More than Halfway to Happily Ever After

Writers,

Here she is. My fairy godmother. From the “Leslie Ann Warren” Cinderella.

Ever since watching Celeste Holm wave her wand, I have always loved fairy godmothers. Because kids ALWAYS ask me WHY she made such a huge impression, I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

• She had the power to grant wishes.
• She had beautiful jewels and clothes.
• She was autonomous.
• She made the rules.

That last part is funny, because Isabelle (and I) don’t do well with rules.

As a kid, I had a hard time in school. I never read the directions. I had a hard time studying. Did I want instant gratification? Maybe. But mostly, I didn’t get it. I didn’t get how school worked. It seemed perfectly fine for some. But for me, it was hard.

In the first two WISH LIST books, it was easy to see how the rules of the fairy godmother world were holding back Isabelle.

But in Book Three, Halfway Ever After, I wanted to say something more.

I also wanted to shake things up a bit.

If I could map out my series, it would look like a Partridge Family song.

• Verse
• Verse
• Bridge
• Verse

I love the Bridge! I bet everyone (my age) can sing the bridge of I THINK I LOVE YOU:

I don’t know what I’m up against
I don’t know what it’s all about
I got so much to think about…..HEY……..

RIGHT?

So, with that in mind, I thought not just about how Isabelle was changing, but also how communities evolve. And how rules get changed. I remembered protests I marched in. I remember my daughter forming a group of protesters when her teacher stopped challenging her.

And then I went to the Women’s March. And saw this:

Here is something I know about the writing process.

When your ideas are swirling, more ideas show up. It’s like a magnetic force. If you pay attention, they are there. They are waiting for us. If we open our eyes and ears and not worry about knowing everything all at once,

they are there. All along.

When I saw that sign, I could see the story. My bridge was going to begin with some fairy godmother style civil disobedience. With women who love happily ever after, feeling not so happy. And coming together. To speak out against the system. With disruption. With debate.

I hope my readers like it. I also hope they will begin to think about protest and how oppressed and overlooked people find power in community. In bringing voices and bodies and messages together.

I think this is important today.

I think it will always be important. And now–easy peasy lemon squeezy! It’s also sparkly!

Also: here’s a sneak peek of the cover of the final Wish List book: Survival of the Sparkliest!