A warm welcome to author Kristina Meister joining us to talk about new release “Love Under Glasse”.

Reinventing Fairy Tales

Those who delve into fairy tales any deeper than Disney know that there are some dark subjects tackled in them. The Little Mermaid? Doesn’t end well. Cinderella? The Step-sisters legit cut off parts of their feet. There’s always a monster and a deep dark forest, or some sort of horrible outcome and a singular message: Life is dangerous and it’s all a bit inexplicable. Some have argued that the sole purpose of a fairy tale is to warn young children away from risky behavior, or to police societal norms.  And this is why we have to reinvent them.

Princesses marry princes, beauty equates to goodness, women make poor choices or need to be protected from themselves, exploration leads to disaster, physical desire or lust are tantamount to self-destruction—these are but a few of the tropes that insidiously sneak into our heads when we open ourselves up to fairy tales. It’s programming. These ideas reinforce stereotypes about the “counterculture” communities, frighten their members into silence and shame, and make it easy for people to see them as dangerous. Meanwhile truly cruel people prosper, because they wear shining armor.

Love Under Glasse was never just a retelling to me. It was my goal to reinvent the story of Snow White, which is a very sweet one, to take on the more problematic aspects of the genre. It’s something I carry through to my other fairy tale works, like Cinderella Boy. I wanted the main characters to be strong and independent. I wanted to make it clear that the true villains are those who stand in the way of love, no matter what it looks like. I wanted to show my audience that while wandering can be risky, it is the only way to grow, and that nothing is ever gained, if we never move forward.

To the modern reader, most fairy tales contain wickedness so over the top, it strikes the readers as impossible, which can be somewhat comforting. Think about the evil queen or the vindictive witch—they’re not believable, and nowadays we expect more subtlety to villains. The trouble is, that while they may not have magical powers or two dimensional psychology, villains do exist. Looking at the news will prove this. Which is why it was important to me to have a singular villain who managed to bring the divide between the over-the-top wicked step mother with a potions book and the religious zealots we see on some mainstream news networks.

Kids of the LGBTQIA community face these people every day—sometimes even in their own family. It’s not myth, but the unfortunate reality. It is important to me to show that these conflicts exist and to make it clear that my audience doesn’t need to stand for it. You can fight back, you can be a self-saving princess, you can adventure, you can win. You just have to be smart and focused, and strong. It’s possible to have a good life, to find love, to be brave, but only if you can see the possibility of it.

We need some new fairy tales.

About Love Under Glasse

This runaway might want to get caught.

El Glasse’s mother controls her life. What she does, who she dates, even what she’s allowed to say. El only has two ways of holding onto her freedom. One is her popular anonymous blog, hidden from Mama Glasse. The other is what she so often blogs about: her feelings for Riley, the girl who works at the ice cream parlor. Riley is fierce, free, and rides a killer motorcycle, and El cannot help but love her. But Mama Glasse can never find out about her sexuality—unless El is willing to rebel.

When El runs away, Riley feels responsible. She knows what it’s like to be alone, and she can’t deny her deep desire to learn El’s story. In a move she might end up regretting, she makes a devil’s bargain with Mama Glasse to hunt El down.

Riley isn’t trying to bring her home though, because she knows an evil spell when she sees one—a spell of fear and shame El is finally starting to break. This huntress might lose her own heart, but it’s a risk she’s willing to take.

Available now from Riptide Publishing!

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Kristina Meister is an author of fiction that blurs genre. There’s usually some myth, some mayhem, and some monsters. While Kristina’s unique voice and creative swearing give life to dialogue, her obsession with folklore and pop culture make for humor and complexity.

She and her mad-scientist husband live in California with their poodles Khan and Lana, and their daughter Kira Stormageddon, where they hoard Nerf toys, books, and swords—in case of zombie apocalypse.

2018 Foreword INDIES Gold Winner – LGBT

Connect with Kristina:

• Website: com
• Twitter: @kristinameister
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristina.meister

To celebrate this release, Kristina is giving away a custom ordered biker-style patch that represents El and Riley, as well as a signed copy of her award-winning novel Cinderella Boy! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 31, 2019. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!