In the past I've written about how millennials love to pay respect to Disney by poking fun at it (I promise this makes sense, click here to read the original post) Although I've talked about it quite a bit, I haven't written much about how I used Disney-stalgia to write Basketcase, A Classic Tale in Reverse.
Being a millennial myself, I know that I too am drawn to the melodic opening credits that prefaced many-a couch potato session throughout my childhood.
Stand to attention, please!
The gist of it is... I have a story to tell. On the surface, though, the story isn't a very pleasant one. If told it exactly as it happened, my book would have turned out as more of a Lifetime Original than a fantasy novel.
But I wrote the story anyway, replacing the people involved with already known and beloved Disney characters (names are changed for copyright reasons) and using the Disney theme and setting to keep the story intriguing. The weirdest part is, it actually worked! Are you intrigued yet? I hope you are. :)
But I wrote the story anyway, replacing the people involved with already known and beloved Disney characters (names are changed for copyright reasons) and using the Disney theme and setting to keep the story intriguing. The weirdest part is, it actually worked! Are you intrigued yet? I hope you are. :)
People have a lot of questions though, so I've taken the liberty to answer some of them below.
What's the true story? And how did you convert it into a fairy tale?
My story, as candid as I can tell it, is about my ex and me. He was abusive (physically, verbally, emotionally, mentally, and economically) and I know I'll never be the same after what we went through together. For better, for worse, and for the freak-outs in between, my story has been nothing short of an adventure.
Beauty and the Beast (originally written by Jeanne Beaumont in 1756) is a story of a woman who transforms a man-beast into a charming prince with the magic of true love. The two live happily ever after at the end.
Though a great story, I think we can all agree that Beauty and the Beast isn't realistic. It has no basis for real world application. What is Happily Ever After, anyway? What happens the next day? And the day after that?
There's been a lot of buzz the past few years on how Beauty and the Beast is not a good story for young girls. It's essentially about Stockholm Syndrome, a real disorder in which someone held captive eventually bonds with the person who has imprisoned them.
While this was not the case with my story, I saw something in this angle. In the original story, the beast is not a kind person. The reason he's a beast to begin with is because he refused to accommodate the witch who asked him for a place to stay for the night.
The idea that the story's heroine uncovers the kind, sweet, gentle nature within a very bad man is pretty far fetched. There are warning signs all through the story that the beast is not a good spirit. This is where I was able to work my own story into this fairy tale's theme.
There's been a lot of buzz the past few years on how Beauty and the Beast is not a good story for young girls. It's essentially about Stockholm Syndrome, a real disorder in which someone held captive eventually bonds with the person who has imprisoned them.
While this was not the case with my story, I saw something in this angle. In the original story, the beast is not a kind person. The reason he's a beast to begin with is because he refused to accommodate the witch who asked him for a place to stay for the night.
The idea that the story's heroine uncovers the kind, sweet, gentle nature within a very bad man is pretty far fetched. There are warning signs all through the story that the beast is not a good spirit. This is where I was able to work my own story into this fairy tale's theme.
Does that mean Basketcase has a sad ending?
I won't spoil too much, but Basketcase has an open ending, dropping its protagonists right in the midst of three other well-known fairy tales. Which one will carry the sequel/prequel? *Shrugs* You'll have to read to find out.
What is the title about?
I found that people don't want to hear or believe stories about abuse, so they'd shrug me off when I'd try and talk about it. My ex also denied everything or he told people I was crazy for talking about what had happened. This seemed to sit easier than the truth with a lot of people, which is unfortunate.
The name Basketcase is also a giant poke at myself. Did I act like a crazy person in the true-to-life story? At times, yes. I was very upset and no one wanted to listen to me about why. I'd often overreact or throw temper tantrums while recovering from the trauma of it all, which also becomes a major theme in the book.
The heroine in Basketcase eventually embraces the nickname, as I eventually embraced the idea that I'd probably never be the same as I was before and that I could use the experience in positive ways to better my future.
Why did you decide to rework Gaston's character, Jepson, into a protagonist?
This is probably my favorite twist on the original story. In the original outline, Olive was by herself for most of the story, although I soon realized writing and reading that much internal monologue was boring and repetitive. I decided Olive needed a friend in order to introduce more dialogue, but I didn't want to add any characters not found in the original story.
Rose, one of Olive's servants who takes on an unexpected role twist from the original story, seemed to be the obvious choice. Unfortunately, because of other factors essential to the plot, this idea did not work.
I figured at that point that if I was going to write the story backwards, I might as well write it ass-backwards and make Gaston/Jepson a "good guy".
The problem that arose from there was that I DID NOT want Olive to jump from one relationship to the next, and so I had to write the dynamic between Olive and her senselessly macho guy friend as believably platonic. Was a successful in doing so? You'll have to read to find out. ;)
So there's a sequel? A prequel? What's that about?
Well, there's a book 2, which continues along the same story line but in a different setting and with different characters holding similar story dynamics. Nonetheless, the story continues, but it also begins and sort of leads up to the beginning of Basketcase. It's sort of a prequel as well as a sequel. It's also a different story all together based on an entirely different fairy tale. You'll have to stay tuned to find out :)
Where can I find Basketcase?
Right now it's on Amazon paperback and Kindle ebook. You can find by clicking here!
I have also be approved for a local Colorado authors program, so hopefully you will soon see it in Denver area bookstores as well.
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| http://www.amazon.com/Basketcase-Classic-Reverse-Sarah-Jozwiak/dp/1519603517/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459197808&sr=1-1 |
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