Interview with Lisa Dawn

I first met Lisa through her blog, but she's a fiction author as well! I recently interviewed her about her books, her blog, and all her favorite things. She's always in the know and has a very cool take on all things princess. Here's our conversation.

You’re always in the know on all things princess. What inspired your interest in princesses?
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​You might as well ask why I was born with red hair! I’ve loved princess stories my entire life, and there was never a time that I didn’t. I relate to them more than any other character archetype. Princesses grow up in loving families who, despite often the best of intentions, want to make all their decisions for them. This motivates them to stand up for their independence and follow their dreams. That was how it felt for me when I was growing up. I also relate to wanting to wear pretty dresses and use magic more than I do to the modern “tough girl” archetype, which, while empowering, appeals to a different type of audience. The princess is also usually the most important and interesting female character in any given story in the fantasy genre.

Why do you think fairy tales are so universally popular?

Fairy tales are some of the oldest stories in the world that were passed down verbally for many years before they got recorded in writing by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault, and others. They never become irrelevant because they are always being reinvented the modern era. Though the most famous person to do this was Walt Disney, the original stories are still in the public domain, which means people can continue reinventing them for each new generation. So basically, fairy tales will continue to exist for as long as humans continue to be entertained by stories. That means they have endless possibilities.

Tell me about your own writing and retellings. What inspired them? How did you use elements from the original stories in your work

Of my six original novellas, two are based on fairy tales. There are so many great fairy tale retellings out there that I only write my own if I have something new to offer. In the case of Of Land and Sea: The Untold Story of The Little Mermaid, I wanted to explore the life of the princess who the prince marries in the Hans Christian Andersen version of “The Little Mermaid.” Most adaptations turn her into a wicked seductress, but I never thought that was fair considering that she probably had no idea she was ruining someone else’s life when she married him. That’s why I decided to write my own version from the perspective of this “villain” to show that a person’s reputation does not always reflect their intentions. I was also partially inspired by the novel and musical versions of Wicked, which convey these themes for the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

​My other fairy tale retelling is Blood Red, a version of “Little Red Riding Hood” set in modern-day Hollywood, which just happens to be where I currently live. I decided to write this after I saw several adaptations of the story that turned Red Riding Hood into a werewolf, namely the 2011 Red Riding Hood movie and ABC’s Once Upon a Time drama series. It irked me that no one seemed to be capable of expanding upon this narrative without being able to separate Red from the wolf character. After all, the fairy tale is supposed to teach children not to speak to strangers because they can’t always be trusted, not whether or not Red was able to trust herself. That’s why I did my own version in which Red is a famous actress who got unintentionally involved with a gang member and needs to solve the mystery of her past before it’s too late. That simultaneously brings the story back to its roots while giving it a fresh modern feel that doesn’t involve werewolves, unlike every other adaptation I’ve seen.

The rest of my books are original fiction inspired by fairy tales. As a writer, I think it’s important to be able share my own stories with the world. Fairy tales help me navigate my own life from a brighter and more meaningful perspective that makes the hard times feel just a little bit easier by incorporating elements magic and heroism. Rebirth: A Faery’s Tale and The Stolen Jewel were inspired by two of the most trying times in my life. Rebirth converts the experience of a difficult relationship into a story about a fire faery who falls in love with a blacksmith, but her touch burns him. The Stolen Jewel converts the experience of losing a coveted career opportunity into a story about a princess who gets ousted from her kingdom. With these stories I was able to create something beautiful out of my personal demons and mistakes. As a result, I regret these experiences just less and can look back at them as magical stories instead of tough times. It is my hope that my stories can help people who had similar experiences do the same.

I know you’ve done screenwriting workshops as well. Are you working on any screenplays at the moment?

I think I’m an unusual type of writer in that I can’t stick to a specific format. I’ve done poetry, screenwriting, prose, and blogging, and I love all of them equally! The Stolen Jewel started out as a screenplay for the UCLA Professional Program for Screenwriting, but I felt so attached to the narrative that I wanted to share it with the world. Since the chances of having a producer call me and ask to turn it into a feature film are extremely slim, I ended up converting it into a novella and selling it online so I could share it with a wider audience. Right now, I’m working with my classmates on a spin-off/sequel screenplay to The Stolen Jewel called The Stolen Queen about Lily, the best friend of the protagonist. A lot of my readers told me she was their favorite character, so I thought it would be fun to give her a story of her own. Of course, that also means that I will probably have to convert it into a novel once I finish the screenplay, so it looks like I have my work cut out for me! I went through the exact opposite process with Rebirth: A Faery’s Tale. Once I finished the novella version of that, I rewrote it into a screenplay and am currently working on my third draft.

I love seeing pictures of your princess collection on Facebook. What are some of your favorite pieces at the moment?

I love the Disney Designer Collection dolls that they release every one to two years. I don’t own many because they’re so expensive, but I just had to buy the Ariel and Eric set from their 2013 collection! It’s so rare to see a set with both a princess and her prince together. I loved how they redesigned all their costumes in that collection to look like something you would see at a Renaissance Faire. In fact, I made my own version of Ariel’s designer “Kiss the Girl” dress and wore it to a Renaissance Faire with my husband a few years later. I also loved the Limited Edition 30th Anniversary Ariel doll that they released at the Disney Store last year. I think they excluded Ariel from last year’s Midnight Masquerade Collection because of the 30th Anniversary doll, but I bought a lot of the artwork from that collection at the D23 Expo as well as a jewelry box containing the images from it on the Disney Store’s website. Most of the Disney Designer art is done by Steve Thompson, who I follow on Instagram and Facebook.

Do you have any new books or projects coming out soon?

​I’m still in the early stages of my screenplay version of The Stolen Queen, my sequel to The Stolen Jewel. I’ll get started on the book once I’m happy with the script, but it probably won’t be for a while! In the meantime, I will continue to write weekly posts on The Princess Blog (www.theprincessblog.org). I have a mailing list for my books at https://lisadawnbooks.wixsite.com/lisadawn to keep my readers up to date and have an Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/author/LisaDawn for the books I’ve already released.

What princess (or fairytale) thing are you most excited for in 2020?

​Right now, I’m looking forward to the series finale of Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (formerly Tangled: The Series). There’s less than a month before the finale movie, Plus Est en Vous, which airs on March 1st. The story so far has kept me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t wait to see how it’s going to end!