Author J Roe

Writing quirky characters on redemptive journeys

Books Worth Reading

Villains We Love to Hate: Our FAVORITES!

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As the weather turns cooler and my kids begin asking for creepy pastimes like roaming through graveyards, I find my mind thinking of the most frightening villains we love to hate. You know the ones, the antagonists whose twisted minds create havoc for our favorite heroes. The ones who, in a great story, often frighten us and we wonder how they will ever be defeated.

Villains We Love to Hate - authorjroe.com

We Love to Hate Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter

You knew I had to start this list of favorite villains with Lord Voldemort, didn’t you? The infamous sorcerer who pursues power at all costs, even risking his own soul, sends chills through us. As J.K. Rowling grew the series, we see development not just in Harry Potter and his friends, but also in our understanding of just how horrific this villain and his followers are.

And yet, there is that little part of us wonders, could it all have gone down differently? What if someone could have reached him, swayed him toward the right kind of magic? What if Dumbledore could have found him years earlier than he did, helped shape him? Of course, our loss would be great as we would never have received this amazing series. Still, we wonder.

This is where the brilliance of a great villain comes from. It is the genius of J.K. Rowling who gives us just enough backstory to make the villain real and somewhat sympathetic. Don’t you agree?

We Love to Hate Levanna from The Lunar Chronicles

If anyone could compete with Lord Voldemort, it’s probably the Lunar Queen, Levanna from Marissa Myer’s Lunar Chronicles. Based on Snow White’s stepmother, this queen-of-the-moon-villainess has mind-controlling powers that can actually cause people to commit suicide if she desires it. And with those very powers, she keeps everyone in her presence mesmerized by her beauty, beauty that isn’t real after all.

Marrissa Myers, the author, even lamented in a Goodreads Q&A session that she felt she gave too much power to the moon-dwelling Lunars. As the series went on, she found it difficult to control them and she struggled to write an ending where good could win when evil was so, well, powerful.

In fact, Myers seems addicted to this storyline and even after completing the series, she went on to write several more novellas, two graphic novels, and Levanna’s own horrible backstory. Why was she disfigured and what made her so cruel? We authors just can’t seem to get away from our favorite villains, can we?

Villains We Love to Hate - authorjroe.com

We Love to Hate: Eufemia, Rapunzel’s Witch From The Journey Series

With examples of villains like this before me, it’s no wonder that when I began publishing Rapunzel’s journey, I wanted to make sure that the villain was someone readers would love to hate. Since childhood, I have loved the story of Rapunzel and been intrigued by the witch who incarcerated her. I mean, what was her deal exactly? What would drive anyone to imprison someone you say you love?

One summer, I caught sight of huge sunflowers peeking over a wall surrounding a private home. Every day I looked forward to seeing their great, sunny heads bobbing in the wind. Then one day they were gone. And that’s where my seed of a story began for Rapunzel’s books, The Journey series.

Rapunzel had loved the sunflowers beyond the tower, just out of reach, but her witch cut them down. Why? Why was her witch cruel? As I wrote, I discovered that she was cursed as a young child. She sat in her rocking chair telling her tale in her gravelly voice. The curse had changed her entire life–and it began the series that has made my writing career. I went back and wrote the origin story, exploring what she would have been like as a child and the tragedy that left her twisted and strange. You can get your free copy here.

We Love to Hate: Lord Endrick from The Traitor’s Game

I had not read The Traitor’s Game when I began publishing The Journey series, but Lord Endrick is the kind of villain who fits in nicely with Lord Voldemort, Levanna, and Eufemia. One might even wonder if they would have a respect for one another and form a club, or turn their hostilities against each other with cataclysmic consequences.

A tyrannical meglomaniac, Lord Endrick has been draining the magical people of their power. Any who defy him will find their will turned against them and he violently harms those in his way. The series begins with a defiant Kestra, who hates but knows better than to cross Lord Endrick whom her father works for.

