Behind the Story: Woodland Creatures

One of the things the movies added to the classic fairytale stories is the adorable little wild animals who end up helping the princesses. And if you're like me, you love that part. But I needed something a bit more realistic than birds and mice helping my Cinderella character. I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to handle her wild animals.
Then, I remembered what we saw when we were in West Virginia.

Our hotel room was about three floors up and directly behind the hotel was a cliff where they had cut into the mountain to make room to build the hotel. And as we looked out our window, there were deer. The top of the cliff still had some trees and plants and the deer had wandered up for their breakfast. I snapped the photo above because we thought it was so cool.
The other wild animals that showed up in my book are wild turkeys, believe it or not. Why? Because our neighborhood has its own rafter (or gaggle) of turkeys. Every group of animals has it's own name for the group. Turkeys can be rafters, gaggles, gangs, flocks, or even broods. These are the fun kinds of things this author researches for her books. LOL.
Anyway, I see turkeys all the time. And they're really sort of fun to watch. The pictures below are from my backyard.
When I discovered that one of my side characters was majorly into hunting, I had to figure out what was eligible to be hunted during the season my book was set in. Hello, turkeys. In case you're wondering, my next research was how to use a turkey call. Ha!
The animals don't end up helping Ella with any housework or sewing, but they do help her with the goals she's set herself in her artwork.
What do you think? Do turkeys and deer sound like great animals for a Cinderella retelling? What's another animal you might not expect to find in a fairy tale retelling?

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Rendersella​

Ella dreams of her artwork on display in the famous Prince Gallery, but working for her stepmother leaves her eking out sporadic minutes to draw or paint. When her stepsister steals her drawing and claims it as her own, Ella fears she’s lost her chance.
Chaz Prince wants more responsibility at his family’s gallery, but first he must prove he can handle it. Chaz talks his dad into a contest to bring in some new artists, sure this will be exactly what the gallery needs. When he stumbles across Ella’s piece, he not only wants the artwork, but wishes to know the artist.
At the gala to celebrate the contest winners, Ella is determined to let them know the artwork is hers, but time is against her. And where did her shoe end up?

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