Last Updated on June 25, 2023 by Louisa
We’re pleased to be hosting the Curse Undone (Gold Spun #2) by Brandie June book tour by TBR and Beyond today where we’ll be sharing details of the upcoming conclusion to the Gold Spun duology and chatting with Brandie June about the novel.
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About the Book
Synopsis:
Two crowns. Two kingdoms. One chance to rule.
Nor and King Casper are captured by the fay army and forced to face the indomitable Faerie Queen, Marasina. At her command, Casper is thrown into a mysterious prison while an even sinister fate is in store for Nor―a deadly fay poison that reveals Nor’s true nature. She’s not only half-fay. She is Queen Marasina’s heir.
Revealed to be like the very creatures she despises, Nor must not only find a way to free Casper but also navigate a court that is as deadly as it is beautiful.
Her allies are few, and though Pel claims to want friendship, Nor finds she cannot forgive his betrayal. As tensions mount and war looms between the kingdoms, Nor must choose a side, before it’s too late.
In this epic conclusion to the Gold Spun duology, Nor discovers that a glamour and a curse may be two sides of the same coin.
Interview with Brandie June
Ahead of the release of Curse Undone, we spoke to Brandie June to find out a little more about the series and what we can expect…
1) The Gold Spun series is considered a “Rumplestiltskin retelling”. What can we expect from the second book? How much of this story do you think resembles the original fairytale and how much is something different?
There is very little of the original fairytale in Curse Undone. Rather, some of Gold Spun and all of Curse Undone take place after the end of the original fairytale. The same characters (Rumpelstiltskin, the miller’s daughter, the King) are still the main characters of Curse Undone, but it’s seeing what happens next in their story.
In the original tale, learning Rumpelstiltskin’s name is the end, as that defeats him. In my retelling, learning his name is only a part of a much bigger picture, one that includes the realm where he is from.
Where most of Gold Spun is set in the palace of the human lands, Curse Undone is mainly set in the faerie kingdom.
2) You’ve decided to make the main protagonist a trickster/con artist. What was the reason for this?
I wanted to give her more agency than in the original fairytale. As much as I love the original Rumpelstiltskin story, it bothered me that the poor miller’s daughter was purely a victim of circumstance, with her father making the outrageous claim about her ability to spin gold.
I knew that I wanted to let Nor drive her own fate and make her own decisions. Sometimes she makes bad decisions, but at least she is the one who gets to make them.
3) You started out in theater and then moved on to writing. Is it safe to say you’ve surrounded yourself in a creative environment? How has your theater career impacted your writing, if at all?
Yes and no. I have a lot of friends in theatre and a lot of writing friends as well. I love their enthusiasm and creative energy.
I also work in an office marketing home entertainment for kids/family films, which has some creativity, but also a lot of technical elements. I am currently the sole breadwinner for our family, so I need a steady job in addition to my writing.
I found that while working in marketing has not inspired a lot of my writing, it has helped me tremendously on the book promotion side.
And I use a ton of my theatre experience on the writing side. I am a very visual person, imaging how scenes would play out, almost as if I were directing a play. This practice helps me build great visuals on the page.
4) What attracted you to writing fantasy fiction? What is it about this genre that inspired you the most?
Ever since I was a kid, I hoped to see some sort of magic in the world. I always wished there was something more. I was (and am) a veracious reader of fantasy and have discovered that the one way I can create magic is to write it into my stories.
5) Curse Undone is the conclusion to the Gold Spun duology. What are you working on next? What can we see from you in the future?
I always tend to have several pieces in the works, many in different stages of development. I’m currently sending out a piece about a magical theatre and am in early stages of editing another piece set in Wonderland.
It’s too early to same anything more at the moment, but I always post my news, upcoming books, and events on my site at www.brandiejune.com.
About the Author:
Brandie June loves storytelling in all sorts of formats, whether she is marketing animated movies or writing fantasy novels.
Most of her early life she was on stage or at least as close to the front row as she could get. Initially an actor, she got her B.A. in Theatre from UCLA and branched out into costume design and playwriting, eventually getting her M.B.A.
Her first stand-alone play, a dark comedy about Oscar Wilde, premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival to a sold-out run and won the Encore Producers Award.
As a writer, she is especially passionate about fantasy and mythology, has published several pieces in anthology, and is a recent finalist with The Writers of the Future Award.
Her debut novel, Gold Spun, is a fresh retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale through the miller daughter’s POV.
Except now the miller’s daughter is a con artist and Rumpelstiltskin is a mysterious faerie with a dark secret.
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Tour Schedule:
October 3rd
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post
October 4th
Nine Bookish Lives – Interview
October 5th
The Momma Spot – Review
Book Butterfly in Dreamland – Review
October 6th
GivernyReads – Review
October 7th
Books Over Everything – Review
Bookishfairytail – Review & Favorite Quotes
October 8th
Epic Book Society – Interview
October 9th
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
