Interview with a Fellow Fairy Tale-er

Today I am very fortunate to have an interview with J.T. Oldfield who blogs at Bibliofreak. We exchanged questions via email and I just LOVED reading her answers!

ME: Do you prefer twisted, traditional, or modern retellings?

JT: Well, I like the really old, gruesome originals. For modern retellings, I like them if they put a new spin on the tale, or use it allegorically.

ME: If you could meet any character from any fairy tale, which would you choose and why?

JT: I think I might choose Rumpelstilskin because he would be the most fun. I'd just have to be careful what I promise him. Or I might choose the elves from the elves and the shoemaker because maybe I could get them to make me some shoes.

ME: If you wrote a fairy tale what would be the name of your main character?

JT: I think that is a meme for this week! I would be Catra, and I would save the prince.

[ME: I LOVE this answer - I think there are a lot of princes out there who need saving!]

ME: Do you have a favorite retelling of a fairy tale?

JT: I really like Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire.

[ME: Adding to my looong list of TBR fairy tale retellings...]

ME: Who is your favorite fairy tale villain and why?

JT: I really like the evil fairy Godmother from Sleeping Beauty, especially when she turns into a dragon in the Disney version.

[ME: She used to scare me to no end! But, I loved how her name sounded a bit like mine (Maleficent).]

ME: Do you prefer Disney-fied fairy tales (all happy endings) or the original not-so-happy-ending stories?

JT: Original! Though the Disney ones are entertaining!

ME: If you were in a fairy tale would you be the heroine or the villain?

JT: I'd be the heroine.

ME: What do you think makes fairy tales so compelling that we read and write about them for centuries?

JT: They include all of the archetypes that speak to us. Not to get too Jungian or anything...

ME: What's your favorite fairy tale creature (ie: dwarf, dragon, fairy) and why?

JT: I like mermaids. And also centaurs. I guess I like human hybrids?

ME: What is your least favorite fairy tale?

JT: Little Red Riding Hood. I mean, how could she possibly not tell that it was a wolf? Is she blind?

ME: Do you believe in magic or is that just the stuff of fairy tales?

JT: I would like to believe, but I'm too skeptical. Sometimes I can get myself to believe just for fun, though!

Thanks, J.T.! I love getting to know more about others' fairy tale preferences. Don't forget to check out her fabulous blog Bibliofreak.

What are your answers to some of these burning questions?