Cinderella of the Day: Elisabeth Brown (Five Glass Slippers Blog Tour)

It's early evening, and the ball is about to begin. A footman opens the door of your carriage, extends a hand to help you down the steps. The chandelier and candles in the ballroom are shining through the windows of the castle, beckoning you onward. You glance down at your dress. Perform a little twirl and smile a little smile just for the sheer joy of the moment. The faint strains of music drift through the air, and you skip-walk until you merge with the crowd.

You've arrived.

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Welcome to the Five Glass Slippers blog tour! (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. Before we get to today's author, though, let's start out with an overview of the book:

ONE BELOVED STORY, FIVE EXCITING WRITERS

A COLLECTION TO CHERISH

What happens when Cinderella is so painfully shy that she cannot bear the idea of attending the royal ball? Or when the slipper fits . . . but on the wrong girl? What happens when Cinderella is determined to oust an imposter prince from her rightful throne? Or when she is a cendrillon miner working from a space station orbiting a cthonian planet? What happens when Cinderella, a humble housemaid, is sent with a message for a prisoner trapped in a frightening fairy circus?

Here is Cinderella as you have never met her before, wearing glass slippers and off on unforgettable adventures!

Available now in paperback and Kindle formats! 

 (Psst...The Kindle version is only $.99 this week!)

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Today's "Cinderella of the Day" is Elisabeth Brown, author of "What Eyes Can See"!

Elisabeth Brown has always loved words. The third of seven children, she enjoyed being homeschooled through her senior year of high school, and is now studying piano performance at Appalachian Bible College. When she’s ignoring the fact that she should probably be practicing more or doing Greek homework, you’ll find her sewing, baking, reading, singing along to basically any musical ever created, hiking through the woods, or laughing at incredibly silly puns. What Eyes Can See is her first published story, but she also rambles at www.metaphoricalcello.wordpress.com.

"What Eyes Can See" by Elisabeth Brown

Painfully shy Arella begs her stepmother to let her stay home from the prince’s ball. But kindly Duchess Germaine is determined that her beautiful stepdaughter should be presented at court along with her own two daughters. So, dressed in a gorgeous gown and a pair of heirloom slippers, Arella catches the eye of the crown prince . . . and finds her life suddenly far more complicated than she ever desired.

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Amber: And our first honored guest has arrived! Welcome, Elisabeth. Let's see what dress you chose to wear to the event...

  Source: Dressed Up!

In Elisabeth's words: It's purple. It's poofy, but not too poofy. It's sparkly, but not too sparkly. It's basically perfect.

Amber: I am in complete agreement! Purple is my favorite color, so I'm loving this dress. So which dance tune are you hoping to hear tonight?

Elisabeth: "The Laendler" from The Sound of Music. 

Amber: Lovely! Perfect for a ball. :) Makes you want to hum along. 

Now, before you enter the castle and start dancing, could you share a "Cinderella moment" with us?

Elisabeth:  I've never faced an authentic Cinderella moment when I suddenly went from scullery maid to princess, mainly because I've never been a scullery maid. I have felt like a princess, though; one relatively recent time when I was particularly blessed was last January. I was in the piano lab at my school, doing ear training drills, which are, for me at least, quite challenging, sometimes even tear-inducing. Anyhow, I was sitting there, drilling away, when a friend texted me: I'm ready for a break from homework. Do you want to join me in the Servant Center? (The Servant Center is, gentle readers, the location of my school's student lounge.) Tired of ear training, I eagerly acquiesced to her suggestion.

We wandered over to the Servant Center, when she paused before a classroom door. "I wonder what's going on in here?" she remarked innocently. "Kaite," I replied suspiciously. "Why are you going into a dark and empty room?" Katie merely returned "Why not?" with her most angelic face. So we walked in, and immediately were greeted with calls of "Happy birthday!!" ... just for me. My friends had gone out of their way to throw me my very-first-ever surprise birthday party (complete with purple cake!), and I couldn't have felt more blessed. From ear training to cake-eating...I'd say that's a Cinderella moment if ever there were one!

Amber: Indeed! How special. Purple cake and a surprise from friends - doesn't get much better than that!

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

• Blooming with Books + Review
• Books, Cats, and Whimsy
• Fictionally
• Historical Heartbeats
• i blog 4 books
• J.L. Mbewe
• Not All By My Lonesome
• Rina's Reading
• The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls
• To Be A Person + Review

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Do you want a chance to be Cinderella of the ball, as well? All this week (through Friday) you have a chance 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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