I grew up as a military brat who travelled the world with my family. We moved 10 times before I was 12. Given that transient lifestyle, I had very few friends and I was quite shy. It always took some time to warm up to new surroundings and by the time I did, we were off to our next assignment. Books became my best friends and I lost myself to them. The wonderful adventures and magical realms of possibility were so appealing to my quiet existence. I really became a fan of fairy tales; I think most little girls do. It’s fun to think of yourself as having magical powers and living a magical life. As time went on, however, I became a bit disillusioned with fairy tales as all of the princesses who were the stars of the story were beautiful. I was not beautiful. Did that mean I was not entitled to have these amazing adventures because I did not have the right face? It always troubled me. As an adult, I finally wrote the fairy tale that I wanted to see: a magical princess who was brave and kind and amazing and smart, but not beautiful. In fact, she is rather ugly. But this ugly princess is the most amazing heroine and the one I had always wanted to read about. Now, you can. I hope you love the amazing Olive and the bravest princess whose heart is far more beautiful than anyone else’s face.
