Palace Intrigue

Oh, the palace intrigue surrounding Princess Damaris. You don't know her yet, but you will. She's getting her own book. Enjoy this scene of the young royals of Lorvena; Edward, Jaclyn 'Jack', and George. 

“Evening, your highnesses,” Les said as he bowed in front of them. “I am shocked that your parents could not grace us with their presence tonight.” 

“They are sorry they could not join as well,” Edward said. “They had a call scheduled with Florine.” 

“What about? If I may be so bold as to ask? You know I am friends with the king,” Les said. 

“Regent,” Jack said, still holding her smile. 

“What, my dear?” Les asked. 

“He is not king because he was not, nor will he be crowned,” Jack said as she folded her hands in front of her body. 

Edward knew that stance well. She was ready to fight. This was not the time or place to get into this discussion. Especially since no one knew the Princess of Florine was in Lorvena. 

“Only because that Parliament does not want to skip over the Lost Princess. Speaking of Princess Damaris, have you heard from her? I hear she has disappeared,” Les said as he shoved his hands in his pockets. 

Edward heard the unspoken statement. Damaris’s uncle knew she wasn’t in North Carolina. The man was scared and sending out his spies to figure out where the Princess was. 

“Princess Damaris should be in the country within the month. It is her usual routine this time of the year,” George said. “It is tradition.” 

“She should be with her people or at least give up her crown so someone else can lead the people. She is as weak as her parents were,” Les said as he backed up. “If you will excuse me, I see Prime Minster Alma, and I must speak with her.” 

“You are excused,” Edward said as he watched Les walk away. 

“The man’s a snake,” Jack said as she dropped her hands. 

“He’s a spy,” George said as he shifted. “I trust you’ll inform Huck and Damaris of this conversation.” 

Edward nodded as he watched Les approach the Prime Minister. 

“I recorded the conversation,” Edward said as he pulled his hand out of his pocket. 

“How did you know to record it?” Jack asked. 

“I record all of Parliament’s conversations. I need to know who is on my side and who is not,” Edward said as he looked at his brother and sister. “After a conversation with Huck when our parents announced their abdication, he strongly encouraged me to find out who supports me and who does not. Supporting our parents is different than supporting me and my vision for the future of Lorvena.” 

“That is the reason I’m happy you were firstborn. I couldn’t handle the deception,” Jack said, shaking her head. 

“I could still abdicate, and you would be queen,” Edward said as he watched his sister’s face. 

“You wouldn’t dare,” Jack said as she blinked at him. “I don’t want to be queen.” 

“But you would do it if I did give up the throne,” Edward said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. 

She looked away before cutting her eyes back at him. “I would because I love this country. But, and I stressed this, you will be a far better king of Lorvena than I would be queen. You love this country and people far more than I do. You were raised to be king.” 

Lightning Bugs?

Working on ending scenes while getting my oil changed. Oh and I'm almost done with Chapter 7! Edward and Gisella are fun to write about. They're currently discussing lightning bugs or as Edward calls them Glowworms. Late-night research didn't disappoint, although glowworms still sound weird to me. 

What do you call them? Lightning Bugs, Fireflies, or are you on Edward's side with Glowworms 

Flipping the Script

So Glass Throne (Book 13), is inspired by Cinderella. I love flipping the script and thought the story would be awesome if the Evil Stepsister gets with the Prince. I mean who doesn't love the who always got what they wanted, get the ultimate prize of the future king? It could work. 

But then again, it's April Fool's Day and I can't do that to my 'Cinderella' Gisella. She deserves the heart of the future king because she's awesome and that prince is going to fall. 

Hope everyone had a great first day of April! 

Sharing a scene from Glass Throne

As I finished up Chapter 5, I thought I'd share a scene from Glass Throne. This is between Crown Prince Edward, his sister Princess 'Jack' Jaclyn, and the head of security, Huck. Hope you enjoy this scene from my upcoming book. 

