Welcome to my website, and thank you for attending Once Upon 2025!

So who am I? I’m Brittany. I love Jesus, and I’m about a month away from celebrating ten years as a clean fairy tale author. I’m also a military spouse and mommy to two short people (although, they are quickly outgrowing that description) who depend upon me for homeschooling and snacks.

I got started writing and publishing ten years ago with my Beauty and the Beast retelling, Before Beauty, and since then, I’ve written twenty fairy tale retellings, three epic fantasy trilogies, two children’s fairy tale picture books, three military contemporary fairy tale-themed romances, and I just finished my second urban fantasy, which is now with beta readers.

Those of you who haven’t met me before will be happy to know that one hundred percent of my books are clean. I write them with my daughter in mind, knowing what I want (and don’t want) her to pick up as she gets older. And though I write in a variety of fantasy / romance genres, all of my books – even my non-fairy tales – have been influenced by my Once-upon-a-time obsession that started when I was a little girl.

So now that you know who I am, let the magic begin! Welcome to Once Upon 2025!

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Choose Your MC!

Every reader wants a main character he or she can relate to. This is your chance to come up with your perfect MC! Choose one option from each column, and write your answer in the comments!

*Note: The “curious five-year-old” option can apply to any sort of five-year-old: Neighbor, niece, cousin… You get to make it interesting!

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Free Series Starters

Did you know that I currently have four fairy tale series out in the world? (With more to come…) And the first books in three of those series are free! You can get them in the Kindle store, Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, and all other major ebook retailers. Not sure where to start? Start here!

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My Sassiest Heroines

I like writing a variety of characters. Not a single one is ever the same to me. That’s why it sometimes takes me longer than I would like to “discover” them before I can write them. And because of this, my characters are all mixed bags of personality traits.

That said, I have a decently sarcastic mouth, and as a result, my characters often do, too. So this activity is dedicated to my sassiest female characters who like to keep life on the cheeky side.

Lady Elaina Stark

Princess Sabra

Princess Snow

Wendy Darling

Princess Finola

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Silent Mermaid: A Retelling of The Little Mermaid

What if the little mermaid was born under the direct light of the sun? What if she was born silent?

“What People Do“

(An Excerpt)

Arianna watched in amazement as the girls set to bustling around the room. Claire produced a tear-shaped red glass jar. She shook the bottle several times into her hand, and out fell some little pink crystals that were smaller than the girl’s fingernails. With ceremonial solemnity, she dropped each crystal into the water, where it fizzled for a few moments until it disappeared completely. Lucy drew a little sponge from her bag, something Arianna was relieved to recognize.

“You need to take off your dress now,” the little girl said.

Arianna stared at her. Why would she ever do such a thing in front of children?

“Oh, come now.” Claire rolled her eyes. “It isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. We helped Bithiah bathe when she hurt her back.”

Arianna just frowned. But why was she taking off her clothes? How she wished suddenly that she had her waxy leaves and writing utensils.

“How else do you expect to get clean without getting in the water?” Lucy huffed.

So that was how the humans stayed clean. The large bucket must be the bath Bithiah had spoken of. But why didn’t they just get clean in the ocean instead? It was right outside their palace.

Before Arianna could finish her thought, however, Claire had walked behind her and given the gown a few yanks. To Arianna’s horror, the dress began to fall off.

“I think she’s shy, Lucy,” Claire said as though Arianna weren’t there. “Let’s give her a moment to get into the water.” She glanced back at Arianna. “That bandage should make it interesting. I don’t think you’re supposed to get that wet.”

Arianna realized afterward that she should have taken the girls up on their offer to help her get in. But the puddle on the floor had been small and nearly invisible, and she hadn’t expected to fall so fast or so hard. With a splash that sent water flying far enough to hit the window and the door, Arianna landed in the giant bucket. As her bottom sank, her arms and legs shot out, hitting the sides of the tub and sending a pang up her leg from her throbbing ankle. Claire, widening her eyes at Lucy, took Arianna by an arm and began to haul her back up into a sitting position.

“Well,” Claire said with a smile that was a little too amused for Arianna’s taste, “at least you managed to keep your foot out of the water. Now the room gets a bath, too!”

