First, thanks to Fresh Fiction for
inviting me to be here to blog about Bride by Command, which will be officially released tomorrow.
It’s always great to get out and “talk” to readers and other writers.
Bride by Command is the
final book in “The Emperor’s Brides” trilogy, which has sent Emperor Jahn of
Columbyana on a reluctant quest for an empress. There are two potential brides
per book, and naturally, by the third book in the series many of the brides are
spoken for by other heroes. At one point I joked with a friend, as we walked
around the neighborhood and talked plots, that I should title this one
Empress by Default. :-) At the time, the working title was
Unbreakable, and as you can see I ended up with a title somewhere in
between.
The core story idea for Bride by Command has been simmering for some time. Several years
ago I wrote a number of fairy tale romances. I have several fairy tale volumes
in my personal library, and one of them contains the original Grimm Brothers
tales, stories which are very different from the Disney versions, as you can
imagine. In this book, I discovered an old fairy tale I was unfamiliar with.
King Thrushbeard.
In King Thrushbeard, a king is searching for a bride, just as Jahn is searching
for an empress. He goes to a fine house and offers himself as a husband to the
spoiled maiden there. The girl refuses him, making fun of his beard in the
process. The king disguises himself and goes back to the house, and the maiden
who could’ve been a queen finds herself married to a beggar. She eventually
falls in love with the king, thinking him a to be beggar. It’s one of my
favorite fairy tales, thanks to the romantic in me.
The beginning, the basic set up, is where the similarities between the two
stories end. In the fairy tale, when the maiden accidentally finds out that her
husband is actually the king, she’s thrilled, and happily ever after ensues.
Morgana will not be so forgiving of Jahn. I sure wouldn’t be, in her shoes. No
matter what his intentions, a man who tells such lies should have to pay,
shouldn’t he? He should be made to apologize. Maybe grovel a bit. Perhaps he
should be forced to earn love all over again.
Love beyond the fairy tale is complicated. Even when a couple finds their
happily ever after, they’re not done. They’re not anywhere near finished.
In Bride by Command,
more than Jahn’s charade gets in the way of HEA. Morgana has secrets of her
own. In the world I created in The Sun Witch, magic is very real, and you never
know when it might play a part. Unexpected dangers wait around every corner.
The maiden Jahn falls in love with can transform - and destroy - with a touch.
HEA doesn’t come easy, not in real life and not on the page. When it comes to
fiction, it isn’t supposed to come too easy, because getting there is what
keeps us reading. I love romance, I love knowing that the happily ever after is
a given. But oh, it’s how we get there that’s all the fun, and even in a fairy
tale (Hmm. Especially in a fairy tale!) there are bumps along the way.
It’s hard to pick a favorite fairy tale, but for me King Thrushbeard is
up there on the list. So are Beauty and the Beast, and Snow
White. Do you have a favorite?
6 comments posted.
I hadn't heard about the Emperor's Bride series but I love series. Thanks for sharing about this. This sounds very interesting and I agree - Jahn is going to have to make up for the deception!! I think Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. Just something about a wounded beast!
(Martha Eskuchen 12:14pm March 2, 2009)
I had not heard of the Emperor's Bride series. I'm glad I stopped in today. I will be sure to put this on my to buy list. My pick for fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. Have a great day.
(Roberta Harwell 1:42pm March 2, 2009)
My favorite fairy tale isn't a romance, I don't remember the name, I think it's a Grimm's, but it's about the animals and how they work together.
(Kelli Jo Calvert 12:11pm March 3, 2009)