My Dream Panel

As we all know, book cons bring us some of the most magical things: arcs, author signings, and perhaps one of the most amazing things: author panels. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see your favorite authors together on stage talking about some epic topic? I started to wonder what Panel I would want to go to myself. I mulled it over for a bit, and I’m not kind of upset with myself because I think I made my event too enticing and now I really want to go to this fictional dream panel that will forever be fictional. Oops. It was a lot of fun, and even though you can’t go to my dream panel, Eventbrite can help you find events going on near you. Here is their online event registration. Their tools are great for finding and planning conferences and conventions, and if you visit the homepage you can even see all kinds of events going on in your area!

So let’s find out the basics of my dream panel!

The Princesses of YA Panel

Location, Location, Location

Bunratty Castle in Ireland

Images taken from Google Images – I did not take them or own them!

This Irish castle is known for being beautiful, historic…and famous for their medieval banquets. They have a perfect place already set up for seating a good amount of people in intimate settings, and I definitely think it would give the right feeling for a princess panel. I mean, you need to be in a castle for a princess panel, and this has a super authentic vibe. Plus, the acoustics will be great, and everyone will be super close by to listen to all the panel speakers.

Our Moderator

The Queen of YA Fairytale Retellings, Marissa Meyer

Well, of course, for a princess panel, the moderator has to been the queen of YA fairytale retelling. She has tackled Snow White, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, and Alice in Wonderland. She knows her fairytales and her princesses, and being a queen herself in the YA writing world, she would ask the right questions, keep us all entertained (she created Captain Carswell Thorne so I mean, she has the humor), and add in perfect facts. Plus, she’s so creative and original that she would totally provide an unique experience.

Who is on our Princess Panel?

Alosa from Daughter of the Pirate King

Whenever I think of a fierce YA heroine, Alosa is certainly one of the first heroines that comes to mind. She’s strong in so many ways, and she’s got more than a little bit of magic in her. She’s a fighter, and she fights for what she believes. I love her dearly, and DOTPK has become one of the best books of 2017 for me. Plus, she is the daughter of pirate king, so I mean, it’s certainly a different princess experience than most. I would definitely ask her about how growing up in this way is different than what we traditionally expect of princesses and how come she is so EPIC???? She certainly invokes princess traits of Mulan, Moana, Merida, and Ariel.

Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles

Well, Cinder definitively brings a little something different to the table. She goes through much of her life not knowing she is the heir to a magical moon kingdom, and then she has to help overthrow the crazy queen on top. She goes from being treated like scum by her stepfamily (except darling Peony) to being revered by her people and her fantastic crew. She faces so many different obstacles and challenges that princesses don’t traditionally face, so she would certainly have a different aspect than traditional princesses. Plus, I would cry to see Meyer interview her own character. She invokes princess traits of Cinderella, Mulan, Moana, and Tiana.

Feyre from A Court of Mist and Fury

Feyre stars in a very interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and while there is not quite royalty in the traditional sense (kings and queens and princes and princesses), there are High Lords and…Lady. Feyre becomes the first High Lady of the land, and that certainly makes her an important figure. She’s more than a princess, but she is an influential figure in a land predominantly run by men. I think it would be so unique to hear her experiences of taking over a role that never existed before and being a first in this country. It takes over the traditional “princess role” and elevates it quite a bit. She’s certainly have a whole different perspective. She invokes princess traits of Belle, Merida, and Elsa.

Gauri from A Crown of Wishes

Gauri is certainly not your average princess, and she kicks some major butt. In this book, it was definitely a lot of role reversal in what “traditional” princes and princesses do. It was oh so brilliant, and Gauri is one of my favorite YA characters out there. She’s strong in so many meanings of the word. I love her dearly, and her perspective in this panel would be so fantastic – from being a beloved princess to being a princess without a kingdom – and how to perfectly annoy fox princes and kick some tournament butt. She invokes princess traits of Mulan, Merida, and Jasmine.

So, that is the end of my dream panel. What are some questions that you would ask to the panelists? What are some ideas for your own dream panel? WHY CAN’T THIS PANEL BE REAL? Let’s discuss in the comments below!