Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Cinderella of the Day: Rachel Heffington (Five Glass Slippers Blog Tour)



An open hand - an invitation - appears before you. You glance from his steady fingers to the half-grin playing on his face. Who could resist that smile, or the chance to dance to a song you love? You place your hand in his and let him lead you, weaving through the chatting groups until you join the other couples. Your heart quickens as the tune picks up pace. Your feet fly as your dance partner guides you, twirls you, and laughs with you at the missteps you both make and the intoxicating energy of the ballroom atmosphere. Before you realize it, you're near the orchestra and the song ends. But then another song begins...

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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 Rachel Heffington, author of "The Windy Side of Care"! 


Rachel Heffington is a Christian, a novelist, and a people-lover. Outside of the realm of words, Rachel enjoys the Arts, traveling, mucking about in the kitchen, listening for accents, and making people laugh. She dwells in rural Virginia with her boisterous family and her black cat, Cricket.

In February 2014, Rachel released her debut novel, Fly Away Home, and is excited to collaborate on Five Glass Slippers with her fellow authoresses. She hopes to release her second full-length novel and first mystery (Anon, Sir, Anon) in autumn 2014. For more on Rachel, her current projects, and writing in general, visit her on her blog: www.inkpenauthoress.blogspot.com.


"The Windy Side of Care" by Rachel Heffington

Alisandra is determined to have her rights. She knows that she is the king’s secretly dispossessed daughter, the true heir to the throne. Prince Auguste is an imposter, and if she plays her cards right, Alis will prove it to the world! That is, if charming Auguste doesn’t succeed in winning her heart before she gets her chance . . .

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Amber: Everyone, the lovely Rachel has arrived! Do show us what you're wearing tonight, Rachel. :)


Amber: One of the dresses from The Young Victoria! Stunning. And that detail...


Amber: Why, with those roses, it could also work for a ball in celebration of the next collection (Five Enchanted Roses). :) Very nice!

Which song are you hoping to dance to tonight?


Rachel: 



Amber: Oooh, I love this song! I seriously wanted them to play this at my own prom. :) No such luck, but still... At least we get to enjoy it at this ball, right?

Do you have a Cinderella moment you can share with us before some handsome bloke sweeps you away?

Rachel: It came after a week of counseling at a summer camp high up in Colorado. I was tired to bits with losing my breath just crossing the green, but it was the gala night and I would try to set aside thoughts of all the problems attending a camp full of high-schooler students. I slipped into my blue and black taffeta cocktail dress, slid my feet into my black heels and tossed on earrings and a bit more mascara. It would have to do. There was a mountain lodge to transform into a Hispanic fiesta hall.

Slowly, hoping not to arrive a panting mess, I crossed back to the lodge and entered through the side door. A few of my fellow counselors looked me over appreciatively and the girls congratulated my transformation. One of the staff, a man I did not know in the slightest and who had only stared at my panting, t-shirt-clad self before, struck up conversation and kept it up for a full ten minutes. It was innocent and gratifying, to be noticed. The campers poured in, all in their finery; the music began and I slipped easily into my given role, far more charming and witty than I'd felt before. I can do this, I thought. I've left the t-shirts behind.

Amber: How fun! An honest-to-goodness Cinderella moment in an unexpected setting. :)

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

Betsy said...

Rachel...I just adore that dress.

Julie said...

What a fun idea! Cinderella for a day. At least the dancing, meet your prince day of Cinderella. ;) Loved reading about Rachel.

Amber Holcomb said...

Betsy,

It's so elegant! Rachel made a great choice. :) Really loving all of your choices!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Julie,

Yay! So glad you like the premise of the blog tour. :)

And haha, yes... We should clarify that, shouldn't we? "Cinderella-at-the-ball for a Day" vs. "Cinderella-cleaning-for-her-stepmother-and-stepsisters for a Day." LOL.

Glad I could introduce you to Rachel!

~Amber

Rachel Heffington said...

I am so glad you, Betsy and you, Julie, like the dress too!

Ratgirl24 said...

Beautiful cover!!

Amber Holcomb said...

Rachel,

It's a gorgeous dress! Hope you had a lovely day. :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Tina,

Isn't it though? Both the book cover and its unique title pages for each story! :)

~Amber

Unknown said...

WOW! That's lovely!

Unknown said...

Love that song! Of course I had to listen to it all the way through while I wrote this. And that dress, reminded me of Belle from beauty and the beast. Everything from this blog post is so enchanted! Can't wait to read your story!! :)

Rachel Heffington said...

Charii, thank you! I hope you enjoy it. And yes, the costume designer for Young Victoria was brilliant. <3

Amber Holcomb said...

Allison,

Agreed! :D

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Charii,

It's such great song! I love the longing in it, and just how pretty and catchy it is, too. :) And that's true - the dress does look very Belle-ish, especially with the roses!

So glad you enjoyed the post (Rachel had some fab choices!), and I hope you enjoy her story and the whole collection!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Rachel,

*waving* Yes, indeed! :)

~Amber

Vonnie said...

I love that song from "Enchanted." Makes me want to dance with my prince...If I could find him :/

It's interesting to see how people can quickly transform themselves into something else for the night and impress many people. So I completely understand how Rachel felt when she wowed her colleagues.

Amber Holcomb said...

Vonnie,

Me, too! *Hugs*

It's nice to enjoy those rare opportunities of "wowing" people and dressing up snazzy. :) Wish there were more!

~Amber