Lord Endrick commands an army of Ironheart soldiers in the dark kingdom of Antora, their hearts corrupted to do as he wishes. Only the Olden Blade threatens his immortality, a lost dagger believed to be the only thing that can kill the power-hungry king. With such a fantastic villain, my family was thrilled when the trilogy completed this year. Believe me when I say that variations of “Wait, I’m not to that part yet!” has been hollered more than once.

Your Turn

Do you and your bookish friends talk “villains we love to hate” and other silly banter? Who comes up? Whose backstory do you wish was available? Have you ever thought of writing an origin story for a villain/ess?

JacQueline Vaughn Roe

About JacQueline

As the author of  The Journey series, a young adult fantasy retelling Rapunzel’s misadventures, JacQueline also wrote Memoirs of a Headcase: Held by the God of Hope, to share hope in the battle against chronic pain and depression. Currently she lives in North Alabama with her karate husband and three book-crazy kids. All opinions expressed on this website come from her own experience. Do not substitute it for professional therapy or medical advice. Any affiliate links used on this website will provide additional income to JacQueline’s family at no additional cost to you.

If you are a reader wanting to connect with JacQueline, you can get a free book here. Each month you will receive book recommendations and other booknerd fun.

Are you a writer or an author looking for help? JacQueline has been writing all her life and loves meeting others who think writing is living. As an author coach, helping other writers on their journey gives her joy. Schedule your free coaching call to learn what steps you should take next now.

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Why Prequels and Origin Stories are Our FAVORITES

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Have you given thought to why prequels and origin stories are some of our favorites? The beginning fascinates us, doesn’t it? The world’s best-selling book, the Bible, opens with, “In the beginning . . .” and we are introduced to the God of heaven and earth, what was good–and what went horribly wrong.

Some of the best loved literature, though, does not begin at the beginning. The authors published their stories and only later went back and published what set everything into motion. Those prequels, or origin novels, are cherished by the raving fans who adored the originals.

Prequels and Origin Stories: The Hobbit

If you love fantasy books, chances are you are familiar with The Lord of the Rings. Perhaps you traveled with Frodo and his companions on that fateful journey to destroy the ring. You know Middle Earth, tried to learn elvish, and despaired when the fellowship of the ring had to separate.

I like to imagine what it was like for the first readers to get their hands on the massive tomes written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Were there book clubs in little pubs all over the United Kingdom? And as they closed The Return of the King, how many of them had questions about Bilbo Baggins and his journey?

Tolkien was a brilliant, wordy man. The world-building he created for his series was vast in breadth and depth. Each character so well-formed, each people group so complete, that it wasn’t difficult to see the backstory was just waiting to be told. And so we were gifted with the origin story, the tale of how the ring came into the possession of Bilbo, and what began it all.

I, for one, am so grateful this prequel was shared with the world, aren’t you? Who doesn’t want more about the world’s best mentor, Gandalf?

Prequels and Origin Stories: The Magician’s Nephew

The beloved writer and theologian, C.S. Lewis, was not only a contemporary of J.R.R. Tolkien, but a close friend. I love hearing stories of their literary and writing group, The Inklings. Though the men differed in how they thought stories should be told, many of their readers like to group their fantasies together.

Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia begins with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, in which the Pevensie children discover the world of Narnia and help free it from the curse of the White Witch by the aid of Aslan, the lion and ruler of Narnia. Written as an allegory to lead readers to see the story of Jesus’ Christ sacrificial death and resurrection in a new light, the book has become a perennial classic.

But how did Narnia come to be? And how did a wardrobe in our world become a portal to carry children to Narnia? C.S. Lewis, a man of great thought, decided to answer these questions when he penned The Magician’s Nephew. The story was so powerful that a controversy arose as to how the books should be numbered, since this prequel was actually number six in the series. But I enjoy reading it as number six, right before the end. I love how Lewis put it there intentionally, as part of the allegory that leads people to think of their own “in the beginning” and who created them.

