The Once Upon a Twist Bundle - Curated by Anthea Sharp

Fairytales are near and dear to my heart - but retellings are even better! This StoryBundle features ten titles from award-winning and USA Today bestselling authors who skillfully turn and twist familiar stories into fantastical new shapes.

• Cinderella, but set in Imperial China

• The Nutcracker – in space!

• Steampunk versions of Hansel & Gretel and The 12 Dancing Princesses

• Beauty & the Beast as a 19th century murder mystery

• A Celtic Little Mermaid

• And many more quirky, slantwise, and enchanting tales!

This collection includes a mix of full-length novels (ten of them, all told!) plus two collections packed with short stories. Whether you're looking for a refreshing dip into a shorter fairytale or crave a nice long novel, we've got you covered.

I had so much fun selecting these retellings that span the centuries! Here, you'll find everything from medieval-like secondary fantasy worlds up through Imperial China, the 19th century reimagined, and the far future. Whatever the setting or twist, however, the core resonance of the fairytale always shines through.

If you love novels with a more classic fantasy feel, Celine Jeanjean's Once Upon Thyme is a quirky and whimsical story of quests and adventure for anyone who has ever felt like they didn't quite belong. Song of the Thrush by Christine Pope takes the King Thrushbeard tale and reimagines it with her signature lush storytelling style. And for a slightly edgier take, the con-woman/thief in Kate Sparkes' Jack and the Beanstalk retelling Vines and Vices is an unexpected heroine you end up totally rooting for.

Step over to Imperial China with Dance, Demelza Carlton's retelling of Cinderella with a bit of Mulan stirred in. I love it when authors pull from more than one tale, which happens here (as well as in Once Upon Thyme and the books in Kristine Grayson's Charming Trilogy, Volume 2).

Moving into fantastical alt-history, the Clockwork, Curses, & Coal anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish is full of wonderful steampunk and gaslamp stories to tickle your reading fancy—everything from automata and clockwork mixed with retellings of The Princess and the Pea and Pinocchio. And W.R. Gingell's reframing of Beauty and the Beast in Masque is a slightly steampunk blend of fantasy, magic, and mystery built around the timeless tale of love and trust.

Coming into more contemporary tales, Cidney Swanson's Siren is a modern retelling of the classic Russian tale, Giselle. As in Demelza Carlton's novel, dance is central to the story (which is also true for Waltzed, the Cinderella retelling in my Mermaid Song collection). Kristine Grayson's books in the Charming Trilogy also play with the tension of contemporary settings reframing the old, familiar tales against our expectations of the modern world. Her books turn charming princes, wicked stepmothers, even Bluebeard himself, on their heads, all on the way to the elusive happy endings that last forever.

For another short story break, dive into Mermaid Song, my collection of retellings spanning the centuries from ancient Ireland to a space-opera rendition of the Icelandic tale Kisa the Cat. Speaking of the far future, what about the Nutcracker set within the framework of a galactic empire? That's what you get with Eryn Rensing's Engines of Winter, a superb retelling of the classic holiday tale.

If you've ever wanted more from a fairytale, these books deliver, and I guarantee that this StoryBundle collection will make you see these classic tales in a whole new light. Enjoy this collection filled with worlds of wonder and enchantment, where the tale you're expecting might not be the one you get…

Happy Reading!

Anthea Sharp

PS. In the spirit of nurturing young writers, we've chosen Girls Write Now as this StoryBundle's charity for donations. We need more hopeful and inspiring stories in this world, and supporting future writers is one of the best ways to assure that all the tales continue being told. Don't forget to kick in a little extra to support their work!

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For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you're feeling generous), you'll get the basic bundle of three books in .epub format—WORLDWIDE.

• Clockwork, Curses, and Coal by Rhonda Parrish
• Vines and Vices by Kate Sparkes
• Once Upon Thyme by Celine Jeanjean

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $25, you get all three of the regular books, plus seven more books, for a total of 10!

• Masque by W.R. Gingell
• The Charming Trilogy Vol. 2 by Kristine Grayson
• Engines of Winter by E.M. Rensing
• Dance - Cinderella Retold by Demelza Carlton
• Siren Spell by Cidney Swanson
• The Song of the Thrush by Christine Pope
• Mermaid Song by Anthea Sharp

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get a DRM-free .epub for all books!

It's also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

• Get quality reads: We've chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
• Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that's fine! You'll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
• Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there's nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
• Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to Girls Write Now!
• Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you'll get the bonus books!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook.