by Marion Lennox, author of The Prince’s Captive Wife (Harlequin Presents, September 2009)
Once upon a time, at the height of our Australian summer, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II visited Melbourne. Back then my fiancé was working long nights as a junior medical intern, and trying to sleep by day in a hospital flat with a balcony overhanging one of Melbourne’s major freeways. With no air conditioning, dh slept with the windows open, ignoring the noise and keeping cool any way he could.
On the day of Her Majesty’s visit he was woken by noise on the freeway below. There was no roar of traffic for a change, just the scream of sirens. Many sirens. Sleepy but concerned, he wandered out to see what disaster was below his window.
And paused….
So maybe she saw and maybe she didn’t -– he whisked himself back inside so fast you’d have thought the hounds of hell were after him -– but as of that moment Her Majesty might have learned just why I married the man of my heart 
That’s my family’s only brush with royalty (okay, near brush, and no, he wasn’t arrested) but it hasn’t stopped me being intrigued by the idea. Ooh, I love a good tiara. What’s more, I hear princesses can have their own personal hairdresser. A hairdresser on call, whenever you feel a bit frumpy — now there’s a fabulous reason to keep eyes scanning the horizon for a prince.
The Prince’s Captive Wife (Book 3 of the Royal Karedes Series) is all about peasantry meeting royalty –- a girl from an Australian farm with not a hairdresser in sight, being whisked away, like it or not, to be immersed in the royal limelight. She finds a palace to die for, the odd private island, jets, servants, food… Oh, the food… You know, writing’s wonderful– I can just close my eyes and think what would I most like to eat, and there it is, on the page. So my would-be princess can indulge in French champagne and lobster patties and truffles and caviar and strawberries tasting of the sun….
Enough. That’s my royal fantasies for you to share. The Karedes diamond –- a pink diamond the size of a fist –- seems pretty amazing, but for me a private hairdresser wins hands down, with food coming a close second.
So what royal fantasy hits the spot with you? If the Prince of Your Dreams snatched you away from your computer screen right now, after the body to die for, after the great sex… what else would you require him to provide?
Do let me know. If your fantasies are better than my fantasies, they may well end up in the next Lennox Royal –- and what’s more I’ll send you a signed copy of my latest. Reply here, or visit me any time your want via my website at marionlennox.com
Marion Lennox titles out this month:
- The Prince’s Captive Wife (Harlequin Presents – Book 3 of the series: Royal House of Karedes)
- Claimed: Secret Royal Son (Harlequin Romance – Book 1 of the Three Book series: Marrying His Majesty Series)
- A Special Kind of Family (Mills and Boon Medical Romance – available at eharlequin.com)
Marion, that’s hilarious your dh might have, um, “greeted” the Queen that way! What a great story
3 books out at once…your fans must be beside themselves!
~Amy
p.s. Speaking of the miniseries… Check back on the blog tomorrow for a cool Royal House of Karedes thing!
Love, love, love your dh’s ‘greeting the queen’ story
For me, my prince would leave me to sleep in a royal chamber for a year so I can catch up on some much needed shut-eye!
My prince would be fey. He would have the power to give me anything I want. I want my words on the page without typing.
The right ones to come to me quickly.
No editing necessary ever again, it’s perfect the first time.
And every subject in the realm wants to read my stories.
In fact my prince has to save me from being taken away by all the handsome men in the kingdom because my words inflame them so.
Well you asked. (grin)
Ooh, Mary, that’s what I want, too. I know my story, it’s in my head, all I need is some way to channel it perfectly onto the page without all this typing. And editing. And realising you’ve used brilliantly ten times in two pages when honestly there’s nothing brilliant around at all
And Nic, with your two littlies I get the sleep thing – but then you’d wake and they’d be practically teenage – shudder!!!
What you guys need is genies, not princes. I can’t see Prince William granting his Katie either of these. Monogramed wellingtons, maybe. No, that doesn’t strike my fancy either.
OOh Marion, royal fantasies… Personally I’d be a bit annoyed to get snatched away from my computer screen, unless it was because the office cleaners were moving in (oh, not to forget the great sex, of course:-))
And when I return, I would have a desk top again and crumb free keyboard, and softly scented candles, a breeze perchance, whispering in over a moonlit balcony under a velvet sky, all to the sound of the distant shore.
And the prince of course, on tap, for when I needed a little *inspiration*.
Love your royal blush Marion. And super congrats for your two weeks at #1 atop the Borders/Waldies list. I have your Karedes book and I can’t wait to read it.
Ooh, a hairdresser on tap, yes please. Need him RIGHT NOW. Adore having my hair washed by expert magic hands that find all the stress points. I could handle that every day, and domestic staff. And, okay, I would quite like the private jet and the travel and the clothes and the stables and the jewellery and…and…and…possible even embossed gumboots.
