The Beauty of Fairy Tales (seeing a glimpse of Heaven and what could be) | Saraina Whitney

 

The Beauty of Fairy Tales (seeing a glimpse of Heaven and what could be) by Saraina Whitney 

blog interview 

Hello dear friend! 

Today I am beyond excited to be sharing an interview I did with the ever lovely, blogger, writer, singer, Christian, lover of stories and fairy tales: Saraina Whitney! 

I had such a fun time chatting with Saraina! I’m so excited to share this interview with you! I hope you enjoy our conversation and you found some inspiration while reading. 

Feel free to join in on the conversation by commenting down below! You can also connect with Saraina with the links below! 

About Saraina: 

Saraina Whitney is a passionate Christian writer who has a weakness for poignant stories with hints of true hope. She lives in the windy Illinois countryside with her family of fourteen. Known as the quietest of them all (except when she’s singing), she loves observing people and sharing inside jokes about movies with her siblings. She often spends her free time editing what she just wrote, rereading her favorite scenes from books, learning about Myers-Briggs personality types, or playing piano pieces from epic soundtracks. Her short story To Be Loved in the Tell Me You Love Me anthology is her first publication. Connect with her at sarainawhitney.wordpress.com

• Blog: https://sarainawhitney.com

• Newsletter: https://saraina-whitney.kit.com/1f204dcb19

• Get The Noble Princess: https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Princess-Cornerstone-Goose-Retelling-ebook/dp/B0DMPK6FTM

• All the links: https://linktr.ee/sarainawhitney

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, pull up a chair and come join us in our conversation about faith, fairy tales and writing with Jesus! 

Hello Saraina, dear! Welcome to The Fable Rose blog! I am so delighted to have you here! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this little interview with me! 

I’m delighted to be here! Thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog, Moriyah! 

Imagine we are sitting together at a little old bookstore that feels like we are in the English countryside (us and our lovely friends reading this). A mix between a cozy cottage and whimsical bookstore overrun with hanging plans. Some classical music is playing in the background. People with steaming mugs of coffee or tea in hand are chatting quietly in little corners of the room. Speaking of yummy drinks, what is your drink order? Mine will be a steaming mug of chai with vanilla cold foam! 

This is literally my DREAM PLACE. *gazes around with a blissful smile* Ooh, my drink order has to be a steaming mug of chai too! Specifically a dirty chai with hazelnut and oat milk. 😆 

Ooo! That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you like it here! 

For those who haven’t met you yet, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? *takes a sip of tea* 

I’m a Christian homeschool graduate who lives in the Illinois countryside with my family of fourteen! (I’m the second oldest, with five younger sisters and six brothers.) I’ve been writing and imagining stories my whole life, but I’ve grown more serious about it in the past few years, realizing that stories hold power and that this love for fantasy and fiction comes from the Creator, given to me for a purpose. Several of my shorter stories are published in anthologies and collections, and my latest release is technically my debut, the first story released in its own book. 

Besides all that comes with being a writer, I work part time at a coffeeshop (I know, your typical introverted writer job 😆), wash piles of dishes at home, and play piano (either scores from movie soundtracks or next Sunday’s hymns for church), if I’m not halfway through a book or scrawling handwritten letters to friends.

Thank you so much for sharing about you and your life! I love that you are a homeschooler (same as me)! That’s so cool you are in a family of fourteen! I LOVE big families and it’s so wonderful to see! Congratulations on your debut novel which we’ll chat more about in a second! I love that you have other creative hobbies like playing the piano! I think when we are able to create even outside of writing that it can actually help fuel creativity for our writing projects but that’s a side topic, lol. 

You wrote a lovely novella that is a part of the Cornerstone series which is a collection of Christian fairy tale inspired novellas! I am so beyond excited for this story of yours! It just recently came out so it is available to read now! Can you tell us a little bit about your novella? 

Yes!!! A Noble Princess is a Christian fantasy Goose Girl retelling, with cottagecore vibes, slow-burn romance between a bodyguard and a princess, and themes of finding your identity in Christ.

Here’s the full blurb...

What happens when duty and love tear you in opposite directions?

