I'm thrilled to welcome Lee Renwick Steele to my blog. She was kind enough to answer a few questions to help us get to know her better. Plus, I have a sneak peek from her debut novel, GRISELDA RELLA, a young adult Cinderella retelling with the heroine and adversary characters reversed.
Please help me welcome Lee!
What inspired you to write this book?
I took a class on writing children’s books, and the instructor gave us an assignment to rewrite a folktale or fairy tale and give it unique twist to make it fresh. So I tried a few story starters, found that it was fun, and eventually came up with the concept for GRISELDA RELLA, a young adult Cindrella
What are you reading?
One of the books I read recently was THE LAST CUENTISTA, by Donna Barba Higuera. I enjoyed the blend of science fiction and folklore.
What makes you laugh out loud?
The antics of my cat. She came to live with me several months before the pandemic began, so she gave me ongoing reasons to smile during the lockdown. By now she has me very well trained.
About the book
Pre-order your copy today!
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Peek between the pages...
I strode across the dandelion dotted yard scattering chickens, robins, and fairies in my haste, an open-ended basket swinging from one hand, a pair of clippers clenched in the other, my mind whirling like a storm. No one could replace my father, not for me, not for my family, not for the kingdom.
Reaching the flowers bordering the yard, I threw the basket and clippers on the dirt near the dried-up hyacinths and daffodils. “Stupid bandits,” I sobbed, snot dripping from my nose. “Stupid, stupid bandits.”
The sun, now one-quarter of its journey through the sky, warmed my face but not my heart. I brushed past the flowering red azaleas and pink rhododendrons, skirted around Isabella’s arbor-covered garden bench, angled through the freshly sprouting vegetable and herb gardens, and stumbled my way past the sheds to the fallow field about an arrow’s shot from the cottage.
I threw my black-clothed self to the ground and glared back at the cottage. How could my mother marry this man, Lord Rella, not yet two months after my father’s death? He was wealthy to be sure, but the man had very little sense—I was sure of it. And he would never be a father to me.
About the author:
Lee Renwick Steele lives with an orange and white kitty in a small home situated near red maples, rhododendron shrubs, and abundant avian wildlife: juncos, robins, white-crowned sparrows, towhees, and the occasional flicker pecking in the attic. She has an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults and is a member of her local writers’ association and SCBWI. She enjoys reading, writing, traveling, long walks, spending time with family and friends, and moments of quiet. GRISELDA RELLA is her first novel.
Cherie, thank you so much for welcoming me as a guest on your blog! Lee
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