I think I would make a very good princess. Have always thought so. Which probably accounts for my slight adoration of royalty and royal romances.
Love the royal blush, Marion, and congrat’s on Prince’s Captive Wife’s sitting #1 on the Borders bestsellers.
Bron
Can’t wait to read your book, Marion, as I am further along in the continuity with The Future King’s Love Child. I actually have it in my to be read pile by my bed.
I have brushed very closely with royalty in that a Prince and Princess have actually spent two nights at our beach house-in OUR bed. It was their secret hideaway so the press couldn’t find them. It was lovely to meet them and they loved being able to walk along our long lonely beach without being disturbed.
It made it easier to write the story knowing what I now know about the intrusion of the press into celebrities’ and royal lives.
Congratuls on being number 1 on the Waldies, Marion!
Cheers,
Melanie
A personal hairdresser wouldn’t go underappreciated – don’t get me wrong – but my Prince would of a certainty deliver me from cooking, cleaning, ironing, and bills.
Not sure about the embossed gum boots. Perhaps an embossed stable boy instead…
Embossed stable boy? Love your style, Kelly
Adding my congratulations for that #1 spot, Marion. Well deserved!
My prince would (of course) be a fabulous dancer. The castle would contain a fabulous ballroom with a live orchestra and a rock band ready to take turns to supply the music. I would have an endless supply of gorgeous, swirly dresses and my hair would always look wonderful due to the attention of that by now well experienced royal hairdresser.
Oh … there’s an ice bucket with some French champagne chilling in there somewhere, too.
Well after all the good stuff he would have to have a great sense of humor. Whisk me away to some incredible island vacations. Supply me with all the chocolate I want and an unending supply of books.
My Prince can listen!
I chat away for hours – with my lovely hair and make-up all done – and I am very thin because the chefs all manage my diet for me. My clothes are all put out for me – lovely they are, just what I’d have chosen if I had had to think about it. I talk about my plot and when I pause he says, “Carol, that’s brilliant! And, may I add, you look so calm and sophisticated and reserved this afternoon.”
I give him a calm, sophisticated nod.
He sits on my lovely, polished desk and I chat away as I type – he is happy to listen. He’s so lovely to look at too!
carolx
Trish, a crumb free keyboard, softly scented candles, a breeze whispering in the moonlight – and you’re going to waste it on writing???? For writing I need grunge and a brick wall
Sigh. But good luck with your fantasy – if I see a spare prince I’ll send him on.
I don’t have a fantasy, but a story about royals in fiction. Yesterday Justin D’ath launched Devil Danger, a children’s book, at our local Library. In the book, local girl Princess ‘Monica’ and her overseas husband Prince Niklaus are visiting her home state and their Crown Prince baby is almost kidnapped and the boy hero Sam Fox saves baby Crown Prince Tommy from Evil Doers!!! It was very exciting to have ‘our’ Mary’s fictional counterpart in a book about our state and the devils!!!! It is amusing to see that royalty has even made its mark in seat of the pants cliffhanger heart racing children’s story. Beats They Found A Cave hands down!!
I just received your latest Royal book in the post and I am looking forward to reading the second in the series. I am definitely in favour of a republic but fictionally, I am conflicted!!!!
Oh Carol I just whimpered at your description of your prince. Mmmmmmm. Though an embossed stable boy… Embossed where, Ms Hunter?
Love that you’re conflicted, 2paw – I’m the same, waving the republic flag and then looking at those shiny hessian boots and tassels and thinking No, wait…
So Melanie, you’ve actually had a real live Prince in Your Bed????
With tassels?
My prince will give me a credit card and accompany me to shop like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, will think that my two numeral size is sexier than a one numeral size, will ply me with champers and strawberries, and feed my sons, hang on a minute. He does all that. He doesn’t have tassles but he’s certainly been in my bed. Fab #1 book, Marion
xx Fi
Coo-er Marion, your beloved’s balcony wandering is the sort of thing I do in nightmares. Never heard of anyone doing it in real life before. Respec’. Bet it put a bit of zip into HM’s gracious waving, too!
This is a book I can’t wait to read.
Love the balcony scene. Hilarious. And my royal fantasies? Frankly, I can’t think of anything worse than being in the public eye, but if forced – then yes, a private island, a secret hideaway, soft sand underfoot, the whisper of a tropic breeze, being hand-fed ripe, sunwarmed fruit by a sensuous, teasing man with smouldering eyes, whose attention is focused solely on me, and having the sweet juice kissed from my lips-
Ooooh, gone all shivery. Or maybe that’s because autumn’s on its way and I’ve been sitting at my computer writing up a storm and forgotten that I needed to turn the heating on. Not a problem, of course, on a private island with sun-kissed sand…
Sigh. Back to the book. Right after I nip out and buy yours…