Prequels and Origin Stories: Before the Tower

I suppose it should be no surprise that these great men, and others like them, eventually inspired me to write my own prequel or origin story. My series began with what happened to Rapunzel after the witch had cut her hair and thrown her from the tower. I had always wondered, how could she survive in a world that was unknown to her? How would she make friends? What would she think of the God that the witch had taught her to hate?

In answering some of these questions while writing Beyond the Tower and the sequels, I found other questions. Who was the witch and why did she hate God so much? What could have twisted the woman to become the type of person who would incarcerate a young girl in a tower and isolate her from the world of men?

While most people have heard one version or another about Rapunzel, Before the Tower focuses on the relationship between two sisters whose lives are unraveled by greed.

Sneak Peek

“Give it to me now!” The old woman leaned close to Eufemia’s face, grabbing her hand. Katterina watched her sister instinctively step back. The putrid smell wafted near the two sisters as the old woman gave a gruesome smile showing her rotting teeth. “You think you smell better, little brat? You think you’re a beauty? It will be your curse! All you long for you will never be able to hold, all you reach for will be taken from you. You will die alone and lonely. All your birds will have wings and they will leave you crippled. Mark my words, child.”

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One curse. Two secrets. Betrayal in the garden will lead to Rapunzel’s tower.

Once upon a time there lived two sisters who imagined their lives would be simple. They would spend their days in their small, little village keeping their father’s goats until they wed.

But not all stories have a happily-ever-after and beneath the fairytale’s sunshine lurks the shadowed side.

Once grown, Eufemia leaves home to be drawn into a life of powerful dark magic. She’s always longed to be special, to undo the curse placed on her when she was just a child.

Katterina grows wary of who her sister is becoming. And temptation calls her, will she steal the one man Eufemia has always wanted?

Two sisters, once each other’s refuge, will lay the foundation for Rapunzel’s imprisoning tower by their greed and betrayal.

My gift to you is this free book you can get here.

Your turn: share a favorite prequel you have enjoyed in the comments here or on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and tag me.

About JacQueline

As the author of  The Journey series, a young adult fantasy retelling Rapunzel’s misadventures, JacQueline also wrote Memoirs of a Headcase: Held by the God of Hope, to share hope in the battle against chronic pain and depression. Currently she lives in North Alabama with her karate husband and three book-crazy kids. All opinions expressed on this website come from her own experience. Do not substitute it for professional therapy or medical advice. Any affiliate links used on this website will provide additional income to JacQueline’s family at no additional cost to you.

If you are a reader wanting to connect with JacQueline, you can get a free book here. Each month you will receive book recommendations and other booknerd fun.

Are you a writer or an author looking for help? JacQueline has been writing all her life and loves meeting others who think writing is living. As an author coach, helping other writers on their journey gives her joy. Schedule your free coaching call to learn what steps you should take next now.

Social Media design by JacQueline Vaughn Roe, cover design by Sara Oliver Design.

Photo Credit: Wen Photos, Mira Cosic, Ricardo Helass.

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Who are Your Favorite Bookish Characters?

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A fun pastime of book worms and book nerds is to discuss characters, but what about favorite bookish characters? Which are your favorite? You know, the characters in a book that LOVE to read. Those who answer the call to adventure right away because at last a real-life story is happening to them! . . . Or maybe the ones who have to be persuaded, because life between the pages of a book is a bit safer. Let’s chat about some favorites!

Favorite Bookish Character: Hermione

What list would be complete without including Harry Potter‘s best friend and book nerd? Hermione Granger reveals her love of books when she hauls out the doorstop of a book she’s been studying and states, “I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading.” (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). And when Harry and Ron need to find her, where do they go? The library, of course! Bookish? Book nerd? Book worm? I would say so.

