Interview: April 11, 2016

According to award-winning author Liesl Shurtliff, rewriting popular fairytales was always part of her inevitable destiny. From fan favorite's RUMP: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin to her new twisted tale, RED:The True Story of Red Riding Hood, Shurtliff never fails to surprise readers with fresh new spins on these charming tales. In this book, Red is on a quest to cure her grandmother who has fallen ill, but cannot seem to complete her journey without a few unexpected bumps in the road. Will these obstacles expose her greatest weakness? In this interview with Kidsreads.com's Angela Warsinske asks Shurtfill the questions that help readers to understand her inspiration for her child-like sense of wonder. Here, Shurtliff details her magical experiences as an adolescent and how they have never really left her.

Kidsreads.com:  What inspired you to write books based on popular fairy tale characters? 

Liesl Shurtliff: I was actually brainstorming another story idea when I got the idea for RUMP. I imagined a world where names are much more than just a title, but a person’s destiny. Instantly my mind gravitated toward the Rumpelstiltskin tale, for if there was ever a name of great importance in a story, it’s that one. The ideas kept growing from there and I've since realized that fairytales are sort of my storytelling home. All my ideas seem to relate to a fairytale in one way or another.

KRC: How do you choose which fairy tale characters to write about and which characters will meet and interact with one another?

LS: I don't have a formula for choosing what I write; it's more about feeling an energy or spark in a story or specific character. I have to feel that I can tell the fairytale in a way that feels really fresh and unique, perhaps shedding new light on some shadowy or confusing areas of the tale. As far as which characters meet, that's mostly an intuitive decision made in the moment. I simply follow the paths of various characters and sometimes their stories naturally intersect. Other times they go their separate ways. I try not to force anything.

KRC: When you decided to write your first book, did you know immediately that you would be writing a series or did that decision come later?

LS: I knew that there was potential for a series, but I wasn't sure if that would actually happen, so I didn't think about it too much as I was writing RUMP. Surprisingly, when I started to write JACK and RED, I found interesting ways to connect the stories, with JACK especially. RED really is more of a stand-alone, even though she's a character in RUMP.

KRC: Are there any traditional fairy tale rules you feel are important to keep in mind when writing about these characters?

LS: I don't know if there are rules necessarily, but I do feel it's important for an author to do some fairytale research before writing their own version. You can change whatever you want, develop the characters in any way you want, but  I think an author has an obligation to know where these stories come from, what they meant to people in their day, and how they have changed over time and influenced our cultural and social norms. That way you're making changes with real purpose, and not just because you think fairytales are a hot trend, or whatever. We need to pay homage to those old stories even while making them new.

KRC: Fractured fairy tales --- stories that take commonly known fairy tales and change major elements to create new stories --- seem to be a trending theme in literature right now. Why do you think that is and what do you hope to accomplish with your stories that is unique? 

LS: In my mind fairytales have always been popular, but if there's an increase in popularity right now I'd say it's because our current culture loves things that are both familiar and surprising. We're drawn to things that we know, but we also want excitement and surprise and that requires change. Fractured fairytales are the perfect blend of familiar and surprise, and that's exactly what I try to do with my own tales. I want to take a familiar story and make people think about it in a different way, and hopefully make them think about other things in different ways, whether themselves or other people.

KRC: Out of all the fairy tale characters you’ve written about, which character do you relate to the most?

LS: RUMP really mirrors my emotional state as a child, but today I probably relate most to RED. I am a little bit feisty, a bit moody at times, but fiercely loyal to those I love. Red was afraid to use her powers in the story. If you could have powers like Red and her grandmother, what spells would you cast? I'd cast a charm to slow down my kids' growth! They're six, nine and twelve, and so much fun right now, but I can feel their childhood slipping through my fingers like quicksand. I need it to slow down! I guess that's not too different from Red's wish to keep her Granny from dying.

KRC: Did you always want to be a writer? Do you have a routine when it comes to writing books?

LS: I didn't always want to be a writer. Though I've always enjoyed writing and wrote often throughout my childhood, it was always a very private thing for me. It took me a long time to build the confidence to actually want to share my writing with anyone or attempt to get published. My "writing routine" involves me sitting in a chair and working any chance I can get a quiet moment. I can't afford to wait for inspiration to strike and I don't have time for lengthy rituals or warm-ups. When the kids are in school or in bed, it's go time.  

KRC: What was your favorite fairy tale as a child? What about other favorite childhood books and authors?

LS: I loved so many fairytales as a child, it's hard to pick just one, but Cinderella was always a favorite. I just loved the idea of a fairy godmother and glass slippers, a fancy ball...all of it! People always tell me I should write a Cinderella retelling, but I tell them that I can't because the book I wish I had written already exists! ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine is one of my all-time favorites. The BOXCAR CHILDREN by Gertrude Chandler Warner was my first favorite book. It was my gateway to independent reading. Other childhood favorite authors are Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and Shel Silverstein.

KRC: Do you have future plans to continue this series? Which characters do you think you will write about next?

LS: I do! I have just one more fairytale in the works, a Snow White retelling from the perspective of one of the seven dwarves. We actually meet this dwarf in RED and he's one of my favorite characters ever. I'll be digging into his dwarf world and showing a very different perspective on this oft-told story, much like I did with RUMP. I'm very excited about it!