Hi, everyone! Guess what? The Fairy Stepmother, Inc., has a new video! Check out the page to hear a little bit about how I came up with the idea, plus a reading of a brand new excerpt from later in the book!

Also, because I love you so much, if you don’t want to hear me read, you can read the excerpt right here:

“What brings you to Strachey?” I asked.

“Well, it’s the place to be, isn’t it? I’m just the latest noble to emigrate from the capitol,” she said as she sat down on a still-covered chair.

"Do you have family coming to join you? Or is this all yours?”

“You know, Evelyn, most people have been smart enough to leave me alone,” she said.

"Most people around here believe in fairies,” I said.

She flashed me a patronizing smile. “Shall we cut to the point of your visit?”

“Pressed for time, are we?”

“You’re miffed about that little incident with the DeVries baby, and you’re hoping you can persuade me to do something about it.”

“Incident? You barged into a christening shower and laid a curse on the baby!”

“You’ve never believed in my curses. So why worry?”

“Millicent, you know as well as I do that most of the town will believe the baby’s cursed.”

“Then tell them the truth.”

“Backed with what, common sense? No, you’re going to tell them the truth. That’s how these things work. You’ve got to quiet everyone down by removing the curse.”

“And why would you care about the DeVries?”

“You can’t curse other people’s babies, Millicent! You’re inspiring social terror! It’s irresponsible!”

“Don’t you ever get tired of repressing yourself, Evelyn?”

“What?”

“Look at yourself! You fought your way through Furnival’s, survived the deaths of two husbands, refused a third marriage, and despite all criticism you manage a growing start-up. Yet here you are, trying to enforce society’s rules. Why don’t you let them burn?”

It didn’t strike me as odd until much, much later that she knew so much about me.

“Babies, Millicent. Babies!” Sometimes, I swear… "Don’t curse newborns” didn’t need to be said! I tried to take a deep breath. I could see by the smirk on Millicent’s face she was enjoying winding me up. You’re losing leverage, Evelyn.

“What do you want, Millie?” I asked. She gave a barely perceptible wince at the nickname. I filed that away. “You’ve done this for a reason. Tell me what you want.”

“I don’t want anything.”

I laughed.

“Really. They deserved it.” “Because you were one of the many non-invitees? Really? I thought we established a long time ago that you aren’t the Queen.”

That worked. She puffed up in anger and started turning red. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! You hedge-born, low-life…” She trailed off, trying to gain control of herself. “I would have expected more of you, Evelyn. After all, I’m only doing what you’re doing.”

Hope you enjoy! We’re so close to our publication goal! If you’ve got a friend who would like The Fairy Stepmother, Inc., let them know!

Best,

Maggie


Dear lovely readers,

I’m writing to you here at the end of September with wonderful news: We’re under 40 orders away from reaching Quill! What’s that, you say? Quill is Inkshares’ light publishing goal. As long as I sell 250 pre-orders, you get a book! Woohoo! Can we sell 40 books in one month? You bet we can!

However, Quill isn’t the whole shebang. I’d still be responsible for some difficult things, like marketing, developmental editing, and cover art. That’s where the Geek and Sundry contest comes in. If I land in the top 3 of the contest, The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. gets the full publishing treatment! And, guess what? We’re only about 30 orders away from the 3rd place book.

I’m so excited I can hardly sleep at night! I’m reaching out to everyone I know, and even some people I don’t know (Gaaaah!). If you know anyone who loves fantasy, fairy tales, cool female characters, or even just someone who owes you one, I would be so, so grateful if you passed the word along. So many of you have been amazing at steering your friends and family my way. Thank you! And if you’re following along but haven’t ordered yet, I would LOVE to have you join in the fun!

Thanks for supporting me and my dreams! Impossible things are happening every day. (Bonus Internet points if you know the reference.)

Your friendly author,

Maggie

Nicolas Brady · Reader · added over 7 years ago
that’s great news!

