A Royal Engagement & A Royal Giveaway

Who says I write fiction?

This week's big royalty news was the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. If you missed it, check out The Royal Family's Official Facebook Page for more details, or watch the video of their first joint interview here:

How much fun is this couple? I love to see a partnership between equals, and these two are both passionate about philanthropy, love travel, and have a knack for seeing opportunities to make the world a better place.

To celebrate the news, I'm giving away the last two uncorrected proof copies of my latest Royal Scandals novel, One Man's Princess, which tells the story of royal daughter Lina Cornaro and the man she loves, Ivo Zanardi. Ivo is biracial (Nigerian/Italian) and a Formula One driver...not exactly the image that pop culture portrays as marrying into a royal family. I loved telling their story and I hope you've enjoyed reading it.

I'll draw two names from random from subscribers to my email newsletter list. If you're on it, check your email to see if you've won. If not...I do these giveaways from time to time, so if you'd like your name in the hat, join the list! All subscribers receive a free copy of the novella A Royal Scandals Wedding (so really, everyone's a winner.)

Twitter: Royal Following

Read royal romance? You may enjoy following royal news via Twitter. A few of the accounts I watch (all research, of course.):

@MajestyMagazine - Twitter account for Joe Little of Majesty Magazine. Great place to start your royal-watching addiction. Royal wedding/birth/news anywhere in the world? This has you covered.

@RoyalCentral - Daily news on state visits, charity events, and other royal engagements. Focuses primarily on British and other European royalty. Lots of interesting posts if you're fascinated by the day-to-day activities of royal family members.

@RoyalCorrespond - Account of TheRoyalCorrespondent.com, which provides daily updates on European, Asian, and Middle Eastern royal families. Recent updates have included video tours of royal homes, wedding news, and official speeches from kings and queens around the world.

@byEmilyAndrews - Emily Andrews is the royal correspondent for The Sun newspaper in London. The focus is on British royalty, but covers others when notable events occur.

@VictoriaArbiter - Royal commentator for CNN, CTVNews, and other outlets.

@BBCPeterHunt - BBC royal correspondent.

@RoyalReporter - Account of Richard Palmer, royal correspondent for the Daily Express in London.

@QueenVicMirror - Victoria Murphy, Daily Mirror's royal correspondent.

@RoyalHistorian - Official Twitter account of Carolyn Harris, who writes about the history of royal families. Her most recent book is Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting.

@Luxarazzi - Focus on Luxembourg and Lichtenstein, but other news pops up here, as well.

@RoyalPortraits - Follows the Dutch royal family.

@RoyalEurope - Photography agency specializing in coverage of royal families.

@RoyalFocus1 - Twitter of Rex Shutterstock, who's photographed the British Royal family for over 25 years.

@ChrisJack_Getty - Great images of British royal engagements.

If you're interested in historic royal properties--or you anticipate touring a few--check out @HRP_Palaces (an independent charity that looks after many royal properties in the UK), @HeverCastle (childhood home of Anne Boleyn), @PaleisAmsterdam, @LeedsCastleUK, @CVersailles, @DaughtersofHI (Hawai'i) @PalaisMonaco, @MuseeMalmaison, and @ChatsworthHouse.

For royal fashion, there's @HeavenQRF (following European fashions), @LetiziasCloset (following Spain's queen), @CourtJeweller, @RoyalTiaras, @HRHDuchessKate, @KateMiddStyle, @TheDuchessStyle, and one of my favorites, @WhatKateWore.

Don't overlook the official accounts of the royal families themselves. Great ones to follow include @RoyalFamily (UK), @QueenRaina (Queen Raina of Jordan), @Kronprinsparet (Norway), @CourGrandDucale (Luxembourg), @ClarenceHouse (Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall), @KensingtonRoyal (Prince William, Prince Harry, and the Duchess of Cambridge), @TheDukeofYork (Prince Andrew), @HHShkMohd (Sheik Mohammed of Dubai), and @CrownPrincessMM (HRH Mette-Marit of Norway).

