Today is part two of two where we are talking to Julie Rockwell about her books, but mostly her newest series The Seers Prophecy. Over the next 2 weeks you will learn how she comes up with the ideas for her novels, her tips and tricks for authors just starting out, and how she feels when she hears those novels in audio form.

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Welcome to Freya's Fairy Tales, where we believe fairy tales are both stories we enjoyed as children and something that we can achieve ourselves.

Each week we will talk to authors about their favorite fairy tales when they were kids and their adventure to holding their their very own fairy tale in their hands.

At the end of each episode, we will finish off with the fairy tale or short story read as close to the original author's version as possible.

I am your host, Freya Victoria.

I'm an audiobook narrator that loves reading fairy tales, novels and bringing stories to life through narration.

I'm also fascinated by talking to authors and learning about their why and how for creating their stories.

We have included all of the links for today's author and our show in the show notes.

Today is part two of two where we're talking to Julie Rockwell about her books, but mostly her newest series, The Sears Prophecy.

This week we will finish learning how she comes up with the ideas for her novels, her tips and tricks for authors just starting out, and how she feels when she hears those novels in audio form.

Jasmine wakes up to a whole new world she only thought existed in books and movies.

Realizing she is part of a prophecy that was in the works for over 1000 years, she learns her bloodline holds the key to bringing the clans together for peace or war.

It all depends on the choices she makes.

So of all of your books, do you have one that is your favorite book that you were written?

There's two of them.

Okay.

My main favorite is The Christmas Kiss.

It is basically if it was to be a Hallmark movie, it would be it's a second chance at love.

And it's just two people reconnecting that knew each other from childhood and they both had crushes on each other growing up, but they never admitted to it.

And then it's where it's during a snowstorm, they're stuck in a cabin and just things that go on and it's where there's no spiciness to it.

It's just one of those wholesome good books that you can just read if you're not into the spiciness or you just want one of those feel good.

Just a warm romance of the old classic love story type of a thing.

That one and the other ones they're all equal is my Sears Prophecy books.

Okay.

Because with this book number seven, I don't know if this is coming to I feel the end of the series, but at the same time, I don't want to let them go.

Right.

You need an epic conclusion to make it worth the finish.

Exactly.

And that's the hard part.

It's that mix because you don't want to draw the book to where it gets boring.

It's the same thing over and over, just with different people.

You want that story to captivate people through book and book.

If you're doing a series.

You don't want them to be able to put it down, but there has to come to a point to where you have to be able to say, this is the end, right?

So you haven't gotten to that point yet.

You just know it's coming.

It's coming.

But I don't know if it's going to be this book or it's going to be one more after.

It okay.

It's okay because my mom loves to read my books.

So your daughter won't read them, but your mom will.

My soon to be 80 year old mother loves my books, and she never did before.

She wouldn't read the stuff that I write, the mythical stuff.

She was more of the other side of it.

And so she wanted to see what her daughter was writing.

And she is a tough critic because if she doesn't like something, she'll tell me.

If she likes the book, she'll tell me.

And which is nice to hear the feedback because my mother is so blunt and to the point to where you better don't even have your feelings in line things.

You just got to take it.

And she's been reading My Fears, and she's constantly cut, when are you done?

When are you going to publish this next book?

She's telling me she better not the main character, Jazz, and she better not get with this one.

I don't like this guy.

And she's just like, what's going on the story with the new book?

And I'm like, I'm not telling you.

You got to read it like everybody else.

Exactly.

But that's what's nice is because couple of people that I've talked with, they're like, we can't put the book down, which makes me feel good that I don't know about other authors but me, I hope that when I write and it's done, I enjoyed writing it, but I hope I'm able to capture the audience that whoever's reading it, that it pulls them in, and they just is in that world.

Because I love reading books that just draw you in and you just keep reading and reading.

And then soon the book is done, you're like, no, I want more.

Especially when I'm narrating an entire series.

I much prefer it to be there all drawing you in just because, like you said the same thing over and over and over again.

I get bored too.

Like, man, obviously I don't let my voice sound like I'm bored.

And Luckily I haven't had any this way yet.

But I've read many series that you just kind of trudged through because you're like, I'm going to finish this and see if it gets any better.

Yeah, it's just like, okay, not happy, but there has to be something good in here.

Oh, my goodness.

