It’s February, which means Valentines Day is almost here, which means romance is being shoved down your throat wherever you go, which inevitably means a Disney Princess movie marathon, right? Oh, that’s just me? Well, luckily, my fellow chick lit authors think like me and have organized this snazzy Fairy Tale Fun blog hop! The authors participating (i.e. super cool awesome women just like me!) have been asked to compare their heroines to princesses, and since I love a good princess (see my post on the Defense of Disney Princesses for proof) I jumped at the chance to participate.
Deciding which Princess to compare my heroines to was more difficult, though. I love both of my female main characters (Abigail from Twenty-Five and Honor from Honor’s Lark), but neither of them scream “Princess!” to me. Abigail is meek at times, unsure of her worth, and full of big dreams that she needs a push to accomplish. Honor is (to quote her boss), “prickly”. She’s also selfish and has a weird relationship with the truth. I racked my brain for weeks trying to figure out which princesses my characters would relate to, and even now, I’m not sure how accurate my choice is!
Honor is going to have to stand on her own. She wouldn’t WANT to be a princess and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate being compared with one, either. (Good for you, Honor!) Abigail, on the other hand… She would totally cuddle with me on the couch and sing “I See The Light” at the top of her lungs while watching Tangled. Not that I’m comparing her to Rapunzel, but I’ve got to keep you on your toes! So, which princess is it going to be? My first thought was Belle, who is famous amongst her counterparts for being a lover of books and a dreamer of adventure. Abigail is often described as being a prolific reader and I’m sure Belle would approve of her bucket list, which includes such adventures as riding a motorcycle, climbing a mountain, and going scuba diving. But something didn’t feel right to me about the Belle/Abigail comparison. I love Belle, she’s probably my favorite Disney Princess, but I don’t know that I approve of her choice in men. Sure, the Beast’s heart grows three sizes once he falls for her, but the whole hate turning to love thing is just kinda “meh” for me. I think Belle would agree that being an outsider is no excuse for being an aggressive kidnapper. Besides, Abby’s one true love is the boy-next-door type.
So, moving on. My next thought was Cinderella, because Abigail did have that unfortunate quality of waiting til a man came around to change her situation. But! She’s more badass than Cinderella because once she realizes that’s what she’s done, she leaves! She makes the decision to head off on her own and try and build the life she wanted without help from a man (or anyone else). She seized her independence. And that act made me think of the Cinderella of Into the Woods (you can see my review of the movie here). She thought everything would be better when she married the Prince, and in some ways she was right. She moved to the palace and had servants and clothes and food and everything else she could want, but it didn’t make her happy. She realized she needed more than the dream of perfection and she told him so. She struck out on her own. I loved that about the movie. Because fairy tales always end with happily ever after, but life isn’t quite that easy.
In the end, Abigail’s prince (i.e. boyfriend) does come back to her, but they both admit they made mistakes and they both know that she had to leave in order to be happy. To clinch the deal – I “cast” Anna Kendrick as my dream Abigail!
Abigail is Into the Woods Cinderella, but with an infinitely better Prince.
Don’t run off, yet! There’s more!
There’s a fabulous prize available to all who hop with us today. The Grand Prize is the Sprite 24 Gift Box from Fairytale Brownies, which includes a snack-size assortment (Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Mint Chocolate, Original, Peanut Butter, Pecan, Raspberry Swirl, Toffee Crunch, Walnut, White Chocolate, Espresso Nib, Cream Cheese) of 12 delicious gourmet brownies. The Giveaway is open to US residents only (sorry my international lovelies) and there are a bunch of opportunities to win! Just head to each stop on the hop and leave a comment answering their question attached to the giveaway. Entries MUST include valid email address in order to win. My question for you – on a rainy day, what’s your favorite romantic movie to get all cozy with?
Now, what are you waiting for – go check out the other hoppers and see which Princesses they paired their heroines with!
I Picked Up a Pen One Day... 