Shanna Germain first caught my eye way back in 2002 with a sweet little strawberry tale that had a fairy-tale feel in a modern day setting. Since then, I've lost count of the times we've worked together. Her writing resonates with readers, lingering long after the story has ended. In Alison's Wonderland, she is one of two authors who took on Rumpelstiltskin.
1) Which fairy tale character would you most like to do and why?
I've always had a thing for Little Red Riding Hood. It's all that sweet innocence hidden inside something that's so full of blatant power and sexuality: a blood-red cloak. She seems to me like the kind of girl you'd approach with the hopes of corrupting, and then she'd turn the tables on you, throw back her hood with a wicked, wolfish grin, and become a woman who'd take control.
2) If your fairy godmother or fairy godfather (I’m an equal opportunity fairy employer) waved a magic wand over your head and granted you three wishes, what would you be wearing during your wishing?
There are so many outfits designed for begging, it's hard to choose just one. Something that lets me go down on my knees, of course, and shows off my cleavage from that flight-height that fairy godmommas and poppas have. Black leather boots, I think, and a leather skirt, hem down to the ground and slit up to my thigh, plus a red silk corset, laced up the back. And some red-red lipstick in a shade called If Wishes Were Whores.
3) What would you wish for?More lipstick. A better way with words. And a life filled with sensuality, lust, incredible people and unconventional beauty.
4) Do you own fairy wings? A little red riding hood? Glass slippers? If yes, please describe. Or send photos!
I used to own wings (pink, shimmery, but I'm not sure if they came from a fairy or from my gay friend down the street). I also used to own a red riding hood costume, which definitely came from another friend, after a traumatic work situation (for her, not me). The outfit was one of her ways of saying thank you for being there, I think, and I treasured it for a long time.
I would break my head open if I had glass slippers. But I do have clear acrylic stripper shoes with high-high heels. I am dangerous in them. And also very tall.
5) What question would you most like to ask another author in the line-up?
Janine Ashbless, where can I find seven men who will cloak me in amazing jewelry and then worship me? Also, how did you know that was already one of my dreams?
6) What would you like to tell readers about your story in Alison’s Wonderland?
Most of my fairy tale-based stories are set in the times of the fairy tales themselves. For this one, which is loosely based on Rumplestiltskin, I wanted to go more contemporary, because I felt that there was a theme there that is still pertinent today. The ideas of power exchanges -- in terms of sharing our sexuality, our names, and our intimate desires with another person -- is something we all get tangled in regularly. I wanted to explore the sensuality of spinning and being spun, of catching and being caught, of giving and giving in.
7) What fairy tale would you love to tackle in the future?
So far, I've tackled Rumplestiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood (twice), Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Pea, The Woman in the Water and a couple of others. I'm currently working on one called The Rose Thief, about the father who comes to steal the prettiest rose from the Beast's garden. I love to combine fairy tales, to discover what happens when The Beast meets Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella crosses wooded paths with the Big Bad Wolf.
Shanna Germain believes life CAN be like a fairy tale: Filled with big teeth and ripped dresses, colored by purpled skin and ruby-red lips, crowded with hairy beasts, mirrored movements and sadistic queens. Walk with her in the dark woods at www.shannagermain.com.
Comment for a chance to win this sexy lipstick! See, I can grant wishes, and I'm not even a fairy!
XXX,
Alison
P.S. Isn't this necklace very straw-into-gold?