Yeah, there's some pretty rough ones out there.

I don't know if you've seen on TikTok.

I think this was a couple of weeks ago, but there was a controversy about there's been two controversies.

There's a controversy of, like, writing a book for the reader, not writing a book that you want to write, but writing a book intending for.

I'm writing this so that readers will like the book instead of writing the book that you want.

And it sounds like you don't do that at all.

But then there's also the same thing with covers, like staying up to date with what covers are popular right now.

And I'm going to design my cover that way, even though I don't really like it.

I don't do that.

If someone reads it and they like it, that makes me feel good.

But if they don't, because you can't please everybody, right?

Rather write something that I'm going to be proud of and design my own cover.

I've never followed the crowd.

I've always just done things my own way.

If you like it, you like it if you don't move on, right?

Yeah, I can.

I have, like, in my head a picture of what I want my cover to, like, start with, but I haven't, like, designed I'm not to that point yet, but I'm like, I'm going to design a cover that I'm going to.

Like, not what other people want.

Because at the end of the day, like, when you get, when you're going to promote it, you have to be happy with it inside.

It's something that you're proud of.

And no matter what people say, it's like, no, this is what I like.

And it's to where?

Because you don't want to publish something that you're not happy with.

Because most likely people are going to see that in your work.

And the comments gonna be like, wow, this is feel like they just drag on and got bored because that's how the book is.

Exactly.

That's why I've always written.

I've just let the story just write itself in a way and it's to where by the end of the day, when I get that physical copy, I'm proud of it.

I'm happy.

And I'd go around when I promote it on TikTok or Facebook or wherever that cover is to where I'm like, yes, this is my book.

I've never followed or done whatever.

So, yeah, so when you start designing, always make sure you're happy with it because trends or pop things come and go so quickly.

Right.

But these books are there now.

I have seen some that did redesigns on their cover just because it's about, like, when you go and redesign a website, you redesign it because it's a little bit out, not because you don't like it anymore, but, like, it just looks kind of old and outdated or like, technology has changed and so you update that or fancier or, or whatever.

Like, oh, there's this really cool new font that I would rather use or whatever the case may be because you're designing it to make what you feel like.

Right.

But yeah, technology constantly changes and everything.

So updating the covers.

One thing.

Now, you fairly early on had asked about, and not since you were my first fiction book.

I hadn't had this any at all to that point.

But fairly early on, you were like, I want to promote you and my author groups and talk about how I've got this podcaster.

What of all of that, I guess, appealed to you so much?

Well, it's because of.

Well, it all started, you know, with how you were helping me with Dancing the moonlight, with the editing and just how we worked together and it's to where and then listening after with you narrating the book.

And I figured because I've always been to help someone to grow or to help get out there, because I've never had that for me and I've always been one to you were taking the time to edit, tweak it, do whatever to help it sound better from what I.

Because when you write, I'm sure you will, or you have seen it is when you're writing it and then someone else reads it, they're like, this should be this or something to wear to change it.

And with you helping me, I wanted like, okay, I wanted to do what I could to get you out there.

Well, even like, there was even a couple of rewrites of like, hey, there's a steamy scene here, but it could be a little steamier.

Oh, yeah, it's to wear.

Because some of the books, I've tried to keep the spiciness a little bland to a point to let people's imaginations sort of really go.

And then because I know we were talking about because I'm writing this one book that is very erotica and that one is like, on the back burner till I'm done with the Sears.

And that's why I was just like, eventually I'm going to have you narrate that one.

I can say I have done a few of those.

At this point.

We're talking like, I haven't done those ones yet.

At the beginning, I had not.

No, but I did Dancing in the moonlight.

And then one of the books right after that, I had got and we call her you always say you love my nickname.

So I called her seven books because it was these seven novella length narrations that I did that were all erotica.

And then I also did a few, I don't know if they're considered Navela length.

The audiobook was like three to 4 hours long by the time I finished them, but I did several of those as well.

That was a series from this one author.

And so at this point, I'm like, I've done that at this point.

My husband and me always joke about like, he's like, I'm going to need you to use your sexy voice more often.

I'm like, no, because I just ended up laughing.

In fact, for the first time two days ago, I was like, hey, we're talking about something.

And I was like, all right, I was talking about the book I'm currently working on.

I was like, I had to tell the author.

