The Snowy FootprintsAn Elves and the Shoemaker Retelling
Can miracles come true even without shoes?
Evalie Makera is starving, but with only two coins left, there isn’t much hope that she’ll survive to see the Day of Giving. After her mother's sudden passing, their flower shop has withered, leaving Evalie with a roof over her head but nothing under it. In a world where everyone is born with a magical gift, Evalie’s ability to enhance an object’s beauty feels useless now that her life is void of her mother’s flower magic.
While her gift may be useless without flowers to enchant and sell, she’s still better off than the magicless shop boy down the street. Or, at least, she thinks so, until she spends her last coins on flower seeds instead of food. She’s going to waste away either way, so having one final flower to celebrate her mother’s life feels like a much more fulfilling end to her story. Until it’s not the end at all...
To Evalie’s surprise, the seed she plants before bed sprouts into a stunning bloom overnight. Is this her mother’s magic? Or is something else at play? It would be all too easy to sell the flower and run with the coins, but something about their sudden appearance doesn’t feel right... Maybe the shoeless new stranger in town knows something? What could possibly go wrong with such a beautiful miracle?
This book is a part of The Christmas Chronicles, a collection of festive novellas filled with clean romance, chilly weather, and cozy adventures.
Once Upon a Pen Book Awards 2024 Best Retelling of an Obscure Tale Winner
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Abigail Manning
Abigail Manning writes fantasy with the comforting warmth of a bedtime story and the sense of wonder that first draws readers into magical worlds. Her novels are filled with enchanted kingdoms, hidden destinies, courageous heroines, and romances that unfold amid adventure, creating stories that feel inspired by the fairy tales many readers grew up loving while still offering surprises of their own.
Rather than treating classic folklore as something fixed and untouchable, she approaches it as a living tradition. Familiar legends become starting points rather than boundaries. A tale that once seemed complete may reveal an entirely different perspective, a forgotten character, or a new path through a magical realm. This creative curiosity has become one of the defining qualities of her work, allowing her to craft fantasy romances that feel both recognizable and refreshingly original.
The Christmas Chronicles
The Christmas Chronicles is a collection of festive novellas filled with clean romance, chilly weather, and cozy adventure.
Once Upon a Pen Book Awards 2024 Best Multi-Author Series Winner
Series Also Contains Several Individual Winners of the 2024 Once Upon a Pen Book Awards
- Best Nonmagical Retelling Winner = The Hidden Gift
- Best Animal Companion Winner = The Silent Night
- Best Mashup Winner = The Midnight Blizzard
- Best Retelling of an Obscure Tale Winner = The Snowy Footprints
The Christmas Chronicles consists of 7 total books — considered a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
