Giveaway Winners + Wrap-up for We Love Fairy Tales Week

Once upon a time This afternoon, I assigned all eligible* giveaway entries a number, then had a random number generator pick numbers and matched those winners up with prizes in the order they were picked.  Those winners are:

Prize One: A Noble Companion gift set -- Jordynne H.

Prize Two:  Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) -- Allison T.

Prize Three: four classic fairy tales bookmarks -- Cecilia

Prize Four:  four princessy fairy tale bookmarks -- Sara R

Prize Five: five stickers depicting castles and dragons -- Crystan

Prize Six: five stickers depicting cottage-core fairy tale elements -- Jennifer S.

Prize Seven: five stickers depicting underwater fantasy scenes  -- Katja L.

Congratulations, friends new and old!  I'll be emailing you at the email addresses you provided to find out where to send your prizes :-)

*some people did not abide by the rules, which stated that entrants must provide an email address, and must provide prize choices, or else they would not be eligible for prizes.  Oops.

I hope you have had a merry week celebrating fairy tales with me, whether you won a prize or not!  I know I'm woefully behind on answering comments, and I hope to catch up on those this weekend.  I also hope to finish reading all the fun posts everyone contributed this week!  If you also need to catch up, or if you have last-minute contributions, here's that list widget again to make life easier for you :-)

I hope your ever afters are happy ones :-)  See you at the next party!

My Tag Answers for We Love Fairy Tales Week

I mean, I should answer them, since I'm the party host, eh?

I hope you've all been having a jolly time this week!  Today is your last day to enter my giveaway -- I'll choose and announce the winners tomorrow!  Might be late in the day, as I have a pretty full Saturday lined up.

Okay, here we go.

1.  What's your favorite fairy tale?  The Twelve Dancing Princesses!  And has been since I was a small child, reading a children's book version with amazing artwork.  I love that the hero solves the mystery using cleverness, not strength or magic.  Well, not much magic -- he does have an invisibility cloak.  But that just makes things a bit easier.  I think he could have solved it eventually without that.

(from my Instagram account)

2.  If you could cast any actors and actresses ever in a movie version of that fairy tale, who would you pick?  Hmm.  What about Jude Law as the retired soldier returning home from the war, Samuel L. Jackson as the king, Letitia Wright as the youngest sister, and Tessa Thompson as the oldest sister.  And the soldier falls for the oldest sister, not the youngest.

3.  Do you have a favorite fairy tale movie?  The Princess Bride (1987) -- no contest!  True, it's kind of a spoof of fairy tales, but I still think it counts.

4.  Do you have a favorite book that retells a fairy tale?  I really love the novella Falling Snow by Skye Hoffert, which is included in the Five Magic Spindles anthology.

5.  If you got to be in a stage or film production of a classic fairy tale, what fairy tale would you want to be in, and who would you like to play?  I would love to play the fairy godmother in a version of Cinderella set in either the Old West or the 1940s.

6.  Do you like fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers best?  Or someone else's?  I like lots of fairy tales, including some by both of them, some from the Arabian Nights, and others, too!  I don't have a clear favorite source.

7.  What more obscure fairy tale do you think more people should know about?  I'm really fond of The Boy Who Learned to Shudder, also known as The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was.  It's a sweet one.

There we have it!  Do we have any answers in common?  Don't forget to check out everyone's contributions via the main list in this post :-)  I'm behind on that myself, but hope to catch up this weekend!

Build Your Own Fairy Tale Game

I've created a game for We Love Fairy Tales Week that allows you to build your own fairy tale based on what you roll with a die (or random number generator) for each question.  

Simply roll a die once for each question, then use that number's answer to build the next part of your fairy tale.  Put all your parts together in the comments, and embellish them a bit if you want to, and we can all enjoy each others' brand-new fairy tales!

Your Role

You are the hero/heroine of a new fairy tale!  Your story begins this way:

Once upon a time, there lived a(n) __________________

1. comely maiden/lad

2. tired mother/father

3. curious chameleon

4. wise-cracking hermit

5. excitable dragon

6. perfectly ordinary cat

The Love Interest

Then you met ________________, and the two of you fell in love.

1. a shy prince/princess

2. a wise centaur

3. a jolly baker

4. a lonely king/queen

5. a mischievous mermaid/merman

6. a vain fairy

Your Problem

One day, you ______________

1. lost your favorite slippers

2. accidentally stole the king's carriage

3. dropped your rent money down a well

4. fell off a horse and broke your foot

5. ate poisonous berries and became deathly ill

6. drank a love potion meant for someone else

The Villain

To make matters worse, there suddenly appeared a ____________ who took credit for your misfortune.

