I figured I could either attempt to make Prince Charming more charming, or I could rewrite the whole thing and have Ash fall in love with this female character. I had written that in entirely subconsciously. I reread the draft and realized that Ash was falling in love with this other woman. Then I sent that draft to a friend of mine for some feedback, and she told me she thought the Prince Charming character was kind of dull, but this other woman in the book was quite intriguing. The first draft of Ash was a straight, as in heterosexual, retelling of the fairy tale. Why a lesbian Cinderella? Was that your intention from the beginning?Īctually, no. When I decided to finally face my fears (I had lots of fears about becoming a professional writer, mostly centering on failure) and write another novel, I decided to write the book I had always wanted to read: a retelling of Cinderella. Then I left writing fiction behind for many years while I was in college and grad school.

(I was pretty geeky.) They were not very good, but the experience of writing them was undeniably wonderful. In high school, I wrote three fantasy novels. I read and reread Beauty, and I read and reread every other book McKinley wrote, too. This book hooked me on fairy tale retellings. Then, fast-forward a few years to when I first read Beauty, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley. (Hey, I was 6!) The story is about having your dreams come true, and who doesn’t want that? I sure as hell did. The full answer actually begins back in my childhood, when I absolutely adored - full-on, unabashedly loved - the story of Cinderella. I can’t answer one without answering the other. These two questions are often asked separately, but to me they go hand in hand. What was your inspiration for writing Ash? Why did you decide to retell Cinderella? So far, movie rights have not been sold to anyone, so I doubt it. Kaisa = KY-sa (pronounce “Kai” like ki in kite) Aisling = ASH-ling (emphasis on the syllable in all caps)

Ash by malinda lo