This season on The Real Princesses of Storybook County:
Aurora takes a good long look in Snow’s mirror… will she like what she sees?
Beauty finds true love’s kiss… but it’s not with the Beast
Jasmine’s had enough and takes revenge on one of her fellow castmates… but which one?
If you want to know who won’t be getting their Happy Ever After, Tune in to the Fable Channel on your telemirror set this season
In Spelled, Princess Dorthea’s favorite snack is a little something called a Chocolate Wand. If you want to really get into the book, why not read and much your own wand?
There are a couple of ways to do it.
You can use a tube of Pillsbury breadsticks, taking apart one to roll out into a thin thread to spiral around the “wand”. Or you can mold the dough into any shape you want. Bake until crispy, then let cool. Next melt down some chocolate in a double boiler. White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk or semi-sweet. Whatever flavor you are feeling. (If you want to get really fancy, you can dip your bread stick in caramel first) Dip 2/3 in, leaving a handle. Then add sprinkles before the chocolate dries.
Set and Voila. Thick Pretzel rods work well too.
It’s pretty easy, but if you want the feel without the work, Pocky Sticks are a sort of ready made solution. In fact I regularly chowed down on the while writing Spelled. Enjoy and if you make some wands, please tweet me a picture of the magic @BetsySchow or email me betsyschow@gmail.com
When I created SPELLED, I imagined a world where every character ever written could interact with each other. A world called Libraria. My story takes place more specifically within the realm of Fairytale. When I was writing Spelled, I began to think about the culture that the inhabitants of Fairytale might have. (I’m a cultural anthropology minor–assuming I ever find time to finish my degree) How would these characters see there own lives? What sort of view of destiny would they hold? What sort of cosmology and religion?
I decided that just as I believe I was created by a God who watches over me, so too do these characters believe. Except their Almighty Power is a pantheon of “Storymakers” that determine their traits, character arcs and happy ever afters. Like the Greeks had Zeus, the characters of Fairytale had Grimm at the head of the pantheon. There is also a host of other patron Storymakers.
In the real world of “Kansas” and Provo, Utah, there are Storymakers everywhere. But we know that we are anything but Almighty beings. Quite often we start writing with a beautiful outline, only to have our characters hijack the story and take it into a whole new and unexpected direction.
The name “Storymakers” actually came from an author’s guild I belong to, LDStorymakers. I was so fortunate this past weekend to attend a conference with other members of the group such as James Dashner, Brandon Mull, J. Scott Savage, Jennifer Nielsen, Martine Leavitt, and hundreds more. From NYT best-selling writers to those working on their first drafts, we all came with one thing in mind. To Learn. To Grow. To Create. To Build up more characters and then let them loose to find their own fates.
Spelled is a fun romp through fairytales, but if you read closely, you’ll also feel a theme of how I interpret the world, personal accountability, and the role the divine plays in our society. I wanted people to think about whether their own “Storymaker” wrote every twist and turn of their lives or if they were ultimately responsible for their own happy ending.
Ever since Princess Dorthea of Emerald made the wish that upended all of Story, strange occurrences and illustrations have been flooding Flitter accounts through Libraria. The most recent is the report of an unknown creature soaring through the skies with a damsel hanging from its mouth. One shopkeep made an etching of the beast that appears to have a lions body, broad feathery wings, sharp and twisted horns, as well as a whip-like dragon’s tail.
One Flitter user, BlackCrow76, called the beast a “Chimera”, though no record of such a creature could be found in our fact-checking. As the sketch and description don’t match any entries in the Beast’s book titled, Animal Attractions, this reporter can only surmise that the reports are another intentional hoax or mass-hystoria, similar to the frog-prince-plague last week.
If you have evidence of this “Chimera” tag us @BetsySchow and prove me wrong.
A
t this time M.I.S.T must regrettably place a moratorium on all Camelot visits as the castle was recently, “misplaced” -as Master Merlin puts it- during the unfortunate wishing event. For some inexplicable reason, however, Camelot’s reflection is still visible in the waters of Avalon. The Lady of the Lake is being investigated for the theft.
In addition to the cancellations, the official tourism board has also issued a travel warning for the area for characters of both Legend and Fairy-tale Stories. Though Master Merl
in had hoped to organize a search party to ascertain the current whereabouts of Excalibur, the Ministry has grave concerns that the castle may choose to reappear unexpectedly on top of any foolish enough to go searching for the sword. All crossings by horse, pegasus, and fairy godmother are expressly forbidden.
Right now, for a limited time, you can feel like the Queen in this 100% authentic relic of the Emerald Dynasty, salvaged from the gemstone wreckage of the the former Palace after Griz blew it down with her storms.
*some exclusions apply
There’s only one available, so hurry fast and use your spellphones to dial #555-CASTLE1
And if you call within the next ten minutes, we’ll throw in these Hans Christian Loubatin knock offs for no extra charge (excludes 9.99 handling fee)
All of this can be yours for one thousand 4-star reviews. (Plus shipping and handling) Storybook Express cards are the preferred payment method of the Castle Shopping Network.
*This is the really really fine print. As if you couldn’t tell, this is a fake infomercial. You cannot have this crown cuz its in the Smithsonian or something. The shoes are actual Christian Loubatin’s that can be yours for about $700. We hope you have enjoyed this Spelled extra content and please please enjoy the book.
Story by Jabba the Huntsman
More fallout from the cursed wishing star incident, Wish-pocalypse caused by Princess Dorthea, hits Story residents as the top leaders in the shepherding industry have reportedly joined the Dark Side. Tensions between Bo Peep and the Little Girl Down the Lane over ethics of Black Sheep have always been high, but the absence of fairytale rules has destroyed the peace between the two parties. Reports of mass fleecings have been pouring in, as well as rumors of a full scale Clone War set to begin on May the Fourth.
A large army of Peep’s clone troopers were seen marching down the lane, with Dolly said be leading the charge. This claim could not be substantiated as white armor used on both sides makes it impossible to differentiate between the troops. If confronted by these clones, residents are advised to wave a hand in front of the Ewes and say, “These are not dragons you’re looking for.” 
Following the Wish-quake reportedly caused by a misfired wish (see FOX and the Hounds coverage here), the Ministry of Inter-Story Tourism has issued a travel advisory for all Libraria. The epicenter of the phenomnon seems to be the Emerald Palace, but the investigation is still ongoing. Prime Minister Goose urges calm and caution while the after wish effects are felt throughout the Fairy Tale realms .
Particular areas of concern include the Sherwood Forest, where trees have been recently reported as uprooting themselves and chasing tresspassers;
Wondergardens has also reported strange plant behavior including rapid growth and carnivorous blossoms. This is the last known image of Red before her cape was found in tatters. WARNING: THIS PHOTO MAY BE TOO INTENSE FOR MORE SENSITIVE READERS.
All Princesses are advised to stay inside their towers and not let down their hair for anyone until the side effects have passed.
