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Corey Rosen Schwartz and Deborah Marcero join us today for the cover reveal of their brand new picture book, Twinderella! Watch the video below, then keep reading to learn more about the inspiration behind the story.
Can you tell us a little bit about TWINDERELLA’s story?
Corey: In 2009, I was obsessed with Goldilocks. I brainstormed as many Goldi ideas as I could. Here are just a few from my list.
1. Coldilocks and the Three Polar Bears
2. Goldifox and the Three Hares
3. Goldi Rocks and the Three Bear Band
4. Brownilocks, Goldi’s Little Known Twin Sister
5. Goldilocks and the 3 ½ Bears.
I ended up going with #3, GOLDI ROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS, but the last two ideas kept nagging at me … twins, fractions, twins, fractions… I find both of those topics fascinating and really wanted to find a way to pursue them.
It eventually hit me— a perfect way to combine the two!
TWINDERELLA: A FRACTIONED FAIRY TALE
Cinderella and her twin sister share everything. They each do half the chores—the chopping, the mopping, the baking. They each take half the fairy godmother’s goodies. But when they each spend half the night dancing with the prince, and they both fall in love, they have a problem. After all, you can’t split a prince in half. Or can you?
What materials did you use to make the illustrations in this story?
Deborah: The artwork was rendered with India Ink, watercolor, gouache and Photoshop.
What’s a page from the book or an excerpt from the story you’re really excited for readers to see?
Corey: It’s hard to choose a favorite page, but I think I’d pick the wedding scene. Deborah’s art is spectacular and it offers an explanation as to why Cinderella’s twin is less well-known. That spread also shows that both sisters truly wound up with what they wanted. And since I am a total math geek like Tinderella, I love that her fulfillment came in the form of math achievement.
The reigning couple kept the peace
And met with dukes and lords.
The other pair won all the kingdom’s
highest math awards.
Deborah: My favorite spread might be from the beginning of the story, where the twins are dividing up their chores. I used different shapes as frames for scenes and divided them in half to show the division of labor using geometry. I loved using every chance I could to creatively show the concepts of division and multiplication in order to emphasize the wonderful math-spin Corey used to re-tell this classic fairy tale.
If you had a twin of your own, what is something or someone you might have trouble sharing?
Corey: My coffee Frappuccinos. I’m an addict.
Deborah: My art supplies.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Corey: Before I became an author, I was actually a math teacher at The Lexington School for the Deaf in Queens, NY. I was thrilled to discover that Deborah loves math as much as Tin and I do!
Deborah: The most wonderful challenge for illustrating this book was designing the setting. At first I wondered if it should be a modern Cinderella story… or what about classic Renaissance… or could it even be a post-apocalyptic “Fractioned” Fairy Tale? After many brainstorms, sketches and revisions, I finally landed on an old-fashioned yet timeless kind of feel from the era of the early 20th century. (IE: Their coach is not a horse-drawn carriage, but a circa 1920s vintage Rolls Royce two-seater convertible – and the twins drive themselves to the ball).
Thanks for sharing the cover of TWINDERELLA with all of us!
Twinderella will be on sale from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers beginning September 5, 2017.
Corey Rosen Schwartz is the author of many books for children including THE THREE NINJA PIGS, NINJA RED RIDING HOOD, HENSEL AND GRETEL: NINJA CHICKS, and GOLDI ROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS. She lives in Warren, New Jersey, with her two kids and her better-half. Corey hopes to one day have grand-twins. Visit Corey online at coreyrosenschwartz.com
Deborah Marcero received her BFA in drawing and photography from the University of Michigan, and her MFA in poetry from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While always passionate about art and writing, Deborah was especially drawn to TWINDERELLA because she is also a math geek (especially fond of algebra) and even competed on her high school math team. Math concepts like the golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence still fill her with wonder. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. To see more of what Deborah is up to, find her online at deborahmarcero.com.