Broken Wish Read online

  And then, with the slippers clutched to her heart, Mathilda went back out of the North Woods and left it and Hanau behind forever. She would go back to Josefine and Aunt Louisa’s house. She would collect her cat and all of her possessions, and she would go somewhere far, far away—perhaps the New World that Elva had seen in her visions. She would create a new home of her own, a new place where she could make memories.

  She would live her life, as best as she could. She would take risks and open her heart and let someone else care about her if they wanted to.

  Just the way Elva had taught her.

  I’ve been a Disney kid since the day I was born, and met Mickey in person at the age of three, so it was an immense honor to write this book full of fairy tales and magic for Disney!

  Thank you to my family for buying me giant volumes of Grimms’ tales every birthday and Christmas growing up, and for never batting an eye whenever I sang to bewildered birds in the backyard, like an off-key Princess Aurora. I love you guys!

  The book is dedicated to my dear friends Marisa Hopkins and Melody Marshall, who have walked beside me for years on this journey through the dark and magical publishing woods. Thank you for the gift of your friendship!

  Thank you to my editors, Brittany Rubiano and Kieran Viola, for granting me this wonderful opportunity. Whether or not I ever come across a pair of red dancing shoes, I have done and will do many happy jigs in your honor! Much gratitude to the entire team at Disney for everything they do, from copyediting, art and design, publicity, sales and marketing, and beyond. Forever grateful that I got to take part in this series and be a part of your family.

  No book acknowledgments section would be complete without my stalwart agent and real-life fairy godmother, Tamar Rydzinski. Thanks as always for your advice and friendship!

  No magical wishing well could have given me a better group of authors and rock stars to write with than Dhonielle Clayton, Jen Cervantes, and L. L. McKinney. Thanks for all the phone chats and for helping me think more deeply about my story!

  Seven is a powerful number. I’m beyond thankful for these seven friends who have seen me through many a treacherous bramble and thorny briar: Rebecca Caprara, Mara Fitzgerald, Kati Gardner, Austin Gilkeson, Heather Kaczynski, Jessica Rubinkowski, and Kevin van Whye.

  Thank you to all of the amazing friends and fellow writers and book lovers who brighten my life, especially Samira Ahmed, Theresa Baker, Patrice Caldwell, Natalie Mae, and Tochi Onyebuchi. I’m so lucky to have you with me on this crazy pumpkin-carriage ride.

  A million thanks to the booksellers, educators, and librarians who have supported me and my books from the beginning. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness.

  And my last thanks goes to every Disney kid, fairy-tale lover, and big dreamer out there. Don’t stop striving for the happily-ever-afters you deserve!

  JULIE C. DAO is the author of the acclaimed Rise of the Empress duology, including Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, as well as the follow-up novel, Song of the Crimson Flower. A proud Vietnamese American who was born in Upstate New York, she now lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.