Puzzle Company Co-Founder's Bold New Take on a Classic Fairy Tale

A New Chapter Begins

Sometimes, the next chapter of your life starts with the very first one. Rachel Hochhauser is a living testament to that idea. As a co-founder of a puzzle company, she has spent the last six years crafting visually stunning puzzles. Now, she's preparing to launch her debut novel, Lady Tremaine, a fresh take on the classic Cinderella story.

Hochhauser and her business partner, Jena Wolfe, launched Piecework Puzzles in 2019. Initially, it was just a creative side project, a way to design puzzles inspired by the aesthetics of high-end coffee table books. "They’re like a curated library of visual stories," Hochhauser explained in an interview.

At first glance, the transition from puzzle designer to novelist might seem unexpected, but those who know Hochhauser are not surprised. After earning a master’s degree in fiction from the University of Southern California, she wrote a novel that was never published. "At the time, that was a disappointment—but in hindsight, I’m grateful. Lady Tremaine is the book I was meant to debut with. It took an additional ten years of life, motherhood, and perspective to find the story I truly needed to tell," she said.

Reimagining a Classic

Cinderella is a tale that has been told countless times, but Hochhauser’s version is unique—only she could have written it. Her journey with the story began as a child when she was captivated by the original fairy tale. "I had a picture-book and begged my parents to read it to me night after night," she recalled. However, as an adult, especially as a mother of two daughters, she started questioning the underlying message of the story: that if you're beautiful and good, you might get picked by a prince.

This reflection led her to think about the stepmother character, often portrayed as purely evil. "In most versions, she's flatly evil, but from another angle, she’s simply a woman trying to protect her own children’s future. That felt compelling to me—what if she wasn't wicked, just misunderstood?" Hochhauser asked.

The novel reimagines the story through the eyes of Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley, the character traditionally seen as the villain. "Lady Tremaine turns the beloved fairy tale on its head for a new examination of motherhood, the depths of a mother's love, and a celebration of women brave enough to make their own fortunes. Lady Tremaine is Cinderella as it has never been told before," wrote Maureen Lee Lenker for Entertainment Weekly.

Balancing Creativity and Business

Writing a book while running a business is no small feat, and Hochhauser faced this challenge head-on. "Every word of this book felt hard-won. I had to get good at writing around the edges of everything else—fifteen stolen minutes after a meeting ended early, or a blissfully quiet morning when my kids slept in a little later than usual," she shared.

Lady Tremaine will be released by Macmillan on March 3, 2026. But Hochhauser is already working on her second book. "I’m now repeating the process with my second book, and the truth is: it takes a supportive partner, childcare, realistic expectations, and a steady willingness to be flexible," she admitted candidly. "Some days are productive, some aren’t, but I’ve learned that inching forward is all it takes."