Well, NaNo’s just around the corner (lessthan3weeksohmygoodness *hyperventilates*), and the Beautiful People hosts, Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In are being considerate enough to hold instead a BEAUTIFUL BOOKS post this month… WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT TIMING. So methinks it’s about time for me to introduce my NaNo novel!

(Go join the link-up, do!)
1. How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
I’d had an idea for a long time that I wanted to maybe write a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses someday, since it’s my favorite fairy tale and I’m sort of on a quest to read all the retellings of it I can find. But I didn’t get the idea for this particular version of a retelling until February 17, 2014 (yes, it’s less than two years old! *pets baby plot bunny*) and the idea was actually from a DREAM. That’s how it started, anyway. It’s kind of expanded a bunch since then…
2. Why are you excited to write this novel?
I am not excited to write it. Nope. Not at all. You know why? Because I am SUPER excited!!! Because it’s a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and in case you haven’t noticed, it being my favorite fairy tale and me loving retellings as I do, and all… I’m kind of SUPER SUPER excited. It’s going to be a challenge, because I DO love it so much, so I want to do it justice but also do my own spin on it; and there’s also the fact that there are twelve princesses who must be differentiated, not to mention about the same number of fellows, a few romances to follow and keep track of, and several different story threads that I hope will weave together enough to make something plot-like. BUT IT’S BASICALLY GOING TO BE AWESOME.
3. What is your novel about, and what is the title?
My novel is a retelling, as I continue to stress, but I will tell you more about it now since you’re so kind as to ask. 😉
Without further ado, meet my 2015 NaNo novel . . .

(Disclaimer: yes, I made this cover; no, I don’t own either of the pictures I used, and found them on Pinterest.com. No copyright infringement is intended and this “cover” is just for fun.)
The Silver Forest
Escaping an unwelcome suitor, Princess Silver and her eleven younger sisters find a way into Faerie, despite the dying curse of a bitter king which casts a shadow between the realms of human and Fae. Then Princess Sapphire finds her heart captivated by a disinherited prince on the run, who was grudgingly saved by a reckless soldier–the same one Princess Emerald finds in a ditch when she’s out riding and brings home.
That’s only the beginning. Kingdoms are falling one by one, bringing an onslaught of royal refugees seeking shelter in the last undefeated castle, and some wish to court the princesses whose home they find themselves in–from the twin kings of the far North to the enigmatic young gardener who most interests the curious youngest princess. To get away from the stifling tension of a castle filled with the looming threat of war, not to mention suiters royal and otherwise, the princesses nightly visit the beautiful realm of Faerie.
Princess Silver is increasingly drawn by the mystery wreathing the brooding Fae Prince who wanders the silver forest on the boarder of Faerie, haunted by a curse slowly tightening its noose around him. If the twelve princesses can’t unravel the interconnected threads surrounding them and find the right answers, the realms of human and Fae alike may face the same horrible fate.
4. Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)
The twelve princesses first. I don’t have “faces” for them, but since each of their names is a different color of gem etc., and they tend to wear the color in their name — helpful for parents and peasants and readers alike to tell princesses apart — I gathered pictures of the sorts of colored dresses they wear. (Not to mention that this was a FABULOUS excuse to scroll around Pinterest for hours looking at gorgeous medieval gowns. ;))
PRINCESSES:
Silver = leader. Amethyst = gentle. Turquoise = devious. Ebony = reclusive.
Emerald = spirited. Sapphire = anchor. Ruby & Auburn (the twins) = mischievous.
Ivory = timid. Goldie = bookish. Rosie = funloving. Peach = inquisitive.
FELLAS:
Prince Taghdach (half-fae) = tormented.
Niog (gardener lad) = enigmatic.
Kern (soldier) = reckless.
Prince Finnigan = selfless.
Prince Cothrom = snobbish.
Rory (thief/con) = devious (whoa; he and Turquoise should get together. 😛 ).
