- “Torn Between Two Lovers” by Mary MacGregor
Having fallen in love with two men, “Torn Between Two Lovers” becomes Elizabeth’s anthem for much of Book 1 and well into Book 2. Particularly in SACRIFICES BEYOND KINGDOMS, she is haunted by this dilemma of being torn between two men whom she loves equally. I chose to use this theme in these two books because of the many similar stories told to me in confidence by women, and men, throughout the years of my living in different countries and traveling all over the globe. This love triangle situation is more common than most societies will admit.
Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool
Loving both of you is breaking all the rules…
- “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton & cover by Whitney Houston
Prince Michael sends Elizabeth the original Dolly Parton version which he grew up listening to, that his mother had loved, after Elizabeth left him and went back to Trinidad. In response, she sends him the younger Whitney Houston’s version. He then subtly accuses her of not liking his version and wondered if she was sending him some sort of “color-coded” message, to which she responds that she loves both versions “equally.” Personally, I do love them both but, knowing that our precious Whitney is gone, I tear up every time I hear her version.
If I should stay
I would only be in your way
So I’ll go, but I know
I'll think of you every step of the way…
- “Imagine” by Yoko Ono and John Lennon
This song of the millennium is a recipe for peace on earth. It’s considered controversial by the narrow-minded and the patriarchally-brainwashed religious who still oppress females and won’t face the reality that “Religion is Division.” The lyrics came from one of Yoko Ono’s poems, and her husband, John Lennon wrote the music, but she was not given equal credit. I have Elizabeth playing it at the beginning of her controversial equality speeches, “God Has No Gender,” before she comes on stage. Like most songs I use in my books, “Imagine” touches me deeply. I’m all about equality of the sexes, and humanity, and like Elizabeth, I fear the ignorant patriarchal leaders on this planet may never see beyond their tunnel vision and will continue to create conflicts and descension, which will eventually destroy us all.
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too…
- “Still” by The Commodores’ Lionel Richie
After Prince Michael suffers through the devastation of Elizabeth leaving him, he’s desperate to keep a connection with her, despite her saying that they shouldn’t communicate. He therefore would simply send her songs without him speaking. She erased many of the songs, but the one that she played often was the haunting voice of Lionel Richie singing his gut-wrenching, heart-breaking “Still.” Michael had sent it to her during the course of his grief and it was the only one that she responded to with her own song of regret.
We were too blind to see
But then most of all
I do love you
Still
- “Someone Like You” by Adele
In response to Michael’s “Still” voicemail, Elizabeth eventually responded, and like him, she did not speak, but simply played Adele singing the following line from “Someone Like You.”
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead…
This song perfectly captures the mixed emotions of grief and regret that Elizabeth endures after leaving Michael. I know that this whole scenario will bring melancholia to most readers who, like Elizabeth and Michael, have loved deeply and lost. But I need readers to have hope that the possibility of love between my protagonists may one day be found again.
Bonus Song: “Hot Hot Hot” by Arrow (Original version sung by its composer, a Calypsonian from the Caribbean island of Montserrat)
Though I am of British and French ancestry, having been born in the land of Calypso, Trinidad, and spending about one third of my life there, this calypso resonates with me since Caribbean music and dance is in my blood. I expressed this in the scene where Elizabeth was playing this song for her children and danced with them in the sexy manner of Caribbean dancing, unaware that Michael was watching her intently. His cousin, Susan, started a conga line, and the members of the royal family that were present, with the exception of the delighted old king, ended up snaking through several rooms in the palace to the great surprise of the very formal staff.
Hands in the air, celebration time
Let music captivate your mind
We have this party song
A fun Jamaican jam
The Sacrifices and Kingdoms Series #2
As mysterious, unforeseen forces threaten to destroy them, three impassioned lovers—Elizabeth, Edward, and Michael—fight to save their individual “kingdoms.”
Determined to forget the man she cannot afford to love, Elizabeth struggles to keep control of her own kingdom. When her family is kidnapped, she is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice.
Michael’s tempestuous rage at Elizabeth battles with his passionate desire for her. To ensure the continuation of his own actual kingdom, he risks breaking all the rules, and the love triangle in which he is trapped takes a horrendous turn.
Elizabeth risks her life to continue her controversial speeches on patriarchy and gender equality. To save one of her loves, she surreptitiously journeys into dangerous territory.
Continuing the story told in Sacrifices For Kingdoms, the lovers’ destinies take them through European alpine peaks, American cities, Caribbean isles, and beyond. Fall in love all over again as you uncover the truths and trepidations of these unforgettable characters in Book Two of this epic love story.
With the drama and passion of Outlander, the female empowerment of A Woman of Substance, and the bravery of When God Was a Woman, Sacrifices Beyond Kingdoms is a riveting read.
Fiction [D.Royalty Publishing, On Sale: June 18, 2024, e-Book, / ]
Patricia D’Arcy Laughlin was born in Trinidad of British and French ancestry. She was educated there, the UK, and the USA. She is a world traveler and an award-winning artist, famous for developing her “Unique Stainings On Wood.” Although she has composed poetry, Sacrifices For Kingdoms is her first novel. She lives in Florida with her husband, and she has three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
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