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

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

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.

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.

'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.

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

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.

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

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.'

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.