Hi everyone,
Today I’m sharing an inside look back 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.
When
I wrote 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? Readers can contact me via the email
address on the “News” page of my site or on social media.
Happy
Reading!
Kelli
A. Wilkins
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