Unlike some shy bookish folk, Hermione does get out a bit. Though she does spend gobs of time studying in the library, she also runs around enough with Harry and Ron having misadventures. While she is quick with her wand and magic, she’s never afraid to rely on her book smarts to solve the mysteries that follow Harry around.

Favorite Bookish Character: Lia Mara

Like many people who love the young adult fantasy genre, and especially fairy tale retellings, I had to check out Brigid Kemmerer’s A Curse so Dark and Lonely. An interesting portal version of Beauty and the Beast, I was taken with several of the characters. While I liked the first book, my favorite bookish character didn’t show-up until the sequel, A Heart so Fierce and Broken.

Lia Mara is your quentiessential book worm. She has retreated into the world of words because she believes her heartless mother and queen is right, she isn’t worthy to rule. We learn early on of her loyal devotion to her younger sister, the chosen heir. But Lia Mara’s attempts at diplomacy fail, catapulting her into the greatest adventure of her life. It will require all she has studied and learned to survive, but there are some lessons she needs to unlearn to recognize her true worth. My favorite quote in this book is, “Ah, yes, the most dangerous person at the party is always the girl sitting alone with a book.” And yes, it’s because she has secreted away a book among the folds of her skirt so she could go hide and read. Haven’t many of us wanted to do that?

Favorite Bookish Character: Rapunzel

It was inevitable, I suppose, that I would write a character of my own who lives between the pages of a book. Having suffered from chronic migraines during high school, I spent a great deal of time reading and imagining life outside of my house, but not being able to do much.

My retelling of Rapunzel begins with her surrounded by a rounded bookcase that stretches across her tower’s walls. But although she adores reading, she is ready for something to happen. She needs something to change so that she can venture beyond the tower the witch has imprisoned her in. What was great fun in writing this story was exploring how such a bookish, quiet person would react to the world beyond after living her life isolated. How would this book nerd react to fairy tale mysteries and make friends? How on earth would she feed herself? Of course she made the list of our favorite bookish characters, and you can follow the links to get Beyond the Tower for free right now!

Favorite Bookish Character: Owen

This list of favorite bookish characters would not be complete without including one serious fanboy who seems to love reading more than life. He is Owen from James Riley’s Story Thieves series. At the very beginning of the series, we discover Owen bored with school. He is wishing his life were more exciting, and finding the adventure he longs for by reading books.

With a librarian mother, Owen spends most of his time reading. In fact, his bedroom is called a book graveyard, since he gets to take home all the mishandled books that the library rejects. Even better? His new friend, Bethany, accidentally starts teaching him how to jump into books. And thus, his bookish dreams come true. Owen gets to meet all the characters he has been longing to know and become the hero he’s always wanted to be.

Who is Your Favorite Bookish Character?

Alright, I’ve told you about our favorites, so it’s only fair if you were to tell us of yours. Maybe you’d enjoy joining such silly and fun discussions here by commenting, or follow me over on Instagram or FaceBook so we can be goofy and bookish together. For especially book nerdy friends, join my monthly newsletter for fun recommendations and writing updates and get a free novella that unravels the mysteries of Rapunzel’s origins.

About JacQueline

As the author of  The Journey series, a young adult fantasy retelling Rapunzel’s misadventures, JacQueline also wrote Memoirs of a Headcase: Held by the God of Hope, to share hope in the battle against chronic pain and depression. Currently she lives in North Alabama with her karate husband and three book-crazy kids. All opinions expressed on this website come from her own experience. Do not substitute it for professional therapy or medical advice. Any affiliate links used on this website will provide additional income to JacQueline’s family at no additional cost to you.

If you are a reader wanting to connect with JacQueline, you can get a free book here. Each month you will receive book recommendations and other booknerd fun.

Are you a writer or an author looking for help? JacQueline has been writing all her life and loves meeting others who think writing is living. As an author coach, helping other writers on their journey gives her joy. Schedule your free coaching call to learn what steps you should take next now.

