I know it’s been a few months, but guess who I heard from? Kayla. Looks like Flora is regretting that deal with Rumpelstiltskin. Apparently he’s been seen around FTRS a few times, and rumor has it he wants a job there. (Not that you heard that from me. Blame Jocelyn. She’s apparently the one who blabbed to Kayla who told Maxine who told Ollie who told me and now I you.)
There’s no way we can trust that troll to work at Fairy Tale Reform School. Kayla is itching to get her hands on Rumpel, as you know, and we can’t let her tackle that problem on her own, can we? Ollie, Maxine, and I are thinking of getting thrown back into FTRS to help her out. Royal Academy is Dullsville, and I could use a little adventure.
Any chance you’d like to join us?
Who’s Who in Enchantasia
Headmistress Flora: Remember that whole glass slipper business with Cinderella? Flora is Princess Ella’s formerly wicked stepmother. Now she runs Fairy Tale Reform School.
Professor Wolfington: Little Red Riding Hood has nothing to fear from this former big bad wolf. The only howling he does these days is when a student gets good grades in his history class at FTRS.
Madame Cleo: She made the Little Mermaid’s life under the sea miserable, but these days the classy mermaid with the killer hair teaches charm classes and dance at FTRS. She’s also got a bit of a short-term memory problem, which means detention is sometimes forgotten about!
Professor Harlow: Snow White’s Evil Queen is still, well, kind of mean, but she means well now that she teaches FTRS students psychology and how to deal with their feelings.
Gottie: Remember the baddie who stuck Rapunzel in that tower? She’s still bad, still on the loose, and she’s looking for revenge on the princesses and kingdom of Enchantasia. Shiver!
Alva: Sleeping Beauty’s dreamcaster could be alive or she could be dead. No one’s seen her in years and they’re glad. She’s the scariest fairy villain in the kingdom.
Blackbeard: The most fearsome pirate to sail the seas is now taking up post at FTRS in Professor Harlow’s old job, but he’s got a rather unusual way of dealing with student issues—he makes them duel!
Rumpelstiltskin: The baddest of the bad, no one knows much about this mystery wish granter...for now.
Acknowledgments
Pirates, ogres, wicked fairies, and evil manifestos…the world of Fairy Tale Reform School is almost too much fun to work on, and that’s because of #AwesomeAubrey, a.k.a. Aubrey Poole, my incredible editor who finds the magic and the mischief as fun to create as I do. Thanks for being the most amazing partner a writer could ask for. I’m tickled pink to be on this charming journey with you. (Hmm…maybe I’ve spent too much time writing about Princess Rose!)
When editing is done, I’m sent off to the capable hands of Alex Yeadon and Kathryn Lynch, the marketing and publicity geniuses who made sure the Fairy Tale Reform School series is seen and heard about in every boot, bookstore, and teakettle nationwide. Thank you to the entire team at Sourcebooks who have given this series such a tremendous amount of love and dedication. To production editor Elizabeth Boyer, thanks for making sure I’ve got things just right, and to designer Mike Heath, who continues to floor me with the most spectacular covers!
Laura Dail and Tamar Rydzinski, thank you for helping the Fairy Tale Reform School series find a good home both here and on foreign shores, and to my agent Dan Mandel for continuing to steer my pirate ship in the right direction.
Elizabeth Eulberg is the best first reader a writer could ask for. Thanks for all the advice on my villains and reform school students. To Kieran Scott, Jennifer E. Smith, Courtney Sheinmel, Katie Sise, Sarah Mlynowski, Tiffany Schmidt, and Julia DeVillers, thanks for all the writing support and love.
My family—Mike, Tyler, Dylan, and our resident Chihuahua pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow—supports my dreams and encourages me in ways I could never imagine. I love you all so much.
And to the readers—when I started thinking about a school run by former villains, I never could have imagined your wonderful reactions to Gilly and her mixed-up friends and foes. I feel so charmed that you’ve let Fairy Tale Reform School be part of your world!