Friday, June 27, 2014

Cinderella of the Day: Clara Diane Thompson (Five Glass Slippers Blog Tour)



You're happy to oblige your kind and attentive dance partner by singing a haunting farewell song, accompanied by the orchestra. As you hold out the last note, you catch the young man's eye and blush at the look there. Before the last strain fades - and before you can quite decipher the way he's watching you - you hear a grand clock chime the hour. Midnight! You've stayed much too long. It's past dark, and you have appointments and obligations awaiting you on the morrow. You simply must go. With a glance full of regret, you spin on your heel and rush toward the entrance hall...

* * *

And the Five Glass Slippers blog tour continues! (The home page/entrance hall can be found HERE.) We're celebrating the release of this special Cinderella-themed anthology (published by Rooglewood Press) by featuring each of the collection's five authors as "Cinderella of the Day." You'll find out which dress they're wearing to the ball, what dance song they've requested, and you'll hear about their very own Cinderella moment - in addition to discovering some fabulous fun facts via the interviews on participating blogs.

Today's "Cinderella of the Day" is Clara Diane Thompson, author of "The Moon Master's Ball"! 


Clara Diane Thompson lives in the swamps of Louisiana with her loving family, dashing dog, and a very confused frog that resides in the birdhouse outside her window. Aside from writing she enjoys playing guitar, singing, Broadway plays (particularly The Phantom of the Opera), ballet, tea with friends, and long BBC movies. An enchanted circus may or may not appear occasionally in her back yard.

You can find out more about Clara and her writing on her blog: www.claradianethompson.blogspot.com.


"The Moon Master's Ball" by Clara Diane Thompson

After her terrifying experience there several years ago, the one place young housemaid Tilly longs to avoid is Bromley’s Circus. But when kindly Lord Hollingberry begs her to deliver a message to the mysterious Moon Master hidden away among the circus dwellers, Tilly can’t refuse . . . and finds herself ensnared in a web of enchantment cast by the loathsome Mrs. Carlisle and her beautiful goddaughter.

* * *

Amber: Our final guest has arrived, and doesn't she look gorgeous? Tell us about that lovely dress you're wearing, Clara.
 
Clara: The dress is a Christian Dior design called "Venus".


Amber: Beautiful! And what sort of song would you want to dance to while wearing such a dress?

Clara: "Butterfly Waltz" by Brian Crain. I would definitely dance to it if I were at a ball! :)



Amber: Ooooh, me too! A perfect song for the end of the evening. They almost always end our local square dances with a waltz. It's just...appropriate. And sweet. :)

Tell us, what was your Cinderella moment?

Clara: Few things in my life can be counted as a “Cinderella” experience. I’ve never been to a ball, I don’t have a pair of glass slippers, and I have yet to meet my Prince Charming.

But, thankfully, there are more comparisons to draw between my life and Cinderella. The heroine of the classic fairy tale went through trials and dark times, but her life turned out to be all the brighter for them! She had two evil stepsisters who made her life miserable. Her father died…everything about her life seemed simply undeserved! This reminds me of that cheerless time in my own life when the doctors discovered that my big brother had cancer. I was nine when he was diagnosed, and didn’t quite understand what was happening. All I knew was that my brother was in the hospital, and my Mom was staying with him…oh, did I miss them terribly! It was certainly a dark time in my life. It felt wrong…unjust even, that leukemia had snared my brother.

Through his hard journey with leukemia, he was able to share his faith with so many doctors and nurses. Plus, it inspired him to become a nurse himself once he was declared cancer free! He’s still free of that horrible disease after these ten years, and is still a wonderful big brother whom I love very much! So, like Cinderella, there was one massive, black time I had to overcome, and like Cinderella, I am now living happily ever after.

Amber: You know, I think what really makes a "Cinderella moment" is the attitude. Cinderella lived a hard life before (and even after, for a time) the ball, but she was a kind person with a beautiful heart full of hope. That sounds just like you and your family, Clara, and I'm so thrilled to hear you're living in a real-life happily ever after!

