Autumn is set to feel more like a fairy tale than ever with Chantal Gadoury's Until the Last Page coming this October. If you'd like to read all about the inspirations behind this opposite world romance featuring a frog prince, read our interview with the bestselling author below!
Hi Chantal. Thanks for joining us! First of all, could you introduce yourself?
Hi! My name is Chantal Gadoury, and I’m the author of the upcoming release of Until the Last Page.
I live in a small town of Muncy, in the countryside of Pennsylvania with my Mom. I suppose it’s important to mention that I am a bestselling fairytale-retelling and romance author from my previously published titles. When I’m not writing, I love to take walks, jam out to BTS, scroll TikTok, watch romantic K-Dramas, and spend time with my loved ones. I’ve loved writing since the age of seven, and pursued a Creative Writing B.A. from Susquehanna University when the time came for a college education. If anyone had ever told me that I was going to write ten books before I turned 35, 18 year-old me would have been shocked!
Tell us about your novel, Until the Last Page, and what inspired you to write it.
Until the Last Page is about a young woman (Josephine) who is sucked -literally - into a book of Grimm Brothers fairy tales and crash-lands onto a snarky, sassy frog prince (Aneurin). Jo and Aneurin strike a deal: Jo will help him find his true love's kiss, and he will help her return home. Their adventure plunges them into the heart of familiar fairytales, from eerie forests and poisoned apples to grand balls and glass slippers. As they navigate these enchanted worlds, they discover that despite their initial clashing, they are exactly what each other needs. But their journey takes a perilous turn when they encounter a cunning man who can spin straw into gold, and they realize just how quickly their plot can take an unexpected twist!
My love for fairytales was really the driving motivation for writing Until the Last Page. There was a K-Drama that my mom and I were watching called, W: Two Worlds - where a woman is pulled into an online manga that her father has created, and she falls for the main character. After watching the drama, I remember thinking to myself, “I want to write something like that. How cool would it be if a girl fell into a book of fairy tales?” I started to remember the 90s film The Pagemaster, and how the main character had been plunged into a ‘book-world,’ and in The Neverending Story, the story came to life as the main character read it aloud. Other shows like Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre were a huge inspiration to me; I wanted my story to have those vibes! I wanted the chance to explore all the stories that I loved, but make them uniquely mine.
What draws you to fairy tale retellings in particular, and what do you enjoy most about writing them?
I blame my love and obsession on Disney. I grew up in the ‘Disney Renaissance’ era in the late 80s, early 90s. So everything for me was Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. My mom also introduced me to Shelley Duvalls’ Faerie Tale Theatre and there was just something so cool about seeing other versions of tales, and while they were similar, they were also different.
I remember my first retelling book was Beauty by Robin McKinley, and it honestly changed everything about reading and writing for me. Once I saw and understood that fairy tale retellings was an actual genre, it was a passion of mine to find more books like Beauty. There’s something magical in reading a story that you know, but finding new ways to experience them, and I wanted to do the same with mine.
Can you tell us a little bit about your characters? Which, if any, do you identify with most and why?
Josephine Hart and Prince Aneurin (plus a list of proceeding names that he would absolutely share with everyone, given the chance!), are the two main characters of Until the Last Page. Josephine (or Jo for short) is the main heroine - a 25-year-old woman who has just gone through a pretty rough breakup with her fiance. She ends up having to move back in with her parents, and we find Jo struggling with the reality of her situation, and trying to understand the experience. Aneurin is a prince, who - for reasons in which you’ll find out in the story - has been turned into a frog. He’s a proper prince, and values structure and order and Jo is everything that goes against that for him. And I suppose their differences is what made them take shape on the page in the way that they did.
Jo and I are very similar in a lot of ways - but I would also argue that Jo is much braver than me, and is able to really think about things in a more logical way than me. But I identify with Jo in a lot of personal ways. Her parents are my parents; her failed relationship is a nod to my own failed relationship. Her questioning of love and the meaning of love, the validity of love - are all things I had to sort through myself after my relationship. Her quick comebacks to Aneurin are a nod to the quick comebacks that my sister and I so often excel at. Josephine is someone that I wish I were, and I guess in a way, wrote myself into.
Have any fairy tales in particular shaped or impacted your stories? Which fairy tale is your personal favourite and why?
I’m a huge fan of the Beauty and the Beast story, and all the many shapes and versions it’s taken on over the years. From Phantom of the Opera to A Court of Thorns and Roses, I love the story. That deep seeded love has really stuck with me in the stories that I’ve approached.
When I was little, I really loved the story of Sleeping Beauty - both the Disney version and oddly enough, the Shelly Devall version. So when I was writing Until the Last Page, I kept thinking about the way those movies made me feel - and how I wanted to capture that feeling in my book. I think the magical way love seems to work in many of these fairytales has stuck with me, and has found its way weaved into my stories. Whether it was seven men who loved a runaway princess and wanted to protect her, or a girl covered in cinders and soot who loved the memory of her mother so much, love has impacted me and my writing.
What are your favourite romance tropes, and do any make an appearance in this book?
I felt so clever having Josephine have this banter relationship with a frog prince. No one would ever expect a leading lady to fall for a frog, but. . . here we are!
If there is anything to know about me, I love romance. I love the genre in both books and films. I usually say ‘if it doesn’t have romance, I’m not interested.’ (which is a sort of half-truth.)
I love all of the cliche aspects of romance tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Marriage of Convenience (that actually results in love), Fake Relationships, Forbidden Love (oh the agony!), Slow Burn, Holiday Romance (Christmas is my favorite holiday), and Opposite Worlds - which I guess is very fitting for Until the Last Page.
