Ever since I was little, I adored fairy tales—I still do. 🙂 So I love including bits and pieces of fairy tales (or other iconic tales) in my stories. Here are the tales and themes behind the Calatini books in Box Set 1. Spoiler—all of them have love as one of their themes. 😉

The Spellbinding Courtship

Selena and Aragon’s book began with two common elements of fairy tales rather than a specific tale. 1) An orphan beset by wicked relatives. 2) The prince rescuing her from her relative’s evil schemes. Other core themes are love, the golden rule, being bold, and responsibility.

• My favorite things: Writing Selena and Aragon’s story was so interesting. Neither possessed magical powers, yet they live in a kingdom where magic is used every day, and I enjoyed discovering how ordinary people would react in an extraordinary kingdom. Plus, their story begins in the most scandalous place—a brothel, yet their romance is cozy, slow burn, and low spice (i.e. no explicit sex scenes), and it was fun writing a sweeter slant of that setup.

The Enchanted Bird

Wren and Hawke’s book began with two ideas. 1) If Cinderella’s prince already knew her and that’s why he pursued her, why didn’t he recognize her at the ball? 2) There’s a price to any action, but pursuing your dreams is worth the risk. Other core themes are love, friendship, secrets, and deception.

• My favorite things: I loved writing Wren and Hawke’s story—they’re so in love yet so determined not to admit it. Plus, I adore birds and green is my favorite color, so it was fun weaving those into their story. And all the shokolat… (I love chocolate as much as Wren, lol.)

The Nightmara Affair

Kiera and Devon’s book began with how would Cinderella’s life work after the ball. How would the king get the kingdom, court, and the lady herself to accept a poor commoner as his queen? How would they form a partnership to rule the kingdom? Other core themes are love, trust, self-belief, and responsibility.

• My favorite things: Writing Kiera and Devon’s story was such fun. Despite their different backgrounds, they’re both strong and selfless and so perfect for each other. Plus, I loved writing Moonbud and the other nightmara—what former little girl doesn’t love talking horses?