5. Which character(s) do you think will be your favourite to write? Tell us about them!
Honestly, I’m excited about ALL of them, including a few I didn’t mention. This is going to be one of the funnest (not to mention largest) casts of characters I’ve ever dealt with! That being said, I’m really looking forward to writing the devious ones. And I think Kern, Niog, and Finn are going to be super awesome to write.
But… yes, Taghdach. My half-fae Prince Tagg. ❤ (I’m sliiightly addicted to T names as you may have noticed. >.>) He’s probably going to be my favorite to write. He’s nephew to the Fae-king, and his own parents are… well… spoilers. 😉 But he lives in the silver forest at the edge of Faerie and he has a haunted past and uncertain future. Plus he’s kind of dying. So yeah. There’s that. 😛 Huzzah for mysterious fairytale curses which make stories so interesting!
6. What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way?
…Which one? O_O Seriously, I have so many characters who might be considered the “protagonist”. But… okay, we’ll go with Silver for now. Because if it’s mostly about anyone, it’s probably mostly about her and Taghdach.
Silver wants to look after her sisters, which currently includes keeping annoying suitors at bay… which is a little difficult since the suitors are LIVING there. So that’s where the visits to Faerie come in. Her developing goal in the book becomes to try to unravel Taghdach’s problems and how they’re related to an old curse and the kingdoms falling (which would help with getting rid of the suitors…).
What stands in the way includes the fact that curses don’t like to be broken (especially ones made by very angry very evil kings on their deathbed), the fact that Taghdach isn’t one to open up and might not welcome the help of a parcel of princesses, and of course all those suitors, some of whom are up to no good, and the fact that the kingdom may shortly be attacked. Yay.
7. Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)
In a faaaantasy world! (Surprise, surprise.) It’s set mostly in a castle in the human world, and also a lot in the silver forest etc. of the Fae world.
8. What is the most important relationship your character has?
The princesses’ relationships with each other. Which are fascinating, by the way. But they’re a fairly close-knit sister package. *nod nod* I’m also throwing in several romances, so those are important relationships. 😉 Also the king and queen, parents of the princesses, are important to them.
9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
Again, I wail: Which ONE? I don’t know yet. I’m going to write the thing and I just figure that while I’m writing it they’ll all change over the course of the book… and will never be the same again. Mwahaha! Hopefully they’ll all (most?) be better people. *shrug*
10. What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?
Good versus evil. Love (both family and romantic). Heroism. The ability to change for the better and go beyond oneself to do good. …Fairy tale retelling. (That can be a theme! Honest!)
I want people to come away feeling like they read a good story, a good retelling, and fell in love with the characters and entering a new world. Basically I want it to be a good book and for readers to feel the same way. 😉
11. BONUS! Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.
- Don’t go in blind. Know what you’re going to write and figure it out. (And if you’re a pantser, not a plotter, at least KNOW that you are.)
- Wordwars. I can’t stress these enough. Even if it’s just wordwarring yourself with a timer, they are so helpful for getting words down.
- Have fun and don’t give up.
(I’m actually going to do a post later this week that will be a checklist for prepping for NaNo, so stay tuned for that!)
[PINTEREST BOARD for THE SILVER FOREST]
And there you have a look into what I’m going to (hopefully) be spending next month working on!
THAT COVER IS GORGEOUS. And also those dresses. And the setting pictures. XD Basically, I am fangirling over your unwritten novel. 😛
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AAAHH OH MY GOODNESS THANK YOU. ❤ (That's seriously awesome. XD Day = made.)
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It sounds amazing, Deb and the cover is beautiful. I want to read this 😀
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Thank you!! This makes me happy. ^_^ (And mayhaps you will! ;))
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THIS SOUNDS AMAZE! *squeals like a five-year-old* Dresses are SO pretty… 😀 I can’t wait for your NaNo checklist! It’s my first year doing NaNo, and I’m super excited!
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Eep, thank you! I love the dresses too. XD Okay, cool! It’ll be on Thursday. ^_^ Ooh, yay for your first NaNo! (What’s your username? I’d love to be buddies! :D)
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First NaNo! Both excited and nervous and freaking out because I barely have an outline yet!
