 Snow White has to have an apple, right? That's the way we've all known the story as we grew up. And yet, as I started writing my version of the tale, I wanted something different. Since my books don't have magic, I couldn't really have a poisoned apple as the way my character gets tricked by the evil queen and has to be rescued. So, I worked out a different twist, still with an apple recipe, but maybe not what you're expecting. And I won't tell more for fear of ruining the surprise.
That being said, there are still a lot of apple elements in my retelling.
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 Snow White had seven dwarves, but I have my story set in the real world. So, I needed seven male figures to be an influence in Kari's life. At the end of Rendersella, we see Kari receive a note from her uncles in Georgia. As soon as my fingers typed those words, I knew there were seven of them. And that she was a Snow White character.
That said, I had no idea what I was getting into by creating seven different characters who all had to be differentiated enough you could tell who was whom. I ended up having AI create the picture above so I could have something to look at and remind myself what each of them looked like instead of trying to remember it all in my head. My editor definitely made me go back and add more details several places, but I love how they turned out. And to make it more fun, they're all named after apples.
 Last Christmas, my dear friend Heather Greer gave me the cutest little notebooks. Big enough to be able write something but small enough to fit in a purse. I'd only used them on a couple of occasions before now. But we're in soccer season again, which means sometimes I spend an evening sitting on the side of a field while my nine-year-old gets some energy out and the sun sets.
At first, I thought I would just take a book and let myself enjoy the "quiet." Then, I realized the hour could be used even better.  I've got to admit, I'm sort of tired of the recreation of movies that were already made. You know what I mean. The way certain movie companies are taking all their animated films and making them into "live-action" ones. It wouldn't be so bad if the movies weren't almost exactly the same as the one they're redoing. Only a few have any changes.
But this latest one, when I saw the trailer, I was excited. It looked beautiful, for one. For another, I was neck-deep in doing my own version of a Snow White retelling too. So, how could I not be thrilled to see another version?  When I started writing Rendersella, I had no idea it wasn't going to be a stand-alone book. The idea came to me fast and furious and all I knew was I was going to write it. Of course, my muse likes to trick me and suddenly have me realize there were two more books to go with it. Because why not?
The further into Rendersella I wrote, the more I realized her friend Teresa was Snow White. And her stepsister was supposed to be the heroine in a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Right. So, two more books, it is. |
This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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