"Damselle in Distress" turns the typical "damsel in distress" story on its head, weaving elements of folk tales, fairy tales, and mythology along the way. Saladin Ahmed, author of "Throne of the Crescent Moon," calls "Damselle in Distress" a "delightful, fairy-tale skewering comedy."

Damselle has spent her sixteen years terrorized by magical creatures and evil villains. Now she's done waiting for the next bad thing to happen or for the arrogant knights in the local order to come to her rescue. And she's really tired of being shunned as if her bad luck is contagious. But after...