My username is Madeline J. Rose. That’s really nice of you! 🙂
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You still have time! 😉 Good luck on outlining! You can do iiiit!! 😀
Thanks! Buddied you! ^_^ (Heehee. I like to keep track of all my online pals who’re doing NaNo. 🙂 Feel free to message me if you have questions or whatever. ^_^)
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Thank you! 🙂
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The Silver Forest sounds fabulous. 😀 I loved finally hearing all about it!
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Why thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. ^_^
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TWELEVE DANCING PRINCESSES, and is it a blend of both the French and Grimm versions of the tale? (Because I see both a soldier and a gardener’s lad among the young men…
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YAY FOR TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES! And yeah, I’m kind of taking elements from different versions. *shrug* I always like the idea of the soldier, but also of the gardener, so why not have both?? 😀
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Yay for blending versions! Truth be told, I thoroughly intend to do the same when I get to 12DP in my Bookanias. I’m not sure how I’m going to pull it off yet, (except for how the enchantment works), and the only characters that I know for certain are the eldest of the sisters and the Golden Lady, who happens to be one of my favorite characters… but that’s book 18 or so, I believe, so I have time to work things out.
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AHHH THIS IS FANTASTIC! 😀 I love all your pictures (beautiful fantasy world *strokes golden forests*) and your cover. Zomg and this is a retelling?!?!? Of the 12 Dancing Princesses??!?! LIKE, I NEVER SEE THOSE. So clearly this book is needed in the world. 😉 And I totally love your advice for NaNoers…I would just about die if I went in totally winging it. I NEED MY PLOT. I need to know where it’s going. And currently I have like a 3K outline and a million pieces of research so…yes. I feel prepared. hehe
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THANK YOU! And yes, indeed it is! There’s like hardly any (though I’ve been working on reading them) SO YES IT IS NEEDED.
Ah, yes, plot is very important! …Wow, you have a 3k outline and tons of research already?? GO YOU. You’re going to be so prepared for NaNo, huzzah! 😀
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ALL THE SILVER FOREST GORGEOUSNESS. AAAAHHHHH!!!!! ❤ ❤ ❤
My excitement for this story has no bounds. Like, I may be more excited about you writing this than I am over writing my own novel. I got so insanely thrilled reading this post.
Let me just swoon for a moment over the cover and all the pictures and thiiings. The DRESSES. *drools* I want all of them! Especially the pink one (duh) and the turquoise. And the silver and amethyst and… Okay yeah, all of them!
It's so fun seeing the names of everyone and their personalities. And their colors kind of go with their personalities and it's just brilliant!
I just realized we're BOTH going to be dealing with super huge casts this NaNo! :O All of which are basically the protagonists. I love when we have something kind of similar going with our NaNos (like both writing high fantasy or something) because we can support each other and relate with things throughout it all and it's wonderful!
Okay, I basically know nothing about Taghdach and I'm already in love. o.o I can tell he's going to be one of those charries I'll be gushing over. I can just TELL. I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM!!! Also his name is so interesting! He SOUNDS like a half-fae prince! Although how precisely do you pronounce it? I want to make sure I'm saying it right.
If I haven't made it clear yet I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS NOVEL!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, it's a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling written by my CELTI. It's the best thing EVERRRR!!! I am not even going to apologize for this monstrous comment. I'll be fangirling through alllll of NaNo, so be prepared. XD
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ASLKDJFLKSJF LAURI YOUR COMMENT MADE MY DAY THANK YOU SO MUUUCH. ❤ *flails*
I know, right? ALL of the dresses! Of course you'd want the pink one. 😉 (It's seriously gorgeous though.)
…I actually hadn't really thought about the names going with the personalities. I guess they do? Heehee. You're always good at finding stuff in my stuff that I didn't even mean to do!
