I admit it. My name is Marianne and I am a royalophile.
I love reading about the royal families still out there today (particularly British royalty), and hearing what’s going on in their lives. I may or may not have (ahem – did – ahem) surreptitiously watched Prince George’s debut live at my day job while I should have been doing something else. I’m very lucky Princess Charlotte was born on a weekend (though I was very distracted on the Monday after waiting for news of her official name).
My love of royals has now extended into my writing life, as my newest series, the Royals of Valleria, is about a fictional European monarchy.
Just what is it about these royal families that we love? I present five reasons below.
We’ve grown up with them.
As children, we’re told stories of princesses and princes, kings and queens in faraway or made-up lands. Our innocent imaginations carry us away as children and we imagine ourselves being swept away by the prince to live a magical castle. I’m a romantic at heart so, while I may have more realistic expectations now, I do hope to find a man with prince-ly qualities: brave, kind, a leader, and handsome wouldn’t hurt, either (*wink, wink*).
Is it any wonder I became a romance author?
It’s exclusive.
Not everyone is born into direct royalty, but many can trace their roots back to some royal family member. Despite ourselves, we can’t help but be fascinated by something we can’t officially be a part of. It’s why we buy silly commemorative items, try some crazy beauty tips, and watch royal weddings and ceremonies on television. It’s also why I use a cup commemorating Will and Kate’s wedding at my day job (which I received as a gift, though I would have been tempted to buy it).
Caption: Yes, I am admitting that I proudly use this cup.
Even after the innocent days of youth we are bombarded with more stories that feature troubled royal families in the forms of movies, books, plays, and television. More recently, on the television scene, there’s Game of Thrones, Reign, The Tudors, and The Royals. One of my all-time favorite past shows was Kings that sadly only lasted one season.
Their lives seem much more exciting than ours.
Who wouldn’t like to list their occupation as Prince and Princess? While the real life of a royal is likely a balance between royal duties and personal ones, we are still fascinated by them. When we’re going around our mundane lives of laundry and cleaning, who can’t help but imagine a life traveling and helping others?
There are still plenty of monarchies out there to entertain us.
Though true traditional monarchies are rare these days, constitutional and other monarchies are still around and making headlines. Think Monaco, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, the Netherlands, and Japan.
These are just five reasons why I love royals. If you like stories about royals, then please check out my newest series, the Royals of Valleria! My latest release, Marcello & Grace (Royals of Valleria #2) is available today on Amazon. You can read a synopsis below.
What do you love about royal families? Contact me via my website and let me know. For more information about me and my books, sign-up for my monthly e-newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Marcello & Grace (Royals of Valleria #2)
Meet the Royals of Valleria, a country as old as the fall of the Roman Empire. The reigning king and patriarch rules with his beloved queen. Nine children, ranging from the eldest twins to the youngest son, watch over the country they love and care for. Bound by honor, duty, and each other, follow their lives as they fall in love, face tragedies, and triumph against the evils facing them.
***
When fate made Lady Grace a widow, after years of a disastrous, abusive marriage, she felt a sense of relief and escape. Now, a year after her husband’s death, she’s just beginning to feel like her old self again, though she still carries the scars, both visible and hidden, of her past. Having been separated from friends and family for too long, she’s only too happy to see her old friend, Princess Catharine, on a visit to England. What she didn’t expect was a visit from her brother, Prince Marcello. When she begins to feel the first stirrings of love within her, can she overcome the horrors of her past to make a future with him?
Prince Marcello, head of Valleria’s national security and defense, is still dealing with the fallout from security breaches under his watch. After long days and nights of political maneuvering in London to reclaim Valleria’s and his reputation, he takes a needed break by joining his sister on a visit to her friend, Lady Grace. What he thought would be a relaxing week becomes anything but when he begins to fall in love with her.
In the midst of blooming love, Marcello is asked to lead a secret, dangerous mission to thwart an international threat. Marcello knows he must go, both for his country’s honor and for his own. Will he survive? And, if he does, will Grace be waiting for him upon his return?
Unlike Romance Writers of America’s National Conference, the Romantic Times Convention’s focus leans more towards readers, where RWA’s focus is on writers. At RT, you saw librarians, readers, agents, editors, writers all blended together.
During the workshops, the authors on the panels gave away copies of their books to members of audience that asked questions. A great chance for readers to get free books and chat with their favorite author.
