69 pages
Cinderella made a vow to her mother, before her mother tragically passed away on midwinter's day. Ella swore to watch over her father and care for him. But then her father married anew. Her stepmother and two stepsisters took sharp delight...
I grew up, as many children do, reading fairy tales. I was often torn between enjoying the immersive fantasy and being deeply disappointed by the passive nature of the heroines.
Cinderella endures years of brutal abuse without speaking out. Her reward is that a rich prince, who only chats with her for a few hours, decides to marry her.
Snow White stupidly, despite many warnings, eats an apple given to her by a stranger. She falls into a death-sleep and lays in a coffin until a guy comes along, kisses her, and marries her.
Beauty and the Beast is a mixed bag. I admit I adored the library, especially in the animated version. I was less keen on the idea that a woman in an abusive relationship simply had to be patient and understanding, and the 'beast' would eventually give up on his abuse and treat her like a princess.
Sleeping Beauty was the hardest for me to write. Aurora lays asleep on a bed for a hundred years until a guy happens along, kisses her, and marries her. She barely does anything at all besides "look beautiful". How is that a story?
It took me over five years to write, re-write, and re-re-write the intertwining stories until I felt they represented heroines I could be proud of. It was not an easy process, as my beta-readers can attest to. I tried and abandoned a number of storylines. The Sleeping Beauty book was especially challenging for me. How could an 'asleep' heroine possibly have agency?
In the end, I hope I presented young women who have inner strength, who find their own path, and who reach the happy ending they truly deserve.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the characters and storylines!
Ups! Tento obrázek porušuje naše pokyny k obsahu. Před publikováním ho, prosím, buď odstraň, nebo nahraď jiným.
