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.
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
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CBX43D8
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1135216413
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/317882471/A-Most-Unusual-Princess-Royal-Desires-Series-1
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-most-unusual-princess-historical-fantasy-romance
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/0a506ade-183c-49be-b36d-2fe4c1b9e92d
24 Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=1557852
Book 2: A Most Intriguing Temptation:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8P8604
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1135216386
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1124084387?ean=2940153367491
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-most-intriguing-temptation-historical-fantasy-romance
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/8228d54a-27b8-4ee8-a9b2-8dcfbacd396a
24 Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=1557870
Book 3: A Most Unfortunate Prince:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DMBYJ6E
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1135216402
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1124084269?ean=2940153366067
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-most-unfortunate-prince-historical-fantasy-romance
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/0af090ac-ba5d-458b-8b90-3852c123aff7
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
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books.
Her romances span many genres and heat levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers with her horror stories.
Kelli’s writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative guide filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.
Visit her website www.KelliWilkins.com and blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn about all of her writings.
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- About the Author
- Posts in the Past
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, 7 non-fiction books, and 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror stories.
Her latest novel, “In Another World” was released in January 2022. This contemporary mystery/romance is set in the world of the paranormal.
She also released two horror shorts, “More Than I Bargained For” and “Silent Sentinel” in 2021.
In 2021, Kelli published “Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing.” This fun and innovative guide to journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get you writing about your feelings and emotions.
Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and to find all her social media links.