1. disgruntled wizard

2. greedy troll

3. killer bunny

4. vengeful unicorn

5. miserly pirate

6. hungry giant

The Escalation

Before you could stop them, that villain _____________________

1. called you a ninnygrimble

2. bit your ankle

3. stole your shoes

4. ate your lunch

5. turned you into a newt

6. bonked your love interest over the head and tried to drag him/her off to their lair

The Showdown Begins

Immediately, you bravely ______________________

1. reported them to the authorities

2. stuck your fingers in your ears, shut your eyes, and blew a raspberry at them

3. chanted their name three times

4. drew your sword and executed a dazzling array of complicated moves with it

5. bonked them over the head with your quarterstaff

6. kicked them in the knee

The Climax

Almost before you knew what was happening, ________________

1. the villain disappeared in a puff of smoke

2. you were transported to the royal palace

3. the royal guard appeared and rescued you

4. you and your one true love both turned invisible

5. a wolf came out of the forest and ate the villain

6. the villain realized the error of their ways, repented, and asked you to forgive them.

The Aftermath

Once the dust had settled, you ____________________

1. were appointed to the royal court as a reward for your brave deeds

2. opened your own business

3. were declared the new king/queen of the realm

4. joined the circus

5. found a purse full of gold coins

6. built your dream home in the forest

The Ending

At long last, you __________________

1. married your one true love and lived reasonably happily ever after.

2. decided you and your significant other would be better off as friends.

3. set off for a distant land to seek another adventure.

4. married your one true love and lived happily to the end of your days.

5. learned the secret to living a happy life.

6. had seventeen children and tickled each of them once a day.

Now, just string those all together into a story in a comment!  I can't wait to see how your new fairy tale turns out :-D

We Love Fairy Tales Week -- Kickoff and Tag

Once upon a time... we spent a whole week celebrating fairy tales!

I'm so excited that you're joining me for this blog party!  All week long, we'll be reveling in fairy tales and fairy tale retellings.  You can join the party any time by sharing posts on your own blog.  Don't forget to add one or more party buttons too -- you can find all of them in this post.  When you're done, come back here and add a link to your post to this widget so others can find it:

You can also participate by copying the official party tag to your blog and answering the questions there.  Here are the tag questions:

1.  What's your favorite fairy tale?

2.  If you could cast any actors and actresses ever in a movie version of that fairy tale, who would you pick?

3.  Do you have a favorite fairy tale movie?

4.  Do you have a favorite book that retells a fairy tale?

5.  If you got to be in a stage or film production of a classic fairy tale, what fairy tale would you want to be in, and who would you like to play?

6.  Do you like fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers best?  Or someone else's?

7.  What more obscure fairy tale do you think more people should know about?

Come back here from time to time this week to see what people are sharing!  I have a giveaway going already, and I'll be sharing a blog game or two in the next few days, too.

Giveaway for We Love Fairy Tales Week

Are you ready?  Behold the prizes for the We Love Fairy Tales Week giveaway!

I have seven prizes for you this year.  Read on to learn more about each prize and then find out how to enter!

Prize One: A Noble Companion gift set!  I made these for a couple of in-person author events in December, and I didn't sell quite all of them, so I'm giving one away to one lucky winner this week!  The gift set includes a paperback copy of my Ugly Duckling retelling, A Noble Companion, plus multiple fun gifts to open as you read.  Each gift is labeled with what page it corresponds to, so you can open them as you read... or open them all at once, if you would rather.  Your choice!  

A Noble Companion is historical-esque, non-magical fantasy with talking animals and dragons living alongside humans in a fairy tale world based on 1800s Spanish California.  It's Christian YA with some mild western violence, no cussing, and a few lightly described kisses.

Prize Two:  a used DVD copy of Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), a fun fantasy adventure starring Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, and Eleanor Tomlinson.  It's rated PG-13 for "intense scenes of fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief language."  It has some kissing, quite a bit of fantasy violence, and several cuss words (including the F word once).  I didn't show it to my kids until they were all at least 13.  It's a really fun movie, but definitely not intended for little kids.

Prize Three: four bookmarks (set one) depicting classic fairy tales

Prize Four:  four bookmarks (set two) with a princessy fairy tale theme

Prize Five: five stickers (set one) depicting castles and dragons coming out of books

Prize Six: five stickers (set two) depicting cottage-core fairy tale elements coming out of books

Prize Seven: five stickers (set three) depicting underwater fantasy scenes coming out of books

This giveaway is open worldwide!  It ends at 11:59pm EST on Friday, February 13.  I will have a random number generator pick seven winners that weekend, one for each prize, then alert the winners by email and announce them on my blog.  Winners have one week to reply to my email.  If they do not reply within one week, they forfeit their prize.

How to Enter

The giveaway widget I used to use is not longer operational, so this year, you will enter by leaving comments on this post.  I'll assign a number to each comment at the end of the week and use a random number generator to pick winning numbers.

