Cinderella of the Day: Clara Diane Thompson

And the Five Glass Slippers Tour continues! Today I am excited to feature another talented storyteller on A Curious Thrill. Welcome, Clara Diane Thompson!

I am quite eager to get my hands on Clara’s story “The Moon Master’s Ball.” But I won’t say anymore. Read on to learn about the tale for yourself.

About “The Moon Master’s Ball” by Clara Diane Thompson

After her terrifying experience there several years ago, the one place young housemaid Tilly longs to avoid is Bromley’s Circus. But when kindly Lord Hollingberry begs her to deliver a message to the mysterious Moon Master hidden away among the circus dwellers, Tilly can’t refuse . . . and finds herself ensnared in a web of enchantment cast by the loathsome Mrs. Carlisle and her beautiful goddaughter.

About Clara Diane Thompson

Clara Diane Thompson lives in the swamps of Louisiana with her loving family, dashing dog, and a very confused frog that resides in the birdhouse outside her window. Aside from writing she enjoys playing guitar, singing, Broadway plays (particularly The Phantom of the Opera), ballet, tea with friends, and long BBC movies. An enchanted circus may or may not appear occasionally in her back yard.

You can find out more about Clara and her writing on her blog: www.ToFindaCastle.blogspot.com.

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Q: From what juicy tidbits I've gleaned thus far, "The Moon Master's Ball" seems to be filled with a magical circus, enigmatic characters, and riveting tension. Just how I like a good story. How do you go about creating this mood while also allowing your story to ring true with both the original tale and your readers? 

I knew I wanted this to be a somewhat frightening story, so the autumnal atmosphere that I placed around the story just seemed right. The shadows seem to shift differently in autumn, and everything just appears to be a bit more magical. But autumn cannot only be a cold time; it can also be very cozy and warm, giving people the chance to bundle up in their cottage with a cup of cider in front of a crackling fire. This is the mood I started off with: scary, cold, but warm at the same time, and threw the ingredients of a story in with that atmosphere, keeping every aspect of the story true to those three elements. Scary, cold, but warm.

I also thought that the story needed to be such a tangled mass of mysteries that no reader could figure out. So, I wrote a story that wound up being eerie and autumnal, warm and cozy, and a mystery. I had great fun writing it, and to tell you the truth, the mood and the characters just fell in to place as I wrote the story.

    

What a thought provoking question, Rebecca! I really enjoyed answering it.

Thanks so much, Clara! Autumn is my favorite season, and I think you just captured one of the reasons I like it. I think I can safely say that we are all excited to discover how your chilling yet cozy mystery unfolds.  

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Tour Schedule

Friday, June 27^th | Cinderella of the Day: Clara Diane Thompson

·         A Curious Thrill

·         Blooming with Books

·         Fictionally

·         Flowers of Quiet Happiness + Review

·         Jenelle Schmidt

·         Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

·         Tales of Goldstone Wood

·         The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls

·         The Wonderings of One Person

·         Vonnie’s Reading Corner

Saturday, June 28^th | Giveaway Winner Announced at Seasons of Humility

*Blog Tour Home: http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/p/five-glass-slippers-blog-tour.html  

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About the Collection

ONE BELOVED STORY, FIVE EXCITING WRITERS
A COLLECTION TO CHERISH

What happens when Cinderella is so painfully shy that she cannot bear the idea of attending the royal ball? Or when the slipper fits . . . but on the wrong girl? What happens when Cinderella is determined to oust an imposter prince from her rightful throne? Or when she is a cendrillon miner working from a space station orbiting a cthonian planet? What happens when Cinderella, a humble housemaid, is sent with a message for a prisoner trapped in a frightening fairy circus?

Here is Cinderella as you have never met her before, wearing glass slippers and off on unforgettable adventures!

Available now in paperback and Kindle formats!

The Five Glass Slippers collection will be on sale for only $.99 in Kindle format for the duration of the blog tour (June 23-28)! 

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Here’s your chance to be Cinderella of the ball! One lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of Five Glass Slippers, several Cinderella-themed items (including a bookmark crafted by Belle on a Budget, a journal, and a DVD copy of the Disney movie), as well as special gifts handpicked by a few of the collection’s authors (a glass slipper cookie cutter with recipe, freeze-dried astronaut ice cream, and an Apple Tree Inn cup and saucer). This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

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Cinderella of the Day: Emma Clifton

Hello all! Today is an exciting day on A Curious Thrill. Today I am thrilled to introduce to you one very unique and exciting book-- Five Glass Slippers. Maybe you’ve heard about this special book, but I’ll explain for those of you who have not yet heard.

