Dancing on Fairy Slippers

I'm so thrilled to officially announce the release of Fairy Slippers! Yes, I was originally going to wait until May and do a separate ebook release, similar to what I did for Bellflower. But I have such an awesome proofreader and cover designer who work so quickly - and after seeing what my cover designer did for her new short-story collection, Take a Picture, I decided I'd try something similar with Bellflower and Fairy Slippers. So the 2 have been combined into 1 $.99 ebook with a lovely updated cover (designed by Lena Goldfinch)!

You can purchase the ebook for only $.99 on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), or Smashwords (other e-book formats)!

I'm hosting a special little Cinderella-themed giveaway and talking a bit more about the ebook and book blast on Seasons of Humility today, so I do hope you'll stop by there! AND, to celebrate the occasion, I'm offering Forget Me Not FREE for Kindle today through Friday (March 21st) - so don't forget to pick up a copy and maybe let others know, if you're willing to spread the word. :)

To do something a little different here on the series blog, I'm going to give a little background/share some extras for Fairy Slippers. Enjoy!

Fairy Slippers Story & Setting

As some of you already know, Fairy Slippers was written with the Five Glass Slippers contest (hosted by Rooglewood Press) in mind. A blogging friend, Rebekah, shared in her review of Bleeding Heart that she wanted to read more about one of the secondary characters - a cook named Zachary Taylor. So I thought, "Why not try to give him a little sequel while writing something up for the contest?" It was a lot of fun putting together a Cinderella-themed story set in a redwood lumber town! 

First things first, though, I had to pick the right flower (in keeping with the flower theme of "The Heart's Spring" series). Somehow I came across the fairy slipper orchid in my search, and I knew it was absolutely perfect - not only for the title of the contest, but also for the story's setting. According to ARKive, "the fairy slipper orchid...has been called the most beautiful terrestrial orchid in North America," and it's noted that it can be found in Northern California. 

Interestingly enough, ARKive also notes, "Habitat destruction is a threat for the fairy slipper orchid in California, where logging for the timber industry is the primary cause." People picking the plants or accidentally harming them are also reasons the fairy slipper is more rare nowadays. So, fairy slippers would have been a treat for my characters to see near the lumber town, no question! But they'd be even more of a treat to discover today. I haven't noticed any before, but it sure would be neat to come across one in the forest. :)

Curious to see what a fairy slipper looks like? You can check out pictures at the site mentioned above, and here's a time lapse of the flower's growth and death that I found on YouTube:

As for the setting, I've discussed Falk briefly on my personal blog: A Walk Through the Past and A Walk Through Falk. But here's a short video on the history of the town, if you'd like a quick overview:



It's really a fascinating place, kind of haunting in its exuberant life and then utter disappearance. Definitely ripe for a story...

The aspect of town life that especially caught my attention, of course, was their Saturday night dances. :) I love me a fun barn dance! So we've got fairy slippers, a dance, and a Cinderella-type romance waiting to be told - I hope you'll enjoy Fairy Slippers!

You can learn more about the story and find links on the Short Stories page.

What's your favorite flower and fairy tale?