You must leave a comment on this same post telling me what email address to contact you at if you win.  I have put all comments on "moderation," so those comments will NOT be shared here on my blog.  I will keep them private, and delete them after this giveaway has ended.  I will not use them for any purpose besides contacting winners of this giveaway.  Anyone who does not complete this step will not be eligible for a prize.  

You must leave a comment on this same post telling me what your top three prize choices are!  I do my best to match prizes with winners based on the order the random number generator chooses the winners in.  I cannot guarantee that winners will receive their top choice of prize.  Anyone who does not complete this step will not be eligible for a prize.  You may enter this way only one time.

You may leave a comment with a link to the blog post you contributed to the We Love Fairy Tales Week celebration.  You may enter this way more than once, and each will count as one entry for each blog post you contribute to the party.  Please leave each link in a separate comment.

You may leave a comment telling me you have visited my Instagram profile and scrolled through my page a bit, and tell me something you like about my photos.  You may enter this way only one time.

You may leave a comment telling me you have visited my Goodreads profile and marked at least one of my books as "to read."  You may enter this way only one time.

You may leave a comment telling me you have visited my author website, and tell me which page you found most interesting.  You may enter this way only one time.

You may leave a comment telling me you have signed up for my author newsletter.  New sign-ups and existing subscriptions both count!  You may enter this way only one time.

Each of those will earn you one entry into the giveaway!

If you are posting anonymous comments, please add a name or nickname to them so I know who you are -- and use the same name or nickname for each comment.  Any unsigned, unidentifiable comments will be disqualified.

No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited.  Must be 18+ or have permission from parent/guardian to provide a mailing address if you win.  I will not share mailing or email addresses with any third party OR use them for any purpose except what is stated in this giveaway post. All prizes were purchased by me for the purpose of this giveaway and will be shipped via USPS.  Once I mail them off, they are out of my hands and I am not responsible for whether or not they reach the winners.

Be sure to visit my kick-off post to find all the cool contributions for We Love Fairy Tales Week, and to leave links for your own!

Announcing We Love Fairy Tales Week

If you love fairy tales -- by which I mean anything and everything from the original fairy tales from long ago to the latest retellings -- then you are in luck!  Because I am gearing up to host my annual "We Love XYZ" blog party in February, and this year's theme is Fairy Tales!

Join me February 9-14 as we celebrate all things fairy tale related!  As usual, I will provide a party tag, a giveaway with themed prizes, and some party games.  I also plan to do at least one post on my book blog, The Edge of the Precipice.

Everything else is up to you!  And you can start by nabbing one of these party buttons and displaying it on your own blog with a link back to this post so others can join the fun.

All sorts of blog posts are welcome, from fairy tale book and movie reviews, to lists of your favorite fairy tales or favorite retellings, musings on what themes draw you to specific fairy tales, or anything else you can dream up that has to do with fairy tales!

The one real rule is that, since this is a party and open to people of all ages, your posts must be:

• celebratory (no fairy tale bashing!)
• appropriate for all ages

That does NOT mean you can't be critical of things within a movie or book you're reviewing.  It also doesn't mean you can only review G-rated movies or books.  It just means your posts should overall be positive about fairy tales and be appropriate for readers of all ages.

Because this is a blog party and not a blogathon, there is no limit to how many people can write about the same subject.  If we have fourteen reviews of Cinderella (2015), nobody is going to complain!

That means you don't absolutely have to sign up ahead of time for this party.  However, it's always nice to have an idea of how many people will be participating.  So if you do know you want to attend this party and have an idea of what you plan to contribute, let me know in a comment and I'll add you to the roster!

List of Participants

+ Hamlette's Soliloquy -- party tag, game, giveaway

+ The Edge of the Precipice -- roundup of fairy tale retelling book reviews

+ Revealed in Time -- reviews of The Swan Princess (1994) and Beauty and the Beast (2014 -- originally La belle et la bête)

+ Movies Meet Their Match -- review of Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

+ With Joy for the Work -- a review of either Disney's Descendents or the Tinkerbell film series or Rise of the Guardians (2012)

+ Inkling Corner -- discussion of the fairy tale The Handless Maiden

+ Postcards from the Bookstore -- favorite fairy tale retellings

+ Sam the Library Mouse -- reviews of Cress and Winter by Marissa Meyer

+ 18 Cinema Lane -- review of Brigadoon (1954)

+ The Midnite Drive-In -- appreciation post about Captain Hook portrayals

+ RealWeegieMidget Reviews -- love songs from Donkey Skin (1970), Enchanted (2007), and The Slipper and the Rose (1976)

+ Hoofers and Honeys -- review of Hans Christian Andersen (1952)

+ Silver Screenings -- review of Alice in Wonderland (1915)

+ Whimsically Classic -- favorite Looney Tunes fairy tale retellings

+ YOU!