Book excerpt: MIRANDA AND HER DAUGHTERS turns the Cinderella story on its head. Stepmothers traditionally get a terrible rap. Fathers and mothers--even mothers-in-law--may be good or bad, but stepmothers are always ""wicked."" But now that blended families are almost the norm, we need to challenge the stereotype. MIRANDA addresses the issue head-on in a way that is quirky, sexy, playful and, at times, serious. It takes the storyline from the Brothers Grimm, but brings it up to date, gives it a distinctly adult flavor, and sets it between London, England, and Portland, Oregon. The tale will appeal to women--and men--who take on the difficult job of raising other people's children, as well as their own. More, it provides the missing 'back story': how Cinderella's father met his second wife, or why the new wife's two daughters had a problem with shoes. Above all, it shows that the protagonists in most cobbled-together marriages are well-meaning, if only human.