Who Are Your Favorite Bookish Characters? - authorjroe.com - Would you identify as a book nerd, book worm, bibliophile, or bookish person? Do you love libraries and bookshelves and even bookish candles? Do you find yourself wanting to find books to read about people like you? Look no further than this list of our top favorite bookish characters sure to delight you with their wit and misadventures along the journey.

Photo Credits: Ruben Garcia, Yuri Efremov, and Sincerely Media.

Social Media Graphics: JacQueline Vaughn Roe.

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Have You Become a Member of an Unofficial Book Club?

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There is a strange phenomenon that takes place among a group of bookworms given enough time–the beginning of an unofficial book club. Right now, you might be in denial that you’re even a part of one, but I believe the mere fact that you chose to read a blog with a category titled “For Bookworms” means you are attracted to all kinds of bookishness–including other bibliophiles.

Trouble Finding a Book Club? You may already be in one!

There are many signs you can start looking for in your daily life that may have previously slipped under the radar. I have recorded them to better highlight my point. Bookworms are everywhere! When they gather, they discuss books and influence each other to read the books they love. That is the beginning, just discussing what you love, why you love it, what you’ve learned. Before you know it, your texting each other questions, polling each other on ships . . . But I’m getting ahead of myself.

You say to me, “NO! I can’t be a member of such a club! We don’t awkwardly meet in someone’s living room with a book forced upon us by a slanted vote. I read what I want to read and enjoy it with my friends.” Well, good for you! That doesn’t make it any less an unofficial book club. I’ll give you just a moment to process that.

Unofficial Book Club

The first sign you should look for may be more reflective than you would like. Yes, my friend, you must take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself a difficult question. “Do I even say ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ to my friends anymore?” If you answer in the negative, and that in fact you have replaced a common greeting with something like “Did you finish it yet?” so that you can immediatly begin talking books with your friends, you are indeed a member of a book club. It very well may still be an unofficial book club, but it is still a book club.

In fact, at that time of writing this post, we are currently under lockdown due to COVID 19. For my family that means a great deal of extra reading and taking walks. It means a lot of people getting excited about other people hurrying up on their TBR’s so they can discuss it. Funny thing happened today while on a social-distancing walk. I overheard some kids getting exercise yelling back and forth. “You guys have to read this book!” one boy shouted. Bet the next time he sees them out he will be bugging them with whether or not they’ve finished it yet.

Shipping in an unofficial book club

To get into the next part of this, I must make a confession of sorts. I have kids, I’m in my forties, so I’m not the most up-to-date of all bookworms. When I was introduced to shipping, I realized I’d been doing it for-e-ver. I’m serious. I get bored with most stories that don’t have a vital love story going on. I just do. (FYI, for those who don’t have teens and tweens and #bookstagram educating you, “shipping” is a verb meaning “wanting two characters to fall in love and have a relationSHIP.” This definition is my own, but I am fact-checking with my kids, so it must be true.)

What I have discovered in my unofficial book club is that over time you begin to recognize that your BFF has a certain look on her face as she daydreams of the two characters finally getting together. And heaven help us if they don’t or if the author takes too long. There will be a different look and much drama. This part of the book club my husband despises, but I actually find it hilarious. Most of the time.

Are you covering your ears? You might be part of an unofficial book club

Now, by the very nature of our family enjoying books upon books upon books, we add to each other’s TBR piles. And as we get through the books, our members want to discuss. We chat about what we have loved, hated, what we may not have understood. My dear book friends, here is where we all must tread lightly.

You may find yourself cast into the outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth if you ruin an important twist or *gasp* the actual ending. Please, please, learn to develop some patience with your unofficial book club members! When one of us takes longer than you’d like, be kind!

The Verdict is: You’re a member

Now, by the very tone of this post, you may think that I don’t advocate book clubs, but that is not the case at all! No, no, let it never be said I feel this way. My purpose in writing all of this is to bring such unofficial book clubs into the light of day. There is no need to hide your participation in these wonderful book clubs. In fact, join more by following me on #bookstagram or FB where we have so much fun talking books. Let’s keep sharing those opinions. Keep cheering on our favorite ships! Watch out lest you spoil the twists and turns cleverly hidden in the plot. Yes my friends, embrace who you are and enjoy your bookish friends in your unofficial book club.

About JacQueline

As the author of  The Journey series, a young adult fantasy retelling Rapunzel’s misadventures, JacQueline also wrote Memoirs of a Headcase: Held by the God of Hope, to share hope in the battle against chronic pain and depression. Currently she lives in North Alabama with her karate husband and three book-crazy kids. All opinions expressed on this website come from her own experience. Do not substitute it for professional therapy or medical advice. Any affiliate links used on this website will provide additional income to JacQueline’s family at no additional cost to you.

If you are a reader wanting to connect with JacQueline, you can get a free book here. Each month you will receive book recommendations and other booknerd fun.

Are you a writer or an author looking for help? JacQueline has been writing all her life and loves meeting others who think writing is living. As an author coach, helping other writers on their journey gives her joy. Schedule your free coaching call to learn what steps you should take next now.

Photo credit: Priscilla Du Preez, Hope House Press, and Priscilla Du Preez

Social Media Graphic Design: JacQueline Vaughn Roe

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Chronic Illness and the Best Book Life

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Can chronic illness actually lead to the best book life? I would venture to say that it can and, in my life, has. I won’t tell you exactly what you should be reading here. (Sign up to my newsletter and get a free novella or check out my Goodreads reviews for more of that.) But I do want to share how books have become self-care for me.

In high school and again in college, I ended up as a virtual shut-in, only venturing out for doctor’s appointments, usually driven around by my parents. I found solace in reading, but I needed more and I found that outlet in writing. Books were a blessing from God in the form of consuming and creating.

Recently I have had to abandon another preventative medication due to yet another allergic reaction. One more doctor has said told me, “That’s it. You’ve tried everything I know of to try.” To compound the situation two other medications that help regulate my depression and anxiety ended up running out due to a huge doctor office/pharmacy/insurance company issue. Those with chronic life issues will understand all too well. By now I have those medications, but the depression and panic attacks linger as my body readjusts.

Chronic Illness Means We Keep Trying New Things

I tell you all of this not to garner sympathy, but to share encouragement. This bookish spoonie has decided to forge a new path, one that I have been slowly moving towards for a while. I hope in sharing this news, we can each look at what’s not working in our lives and make adjustments to find a better way. I have come to the conclusion that if I want to get well, my body is not going to do it by conventional means.

Okay, so I’m not just staying here in this dark place anymore, I’m going to be a person doing something. I’ve spoken quite frequently here and on my Instagram account about how vital walking has become in the search for healing. There are many days that I can’t tolerate the light, but my routine is now to walk my son to his bus stop in the morning and let him jabber away. We laugh together until the bus drives away and after he leaves, I take off walking.

Allow Yourself to Be

I don’t go far or fast right now. My body just won’t let me, but I’m choosing to move, like my fitness instructor Beth Learn has encouraged me to do. She argues against the all-or-nothing mentality. In several of her spoonie-friendly workouts, she tells us that even stretching counts. “This is enough, this has to be enough.” I hear in her voice in that particular restorative yoga workout the frustration with a society that distills women down to what we can or can’t do, instead of being who we are. 

So, who am I being? I am a woman who lives a life riddled by pain and darkness, but I fight for the light. That makes me a warrior bookworm. Now I love being outside my house, going for those walks when I can, drinking in the sound of birdsong, and I stay home and stretch with Beth when I can’t. I am actually able to drive most days and spend time with my children getting them to and from places. This is more than just doing, it is fighting the battle of pain to be the woman I want to be.

