Towards the beginning of the 1950 film Cinderella, her animal friends, including Jaq and Gus, help her sew together a beautiful gown for the prince’s ball. To the tune of “The Work Song”, the seamstress mice turn leftover fabric into an array of bows and frills perfect for Cinderella’s night out. While the film continues on with storylines for Jaq and Gus, what happens to the other mice? Find out in Disney’s latest novel, Delphine and the Silver Needle.

Author Alyssa Moon has always been fascinated by the animal side characters in fairy tales and deeply wanted to give a name to one of her favorites - the seamstress mice.

“The whole world of Cinderella is suffused with magic, so how might this little mouse’s life be impacted by magic?” Moon said. “What if she discovered that her true identity linked her to magic that had flourished long ago? As soon as I had given a name to that seamstress mouse, Delphine was born, and her story flowed out as if it had always been there.”

There were several stages to the creation process, including a year just spent on creating the overall world of Delphine, the system of magic and the overarching storyline for the series. Once all the details were fleshed out, Moon spent a year writing Delphine and the Silver Needle and a year working alongside Disney Publishing to create the book’s look and feel.

“The beautiful art, the layout, the design, the map, all of that - it’s absolutely gorgeous, and it perfectly captures how I had imagined the book…as if the reader had found it on the shelf of an old castle library, just waiting to be discovered,” she said.

Delphine’s story goes like this: She is a young, orphaned dressmaker living in the walls of Cinderella’s chateau when she stumbles upon an enormous secret. She takes it upon herself to uncover the truth about the past and save the kingdom before the evil King Midnight succeeds in harnessing the power of the tailor mice.

Not only is this Moon’s first novel for Disney, it is her debut as an author. The process was extremely rewarding for her as someone who thrives on receiving feedback and notes in order to improve.

“It’s like a puzzle,” she said. “Often, it’s an incredibly complicated puzzle where you only have a few pieces, and no box lid to show you the picture! But the process of sifting through and figuring out the changes that need to be made is like putting the puzzle pieces into place one by one. It’s incredibly satisfying each time you get another puzzle piece to fit just right. So although the process can make me want to tear my hair out, it’s the most rewarding feeling in the world when all of the notes have been addressed and the new draft is sparkling and perfect.”

Delphine and the Silver Needle is action-packed with magic, heart and something that ties the book together: adventure.

“Adventures can exist anywhere,” Moon said. “Sometimes the greatest magic isn’t about spells or wands - it’s about having the courage to chase your destiny against all odds. Each of us is capable of much more than we know.”

In many of the tales brought to life by Walt Disney Animation Studios, specifically the tales of heroines, their stories begin well into their teenage years. Cinderella was 19 years old when she attended the prince’s ball in a gown made by her fairy godmother. Pocahontas was 18 years old when English colonists invaded her people’s land. Mulan was 16 years old when she joined the Chinese military in her father’s place. Their tales of triumph made them infamous, but what did their earlier upbringings look like?

In Disney’s latest chapter book series, Before the Story shows characters as children, catering to the 6- to 8-year-old demographic. The series has already featured Mulan, Elsa and Anna, and recently took on the tales of Pocahontas and Cinderella.

Before Pocahontas brought peace, she was a girl ready to help. Pocahontas Leads The Way shows a younger but equally brave chief’s daughter who wants what’s best for her people. When a member of their village falls ill, Pocahontas takes it upon herself to get the help they need.

In addition to embarking on a journey that taught her courage, strength and friendship, the adventure that surrounds the plotline of searching for medicinal flowers gives the reader a sense of nostalgia for what they know comes next in Pocahontas’ life.

Before Cinderella lost her slipper, she was a girl ready to create. Cinderella Takes The Stage shares the story of a younger Ella, affectionately called Cinderella by her mother and father, who is determined to win the Midsummer Festival Puppet Contest. When she shares the puppet creation process with a new friend, she struggles to decide which of their dreams deserves the prize of a gold coin.

Friendship and love share a magical quality that outshines the need to be first place, but it’s hope and belief in magic that makes Cinderella and Valentine winners, no matter who the prize was awarded to.

In each of these stories, the reader gets the opportunity to dive deeper into each heroine’s backstory and witness their resilience begin to form. Whether it was Pocahontas’ determination to take care of everyone in her village or Cinderella’s belief in finding the good in everyone, the outcome of each tale leaves the reader with a greater understanding of how these young women came to be strong individuals.

The Before the Story series takes young readers into the world of their favorite characters, yet gives them the ability to connect on a deeper level with them as they appear to be similar ages. It is an entertaining take on the lives of these beloved heroines while continuing to develop their virtues.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Straw

Long before these five Bay Area natives blended elements of post rock and shoegaze with heavy guitar riffs, rich synth textures and electronic rhythms, the members of TREASVRE had a longtime love for music.

