When in a time pinch for a story idea, sometimes it's best to just stick with a classic. See how Sarah A. Crouch came up with her idea for her novella in our new collection which releases TOMORROW.

​I remember reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I’d wandered over into the adult section of our tiny public library in Prairie Grove, Arkansas because I’d just about exhausted all of the options in the children’s section. Jane Austen was a name I’d heard before, so I knew her books were supposed to be some of the classics, but I didn’t know if she’d read more like Moby Dick or Tom Sawyer.
 
After loving Pride and Prejudice, I quickly consumed Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, and Emma. My parents let me watch the 1996 Gwenyth Paltrow Emma at some point, but Clueless was the first time I remember watching a modern adaptation of a classic story (unless you count the PBS show, Wishbone). I’ve since loved all things Jane Austen and Emma stuck with me as the quintessential matchmaking story.

Do you pay attention when book characters drink your beverage of choice? Our guest author today, Christina Rost, is talking about her characters and their drink of choice. See if you can relate.

​Tea or coffee? Which do you prefer?
I waffle between both, depending on my mood. During the afternoon, my go-to drink is a creamy latte with my favorite seasonal flavor combo: peanut butter and honey. But during autumn nights, you’ll frequently find me cozied up in my comfy chair, cradling a cup of Lady Grey.
As I draft my novels, these kinds of preferences are fun to add to characters because it can add an element of realism to them. The human quirks also enable me to engage with my readers through my characters.
Think about your family and friends. What are their preferences? What are their dislikes? We often keep these facts in mind when we make plans with them.
Just like friends, characters become more layered and relatable when you uncover their unique quirks, favorites and dislikes and allow them to come alive on the page.

I decided to work on my Snow White retelling in August this summer. I thought, it will be between edits and before book launch. Perfect timing to knock out some of the scenes that had been filling my head.
There was only one problem.
I would sit at my computer, open the document, and stare at the screen. And then let myself be distracted by other things like Facebook or Pinterest or reading or even ... gasp ... cleaning the area around my chair.

Do you love fairy tales? You know I do. Well, today, you're in for a treat, because my guest author, Joanna Holden, is here to talk about her fairytale retellings as well as her life as an author. Make sure you read all the way to the end to find out more about her books and how to find her online!

Joanna, I know you're a homeschooling mom to your four children. How do you find time to write?
It’s definitely a challenge, especially in seasons with extra complications. (We’re in one of those right now.) For me, it’s a matter of routine. I plan our school days so that we do all our work in the mornings. Then the kids have the afternoons free for exploring and playing, and Mommy gets regular writing time. We’ve chosen a method and curriculum to match this routine. I also try to switch up writing times based on how I’m feeling physically. If I’m doing pretty good, afternoons are my time. If I need daily naps, I wait till the kids are in bed and write then. (And if I need to reach a deadline, I double up and do both.) And as often as I can, I schedule weekly library writing days. This makes sure that a) I can get out of the house, and b) I get in several solid uninterrupted hours of writing.
It’s not perfect by any means. There are plenty of days when writing still doesn’t happen. But at least it’s on my mind. And it’s a lot easier to slip into the routine when it’s been the same for eleven years.

Your books look like so much fun. What inspired you to do fairytale retellings?
I was actually inspired by not finding what I was looking for. I had seen a lot of retellings being launched that were all based on the same four or five fairy tales. And while I loved those, I wanted to see a wider variety of options. Especially since there is such a rich pool to choose from, and it felt like no one was even touching those. So, I pulled a selection of lesser-known fairy tales that I loved.
That also affected how I chose to retell them. Rather than taking an original concept and spinning it into something wildly different, I opted to write them as close to the originals as possible. I look at them more as extended editions of the originals – adding in details and fleshing out plotlines, and letting the surprises come from those additions rather than changing endings or subverting the original tropes.