The Rest of the Story… Kate SeRine

I am thrilled to have Kate SeRine back on my blog! She’s an amazing author and Agency-sibling, and her talent and creativity amazes me!

Here she is with:

The Rest of the Story…

Some of my fondest memories from childhood are of my mom telling me bedtime stories. The stories were never quite the same, evolving and growing with each telling. And they were never, ever ordinary. Mom always put her own unique spin on things, giving new life to old, worn out stories, often shattering preconceived notions of princes, princesses, and villains in hilarious and surprising ways. So, even though I credit my eldest son with asking the question that inspired my Transplanted Tales series, I’d have to give props to my mom for inspiring me to tell the stories in my own way, infusing their adventures with crazy twists and snarky humor.

Although there are scads of tales that my mom told my sisters and me over the years, there are a few that stand out above the others—and chief among them is the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Even now, thirty-*mumble* years later, I can still see my mom animatedly acting out the prim and proper maiden bartered off by her father to spin gold for the king, the greedy king who was stupid enough to buy into the bargain in the first place, and the wily imp who agrees to help the maiden become the queen…for a price.

Although I’d heard the story more times than I could count, there was just something about it that intrigued me. I’d sit there, rapt and wide-eyed, eagerly awaiting what came next. Although the path to the story’s resolution sometimes shifted and ambled a bit more than in other tellings, I knew the end would always be the same—the imp’s nefarious kidnapping plan would be foiled, and he would suffer a gruesome end when his rage got the better of him. And, as always, Mom would end with, “And they lived happily ever after.”

But even back then, I couldn’t help wondering, “Or did they…?” Even in my child’s mind I realized that the king and queen’s relationship was built upon a lie. What happened when the kingdom’s coffers ran low and the king wanted his wife to spin him some more gold and there was no magical imp around to help her out? Would she be thrown into the dungeon? Exiled from the kingdom? Beheaded? (Okay, I was admittedly a little morbid as a kid and my imagination has always tended toward the dramatic….)

And what about the baby? Would they tell him how his mother was so eager to be queen and save her own life that she’d bartered him away as her own father had done to her? And how would the knowledge of that fact affect him as he was growing up? (And, yes, I really did think about stuff like this. Just ask my mom how many questions she had to field after story time….)

Anyway, you can see how fairy tales were never just simple stories to me. I never bought into the fact that the story ended at “happily ever after.” I knew there just had to be more that came after. And in my Transplanted Tales series, that’s exactly what I set out to explore. What really became of Snow White and Cinderella? What was the truth behind the Big Bad Wolf’s encounter with Little Red Riding Hood? What were the ramifications of Little Boy Blue falling asleep on the job? And what did happen to that baby in Rumpelstiltskin? What kind of prince did he grow up to be? Was there more to that story?

Well, you’ll discover the answers to those questions and more when you read RED, THE BETTER TO SEE YOU, and ALONG CAME A SPIDER. But consider yourself warned—the rest of the story might surprise you…. 😉

If you haven’t already, here are the links for you to connect with Kate:

Website:  http://www.kateserine.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kateserine

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kateserine

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/kateserine

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