The Forest Tales heroines are spunky and sassy, definitely not helpless damsels in distress yet quite feminine. How important is it to strike that balance in a culture that, perhaps, has a tendency to see those attributes as mutually exclusive?
I personally find that balance between strength and femininity fascinating to explore. As a culture, it sometimes feels like we’ve forgotten how to celebrate what it means to be feminine. Biologically, men and women are different. One is not better or worse than the other, but there is a difference that our culture seems to want to ignore. I love to read and write characters that show these differences and celebrate them. We do a disservice to our young female readers if we paint a picture that to succeed in life or be strong, they need to forgo their femininity and act like men. On the contrary, women have many strengths that come more naturally to them than men. For example, studies have shown that women tend to be more empathetic than men. That is a huge strength that is important for leaders.
Because I write to a young adult audience, I try to keep in mind that many of my readers are going through puberty, which can be confusing and scary. We are seeing a huge rise in gender dysphoria in our teens, especially in girls, and I think part of the reason is that girls are not being taught to value their femininity anymore. Young girls are being told that femininity equals weakness and they need to stifle it, leaving them feeling confused and like strangers in their bodies. Instead, we should be teaching girls the true value of their femininity and how to understand and embrace it.
Both your female protagonists and the dialogue have a contemporary feel to them that remind me of Susan Peek’s saint stories. Little liberties are taken with historical culture that make the story more palatable to contemporary readers. Did you feel any tension foregoing strict adherence to the time period in order to create what may be considered more relatable situations?
I love that you picked up on that because it was an intentional writing style that I chose for this series. Although the books in the Forest Tales series are set in a medieval time, they take place in fictional, fairy-tale-style kingdoms, which incorporate some elements of fantasy.
Because I write for a young adult audience, my main goal is to make my characters relatable and inspiring to young readers. Growing up, the books I loved the most always had characters that I saw myself in, so I wanted to give that same relatability to my audience. Because my readers are living in the contemporary world, I chose to give the dialogue and story style a contemporary feel so readers would feel more comfortable immersing themselves in the books. Of course, this does bring the risk that readers who are seeking historical adherence will not enjoy a dialogue or setting that is a little too relaxed for the period.
To help the reader understand what they are getting from my books, I do a few things. One, I don’t specify a time period or use any specific dates. While I do draw from history for certain events and elements, I keep the exact period ambiguous. Two, the kingdoms and world in this series are completely fictional, and although they draw inspiration from medieval Europe, I don’t specify exactly where we are. Three, I add in some low fantasy elements. Mainly, I keep the setting familiar to the reader, but because there is some light magic or fantasy in the stories, it serves to remind the reader that this isn’t necessarily our world, but maybe a mirror image of it. Because of these things, I take some historic liberties and mold the stories in a way that I feel will make the most sense to my audience and give them some familiarity.
Desperate Forest and The Jabberwocky Princess call to mind The Princess Bride and also, obviously, Alice in Wonderland. To what degree did those classics influence you, and are there any other works that influenced the series?
The Princess Bride was one of my family’s favorite movies growing up and it certainly had an impact on the style I chose for writing theForest Tales series. I love the adventure, romance, and good clean fun of that story, as well as the humor and whimsy. I remember seeing that movie for the first time as a kid and just getting lost in it. That’s the type of experience I want to give my readers when they pick up one of my books.
My inspiration for the Jabberwocky Princess lightly drew on Alice in Wonderland but, more specifically, Lewis Carroll’s writing in general. I gave a few nods to Lewis Carroll in The Jabberwocky Princess and had a lot of fun exploring the idea of “nonsense,” from his poem “Jabberwocky.” I read that poem as a child and it always stuck with me because it was so unique. On top of that, growing up my family and I spent time at a bookstore named Jabberwocky. It was so exciting to go there and explore the shelves for new books to the point that it felt a little magical. When I got the idea for the Forest Tales series, I almost immediately decided to write a book with something to do with “Jabberwocky” because of the poem and bookstore that helped inspire my love for reading.
Another inspiration for this series came from my long love for all things fairy tale. As a teen, I fell in love with Regina Doman’s modern-day fairy-tale retellings, and I really enjoyed how she brought a contemporary, Catholic twist to so many great stories I remembered from my childhood. Also, around the time that I started my first draft of Desperate Forest, I was watching the TV show Once Upon a Time. I loved the first few seasons, and it rekindled my appreciation for fairy tales in general.
I think the reason fairy tales are still so loved and powerful today is that they speak to the human condition on many levels—usually, there are moral lessons to be learned and an element of true, sacrificial love. Humans innately value and seek these things, even though modern society sometimes rejects them. Still, we keep coming back to these simple ideas that real love exists, and it isn’t about what you can get from someone but rather what you can give. I find many of these stories are told in a way that aligns with Christian values, although subtly, so even those who don’t consider themselves Christian still find an appeal because they see the intrinsic good in the message.
