Texas author Jacqueline E. Smith releases “Winter,” the last of her seasonal fairy tale series, “Solstice Stories,” now available on Kindle Unlimited.<\/p>\n
SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Jacqueline E. Smith has always believed in the magic of fairy tales. As a child, she was already writing stories inspired by iconic princesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in preschool when I was writing my own little Disney fanfiction and making them into little books that I\u2019ve stapled together. And I think I wanted to just throw those out like a million times, and my mom was like \u2018No, keep them, you\u2019ll want them one day,'” Smith said.<\/p>\n
“And I guess she was right.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t until college that the Dallas native realized writing could become a career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI got really sick with a sinus infection and spent the entire week lying on the couch reading cheap romance novels. I found myself thinking I could do this and I just never looked back. And I\u2019ve been writing my own stories ever since,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Texas author dabbles in all kinds of genres but her newest work hits close to home: a collection of fairy tales inspired by the seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t originally going to do that. Originally it was just going to be one big book of the four stories. So, I finished the first, ‘Spring\u2019 which is [based off] Beauty and the Beast and people really liked it. And I just decided to write four of them out individually,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
The last book in the “Solstice Stories” series, “Winter\u201d released in September, and a full collection will be out soon after. The books are available on Kindle Unlimited.<\/p>\n
Smith describes the “Solstice Stories” as \u201cmagical, hopeful and pretty,” and said the inspiration behind them runs deep.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up as a Disney girl. I have a picture of me before I can probably even talk, sitting on the couch with my cats on either side of me. And I have a Mickey shirt and Mickey hat, and I mean my mom just indoctrinated me very early on to be a Disney girl. Princesses, fairy tales have always just been a part of my life,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“So, I was one of the few kids who wasn\u2019t in the sciences. I was one of the ones who was in all the theater productions and choir and writing books for fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mental health struggles in college also shaped her writing.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cSo, I was just not in a great place mentally,\u201d she said about unknowingly dealing with OCD and PMDD. But then came a silver lining – in the shape of a silver necklace gifted to Smith by her mother and would later become symbolic to Smith and the “Solstice Stories.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just loved the necklace and looked at it and there was just a thought in my brain of \u2018Oh my gosh, I kind of want to tell a story about a girl who was born in the winter but prefers the sunshine and the warmth,'” Smith said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then Smith asked herself, why stop there?\u00a0<\/p>\n
“So, I decided I wanted to do that for all of the seasons,” she added.<\/p>\n
The idea of “Solstice Stories” grew through grad school along with years of self-doubt because no matter how much she scribbled down, the stories just wouldn’t appear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like maybe they\u2019re beyond my abilities as a writer,\u201d Smith said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But after some soulful healing from K-pop music Smith was able to visualize what she wanted for the books.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cSo, it\u2019s that beautiful blend of Disney, of overcoming my own mind and K-pop that really helped me to finally write these stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith continues to build her career with other projects, including her “Cemetery Tours” series, a blooming Comic-Con romance, and a collaborative book titled “Dreamscares,” with authors Miracle Austin, Manuel Ruiz, and Cody Wagner – set to release later this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For more information about\u00a0Jacqueline E. Smith and her books, click here. <\/a><\/p>\n