Get the special launch sale price before it turns into a pumpkin! 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.
An excerpt from
Fooling Around With Cinderella
Jaine Andersen couldn’t stop staring at the framed poster of Cinderella outside the castle. Cylindrical towers and turrets ascended into the sapphire sky, lofty mountains rising in the background. Her hand poised in an elegant wave, Cinderella beamed toward the camera. Ornate script flowed across the right side of the glossy photograph.
“Follow your heart, dream big, and you will find the magic.”
“Okay, Jaine, time to find the magic,” she mumbled, shifting in her seat.
“Interesting. What magic are you hoping to find?” a masculine voice asked behind her.
The kind that erases someone’s memory and lets you start over? Nice going, Jaine.
Squirming, Jaine clutched the black leather portfolio case in her lap as Dylan Callahan closed his office door. He sat down at a battered desk strewn with papers, her eyes tracking his every movement. Forget Cinderella’s stirring quote. Now Jaine couldn’t tear her gaze off the hot guy conducting her interview. The blond hair ruffled across his forehead made him resemble a Venice Beach surfer, not the general manager of a family theme park.
Winter sports seemed his thing though, considering the posters flanking Cinderella. In one, a skier whipped down a powdery slope while the other showed a snowboarder in mid-air. Inspirational words stretched across the bottom of each print: Goal-Setting for the skier and Persistence for the snowboarder.
To nail this interview, Jaine needed to demonstrate her prowess in both areas. And show that she wasn’t some weirdo who talked to herself.
She recovered her voice. “Actually, I’m hoping to help your company find some marketing magic. Uh, thank you for inviting me in.” Jaine toed her navy blue dress shoes into the industrial carpet, hoping he didn’t notice her fidgeting. When the receptionist had escorted her into the office to wait, she hadn’t expected such a good-looking man to join her.
Focus, Jaine. Focus.
“What makes you think Storybook Valley needs marketing magic?” Dylan asked.
Jaine flattened her shoes onto the floor and manufactured a confident smile. “I brought my eight-year-old niece here a few weeks ago and found a crowd small enough to fit into a thimble. You have great attractions—the water park, rollercoaster, and Cinderella’s Castle to name a few. But when I brought Amber to one of your competitors, Duke’s Animal World, they had double the visitors. They have a nice zoo, but charge extra for train tickets and carnival rides. Storybook Valley’s prices are much more reasonable, and your rides are so unique. You’re not getting the turnout you deserve.”
After her excursion with Amber, Jaine spent two hours crafting a full-page cover letter, fine-tuning and printing out her resume, and selecting writing clips to include in the envelope.
“And you think it relates to marketing? We produced this in the spring.” Dylan pushed a glossy tri-fold brochure across the desk.
Although Jaine had read the brochure before, she examined it out of politeness. The front panel depicted tight shots of the flying Glass Slippers, the Ferris wheel, an adorable boy astride a pony, a girl coasting down the water slides, and a family with Cinderella.
“A brochure only helps if it gets into your target audience’s hands.” She tapped the leaflet with her fingernail. “I’ve seen those on racks alongside fifty other brochures. You need to take an aggressive approach like strategic billboards, TV ads, and radio contests. Send free passes to newspapers, parenting magazines, and travel editors in the Northeast and invite them to a media weekend. I’ll bet a local hotel would offer you a reduced rate because of the publicity opportunity. Paying for meals and accommodations is a miniscule price for the publicity.”
Dylan steepled his hands together, expression thoughtful. She guessed he was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, a couple years older than she was. After submitting her resume, Jaine had anticipated hearing from his father or grandfather. In the few newspaper articles she discovered online, they were the spokesmen. Instead, Dylan had called her.
“Good ideas, only we’re tight on money since adding the water park,” Dylan said.
“Think of the potential revenue. The media weekend would generate exposure in newspapers, magazines, and online, encouraging thousands of families to visit Storybook Valley. Start with one marketing project and build from there.”
“Sounds like you’ve given these plans lots of thought.”
She flipped open the brochure and gestured to the park map. “You have the right ingredients, but some people don’t know Storybook Valley exists. Others remember the small park from their childhoods, fun if you’re nearby, but not worth traveling state lines. The Catskills is a stellar location and you have quality attractions. Although offering another show or two wouldn’t be a bad idea. Families need breaks to calm down cranky kids.”
His mouth quirked, whether in amusement or annoyance, she couldn’t tell. Did she sound too critical? Jaine needed to remember Dylan’s relatives owned the park. He might not appreciate constructive criticism—even though she was right.
Here's what
Fans are saying
A guilty pleasure read and highly recommended!
Fooling Around with Cinderella was a fun read! The relationships that Jaine has are realistic. With Dylan, it’s difficult as they try to find a balance between working together and resisting their attraction to each other.
With her sisters, Jaine is constantly struggling to help them while not being taken advantage of. Not to mention the pressure of being a perfect Cinderella for the children.
It was exciting to watch as Jaine’s character grew and the sweet romance factor made it hard to put the book down. Fooling Around with Cinderella was certainly a guilty pleasure read for me and I highly recommend it.
After reading the blurb for this I knew it was a must read, and turns out, I was right. This was a great update on a classic that everyone loves. Jaine made a great Cinderella with all the insecurities she had. I loved the story, but it felt rushed once Jaine’s secret was revealed. I was craving so much more. But then again, isn’t that what makes a great story.
Stacy Juba loves to write about Characters at a Crossroads: individuals who are finding themselves and getting on the right life path after overcoming obstacles. Her goals are to entertain readers of all ages as well as inspire them through her mystery, romance and contemporary fiction books for adults, teens and children. She has written about ice hockey, sibling rivalry and sportsmanship, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths solving mysteries. Her latest novel is Fooling Around With Cinderella, the first in the Storybook Valley chick lit sweet romance series.
