Today’s post by author Elizabeth Blackwell | @eblackwellbooks
We have a copy of Elizabeth’s novel, WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT, up for grabs today. See the entry form below for details.
Elizabeth Blackwell: photo credit Heidi Jo Brady
Any parent of a daughter has at some point gotten dragged into the Princesses Debate: what message does it send when we glorify heroines in ball gowns who sing about waiting for their prince to come?
You can breathe a sigh of relief, because I’m not going to get into any of that. What I will do is make a proud stand in defense of Disney’s version of Sleeping Beauty, which was the inspiration for my novel While Beauty Slept. Poor Princess Aurora is not on the royal A-list—she’s usually pushed off to the side in any Disney Princess lineup—and the movie she starred in was a flop when it was released in 1959. But it has a striking visual style, one that I found absolutely compelling as I watched the movie over and over with my young daughter. (It was her favorite Disney film for a while, which is not a choice most four-year-girls make—so I guess I owe her some thanks as well.)
Sleeping Beauty doesn’t look like your typical Disney movie. There are a lot of shadows and angular lines, and the villain, Maleficent, has a wonderfully creepy kind of magnetism. You can feel the damp stone of the castle walls and the eerie drama of that moment when Maleficent utters her curse. One day, I decided to sit through a making-of documentary at the end of the video, which explained that the artist who created the movie’s backgrounds and overall look, Eyvald Earle, had been inspired by medieval tapestries. An idea struck me: what if the whole story had been woven into a tapestry to commemorate events that really happened?
What if the whole story were true?
As I wrote While Beauty Slept, I wanted readers to have the same feeling I’d had while watching the movie: a combination of awe and unease, set in a castle that was both glamorous and terrifying. While my take on the Sleeping Beauty story is very different from the Disney version—and definitely isn’t meant for kids—the movie’s style and mood were a huge influence. Without Earle’s artistic vision, I never would have written this book.
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Historical fiction at its best — The Brothers Grimm meets The Thirteenth Tale
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Elizabeth Blackwell, author of While Beauty Slept, holds a B.A. in History from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parenting, Chicago magazine, and the Chicago Tribune, and she is also the author of Frommer’s Chicago guidebook. She spent four years as an editor at North Shore, a lifestyle magazine for the Chicago suburbs, and wrote a weekly small-business column for www.TheStreet.com. In 2006, she won Harlequin’s “Everlasting Love” writing competition, and her first novel, The Letter, was published by Harlequin in 2007, followed by The House of Secrets (Harlequin, 2009).
About Ariel Lawhon
Ariel Lawhon is the author of THE WIFE THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS (2014), FLIGHT OF DREAMS (2016), and I WAS ANASTASIA (2018). Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Library Reads, One Book One County, and Book of the Month Club selections. She is the co-founder of SheReads.org and lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.
So stink in’ excited for when this one comes up in my to-read queue!
This may need to be my next book club pick.
Top of my wish list!!
What fun!
She sounds like a good writer!
I always loved Sleeping Beauty best! Looks like a great read!
Would love to read this book. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
I enjoyed this enchanting novel and recommend it!
Sounds great!!!
“The truth is no fairy tale.” What a great quote. I’d love to read this. I’ve always had a fondness for Sleeping Beauty, the original fairy tale, the Disney version, Robin McKinley’s Spindle’s End. The narrative voice is intriguing and seductive. Top of the TBR!
That sounds like a great book. Count me in!
What an interesting story about the Sleeping Beauty movie and it’s inspiration for your book.
I’m looking forward to reading this retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales (more so even than to the release of “Maleficent” in May 2014). Thank you for sharing the inspiration behind the novel.
I always get amazed at how authors choose the titles for their books. I love this title and the excerpt was intriguing. I’d love to win this book! Is their anything more enjoyable than getting into a good book… um, nope!
Thanks!
I didnt realize Sleeping Beauty was a flop when it came out but it is not surprising because it is a totally different look for much of the movie. I love seeing old stories from a different angle so this should be fun.
This book sounds interesting, I am looking forward to reading it.
Ooooh! This sounds like one I’ll have to read! Thanks for your generous giveaways!
I love how Elizabeth Blackwell came up with the idea for While Beauty Slept. I’m adding to my to-read list.
oooh, love this concept! Can’t wait to read it.
Fun! I love this idea.
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