“Edward, stop. I’m happy to be going,” Jack said as she stood up. “Thank you.” 

Edward nodded as he presented his arm to his sister. “Let’s go, dear sister.” 

“If people weren’t looking at us, I’d hit you,” she said as she looped her arm around his. “Stop being obnoxious. Huck can take you down and make it look like an accident.” 

“I’d never do that, your highness,” Huck said as he pushed her chair in. “Tom and Ripper are out.” 

Edward shook his head as he followed Huck out the side passage. 

“Who are Tom and Ripper?” his sister asked as they exited the building. 

“Us,” Edward said as Huck opened the car door for them. “He thinks he’s Secret Service.” 

“Might have to change those names,” Huck said as he followed them inside and hit the roof. 

“Or just use our real names,” Edward said as he settled against the door when the car pulled away from the curb. 

“If someone links into our headsets, I don’t want them to know when the royal family is on the move. Code names are a must,” Huck said as he looked out the window. 

“So Tom? Ripper?” she asked. 

“Tom as in Tom Sawyer and Ripper for Jack the Ripper,” Huck said as he looked at her. 

Edward rolled his eyes. “I thought you’d decided on Earp.” 

“You’re not a gunslinger,” Huck said. “And I’m not your Huckleberry.” 

“But that’s your name,” his sister said, shaking her head. 

“No one calls me that,” Huck said as he glared at her. “Not even the royal family.” 

“Point made,” she said as she leaned back. “I’m cool with Ripper.” 

“A murder,” Edward said as he looked out the window. 

Book Anniversary

Book Anniversary for The Woman Behind the Letters! On March 19, 2014, my second book featured the mysterious woman in the letters from Cursed Soldier, Kathyrn Alexander. She was the fiancee of the cursed Confederate soldier, Benjamin. A woman who waited for the man she loved to make it home, only to realize he wasn't the same man who left. In the wake of the end of the Civil War, Kathryn's life is in pieces, just like the Southern states. Kindness from one man helped her grieve and heal while finding her footing in this new world. She not only survives but learns to thrive. 

Have you read The Woman Behind the Letters? It's available here: https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Behind-Letters-Laura-McKellips-ebook/dp/B00J43Y2XA/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=laura+lee+mckellips&qid=1616202402&sr=8-8

Glass Throne

Glass Throne will feature my first royal family! Gisella Smith is an American photographer hired to photograph the Kingdom of Lorvena's 300th Anniversary and the Coronation of Crown Prince Edward. I can't wait to share their journey with you. 

Little Known Facts

 Since Beauty Found has been out a week, here are some little-known facts. I love listing these for each book.

*It's my 12th book.
*I wrote it in 73 days as part of a writing challenge.
*It was inspired by Beauty and the Beast and some war stories.
*It's the second book in my fairy tale series.
*As I stated in the Mermaid Voice's little-known facts, all my heroines will be connected by southern states. For Hazel Lee, it's Alabama.
*There's a bit of the small-town feel of Gilmore Girls, but most of it's from my experiences living in a small town.
*The history is focused more on military history than one time period like normal.
*This book takes place mostly in the winter, which was a first. I mostly set my books in the warmer months. The big focus is the Valentine's Day Ball, which is why I released it before Valentine's Day.
*I outlined this entire book while I was driving down the mountain in Hawaii. Yes, that's how long I've held onto this idea.
*Besides Beauty and the Beast, there's another fairy tale in the book, and that's Alice in Wonderland. It's Hazel's favorite book, and I referenced several things from it. How many did you find?
*Book 13 has a name, Glass Throne, and is inspired by Cinderella. Check out a sneak peek at the end of Beauty Found. Planning for a September 22 release date. It's already up for preorder on Amazon. 
*If you haven't gotten your copy of Beauty Found, it's available on Amazon in paperback and kindle. It's in Kindle Unlimited for the first 90 days. 
*If you would like to see what inspired me, check out my Pinterest board.