Wilder “Becks” Beckington knows his duty as a royal bodyguard. Protect, no matter the cost. But when the elderly queen summons him while on her sickbed, she gives him an impossible command he somehow must fulfill. Escort the princess to marry her betrothed, all the while keeping a life-changing secret from her, one that could prove deadly in the wrong hands. He would rather die than lie to the woman who’s become his unlikely friend, but with her entire future at stake, he swears to secrecy.

Princess Aurelia of Galandra knows her duty as the daughter of the queen. Obey, no matter the cost. But with her mother’s health on the brink, she’s also reeling from the discovery of a terrible secret, one that shakes the very foundations of her reality. While anxieties about her future marriage plague her and nightmares about her past leave her sleepless, she undertakes the journey to the Kingdom of Nordenberg, as her friendship with her bodyguard, Becks, becomes more tentative and fragile by the day.

While Aurelia struggles to make sense of who she is and Becks battles to push down the rogue feelings he has for her, danger and unforeseen obstacles haunt their every step. The truth must stay safely hidden, or disaster will strike. Can Wilder Becks fulfill his mission, or will his heart and dark past overcome him, to the detriment of the princess?

A Noble Princess is a goose girl fairytale retelling (one of my favorite fairy tales)! There is so much beauty in fairy tales. So many hidden truths. So much inspiration in each story! I feel like all of my stories have little hints of fairy tales in them because these stories have been so impactful to me. What is one way that fairytales have impacted you or taught you something (this can be about life or writing or whatever you think of)? 

I saw a comment on some video that said something to the effect of, “Just because reality exists doesn’t make fairytales any less beautiful.” Fairytales are, at their essence, captivating and beautiful. There’s darkness and danger and dragons, yes, but as a general rule, goodness, love, and justice win in the end. And that’s a theme that has impacted my writing (and even my life) from the very start. 

There is a good and gladsome reality beyond the dark grittiness of our world, beyond the marijuana-scented alleys, and the cemeteries beside rundown grocery stores, and the abortion clinics across from churches, and the forgotten wedding rings.

As long as God exists (which is forever), there WILL be light. Heaven is the ultimate fulfillment of that, but here on earth, fairytales help give us glimpses of what could be. Even the “fluffy”, fantastical tales of lost glass slippers and cursed spindles. 

They give readers hope and a reason to smile. They give readers a fresh, pure way of looking at the world, and seeing real-life magic in the colors of the sunset and the sparkle of icicles hanging from otherwise ordinary storefronts and the weathered smile of a stranger’s face. 

There’s actually a snippet from A Noble Princess that reminds me of this exact topic! Princess Aurelia loves painting, and in this scene her future father-in-law, the king of Nordenberg, is interrogating her about this hobby.

”It’s a very productive use of time,” I interrupted, suddenly annoyed at the king’s choice of words and too irked to let them slide without protest. ”This world needs beauty. It aches for beauty. It’s filled with pain and darkness, and every time I capture something good in a painting, it reminds me that not all is hopeless and bleak.” My pulse was racing, pounding blood through my chest. ”And what’s more, I think what this palace is missing is art. The walls are so empty. Perhaps I could decorate it once my paintings arrive with the rest of my belongings.”

I had stunned myself, saying so much. I clamped my lips shut and braced for the lecture.

But an equally infuriating silence greeted me, as I was learning to expect.

Girl! This is so beautiful!!! You have such a talent with words. I love how much hope overflows from your writing and view and perspective on life! It is truly inspiring! I absolutely loved it when you said, “Heaven is the ultimate fulfillment of that, but here on earth, fairytales help give us glimpses of what could be.” That is so beautiful! I want it on a shirt, lol. I love how Aurelia, in your story, talks about the world aching for beauty. That is so true and I feel like it really resonates with me. I just want to read your story even more now because that snippet is just so good! 

On your amazing blog you have a tagline I really love: “kindling hope through stories” How do you kindle hope through your writing? What do you hope your readers will get out of reading A Noble Princess? 

