Here is the opening to the book Stolen: Cinderella's Secret Diaries (book 2 in the series. Book 1 is Cinderella's Secret Diary: Lost). I hope you enjoy it:
"I stood on the prairie with land stretching as far as I could see. Such glorious long grass that blew in the wind like a living creature filled with such life. The blue sky and brilliant sun filled me with such great joy. We had found peace and happiness on the road. Renée slept still in the wagon and Bebe played in the tall grass behind me. Though, at ten, she had begun to find my nickname for her childish so I used it less and less often. To my right, the tethered horses still rested from the previous day’s long journey. The grass swayed and, without warning, she appeared before me, having hunted us down, parting the grass and walking out of the air. Fresh from my nightmares she seemed and all of my attempts to shield ourselves from her had failed. I should have known that I could not outrun her.
Queen Mab stood across from me, clothed in resplendent clothes, shades of purple and black, holding a rifle pointed up at the blue sky. The grass of the prairie and the leaves from a solitary tree rooted behind her swayed in the wind. She smiled at me and said, “I have come for you.”
I had been caught off guard. Bebe heard the faerie queen and crouched in fear behind me in the grass. “I told you that I will not come with you.” Again and again I had fought with her in my dreams, refusing to go along with her.
“Are you so sure?” She did not move or adjust the rifle but her implied threat was clear. “Come with me and let us do this the easy way.”
My left hand itched and I had long ago learned to control my powers when in stress or fear. Wild magic would not serve me well against the faerie queen. “I will not come with—”
Queen Mab lowered the rifle and fired. My hand burned bright and I stood straight and firm, shielding myself from harm. My magic would protect me. The sound echoed loud across the prairie and my heart beat fast. No shot pierced me and burned through my skin. I had survived. Raising my hands against her, I concentrated on an expulsion spell. “You have missed. Now leave us.”
The queen laughed and she lowered her rifle. “I never miss.” She motioned with her weapon over my shoulder and I did not wish to turn around. Renée stumbled out of the wagon, wakened from the shot, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her running to a point behind me. And then I knew. My hope and brightest star, my poor Phoebe, had fallen. The bullet pierced through her neck. I had failed as a mother to protect my own. I ran to her, releasing my strength and magic into her, but it would not be enough. Her eyes fluttered and she tried to reach for me but there was too much blood. The blood covered all. I could not erase what I saw.
Standing by my side, Queen Mab waited by me, looking down. She put out her hand and said, “Come with me and I will save her.”
I thought of what she asked and took it all in. My Bebe had only moments left to live. She had just reached ten years of age. I loved her. Renée’s calm exposure shattered as she tried to heal my daughter while my hands tried to staunch the open wound in desperation.
Queen Mab offered her hand to me again. “I will ask only one last time.” She waited a breath and said again, “Come with me.”
And, so I did. My hands covered in my daughter’s blood, I stopped and reached for Mab. I did what any mother would do.
Ron Vitale is the author of the fantasy novel Stolen: Cinderella's Secret Diaries who hopes that his daughter will grow up to find her own voice and not allow others to dictate who and what she can be.
How Did You Become a Lover of Books and Reading?
In growing up, a friend of mine introduced me to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and taught me how to play Dungeons & Dragons. I devoured Tolkien’s trilogy and happened to be living at a fun time for fantasy literature. The Dragonlance series was all the rage and I spent many long hours reading through the books and then roleplaying my Dungeons & Dragons games using the modules to have my friends and brother go through the adventures. Back in the mid-80s we had pencils, paper, dice and lots of imagination.
But none of this truly sparked my inspiration to loving and reading science fiction. I want to tell that story. I am known for my fantasy young adult books, but I have written some science fiction and am a big fan. Of course, these days, with limited time, I don’t get as much chance to read sci-fi as I would like. I focus reading more on the fantasy side of the fence since that’s more relevant to my writing.
Back when I was around 13 years old, a relative of mine gave me Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series for a birthday present. When I look back, I would say that those books and all the other Asimov books I read over the next decade marked a turning point for me. I loved fantasy, but science fiction opened new worlds (literally) to me. I have been a diehard Star Wars fan since the first movie came out, but Asimov’s work broadened my taste in reading and first introduced me to the actual man behind the books. I read as much as I could get my hands on, falling in love with Asimov’s style, his easy going prose and his thought-provoking topics. His robot series are still one of my favorite books because of the moral complexities woven throughout the stories. Years before anyone really had thought about this, Asimov wrote about the effects of a robot society on people. How would we adapt to being mostly surrounded by robots? Would we become alienated from other people? Being a young teenager and reading Asimov’s stories caused me to question the effects technology would have on us as well as sparked great hope within me.
I dreamed of a future in which I could be a writer and that the science in the fiction that I read would one day become reality. But most importantly, Asimov’s books acted as a gateway. Through Asimov, I stumbled on Niven’s work (Ringworld and The Integral Trees stand out in my memory), Heinlein’s and Clarke’s. From there, I became a subscriber of Asimov’s monthly magazine and then Science Fiction & Fantasy. I read, read and I read some more. I love reading and as I matured and went to high school and then college my reading diversified. Professionally I had become an English major, focusing on the Romantics, but in my leisure time I would read fantasy and science fiction.
This all took place before Rowling’s Harry Potter and Meyer’s Twilight series. I have read The Washington Post article that cites that 25% of Americans haven't read one book in a year. That disturbs me. With mobile devices and tablets great tools for unlocking millions of books, I do not understand why someone would not take advantage of this opportunity. How many games of Angry Birds can one play? With many indie authors as myself offering free or inexpensive books, the world has changed, and although the choices have become overwhelming, there are still more great books out there than I could ever read in a lifetime.
I look back and my love of books started from a simple decision: Someone gave me a book as a gift. With the great diversity that is now available for such low costs, I would encourage people to give books or ebooks to people as gifts. When a new book comes out that I think my wife might like, I buy it on Amazon and it shows up on her Kindle Fire. How easy is that? To me, it’s about creativity, imagination and the solace that a book brings me from the stress and rush of the day-to-day world.
Read. If I could pass that message onto my kids and they were to listen, I’d be most satisfied that they would have a rich inner life. If you’re a reader, then spread the word: Give books to your family and friends. With many ebooks being under $3, that’s a great deal. Now I’m off. I have a date with A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness and need to get going. But before I do go, could you do me a favor? Share your story in the comment section. How did you become a reader?
Ron Vitale is the author of the dark fantasy novel Cinderella's Secret Diary who hopes that his daughter will grow up to find her own voice and not allow others to dictate who and what she can be.