A big common factor struck me as I waited thirty minutes or more to get into the hotel restaurant. None of the hotels are prepared for a convention or conference the magnitude of RWA or RT. Not the rooms, mind you, but the little shops, where you wait in mile long lines to purchase a cup of coffee or a bottle of water, or even a sandwich where one cashier is overwhelmed trying to wait on customers. Then waiting for half an hour to sit at the restaurant, there were only two, and even ordering food to go took at least an hour. It wasn’t their fault. They had no idea where all these people came from. Too bad, there isn’t a way to forewarn the poor hotels to beware of a writers’ conference because you will be swamped with people.
The convention was fun and exhausting. It’s go, go, go every day and party at night. I was too tired to hit the parties. With a bad knee and using a cane by 5:00 in the evening, I found the only place I wanted to be was in the room resting.
I missed the awards because I was waiting for my food in the restaurant and didn’t have time to change. I didn’t feel jeans and a shirt were appropriate attire for it.
Both conferences are fun. RWA is for writers and RT is geared towards the readers. However, you can benefit from attending both. You can connect with industry professionals as a writer at both; at RT you can connect with your readers. Craft workshops, marketing workshops, connections, book fairs. At RT, you can take books from your personal collection to have your favorite author sign for you. They limit you to ten, but you can come out to trade them out for more.
If you have the opportunity, attend both and boost your writing career a few notches. Or if your published you can network with other authors and readers. Just know you will find it busy and nonstop.
Oh and at Romantic Times there were, whew-fanning my face, gorgeous cover models.
SOS Aloha hosted a military tribute. Over two hundred people attended as veterans stood and sang the song for their service and learned about the things our veterans are going through.
My recommendation is gather your money and pick a conference.
What do you want from it?
A chance as an aspiring unpublished author to meet with that dream editor or agent? Both offer that chance.
Want to connect with other authors? Both offer that opportunity.
Want craft workshops? Both have that.
Are you published looking to connect with more readers and other industry professionals? Then Romantic Times is your best bet there.
Sometimes it’s about location. I chose RT this year because RWA is in NYC this year, and I can’t swing it. RT was in my hometown of Dallas, TX so I chose it.
Female Sexual Liberation Owes a Debt to the Great War
Prior to WWI, women’s sexuality was locked down pretty tightly. No sex until marriage, full stop. When the war broke out in 1914, however, young men and women started pushing pretty hard against that wall. With men marching off to the slaughter of the Western Front, they wanted to live life while they still had one to live. As women watched their entire generation of men leave, they began to feel pretty desperate as well.
And so they pushed back against those old boundaries and they pushed hard.
When the soldiers came home on leave, girls didn’t behave quite so demurely as they had in the past. Some were downright aggressive and were labeled as having ‘khaki fever.’ The older generation reacted by forming ‘Morality Patrols.’ These were made up of older women who wore uniforms and patrolled any place where young people liked to congregate. In London alone there were over 400 of them, marching through public parks, alleyways and especially at the cinema, where they would march through the aisles checking on couples with flashlights. Naturally, even people having perfectly innocent conversations were suspect and they became something of a nuisance at the theater. In 1915, one man wrote to his local paper complaining that, “It is about time something was done about ancient spinsters following soldiers about with their flash lights.”
If you were upper class, you didn’t need to bother yourself with public parks, cinemas and those flashlight-wielding matrons. You’d simply get a taxi and “do two turns around Regent’s Park.” This brings to mind a few questions. Mainly, how big is Regent’s Park? Because two turns seems … a little short. And secondly, you have to wonder who was driving the cabs. Especially since all the young, virile men were either at the Western Front or being watched by the Morality Police.
Luckily for them (and us) more relaxed attitudes about human sexuality survived the war. The babies born out-of-wedlock were treated as war orphans and didn’t suffer the stigma of bastard as the previous generation. Having proven themselves by taking on men’s jobs during the war, there was no going back. After the war, women were given much greater freedom, both in the workforce and within marriage as equal sexual partners.
My story, ANGEL OF THE SOMME, begins my Great War Trilogy, about three English siblings during WWI. You can read more about it below. And check out my website: terrimeeker.com
There’s a fine line between courage and insanity…and he flings himself over it. The Great War, Book 1 Captain Sam Dwight never thought his pre-war vow to “make a difference for good in the world” would come back to haunt him. After suffering a grievous head wound in battle, he awakens in a field hospital, barely able to utter a word. How fast would his beautiful, determined nurse call for a straitjacket if she knew that every time a bright light flickers in his eyes, he is transported back to the trenches, reaching out to heal a wounded soldier in a flash of dazzling light?
