Wednesday, December 2, 2015

#Interview - Fooling Around with Cinderella By Stacy Juba

Fooling Around with Cinderella 
By Stacy Juba


Interview:

Crystal: Today I am thrilled to welcome Stacy Juba. Welcome Stacy! I loved Fooling Around with Cinderella. I'm so excited to have you here. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Stacy: I’m an author of mystery novels, YA and children’s books, and I am super excited to have released the first book in my new Storybook Valley series, Fooling Around With Cinderella. I’m also a freelance book editor and a longtime journalist.

Crystal:Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Stacy: I love the scene where Dylan first asks Jaine whether she would consider filling in as Cinderella. Here is an excerpt.

Dylan wheeled his chair around and pointed to the castle poster. She followed his thumb toward the girl in an elegant white and gold gown. “I need a Cinderella.”
Jaine stared at Dylan to gauge whether he was kidding. Oh God, he wasn’t kidding. As he lowered his hand, tightness lodged in the pit of her stomach. “Cinderella?”
“Since you’ve been coming here for so long, you probably realize Cinderella is our centerpiece character. She sits on her throne all day, posing for pictures. She leads story times in the castle and appears during our weekend Meet and Greet Fireworks Gala.”
“What happened to the regular Cinderella?”
“She didn’t work out.” He fiddled with the pens poking out of a ski boot-shaped shot glass. “One of my cousins plays the part a couple days per week and fills in when she can, but her schedule doesn’t allow her to fulfill our full-time needs. It’s the middle of July and I’m tired of fooling around with Cinderella.”
He grinned, his dimples diverting her from the princess problem. “That didn’t come out right. But you know what I mean. It’s getting frustrating, Jaine. I’m having a hard time finding someone reliable.”
She bet that Cinderella wouldn’t get tired of fooling around with him.



Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for your latest release?

Stacy: I came up with Fooling Around With Cinderella while visiting a small fairy tale theme park with my family. We had just gone to see Cinderella, and I think I had princesses on the brain because a couple weeks earlier we had gone on a princess lunch cruise. Anyway, I stopped short after leaving the castle as this idea for a romance/chick lit novel flew into my mind, about a reluctant Cinderella. My husband knew immediately that I had just gotten the idea for a book because of the expression on my face.

Crystal:What are you currently working on?

Stacy: I am currently working on Prancing Around With Sleeping Beauty, the second book in the Storybook Valley series. It is about Dylan’s sister, Rory (short for Aurora), a dance instructor. I am also working on a short story prequel to Fooling Around With Cinderella.

Crystal:Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?

Stacy:  I try to write for at least 15 minutes every day. I’ll time it on a timer. Ideally I’ll have time to write longer. I have index cards hanging on a corkboard on my wall, outlining my plot, and every time I start a new scene, I’ll jot down the listing of events in my Word file, right above where I plan to start writing. I’ll also go to my research notes to type out any details or descriptions I want to make sure I include. Then when I’m writing, I will refer to the notes in my Word file.

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Stacy: I did quite a bit of research, which readers may be surprised by as it might not seem like the kind of novel that needs research. I watched videos and read blog posts and chats presented by former theme park princesses and theme park staff members, read books written by former theme park employees, watched training videos and recruitment videos for large theme parks, and studied their employee handbooks, listened to radio interviews of theme park management, and also did some research into the Catskills, where the book takes place. I have a binder filled with information. I learned that a lot of theme parks have employee incentive programs, as they want their employees to be in a good mood and make their guests happy. They also hold lots of special employee events, such as cookouts and Rides Night. Those are details I never would have thought of on my own.

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Stacy: I love Sophie Kinsella! She is my latest favorite. I also like Belle Andre’s Sullivan series. Bella’s books are much steamier than mine are, but I love her concept of having a series with different romantic leads in each book, and then those characters have recurring supporting roles in the other books. That is what I’m doing with Storybook Valley.

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Stacy: Chick lit was definitely the genre that I hadn’t written in and would like to try. I expect to stay with chick lit, and this series, for a long time.


Blurb:

What happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella's toes? When Jaine Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for the summer. Her reign transforms Jaine’s ordinary life into chaos that would bewilder a fairy godmother. Secretly dating her bad boy boss, running wedding errands for her ungrateful sisters, and defending herself from the park’s resident villain means Jaine needs lots more than a comfy pair of shoes to restore order in her kingdom. First in the Storybook Valley series, a blend of sweet romance, chick lit, and fairy tale fun.

***Note from Crystal**** I just finished reading this book and LOVED it. It's a great fun story with just the right amount of drama. Stay tuned for my review soon!***


Buy Links:
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | ibooks | Smashwords  


Author Bio: 

Stacy Juba got engaged at Epcot Theme Park and spent part of her honeymoon at Disneyland Paris, where she ate a burger, went on fast rides, and threw up on the train ride to the hotel. In addition to working on her new Storybook Valley chick lit/sweet romance series, set at a theme park, Stacy has written books about ice hockey, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths. When she’s not visiting theme parks with her family, (avoiding rides that spin and exotic hamburgers) Stacy helps writers to strengthen their manuscripts through her Crossroads Editing Service. Stacy is also the founder of the Glass Slipper Sisters, a group of fifteen authors of Cinderella-themed romance novels.


Website and blog: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/

Fooling Around With Cinderella links: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/fooling-around-with-cinderella/

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for the opportunity to do this fun interview, Crystal!!

    ReplyDelete