She's like, oh, I really want to hear how you did this particular character's voice.

And I'm like, well, she got my head b**** meme girl voice, because that character is that right?

So where your books haven't had to do that kind of character yet because Dancing in the moonlight was like four characters in total for most of the books.

None of them was a mean girl.

No, I've never written a mean girl one yet.

Yeah, it's not a mean Girl is the main character, but there is definitely a mean girl in there.

Well, yeah, you always got to have, like, that sub character, the different ones in there.

You got to have someone to stir the pot.

It could be a mean girl.

It could be like in yours, you've got the Dragonborn one or the rogue, whichever one it is, that's the kind of jerky male character that everybody when she mates with him or whatever.

It's like, what really?

The rogue?

Yeah.

With the ego and the attitude with it and all that.

So you're finishing these books and then do you have any idea what is next?

What book are you going to finish?

Your erotica I think you just said that you had, like three or four projects pending or in progress.

I just have no life.

I have two books.

One is an apocalyptic one that I will be done.

I plan on by August.

That one is taking a lot of detail.

And this other one that I have set aside, I have eight chapters just started with that one, and that one will be out after I finish number seven.

I'll finish this other book because that one is a demon romance.

Okay.

So after I finished that one, then there's another book, the apocalyptic one.

Okay.

And so after that, do you have, like, a set like, you try to get out?

Do you have any set schedule for, like, words?

Do you have a set schedule?

Like, you try to publish a book every month or quarter or year, or do you have any kind of set schedule or you just kind of write and release as you can.

I just write and release when I can.

Some books I've had on the back burner for over a year, other ones because life can just get in the way.

So I just write and then when that's done and I'm happy with it, I will then just publish it and then go on to the next one.

Now, how hard is it?

Because I know you said you update or you told me before you update the books.

Once we get my editing part done, how hard is that process to go in and then update the manuscript?

It's actually not that hard because I just have to resubmit that document to the program and I have to redo the what do you call it, the table of contents.

You know, just for the page numbers.

If that changed, the meat of the book is all I just redo real quick.

It takes me after we do the manuscript and everything.

It takes me, like I'd say, like a half hour just to get it done because I'm so used to it.

Or it used to take me hours.

Yeah.

So what is your of all the books that you have, do you have a favorite review that you've ever gotten or a most hated review that you've ever gotten?

There's one of each.

There was a review on it was Between Worlds.

A couple of different people left where they just love just couldn't stop talking about how the book was.

It was one of the newer ones that I had an audiobook, and, you know, they just loved it.

It was just really nice seeing that for your first main reviews.

And then there was this one really bad review.

I sat there and I just rolled my eyes.

I'm like, there's a critic and everything.

But the thing of it is, what got me is she like the narrator's voice, okay.

Voices are not everybody's cup of tea, right.

That I can understand.

But then she went ahead and complained about how the book was, how it could have been better.

But she only read to chapter two and only to chapter two, but was critiquing it.

But she read the whole thing.

And I'm just like, if you read the whole thing, the story actually develops because with Between Worlds, it deals with the vampires and the werewolves and the main girl, she's sort of like thrown into this world.

And that's the thing with fantasy is to where anything can happen.

Right.

It doesn't have to be.

Well, because she ends up getting involved with this guy and he moves in rather quickly.

But I'm not going to draw out them dating for a year before he moves in.

Right.

No, I just I figured one year later.

Yeah, I can move in.

And so I just go with it because I also when they write, I love to have fun sometimes.

And it's to where she sat there and actually got on me about how dare I let this guy move in with this girl?

And she's like, who does that?

A lot of people actually.

Do not realize this is one a fantasy.

Well, have you ever heard of, like, Vegas marriage chapels?

And I'm just sitting there.

Besides the real life stuff, I'm like, you pick up a book that deals with vampires and werewolves and you're expecting reality.

Exactly.

I mean, she left a big paragraph of just trashing it.

And she's like, I just couldn't get past chapter two, but I'm sure there's a good story in there somewhere.

Just if the author would redo it.

Yeah.

Okay.

Redo the first two chapters to tell the entire story in two chapters.

Yeah, let me get right on that.

That has been the worst review I've ever had.

And at first, when you get your first bad review, it does hit you, right.

It sort of takes you back.

You're sort of like hurt by it, but then because you're not used to it.