Five Glass Slippers is a collection of five Cinderella retellings by five different and very talented young authors. These five authors and their stories competed against many other talented writers in Rooglewood Press’ first fairy tale contest last year, but these special five earned a place in the Five Glass Slippers anthology. I’ve been hearing tantalizing tidbits about these stories for a good long while now, and at last they are available to the reading public! Here is some more information:

About the Collection

ONE BELOVED STORY, FIVE EXCITING WRITERS
A COLLECTION TO CHERISH

What happens when Cinderella is so painfully shy that she cannot bear the idea of attending the royal ball? Or when the slipper fits . . . but on the wrong girl? What happens when Cinderella is determined to oust an imposter prince from her rightful throne? Or when she is a cendrillon miner working from a space station orbiting a cthonian planet? What happens when Cinderella, a humble housemaid, is sent with a message for a prisoner trapped in a frightening fairy circus?

Here is Cinderella as you have never met her before, wearing glass slippers and off on unforgettable adventures!

Available now in paperback and Kindle formats!

Intrigued? Yeah, me too. But the fun has only just begun. Today I have the privilege to participate in the Five Glass Slippers blog tour. Emma Clifton, the author of “Broken Glass” featured in the collection, has graciously agreed to visit A Curious Thrill and share about this beloved story.

About “Broken Glass” by Emma Clifton

The slipper fits . . . but on the wrong girl! Rosalind never once danced with Prince Marius at the ball, for she is in love with his brother Henry. If only Rosalind and Marius would stop bickering long enough to invent a scheme, perhaps the three of them can find the real mystery lady. But they must work quickly, for dark deeds are afoot, and the kingdom is poised on the brink of disaster.

About Emma Clifton

Emma Clifton has been thinking up stories since before she knew how to type them out.  Reading books such as the Chronicles of Narnia, The Door Within Trilogy, and Redwall inspired her to take her writing more seriously.  Though her rigorous homeschool education keeps her busy, she also enjoys sewing, reading, and spending time with her family in beautiful Northern Virginia. 

Emma blogs at www.peppermintandprose.wordpress.com.

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Q: The Cinderella tale is an old one that has been told and enjoyed by many different people for many, many years all over the world. What makes it special to you and how did you go about finding your own unique spin on it?

My big sis and I watched the animated Disney Cinderella many, many times when we were little--it was one of the only Disney princess movies that didn't have something "scary" in it (such as a creepy witch, a dragon, The Beast, Ursula...).  Thus Cinderella became very near and dear to me.  And last year, when I re-watched it, I got the inspiration for Broken Glass.  I had a what-if moment--what if the slipper had fit on someone else? Would she still have to marry the prince? Thus Broken Glass was born.  However, the story started out a lot more depressing and less humorous and so I overhauled it and made it funnier.

Thank you for sharing, Emma! It’s so cool that the story you loved as a child has come full circle and is now your own story.

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Now, dear readers, the party continues! Keep reading to find out about how to enter for your chance to win a fabulous prize pack. Be sure to visit the other blogs participating in the tour today to learn more about Emma Clifton and Five Glass Slippers. Oh, and come back on Friday for more Cinderella fun!

Tour Schedule

Tuesday, June 24^th | Cinderella of the Day: Emma Clifton

·         A Curious Thrill

·         A Writer’s Heart

·         Fictionally

·         Flowers of Quiet Happiness

·         Jaye L. Knight

·         Jenelle Schmidt

·         Not All By My Lonesome

·         Tales of Goldstone Wood

·         The Wonderings of One Person

·         The Writer’s Window + Review

Here’s your chance to be Cinderella of the ball! One lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of Five Glass Slippers, several Cinderella-themed items (including a bookmark crafted by Belle on a Budget, a journal, and a DVD copy of the Disney movie), as well as special gifts handpicked by a few of the collection’s authors (a glass slipper cookie cutter with recipe, freeze-dried astronaut ice cream, and an Apple Tree Inn cup and saucer). This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway