Kate G. Jameson

Adaptations and Retellings: Some Thoughts on Making Old Stories New

That’s not how it happened in the book.

It’s the quintessential complaint of booklovers everywhere. Show us a movie or TV show adapted from a beloved book, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone with no criticisms or hesitation in voicing them.

Some of that can probably be chalked up to a possessive sort of nostalgia, where the original is the only true version and any attempt to adapt it will end in a mediocre knock-off at best and a piece of media any true fan refuses to acknowledge at worst.

Papa’s Curse

In my last post, I talked about brainstorming for a writing contest. I wasn’t chosen as one of the winners, so I thought I’d share the story I came up with here instead. Enjoy!

How to Write Your Siren

What do you think of, when you hear the word “siren?”

An alluring song? A beautiful mermaid beckoning from the water? Ships crashed against the base of a cliff? A blaring alarm?

I recently submitted a short story to a magazine with a theme of Sirens for their current round of submissions, so sirens have been on my brain. So let’s dive into some lore about sirens and discuss how best to adapt them to your writing!

7 Travel Tips I Learned From Fairy Tales

It’s become sort of second nature for me to draw connections to fairy tales in my everyday life now. Sometimes, it’s frustrating and distracting, but other times, well, I come up with new topics to write about on my blog.

Book Review: Trowbridge and Fye

Friend of the blog Carrie Anne Noble has a new book coming out tomorrow, and she was kind enough to share early access to an ebook ARC with me! So, what did I think of Trowbridge and Fye?

An Impossible Quest

Dear Fairy Godmother,

I’ve found the girl of my dreams, but I’m worried her parents don’t approve of us. I feel like I’m constantly jumping through hoops trying to win their approval.

Fairy Tale Facts: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

Spring is in the air, and it seems like the perfect time to explore a story centered on plants and growth. So let’s take a deeper look at The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter!

The Legacy of Rainbow Fairies

I’ve said before that fairy tales, as they were originally told and shared, weren’t strictly for kids. However, they certainly have become synonymous with children’s literature today. There are myriad reasons for that, but I wanted to take a closer look at one of them today: The Lang Fairy Books.

Fairy Tales and the Rule of Three

The number three crops up a lot in fairy tales. Three wishes, three princes on a quest, three trials to overcome, three nights at a ball. But is that just a coincidence, or is there a deeper reason behind the choice of number?

(Of course there’s a deeper reason. I wouldn’t be writing this blog post if there wasn’t!)

Fairy Tale Facts: The Firebird and Princess Vasilissa

Phoenixes are representative of renewal, rebirth, a fresh start, so it felt appropriate to kick off the new year with a closer look at a story featuring one.

“The Firebird and Princess Vasilissa” comes from Russian Fairy Tales (or Russian Folk Tales). It is one of the largest collections of fairy tales in the world, featuring over 600 stories across 8 volumes from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the surrounding areas. The stories were collected and published by Alexander Afanasyev between 1855 and 1867. A translation of “The Firebird and Princess Vasilissa” can be found here, if you want to read it yourself.