Genres
- DIESELPUNK – This could go the straight-up magical route—with real dragons, or a more mechanical route—with built dragons, or the more intense route of the Nazis’ fascination with the occult and possible dark things they awoke. ~ Arielle
- MAFIA – This would be great fun with a mafia element and a young cop tasked to infiltrate them to discover where the girls are. OR do it noir-style and have it be the mob. Either way, it would be delicious. ~ Arielle
- URBAN FANTASY – This begs for an urban fantasy set in the Pacific Northwest and a man with a very fine apple orchard. I’m seeing an autumn story, with the girls disappearing around Halloween and returning around Christmas. ~ Arielle
- TRADITIONAL FANTASY – Since there are no retellings of this story (that I’m aware of) I’d love to see some good ol’ classic fairy tale fantasy novels of it, of any and all kind! Though I do so love unique genre takes on fairy tales, I still also want some more traditional ones as well. ~ Christine Smith + Hayden Wand, Tracey Dyck
- DYSTOPIAN – I could see the whole dangerous underground world thing turning into a dystopian novel where maybe mutated creatures or a group of outcasts have to live underground. Then the daughters of the obligatory evil governor/emperor/president/your-choice-of-ruler-here accidentally fall into this dangerous underground place, so he tasks an underdog to go out and rescue them. Because he’d never send any of his prestigious men to that pit. Let the scrabble do the job for him. ~ Christine Smith
- STEAMPUNK – I can picture it now. Mechanical dragons, elf-like automatons that are controlled by a strange flute-like device, a cyborg gnome wreaking havoc. It’d be great! ~ Christine Smith
- MYSTERY – Historical or contemporary would work. Since the daughters go missing and it’s a mystery to the kingdom, I could absolutely see this as a mystery novel. Some esteemed man’s three daughters up and vanish and a young journalist takes up the case. OR an aspiring flautist accidentally gets involved in the mystery and ends up rescuing the daughters from a kidnapper. Or…something. ANYWAY. I think using all the elements and turning it into a mystery novel would be a lot of fun! ~ Christine Smith
- COMIC BOOK – I’d love to see some obscure fairy tales get some love with comic books! It’d be especially awesome if this was an anthology comic book series with lots of different obscure tales. ~ Faith White
- ADVENTURE HISTORICAL/STEAMPUNK – I’d love to see this version set in the Victorian/Edwardian days, however instead of just steampunk, they discover a “lost world” with vast, strange jungles, multi-headed dragons, and missing princesses. I’m thinking Jules Verne meets every dinosaur movie! ~ Faith White
- CONTEMPORARY THRILLER – Okay, hear me out—this would bear only the slightest resemblance to the original tale. But maybe a terrorist group represents the dragon, and the gnome is a lone vigilante working against them… and the huntsman and his brothers end up on the vigilante’s side in order to save the “princesses.” ~ Tracey Dyck
Authors
- INTISAR KHANANI – I started drafting this post while waiting for an author party to start—a party where Intisar was talking about her book: Thorn. And I kept thinking she would do such a superb take on this tale. ~ Arielle
- SUZANNAH ROWNTREE – Between the underground dragons, the questions about what how much the girls did or didn’t know about the curse, the father’s reactions, and the backstabbing huntsmen, this is right up Rowntree’s alley. Something in the vein of another City Beyond the Glass? ~ Arielle
- W.R. GINGELL – Oh stars, she would do such a delicious version of this tale! And I happen to know she’s in quarantine right now (it’s public knowledge on her FB page, I’m not spilling classified information), so… glances sideways at her Just a short story, Gingell? ~ Arielle
- A.G. MARSHALL – I definitely second Marshall! I just finished her Once Upon a Short Story collection today, and it was great. She flipped the tales on their head in fun, intriguing ways. I’d love to see what she would do with this. (I knooooooow, you’re busy preparing Princess of Roses, A.G. but, y’know. If you need a short break…) ~ Arielle
- I also would love to see our very own HAYDEN WAND and KIRSTEN FICHTER tackle this. (All of our FTC girls, actually.) ~ Arielle
- A.G. MARSHALL – I’d love to see her do a fun, lighthearted take on the story, with all sorts of delightful banter and crazy adventures. I think she’d nail it! ~ Christine Smith
- BRITTANY FICHTER – Her Girl in the Red Hood was deliciously eerie, and I think she could create another one like that with this tale. The strange underground world is just begging for a semi-dark take as well! ~ Christine Smith