Which leads me to the next life-giving practice I am experimenting with. Are you ready for this? Green light in a dark room. No really, green light in a dark room. In this article, there have been early studies linking a decrease in migraines from exposure to LED green lights. Like, from 24 migraine days a month decreasing to 7. What’s the treatment look like? 2 hours in a completely dark room except for a green LED light. My husband read the article and ordered a package of them immediately. Weird, right? And, good grief, who has time to sit in a dark room with a green light for 2 hours a day? What’s a bookish spoonie to do? READ!

Do Books Qualify as Self-Care?

So, now after my walk, I spend my time in the morning reading my Bible and journaling with a green LED light. I call it my green light therapy with God. His Word refreshes me and reminds of what is true and right. Writing to Him in my journal, I brainstorm how to apply what I’m learning, I give Him my frustrations, and I praise Him for at least three things each day.

I end my day taking a bath with a good book and green light. All those books that have been piling up in my To Be Read stack? I’m getting through them and my reading goal for the year will soon be reached. I’m discovering new authors, studying different writing techniques, and relaxing. I don’t know yet if the light is making a difference for daily migraines, but I do know I feel better during the therapy itself. It might be all the indulgent reading I feel justified in enjoying. (You can find my reviews here or sign-up for my newsletter for a more in-depth look.)

Chronic Illness and the Best Book Self-Care

I mean, I write and read for a living, right? So this should just be part of my life now. And I’m learning so much about how to relax and let go of things. I keep thinking I’ve learned the lesson of targeting my stressors and uprooting them, but it isn’t actually things that stress me. It’s toxic thinking. So I’m becoming ferocious in catching when I am stressing myself out and taking a step back.

Social media causing you stress? Start scheduling posts. Not enough time to schedule, you say? Take a little break. Breathe. Pray. Journal. Read a book. Enjoy a walk. Talk to a friend. All these things are helping me calm down and they might help you, too. And now that I have given myself permission to try different and unusual things to try to get well, I may actually get there. And even if my “well” doesn’t look normal, it will be my normal, a life I enjoy with the very best books.

About JacQueline

As the author of  The Journey series, a young adult fantasy retelling Rapunzel’s misadventures, JacQueline also wrote Memoirs of a Headcase: Held by the God of Hope, to share hope in the battle against chronic pain and depression. Currently she lives in North Alabama with her karate husband and three book-crazy kids. All opinions expressed on this website come from her own experience. Do not substitute it for professional therapy or medical advice. Any affiliate links used on this website will provide additional income to JacQueline’s family at no additional cost to you.

If you are a reader wanting to connect with JacQueline, you can get a free book here. Each month you will receive book recommendations and other booknerd fun.

Are you a writer or an author looking for help? JacQueline has been writing all her life and loves meeting others who think writing is living. As an author coach, helping other writers on their journey gives her joy. Schedule your free coaching call to learn what steps you should take next now.

Photo credit: Joel Muniz, Nicole Wolf, and David Lezcano

Social Media Graphic Design: JacQueline Vaughn Roe

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Love Stories and Fairy Tale Retellings

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Love stories and fairy tale retellings crowd the bookstore shelves in the young adult fantasy book section. My teens and I bee-line our way to the aisle and spend, literally, hours in them. We sigh over the beautiful covers and wonder how this or that author will remold our favorite love stories. But why do we want fairy tales retold? What continues to draw us to them time and time again?

Why We Love Stories of Fairy Tale Retellings

Now, of course, not everyone loves a fairy tale retelling. But I doubt those readers are visiting my site here, so we won’t worry about them. Let’s chat instead of the reason we love to retell a fairy tale. Fairy tales that have a habit of being retold have a quality of wonder. There is clear evil and there is clear good. Though in modern fairy tale retellings you will often find those lines blurred {because, let’s face it, none of us are completely good} the original source material has a familiar beauty of love triumphing over what is broken. And right now, in our dark world, that gives us hope and fills us with joy.

