STRAY

A cross between The Handmaid’s Tale and Wicked with a dash of Grimm's Fairy Tales, STRAY takes place in a world where magic is a curse that only women bear and society is dictated by a strict religious doctrine called The Path.

The first in a planned six book series, STRAY follows the young Princess Aislynn who knows all too well the powers of her curse. Its magic is a part of her, like her awkward nose and thin fingers. But it’s also something she can't control. And girls who can’t control their abilities have a tendency to disappear. So when Aislynn fails to contain her magic at her introduction ball, she is “redirected” into the order of Fairy Godmothers, where she must spend the rest of her life chaste and devoted to serving another royal family. Tasked with tending to the sweet, but sheltered Princess Linnea, Aislynn also finds a reluctant friend in the palace gardener, Thackery, who makes no secret of his disdain for her former life. The more time they spend together, though, the more she begins to doubt the rules she has observed so obediently. As Aislynn’s feelings threaten to undo the sacred vows she has taken, she risks not only her own life but Linnea’s as well. With the princess engaged to a devoted follower of The Path, there are some who would do anything to keep Aislynn from straying. Elissa Sussman received her BA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and has spent the last several years learning the art of fairy tales working at Disney on the animated features TANGLED and THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. She has already begun writing and planning the rest of this series, tentatively entitled THE FOUR SISTERS. Synopses are available upon request.