Lily Curtis has seen many a soldier racked with guilt, but she’s never seen one will himself to induce life-threatening seizures. She fears that next time, her hands won’t be quick enough to save her handsome, apparently suicidal charge. As rumors of an ethereal battlefield specter reach the ward, Sam becomes convinced that his front line mercy missions are real. But with each trip, he spins the roulette wheel with his own life while Lily’s love and the lives of those at the hospital hang in the balance.
Warning: In between gory and emotionally charged scenes on WWI battlefields and field hospitals, there are tall tales, a lemon tree named Henry, a blush-inducing blanket bath in which something pops up between nurse and patient, and a 500-pound pet pig.
UPDATE: The winner of this prize is…Toni Whitmire!
* * * * *
I love lists. So here’s one for you—
Reasons to grab a copy of Warlord’s Destiny now…
1) Do you love your warriors tall, well-muscled and with stamina to spare? Duh, right? Do you love a heroine with grit who’s not society’s notion of what’s perfect and beautiful? Someone you can relate to? Do you love it when a strong woman brings a proud warrior to his knees? Then you will love the hero and heroine of this book!
2) Do you love off-world, futuristic fantasy and medieval knights tales? How about a book that is both? Yeah, I was supposed to write a futuristic tale, but my hero kept insisting he was more Ragnar Lodbrok than Luke Skywalker. And since Ragnar is sexy as hell, I let my Lord Tetrik transform into my version of the perfect erotic romance hero…
3) Do you love a good orgy? I saw your eyes bug at that one. Six participants with all those sexy moving parts? For me, this was the most challenging scene in the book. How do you keep it fun and sexy and not confusing? If you’re curious, you have to get this book!
4) Right now, the price for this 21,000-word novella is just $0.99! Kindle Unlimited customers have a little longer to enjoy a great deal—they can get it for free for the next three months. But if you aren’t a KU subscriber, that $0.99 price isn’t going to last long! Grab your copy now!
Answer any of the questions I just posed for a chance
to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
And just a side note: If you enjoy the story, how about leaving a review? Somewhere. Or tell a friend. I appreciate everything you do! ~DD
“…In Delilah Devlin’s WARLORD’S DESTINY, a strong man is brought to his knees by an equally strong woman. Interesting, attractive personalities make this read especially powerful.” ~Nominee for Best Paranormal Erotic Novel of 2005 by Romantic Times BookClub Magazine! TOP PICK! 4 1/2 Stars, RT BOOKreviews
“Watching these two grow is both amusing and touching… I found Warlord’s Destiny to be a very well-written novel, and ultimately a very entertaining story to read.” ~Book Review Network
Mora has no illusions she’s anything other than the sacrificial lamb to ensure peace between her peace-loving planet and the warlike world that demands a royal union with one of their own. However, when she meets the rugged warlord who will be her husband, Mora decides in that moment to win his heart–she’ll settle for nothing less.
When Lord Tetrik suspects his wife harbors tender feelings, he wonders if he can be the husband she desires. After all, love for a woman is a frivolous thing–and not a warlord’s destiny.
Warning: Readers should beware. Wedding customs on other planets do not resemble tender newlywed customs on Earth! Expect a smidge of voyeurism and a 6-person ménage. And yes, a Kronaki warlord’s bed is built large enough for just such an event!
Every story ever whispered about the fearsome warriors came rushing back to set Mora’s body trembling. How they fought like ravaging beasts, cutting bloody swaths through Graktilian mercenaries during the war. How they lived in rough, stone fortresses made of blocks carved from their frozen mountains. How they fostered their children to rival clans so they would be raised without gentleness.
I’m one of those writers with two pen names, and I still run into readers who don’t know that I am one and the same. Last week, I attended the Romantic Times Conference in Dallas and it reinforced the fact readers still don’t get the connection. I’ve been torn between my Elle James commitments and my Myla Jackson commitments and have toyed with the idea of merging the two into Elle James. But then there is the matter of the UGLY STICK SALOON…
I don’t want to let go of the Ugly Stick Saloon. In fact, I’ve incorporated the saloon in my Elle James’s Billionaire series and hope to do more of that. So for the time being, I’ll be co-mingling Elle James and Myla Jackson at the Ugly Stick Saloon. At least until I can come up with a way to do justice to the transition. Soooooo….
The Ugly Stick Saloon Rides Again!
May 26th will be the next Myla Jackson release of an Ugly Stick Saloon book.
A cowboy takes a woman and her son under his wing…and teaches their hearts to fly.
