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
