Interview with Kendra E. Ardnek

There's a new Kendra E. Ardnek book launching today!   It's called Snowfield Palace, and it's a retelling of the fairy tale The Snow Queen mingled with the Jane Austen novel Mansfield Park.  I absolutely loved Emmazel, the previous book in Ardnek's Austen Fairy Tales series, and I greatly enjoyed the first two books (Rose Petals and Snowflakes and Crown and Cinder), so you know I am looking forward to reading Snowfield Palace too.

I've had the privilege of interviewing Ms. Ardnek and, today, I'm sharing that interview with you to celebrate this book's launch!

Rachel K:  How did you come up with the idea of combining fairy tales with Jane Austen books for your retellings? 

Kendra A:  It's been a niggling idea ever since I realized that Austen retellings were a thing, but nothing I ever actually pursued because, at the time, the only Austen novels I had actually read were Emma and P&P. (With some bonus points for having seen both film adaptations of S&S and I'd started Persuasion) However, it came to the forefront of my mind again when my friends released some depression-era Austen retellings, and suddenly "Mash 'em with fairy tales" just clicked and there was no turning back. 

Rachel K: How difficult was it to find fairy tales to match with Austen's books? 

Kendra A: It was varying degrees of difficult, and I actually have some friends to thank for the last two. S&S + Snow White and Rose Red was a given, as the two tales both had such strong themes of sisterhood, and I knew Brandon would make an amazing bear. I'd had Cinderella+P&P niggling at the back of my head ever since an article I'd read once, so it was also a given. Emma + Rapunzel mostly happened because I had Rapunzel on my brain from other projects, but as soon as I had the connection I was sold on it. 

The others, I still hadn't read yet as I brainstormed the project, but I did know enough about Mansfield Park to pair with The Snow Queen based on the friends-to-lovers and "other woman." Kelsey Bryant suggested Beauty and the Beast for Northanger Abbey based on the Gothic imagery, though I do have a second fairy tale that will be a plot twist, and Jenelle Leanne Schmidt pointed out that The Little Mermaid is based on the forbidden romance and the fact that Wentworth in Persuasion is a ship captain. 

Rachel K: What has surprised you while writing this series? 

Kendra A: How easy it is to sell with just "Hey! You! Have you ever wanted to read Jane Austen and a fairy tale at the same?" And also the fact that everyone assumes that it's regency fantasy. I mean, I could have gone that route, but I'm a medieval fantasy author and thought it would be more fun to reimagine Austen in the aesthetic of fairy tales, and not the other way around. 

Rachel K:  Who has been your favorite character in this series so far? 

Kendra A:  Based on how often I use her, Elinrose? Ginny has been the easiest to write, though. 

Rachel K:  What's your favorite fairy tale? Have you ever retold it? 

Kendra A:  That's a rabbit hole. I love obscure tales, and I generally have a list that I'll pull from on a given day and state as a favorite. Most I haven't had a chance to retell yet, though, just because it's far easier to market Cinderella. (But I also have an obsession with retelling Cinderella, having released two of them just this year.) But I have plans. 

Rachel K:  Do you have a favorite fairy tale retelling written by someone else? 

Kendra A:  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Best retelling ever written, and probably what caused my life-long obsession with retelling Cinderella. 

Rachel K:  What's your favorite Jane Austen novel? 

Kendra A:  Emma. Snarky Knightley is life. But I do have a soft spot for Mansfield Park and find it one of Austen's most fascinating works. 

Rachel K:  Do you have any favorite movie adaptations of Austen's books? 

Kendra A:  There's this little-known S&S retelling called Frozen that I think is pretty good. It's animated, and it removes the Ferrars plotline in lieu of secret ice magic, but has one of the best Marianne's I've ever seen. 

In a *cough* more serious note, I largely prefer TV series adaptations, and usually the old-old ones from the 70's and 80's. I do like the 2020 Emma movie, though. The stylization was pretty. 

Rachel K:  What's something about your writing or your books that nobody asks you, but you want to talk about or explain? 

Kendra A:  "Will I be doing more fairy tale / classic novel mashups after I'm done with Austen?" It's currently the plan! The Shakespeare Fairy Tale is going to be next, and then I have The Dickens Fairy tale and some random Classic novels that will be combined into The Classic Fairy Tale. I also have elf-human romance series of Austen retellings called Elven Prejudice. Can't promise when you'll see any of them, because The Fairy Tale Maneuver has priority, but they're in the pipeline and I look forward to writing them.

If you want to know more about Snowfield Palace, here's the official description:

Ginny doesn't belong in Snowfield Palace, but she has nowhere else to go. An old promise between her mother and Lady Bethim keeps her off the streets when she's left alone in the world, and she's eternally grateful for the home - and the friendship of Kaimund, Lady Bethim's son. She makes herself useful however possible and life is quiet. Until the far-too-charming Prince Hans and his sister Maia visit and send her world spinning. A shattered mirror is nothing to laugh about, and a new, dark magic could destroy everything.

You can buy Snowfield Palace here for Kindle today, and there will be a paperback edition available soon.  You can find the whole series on Amazon here.  And here's the Goodreads page for Snowfield Palace so you can add it to your want-to-read shelf.

Thank you for letting me interview you, Ms. Ardnek!  This has been a genuine pleasure :-)