Well, this update was SUPPOSED to go out because we reached 150 readers...and then we right away hit the next multiple of 10! We’re up over 160 readers, and we’re hovering around 10-12 orders behind 3rd place in the Geek and Sundry contest! That’s such great news, I’ve put up Chapter 4! You can find it right here:

https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-fairy-stepmother-inc-/book_segments/chapter-4-21c6c7

Thanks so much for your support! Don’t forget to tell your friends! Quick tip: tell them they need to get you a September gift. And since you want to read this book, what better gift than supporting your new favorite author?

--Maggie


BIG NEWS AHEAD!

Hi, everyone!

Thank you so much! We’re well up over 100 pre-orders, and we’re solidly in 4th in the Geek and Sundry Contest. That’s pretty great, but only the top 3 get published, and we’re a good 20 readers short of catching third place! But just think--if every reader strong-armed one more person into ordering, we’d double our readership like that! Even if you asked persistently but nicely, we’d make a huge leap.

If you’re still on the fence about whether The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. is for you, perhaps this will help. This is an EXCLUSIVE excerpt from Part 3!

“No! I assure you, Madam, we did not mean to insult you!” Lady DeVries cried.

“Your protestations are unbecoming. For your insolence, I will lay upon your daughter an ancient curse! Be warned: If the child sees even the smallest ray of sunlight before her first birthday, she will suffer a fate worse than death!”

Well, she had certainly borrowed a page from old Millie’s book, I thought. The violet-clad noblewoman laughed and spun on her heel. She spotted me in the crowd and smiled a sinister grin, while my mouth hung open. It was her. Here. My old finishing school nemesis, Millicent Carabosse.

I was left staring at the door while Sarissa (and many of the other guests) burst into tears.

“Pull all the blinds!” Sarissa shrieked. The entire party leapt into action, shutting out every bit of natural sunlight. That got my attention.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I said. “That was Millicent Carabosse. I went to school with her. She can’t really curse anything!” The women all stared at me blankly.

“Evelyn, you can’t risk something like this,” Maribelle insisted.

“You saw what that fairy did to me, Mom!” Fanchon whispered.

I bit my lip. “Yes,” I said carefully, “but there’s no way in the world old Cankles Millie is actually a fairy!”

What’s that, you say? That sure doesn’t sound like Cinderella? You’re so right! Evelyn’s got way too much story for just one fairy tale! So if you’d like to see Evelyn fight her way through the likes of Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, and a handful of obscure but delightful tales, pre-order today! And please, sit your friends down and make ’em work those credit cards!

-Maggie




Reader Writer · Reader · added over 7 years ago
I’m your moms student for math a Hancock school 
Scott Early · Reader · added over 7 years ago
Oh, this new video makes the story even more fun!  Can’t wait to read the whole story and pre-order more copies.

Guess what? We’ve got a video! That’s right, if you want to see me in costume promoting The Fairy Stepmother, Inc., step over to my page and enjoy!

As of this message, the Geek and Sundry contest leaderboard has us in 8th place--but don’t let that fool you. We’re tied with the 7th place A Beast Requires (which is awesome, and you should check it out), but we’re only 1 reader shy of 6th place, 2 short of 5th place, and 6 under 4th place. Go us! So if you know anyone who might enjoy Evelyn, tell them to take a look! We’re close to a march up that leaderboard!

Thanks for your support!

Carrie Finke · Author · added over 7 years ago
This is awesome! I initially checked it out feeling a bit skeptical because, honestly, how many thousands of times has the Cinderella story been retold? I doubted this one could have much to offer. Boy, was I wrong! I got hooked and was pleased to have the opportunity to read three full chapters of this masterpiece. Never a dull moment thus far and I cannot wait to find out what happens next. 

*Gasp* We’re up to 60 unique readers, 76 pre-orders, and 8th place in the Geek and Sundry contest! We’re even closing in on 7th! That’s pretty impressive, so I’ve uploaded Chapter 3. Thanks so much for your support!

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