Yes! With all of my stories, I want the messages and themes woven throughout to face the darkness in the world head-on, but also point you back to the truth of the gospel, bringing hope that all your brokenness can be redeemed.

When readers finish A Noble Princess, I hope they’re reminded of their true identity in Christ. No matter how great the pain of your past and present, you are more than the sum of your mistakes and failure, more than the sum of people’s opinions of you. God’s grace can redeem even you. Especially you. <3

I love that! I love your message and heart in your writing. I think you are going to impact a lot of people and be a light in many lives. God has given you a beautiful gift and heart. He will use it for good and for His glory! 

What is one way that faith has played a part in your writing life? I know for myself that faith is SO important to me and my writing. I would really love to hear from you how your faith as a Christian and believer in Jesus has affected or has been impactful on your writing.  

I can’t even imagine trying to write without Jesus in my life. It would be so depressing. 😭 I think there are two main ways faith plays a part in my writing life, and the first would be how it guides what I actually write. The underlying themes in my books all stem in some way from a spiritual truth I learned (and am still learning) in my own life---whether that be the importance of wholehearted trust in God or the realization that your identity is first and foremost in Christ. Often, when I begin a story, I have a specific theme in mind, but when I reach the end, I look back and see a whole new, unplanned theme emerge. Those are the best because they emerge naturally, without any effort---simply given to me by the Holy Spirit. (And it almost always coincides with something I’m going through in my own life. 😅) 

Besides how faith shows up on the page, it’s EVERYTHING to me in the actual writing and editing and publishing process. Being an author is sometimes straight-up grueling work,and often all the odds seem stacked against you. 😭 (I certainly felt that way with A Noble Princess. Writing was going slow almost the entire time, and as the deadline approached, I started to lose hope that I would even make it. Talk about stressful XD) 

But when your anchor is God Himself, you have nothing to fear. I re-learn that every time I write a new story. Whenever the inevitable doubt and stress and tears strike, I have to surrender it to Him over and over again. My pride, my desire for control, my fears that the story will never be good enough. 

Because He has a plan for the story that is far better than mine. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” You may miss a deadline or two, you may end up publishing a less-than-stellar debut, you may never win an award. But when you place it in His hands, He will use your mistakes and meager offerings for good. And that’s enough.

Your faith is so beautiful and inspiring! I love your heart of surrender to God. It’s so beautiful how you trust in Him and how He gives you these themes and teaches you truths and lessons for your own growth while writing. He is teaching you things in such a beautiful way that I think will be evident in your stories to better help and encourage those who read these stories. I love that you have that reminder of, you know, God having a plan for you and your stories far better than what you can think of imagine. It’s really beautiful and inspiring and I feel so honored you shared your story with me and our lovely readers! 

My final question for you is how can people find you? 

You can find me ranting about fun topics on my blog (https://sarainawhitney.wordpress.com/), getting deep and real with you in my author newsletter (https://authorsaraina.com/), or sharing bookish updates and fun behind-the-scenes tidbits on my Instagram (@sarainawhitney)!

Thank you so so much for being here and doing this little interview for the blog! It has been so wonderful to have you here!  

Thank you SO much, Moriyah! <3 I’m honored to be featured on the Fable Rose blog and I’ve had so much fun answering your lovely questions! 🥰

Friends! A Noble Princess is out now! If you love the goose girl, friends-to-lovers, Princess x Guard, cottagecore, forbidden love, Christian fiction and summer time then you are going to love this story! This is a wonderful fairytale reimagining you don’t want to miss! 

Ahhh!!! Wasn’t that conversation just amazing?!? I had such a fun time doing this interview with Saraina! I hope you enjoyed reading along with us! Hopefully we can bring Saraina back for a guest post or something because that was just so lovely getting to chat and have her over here! 

Don’t forget to grab your copy of Saraina's beautiful book: The Noble Princess!* 

*I am not an affiliate. I am just a huge fangirl of this story and want you all to read this story and get these amazing preorder goodies before the time is up! 

Thank you Saraina for coming on the blog and for doing this interview with me! This was so fun and I hope to have you on my blog again soon! 

Thank you all for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day! I’ll see you soon! 

Love,

Moriyah