A few weeks ago, I shared a sneak peek at my Rapunzel retelling. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, you can click here: Sneak Peek.
I’m super excited about this story. It’s presently with an editor in the final stages and available for pre-sale on Amazon! The pre-sale date is listed as October. However, since the editing is progressing well, the date will be moved up to August.
You can check out the book blurb here:
Also exciting is the cover. If you haven’t gone to check out the book on Amazon, then take a look at the cover! The colors are warm and inviting, drawing you in.
So perhaps you’re looking at the cover and wondering about the dragon. Maybe you’re recalling the Rapunzel story and thinking, ‘I don’t remember a dragon.’ And you’d be correct. However, in exploring the story, the basics are still in place. Here’s what you can expect:
- Rapunzel still has long hair.
- She’s still trapped in a tower, but instead of waiting for a Mr. Charming to save her, she decides to do some saving.
- There is still a love interest that is, of course, sweet/clean or low spice, as all my writing is.
And what about all my re-imaging the beloved tale? What can you expect? Well, I won’t give you any spoilers, but here’s a tasty morsel or two.
- I’ve changed Rapunzel’s name to Cress. The original stories were in Italian, French, and German. In the German version, the word rapunzel represents an edible plant. Essentially, Rapunzel’s mom craved the vegetable while pregnant. Her husband stole the plant for a witch, and then later, the witch stole the child. In my re-telling, the witch gives the parents an edible plant, ‘cress’, when they ask for a fertility potion.
- Cress has magic! You’ll have to read the story to find out how she has magic and who she uses it.
- There are dragons, but you can already tell that from the cover. (I mean, who doesn’t love a book with dragons?)
- Cress is integral to the saving of her kingdom. Major themes in the Rapunzel story are the empowerment of women and the discovery of one’s identity. There are part of the core theme and character arc of Cress.
So if you love fairy tale re-tellings. If you are looking for something to read this summer, then check out Magic Denied, A Rapunzel Retelling. You can find it available here:
K. M. Wray 