In Her Heels with Princess Bubble Author, Susan Johnston
http://www.shetakesontheworld.com/

We've all read them: Fairy tales that end with a princess finding Prince Charming and living *sigh* happily ever after. Or so we've been told. Move over damsel-in-distress; there's a new princess in town! Her name is Princess Bubble and she's an independent, intelligent, globe trotting princess that doesn't need Prince Charming to live her life. Creators Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb are changing the way girls think of happily ever after.
Susan, I love this book and I love what you ladies are doing. How did you meet each other?

Although Kim and I were both Delta flight attendants, we actually met through an old boyfriend. So, we joke and say that did not work out but I kept Kim.

What sparked the idea for Princess Bubble?

After being in 17 weddings and exhausted from hearing "Why aren't you married?" I was playing Barbie with a friend's daughter and was told that Barbie could not live "happily ever after" without a prince. I questioned this little princess, telling her I was single and happy and had traveled the world, had wonderful friends and family...And she informed me this was not possible for Barbie or any of the Disney princesses because it had been clearly documented -No Prince equals no chance of "happily ever after."

I thought about this and wondered what we were teaching our girls. Wasn't happiness to be shared and not made the responsibility of another human to fulfill? I wrote an email to friends with a rough draft of Princess Bubble asking what they thought. Isn't it time for a new fairy tale? Kim quickly responded, "Yes! Let's make it happen." So, we published Princess Bubble together. Tell us more about the Princess Bubble character? From an excerpt I read that she took a job with Royal Heir Line to travel. It sounds like Princess Bubble is based on your own lives. Is that a correct assumption?

Princess Bubble is a better version of us. She is educated, well traveled, wants to make a difference, owns her own castle and had also been a bridesmaid and is told in the story that she will wear the bridesmaid dress again.
Recently, my life took an unexpected turn I NEVER expected for myself and I met a prince. This relationship has made me even more passionate about the message of Princess Bubble because we both feel so strongly about being happy first and then as secure happy people you are able to encourage each other to fulfill their dreams and be a better person. Not expect the other person to be the dream.
Kim is very happy single and has a fabulous life traveling, dating and has mastered Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. We are both very close to our nieces and nephews.

What is your vision for Princess Bubble and your company?

We would love for Princess Bubble to travel the world and learn about languages, cultures and the education of travel. But, we self-published Princess Bubble and are not in the financial position to finance her travels just yet. But, that is our dream.

If there are any publishers or investors reading, take a look at Princess Bubble! What is the message you want to get across to women and girls?

Kim and I believe it is far better to be single and wish you were married than married and wish you were single. Our passion is for girls/women to recognize their value and worth. We believe true happiness comes from loving God, helping others and liking who you are already. There are so many girls compromising themselves, starving themselves and in abusive dating relationships-all seeking the attention of some guy. We want these girls to know they are a special princess and feel secure in their own skin. What is a day like in your heels? Kim still works for Delta and she tutors Spanish. She has her Masters in Romantic Languages. I left Delta in 2006 and took a job with a builder. I was recently laid off. So, I am looking for a job and we both are promoting Princess Bubble hoping to empower girls and reach people with this message we are so passionate about. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today. Happily ever after!

Princess Bubble- BOOK REVIEW
by Wayne S. Walker
for Stories for Children Magazine

BOOK: Princess Bubble
WRITTEN BY: Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb
ILLUSTRATED BY: Maria Tonelli
PUBLISHED BY: Bubble Gum Press (2006)
ISBN-10: 0-9650910-0-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-9650910-0-8
READING LEVEL: Ages 2-8 but single women may enjoy it too
REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker

Being an "old-fashioned" type of person and having read some of the promotion for this book, I was not sure that I would like it. However, I determined to read it with an open mind. Behold, I found that I did like it. Most every little girl wants to grow up to be a Princess who finds her Prince Charming. And most parents would like this for their little girls. Yet, it is plain that it does not always happen for everyone. For those young ladies who must learn to be content with their singleness, there is Princess Bubble, who graduates from college, gets a job, buys a palace of her own, and watches several of her friends get married.
Many of her married friends begin to ask her why she has not found a prince yet, and eventually her mother tells her that it is time for her to find a prince. She does try and makes many new friends in the process, but finally learns from her fairy godmother that "living happily every after is not about finding a prince. True happiness is found by loving God, being kind to others, and being comfortable with who you are already." So, what will Princess Bubble do with what she has learned? This is a lovely story with an important message for girls (and for their parents) who can read it to help be prepared whatever may happen.
Website: www.PrincessBubble.com

As I look for ways to promote our modern day fairy tale, Princess Bubble, I continued to see the term "Fractured Fairy Tale." I thought, "What exactly is a fractured fairy tale?" I found this definition online:
"Fractured fairy tales are traditional fairy tales, rearranged to create new plots with fundamentally different meanings or messages. Fractured fairy tales are closely related to fairy-tale parodies, but the two serve different purposes: parodies mock individual tales and the genre as a whole; fractured fairy tales, with a reforming intent, seek to impart updated social and moral messages."

I guess Princess Bubble is a fractured fairy tale. Bubble finds true happiness comes from loving God, helping others and liking who you are already. This princess mocks the old tales by re-reading the old tales to look for hints on where to find a prince. She could not relate to any of the old tales because she was not a victim. She was not trapped in a dungeon, she did not have a wicked step mother or wicked step sisters, and she did not even know any dwarfs!
Princess Bubble is also seeking to impart an updated social and moral message. Our girls do not need to hear that if they find a prince they will live happily ever after! Not only is this a lie; but it puts a tremendous amount of responsibility on our boys. No human can be everything to us. We must be happy first and then share our happiness with a spouse, friend, family....
The irony of this title "Fractured Fairy Tale" is that our new message is one of wholeness and confidence. The old messages are fractured in my opinion!
Happily Ever After!
www.PrincessBubble.com