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Fantasy Romance

To Love a Prince

Writing Process: Seducing the Ice Queen

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Many of you said you were interested in learning more about my writing process, so I thought I’d share a little bit about my journey for writing Seducing the Ice Queen. If you’ve read To Love a Prince,  you’ve heard about Lady Daniella Spencer, Prince Eli’s jilted fiancée.

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I had originally started writing To Love a Prince as Daniella’s story, and Prince Eli was supposed to be the villain in it.

Then he started developing as a character. He revealed some of the events in his life that shaped him into the person he was. And how hard that person would fight to be king. Not for the power, but because he wouldn’t see the kingdom his mother died for torn apart by civil war.

Yeah, he still wasn’t entirely good, but he was interesting. And that led to me writing To Love a Prince as it is today.

But Daniella was not treated well in that book. She still needed her story, even if it was a different story than the one I’d originally planned. You’ve read about some of my issues with this story, but in the end, I feel like I’ve been true to characters.

I allowed myself to go where the characters took me. And yes, it was messy. Yes, it took nine revisions before I finally accepted I had to let go and release it into the world. Yes an editor and I had differences of opinion on the story.

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But I still enjoyed Daniella and Callen’s story. They went through a lot, but they earned their happily-ever-after (that’s not a spoiler. It’s my book. You know I always give my readers a happily-ever-after.)

 

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You will never have to worry about this from me!

Interestingly, the character I created to be the villain in their story completely rejected the role. *face palm* No, they didn’t want to do those things, thank you very much. It wasn’t in their nature. Wasn’t who they were.

Yeah, this is why I am so awful at plotting. Characters get in the way of my plots on every book!

So, I let the character be themself and reworked the story around them. The book is better for it, and now the character who was supposed to be the villain wants their own happily-ever-after!

And as it is prone to doing, my brain has been ignoring editing as it starts thinking through this new story.

Writing Process: To Love a Prince

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I am a panster.

 

For those that haven’t heard this term before, it means I write books “by the seat of my pants” rather than plotting out my novels.

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This can be a real issue for a pantser

My prep work involves knowing who the characters are, a little bit about them, and the high-level issues they’re facing. Combined with a huge dose of “I really want to write about them”.

There’s a lot of debate about pantsing versus plotting. Plotting is where you spend a lot more time outlining what’s going to happen and when.

I’ve tried plotting.

Many times.

And I have 4 novels with 10k-20k words in them that I’ll probably never complete. I’m not sure why plotting doesn’t work for me.

Maybe I feel like the story has already been told when I plot. Maybe I get bored writing it. Maybe I rush forward to write all the plot points and ignore the characters.

I’m not sure, but I do know it doesn’t work. For me.

Writing To Love a Prince really taught me this. I started this story three times. I have one 60k work that is not salvageable where Prince Eli was supposed to be the hero. Yeah. 60k. But it was awful.

And it wasn’t Eli.

I couldn’t make him weak. I couldn’t make him indecisive.  He needed to be in control, and if he wasn’t, he was going to fight like an injured bear to get back into control.

He also didn’t care much what society said about him. He was a Prince. Let them fear him. Despise him. But they would respect him or face his wrath.

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The end result of listening.

Yeah. The first story I wrote with him being injured and nursed back to health failed spectacularly. The second story where he was stymied by social pressure made him raise a brow. He almost rolled his eyes at me, but he’s too dignified for that.

Sure, the stories were plotted, but they weren’t his story. So I let him tell his. I was very hesitant at how the story progressed, especially as it involved a slave and royal succession.

I also worried Auburn’s kindness would be perceived as weakness. I tried changing her, but it just didn’t work. She had to be who she was because Eli fell in love with her for that. In a world as conniving as the court he’d grown up in, Auburn was his beacon of light.

I tried plotting once or twice more after To Love a Prince, but those failed, too.

So now I write by the seat of my pants. Yes, it means a lot more revisions. But I love writing that first draft! Seeing the characters revealed, their love grow, and see them overcome whatever I throw at them..

That is why I write.

Short Story: The Vision

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The Vision

King Eli believed in his wife’s visions. Every one of them.

But that didn’t stop him from wishing they wouldn’t happen.

He glanced at the sketch his adviser had given him. The same image stared back at him no matter how much he wished it would be different.

The child from Auburn’s visions.

A harbinger of change.

But what kind of change?

The visions hadn’t shown Auburn that much. They’d warned her it loomed, but little else.

He drummed his finger on the gold throne carved into the shape of a dragon. His first instinct said to toss the infant back into the ocean from which she’d come. He wanted to safeguard his people and his wife, and this child threatened both.

But Dracor, god of justice, frowned on such things.

Eli rubbed his temples as he stared at the image. Why did the child’s eyes have to, not exactly glow, though that’s what people said, but radiate light? The strange coloring only lent credibility to those calling her demon spawn and demanding he order Sir Gabriel to destroy her.

But demons weren’t born. They materialized in all their horror, disgorged from the bowels of the seven hells by foolish wizards beholden to the Unholy Triumvirate.

Idiots, but powerful idiots blinded by dark promises.

The same kind of promises being offered to the masses by those demanding he execute the child to protect Tamryn.

Promises based on fear rather than truth.

He understood fear, could use it himself if it was the best tool. Might yet.

But the gods had gifted Auburn with the visions, and his wife never used fear to intimidate or manipulate. If anything, Thalia, goddess of mercy and light, favored his queen.

Auburn’s gift of prophecy guided her, particularly during difficult and uncertain times. She should meet the child, and he could gauge her reaction.

Eli’s stomach clenched at the thought.

More than anything, he wanted to safeguard Auburn. He’d give his own life for her.

Sucking in a breath, he unfurled his fists. What did it say if he didn’t trust the child in the same room with his wife?

He stared at the image again. Dracor may represent justice, but He was an unforgiving god.

King Eli handed the sketch back to his adviser. “Request Knight Gabriel and his charge to join us at the palace. I need to speak with him.”

The king’s adviser bowed and left the throne room. Eli’s throat tightened as he contemplated the security measures needed to protect Auburn.

 

If you want more of Auburn and Eli, they have their own novel available here.