Of course, I can't help adding my all-time favorite royal account:

@Queen_UK - 100% fake and 100% hilarious if you enjoy royal satire. An example of a recent tweet:

This list is by no means comprehensive--a click on any of these accounts will take you to Twitter feeds for royal fashion blogs, photographers who specialize in capturing royalty at work and play, and historians who research royal families--but if you're searching for royalty news in the English language, this list is the entry to a great rabbit hole. Enjoy!

Royal Wedding Watch Party

Tomorrow, I'll be on Twitter early in the morning, posting my thoughts about the royal wedding. If you're on Twitter, please join in! I'll be using the hashtag #royalwed and will be joined by several other authors. Expect--among others!--Harlequin Mills & Boon author Kate Hewitt, who's written royal romance for Presents/Modern, as well as Christina Dodd, whose current release is the bestselling book Taken By The Prince.

We'll be chatting about everything from Kate's gown to the processional to who's wearing what. Of course, as a writer, I'm always fascinated with what's going on beneath the surface...how will Kate's parents feel? What would it be like for you if one of your friends married into the royal family? Watching the faces in the crowd should prove interesting!

And then there are the souvenirs. I've already blogged about some of them, but tomorrow I'll be highlighting a few more. Please join in with your discoveries. The more offbeat and fun, the better!

If you're in the US and want to watch the royal wedding along with us, here are some options I've discovered:

BBC America: BBC America will be simulcasting BBC One's reports beginning at 3 AM. If you want the British perspective on the royal wedding, this is the channel to watch.

ABC News: Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters will begin reporting at 4 AM Eastern time. There are also iPad and iPhone apps available from ABC online that will allow you to follow along.

CBS News: Katie Couric begins her reporting at 5 AM Eastern.

NBC/ITN: Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, and Brian Williams will begin at 4 AM Eastern.

MSNBC: If you're up REALLY early, MSNBC starts their reporting from London at 3 AM Eastern, with reporter Martin Bashir.

CNN: Coverage starts at 4 AM Eastern with Anderson Cooper, Piers Morgan, and the always funny Richard Quest.

Fox News: Fox is partnering with the UK's Sky News for coverage beginning at 4 AM Eastern.

If you'd like a different perspective than the news stations offer, The Weather Channel will be covering the event. There's also a pajama party on E!, hosted by Guiliana Rancic.

While the truly British at heart would have a cup of tea to stay awake at that hour, I heartily recommend coffee. I'll have a mug of Green Mountain Mocha Java in hand, but I just might treat myself to a Walker's Shortbread to make up for my lack-of-Britishness.

See you then!

Royal Wedding: The E-Book Version

Nothing like a royal wedding to start a deluge of royal-themed books.  You just knew the minute Wills and Kate entered that press conference to announce their engagement that a slew of royal biographies, wedding photo books, and wedding etiquette guides would follow.

However, here's one title you might not have expected:

Hyperion Books just released A Modern Fairy Tale from popular British author Jane Green.  Not only does it discuss (as promised by its subtitle) three generations of royal love, this e-book has additional audio and video content.  There's footage from ABC's video archives and a video introduction by Barbara Walters.  It will also include a free downloadable update after the wedding showing footage from the big event.

For those of you with e-readers/iPads, is this something you'd anticipated when you bought your device?  Do you like the idea of having videos and audio to enhance your books?  What do you think of the promised post-wedding updates?  

Don't forget:  If you're watching the royal wedding on April 29th, you can join me on Twitter where I'll be live-tweeting the royal wedding.  I'd love to share the event with you and hear your thoughts on everything from the gown to the guests to the much-anticipated balcony kiss at Buckingham Palace.

The Fishbowl of Royalty

Great stories start with great characters.  Whether those characters are good or bad, street smart or innocent, ordinary or superhuman, they all make for fascinating reading when we experience the world through their eyes.  As a writer, I constantly ask myself what elements in their backgrounds or psyches make them react as they do in any given situation, and what forces in their lives drive their decisions.  I love getting to play with these aspects of character to drive the plots of my books.

To that end, I've always been fascinated, from a writing standpoint, with royalty.  Their lives are unique; they're celebrities from the day they're born.  Most celebrities have the option of walking away from the spotlight.  At the very least, they can choose where to live and what profession they wish to pursue.  A professional athlete could quit playing ball and teach school.  The children of mega-celebrity Hollywood stars can move far away from their parents when they reach adulthood.

