Last night, I kicked off a week of sharing with you about writers I've met. I met Sarah Boucher when we were kids living across the street from each other in small town Utah. In fact, she helped me figure out this whole blogging process. She's grown up to be an amazing indie writer, spinning fairy tales into realistic and meaningful adaptations for young adults. I truly love her books.
I told her I especially enjoy how she makes the tale possible without resorting to magic. Sarah responded, "I don't write magic. If I did, I'd have to remember my own magic rules and would probably end up breaking them anyway." She finds magic in reality, which was something I had never considered doing before. I was wowed by her Becoming Beauty in which her Beauty is as ugly inside as the beast is outside. They both have to find the beauty within. I was also swept away by her adaptation of "12 Dancing Princesses," Midnight Sisters. I love this more obscure tale to begin with, but the way she took us into the tale through the eyes of a gardener in love with the eldest sister, once again without literal magic, was nothing short of, well, magical.
She is so excited that her third book, Golden Gown, is approaching its launch. It's an adaptation of "Rumpelstiltskin" and "The Shoemaker and the Elves." I'm excited to get my hands on it. Here's what the blurb says about it:
Elyse has lost everything; her parents, her family home, and the village where she is loved and respected. Still grieving, she arrives in a new town where she must prove her skills as a seamstress. Overnight, she creates a gown stunning enough to catch the princess’s eye and win the community’s approval. With every eligible maiden clamoring for her designs, Elyse must do everything in her power to appease them. No one can ever know that in the moments when she doubts her abilities, a mysterious stranger with a talent for tailoring and a penchant for damsels in distress comes to her aid. If anyone ever discovers the truth, her reputation will be ruined.
I can't wait to find out how she found a way to weave these stories together without magic but with depth and charm.
I had a delightful interview with her, akin to the one I had with Thomas. I asked how she got into this work. She said, “I've been writing stories since elementary school, when I crafted a tale about magic pants. I didn’t share my stories with many people until about 2010 or 2012 when I joined a writing group. Working collaboratively inspired me to make my stories better. One member, who was a published author, insisted that I submit Becoming Beauty for publishing. Until then, I never had plans to do so." Her statements highlight the power and importance of the writer's group, which I'm highlighting this week.
When I asked what she liked most about writing, she said, “I like the whole creation process. I get to take stories that people know, think they know, or don't know at all and make them into something entirely new. Being a part of this creative process is both cathartic and challenging." For her, the writing process, itself, is fun, especially with the idea in mind of sharing it with others.
I then asked, "What do you like least about writing?" Sarah said, “Deadlines kill me! They’re as discouraging as they are motivating. My second least favorite thing about writing is that is you can never really get it perfect. I read professionally published books, and they have errors. In the end, you just breathe. You let your sweet, little, baby manuscript go and hope people can see past the nonsense.” My answer would have been fairly identical. So many of us struggle with the eternal and fruitless effort of making writing perfect. However, one day, we just have to share it the way it is.
I highly recommend you seek out the wonderful books of my friend, Sarah Boucher. Her writing will sweep you away and may give you ideas for your own writing. Pick up a copy today.
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