Origin
Once Upon a Different Time: The Letter
This story sparked into existence after I read a news article about a letter lost in the mail for 70 years that was finally delivered. Merging the idea with that "impossible love" angle from movies like Somewhere in Time and The Mailbox, I wanted to write a story that mirrored that elusive angst for a modern YA reader.
Once Upon a Different Time
Continued from above . . .
As I explored the characters I wanted to write, I envisioned the letter's author, who would be at least seventy years older than the current resident of the house where the letter would ultimately be delivered. There was a multi-generational gap at play, but I still wanted there to be a deep connection.
My grandfather had served in the signal battalion in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and much of the grounding for the letter-author's character development was based on his memoirs. My daughter had just graduated from high school, and had recently navigated the decisions, life changes, and experiences that are part of that coming-of-age package. It was perfect fodder for the unsuspecting protagonist who would receive the letter. Armed with two very different yet connected individuals for frame of reference, I built the story.
When I realized that my leading modern characters would bond over a shared fandom, I needed to invent my own fictional TV series they could make reference to. The task seemed ominous. If the series was not sufficiently fleshed out in my mind, it would feel too generic. But that felt like writing a book inside a book! Instead, I asked my daughter's permission to base my fictional series off a set of characters she and her friends had meticulously invented and written about during middle school. I knew all their stories already!
Setting the whole story into the framework of Cinderella - perhaps the world's most famous "impossible love" story - I added some ghostly intrigue and a few horror elements to pull everything together. My favorite pitch for this story is "Cinderella meets Scooby-Doo."
editors
To see this manuscript, please contact Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.