Right.

And then it's to where then you start getting mad and it's like, I'm walking around.

Yeah, you do.

Because you want to get talk with this person, be like trying to figure out where they're coming from.

And I'm mumbling around the house thinking about this.

My daughter looked at me, she's like, mom, she's like, you're always going to have critics.

Yeah.

But then it's like I forgot about that part because I was so caught up in what she was saying.

This reviewer wrote.

And then it fell back to where then I read something about this author where it took him close to 20 years before he got famous and he had a lot of people laughing in his face and saying he would never amount to nothing.

And it took just a strike of a match to where he's world famous and just goes with it.

And I always keep that in the back of my mind to where you will always have the people that try to trash you and be nasty just because they can.

And now, especially on social media age, it's just gotten worse.

Yeah.

I have a few the good reviews where it makes me smile and I'm like, okay, different people, guys, girls, whatever, have made comments where they've really enjoyed it, keep up the good work and everything.

But it's where that I've only had that one bad review.

I had another one to where she returned the book because she couldn't stand the narrator's voice.

I'm good with that.

I'm like, okay, good to know and everything.

And I move on.

I have to listen to audiobooks for, let's say, research purposes.

So I don't know, I go against the grain with everything that I do.

And so typically they recommend, like, don't become a narrator until you've had coaching.

Well, I'm like, I don't know what kind of coaching I would need at this point because one, I'm pretty sure the only books that have had reviews on them.

I'm pretty sure it was someone paid for those reviews because it's all very generic.

Like, I love this narrator.

And this book is so informative.

It's clearly cookie cutter reviews.

Oh, yeah.

But on my fiction stuff, I haven't gotten any reviews yet on any of the books I've done fiction wise.

So I'm like, I don't even know if no one tells me what's going on.

I don't know.

Like, oh, this person takes well, I know I don't have, like, really weird breaths or anything in there, but there's no, like, critique for, like, something that could be fixed because just telling someone, I don't like your voice that's so unhelpful.

I can't change my voice.

Yeah, exactly.

It's to where I know through with Audible, I have to click on the actual book to see if there's been any reviews.

And there's been like, if it's been bought, it'll go into that one section.

And I've had a lot with my books where people just give stars, but I've also had where they've gotten the books and left no reviews.

Right.

So yours just so you know, you can go to Audible because this is what I do for me.

I go to Audible and search my name and it will show me and then it'll pop down like, is this the person that you want?

And you click on it and it'll show at this point, it has this podcast and then all the fiction books that I've narrated all show up there and it'll say if there's a review or not.

Oh, I've never thought of that way.

I just go to view the sales dashboard and you know how it breaks everything down.

Well, you can go stock yourself on Audible and see that way, too, because then you can scroll down a list of all of your audio books and all of them will say on the screen with all the books that will say no reviews yet or whatever on there, right?

Yeah, I got to stock myself.

Well, that's like part of the creating a name.

Now, I didn't do as good of a job with this particular podcast name because there is someone that has a blog that is a very similar name but not a podcast.

So I can deal with a blog.

I always search the name to make sure that no famous person has this name.

And I can own the domain with this name on there.

But then part of it is also to go check because I'm narrating go check Audible and make sure no other narrator is using the name.

Yeah.

Oh, I do that a lot.

When I'm thinking of titles for my books, I put it in there and it's where, like if a movie pops up, I'll change some of it if I really want that title.

But so I'll change some of it up.

But I always try to make sure that there aren't other books with the exact same title.

Right now, your book when I was doing Dancing in the Moonlight, I kept getting the Dancing in the moonlight song from A Walk to Remember stuck in my Head, the name of the book.

I'd be like walking around my house singing that song.

And my daughter would be like, why are you singing the same song over and over again?

I'm like, cause it's the book I'm reading.

At least it sticks in your head, though.

Yeah, the name definitely sticks.

All right.

So what is next?

We're finishing Sears.

We've got another one you're going to finish.

Do you have any big plans for any other series or any books you haven't started yet rolling around in your head?

Not yet.

The Sears one is preoccupying everything in my mind.

How long each day do you write?

Do you have a set schedule for when you sit down and write a set number of words?

You write a day?

What do you no, because I have two teenagers at home that I home school and so off and on throughout the day when I get time plus, you know, working around the house, I just sort of just here and there.

