Alethea Kontis

“There are four things that make a man fight as you just did," the duke explained to Rumbold. "Love, despair, anger, or insanity."Erik counted them off on his fingers. "Everything to lose, nothing to lose, someone's taken it, or you've lost it.”

“Sharon Shinn's Samaria is a world populated by refugees from a ravaged Earth, also many, many years in the future.”

“No one thought that the Disney Superpower had the ability to laugh at itself, but 'Enchanted' proved everyone wrong.”

“The charming king of Arilland had fallen in love at first sight. There was no question he would soon take this beautiful stranger as his bride.Fate had brought them together. Destiny. It was intoxicating.”

“While not my personal favorite of the Disney princess films, 'The Little Mermaid' wins hands-down in my book for best Disney adaptation. Little girls waited for more than 150 years for Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid' to have a happy ending. Walt Disney finally gave it to her.”

“I have always loved really dense, complicated stories with lots of layers, tons of obscure literary references, and a plethora of inside jokes.”

“If the bird was made, it chose to be made. It's here because it chooses to be with you.”

“I am a big fan of the web comic 'Strong Female Protagonist,' illustrated by Molly Ostertag.”

“Have you ever had that moment when you looked back on something and said, 'Well, gosh, that seems obvious now... why didn't I see it then?' I like to call this the Face Palm Epiphany. Oh, hindsight, you magical, humbling thing.”

“In music, on stage and on screen, fairy tales have always been guaranteed moneymakers. It's no wonder then, that in these difficult economic times, there are fairy tales everywhere you turn. From 'Once Upon a Time' and 'Grimm,' to 'Mirror, Mirror' and 'Snow White and the Huntsman.'”

“It took me a long time to learn how to be brave enough to put myself out there and try everything, no matter how strange or silly. If I can impart that same wisdom to other folks - no matter what age - it would be an honor.”

“Everything in the world was about creativity: belief and creation. Storytelling was the essence of both.”

“Sharon Shinn is a lover of words and a builder of worlds. She makes science-fiction seem like fantasy. Her characters jump off the page, finding their way under your skin and into your heart.”

“If your reading habits are anything like mine, then you can remember the exact moment that certain books came into your life. You remember where you were standing and whom you were with. You remember the feel of the book in your hands and the cover, that exact cover, even if the art has changed over the years.”

“'Enchanted' illustrates how impractical fairy-tale ideals are in the World As We Know It, and yet, Giselle's unabashed optimism always seems to magically find its time and place.”

“Every so often, I am thanked for being 'unapologetically me.' I treasure those moments, those people, and remember them every time I'm feeling timid.”

“I was a math whiz who stunk at English, so of course I wanted to be a writer more than anything in the world. I performed impromptu plays for my grandmother's sewing circle but forced my little sister to ask for ketchup at McDonald's.”