Bassist/vocalist Sam Peña first learned guitar and began experimenting with songwriting as a teenager. She spent her high school and college years playing in bands before putting more focus on using her songwriting to serve as an outlet for personal confessions.

Synths/vocalist Sabrina Simonton played piano, alto saxophone and guitar as a child before receiving a synthesizer as a 16th birthday gift. From that gift, she found a love for synth pop, new wave, dark wave, a few other waves and any kind of music she can dance to.

Guitarist Julian Balestrieri grew up playing flute and piano, but after being introduced to bands such as Metallica and Iron Maiden, quickly realized he needed to learn guitar if he wanted to create the same sounds as his new-found heroes.

Guitarist Jason Zaru showed an interest in music at a young age, and was taking drums lessons at just 10 years old. His love for the guitar hit in his early teenage years, and he quickly redirected his attention to learning to play and write songs.

Drummer Evan Dulaney inherited an old drum set from his grandparents and religiously attended workshops while playing in a smattering of bands. He eventually started experimenting with guitar and synthesizers, and learning about recording and production techniques.

The concept of TREASVRE began with Balestrieri and Zaru, who were playing together in a different band at the time. They brought in Dulaney to play drums, and the three of them began fleshing out song ideas together. They felt the music needed more texture, and reached out to Simonton to join on synths and vocals. They existed as a four-piece and experimented with their sound before convincing Peña to play bass.

Their latest release, “Heavy Arms/Secrets”, is the end of a four-part release series that began right before the pandemic hit. While it derailed any touring and promotion plans, it gave them the opportunity to look at it from a different perspective.

“As we listened back to the recordings, we reflected on the theme and vibe of each song and found that they seemed to go together in pairs,” they said. “Looking forward into a lengthening shutdown situation, we thought it might be a good approach to release these pairs of songs over the course of the rest of the year. We thought it would be a good way to connect with listeners continuously throughout the pandemic, and keep us busy as a band as we pivoted to building our internet presence.”

In addition to building their internet presence, they are also focusing on experimenting with their songwriting process. All of their releases to date have been created with everyone in the room and at dedicated times, but they want to change their approach with their next project.

“The goal is to be more intentional with our music,” they said. “What emotions do we want listeners to feel? What’s the story we’re telling? And how do we best mold our sound to convey that message? To hone in on the answers to those questions, we’re now fleshing out ideas in smaller groups, and not limiting songwriting to times when all five of us are present.”

For TREASVRE, the dedication to their craft is just one of the many reasons why their music is so captivating. As they continue to explore their creation process, they prove that their love for music is only growing stronger.

Growing up, Samantha Haas was never the most popular person. She spent many weekends teaching herself guitar, writing songs that weren’t the best but ignited something in her that she had never felt before.

Weekend after weekend, she could be found in her basement with guitar in hand. With all that practice came a song that she genuinely liked. Then another one. And another one. She released an EP, Love & Loss, in 2019 and a single, “So Long”, in early 2020.

Her latest single, “Headfirst” was supposed to be released in April 2020, but as the pandemic raged on, it didn’t feel like the right time.

“I started changing, the world started changing and it took a long time to come to the conclusion as to when ‘Headfirst’ would release,” she said. “Even though it didn’t go according to plan, it allowed me to slow down and listen to it for eight months and when it still didn’t get old, I knew it was time.”

“Headfirst” took a full year to complete from front to back. Haas originally went into the studio with a bare bones idea and after a few sessions with co-writer/producer Jeff Covert, they finally found a way to make it work.

“Writing and producing ‘Headfirst’ was unlike any other session I’ve had,” she said. “It came quickly; it was something different. I experimented with a lot of different sounds, ideas and it was immensely rewarding. I will never say the creation process is difficult, but it was a challenge with myself to see the potential and [Covert] really helped push me. He is the best cheerleader/coach and will push you to get the best out of you.”

The song was written as an anthem for Haas to never give up, but also used the lyrics as an explanation to anyone who ever told her to pursue something other than music.

“Headfirst was inspired by a dreamer for a dreamer,” she said. “ Dreams are integral to developing who you are, so always remember to keep dreaming. I want this to be an anthem to anywho who has felt lost and that their dreams aren’t valid or obtainable. I hope listeners understand why it is so important to support people with big dreams.”

Samantha Haas found a passion that gave her the creative freedom to share her dream with others. She is still the girl writing music alone in her basement, and that is exactly where she wants to be.