But usually the main chunk of it is in the evening when I will sit there and just write till about sometimes.

Most times with the Sears, it's till about three, four in the morning.

Oh, gosh, oh yeah.

And then it's to where?

But with this one, like the other times, I could set a couple of hours here, a couple of hours there that I would devote to it.

Now the story is continuing right there.

It's like right when I stop writing and I close out my computer to go do other stuff, the story stops right there in my mind and then it stays that way is the weirdest thing.

I don't know if anyone else deals with that that writes.

But as soon as I sit down and I'll brief over the last paragraph and it picks right up and I can sit there and write and I just write until I get tired.

I think we've pretty well covered how you write and all of that.

To finish this out, do you have any advice for new writers?

Just starting out?

Any advice for new riders?

Or maybe not new riders, but just advice in general.

Don't get discouraged.

There's going to be days where you don't want to write.

That writer's block can happen.

Just enjoy yourself with writing.

Don't stress yourself out because it will show in your writing.

You will start to regret it.

You will start to hate your work.

And don't second guess yourself.

Also, one of the main things is when someone critiques you, or if you ask for someone to critique your work, ask them for the positive criticism because you will get some people that just will tear it apart because they want it their way.

And I've had that happen.

And I'm like, no, I'm not rewriting the book for you to how you want it.

If you have the dream to where you want to write, write.

It doesn't have to be published.

Or you could spend a couple of years just writing and you will know when it's done and when it's ready and when you're happy with it.

Right?

And always save.

As one author said that I saw on TikTok, she says, never delete anything.

Save it.

Which is true.

I have files upon files upon files of the same book.

Just save different things to where.

If I like the scheme better, I'll pull up a new page or a new document and just write it out to see if that works with it instead of erasing half of it.

Right.

Because then you will kick yourself in the b***.

Right.

You're like, man, how did I write it the first time?

Actually, it takes time.

Never be hard on yourself.

That is not getting done at a certain time or life gets in the way, and it'll always be there.

So do you have a tip or what do you do to get over rider's block?

Usually I will go and take my dog out, play in the backyard, go out in nature if it's nice enough out.

Right.

Because I like just getting out into the nature and just letting everything go and just being in the moment.

But if the weather's really bad, I will put on an old, old childhood favorite memory or movie.

Sorry.

Just watch it and just put the computer away.

Put everything away, and just don't even think about it.

Just go on doing whatever you want to do, and it will hit you.

You'll sit down and it'll come right to you.

Okay.

Well.

You'Ve done a lot of books in a very short time, and you've got a lot of good advice for newbies are just awesome.

I mean, everybody hits rider's block at some point.

Yeah.

That seems like a good get out of the moment and just don't worry about it.

Attempt not to think about it, because I know for me, that's really hard to get out of your head and stop trying to analyze everything all the time.

Yeah, definitely.

But you can't do it.

You have to actually turn your brain off.

Yeah.

You have to train yourself.

It took me a long time with that one.

It's because before I started writing, I was painting and it's to where this wasn't working.

Right.

That wasn't before the books.

I trained myself just to walk away from my paintings and take a day, take a week, however long that process is going to be.

And then when you come back to it with a fresh set of eyes and you have to take care of yourself.

And if you get stressed, that writer's block will stay there.

Right.

All right.

Well, thank you so much for coming on here and talking to us.

Thank you for having me.

You have a good day, Julie.

You, too.

Bye bye.

Julie's favorite story when she got older was Hansel and Gretel.

Hanzel and Gretel is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812.

In Grimm's Fairy Tales.

It is also known as Hansel and Gretel, or Little Stepbrother and Little Stepsister.

Hansl and Gretel are a brother and sister abandoned in a forest where they fall into the hands of a witch who lives in a house made of gingerbread cake and candy.

The cannibalistic witch intends to fatten the children before eventually eating them, but Gretel outwits the witch and kills her.

The two children then escape with their lives and return home with the witch's treasure.

Don't forget, we are also continuing the original story of Beauty and the Beast on our Patreon.

Hansel and Gretel hard by a great forest dwelt a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children.

The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel.

He had little to bite and to break, and once, when great dearth fell on the land, he could no longer procure even daily bread.

Now, when he thought over this by night in his bed and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned and said to his wife, what is to become of us?

How are we to feed our poor children when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?

