Hi everyone,
Today I’m
sharing an inside look at the making of the Royal
Desires Series. This trilogy of historical/fantasy romances is made up of A
Most Unusual Princess, A Most Intriguing Temptation, and A
Most Unfortunate Prince. Together, they are a fun series, but each
story stands alone as a separate read. Why? Because when I wrote A
Most Unusual Princess, I never knew I was writing a trilogy.
I’ve been
asked how I plotted the series. Did I use note cards to keep track of each
character’s description? Did I make an overall outline of the whole trilogy,
and then write each book?
Nope. The
truth is… I just wrote the story that was in my head. I didn’t intend to write
a trilogy—it kinda happened on its own. (With a lot of typing on my part, of
course!) I wrote each book by itself, with its own setting and theme, apart
from the book that came before. So, although they share characters, each book
can be read apart from the others.
A Most Unusual Princess is a sensual novella about unruly and
willful Princess Elara, and Dalton, the handsome (and incredibly patient) guard
tasked with protecting her while she searches for a suitable husband. The book
is a unique blend of comedy, human drama, and romance. It’s also the first
fantasy romance I ever wrote—and it was a lot of fun.
I liked the
idea of following a very headstrong and spoiled Princess Elara as she looked
for a husband. From the outset, we learn that Elara is an opinionated young
woman who is used to getting her own way. When Dalton innocently catches Elara doing
something very unladylike, the Dalton-Elara love/hate/love relationship is
born.
I enjoyed
writing Dalton and Elara’s story and fell in love with them. I never expected
I’d visit these characters again, but not long after completing A
Most Unusual Princess, I knew Dalton needed his own book, so I wrote A
Most Intriguing Temptation.
A Most Intriguing
Temptation
focuses on the theme of fidelity. Elara wants to test Dalton’s loyalty, so she
masquerades as a sultry kharim girl in a pleasure palace. Naturally, she gets
in over her head and into big trouble. I took Elara out of her element and gave
her new challenges and experiences. We also got to see a different side to
Dalton’s character and learned about his weaknesses and desires.
While writing
A
Most Intriguing Temptation, I introduced readers to Prince Allan. He’s
basically the male version of his sister, Princess Elara—hedonistic, selfish,
and utterly wild at times. I had fun creating the character and enjoyed setting
him free in a pleasure palace completely without limitations. I soon realized
that Allan needed a book of his own, so I wrote A Most Unfortunate Prince.
(Several readers also asked me if Allan’s story would be told, and I was happy
to oblige!)
But before I
wrote a word, I knew that Allan was going to have to face the music for his bad
behavior. At the start of the book (yes, right there on page 1) Allan is
banished for his actions stemming from A Most Intriguing Temptation. His father
kicks him out into the real world alone and broke, and he’s forced to make his
own way in life.
I decided to
take this carefree, roguish prince and turn his world upside down. I asked
myself: How bad can you make things for him? He has nothing: no food, no fancy
clothes, certainly no job skills, and no real sense of identity. He had lived a
pampered life where everything was handed to him on a silver platter
(literally), and now was in for a rude awakening. I really put the screws to
poor Allan, and at times left him broken, sad, and utterly miserable.
Over the
course of the book, Allan suffers life’s lessons at the hands of his evil
employer and falls in love—twice. The story introduces us to Claudette, a sassy
seamstress who fancies Allan and helps him adjust to the life of a commoner.
Once a carefree womanizer, Allan discovers a secret side to himself, and
through his relationship with Claudette, he learns what is truly important in
life. And to round things out, a more settled Elara and Dalton also appear in
the book and help wind up the series.
I enjoyed
writing each of these books. It was fun to create the characters, give them
unique adventures, and complicate their lives—all in the name of love. Although
these are historical/fantasy romances, there’s enough spicy love scenes,
adventure, drama, sadness, and humor to keep readers of all genres entertained
and enthralled.
Read the Royal Desires Series from the start:
Book 1: A Most Unusual Princess
24 Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=1557852
Book 2: A Most Intriguing Temptation:
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-most-intriguing-temptation-historical-fantasy-romance
24 Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=1557870
Book 3: A Most Unfortunate Prince:
24 Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=1557765
If you’ve read the trilogy, let me know what you think. What was your favorite book? Which scenes did you like best? Post a comment here, contact me via the email address on the “News” page of my site, or connect on social media.
Happy Reading!
Kelli
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