January 19, 2017 · 12:30 AM

Aunt Ursula’s Atlas, on Lisa Burton Radio

Lucky you, you've just landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show out there featuring the characters from the stories you love. I'm your host, Lisa the robot girl, and today we have an interesting fairytale princess with us today. “Welcome to the show, Anatar.”

“Thank you, Lisa of Burton. It's a pleasure to be here.”

“My bio says you and your sister Eletay were orphans. How does an orphan get to be a princess? Were your parents banished or something?”

“No secret heiresses here, I'm afraid. Our family lived in a small village outside Chantain. I was only seven when our parents died, and Ella was nine, so I don't remember much about what happened. We spent several months wandering and working for food when we could find anyone kind enough to let us stay.

“If we were able to improve our lot, it was because I saw opportunities and grabbed them. But what it really comes down to is me and Ella. All we had was each other.”

“It's nice to have that kind of relationship. At least you still have some family around. What's it like growing up in a castle? There must be some fancy shindigs and beautiful gowns involved.”

“Growing up in the castle? Interesting question. To be clear, Ella and I were servants in the castle then. I got caught stealing food and they made us stay and work. Ella was upset, but I prefer to think of it as one of the opportunities I jumped at.

“Anyway, the king at that time was actually not royalty, either. He was a magician who usurped the throne. People who made him angry would wind up turned into statues, so everyone was afraid of him. There wasn't much entertaining. The court was more oriented to running Chantain and rooting out the nobles who were in hiding.”

“So he turned them into statues? Why didn't he just have them stuffed and pose with his boot on them?”

“Because then you could only lord it over one victim at a time. The king had the statues of his victims all over the castle and grounds. Some of them were defiant, but most of them were pleading for their lives. It was pretty terrible, and nobody could avoid seeing them.

“Mine and Ella's job was to keep the prince entertained. He'd caught me stealing, you see, and he used that to make Ella do what he wanted. At first, when we were all young, he made us sing and dance, tell folk stories, play games. He also pinched us and made us eat things like raw lemons. The other servants resented us because they thought we had it easy. They gave us the worst jobs when we weren't with the prince. “

“Sounds like life at the castle wasn't easy.”

“Luckily, Ella had a way of making friends with people. We would always help people with their chores, when we could. One day, the old gardener took me aside and showed me a spot behind the hedges where I could listen at the usurper's window. He was giving the prince magic lessons, and I followed along. That was my second opportunity.”

“You little sneakthief you.”

“Well, I had to. As we grew older, the prince got strange around Ella. He always wanted to have his hands on her, and there were more psychological torments, too. We both knew we weren't safe in Chantain.”

“Did you ever have to, you know, whammy someone?”

“It did come to that, yes. Ella and I saved enough to try and find another position. When we told the prince, he was furious and tried to make Ella kiss him. There was a big fight. He turned Ella into a statue, and then I turned him into a statue and forced the usurper to restore Ella… It was a mess.”

“Wait, I need to make popcorn. Kidding!”

“What's popcorn?”

“I'll show you later. It's good that Eletay wasn't badly hurt, but it seems like the magician got what was coming. So, is that how you two became princesses?”

“Since the magician usurped first, I figured why not. The people in the castle liked us better than the king, especially Ella. We've been able to make it work.”

“Now your story appears in a collection of stories. What other kinds of characters might readers meet?”

“People might have an idea that fantasy is all about the beautiful, rich and famous, but it's a very broad genre. Some of the other stories feature a disabled soldier, a woman with dwarfism, and a kind-hearted servant boy. Not to mention the goblin, the donkey, and the dragons. Even those who may seem to be typical beautiful princesses don't sit and wait to be rescued. They step up for themselves.”

“As your own story demonstrates. Are these stories meant for adults or kids?”

“We do reach out to young readers, say eight to twelve years. The stories we tell our children become their dreams for tomorrow, so it's important to offer a rich array of possibilities. That said, fairy tales are a beloved art form. Any reader who loves fairy tales will enjoy this collection.”

“It sounds fabulous. My boss has a whole bunch of notes on fairy tale structure, and it's a great way to plan a story. Thanks so much for visiting with us today, and I hope your future is brighter than your past has been.”

“All my plans are for Chantain, to protect my sister's throne and help our country grow. But I'll still keep my eye out for the next great opportunity.”

“Our sponsor today is Aunt Ursula's Atlas, a collection of fantasy short stories by Lucy D. Ford. I'll provide all the links and details on the blog site. Don't forget to hit those sharing buttons on your way out! Lucy will thank you, and you'll want others to share when your characters appear here.”

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