Angus McFarlan’s mother can’t be serious. Sell the ranch? Yet Mom has a point. Bringing the Rafter M out of bankruptcy has kept Angus and his brother too busy to date, let alone have children to inherit the legacy.
The last thing Angus wants is to get half-naked for the Ugly Stick Saloon’s Annual Cowboy Auction, but it’s a jump start into the dating scene. His buyer turns out to be a Dallas businesswoman, all legs and curves—a challenge to unwrap from that sexy, buttoned-down suit.
CEO Gwendolyn Graves has no time for a relationship. All she needs is a male role model for her young son, Dalton. She never thought her bachelor cowboy would impose conditions of his own. Like make her agree to spend time with him. Alone.
As Angus teaches Dalton what it means to be a man, he and Gwen discover a passion that ignites flames they thought they didn’t have time to fan. And soon find themselves learning how to open their hearts and be a family. Just when they start thinking longer term, Dalton’s father re-enters the picture—and trouble isn’t far behind.
Warning: Quiet, sexy cowboy and woman in a tight suit get all unwrapped and tangled in the sheets in Texas.
“Those are so few and far between.” Angus slid off the stool. “Ready to go?”
Colin’s brows wrinkled. “Come on, Angus. Stay. I’m getting a kick out of watching this whole process.” He glanced around the room. “I can’t wait to see the next schmuck they conned into this.”
“Might be worth it if they were auctioning off a cook. With Mom on strike, we’re going to suffer.”
“Shh. Charli’s about to announce the next cowboy.” Colin leaned forward, a grin spreading across his face. “Gotta see who will be the next sucker.”
“Ladies, this next hunkilicious man is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some lucky woman. He’s tall at six feet two inches.”
“Ahhh,” the crowd sighed as one.
“He’s got black hair and amazing gray eyes.” Charli dragged it out, spurring their anticipation.
Angus shook his head. Somewhere behind the stage or in the crowd, a cowboy was probably shaking in his boots, dreading the moment his name was announced and he was paraded around the stage like a pony. Read the rest of this entry »
Maintaining your own backlog…As a computer programmer, some would interpret this statement considerably different than a writer, perhaps. As a computer programmer backlog indicates tasks intended to be completed in an efficient amount of time, specified by a business analyst. This ensures that work needed is completed within the timeframe and budget of a company’s constraints, therein ensuring the wheels of said company keep turning.
How does this apply to a writer? And why is it important to maintain your own “backlog”?
Any writer who has, for example, been associated with, say, RWA for any amount of time, knows that moving forward is key. That perseverance and dogged diligence is what will get you published whether you are aiming for traditional or indie. The act of writing, crafting, pitching, rejection—repeating the process, for as long as it takes—is indeed what will get you published.
I am not saying talent is not involved, but haven’t you read things that made you stop and wonder how they ended up published? Let’s face it, all stories are subjective. Talent is important, but it is not the end all. Talent must be honed and crafted and skilled. And let’s face it, most writers don’t get picked up from their first book, as most of us well know.
You have to keep writing. In other words, you have to build your “backlog.”
This is especially important as you start pitching to editors and agents. Hypothetically speaking, what if the story you’ve written is similar to another author’s they recently signed? But the editor/agent loves your story. So it doesn’t work for them due to current market, or circumstance. The conversation might follow something like this:
Editor: “That sounds very intriguing. I love the twist you managed at the end; however, we are looking for something more along the lines of blah blah blah.”
Of course, all you hear is the: “blah blah blah.” But while the blood in your ears is pounding with the throb of another rejection, something else trickles through.
Editor: “We love your voice. Do you have anything else?”
Now the blood is rushing through your whole head, and you are praying it won’t spill out of your other orifices; i.e., eyes, nose, mouth, etc… because you have been writing for eight years, and submitting for almost as long. So you can answer: “YES.” But of course, you did not mean to yell at her, so you manage a deep breath to calm down, and answer again. “Y-yes, I-I do.” By this time, you are praying she will forgive the stuttering. (Even though you’d been practicing, your pitch for years, you forgot to instill the response to a positive rejection that might lead to an acceptance).
But that’s okay, because said Editor: “Wonderful.” She smiles, happily so, because she knows that you are serious about your career and you are not a One-Time-Wonder. She has all the faith in the world as she slides her card across the table to you. “Please email your other completed manuscripts to me at this address. I’m sure we can work something out.”
Of course, you are so shocked, your trembling fingers cannot seem to get the card off the table. But you recover nicely enough (managing to snatch the card up), hand her a gracious smile, and say, “Thank you, so much. I’ll be in touch.”