I think you’ll find Enemies to Lovers in Until the Last Page, as well as a dash of Forbidden Love, Slow Burn, Forced Proximity (yes, there is a scene with one bed!), and a bit of Grumpy/Sunshine.
Until the Last Page is the first book in the Wanderer of Pages series — can you tell us what we can expect from future books?
Absolutely! So the story will continue with a book two - and will take place right where we left Aneurin and Jo. I don’t want to share too much, as I want to give everyone time to read the first book, but the story does continue, and there will be a lot of plot twists - some new fairy tale stories, some old, a dash of our world, Aneurin’s world - etc.
Did you find any challenges while writing this book? How did you overcome them?
I came across a lot of writer’s block. I started writing this book at the end of 2019, leading into 2020. And as we all know, the world sort of flipped on it’s head in 2020. I put this project on the back burner at the time to focus on finishing writing another. It wasn’t until 2022 that I re-opened my Google Document and decided to get serious again.
It was actually all thanks to Erin Craig, bestselling author of A House of Salt and Sorrow, Small Favors and A House of Roots and Ruin, who had invited me to her NaNoWriMo Summer Camp group in the summer of 2023. Every day that I was in that group, I kept telling myself, “It’s a privilege to be here, and you better write your dang story!” While I did reach my goal that July in word count, I continued to write the first draft until October. I didn’t want to let Erin down (even thought I knew she wouldn’t be), and thus, letting myself down. I’m so glad I had that opportunity, and finished writing this story!
You have already published ten books, which is huge! How do you keep your creativity alive during or between projects, and have you learned anything since publishing your first book?
It’s hard to keep my creativity alive between projects (and even during!). For the first few books that I wrote, I think I was just on a high of being excited about the projects, and sharing them with readers, and I really just spent all of my time in the writing/publishing world. But after 2021, I shifted my focus on my health - which is why it took so long to write UTLP. Now, it’s very hard to get back into writing, and have the focus and drive to write another story. (Don’t worry, I will!)
I’ve learned a lot about publishing and the act of publishing and all the behind the scenes of what to do, versus what not to do. How an indie publishing company should function versus improve on. I’ve had some really amazing experiences, and some really hard, challenging ones. If anything, all of it has made me appreciate the opportunities that I have had - and the chance for readers to find my work, and enjoy it. I’ve really come to cherish the opportunity to see my book in my hands, and in others.
You also have a degree in creative writing. How did studying this subject at university aid your journey as an author, if at all?
So, when I went to school for Creative Writing, my experience was more centered on learning the action of writing. I felt there was a displeasure at the notion of writing fantasy, and I really didn’t understand it. Now, with years of distance, and experience in writing, and in writing with others - learning how to world-build, how to write good dialogue, learning how to write meaningful characters - these are all the things that make good writing, and make good writing into fantasy!
In having attended classes that had critique time built into them, it helped me become more comfortable with sharing my work, and taking constructive criticism - criticism is only constructive when it’s helpful, not harmful. While anyone can write a story, and I sincerely stand by that, I learned how to believe in myself and my writing at college through my professors. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
We’d love a hint about any of your current projects! Anything that might surprise your readers?
Well, aside from my sequel writing that I’m doing (will be doing), I do have a project that I’d love to tackle one day. It’s more of a horror-romance, still very much based on a fairytale - but much darker than anything I’ve written before. I’d love to try something new like that!
Aside from fairy tales, have any shows, movies, books, or games influenced your own work at all?
Yes! I know I mentioned a few already, but films like The Princess Bride, Ever After, Cinderella (the live action that came out in 2015), Enchanted, Brothers Grimm, Stardust, Once Upon a Time, - all of these forms of media have been super influential! But the biggest nod goes to Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. If you haven’t seen any of the episodes, I recommend checking them out on Youtube.
If you could give any advice to authors set to make their debut, what would it be?
Don’t forget to be writing for yourself. I think sometimes, once we have a book come out, we’re always chasing that feeling of validity, wanting our readers to enjoy our books - to keep up with the market, and stay in the light. It’s okay to keep writing what you enjoy. You will find your audience. You don’t have to write what someone is telling you - unless you really want to.
When you get your first box of books, take a moment to really enjoy it. Turn the camera off (because we know we’re doing an unboxing on TikTok and IG) - and just take in the moment that you wrote a book. All those words, all the nights and days, all the coffees, all the times you turned someone or something down so you could write - brought you to this moment. You won’t ever have this moment again. You might have another unboxing, and another after that - but it’ll never be the first time. And the first time is magical. It’s special.
Our podcast focuses on media we’re currently loving. Are there any books, shows, movies, or games you’re enjoying at the moment? Any recommendations for our audience? Bonus points if it includes sapphics!
Shows - Well, I’ve been watching a lot of House of Dragon, which I imagine a lot of people are. I also just finished My Lady Jane on Amazon Prime (and I loved the book!) - it was great!
Books - I had the pleasure of reading A.M Davis’ book The Mourning of Leone Manor - for anyone who loved Crimson Peak, this is a book perfect for you! I really can’t wait to get my hands on Erin Craig’s new book, The Thirteenth Child!
I can’t say that I’ve seen anything movie-wise that has really wowed me. But the year isn’t over!
About Chantal
Chantal Gadoury is a best selling fairytale-retelling and romance author, living in the beautiful countryside of Muncy, Pennsylvania with her mom and family yorkie, Taran.
When Chantal isn't pursuing her next writing endeavor, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, and taking long walks to the sounds of BTS. She is a TikTok enthusiast, loves all things Disney and loves a good, romantic K-Drama.
Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues that love of writing today. After graduating from Susquehanna University with a degree in Creative Writing, writing novels has become a dream come true.
Find her social media on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chantalgadoury
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