Texas author Jacqueline E. Smith releases “Winter,” the last of her seasonal fairy tale series, “Solstice Stories,” now available on Kindle Unlimited.
SAN ANTONIO — Jacqueline E. Smith has always believed in the magic of fairy tales. As a child, she was already writing stories inspired by iconic princesses.
“I was in preschool when I was writing my own little Disney fanfiction and making them into little books that I’ve stapled together. And I think I wanted to just throw those out like a million times, and my mom was like ‘No, keep them, you’ll want them one day,'” Smith said.
“And I guess she was right.”
But it wasn’t until college that the Dallas native realized writing could become a career.
“I 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’ve been writing my own stories ever since,” she said.
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.
“I wasn’t 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’ which is [based off] Beauty and the Beast and people really liked it. And I just decided to write four of them out individually,” Smith said.
The last book in the “Solstice Stories” series, “Winter” released in September, and a full collection will be out soon after. The books are available on Kindle Unlimited.
Smith describes the “Solstice Stories” as “magical, hopeful and pretty,” and said the inspiration behind them runs deep.
“I 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.
“So, I was one of the few kids who wasn’t in the sciences. I was one of the ones who was in all the theater productions and choir and writing books for fun.”
Mental health struggles in college also shaped her writing.
“So, I was just not in a great place mentally,” 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.”
“I just loved the necklace and looked at it and there was just a thought in my brain of ‘Oh 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.
But then Smith asked herself, why stop there?
“So, I decided I wanted to do that for all of the seasons,” she added.
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.
“I was like maybe they’re beyond my abilities as a writer,” Smith said.
But after some soulful healing from K-pop music Smith was able to visualize what she wanted for the books.
“So, it’s that beautiful blend of Disney, of overcoming my own mind and K-pop that really helped me to finally write these stories.”
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.
For more information about Jacqueline E. Smith and her books, click here.