On the other hand, royalty are royalty for life.  They have extremely limited choices in where they'll live, where they'll attend school, who they'll see socially, or what professional they'll pursue.  Their world view is dramatically affected by their birthright, as is the way other people view them.  I've found that this unique background makes for intriguing storytelling; no doubt you've guessed this about me, as I've written seven books about royal families (one four-book series of romance novels about the siblings in the diTalora royal family, and a young adult trilogy told from the point of view of Valerie Winslow, an American teen who falls in love with a European prince.)  I love to sit down at my computer, envision what life must be like for a modern-day royal, and then ask myself, "What if?"

Needless to say, I've been watching London with interest lately.  On April 29, I'll be live-tweeting the royal wedding.  (That would be the London wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, if you've been away from TV, radio, and the internet for the last year.)  Please join me.  I'd love to hear your comments on the usual aspects of a wedding-- the gown, the flowers, and the guests--as well as your thoughts on the nitty-gritty of personalities.  What might Kate feel as she walks through Westminster Abbey?  What will she be saying to those sitting with her on the parade route?  What's going through her parents' heads as they watch their daughter say her vows to Prince William?  What does Prince Charles think of his son's marriage?  To me, this is the stuff of great stories.

Between now and then, check out the souvenirs filling store shelves in advance of the event.  How surreal would it be to have such items commemorating your wedding?  Post your picks and misses here, on Twitter, or on my Facebook page.  Here are my picks:

Coolest Souvenirs:

-- Knit Your Own Royal Wedding : A hilarious do-it-yourself knitted royal balcony lineup (the article has a ton of photos that are to die for, with the knit dolls in various settings...even the corgis make an appearance!)

-- Mills & Boon Royal Wedding Collection Mug & Books : A nifty mug and a collection of royalty-themed romance novels (my favorite kind!)

Souvenir Most Unlike The Actual Couple:

-- Official Wedding Commemorative Coin : The Royal Mint says the design was approved by the couple, which makes me wonder what their alternatives must have been.  He looks drugged and she looks like she's asking him to check her teeth for lettuce.

Most Appalling Souvenir:

 -- The Crown Jewels :  Royal wedding condoms. (Did you cringe?  I did.  Could you imagine getting ready for your wedding, walking into a store to grab a last-minute item, and seeing your face on a box of these?)

Most Hilarious Souvenir:

-- Throne Up Bags : For those who are utterly sick of hearing about the royal wedding.

What are your picks?  What would your reaction be if it were you getting married under these circumstances?  Weigh in!

Royal Wedding, Royally Crushed, and a FREE Read

This morning's broadcast of Good Morning America had not one, but two full-length segments on the upcoming royal wedding (who's designing Kate Middleton's dress? who will be the high bidder when they auction off the lingerie she modeled at a charity event back in 2002...and caught Prince William's eye?)  I can only imagine the coverage of the upcoming wedding in the UK, given that it's all the rage right now here in the US.  Just in the past week, I was e-mailed a link showing the official commemorative coin for the wedding (I think it's hideous...as will be discussed in the next blog!), and saw that an official British royal wedding website was launched to provide royal-watchers with up-to-the minute news, photos, and videos in the run-up to the event on Friday, April 29.

If you need a dose of royal romance and don't want to wait for the London wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, mark your calendars for March 22.  Simon Pulse is releasing Royally Crushed, a 3-in-1 edition of my Valerie Winslow series (the entire trilogy is Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over.)

To celebrate the upcoming release of Royally Crushed, I've written a bonus short story called Reality Check about Val's combat-boot wearing, Frosty- and Ho Ho-addicted friend Jules Jackson.

Many of you have written to me since reading the very first Valerie book, Royally Jacked, asking if there would ever be a story for Jules.  Now there is!  It's written completely in e-mail format and tells the story of what happens when Jules finds herself falling for a guy.

Reality Check is now available as a free read, right here, on the Smashwords website, and can be downloaded in a number of formats that will work on your computer, Kindle, Nook, Sony reader, or even as a PDF file so that you can print and read at your convenience.  I hope you enjoy it!

In the meantime, feel free to post your thoughts on the royal wedding to comments.  Will you watch?