A Fairy Tale to Tell
In her book
The Fairies in Tradition and Folklore, Katharine Briggs wrote, “The literary treatment of fairies has been beset with the dangers of whimsicality ever since the poets ceased to believe in them” (248). Fortunately, these days we urban fantasy and paranormal romance writers seem to have cast aside images of the fairy folk as cutesy little girls in tutus and butterfly wings in favor of more kick-ass depictions. But even though the fairies that populate my
Transplanted Tales series definitely fall into the latter category, I couldn’t quite ignore the whimsy that has seeped into popular culture. After all, my characters are transplants from the very stories we grew up on in all their various incarnations. This is especially true of Lavender Seelie, my protagonist in
THE BETTER TO SEE YOU (
Transplanted Tales #2).
Lavender is Cinderella’s former fairy godmother, which presented an interesting dilemma for me as her creator. At the heart of Lavender’s story is her journey to redemption, her struggle to find a place in the world again, to believe in herself once more and to finally accept that, no matter what her past has been, she deserves a future filled with love and happiness. It’s a tough journey, and is one fraught with murder, mystery, and a fair amount of fairy dust. Although I couldn’t ignore some of the aspects of the story of
Cinderella as we know it today, I obviously didn’t want Lavender to be a plump elderly woman floating around on a cloud of shimmery light. I had to come up with a way to give her story a twist and make her more modern, more interesting, and more relatable.
So, in a complete departure from cartoon depictions of a fairy godmother, Lavender is sexy, saucy, and a magnet for trouble. She’s a recovering alcoholic whose guilt over accidentally transplanting hundreds of her Make Believe brethren into our world has left her a shell of who she once was. And, like most fairies, she has a thing for clothes and is very particular about her sense of style, which happens to be a little bit Goth, a little bit steam-punk, and goes really well with her naturally purple hair. Lavender
did help Cinderella snag the prince, though—and has regretted it ever since.
Not content with just incorporating aspects of Lavender’s connection to
Cinderella, I also wanted to draw upon the fairies of folklore. After reading several books on the subject, I decided to make Lavender a particular variety of fairy known as a Seelie. The “good” fairies of Scottish folklore, Seelies are rather an aristocratic bunch known for being a bit kinder toward humans than some of their brethren. Even so, they don’t take kindly to being insulted and can be rather vengeful. This comes into play significantly in Lavender’s story, especially in regard to how her family treats her after she royally screws up and besmirches their good name.
Speaking of names, they’re incredibly important to the fairies in my series. Lavender’s true name is wiped from record because of her transgressions, so she now goes by an assumed name. In her case, she chooses a name that reflects the fact that in addition to being a Seelie, she’s also a lavender flower fairy. According to Teresa Moorey’s
Fairy Bible, lavender fairies have a protective streak and are particularly concerned about women mistreated by their mates (310). Although it isn’t referenced in my novel itself, this protective streak was foremost in my mind when I wrote Lavender’s story and helped me determine her motivations for becoming a fairy godmother in the first place and then for finally breaking away from the Charmings.
Other characteristics of lavender fairies also helped me shape Lavender’s personality. Kind, caring, and intensely loyal, these are her most endearing traits and are sometimes at odds with the arrogance and snobbery that comes as the byproduct of being raised among the Seelies. But ultimately, “the greatest gift from a Lavender Fairy is happiness” (Moorey, 311). It is
this gift that Lavender is finally able to bring to the residents of The Refuge and, in particular, to Seth “Big Bad” Wolf. But, alas,
his story is a topic for another day…
Works Cited:
Briggs, Katharine. Fairies in Tradition and Literature. New York: Routledge Classics, 2002
(originally published 1967).
Moorey, Teresa. The Fairy Bible. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008.
Author Bio:
Kate SeRine (pronounced “serene”) faithfully watched weekend monster movie marathons while growing up, each week hoping that maybe
this time the creature du jour would get the girl. But every week she was disappointed. So when she began writing her own stories, Kate vowed that her characters would always have a happily ever after. And, thus, her love for paranormal romance was born.
Kate lives in a smallish, quintessentially Midwestern town with her husband and two sons, who share her love of storytelling. She never tires of creating new worlds to share and is even now working on her next project.
Find out more about Kate at
www.kateserine.com.
Find Kate SeRine:
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