Fairy tales are wonderful stories to rip apart and put together again, your way.  I love messing around with them, putting a new creative spin, or turning something nice into something wicked and wild.

I’ve written a few reimagined fairy tale stories.  One of my first is coming out in ebook tomorrow from Ellora’s Cave.  I originally published it back in 2004, and its been rewritten and polished up and is coming out again.  I couldn’t be happier.  Red was my first kick-ass heroine.

Here’s an excerpt from IN THE COMPANY OF WOLVES…

Red bolted up from the bed. Sweat poured off her face. It soaked the sheets beneath her.

After rubbing her hands over her face, she swung her legs over the bed and stood. She went to the dresser, picked up the bottle of vodka and took a long pull. She got dressed, wrapped up in her hooded black cloak and left the room. She needed some fresh air.

Red stood behind the boarding house in the rain. There was just open field and tall trees behind the house. That was the reason she picked the place. It afforded a quick escape route through the woods. Escape was always the first thing on her mind.

She raised her head to the cool rain and opened her mouth to let it pour in. She swallowed it down and opened for more, thirsting for the pure water. Hoping to be cleansed, she drank it in greedily. But no amount of water could wash away her sins. She had been too long alone with only black-hearted vengeance for a companion.

Red cocked her head to the side to listen to the night. Did she hear something?  The rain fell hard on the tin roof of the house. It was difficult to hear anything over the roar. She slowly turned to her right and stared hard into the shadows, narrowing her eyes. She saw a flash of something. Glowing eyes like those of an animal.

Red ran. She turned to the open field and sprinted. If she could make it to the trees, she would lose him. She’d had many years of training in the forest. As she ran, she felt for a weapon. Shit!  She left her knives in the room. What a fool!  She knew better than to leave her place unarmed. She’d have to double back to get to her arsenal.

When she made it to the trees, she glanced back over her shoulder. She saw no movement behind her. The Wolf was quick, she knew, so he may have entered the woods further down. She’d have to be sharp and use all her years of training to survive. This was the one night she had planned for, lived for, and she was not going to fail.

She moved into the foliage, hunkering down onto one knee. She put her hood up to cover her bright hair. She scanned the surrounded trees, letting her eyes adjust to the extreme dark. There was no moonlight to guide her way and she saw no immediate movement. Looking down at the forest floor, she searched for a weapon.

Lightning lit the sky and she was able to spy a small broken branch. It was jagged at one edge. It would be perfect for close encounters. She picked it up and held it firmly to her body. If she could get close enough to him, she could stab the wood into the soft part just under his chin on the side of his neck. He would bleed to death.

A branch snapped. Red stayed still and surveyed the woods. It could be just an animal searching for food. Another branch snapped. This time it was closer. Red held her breath and narrowed her eyes. She could see a shape inching toward her.

Red looked down and picked up a small stone. If she could get a good aim, she could hit him in the head to stun him, affording her time to come up on him. If she missed, then he would know her location. Either way was a risk. She stood up and pulled her arm back.

“Red?  It’s Jack.” His voice was soft and low.

Red hesitated and lowered her arm. “What are you doing?”

“I followed you outside. I saw you run into the trees. I was worried. Are you all right?”

Red sighed and moved closer to him. He was endangering her. Surely, The Wolf knew her location. Or had she imagined him?  Maybe she had only been running from Jack.

“You’re an idiot. I could have killed you.”

He laughed lowly, and something about it made her stomach clench. “Not without your knives.”

Pausing, her heart began to race. Adrenaline pumped through her body like wildfire. “What?”

“You’re unarmed, aren’t you?”

“Jack?” She saw the movement too late. “Watch out!”

Before the words were out of her mouth, The Wolf was on Jack. He came up from behind, grabbed Jack’s chin, lifted his head and sliced the knife across his throat in one swift stroke.

What fairy tale do you think would be cool reimagined?  What are some of your favorites already done?  Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella?  

I have a couple of PDFs of IN THE COMPANY OF WOLVES for giveaway.  I will pick two commenters.   I will announce the winners on Saturday.