Have you ever wondered why Jack and Jill needed that pail of water in the first place? Or how Sleeping Beauty managed to prick her finger despite a royal order to destroy every spindle in the kingdom?

Fairy tales and nursery rhymes have given us some of the most iconic characters and images in storytelling; think Cinderella’s glass slipper or Jack’s oversized beanstalk. But what about the in-between moments? The ones that never made it to the page?

In this enchanting micro-collection of short stories, award-winning author Ekta R. Garg explores the untold scenes between the lines of some of our most loved tales. Find out what the Wicked Witch of the East was doing in the road before Dorothy’s house fell on her. Learn where Goldilocks came from. Meet the conmen who convinced the emperor he had new clothes and more.

Rediscover the wit, heart, and magic of the classics, and see them as you’ve never seen them before in The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories.

A voracious reader since preschool, Ekta was one of those “nerdy” kids who competed in spelling bees. If her parents wanted to punish her they would take away her books, so Ekta made sure to behave. She got her start in niche publishing in 2005 and has written about and edited everything from healthcare to home improvement to Hindi films.

Ekta is currently the managing editor of a magazine in Central Illinois that focuses exclusively on the local community. A writing contest judge and frequent writing workshop presenter at her local library, Ekta also hosts Biblio Breakdown on her author website. In this writing podcast, she talks about great books and how to write them (visit https://ektargarg.com and click on Biblio Breakdown.) She also manages The Write Edge (https://thewriteedge.wordpress.com) about all things writing and The Write Edge Bookshelf (https://thewriteedgebookshelf.wordpress.com) where she reviews new and upcoming books.

Her first book, _The Truth About Elves_—a holiday novella for grownups about a man who works part-time for Santa as an elf—won the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Best Novella. Her first novel, _In the Heart of the Linden Wood_—an original fairy tale for grownups about a grieving king who has to go on a quest to save his kingdom—won the 2024 Kindle Book Awards for Best Cover. Both are available now from Atmosphere Press.

Outside of reading, writing, and editing, Ekta follows the latest gossip out of Bollywood, dances in the kitchen while she’s making dinner, and tries to keep her compulsion to reorganize everything in check. She lives in Central Illinois with her husband and family.