Cinderella - A Retelling with Strength and Courage

by Lisa Shea

Overview

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 in causing Ella grief from morn to eve. They bullied her, called her Cinderella, and treated her as little more than a slave in her own home. It took all of Ella's courage to swallow the insults and to honor her word.

Now the crown prince has returned home from the battlefront; a ball is announced to celebrate his arrival. All eligible young women from the entire kingdom are invited to attend.

Ella has but one desire left. She wishes to see the king's gardens one last time before she leaves home. It will be a final way to commemorate her beloved mother before counting her vow's terms as complete.

She has no idea what awaits her on that arched stone bridge ...

* * *

Cinderella - A Retelling with Strength and Courage is Book 1 of a gently cliff-hangered short story series. The series honors the original intention of the Grimm Fairy Tales - to present women of strength and courage tackling challenges which seem insurmountable. With each new book a new heroine is interwoven into the story. The series sequence leads through five books up to a happily ever after ending. The series is clean romance and is suitable for teens and up.

Readers have the option to read each tale one by one or to get the complete set which contains all five tales.

As fairy tales are so integral to so many young lives, it was critical for me to do my very best to present each heroine in a way which honored her strength and showcased her ability to stand on her own. It took me over five years to craft this series. I feel strongly that no woman should ever sit around waiting for a man to "rescue" them. Women should not endure abusive behavior in the hopes that a man will change or magically become a prince.

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

I have a library of over 450 books running the gamut from medieval romance to cozy mystery, from mythology to fairy tale to Biblical retellings. I support battered women's shelters. Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781545306864
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	04/12/2017
Series:	Courageous Heroine Fairy Tales , #1
Pages:	72
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.17(d)

About the Author

I grew up, as most girls do, reading fairy tales. I was often torn between enjoying the fantasy and being disappointed by how passive the heroines seemed to be.

Let's take sleeping beauty. Aurora lays asleep on a bed for a hundred years until a guy comes, kisses her, and marries her.

Snow White? She stupidly, despite many warnings, eats an apple given to her by a stranger. She falls into a death-sleep and lays in her coffin until a guy comes along, kisses her, and marries her.

Or Beauty and the Beast. I admit I adored the library, especially in the animated version. But 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.

I have been working on my own versions for many years. It took countless tweakings before I felt I had created the mix of strong-and-compassionate that I hoped to convey.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on them!