“Bithiah’s going to be mad at you!” Lucy said, her green eyes wide. Then she brought her voice down to a whisper. “Want to know a secret? I hate baths, too.”

“That’s not a secret,” Claire said as she helped Arianna stay sitting up, which was hard with her foot sticking up out of the water. “Everyone in the palace can hear you howling whenever you take a bath. Now, hold on to the sides of the tub. I’m going to scrub your neck, but you have to stay upright.”

But Arianna needed to know something first. She plunged her head underwater and sucked in. Instead of regrowing her fins, however, or breathing below the surface as she’d hoped to do, Arianna found herself choking on mouthfuls of bitter-tasting water. Panic took her as she tried to spit it out, to swallow it down, but she couldn’t. Nothing she tried could clear her airway.

So this was how she was going to die. After surviving pirates and sea monsters, the youngest Atlantician princess would perish in a giant bucket. In water.

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Contest Time!

Did you know I have a bookstore?

Okay, so it’s an online bookstore, but it’s seriously one of my favorite things about owning the business. I sell autographed paperbacks, book merch, ebooks, and even some of my own audiobooks. And all of my book merch is made right in my office with my Cricut gear. 

One of the best things about owning a bookstore is getting to create book boxes and other goodies to sell. And some of my favorite goodies belong in my Happily Ever After University (H.E.A.U.) line.

Most exciting? Today, one of you will be winning an H.E.A.U. tumbler! (Or the full 12-book ebook boxset of my Classical Kingdoms Collection, if you’re not in the US.)

How do you enter? Just click the button, and a new window will pop up in which you can enter the contest! Then come right back here for the rest of the party!

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The Sentinel’s Song: A Retelling of St. George & the Dragon

Sabra needed an army of warriors. She only found one.

An Excerpt

Demir’s frown deepened. “I just hope he’ll mind himself.” He paused and looked back up at her. “And you need to mind yourself, too.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You say what you’re thinking and don’t care who you offend.”

Sabra sniffed. “I see no reason why I should.”

“Queen or not, politics are like a dance, Sabra. Refuse too many partners, and soon you’ll have no one to dance with when a crisis arises.”

“People need strong leaders. After all, you can’t always compromise.”

“People want leaders who get things done. And bulldozing your way through someone like Mahzar won’t get anything done if you two butt heads. Even if you are right.”

Before Sabra could come up with a reply, the sound of the door drew both their attention, and Sabra looked up to find her mother studying them with pursed lips.

“Hello, Mother.” Sabra smiled impishly, knowing full well what that look meant.

“Every time I think I’ve got you turned into a perfect lady, I find you in here.” 

“No one’s perfect, Auntie,” Demir gave her a boyish grin, all signs of stress gone.

Sabra’s mother scowled, but under it, Sabra could see affection. Though Demir was Sabra’s first cousin on her father’s side, being orphaned at age eleven had made him as dear to her mother as any son would have been.

“Well, if I can’t keep you out of those things,” she glared at Sabra’s pantaloons, “I can at least tell you to change out of them now. You’ve got suitors here who wish to wait on you, and I won’t have them seeing you like this.” 

“How many?” Sabra didn’t even bother trying to hide her apprehension. There were many things about being the official crown princess that she was looking forward to after she passed her Inquest. 

Choosing a suitor was not one of them.

Her mother raised her eyebrows. “Three.”

Still, knowing better than to argue with her mother, Sabra groaned and handed her staff to her cousin. He gently poked her in the back with it as she trudged toward her waiting mother. “Make sure you tell me all the details,” he called after her. “I want to know if you see the one with the snowy white beard or the one who refers to you as, ‘Child.’” 

Sabra turned to scowl at her cousin. “For taking my Inquest so seriously, you seem to think my husband candidates hilarious.”

He shrugged unapologetically. “A man’s got to laugh sometimes.”

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Kickstarter Announcement

Arik’s father was a lowly chief of an impoverished land… but a good one.

His people were poor as well… but they were safe.

And at twelve years old, Arik had finally begun training to follow in his father’s footsteps…

Until the dragon came.

Just when Arik’s world seems reduced to ashes, however, an ancient wizard appears at his door, bringing with him a secret Arik’s father has protected for years.

