CINDER & ELLA by Kelly Oram Excerpt+Giveaway

     Hey everyone! I’m excited to be here today on the Teen Reader’s Diary to share an excerpt from my new book with you. The book is Cinder & Ella. It’s a contemporary retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella. I love Cinderella. It’s always been my favorite, and I always knew that eventually I would write my own adaptation of it.

In my version “Prince Charming” and “Cinderella” (Cinder & Ella) are old online buddies. They met through Ella’s book blog when she wrote a review about Cinder’s favorite book that he felt compelled to argue with. What she doesn’t know is that in real life Cinder happens to be Brian Oliver, the famous actor whose been cast to play the lead in the movie adaptation of the book. You can figure this out from the summary of the book so I’m not spoiling anything, I promise! Part of the fun of the book is knowing who Brian is and waiting to see what will happen when Ella finally figures it out.

In the beginning of the book tragedy strikes and Ella disappears from the online world. When that happens Cinder & Ella lose contact. The excerpt I have for you guys today is part of the fist conversation they have after they reconnect. Hope you enjoy it!

    

EllaTheRealHero: You were on a date???? Cinder! I can’t believe you ditched her. What a jerk.

Cinder458: Eh, she was too high maintenance, anyway.

EllaTheRealHero: Cinder!!!  

Cinder458: Get over it, woman. It was a stupid date. You were more important. That e-mail almost made me cry. Effing tears, Ella! Why are we even talking about me? I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. I know how close you were with your mom. And you had to move in with your dad? You haven’t seen him in years!!! How are you? Is there anything I can do? You want me to fly out there and steal you away from him? Or at least punch him in the face? I can’t believe he got rid of your books.

Already the world seemed brighter. Life wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been half an hour ago. My overwhelming loneliness was gone. There wasn’t really a light at the end of the tunnel yet, but at least I wasn’t in the dark by myself anymore.

I should have known Cinder wouldn’t have changed. I should have e-mailed him months ago in the rehab center once I could move again. Oh, well. No use dwelling on the past. I had him back now, and that was all that mattered.

EllaTheRealHero: No punching. My dad is a big, bad U.S. attorney. He would bury you in court, get you thrown in jail, and probably even take your fancy talking car.

Cinder458: Whoa, whoa, whoa, not my precious! Okay, okay, so no punching him or kidnapping you. But seriously, Ella, what can I do? I feel helpless here chica. Talk to me.

EllaTheRealHero: I don’t want to talk. I am so sick of talking. The only people I talk to anymore are doctors, and all they do is make me talk. I don’t need another doctor. I need a friend. I need someone to make me laugh and help me take my mind off everything. Don’t treat me like I’m going to break. Yell at me and don’t let me get away with anything when I start acting like a brat.

Cinder458: Would I ever miss an opportunity to call you a brat?

EllaTheRealHero: No. That’s why I need you. My life is upside down right now, and I really need something familiar. I need normal.

Cinder458: I can do normal.

I laughed a genuine, happy, lighthearted laugh. It was the first real laugh I’d managed since my accident. There was nothing forced or awkward about it. I hadn’t done it because I was nervous about anything or trying to hide my real feelings. I just laughed because I was in a good mood (and because what Cinder said was ridiculous).

Dr. Parish was going to be happy. Maybe, if I was lucky, she’d stop hounding me about spending time with my dad and the stepwitches, but I doubted it.

EllaTheRealHero: Sure you can, rock star. You wouldn’t know normal if it bit you on your ridiculously good-looking face.

Cinder458: You’ve never seen my face. How do you know it’s good-looking?

EllaTheRealHero: Because no ugly person could have an ego as big as yours.

Cinder458: You’re right. I’m gorgeous. I’m also probably way too amazing to accomplish normal, but I can definitely handle familiar. You’ve seen the cast for The Druid Prince, right? I’ve been going crazy not being able to talk to you about it.

I laughed again. This was familiar. My mind drifted back to the early months in the hospital. The doctors kept me in a medically-induced coma for three weeks because my pain was too much and I was having so many surgeries. After they brought me out of it, there were still a number of weeks where I was groggy and incoherent—in and out of consciousness. The hospital staff told me that for weeks I would call out for my mom and Cinder.

One day, one of my nurses recognized the name Cinder and brought me an entertainment magazine. The cover boasted an article about Hollywood’s leading It Boy landing the role of fantasy’s most cherished prince. I guess the thought of teen sensation Brian Oliver playing Prince Cinder was so horrifying it brought me right out of my stupor and sent me into a tizzy, as my nurse called it. And that was before I learned who was directing.

EllaTheRealHero: Ugh! Don’t remind me!

Cinder458: ?

EllaTheRealHero: Why does Hollywood always have to ruin everything?

Cinder458: You think it’s going to suck?

EllaTheRealHero: Kaylee Summers as the Princess Ratana? She’s not even an actress! She’s a supermodel!

Cinder458: Who knows, maybe acting is her calling.

EllaTheRealHero: And maybe Max Oliver just thought she was really hot. They don’t even have her in a dress in the movie. She’s decked out in some slutty, tight, leather getup like Xena: Warrior Princess. It’s disgraceful. And forget any chance of them following the story. With Max Oliver directing, you know it’s going to be nothing but a bunch of over-the-top mindless action.

Cinder458: Wow. So you’re really not a fan of Max Oliver, then. I thought you were joking all those times you wrote scathing reviews of his movies on your blog.

EllaTheRealHero: I thought you were joking every time you defended him. Max Oliver is your go-to director if you want flashy car chases, big explosions, and half-naked women—which I know is your favorite kind of movie—but even you have to admit he is so wrong for The Druid Prince. And of course he just had to go and bring his son on to play Cinder! Why??? Why are they doing this to me???

Cinder458: What!!! I thought you’d be happy about that. Brian Oliver will make an excellent Cinder. That dude is awesome.

EllaTheRealHero: LOL! I never knew you had some big, gay celebrity crush on Brian Oliver.

Cinder458: Remember what we said about you being a BRAT??

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cinder & Ella

by Kelly Oram

Release Date: October 1th, 2014

Blurb:

It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder.

…

Hollywood sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble. There’s major buzz around his performance in his upcoming film The Druid Prince, but his management team says he won’t make the transition from teen heartthrob to serious A-list actor unless he can prove he’s left his wild days behind and become a mature adult. In order to douse the flames on Brian’s bad-boy reputation, his management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee. Brian isn’t thrilled with the arrangement—or his fake fiancée—but decides he’ll suffer through it if it means he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Then a surprise email from an old Internet friend changes everything.

You can purchase Cinder & Ella at the following Retailers:

 

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen—a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat named Mr. Darcy. 

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