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Penny Parker Klostermann has cooked up a new fractured fairy tale with Ben Mantle…but the book wouldn’t be a reality without her fairy tale agent, Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

Knowing many of you are hoping your fairy godmother will deliver a prince (or princess) of an agent, I asked Tricia how the two of them paired up to create kidlit magic.

Tricia, how did you and Penny connect? What made you fall in love with her work?

Penny was a referral from Erin. I was instantly interested because of her ability with rhyme. She’s got the elusive skill set and she still studies it all the time.

That’s like music to MY ears. I’m a Thomas Jefferson, INFJ, Hermione Granger personality type, so I love working with people who are always seeking to be better, and that, to a T, is Penny.

She is devoted to her writing. It’s her true love, but also a passion. That really does speak volumes to me. It reminds me of the book by Cal Newport called DEEP WORK, which inspires me constantly, about focused practice and preparation.

What about A COOKED UP FAIRY TALE do you adore?

Penny has an incredible sense of humor. THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT was full of it and A COOKED UP FAIRY TALE came right from that same vein of humor. You have this sense of “oh no!” as the familiar stories get cooked (oh no!), but there’s so much humor as it is happening. It is delightful.

How to you hope readers will react to it?

I hope readers (kids) get a kick out of it just like I did. Yes, I consider myself a reader (and a kid at heart).

Can you give us a sneak peek of what’s next in store for Penny?

Penny has always got something AMAZING cooking (ha, see what I did there) and right now is no different. But that’s all I can say!

You’ll have to ask me back to the blog another time to get the scoop.

Thanks, Tricia. You can count on it. 

Penny, this is your second fractured fairy tale. What do you enjoy about writing them?

I love taking something familiar and twisting it in a new way. And I believe that children connect quickly with the humor when they read something that has familiar parts but has been taken a different direction.

And what is uniquely challenging about writing them?

And the challenges (for me) mirror the reasons I love it.

It’s challenging to take something familiar and twist it in a new way. It’s tough to balance the familiar with the new and have a story arc that makes logical sense and flows smoothly.

Thanks, Penny. You know I love a good story, especially when it involves food.

A COOKED UP FAIRY TALE gives a new twist to the fish-out-of-water story (maybe it should be called a fish-out-of-soup story). William just wants to be a renowned chef, but the problem is that he lives in a fairy tale land where he cooks up a lot of trouble, especially when he bakes the Gingerbread Man.

But when William realizes fairy tales have their own special ingredients—like apples and pumpkins—he learns how to cook up ha-pea-ly ever-after endings.

This book is a delicious treat for all who love mash-ups (and mashed potatoes).

Penny is giving away a copy of A COOKED UP FAIRY TALE to a US resident. Enter by leaving one comment below.

A winner will be selected by release day, September 5th.

Good luck!