Kait Nolan: Cinderella Can Save Herself

TUESDAY’S TREASURES PRESENTS

KAIT NOLAN, author of the YA paranormal novel, RED, is hanging out  and chatting about ~

Cinderella (Ever After) and Why a Strong Heroine is Better Than Just a Virtuous One

Welcome, Kait! The yard is yours….

Thanks so much for this opportunity Kristal!

The story of Cinderella is one I wager every little girl knows.  Only daughter, close to widowed father, becomes victim of abuse from step-mother and step-sisters, and is ultimately rescued by a handsome prince.  It is, at its heart, a sort of morality tale.  If you are a good, pious girl and do all the right things, then everything will turn out all right at the end through no real action of your own.

This has always struck me as moronic and foolish.  As a child I wanted to know why Cindy was putting up with this crap and not fighting back.  And why the prince was too stupid to recognize her without the aid of her footwear to “prove” her identity.  Cinderella in the classic version is such a passive heroine expecting somebody to come fix her problems for her.  Not what I’d call a good example for young girls everywhere.

The entire concept of waiting for a hero to come rescue you is a classic fairy tale trope that drives me insane.  Why?  Because that’s not how real life works.  We’re supposed to be participants in our own lives, not observers.  If you wait around for someone to come take care of your problems for you, you’re likely to be waiting a very, very long time.

This is, perhaps, why Ever After is my number one, all-time favorite fairy tale adaptation.  Now this is a Cinderella story I can get behind.

Danielle De Barbarac is a typical Cinderella in the set up and in the fact that she’s hard-working.  But she’s also smart and gutsy.  When her evil step mother sells one of the servants to pay her debts, Danielle dresses as a courtier and goes to the palace to pay the debt against him, quoting Thomas More’s Utopia and in the process, garnering the attention of the Prince, whom she then manages to set in his place as a spoiled, unthinking royal.  OMG.  Marvelous.  I actually find Henry to be mostly an unmitigated ass in this movie, but this post isn’t about him.  It’s about HER.

And the awesome of Danielle does not stop there.  When she and Henry are set upon by gypsies, it is she who gets them out of it, garnering the promise from the gypsies that she can take anything she can carry.  Danielle then goes over and picks Henry up (because, of course, she’s a hard worker and stronger than some wussy courtier) and carries him out of the clearing.

And best of all, when Danielle is sold by her evil step mother to the dastardly Pierre Le Pieu to pay off the totality of their debt, instead of waiting around for Henry to come get her (which, in his defense, he is on his way to do), she steals Le Pieu’s sword and rescues HERSELF.  Because, of course, before her father died, he taught her how to use a sword.  She’s not a coward, and she puts the creeptastic Le Pieu absolutely in his place.

Danielle is the kind of take-charge, strong woman that’s exactly the sort of heroine I try to write with each and every book.  This chick gets stuff done.  She has guts and morals and does the right thing, but she’s not about to sit around waiting for other people to take notice.  She’s out their being proactive and taking charge of her own life.  That is a heroine of worth, one I would not at all be ashamed for my daughter to internalize.

Well said, Kait. Ever After is one of my favorite movies. I have it on the old VHS format. When the tape finally wears out, I’ll break down and get the DVD.

The reason I love this Cinderella version is because, as you pointed out, Danielle doesn’t helplessly wait on a rescuer. By taking fate into her own hands, she fashions her own destiny.  An admirable quality for any woman.

Thanks so much for popping in and I’m wishing you many happy sales for your new release…

    RED by KAIT NOLAN

Elodie Rose has a secret. Any day, she’ll become a wolf and succumb to the violence that’s cursed her family for centuries. For seventeen years she’s hidden who and what she is. But now someone knows the truth and is determined to exterminate her family line. Living on borrowed time in the midst of this dangerous game of hide and seek, the last thing Elodie needs to do is fall in love. But Sawyer is determined to protect her, and the brooding, angry boy is more than what he seems. Can they outsmart a madman? And if they survive, will they find a way to beat the curse for good?

Kait Nolan: Author of action packed paranormal romance

Kait Nolan is stuck in an office all day, sometimes juggling all three of her jobs at once with the skill of a trained bear— some times with a similar temperament. After hours, she uses her powers for good, creating escapist fiction. The work of this Mississippi native is packed with action, romance, and the kinds of imaginative paranormal creatures you’d want to sweep you off your feet…or eat your boss.

When she’s not working or writing, she’s in her kitchen, heading up a revolution to Retake Homemade from her cooking blog, Pots and Plots.

You can also catch up with her at her blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Her debut YA paranormal, Red, is currently available from Smashwords, Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Barnes and Noble, iBookstore and All Romance EBooks.