Monday, October 10, 2016

Background of The Spinner and the Slipper



First off, I’d like to thank all my readers for your overwhelming support and wonderful reviews you’ve written. It’s been a while; I’ve been busy with school, family and such. This whole experience has been so strange. I’m still me and I don’t feel any different than before the book got published. So, even though so much has changed, it hasn’t. How’s that for a paradox? ;P

I didn’t think my little story would do this well. Honestly, I’d written it off as a failed draft that needed extreme polishing (which it did), but that it didn’t have much hope of being published. I have other stories in the works that, in my opinion, had more promise. But I still love this story. It's a sort of magic to me.

Rumpelstiltskin has always intrigued me, ever since the first time I read about that creepy old man got mad at the queen for guessing his name and tore himself in two. Talk about a visual that stays with you, especially as a kid! Later on, as I grew up and my love for fairy tales flourished, something didn’t quite fit in the Rumpelstiltskin story. Why would a random old man with magic powers want to help a helpless miller’s daughter? Furthermore, why would he give her a chance to guess his name, then act like a fool, dancing around a fire singing his name? (For those of you unfamiliar with the original story, it’s quite interesting and definitely worth visiting your local library to check out!) No, it just didn’t fit.

Now, I’ve always been fond of fan fictions (I’ve written quite a few myself), and nothing’s out of bounds, not even fairy tales. So, what happens when Rumpelstiltskin is a young man? Well, that changes everything. A beautiful young girl in distress, in need of magical help, would be right up his alley. Why, he would only ask her for trifles in return for his help. Then he’d ask for something which may seem creepy at first, but would actually be the sweetest way of declaring his feelings—he’d ask for her first born child… because he wants to marry her. That sounds like a story worth writing, doesn’t it? I thought so, anyway. ^_^

The Spinner and the Slipper was actually for a Cinderella retelling contest. That was where the pattern-seeking came in handy. Rumpelstiltskin had three days of spinning, Cinderella had three nights of the ball. Magic golden thread, magic glass slipper. Mysterious magical figures helping the heroines in distress. Heroine ends up with a royal. Mmm… that last bit had to go. But the rest of it was perfectly aligned! Obviously, what I originally wrote had to be heavily edited before it became the final product you all have read, but the heart of it is there. :) If memory serves, I actually wrote that original story in a month. I’d had another story planned, then ditched it at the last moment and wrote this story instead. It involved intense research at the library and reading any book involving Rumpelstiltskin I could get my hands on. Once Upon A Time was decidedly avoided, though I enjoy the show. Haha!

In the end, I had a green-eyed faerie in love with a simple miller’s daughter. That was three years ago, actually. So much has changed since then, and I just can’t get over it. I can’t thank Rooglewood Press enough for giving me this opportunity, too. Without them, none of this could have happened (especially not that beautiful cover! It’s gorgeous, right?).

I recently received a letter from three girls who read my book, Q, C, and M. It was so inspiring, and it made everything worth it—every word and second. My goal, ever since I was eleven, was to write books that a mom wouldn’t have to worry about handing her kids without having to read it first. I hope I’ve done that for you guys. ^_^ Thank you for all your support and kind words. It’s meant the world to me.

Til next time!

In Christ,
Camryn