Serena Valentino is an American comic book writer, author, and storyteller. She created the comic book series ''
Gloomcookie'' and ''
Nightmares & Fairy Tales''. She also authored the ''Villain'' novels published by
Disney Press
Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints inclu ...
, which have earned Valentino critical acclaim for her style of storytelling.
Career
Serina Valentino has published nine ''Villains'' novels. The first, ''The Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen'', was based on the
Evil Queen
The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm; similar stories exist worldwide. Other versions of the Queen appear in subsequent ...
from ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...
'' and released on August 18, 2009.
The second novel, ''The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince'', based on the character of
Beast from ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
'', was released on July 22, 2014.
This was followed by ''Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch'', which is based on
Ursula the Sea Witch, the villainess from ''
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...
''. This third book in the series was released on July 26, 2016.
The fourth novel, ''Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy'', written from the point of view of
Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
from ''
Sleeping Beauty
''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...
'', was released on October 3, 2017.
The fifth novel, ''Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch,'' based on
Mother Gothel
Mother Gothel is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 50th animated feature film ''Tangled ''(2010). The character is voiced by actress and singer Donna Murphy in her voice acting debut; Murphy auditioned for the role spo ...
, the villainess from ''
Tangled
''Tangled'' is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the German fairy tale ''Rapunzel'' in the collection of ...
'', was released on August 7, 2018.
The release date for the sixth book, ''The Odd Sisters: A Villains Novel'', was July 2, 2019.
Valentino released her seventh novel, ''Evil Thing'', on July 7, 2020, and is told in the first person from the viewpoint of
Cruella De Vil
Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature ...
.
Valentino released the eighth novel, ''Cold Hearted,'' detailing the backstory of
Lady Tremaine
Lady Tremaine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Productions' 12th animated feature film, ''Cinderella'' (1950) and its direct-to-video sequels '' Cinderella II: Dreams Come True'' (2002) and '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'' ...
, on June 29, 2021. Valentino is currently working on her ninth book in the Villains series, which will feature the first male villain of the series, and announced via Facebook that she has been contracted with Disney Press to write three more volumes of the Villains series after the ninth volume, bringing the total number to twelve.
In 2019, it was reported that her ''Villains'' series was being adapted into the television series ''Book Of Enchantment.'' With showrunner
Michael Seitzman developing it, Disney had writers working on the script for 13 weeks, before cancelling the series in late August 2019 before the debut of
Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
. Disney maintained the TV rights to the franchise.
The cancellation was over concerns it was "too dark" for the new streaming service, and were afraid that children under age would view it.
Publishing history
''Gloomcookie'' series
''Nightmares & Fairy Tales'' series
''Villains'' series
*''The Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen'' (August 18, 2009)
*''The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince'' (July 22, 2014)
*''Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch'' (July 26, 2016)
*''Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy'' (October 3, 2017)
*''Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch'' (August 7, 2018)
*''The Odd Sisters: A Villains Novel'' (July 2, 2019)
*''Evil Thing: A Tale of That De Vil Woman'' (July 7, 2020)
*''Cold Hearted: A Tale of the Evil Stepmother'' (June 26, 2021)
*''Never Never: A Tale of Captain Hook'' (July, 2022)
References
External links
*
Interview at comiXologywith Serena Valentino, 2008
Interview by Jess Salafia, ''The Disney Blog''with Serena Valentino, 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentino, Serena
American comics writers
Female comics writers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American writers of Italian descent