I grew up, as most girls do, reading fairy tales. I was often torn between enjoying the fantasy and being disappointed by how passive the heroines seemed to be. Let's take sleeping beauty. Aurora lays asleep on a bed for a hundred years until a guy comes, kisses her, and marries her. Snow White? She stupidly, despite many warnings, eats an apple given to her by a stranger. She falls into a death-sleep and lays in her coffin until a guy comes along, kisses her, and marries her. Or Beauty and the Beast. I admit I adored the library, especially in the animated version. But I was less keen on the idea that a woman in an abusive relationship simply had to be patient and understanding, and the 'beast' would eventually give up on his abuse and treat her like a princess. I have been working on my own versions for many years. It took countless tweakings before I felt I had created the mix of strong-and-compassionate that I hoped to convey. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them!