The sword his father has always carried once belonged to the High King of Light – a dragon slayer of old. And now that a dragon has returned and his father is injured, Arik is tasked with journeying to the distant land of Kungsvard. There he must find the new High King and present him with the dragon slayer’s sword so the dragon can be destroyed, and the land brought to light once more.

But leaving everything behind will be difficult, and facing a legendary forest full of strangers, magic, and monsters will be even harder. Can Arik gather the courage to go? And if he does, will he be able to find the High King before it’s too late?

This middle-grade epic fantasy novel was written by a mother to her son as an entrance into the beautiful world of fantasy in the ways of Lewis and Tolkien. Not only are there epic adventures and lore of the most fantastical kind, Quest for a King is a journey into the meaning of Godly manhood, and what it means to give one’s all for the sake of those he loves. Safe fantasy for young readers, Quest for a King can be enjoyed by boys and girls alike (or so claims my daughter) as well as fantasy readers of all ages.

Many of you remember four years back when I wrote a Cinderella picture book for my daughter’s sixth birthday. Well, my son is turning eight this year, and I wanted to give him a book all his own as well.

But in all honesty, it’s harder to get traditional fairy tales to work for young boys. Not impossible, but most definitely more work. So after spending years trying to figure out how to write a book for him, I realized that I didn’t want to use a traditional fairy tale.

I decided to make my own.

Basically, I wanted to write him a book with all the most beloved fantasy tropes that could be his first step into the world of epic fantasy we all know and love so well. And what I came up with is a middle-grade dragon fantasy quest!

There’s a hero’s journey, a dragon, an enchanted sword, a wizard with a quest, and so many more of the tropes that made us fall in love with the realm of the fae when we were young! I also want it to convey the beautiful truth about godly manhood and what it means to serve others as a man, a husband, a father, and a leader.

(Although, I have it on good authority from my nine-year-old daughter that girls can enjoy this story as well.)

“But why Kickstarter?” you may ask. “Why not just publish it like you did all your other books?”

As this book is going to be his special birthday gift, I wanted to do a special edition. I will definitely be selling regular paperbacks and ebooks later on, but this first version is going to be BEAUTIFUL.

• Hardcover.
• Book ribbon.
• Custom professional cover artwork.
• Custom professional interior illustrations.
• Custom Book Jacket
• The whole shebang.

Unfortunately, “whole shebangs” are expensive. Like… mucho expensive. And as this isn’t going to target my usual demographic (Young Adult readers), I chose Kickstarter in the hopes of raising enough money to actually get these beautiful special editions printed and shipped. And I’m hoping that you will want to help create and add this beautiful book to bookshelves as well!

When is it going to launch? That’s a tricky question. The Air Force is moving us to Utah in less than two months, so I’m having to postpone the Kickstarter a bit. (Because running a Kickstarter when you’re living in a hotel room without dependable wifi is no bueno.) But ideally, late spring / early summer is my goal. Even though it’s not running right now, however, you can “follow” the campaign so that you’re notified as soon as it goes live.

If this is a project you’d like to have on your shelf, or one you’d simply like to support to help promote children’s literature, please consider following and supporting this campaign. Our children need more safe, wholesome stories, and you can help bring those to life!

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Join Brit’s Bookish Mages

My party room is nearly done, but if you haven’t yet joined the ranks of my (Brit’s) Bookish Mages, you’re missing out!

First, you’re missing out on my Goodie Bags.

And boy, have my VA and I worked hard on these Goodie Bags.

Basically, each book that I put out comes with cool content like free bonus stories, themed soundtracks, and more! It’s a fun way not only to give you bonus content for the books you’ve already read, but to introduce you to other books you might enjoy as well!

Here’s how it works:

• 1.) You sign up for my newsletter (A.K.A., my Bookish Mage list)
• 2.)  You get a Welcome email and a password.
• 3.) You take the password to my Exclusive Content page and type it in. Once it’s there, you get access to aaaaaaall of my Goodie Bag exclusives!

You’ll also get newsletters from me that include bonus stories as they come out, audiobook samples, coupons to my store, story sneak peeks, business updates, and more!

So if you haven’t joined already, make sure you do it now!