42 Comments

What a satisfying tale! Quite a nice “spin”.

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Thanks Liz. A new spin on an old yarn 😄

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Brilliant take as always — you really got me with the ole twist of the yarn

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Haha, thanks Keith.

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I've never been there before, So it was a treat for me.

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Glad it was a treat for you! Thank you for reading.

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I really enjoyed this, especially the michevious follow-on at the end!

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Thank you, Natalie! We need more mischief 😄

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Great fairytale! I love tales that are twists on classic tropes, especially when they give the women the power! And thank you for taking the time to read it to us. I've been on public transport all day with my nose in a book, and my contacts are stuck to my eyes, so I greatly appreciated it 😂

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Thank you for listening. I'm so glad it helps. I'll go back and make sure there's audio on all of the fairy tales for this reason! Sometimes I'm too tired to read, too, but I can listen.

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You have a great voice for audio too!

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Aw how have I only just seen this? Thank you.

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Very excellently done, this one. Lots of great psychology in it...

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Evelyn! Yes 😊 I wanted the postnatal depression, the grief, the frustration, the helplessness, the redirection of control, and those 'nothing' moods that can't be explained but are always there.

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Well, you got that brilliantly, I have to say. Especially the transformation of the husband from a bad one to a good one. I think this is one of your best ones tbh.

I am really, really liking your little fairytale series. Keep 'em coming!

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Hahaha, I spelled it "undercurrants" and am now thinking of squished berries under foot.

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There's a story in that one too! Something involving red shoes perhaps.

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Thanks, Evelyn. I'm so glad you came to talk about the undercurrants. It's always one of my favourite things to chat about with you.

I'm just taking these old tales and adding rage and retribution, or making new ones. I want to publish a collection. That wolf one was alone for a long time.

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Oh! A collection would be brilliant! Definitely!

If you were to do a collection, I reckon a little intro/commentary/essay would also work as an accompaniment. Hmm, maybe not as an intro though. More of an outro.

But it's certainly high time I myself did some more fairytale things. My mind just hasn't been in the right place for a while though. Perhaps the Spring will help...

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Yes. The post-festive season is really hard. You need more sunshine and flowers.

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Also occurs to me - if you did a collection, and it wouldn’t have to be a really long one, you should definitely try and get proper hand-drawn illustrations. I’m thinking a lovely little hardback type of thing. With calligraphy and suchlike. Perfect gift!

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I have a artist on hand! He's working on chapter illustrations for The Ring at the moment, but I've definitely lined him up.

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I love your version of "Rumplestiltkin." It's beautifrully written. If you'd love to read another beautifiul version of that story, read "The Silver Curlew" by Eleanor Farjeon. It's one of my favorite books of all time, and of my children and grandchildren.

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Thanks, Sandy. I've just looked her up and I'd love to read it. Quite affordable on kindle! Thanks for the recommendation, I've never heard of Eleanor Farjeon. She does a good Cinderella too, apparently.

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Her version of "Cinderella" is "The Glass Slipper." Both books are illustrated by the great Ernest Shepherd who illustrated "The Wind in the Willows." "The Glass Slipper" is very good, but "The Silver Curlew" is magic. Farjeon also wrote a stunning collection of short stories called "The Little Bookroom,"a version of the Canterbury Tales, and two adult books, "Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard," and "Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field."

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Oh wow. I need to look up these books! They sound lovely.

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I'm seconding the Eleanor Farjeon recommendation... You can also try Elizabeth Goudge of course.

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Great story, beautifully told.

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Thank you very much. I'm loving the world of fairy tales at the moment ❤️

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Wonderful, Hanna! Thank you. It's a treat.

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Thank you, Lyndsey. Trying to build a collection of stories like these 🥰

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That is great news! We need more collections like this. :)

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Delightful 😊

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Thank you!

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Brilliant! Absolutely didn’t see that coming!

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I'm full of surprises, Anne. 💕 Thank you. I'm doing more fairy tales soon. Can't get enough of them.

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Very glad to hear it! 😀

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What a wonderful tale made even better by your audio! I loved the twist at the end just when I thought I knew where it was going. And the way the bard’s story bookended things. A story within a story - so good!

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Thank you, Garen. The original version annoyed me, especially with the women having no agency. 😄

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Love this!!

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Thank you, Nancy. Have a lovely weekend ❤️

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That’s a “twist” …

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