I'll tell you what, husband, answered the woman.

Early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest.

There we will light a fire for them and give each one of them one more piece of bread.

And then we will go to our work and leave them alone.

They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid of them.

No, wife, said the man, I will not do that.

How can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest?

The wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces.

Oh, you fool, said she.

Then we must all four die of hunger.

You may as well plane the planks for our coffins.

And she left him with no peace until he consented.

But I feel very sorry for the poor children all the same, said the man.

The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger and had heard what their stepmother had said to their father.

Gretel wept bitter tears and said to Hansel, now all is over with us.

Be quiet, Gretel, said Hansel, do not distress yourself.

I will soon find a way to help us.

And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside.

The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies.

Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many as he could get in.

Then he went back and said to Gretel, Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep in peace.

God will not forsake us.

And he lay down again in his bed.

When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the two children, saying, Get up, you sluggards.

We are going into the forest to fetch wood.

She gave each a little piece of bread and said, There is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up before then, for you will get nothing else.

Gretel took the bread under her apron as Hansel had the peppers in his pocket.

Then they all set out together on the way to the forest.

When they had walked a short time, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house and did so again and again.

His father said, Hansel, what are you looking at there and staying behind for?

Pay attention and do not forget how to use your legs.

Father, said, Hansel, I'm looking at my little white cat which is sitting up on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me.

The wife said, fool, that is not your little cat.

That is the morning sun which is shining on the chimneys.

Hansel, however, had not been looking back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble stones out of his pocket on the road.

When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said, now, children, pile up some wood and I will light a fire that you may not be cold.

Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together as high as a little Hill.

The brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were burning very high, the woman said, now, children, lay yourselves down by the fire and rest.

We will go into the forest and cut some wood.

When we have done, we will come back and fetch you away.

Angela and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came each ate a little piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood axe, they believed that their father was near.

It was not the axe, however, but a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree, which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards, and as they had been sitting for a long time, their eyes closed with fatigue, and they fell fast asleep.

When at last they awoke, it was already dark night.

Gretel began to cry and said, how are we to get out of the forest now?

But Hansel comforted her and said, Just wait a little while until the moon has risen, and then we will soon find the way.

And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand and followed the pebbles, which shone like newly coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.

They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to their father's house.

They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said, you naughty children, why have you slept so long in the forest?

We thought you were never coming back at all.

The father, however, rejoiced, for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.

Not long afterwards there was once more great darts throughout the land, and the children heard their mother sang at night to their father, Everything is eaten again.

We have one half loaf left, and that is the end.

The children must go.

We will take them further into the wood so that they will not find their way out again.

There is no other means of saving ourselves.

The man's heart was heavy, and he thought it would be better for you to share the last mouthful with your children.

The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had to say but scolded and reproached him.

He who says a must say, be likewise.

And as he had yielded the first time, he had to do so a second time also.

The children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation.

When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles, as he had done before.

But the woman had locked the door and Hansel could not get out.

Nevertheless, he comforted his little sister and said, do not cry, Gretel.

Go to sleep quietly.

The good God will help us.

Early in the morning came the woman and took the children out of their beds.

Their piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the time before.

On the way into the forest, Hansel crumbled his in his pocket and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.

Why do you stop and look round?

Said the father.

Go on.

I'm looking back at my little pigeon, which is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me, answered Hansel.

Fool, said the woman, that is not your little pigeon.

That is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney.

Hansel, however, little by little through all the crumbs on the path, the woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had never in their lives been before.

Then a great fire was again made, and the mother said, Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a little.

We are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.

When it was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his by the way.

Then they fell asleep and evening past, but no one came to the poor children.

They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said, Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about.

They will show us the way home again.

When the moon came, they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up.

Hansel said to Gretel, we shall soon find the way.

But they did not find it.

They walked the whole night, and all the next day too, from morning till evening.

But they did not get out of the forest and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries.

Which grew on the ground, and as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath the tree and fell asleep.

It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house.

They began to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness.

When it was midday they saw a beautiful snow white bird sitting on a bow, which sang so delightfully that they stood and listened to it, and when its song was over it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a little house on the roof of which it alighted, and when they approached the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar.

We will set to work on that, said Hansel, and have a good meal.

I will eat a bite of the roof, and you, Gretel, can eat some of the window.

