Tamara C. Grantham Weaves Magic, Myth, And Emotion Into Modern Fantasy Worlds

PHOTO: Author Tamara C. Grantham, celebrated fantasy writer and creator of the acclaimed Fairy World MD and Twisted Ever After series.

Award-Winning Author Tamara C. Grantham Transforms Classic Fairy Tales Into Bold, Realistic Stories Filled With Heart, Depth, And Imagination

Tamara C. Grantham, bestselling and multi-award-winning author, redefines fantasy by blending realism with magic, offering readers immersive worlds, complex heroines, and fresh perspectives on beloved fairy tales.

Tamara C. Grantham has crafted an extraordinary literary realm where myth, magic, and realism intertwine with effortless grace. As the author of more than twenty books and novellas, her work spans middle-grade to adult fantasy, captivating readers with rich imagination and emotional depth. From her award-winning Fairy World MD series to the darkly enchanting Twisted Ever After trilogy, Grantham proves that reimagined fairy tales can still surprise, challenge, and inspire.

Her storytelling is distinguished by authenticity and heart—balancing the fantastical with the human, and exploring timeless themes through unforgettable characters. A two-time RONE Award winner and a celebrated speaker at writing conferences and comic cons, she continues to redefine modern fantasy literature.

Grantham’s storytelling brilliance and imaginative world-building cement her as a leading voice in modern fantasy and fairy-tale retellings.

Mosaic Digest is delighted to feature this exclusive interview with Tamara C. Grantham, where she shares her creative journey, insights into her celebrated worlds, and wisdom for aspiring authors who dare to ask, “What if?”

What first inspired you to retell classic fairy tales from darker, more adult angles? 

I’ve always wanted my books to reflect reality as best as I could. Although I write fantasy, I love to add elements that ground the reader and make my books believable, even if I write in fantastical worlds filled with magic and myths. For my Rapunzel retelling, The Witch’s Tower, my idea was to write it from a more realistic perspective. What would really happen if a person had thirty feet of hair? Would it be hard to move around, give you headaches, hard to wash your hair, and what if you were stuck inside a tower? In my retelling, Rapunzel is slowly going insane, and the witch Gothel has been assigned to be Rapunzel’s caretaker.  

In the Twisted Ever After series, which heroine did you find most challenging to write and why? 

Rapunzel was difficult to write, mainly because I was looking at her from a completely different angle from the fairy tale. However, it was also fun to explore what might happen if a person were trapped in a tower while dealing with thirty feet of hair. I also worried about those readers who wanted to see the happy-go-lucky princess traipsing around a tower with flowers in her hair. But I feel like I struck a good balance with having a young Gothel take over the story as the likable witch fighting against an evil king who had imprisoned Rapunzel. 

How did your Kansas surroundings influence the world-building in Fairy World MD? 

I wrote the first book of Fairy World MD while living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but by the time I finished it and found a publisher, I had just moved to Kansas, so I was able to put in a line at the end about some of my characters finding a home in Kansas—which is also where I found my home. 

If you could rewrite one scene from Rumpel’s Redemption without spoilers, which would it be and what would you change? 

I really enjoyed writing the book, so this is definitely a difficult question! But if I could, I might go back and write more about what happened to the other characters after the book ended, as this wasn’t just the end to one book, but to the trilogy. It would have been fun to go back into all their viewpoints and show what happened to them and where they all ended up.  

Which research rabbit-hole surprised you most while crafting the dragon-shifter lore for The Dragon Swan Princess? 

I was surprised to find there wasn’t a lot of information about the fairytale of the Swan Princess. It was most popular for the ballet, Swan Lake, but there’s not a lot written about what happens in the fairytale. It’s a pretty bare bones story, so I didn’t have much to work with. Since I had to make up so much, I had to go down many rabbit holes. I researched everything from sailing on the ocean to jungle life, to what is the difference between caves and caverns? (Yes, they’re different.) I had also taken a cruise to the Yucatan peninsula where we toured Chichen Itza, and I used the idea of floating pyramids for part of the story’s setting. 

How do you balance raising five children with the discipline of producing a book every year? 

It’s definitely gotten easier as my children have gotten older! My youngest is now ten, which is crazy to me, and I have to say I really miss my babies. I learned to write with the chatter of children in the background, and now I find it difficult to write in silence. I need a little noise in the background—as long as it’s not too distracting. You’ll often find me writing at the local McDonald’s Play Place just so I can hear the children playing in the background as I write. 

Also, I have to say that I get this question a lot, and my answer is always this:

“I don’t know how I would raise five kids without writing.” – Tamara C. Grantham

I need the creative outlet, and it makes me a better mom to have it. 

Looking back at Grayghost, what element of the portal magic do you wish you’d expanded further? 

I really enjoyed writing Grayghost—and the entire Fairy World MD series. Writing the portal magic was a fun way to explore what would happen if you could travel to an alternate reality version of Earth that was fueled by magic. While I feel like I was able to explore the ‘what-ifs’ in the seven books, there was a time when I wanted to outline a book series for the second generation of characters, and in that series, I wanted to explore more of the land of Faythander. I had also incorporated magically-fueled technology in the original seven books, but for the sequel series, I wanted to explore more of that. 

What practical advice would you give new authors who dream of turning a single fairy-tale twist into a seven-book series? 

I think the best question to ask yourself is “what if?” What if Rapunzel were a real character? What if the swan princess were a dragon swan shifter? What happened to Rumpelstiltskin after the fairytale? Those were the questions I asked myself, but your questions could be equally as inventive.  

I would also like to recommend that you write down your “why.” Why do you write? What motivates you?  

I feel like a lot of writers give up because they forget why they show up every day. They get bogged down by the negativity and never come back. But if you keep your “why” in mind, you’ll remember why writing is a part of you. 

“If you keep your ‘why’ in mind, you’ll remember why writing is a part of you.” – Tamara C. Grantham