Want to learn more about Clara? She's starring on several blogs today, and you won't want to miss all the fun features: 

Do you want a chance to be Cinderella of the ball, as well? Today is the LAST day to enter the tour-wide giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of Five Glass Slippers, several Cinderella-themed items (including a bookmark crafted by Belle on a Budget, a journal, and a DVD copy of the Disney movie), as well as special gifts handpicked by a few of the collection’s authors (a glass slipper cookie cutter with recipe, freeze-dried astronaut ice cream, and an Apple Tree Inn cup and saucer). This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

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15 comments:

Unknown said...

Why have I never heard Butterfly Waltz before? I love when the cello takes over the melody! Nebraska, anyone?

Clara, your story is amazing and inspirational. : ) I'm so very glad it has a happy ending. *hugs*

Clara said...

Isn't it such a beautiful song? I thought you might like it ;)

Thanks, Allison! I'm glad it has a happy ending as well!

Hannah said...

Oooooh....Your dress and music are simply exquisite.....

I'm so relieved your brother recovered! That would have been terrifying...

ElizabethLiberty said...

So many entries! o.O I can't believe how big this is. Maybe if I'd known, I would have tried harder to trim my short story down and enter it. xD

Cindy Vincent said...

What a fun, creative, and interesting blog tour!! Loved all the dresses (the purple one especially) and the music, too. And I loved the continuing storyline that you created, Amber. Plus, the variety of stories in the book should make for some very entertaining reading.

Overall, such a great job!

Anne Elisabeth Stengl said...

Clara, you would look exquisite in that dress! And I've now listened to "The Butterfly Waltz" five times today and am about to listen to it a sixth . . .

Amber Holcomb said...

Allison,

I know what you mean - that song is beautiful!

And yes, I agree about Clara's story! ♥

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Clara,

Loved your choices for this post! Hope you have a fabulous time being "Cinderella of the Day" for the tour. :) *Hugs*

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Hannah,

"Exquisite" is the perfect description! And yes, it's so good to know this story has a happy ending. ♥

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Elizabeth,

Hahaha! Well, each person could technically get up to 72 entries in the giveaway, so those entries add up quickly. ;)

But yes, I'm so excited to see the enthusiasm for this book and the tour!

The next contest (Beauty & the Beast) is now open: Five Enchanted Roses Contest. So there's time to get in on the next one!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Cindy,

Thank you so much! This tour was a little more complex to organize (with five authors and five stories), but total fun to plan and execute. :) I really love all the authors' song and dance choices, as well! (Yes, the purple dress would be my cup of tea, as well!)

I'm so glad you've been enjoying that continuing intro/story! When I was writing the first post, I wanted to start things off by setting the mood and pulling readers into the setting of the blog tour. And I just ended up continuing that for each post... It's been fun coming up with coordinating story tidbits! Now I just have to figure out a good ending for tomorrow. ;)

And yes!! I read and reviewed the collection, and it's just fabulous. Very creative and well done. :)

Thanks so much for your encouraging words, my friend!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Anne Elisabeth,

I agree! And I've been listening to "The Butterfly Waltz" a lot, too. ;) Such a perfect choice for the last "official" day of the tour!

~Amber

Clara said...

@Anne Elisabeth:

Thank you! I was having a hard time finding a dress, but when I saw "Venus", I knew it was the one for me! ;)I also recommend anything by Brian Crain. Butterfly Waltz is only one of his many gorgeous songs. (I especially like A Walk in the Forest!)

@Hannah:

I'm SO glad it had a happy ending as well! He was actually in the hospital when The Return of the King came out, and I remember him blearily saying, "I'm going to see that movie, and nothing can stop me!" And he did!

Vonnie said...

That's a beautiful waltz. I've never heard of it before. Thank you for introducing it to us.

Wow! What an answer when it comes to having a "Cinderella" moment. So glad that Clara and her brother had a "happy ending."

Amber Holcomb said...

Vonnie,

It truly is a beautiful waltz - one that could be listened to and enjoyed over and over again. :)

And that's truly a heartfelt answer, isn't it? And a truly wonderful happy ending!

~Amber