It will taste sweet.

Hansel reached up above and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leaned against the window and nibbled at the panes in a soft voice, cried from the parlor, Nibble, nibble Nah, who is nibbling at my little house?

The children answered, the wind, the wind, the heavenborne wind, and went on eating without disturbing themselves.

Hansel, who liked the taste of the roof, tore down a great piece of it, and Gretel pushed out the hole of one round window pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it.

Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the Hills, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out.

Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands.

The old woman, however, nodded her head and said, oh, you dear children, who has brought you here?

Do come in and stay with me.

No harm shall happen to you.

She took them both by the hand and led them into her little house.

Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes with sugar, apples, and nuts.

Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel laid down in them and thought they were in heaven.

The old woman had only pretended to be so kind.

She was, in reality a wicked witch who lay in wait for children and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there.

When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked it, and ate it, and that was a feast day with her.

Witches have red eyes and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts and are aware when human beings draw near.

When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed with malice and said mockingly, I have them.

They shall not escape me again.

Early in the morning, before the children were awake, she was already up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty with their plump and rosy cheeks, she muttered to herself, that would be a dainty mouthful, and she seized Hansel with her, shuffled hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a grated door, scream as he might, it would not help him.

Then she went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried, Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water and Cook something good for your brother.

He is in the stable outside and is to be made fat.

When he is fat, I will eat him.

Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, for she was forced to do what the wicked witch commanded, and now the best food was cooked for poor handzil.

But Gretel got nothing but crab shells.

Every morning the woman crept to the little stable and cried, Hands will stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon be fat.

Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it and thought it was Hansel's finger, and was astonished that there was no way of fattening him.

When four weeks had gone by and handles still remained thin, she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer.

Now then, Gretel, she cried to the girl, Stir yourself and bring some water.

Let hands will be fat or lean.

Tomorrow I will kill him and Cook him.

How the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water, and how her tears did flow down her cheeks.

Dear God, do help us, she cried, if the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us, we should at any rate have died together.

Just keep your noise to yourself, said the old woman.

It won't help you at all.

Early in the morning Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water and light the fire.

We will Bake first, said the old woman.

I have already heated the oven and kneaded the dough.

She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven, from which flames of fire were already darting creep in, said the witch, and see if it is properly heated so that we can put the bread in.

And once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and let her Bake in it, and then she would eat her too.

But Gretel saw what she had in mind and said, I do not know how I am to do it.

How do I get in?

Silly goose, said the old woman.

The door is big enough.

Just look, I can get myself in.

And she crept up and thrust her head into the oven.

Then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it and shut the iron door and fastened the Bolt.

Oh, then she began to howl quite horribly.

But Gretel ran away, and the godless switch was miserably burnt to death.

Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel opening his little stable.

And cried, Hansel, we are saved.

The old witch is dead.

Then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage.

When the door is opened.

How they did rejoice and embrace each other and dance about and kiss each other.

And as they had no longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch's house.

And in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels.

These are far better than pebbles, said Hansel.

And thrust into his pockets whatever could be got in.

And Gretel said, I too, will take something home with me.

And filled her pinafore full.

But now we must be off, said Hansel, that we may get out of the witch's forest.

When they had walked for 2 hours, they came to a great stretch of water.

We cannot cross, said Hansel.

I see no foot plank and no bridge.

And there is also no ferry, answered Gretel.

But a white duck is swimming there.

If I ask her, she will help us over.

Then she cried, little duck, little duck, DOST thou see Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?

There's never a plank or bridge in sight.

Take us across on thy back.

So white.

The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back.

And told his sister to sit by him.

No, replied Gretel.

That will be too heavy for the little duck.

She shall take us across one after the other.

The good little duck did so.

And when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them.

And at length, they saw from afar their father's house.

Then they began to run.

Rushed into the parlor and threw themselves round to their father's neck.

The man had not known one happy hour since he left the children in the forest.

The woman, however, was dead.

Gretel emptied her pinafore.

Until pearls and precious stones ran about the room.

And handled through one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them.

Then all anxiety was at an end.

And they lived together in perfect happiness.

My tail is done.

There runs a mouse whosoever catches it may make himself a big fur cap out of it.

Thank you for joining Freya's fairy tales.

Be sure to come back next week to hear Pamela's journey to holding her own fairy tale in her hands.