From January 2017 to January 2020, I basically was on tour non-stop. In December of 2019 alone we counted 18 flights! Gearing up for another busy spring, I returned to Los Angeles in February 2020, played two shows and bam! The world just stopped.

We all reacted differently to the loss of gigs, tours, livelihood and the more interpersonal losses of relationships, friends, events, gatherings and the simple lack of touch, hugs and interaction. It’s definitely been surreal and, at times, difficult. One interesting thing that’s happened is I’ve become very in tune with my own inner introvert. I’ve actually been enjoying all this time alone. More than I thought I would.

As many other artists have mentioned, it’s also been a productive time. I released six new singles in 2020. I’ve also been learning and working more on the production side, becoming a better mixing engineer and even doing some mastering work. I joined a group in Melbourne, Australia called Beat Collective where we make electronica songs in two weeks based on two samples from one of the members. It’s been super fun. Kind of like Iron Chef secret ingredients challenge with music!

Joe Barksdale was born with a passion for music. He first picked up the guitar in 2013, in the midst of a personal loss, and hasn’t put it down since. It’s not just his love for music that shines through, but his willingness to consistently thrive to be the best musician he can be.

His latest EP, Sincerely, combines sounds traditional to rock, R&B, soul and blues to create songs that are uniquely him. The entire EP was written around the first song he wrote for the project, “Moonbeam”. The song explores the similarities he finds between himself and the moon - with the good, bright days come the sad, dark days, but it’s the moon that helps guide the way.

As for the EP, it was the confidence of writing “Moonbeam” that inspired him to write the rest of the songs.

“I felt that I was coming into my own in terms of the sound that I was going for,” Barksdale said. “I was really just thinking about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, and before I knew it I had a handful of songs that were ready for recording.”

The song also inspired his latest project, #MoonbeamMusicMonday. The series will involve Barksdale releasing a song each Monday as part of a multi-project album for 2021.

“I’m a big believer in not forcing anything,” he said. “If the music doesn’t flow out of me then I just take a break and come back later. I always want the music to feel fresh and organic but still familiar and new. I’ve learned that the only way that works is to not force it.”

Another inspiration of his music is his family. His wife, Bri, and their daughters, Kennedy and Kendall, have been credited as the reason why he has become much more comfortable with experiencing and processing his emotions. His music is incredibly emotional, sharing details of past trauma and his struggle with mental health, and having his family by his side has allowed him to experience comfort in sharing the more personal aspects of his life.

He has written about his mental health previously on Black is the New AP Style, as well as with other outlets and throughout his social media. He understands the importance of speaking up and encouraging others to do the same, even when he’s having bad days of his own.

“I personally don’t believe that I will ever truly heal, but I do make an effort to bring it up whenever I can,” he said. “Not for me, but for all the misunderstood, downtrodden and overlooked people out there that suffer in silence and feel like they have no one to talk to about how they feel. I try to be a voice for those people and hurting people in general. I’m aware that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows [but] I believe that talking about the issues do way more good than ignoring them and trying to sweep them under the rug, so to speak.”

Joe Barksdale has taken his passion for music and given himself a creative outlet that inspires him and anyone who listens. Loving music has come naturally to him, and loving himself has taken more time, but finding and sharing love is what keeps his music brighter than the moon.

In the decade since animator Rachel Larsen created The Tiny Chef with writer Adam Reid and cinematographer Ozi Akturk, they’ve managed to turn their clay friend into a viral phenomenon.

According to the New York Times, The Tiny Chef “stands only six inches tall, like an enchanted ball of moss sprung to life. Made of wood, foam latex and metal, he preps vegetables, simmers sauces and bakes pies the size of bottle caps, all while chattering in a lispy singsong that is mostly incomprehensible.”

The character became recognizable through stop-motion videos posted online, and has just released a book, The Tiny Chef and da mishing weshipee blook.

“The Tiny Chef often cooks his famous vegetable stew for his friends, and whenever they’d ask where he got the recipe from he’d tell them about this legendary day he lost his recipe book,” The Tiny Team said. “He told that story so many times that when [Penguin Random House] approached us about a book we KNEW we had to re-create that day with The Chef, and of course share his famous recipe too!”

Reid and Chef spent hours making sure the wording was perfectly crafted on each page while Akturk and Chef focused on the lighting of each image. Larsen and Chef would take long walks and think through how to tell his story, and Chef’s “interior designer” Jason Kolowski made sure everything in Chef’s tree stump was what he needed to recreate that fateful day.

The Tiny Chef and his Tiny Team wanted everything just perfect; to make sure they were capturing the essence of the day and that every detail of every page truly expressed his feelings in that moment. It involved long, grueling hours, but those hours paid off with a blurb from friend Kristen Bell on the back cover jacket and RuPaul as the narrator of the audiobook.

