"The Twistedly True Nightmare of Ruby Hood"
As
an author, I don’t get the opportunity to write a story just for the readers
very often. Normally, I write to quiet the voices in my head (I know, sounds
like I’m a crazy person…maybe). Often times, the incessant chatter of my characters
interrupts my daily thoughts. At night, they creep into my dreams and whisper
to me. They bombard me on my walks, in the car, at the grocery store or in the
shower. Once my characters are developed, a story plays out in my head, and
then I write. But recently, I was approached by my publisher to create a new story
based on the characters from my novella, “The Twistedly True Tale
of Ruby Hood”. She explained the story
would be featured in an anthology titled “Novel Hearts”. The anthology would
include seven other stories based on characters of Write More Publications authors
and their books.
Of
course, I leapt at the opportunity. First off, I absolutely adore my ‘Ruby Hood’
characters! Secondly, I LOVED the idea of intentionally writing a story for the
readers. This was my chance to entice the readers, to get them interested in my
characters, to lure them into my version of “Little Red Riding Hood”, with the
ultimate goal of purchasing my book when it comes out. Simple enough, right?
Not exactly. A huge hurdle shot up instantly. How do I write a story based on a
book and characters very few have met without giving anything away? This took
some very strategic plotting and planning. Finally, I came up with the idea to
write a prequel. This prequel stays true to my young adult fairy tale version,
but with a twist on both my original story AND the fairy tale. All the
characters are introduced, but they are somewhat…um…different than my true ‘Ruby
Hood’ characters. I was able to tie it all up at the end, bringing it full
circle, and with a bit of luck, leaving the reader wanting more. How you ask?
Well now, I’m not going to give that away here. Hopefully, I’ve piqued your
interest enough to check out my prequel, The Twistedly True Nightmare
of Ruby Hood”!
Happy
Reading!
P.S. The other seven stories in “Novel Hearts” are absolutely wonderful!