Can you tell us where the series is headed in the third and final book in The Forest Tales series, Blue Deep?
I’m so excited for the release of Blue Deep and to continue the story of Darius, who we saw in the first book (Desperate Forest). To be honest, Blue Deep was a book I went back and forth about writing, but once I got the idea, it took hold of me and wouldn’t let go. Writing this book has been a fun and, at times, difficult process.
While I don’t want to give too many spoilers, Blue Deep is essentially a redemption story. At the end of Desperate Forest, we see Darius left in a bad state and we don’t particularly care for him at this point. He’s done some terrible things and is no one’s hero. Initially, that was going to be the end of his story. In fact, I almost killed him off in the end! But as I began planning more for the series, I started to wonder if Darius could be redeemed, and if so, what would that look like? That question essentially grew into Blue Deep.
I personally love redemption stories and rooting for flawed characters while they undergo personal growth. I especially enjoy diving into the mind of a not-so-nice character and figuring out why they made the choices they made.
Again, it goes back to that Christian element that is so powerful. After all, we are all in need of redemption. God could have left us to our own devices, but he didn’t. Instead, he sent his own Son to save us and gave us the promise of hope and salvation. Even though my books aren’t specifically Christian, those values very much shape my stories, because I want to bring those elements to a level anyone can understand.
In addition to a continuation of Darius’s story, we are also going to meet a new character, Marilee. In many ways, she’s Darius’s opposite, but she also has faced some tough decisions in her life and struggles with whether she has made the right choices. Although she is scared and desperate, she has something that Darius doesn’t have, which is hope. I loved throwing these two together and seeing how they interact and grow personally and together. This book is still a work in progress, but I’m optimistic that it will be a fun ride for readers once it reaches publication.
While this is the third book in the Forest Tales series, it isn’t the end! I have at least a few more books planned for this series, including a possible prequel. Blue Deep will have some lead-ins to book four, and readers can expect to see some teasers in my newsletter and social media channels for the fourth book around the time Blue Deep is released. I’m not entirely sure where I will end this series, but as long as I keep having ideas for books and my readers keep enjoying them, it will continue to grow.
The book covers in this series are simply gorgeous! How important was it to you to get the book covers “right?”
Thank you! I need to take a moment to give a huge shoutout to my cover designer, Donna Rogers of DLR Cover Designs because she is so talented and such a joy to work with.
Like most people, I certainly do judge books by their covers, so when Desperate Forest was approaching publication, I spent a ton of time trying to find the right cover for the story. At that point, I wasn’t planning on making it the start of a series, so I was looking at a lot of pre-made designs. There were a few contenders, but I think it was fate that I ended up picking the one I did. Not only was it a perfect fit for the story, but it began my relationship with Donna, and I cannot imagine any other covers for the Forest Tales series than the ones she has created. I look forward to working with her more in the future, and I can’t wait to see her work her magic for book four’s cover when we get there.
Before the Forest Tales series, you wrote fan fiction. What unique lessons did you learn about the writing craft or writing to an audience that you’d attribute to that experience?
I learned so much by starting there! One of the biggest things for me – an introvert at heart—was simply having a place to get my writing in front of readers. The great thing about the fanfiction community was that it got me in touch with other writers and readers who were very willing to share their feedback on my stories and writing style.
During that time, I learned a lot about how to structure a story, how to write dialogue, how to build suspense, and how to avoid common mistakes. I laugh as I type this because my first fan fiction does have a lot of rookie mistakes in it, but I learned so much throughout the process. I hope to be writing for a long time, and I know I still have a lot to learn, but I’m grateful for the experience I’ve had so far.
At the same time, I would be remiss to not mention my dear sister who some of you might be familiar with, Christian suspense author Therese Heckenkamp. She has been an amazing mentor for me! Even though she is incredibly busy, she reads all my stuff and gives me so many great tips. She really helped me grow when I first started writing seriously. I would have been very lost without her, and I will always be so grateful that she shared her years of experience with me and helped me get to the point where I felt comfortable sharing my work.
Do you have any writing projects planned beyond the conclusion of The Forest Tales series?
Yes, so much that I hope I live long enough to explore all my ideas! In addition to at least a few more books in the Forest Tales series, I also have a dystopian series planned and another YA fantasy series. Whenever I get a good idea for a book, I write it down, and I have quite a few outlines for future books waiting for me to dive into when the time is right.
As a stay-at-home mom of two young kids, it can be hard to balance writing time with everything else, but I plan to keep writing as long as I have ideas and my readers want to hear from me.
Interview with YA Fantasty Author Cece Louise @CeceLAuthor Share on X
Cece Louise writes clean novels filled with adventure, romance, and spirit for teens and adults.
An avid reader, Cece has been making up stories in her head as long as she can remember. A true believer that writing should be fun, she loves communicating with her readers and connecting with other writers.
In 2012, Cece graduated summa cum laude with a BBA from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. When she’s not working on her latest story, Cece enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, weightlifting, and being outside.
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