“We love how committed Chef was to the project and how all of us came together to help him make it," The Tiny Team said. “It was a true team effort and we’re SO happy people get to actually cook and try his famous stew.”

From The Tiny Chef himself: “cook wif lub, cook fo your fwens, an blawaysh twy shomefing new."

Photo courtesy of Dana Gorab

This story starts when I was 12 years old…

I was sitting on the piano bench at my music teacher’s house, figuring out the song that I wanted to learn to play and sing at our annual recital. The song that stuck out to me was “When You Say Nothing at All” by Alison Krauss. As she placed the sheet music in front of me, I noticed “Written by Paul Overstreet” and that was the first time I ever learned what it meant to be a songwriter. I also learned that Alison Krauss had done her own rendition after it was originally sung by Keith Whitley. In that moment, I became fascinated by this beautiful song and little did I know that it would change my life forever!

Fast forward to when I was 18 years old…

I had just stumbled upon a singing competition in my home city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I had no idea exactly what I was about to get myself into but as I walked up to the venue, I could see camera crews and busy bodies with clipboards running all over the place. Turned out the competition was for CMT Canada’s Karaoke Star. As we were about to enter the venue, they made an announcement that they had to take a song off of the song list - which is the one I had chosen out of the three they suggested earlier - and it would be replaced with Alison Krauss version of “When You Say Nothing at All”. I almost cried right then and there, being that it was one of my favorites and the first song I had learned and studied in voice lessons all those years before.

To make a long story short, I went in, sung my heart out and got a call back that I had made it to the top 10. Shocked and beyond excited, I returned to the venue for the top 10 and before I got up to sing “When You Say Nothing at All” for the second time that day, I prayed that even if I didn’t win I just wanted to give the judges goosebumps. Much to my surprise and amazement, I ended up winning the competition and would be off to Toronto in a few months to tape the finale. When the show premiered on TV, I was able to see the behind-the-scenes comments, and in the green room while the judges were deciding the winner, the radio host said that the second I started singing he got goosebumps. Overwhelmed with emotion - I almost cried.

The whole experience of being on CMT Canada and heading to Toronto opened my eyes so much to the music industry and the possibilities that lay ahead for my love of performing. I got to meet some of Canada’s top artists and some great people in the industry – all because of Alison Krauss and her version of this song. From my experience on the show, I was inspired to take the steps to pursue music in Nashville, Tennessee, and a few years later, I obtained my work visa and was able to live out my dream in Music City.

Fast forward to three years ago….

Carrie – one of my best friends in Nashville – landed her dream job of tour assistant for Alison Krauss. She knew all about my story and how her song had such an impact on my life and music career. Carrie loves to make dreams come true and without me even asking, she offered me a pass to a show on Alison’s tour. The only date that worked for me just happened to be in Cincinnati, Ohio but I was determined to not miss this opportunity, so I hopped in the car and drove 4 ½ hours one way to make it.

The show was absolutely phenomenal and it almost brought me to tears listening to Alison’s beautiful voice captivate the entire theatre. You could feel the energy raise over the audience when she started “It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart….” And again – I was overcome by emotion.

After the show – as I was about to leave – Carrie messaged me and asked if I would like a tour backstage. With zero hesitation, I said, “Yes!”

Mandy (left) and Carrie

After coming off their Model Citizen EP in 2018, Texas-based band Velvet Skyline decided their next move was to create a full-length album that spoke to their community.

Their move to Northern Texas a few years ago had them pleasantly surprised at the support system amongst its musicians. Not only did they guide one another as creatives, but they established a welcoming environment for those who identify as women, non-binary and LGBTQ+.

As a band who is partially comprised of members of the LGBTQ+ community, finding this network of creatives gave them the chance to create an album that helped heal their wounds and speak to their peers.

What We Have In Common is about realizing that feeling alone in any sense is a figment of the imagination. It is a feeling that manifests itself during difficult moments and can distort reality, but the truth is that everyone faces adversity. Those struggles are shared and valid, and no one is ever truly alone.

The first single off the LP, “Circles”, fully encompasses the feel of the album, according to lead vocalist Taylor Seerden. The song ushers in the progressive- and grunge-influenced sound of the album.

“This album was more collaborative with every member of the band sharing what they think would work best for each song,” Seerden said. “We’re very collaborative and we really try to make a point that there is no ‘leader’ to the band. We’re a family and we’re going to keep it that way.”

The album art was inspired by a painting they saw on Instagram that showed an individual with their face blurred by various colors of smudged paint. They recreated what they saw with artist Kierra van Roots.

“We thought that would be a cool concept with two people because it blends them together, which represents What We Have In Common,” Seerden said.