RoguesAngels: ROGUE'S ANGELS PRESENT: FUNNY FAIRY TALES SERIES BY Reut Barak

Monday, June 19, 2017

ROGUE'S ANGELS PRESENT: FUNNY FAIRY TALES SERIES BY Reut Barak

Please welcome Reut Barak author of the Funny Fairy Tales Series

Reut will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Funny Fairy Tales Series

by Reut Barak

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GENRE: Short Stories, Fairy Tales, Humor

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

I started writing in my late teens, with the encouragement of one of my schoolteachers. Like many authors, my first work was not ripe, but her faith in me gave me the safe space to explore. A few months ago, I suddenly had the idea to turn a short fairy tale I had written as a funny email to a friend into a new type of book; one that works like an app and feels like someone is telling you a short story, and that’s how Funny Fairy Tales got started.

2. How do you maintain your creativity?

I try to be creative in many other aspects of my life. There is no formula here, but I find it’s great to just spend a lot of time with different types of people and learn a lot about life. You can say I am a bit of an explorer. I’ve done many different things in life: I’m a trained opera singer and I spent 10 years in classical music, I’ve lived in 4 countries and met people from all over the world. I’ve climbed up all three of England’s 3 peaks. And I’m constantly learning new things. So, I think it gives me a lot of perspective.

3. Can you give us a sneak peak into this series?

Absolutely. Get ready to toss off the shackles of time and transport into a much more magical, dangerous and unexpected world.

A long time ago

in a faraway land

There lived a mirror named Shraga.

Shraga was a happy mirror. His keeper was a happy old magician. The two of them lived on top of a high mountain and enjoyed the fresh morning air and the beauty of the sunrise.

The magician also had an assistant named Anagrola.

Anagrola came from another land, with the ambition of becoming a sorceress.

She had great ambition, and she didn’t understand how anyone could live happily on the top of that lonely mountain.

“How is it that you two are so well?” Anagrola would ask.

“We have everything we want right here.”

“What about beauty? What about gold? What about power and prestige?”

“What about them?” the magician would ask.

Anagrola liked to ask a lot of questions.

The magician was happy to answer and eager to teach.

Shraga hated her.

That’s because Anagrola’s favourite question was:

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”

4. What elements are necessary components for this genre.

The most important parts of both Grimm and Disney Fairy Tales are happy endings, morals, and magic. I follow those and I make them fit the world we live in today. For example, Red Riding is set in a time long ago, but the modern issues Red faces, of independence, reputation and fame come from our world. Magic is the one thing that I value the most- in traditional fairy tales, we don’t have that much magic and that’s why we believe it. In Snow White, it’s about a good disguise and a poisoned apple, which we don’t need magic for, but it intervenes, because it’s part of that world.

5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

A couple of weeks ago, I asked my readers on Facebook which Fairy Tale they would like to have next. 200,000 people interacted with the post and the winner by popular demand is Hansel and Gretel. I’m so excited to be writing it. I think it has so much potential for humour, and I can’t wait to see my new cover with the chocolate house.

6. Who is your favourite character in the books. Can you tell us why?

I love Shraga, the sarcastic mirror from Snow White, who doesn’t want to leave his keeper, the magician and join the queen. He is so real to me, like a young man that is forced to do something boring and frustrating and he is openly rebellious against it. Shraga hates the queen and uses every instant he has to show it to her.

7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

I think I would love to be Red Riding. She’s been my favourite so far. I would have loved to meet her evil, funny grandmother and most of all, I would have loved to meet the wolf. In many ways I have, since I did build him based on two men that I knew, but with the combination came something new and exciting.

8. Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?

All three. I try not to have “good characters” and “bad characters” because I don’t think life works that way. Instead, I think of complexity and it adds an element of surprise into the plot. Without giving too many spoilers, in one of the books, the “goodies” suddenly turn on the person who trusts them, just because they are human and they make a mistake, but you can’t see it coming, because they are so “good.”

9. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I just start writing. I always have the Grimm and the Disney in my mind when I write, and I start there. Then I think of how to give it more colour. How do I start from a different point of view? So Snow White starts with Shraga, the mirror and Red Riding starts with the evil grandmother, who likes to scare Red with wolf stories.

10. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I don’t currently belong to a critique group. I have a dear friend who has been an excellent critique. He understands what I am trying to convey, and he is not afraid to tell me what he really thinks, even if it means I have to make a lot of changes. This is the most valuable resource for me, and my writing has developed to a much higher level thanks to this input.

BLURB:

Book 1 blurb: You know this story... or do you?

How about a little twist?

Read the story of Snow White as never told before!

With the vicious queen Anagrola, the confused and sarcastic mirror Shraga, and the most gifted seven men you’ve ever met.

Let the tale begin!

Book 2 blurb:

You know this story... or do you?

How about a little twist?

Read the story of Cinderella as never told before!

With the mysterious blue fairy godmother, the cunning step-sisters, and a woman, who for the life of her, just can’t stop cleaning!

Let the tale begin!

Book 3 Blurb:

You know this story... or do you?

How about a little twist?

Read the story of Red Riding Hood as never told before!

With the hood that leads to fame and fortune, the mysterious wild wolf, and a grandmother so evil, she could rewrite the history of sin. Red’s not little anymore!

Let the tale begin!

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EXCERPTS:

To see a sample of the book, check out the Amazon page:

https://www.amazon.com/Funny-Fairy-Tales-White-Dwarfs-ebook/dp/B06XW31FXR/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1494256777&sr=8-4&keywords=funny+fairy+tales

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Reut Barak is a freelance journalist, previously published in National Geographic online. She has an MBA from the University of Oxford, and has worked and traveled internationally. This is her first book series.

Well, no not really... The true story is:

Reut was born in Camelot in the year 1201, following the famous explosion of the northern dragon tower.

She has a degree in fantasy and science fiction from the University of Atlantis and this record can be found in the central library, now twenty thousand leagues under the sea.

She likes phoenix riding, dragon fighting and painting the roses red.

More here:

www.funnyfairytales.org

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ReutBarak

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorReutBarak/

Teaser Trailer: https://youtu.be/T1swZS2k4-s

Books Available:

Funny Fairy Tales 1 - Snow White

Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/Funny-Fairy-Tales-White-Dwarfs-ebook/dp/B06XW31FXR/ref=sr_1_5

iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780995773103