other than the Bible?

Angie - Yes, other than the Bible. I think this is another hard one, but I would say Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. I read that first in college, and it had a very big impact on me. And then I didn't pick it up again until maybe two or three years ago. And it blew me away again. just it it teaches so much about empathy for one thing, but so much more. It's just a very teachable book, but it's also so interesting. And again, the intersection of faith and imagination just really grips me.

Valerie - And it's unique how Lewis wrote books that were for his time; they're also, in a sense, classics. However, he wrote them, which I wish I could like sit there and like study, like, how did you write this? Like, what was going on in your brain? But that, you know, these truths hold continuously. And even like the screw-tipped letters, you know read that recently and I was just like, this is the same. It's the same. It's because humanity doesn't change, but it's one of those unique things about his works that are just like, you can return to them again and again in different seasons and just be as amazed as you were the first time that you read.

Angie - I agree, very timeless in that way.

Future Projects for Angie Dickinson

Valerie Yes. Well, what can we expect next from you, Angie?

Angie - Well, I don't have anything set in stone right now to offer, unfortunately, but I am definitely working on a story that is in the early stages of creativity, and I'm expecting as school winds down and summer approaches that I'm going to get to hit that a little bit harder.

Valerie - Yes. Was it the time when you were not having to be structured and had a little more free time? Yes. I think I'm trying to plan for my summer, and to be like, yes, I am going to complete this project this summer. Cause right now it's not happening. That's right. That's right. We can do it. We can do it. Well, where can people find out more about you and your books, Angie?

How to Connect with Angie Dickinson

Angie- Sure. Well, my website, andydickinsonbooks.com, has most of the info that you would need. I'm pretty active on Instagram on and off, and most active on Instagram in terms of my socials. The handle is andydickinsonbooks and also on Facebook, same handle.

Valerie - We'll make sure to have those links in the show notes and at the blog version of this post, also, so people can find you easily. Well, thank you so much for being with me today, Angie.

Angie - Thank you so much for having me. It was a joy.

Valerie - It's a pleasure. And thank you for joining Angie and me on this episode of the Bookworthy Podcast. Hit follow wherever you're listening and leave a review of the podcast to help other Christian families discover more great books your kids will love and you can trust. The blog version of this episode can be found on ValerieFentress.com slash blog. 

Happy reading.