- RACHEL STARR THOMSON – I adored her novel Lady Moon and I feel like she could do an extremely unique, adorable, hilarious version of this tale. ~ Christine Smith
- GRACE MULLINS – Her story in the Five Magic Spindles anthology, The Ghost of Briardale, was just the most quirky, delightful thing. I would LOVE to see what fun spin she’d do with this fairy tale! ~ Christine Smith
- SHANNON HALE – Because it’s Shannon Hale and I think she’d do one epic retelling of this story! ~ Christine Smith
- Gail Carson Levine. She’s a classic!! ~ Faith White
- Liesl Shurtliff – another Middle Grade hilarious retelling, this time of The Gnome? Yes please! ~ Faith White
- This would be very fun as a Kyle Robert Shultz story, and I also love the idea of Grace Mullins tackling this one, too! This story would work so well in the world she created in The Ghost of Briardale! ~ Hayden Wand
- TIM DOWNS – He could write that thriller I was talking about! ~ Tracey Dyck
- TED DEKKER – So could Dekker, and then we’d get his signature layer of dark symbolism woven through it. ~ Tracey Dyck
- JENNIFER NIELSEN – If you’ve read the Ascendance Trilogy, you know she’s great at the kingdom adventure genre! Although unless the dragon is swapped out for something non-magical, I guess this would be squarely in the fantasy category after all. Either way, she has a brisk, snappy writing style that would fit this well. ~ Tracey Dyck
Pre-Existing Story Worlds
- Faith tossed out a #storywishlist idea a few months ago about a Dear America/Royal Diaries fairy tale series, and I think that would be a FABULOUS setting for this tale. Particularly if it was set in Ancient China, either as historical fiction or wuxia. ~ Arielle
- HAYDEN WAND’S JANUARY SNOW WORLD – The mystery idea I had? I think it’d work SO WELL in Hayden’s delicious 1920s setup! ~ Christine Smith
- EMILY WINFIELD MARTIN ROSE AND SNOW WORLD – Her book Rose and Snow actually did involve an evil gnome and an underground world, so the setup is already there! I loved both the coziness and eeriness of that story and need moooore! ~ Christine Smith
- ALLISON TEBO’S WORLD OF AMBIA – This delightful world of reluctant fairy godfathers is just adorable and I think it’d be a fantastic place to set this fairy tale! ~ Christine Smith + Hayden Wand, Tracey Dyck
- LEA DOUE’S FIRETHORN CROWN WORLD – I’ve only read the first book of this series so far, but the world involves a ton of dragons, a lotta sisters, and there was an enchanted underground world (because the first book was a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling) sooo, once more, the perfect setup for this fairy tale! ~ Christine Smith
- Liesl Shurtliff’s The Fairly True Story series. ~ Faith White
- THE ASCENDANCE TRILOGY – Speaking of Jennifer Nielsen… What if we got a spinoff starring one of Sage’s friends in place of the huntsman? ~ Tracey Dyck
Movies / TV
- ANIMATED dream cast ~ Fairy Tale Central
- LIVE-ACTION dream cast ~ Fairy Tale Central
- SAGEUK – I mentioned Ancient China a minute ago—from the same corner of the world, I think a Korean historical fantasy adaptation of this tale would be delicious. Especially with Ji Soo as the youngest huntsman and Kim Yoo-Jung as the youngest princess. ~ Arielle
- POST-APOCALYPTIC – Wouldn’t this make a great post-apocalyptic TV show? Abandoned castles, huntsmen wandering around having adventures, a father jealously guarding the last Honeycrisp/(fill in the blank with the delicious variety of your choice) apple tree, daughters who wonder if their father is exaggerating how bad the outside world has become, mutant dragons kept underground… Just keep Netflix (and Jason Rothenberg) away from it, please. Hey, Apple TV, you feel like jumping into the post-apocalyptic waters? ~ Arielle
- I would definitely love a lighthearted, brightly colored animated film with a sassy young huntsman going off on this crazy adventure underground. It’d be so much FUN. ~ Christine Smith
- I’m with everyone else – a brightly animated film would be so sweet! I can’t help but dream that it could somehow have that 90s nostalgia? ~ Faith White
- Besides a traditional fairy tale fantasy, I could see this one as an animated tale. I don’t see it so much Disney, though, more of something along the lines of The Swan Princess or Anastasia. ~ Hayden Wand
- I’m with Christine again. Something bright and colorful, and possibly kid-centric, would be enjoyable. The storyline would translate super well to a kids show, come to think of it. ~ Tracey Dyck
- And I wouldn’t say no to a film version of the thriller I was dreaming about, either! Something along the lines of the Bourne series, maybe? ~ Tracey Dyck
Full Fairy Tale Central wishlist
Intuitive Writing Guide 