WOW! Women on Writing Presents

The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories by Ekta Garg

Check out an author interview at The Muffin!

Have you ever wondered why Jack and Jill needed that pail of water in the first place? Or how Sleeping Beauty managed to prick her finger despite a royal order to destroy every spindle in the kingdom?

Fairy tales and nursery rhymes have given us some of the most iconic characters and images in storytelling; think Cinderella’s glass slipper or Jack’s oversized beanstalk. But what about the in-between moments? The ones that never made it to the page?

In this enchanting micro-collection of short stories, award-winning author Ekta R. Garg explores the untold scenes between the lines of some of our most loved tales. Find out what the Wicked Witch of the East was doing in the road before Dorothy’s house fell on her. Learn where Goldilocks came from. Meet the conmen who convinced the emperor he had new clothes and more.

Rediscover the wit, heart, and magic of the classics, and see them as you’ve never seen them before in The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories.

5 out of 5 fairies

This was such a fun short story collection. Before each short story is a question, that sort of introduces the story, and tells you what to expect. The shortest story, and probably the most emotional one, was related to The Pied Piper. The one related to the title of the collection, The Witch’s Apprentice, went in a direction I didn’t expect from the way it started, and I loved that twist (but no spoilers, you’ll have to read if you want to find out). I would love to see a follow-up to Jack and Jill’s story. Once you read it, you’ll understand why, but again, I really want to avoid giving any spoilers! My favorite story, by far, was the final one, which was a Sleeping Beauty and Goldilocks crossover. It was really well handled, and I love how it ended! If you enjoy fairy tales, but aren’t necessarily looking for full retellings, then you need to grab this short story collection.

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A Reviewer, Editor, Author, and Dreamer of stories and books, Ekta has worked in niche publishing since 2005—she’s written and edited about everything from healthcare to home improvement to Hindi films! Ekta judges writing contests, hosts writing workshops, and podcasts about great books and how to write them. She’s currently the Content Coordinator of Neighbors of SW Champaign, a hyper-local magazine focusing on and lifting up the Champaign, Illinois, community. Ekta’s award-winning holiday novella, The Truth About Elves, and her award-winning fairy tale for grown-ups, In the Heart of the Linden Wood, are available from Atmosphere Press.

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