the fairytale series – simone shirazi

Once Upon a One Night… – New Title, Same Story!

July 15, 2021by simone shirazi2 Comments

How many people here can claim that they got their publisher (temporarily) banned from advertising on Facebook? Anyone? No?

Well, I can!

Let me start by saying it was an absolute accident. I didn’t mean it, I swear! But as it turns out, a lot of advertising companies and sites don’t like promoting anything that they believe to be “mature content.” And with a title like Once Upon a One Night Stand, I can see why they’d think my book was mature and want to pump the brakes. The thing is though, that book is Young Adult and non-mature—yes, there are mentions and discussions of sex and sexuality, but all mature scenes are fade-to-black and no acts are discussed in detail. Thus, making it a non-mature story.

But…not all advertisers see it that way—which is why I and the team at Radish decided it was time to change the title to something a little less, well, provocative.

Let me start by saying that its original title was just the first thing that popped into my mind when I needed a title for a story that was a Cinderella retelling with a one-night stand thrown in there. So why not Once Upon a One Night Stand? It combined both of those things and, hey, it made me laugh! What more could teenage Simone want? I still think it’s a fun title that really encompasses the story, but if changing it to something that didn’t include the words “one night stand” in it means that I can reach a wider audience and more readers, I’m more than happy to change it!

Which is why today we’re rolling out the new title…

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Once Upon a One Night Mistake – Story Seasons & Updated FAQ

September 9, 2020July 14, 2021by simone shiraziLeave a Comment

If you’ve been keeping up with the new chapters of Once Upon a One Night Mistake (previously titled “Once Upon a One Night Stand”) or Roses & Thorns on Radish, you’ve probably noticed how those stories are now split into a little something called “seasons.”

What are these seasons, you ask? Well, it’s a new organizational tool for stories. Think of them like seasons of a TV show, only for books! For longer stories, grouping chapters into seasons can help break things up so you’re not so overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. For series, writers can combine several books into one, so that readers don’t have to exit the first book to find the others in the series. So “season 1” would be the first book in the series, “season 2” would be the second book, etc.

I think it’s a fantastic way to help both writers and readers feel more comfortable with stories that might have hundreds (or even thousands) of chapters. I’m a big fan of it!

Now, I want to explain how I organized the seasons of Once Upon a One Night Mistake. If you’ve been reading the story, you might have already noticed, but here’s a full breakdown of the seasons and an updated FAQ about the story!

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Still in Bloom – Why I Decided to Continue Roses & Thorns

April 19, 2020April 18, 2020by simone shirazi1 Comment

If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, my work on Wattpad, or my work on Radish, you probably know that I decided to continue the first book in the Fairytale Series, Once Upon a One Night Stand.

As of today, there are over two-hundred (yes, I said 200) new chapters of OUAONS. Wild, right? When I said I wanted to fill in all the blanks of the Fairytale Series timeline, I meant all the blanks. There is no stone left unturned!

When I finished Roses & Thorns last year, I felt like the story and the series could be wrapped up there. And to be honest, it can absolutely stand just as it is. But there was that nagging feeling that there was still so much more I could do with Rose and Khalid. Plus, there were a few loose ends that would have been cool to explore.

So when Radish once again came to me and asked if I was interested in continuing Roses & Thorns, my reaction was an automatic absolutely.

So let me tell you a little more about what’s happening…

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The Fairytale Continues – Why I Decided to Add More to the Fairytale Series (And How to Read It)

November 21, 2019August 10, 2020by simone shirazi6 Comments

If you’ve been keeping up with what I’ve been posting on Wattpad and Radish, you may have noticed something interesting… there are new chapters of Once Upon a One Night Stand.

To some of you, this might seem a little odd. Simone, you say. Hasn’t that story been complete on Wattpad since 2015? And my answer is: yes, you are correct! That story, Book #1 of The Fairytale Series has been complete for nearly 5 years now. I’ve even written three more books in the Fairytale Series since then! So why in the world would I continue a story that’s been complete for years now?

Well, let me explain…

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Written in the Stars: Character Astrology, Part 1

September 29, 2019by simone shirazi10 Comments

I’ll be the first to admit that I love astrology.

Do I truly believe in it? Uhhh… we’ll get back to that. Can your entire life and personality be boiled down to what a bunch of planets supposedly represent? No comment. Is it fun as heck to read about yourself and say, “Oh my God, that is so me,” to the vaguest descriptions? YES.

I know I’m not alone in that, which is probably why a common question I get about my characters is what’s their sign?

To all of those who have asked, I’m finally going to reveal the sun signs of my main characters! Of course, there’s more to astrology than sun signs (like moon signs, rising signs, etc.) but for the sake of my sanity, we gotta keep this simple.

In this post (Part 1) you’ll find the signs of the characters from The Fairytale Series (OUAONS, AN, Dryland, R&T) and All That is Gold. For my other stories and characters, check back in the future for Part 2!

Here we go!

Continue reading “Written in the Stars: Character Astrology, Part 1” →