Once upon a time…

…there were four fairy-tale princesses. They were all very different, but each was very special in her own unique way.

Welcome to this stop on ChickLitChat’s Fairy Tale Fun Blog Hop, part of the ChickLitLove celebration going on all week! Glad to have you here! Let’s talk a princess or two…or how about four? And then I’ll let fill you in on how to win some goodies!

So. These four princesses. Not your usual fairy-tale stock. Their “once upon a time” is actually “sometime in the 21st century,” and the dragons they have to slay look more like mean bosses, obnoxious ex-boyfriends, catty frenemies, nosy neighbors, and even annoying traffic jams instead of giant scaly reptiles. (Except for the ex-boyfriends. Some of those could indeed be mistaken for giant scaly reptiles.) And they’d be the first to tell you they have no fairy godmothers, no fancy dress balls, no talking critters, and certainly no magic. And a charming prince? Pfft—forget it!

However, they are, in fact, very wrong (sorry, princesses!) They do indeed have fairy godmothers (best friends and family), fancy dress balls (parties, including ones they have to dress up for), and talking critters (okay, maybe not literally, but they do run into some unusual characters along the way). And magic? Oh, most definitely magic. Because each princess finds her charming prince, and if anything takes a dollop of magic to succeed, it’s a happily-ever-after! Want to meet my modern-day princesses? Here they are:

By Design

Our princess: Emmie Brewster, hapless interior designer who just wants to start living her life and find her prince

Most closely resembles: Anna, Frozen

Why: Both feel trapped in their lives, and although they’re a bit naïve, they’re cheerful and energetic and optimistic that happiness is right around the corner (and they turn out to be quite correct)

 

 

Unscripted

Our princess: Faith Sinclair, a take-no-prisoners Hollywood producer who fearlessly pulls out all the stops to get her job back after she’s fired, and who finds true love along the way

Most closely resembles: Ella of Frell, Ella Enchanted

Why: Strong and feisty, both are up against seemingly insurmountable challenges in their personal lives—ones that demand so much of their time and energy to overcome, they honestly can’t be bothered trying to find a prince (but in both cases one comes along anyway, and he turns out to be quite helpful)

 

 

Down on Love (A Marsden Novel #1)

Our princess: Georgiana Down, a grumpy, anti-relationship blogger who’s been burned by love

Most closely resembles: Princess Elizabeth, The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Why: They’re both smarter than the dragons they have to slay and smarter than their ex-princes (and they’re both smart enough to leave the boys behind—hey, Princess Elizabeth was all “I don’t need no prince” long before Disney trotted out Merida!); both Elizabeth and George could do just fine without romance in their lives…but in the end, George is happy to welcome a nicer guy into her life! Oh—and if you’ve never read The Paper Bag Princess, you must get it, never mind that it’s a kids’ book; I mean, there are kids’ books and then there are kids’ books, knowhatI’msaying?

 

 

Picture This (A Marsden Novel #2)

Our princess: Celia Marshall, a small town’s favorite daughter who finds herself in over her head when she catches the eye of a big-name movie star

Most closely resembles: Just about any of the classic Disney princesses, or…oh hell, let’s just go with Kate, Duchess of Cambridge (okay, not technically a princess yet, but if she doesn’t seem like one already, I’ll eat my rhinestone-bedazzled crown)

Why: Aside from looking alike, they’re both sweet and clever, everybody loves them, and when you least expect it, they’ll come out with some unexpected humor that will slay you; what’s not to love?

 

If any of these lovely ladies and their stories tickle your fancy, head on over to my books page and order ’em up!

***UPDATE 2/16/15: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! Congrats to our winner of the Magic Morsels brownies: KATIE WATKINS! (Commence Kermit flail!) Thanks to everyone for participating! You were great!***

And if you’re interested in winning some yummy brownies (and who isn’t?), enter our contest! (U.S. residents only, please!) You could win the Congratulations Magic Morsels 48 Gift Box from Fairytale Brownies! The box includes caramel, chocolate chip, original, raspberry swirl, walnut, and cream cheese varieties! Still not convinced? Oh come on—look at this picture! Look at it!

Okay! Now that that’s settled (!) here’s how you can win: Just answer the following question by leaving a comment below, and you’ll be entered to win the fantabulous brownies:

If you could be any princess—real (current or historical) or fictional (book, movie, TV, etc.)—who would you be, and why?

Note: You have to include your e-mail address to make it a valid entry. Again, U.S. residents only. The ChickLitChat crew will select a winner at random, announced Monday, February 16. And you can enter more than once—if you visit all the blogs on the hop today (see the list below) and comment on each one, you could rack up nearly 20 entries!

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of the hop!

Fairy Tale Blog Hop Participants

Isabella Anderson
Christine Ardigo
Glynis Astie
Heather Balog
Tracie Banister
Laura Chapman
Jayne Denker
Whitney Dineen
DelSheree Gladden
Kat Halstead
Cindi Madsen
Jennie Marts
Robyn Neeley
Engy Neville
Colleen Oakes
Katie Oliver
Fern Ronay
Meredith Schorr