Angry at his failure to exact vengeance on the prince, mask maker
Joch flees Venesia to find his lost love. When a red-cloaked assassin
promises answers, he has little choice but to trust her—though he maybe
walking into a trap. Unravel the deception in this dazzling story of
second chances that will keep you guessing to the last page.
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.; Sweetwater Books
Release Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781462116218
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.; Sweetwater Books
Release Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781462116218
Get Your Copy
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / King’s English
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / King’s English
Praise for Lauren Skidmore's What is Hidden
"Crisp dialogue and quick pacing propel the story, a riff on
Cinderella, to an action-filled ending. Filled with gossiping servants,
palace intrigue, and masquerading royal personages, this novel will
appeal to romance and fantasy fans. Ages 12 and up." –Tory Abel – Publishers Weekly
"Lauren Skidmore’s “What Is Hidden” is an enchanting story of friendship,
romance and loyalty, complete with royal balls and a prince in
disguise."
Inspiration Behind the Book
with Lauren Skidmore
One of the most common questions authors get is where we get
our ideas, so I thought it would be interesting to share the inspiration for
some of my favorite parts of What Is Lost.
1. Turning the Villain into the Hero / I try to make
my characters as well-rounded as I can, and I've always loved the idea that the
villain is the hero of their own story. Switching the perspective of the fairy
tale gives it new life, as we've seen in stories like Wicked or Maleficent,
so it was interesting to me to tell the story through Joch's eyes, the villain
of my first book.
2. A Cloak of Many Pockets / I wanted to do something
special with the traditionally red cloak for my Red Riding Hood. Kit's cloak
has dozens of pockets and tiny hiding places, and I got the idea from Mary
Poppins' bag. I thought it would be fun to have a sense of wonder about her
iconic cloak, even if there isn't any magic involved.
3. The Bamboo Forest / This idea can be traced back
to a tumblr post about different forests of the world, one of which was the
bamboo forest in Kyoto, Japan. I did a home-stay in Kyoto when I was in
college, and have walked through some of these forests. They're beautiful, and
so different from the traditional forest of the Red Riding Hood tale that just
by using that as my setting, I can give the story a new twist.
4. The Entertainment District / Joch manages to find
his way to the part of the city filled with theatres and street performers,
which was also inspired by my time in Japan. I was able to attend part of a
kabuki show and walk through Kyoto's own traditional entertainment district.
Joch stops to watch a certain street puppet show inspired by a puppeteer I saw
in Sendai during the Tanabata festival, where the streets of the huge outdoor
mall were covered in the special decorations and streamers, and there were all
sorts of performances to see. Both Kyoto and Sendai have such a great
atmosphere that it was easy to draw from to create my own district.
Lauren Skidmore grew up in Kansas, with stints in Ohio and New York, and
currently lives in Utah. She attended Brigham Young University where
she earned a BA in English Teaching with an emphasis in Teaching English
as a Second Language and Japanese. She then spent a year in Japan
teaching and traveling. She hasn’t made it to Europe yet, but it’s on
the list and has been to 30 states in the U.S. so far. When she’s not
exploring new places, you can probably find her on the internet with
fifteen windows open and looking at just one more thing before actually
getting something done.