Our Favorite Fairy Tale

I find the question, “What is your favorite fairy tale?” enlightening. I was sitting on my counselor’s couch (not lying down, mind you) when she asked me this question. She shared how our favorite fairy tale reveals a great deal about ourselves. Do we have one? We probably believe in happy endings. Is it Cinderella? Perhaps we feel mistreated. Is it Sleeping Beauty? Maybe we are waiting to be rescued.

She shared she had one unnamed client who adored the story of Beauty and the Beast. I perked up, that was one of my favorites too, long before Disney made it into an animated film. The woman who loved it had a penchant for attaching herself to men who were much like the beast at the beginning of the story. This patient had spent her life trying to transform each man she dated into a prince, but only got abused in the process. I was so glad that I hadn’t said that, but I had answered, “Rapunzel.” I don’t remember her reply, because, like most counselors, she didn’t tell me the answer. I had to figure out for myself why it resonated with me.

Do All Fairy Tales End Happily?

Why does your favorite strike a chord with you? Is the idea of the story like a well-worn book you’ve smoothed with your hands so many times that the pages now feel like silk beneath your touch? Do you picture yourself as the heroine or the hero? (I hope you don’t see yourself as the villain, but I have those days, myself.)

In my early twenties, much like now, I was suffering from chronic migraines. But at the time, I had left college because they had become so debilitating. I had had these chronic migraines since high school and learned to live with them. So why had they suddenly become so bad as to cause me to drop out of living my life? My counselor knew that there were some mitigating factors, and looking back, I can see that Rapunzel was an enlightening piece of the puzzle.

Like Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel is waiting, always waiting in her tower. When she finally decides to take a risk and love someone enough to allow him to rescue her, the witch who imprisoned her finds out. Rapunzel watches as her beloved is thrown from the tower into thorns far below and then Rapunzel is cast out into the wilderness to wander for years.

The Greatest Love Story isn’t just a Fairy Tale Retelling

Though I didn’t see it at the time, I felt similar to Rapunzel, isolated by my pain. It wasn’t just the migraines, I had fallen in love with someone who didn’t love me back. I was left feeling alone, betrayed. Unsaid words became the pain in my head and the depression in my spirit.

Here’s the amazing part, God used that hard time to show me that He wanted to rescue me out of the wilderness. He would care for my heart whether or not I ever found my prince. After all, the true Prince had already come to this world and paid the ultimate price to ransom me. (John 3:16) I just needed reminding.

I suppose it only makes sense that I remained attached to Rapunzel. Only a few years after getting better and graduating from college, I began to write my own retelling. It grew and changed from the original story and became one of a different rescue. And this Valentine’s Day, while love stories and fairy tale retellings are pictured all over Bookstagram, I smile, knowing my true Prince rescued me long before my husband ever knew my name. You can start here with a free novella, Before the Tower, and I’ll connect you with more bookish fun at least once a month in my newsletter.

About JacQueline

As the author of  The Journey series, a young adult fantasy retelling Rapunzel’s misadventures, JacQueline also wrote Memoirs of a Headcase: Held by the God of Hope, to share hope in the battle against chronic pain and depression. Currently she lives in North Alabama with her karate husband and three book-crazy kids. All opinions expressed on this website come from her own experience. Do not substitute it for professional therapy or medical advice. Any affiliate links used on this website will provide additional income to JacQueline’s family at no additional cost to you.

If you are a reader wanting to connect with JacQueline, you can get a free book here. Each month you will receive book recommendations and other booknerd fun.

Are you a writer or an author looking for help? JacQueline has been writing all her life and loves meeting others who think writing is living. As an author coach, helping other writers on their journey gives her joy. Schedule your free coaching call to learn what steps you should take next now.

Photo credit: Natasha Brazil, Derek Story, Lenin Estrada, and Rose

Social Media Graphic Design: JacQueline Vaughn Roe

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