Saturday, February 12, 2011

A Sister to Butterflies

For the past few years I've been trudging through the rough draft of my next novel, whose working title is A Sister to Butterflies. I'd hoped to have it finished by the beginning of this year, though all the while knowing I'd likely fall short — and, well, I did. However, I only have a few chapters to go, and am very much on track to having it done by early spring, if not sooner.

While this novel is certainly fantasy, it falls pretty squarely in the realm of fairy tale rather than swords and sorcery. As best as I can tell, the feel of the book is somewhere between Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maquire, and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I think the premise of the book is pretty simple: Despite how clichéd the concept of fairy godmothers has become in storytelling, in all the fairy tales only a single character can actually claim one. What makes that person so special? What would compel such an otherworldly creature to spend a life time watching over just one little girl?

I've posted excerpts from the rough draft, what currently passes for the Prologue and Chapter One, in an effort to stir some interest and perhaps provoke a few folks to badger me to finish the thing. The link is over there on the right. So, feel free to take a look. I'd love to hear what you think.

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