If the Boot Fits – Coming Soon!
Book 2 in my Texas Ever After series releases in just 5 days! I’m so excited to share this story with you. Reimagining the Cinderella fairy tale in an 1800’s Texas setting has been so much fun.
I was inspired by the classic line from Woody in Toy Story 2 – If the boot fits. What could be a more perfect premise for a western Cinderella, than to replace the glass slipper with a cowboy boot? That idea led to flipping the script and turning Cinderella into Asher Ellis – a down on his luck cowboy with a stepmother and two stepbrothers to provide for. However, I wanted to mix up more that the roles of hero and heroine. Too many fairy tales cast stepmothers in the role of villain. There are some wonderful, kindhearted, godly women who open their hearts to their stepchildren, and I wanted to honor them. So, you won’t find an evil stepmother in this version. Who plays the role of villain, then? That’s a closely guarded secret, but one I hope readers will appreciate.
Asher Ellis is a hardworking cowboy who’s been supporting his family since his father died when he was eighteen. He sends home nearly all his pay from the distant ranch where he works, and when he learns that Eli Dearing has evicted his stepmother and brothers from their home, he returns to town determined to make the man pay. Samantha Dearing longs to make a difference in the world and to be loved for who she is and not for her inheritance or the connections she brings to her cattle-baron father. Providence brings these two together, but the truth about their families and an unseen evil work to tear them apart.
I love playing with names in these retellings. I worked hard to create names in this story that would harken back to the Disney tale while still carrying meaning of their own. Instead of Cinderella, we have Asher Ellis – Ash being a synonym of Cinder, and Ellis playing off of Ella. The three key older ladies of the story all have names inspired by royalty as befits a fairy tale – Regina, Elizabeth, and Victoria. Asher’s step brothers are named Jonathan and Fergus. However, Jonathan goes by Jack, giving a nod to the mice from Disney’s Cinderella, Jaq and Gus. Asher’s horse is named Bruno in honor of the dog who saved Cinderella from the tower room. And don’t forget the cattle king with a foreman named Duke.
BrunoIf you like print books, it’s not too late to grab a copy at a 40% discount from Baker Book House. Even the shipping is free! Grab it here.
Did you grow up with Disney fairy tales like I did?
If so, which movie was your favorite?