Oh my goodness, YES, we are! 🙂 HUZZAH FOR BIG CASTS AND SIMILAR NANO ADVENTURING TOGETHER. It's going to be awesome. 😀
*squeals a little* I'm so glad. XD This makes me happeh! ^_^ I kind of adore him too. And… well the first part is like "Tag", like a regular tag. The second part… you know how the "ch" in "ache" and Scottish "loch" is kind of a throaty sound (instead of a regular "ch" like in "church")? Well that's what it's like. Like… "Tag-dakh". Ish. I'm really bad at explaining pronunciations. -_- (And it's totally my fault for using an Irish dictionary to come up with some of the names. Like, I looked under "moody" and found Taghdach, which seems to mean something like moody/unpredictable/quick-tempered. XD I don't even know if they way I'm pronouncing it is how it's pronounced in Irish! o.o Silly me. :P)
Eep, thank you! ^_^ I'm super prepared for fangirling. XD YOU DA BEST. ❤
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Ahhhhh this looks SO fascinating. o_o It’s funny how different people can take the same general idea and develop it into so many different ways. My own twelve princesses idea (which isn’t scheduled to be written soon *wails*) has like social unrests and rebellions and illegitimate offspring fighting for the throne and people tired of tyranny and all that type of stuff. I SO HOPE I CAN GET TO WORK ON THIS IDEA NEXT YEAR OR SOMETHING. *dies*
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Thanks! And yes, it’s amazing how different retellings and such can be. 😀 EEP you plan to do one too?? AWESOMENESS! Don’t worry, you’ll get to it someday. ^_^ (I know the feeling though. ;)) Rebellions, huzzah! It sounds super cool!! 🙂
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This sounds fantastic! That is a huge task to have 12 different princesses and then there are even more characters than just them! Wow! But it sounds awesome.
Silver sounds very interesting! Also, how do you pronounce Taghdach’s name?
(I like Ebony’s dress the best. And twins sound like so much fun!)
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Thank you! And… yes, AAALL the characters. XD But I think it’ll be fun to juggle so many. 🙂
The first part is pronounced like “Tag”, like a regular tag. The second part… you know how the “ch” in “ache” and Scottish “loch” is kind of a throaty sound (instead of a regular “ch” like in “church”)? Well that’s what it’s like. Like… “Tag-dakh”. Ish. I’m really bad at explaining pronunciations. -_- Hee. XD
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Oooh Silver Forest sounds so cool! Yay for lots of characters! I like all the beautiful dress pictures.
I’m sooooo excited for NaNo! Woohoo!
I need to go read the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale… *coughI’veneverreaditbeforecough* *sheepish grin* Any versions you’d suggest?
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Eeep, thanks! ^_^ I’m glad you’re excited for NaNo! I am too! HUZZAH! 😀
Ummm. I don’t know. o.o The original versions are kinda vague and I get them all mixed up. XD I think the most read classic ones are the French one by Andrew Lang (here:http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/twelvedancing/stories/lang.html) and the German one from Grimm (here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/TwelDanc.shtml). In case you’re looking. 🙂 Or you can wait and read my version. XD *giggles* My favorite retellings I’ve read so far are Entwined by Heather Dixon, and Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. 🙂
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Aaah! This sounds so awesome!! The Twelve Dancing Princesses is one of my favourite fairy tales as well, and I would love to read more retellings of it. (I’ve read one, but it didn’t have the garden boy in it, which was a let down.) And the cover and all the lovely pictures are just gorgeous!!
Good luck with NaNo!
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Aww, thanks! 🙂 And really? YAY! That makes me happy to find other fans. 😀 Ooh, which retelling did you read? 🙂
Thank you!
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I love the Twelve Dancing Princesses story. ^ ^ I read it as a kid. It’s really cool to see a retelling of it with more depth. It is going to be tough making personalities for them all. That’s what the challenge was for Peter Jackson when making the Hobbit movies. Best of luck with the project. 😀
I did Beautiful People too! http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/10/beautiful-books-introduce-your-novel.html
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Awesome! And yes, it’s going to be a challenge. 🙂 But I’m doing fairly well so far with working on personalities and colors… Ha, yes, Peter Jackson did pretty good with that! 😉
Yay Beautiful Books! *goes to check it out*
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