And wasn’t it just lucky you had a “backlog” of books in your repertoire ready for that big day?
*~*~*~*~*
Kathy L Wheeler writes spicy contemporary to sweet historical and vice versa. She loves the NFL, NBA, musical theater, travel, reading writing and karaoke! She has a BA from the University of Central Oklahoma in Management Information Systems and Vocal Minor. She lives in Edmond Oklahoma with her musically-talented, attorney husband. They have one daughter, who is now a proud mama, and one very demanding cat!
Singer Margaret (Meggie) Montley needs money…fast. Her friend is in a dire situation with nowhere to turn. While Meggie is on the brink of stardom, it’s not soon enough to save her friend.
Harry Dempsey is out to avenge the deaths of his father and brother at the hands of a ruthless gangster. But trouble spirals out of control when Meggie Montley shows up the night he meets his nemesis to settle the score. Saving the impetuous woman from a crime lord might be easier than saving her from her own reckless behavior.
Excerpt:
Meggie leaned forward. The light was too dim to make out the expression behind that deep pitch, but not the sound. Listening to him left her feeling alive, tingling from head to toe. Its timbre coursed through her the same as it had since the first night she’d invited herself to his table and sat down.
From his private corner, he’d watched her each night, sipping on his illegal whiskey, piercing her with eyes that matched his drink. Never having more than one, and always alone except for times she would meander over and tease a smile from those firm lips.
When the music hit her veins, the words that flowed from her mouth were directed to him. No wonder his regular seat was empty. Harry Dempsey must have been the man with whom Butch was speaking.
“Dempsey.” Joey’s tone held an edge of fear. “The…uh…dame took a wrong turn.”
Harry moved in her direction, his gait slow, deliberate, until he stood within touching distance. “Dame?” That single word rang through the abandoned space.
Oh no. Meggie launched herself from her hiding place and threw her arms about Harry’s neck. Locked in his muscular embrace, she rested her chin on his shoulder. His arms tightened around her. “Oh, Harry. I came as fast as I could. Just as we’d planned.” The words, she’d intended to carry, came out breathless.
“Fast, huh?” The whisper was against her ear where no one else could hear, raised goose prickles over her entire body. “Guess I’ll have to do something about that.” He lifted his head.
I love cowboys. And I’m guessing you do, too. I’ve been writing them as long as I’ve been writing contemporary stories. I’ve written them through a couple of series—Lone Star Loversand Triple Horn Brand. And I’ve written them into short stories—quick bites of yummy Texans. Have you tried them out?
My love of cowboys comes from nine years of living in the Texas Hill Country with a working ranch butted up against my back yard. From my vantage it wasn’t uncommon to see cowboys on horseback or motorized mules, rounding up cattle. And every one of them was exactly how’d you picture them in your fantasies—lean and dusty in Wranglers, straw cowboy hats and boots. Now that those days are over, I can let my mind drift back—and imagine some very sexy goin’s on…
Big Brass Buckle — Caught in a sudden thunderstorm on a lonely stretch of Texas highway, I pull into a dingy little diner to wait out the rain, never dreaming the cowboy of my dreams would follow me inside. Now I have a couple of choices, play it coy and safe? Or go for the big brass buckle…
One Track Cowboy — After tracking two lost hikers, a park ranger and a local rancher lose themselves to a wild passion…
The Runaway Bride — After leaving him at the altar, a headstrong bride is captured by her cowboy and taught the pleasure of sensual discipline…
Comment for a chance to win one of the cowboy shorties here or one of the short stories on this carousel!
Marcello & Grace (Royals of Valleria #2)
During the workshops, the authors on the panels gave away copies of their books to members of audience that asked questions. A great chance for readers to get free books and chat with their favorite author.
Both conferences are fun. RWA is for writers and RT is geared towards the readers. However, you can benefit from attending both. You can connect with industry professionals as a writer at both; at RT you can connect with your readers. Craft workshops, marketing workshops, connections, book fairs. At RT, you can take books from your personal collection to have your favorite author sign for you. They limit you to ten, but you can come out to trade them out for more.
A chance as an aspiring unpublished author to meet with that dream editor or agent? Both offer that chance.
Prior to WWI, women’s sexuality was locked down pretty tightly. No sex until marriage, full stop. When the war broke out in 1914, however, young men and women started pushing pretty hard against that wall. With men marching off to the slaughter of the Western Front, they wanted to live life while they still had one to live. As women watched their entire generation of men leave, they began to feel pretty desperate as well.
How does this apply to a writer? And why is it important to maintain your own “backlog”?
