LauraKenyon.com

Despite my résumé, I’m not a huge fan of today’s media. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there aren’t loads of wonderful, ethical, idealistic journalists out there who want to make a real difference in people’s lives. In truth, this is probably the case more often than not, but they’re usually not the people who hold the purse strings. And those who do, unfortunately, seem to believe that sensationalized violence sells better. That evil should be slapped under a microscope and analyzed and theorized and replayed and dissected to the point where it’s absurd. That the monsters deserve more attention than the martyrs … because human beings are innately fearful … and that is an easy quality to exploit.

But I could go on about this forever and get nowhere. (As many, many others have done.) So instead, I’d like to share some of the sites I found last weekend, after I wiped CNN from my bookmarks and went on a search for “positive” news. They might just help you remember that for every horrible thing that happens in the world, there are a million other reasons to smile.

1. The Good News Network: This site gathers stories from around the globe. In addition to categorizing its stories by region, the Good News Network also makes it easy to find whatever your aura needs at the moment–be it cute pets, a good laugh, or a hero. Continue reading →

Do you still believe in fairy tales? Do you understand the meaning of “live like there’s no midnight?” If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Imagining what happened to our most beloved fairy tale princesses after true love’s kiss, the Amazon #1 bestselling Desperately Ever After series combines “Game of Thrones” with “Desperate Housewives and adds three heaping cups of Brothers Grimm.

Have you ever wondered how Cinderella would feel 10 years down the road, when her iconic ball gown no longer fit and she was an overextended mother of four? Or how long it would take “Beast” to return to his old, wolfish ways once he regained his good looks? Or what kind of man finds a comatose woman in the woods and decides to kiss her?

Set in a fictional realm based on New York City, the Desperately Ever After series takes a whimsical look at “happily ever after.” With laughter, wine, and a new take on old-fashioned chivalry, these friends see each other through life’s trials one secret at a time.

Like us, the characters struggle with family, kids, career, regret, magical watch lists (okay, maybe not 100% like us), friendships, and … especially … men. It’s a little bit fantasy, a little bit chick lit, and a whole heck of a lot of fun.

WARNING: It is worth noting that, while I have always been a fan of Disney, this series draws from the original fairy tales and my imagination. As such, there are no singing crabs, no flirtatious candelabras, and no Gaston. Belle’s father was a bankrupt merchant (not a beloved inventor), and Sleeping Beauty’s awakening may not have been as romantic as we’ve been led to believe.  I say this both to widen horizons and to ensure my fellow Disney-lovers that this series in no way aims to undo those animated “happily ever afters.” It simply aims to provide a few laughs, question what “happily ever after” means in real life, and present a different interpretation of how these centuries-old stories may have panned out.

This necklace, offered by Newartpendants on Etsy, features one of my favorite sayings. The number 398.2 corresponds to the folktales, fairytales, and fables section of the library.

If you’d like to do a little background reading, please see the following:

• Cinderella by Charles Perrault

• Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, as well as its adaptation by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont

• Rapunzel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

• The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood by Charles Perrault, as well as its earlier inspiration, Sun, Moon, and Talia by Giambattista Basile

• The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen

• Snow White by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812)

• The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Additional tales mentioned in passing: Charles Perrault’s Bluebeard; Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid; and the Grimm brothers’ The Robber Bridegroom, Hansel and Gretel, and The Golden Goose

Now available in print, e-book, and AUDIO!!

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HAVE YOU SEEN THESE?

Check out this new line of Disney Toms, so far featuring Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and now Snow White.

I wonder who’s next. Penelopea perhaps? ;)

Use this link to save $20 off a $75 order

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“Laura Kenyon makes happily ever after desperately delicious!”
~ New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Evanovich

“If you are looking for a fun and gossipy story to satisfy the holes left when Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives had their series finales (or even if you’re going through Once Upon a Time withdrawal come season finale time) look no further than Desperately Ever After.“
~ Chick Lit Central

“At times laugh-out-loud funny, and at times very touching, Desperately Ever After is the debut of a real talent.”
~ Elizabeth Blackwell, author of While Beauty Slept

“An explosive cocktail that will have you laughing out loud and wanting more and more!”
~ Lost in Chick Lit

Have you ever wondered how Cinderella would feel 10 years down the road, when her iconic ball gown no longer fit and she had four kids, a billion royal duties, and a husband who was never ever around? Or how long it would take “Beast” to return to his old, wolfish ways after Belle broke his curse? Or what kind of man finds a comatose woman in the woods and decides to kiss her?

Set in a fictional realm based on New York City, the Desperately Ever After series takes a whimsical look at our most beloved fairy tale princesses several years after true love’s kiss. With laughter, wine, and a new take on old-fashioned chivalry, these friends see each other through life’s trials one secret at a time.

From infidelity to aging. From deferred dreams, lost loves, and the pressures of family life. The books are about a group of ordinary women coming to terms with how their lives have turned out. They just happen to live in castles.

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