PROTECTING THE PRINCESS - Rachelle McCalla - Free Book

I'm so glad to have you back on my blog, Rachelle. I love princess stories, and I love romantic suspense. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Honestly, I get bored easily.  I like books where there are lots of things happening on different levels.  With inspirational romantic suspense, the characters’ spiritual journeys overlap with romance and mystery, so I’m never bored!  I also like that these are the kinds of stories you can share with your children or grandchildren—they’re clean and edifying, and a lot of fun!

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Hmm, that is a difficult question.  I’ve been so blessed.  I think it might be the day all four of my kids prayed the Lord’s Prayer together at bedtime.  My heart swelled with gratitude for the ways the Lord has blessed me!

How has being published changed your life?

Being a writer has enabled me to be home for my kids more, and to have the flexibility to change my daily schedule as needed.  I’ve also met some amazing people through my writing who I never would have met otherwise!

What are you reading right now?

Carla Capshaw’s The Protector, which is set in Rome in the early days of Christianity.  Not only is it a fascinating read, but it helps me get in an old-world, Mediterranean mindset for the Love Inspired Historical I’m writing (see next question!)

What is your current work in progress?

A Royal Marriage, which ties in to Protecting the Princess by giving a glimpse into a romance from the kingdom of Lydia in the year 801.  It’s set for release in December 2012.

We must schedule the book on my blog. What would be your dream vacation?

I would love to go somewhere warm (woke up to zero degrees Fahrenheit this morning!) where I could lounge on a beach for days on end.  If the kingdom of Lydia really existed, I would go there!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Quite often the settings of my books are tied to the mystery/suspense element of my stories.  The Reclaiming the Crown series has been enjoyable in that respect, because the books are set in the tiny Christian kingdom of Lydia, which is on the Mediterranean Sea near Greece.  I chose that location for the fictional kingdom because that’s where Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, lived in the book of Acts.  The kingdom is based on the church that met at her house.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I’d love to sit down with a real modern princess, such as Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, or Mary, the Crown Princess of Denmark, and find out if my stories reflect the lives of a true princess.  Of course, they’d have to read the books first!

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I like to garden and cook.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

It is a constant struggle to find time to write!  I had intended to write yesterday, but between the antics of my 3-year-old, problems with the washing machine, and a bombardment of other interruptions, I added a grand total of 36 words to the manuscript I’m working on.  At that rate, it will take me three years to finish!

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Write, write, write, write, write.  And then revise, revise, revise, revise, revise.  I wrote over a million words no one will ever see before my first book was published. 

Tell us about the featured book.

When the royal family of Lydia is ambushed en route to the state dinner, the youngest princess, Anastasia, must depend on Kirk Covington to help her.  But Stasi has feared Kirk ever since he betrayed their family six years before.  Can she learn to trust Kirk in time to save her kingdom, and their lives?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Her Royal Highness Princess Anastasia of Lydia grabbed the doorknob and gave it a turn, but when she tried to push the door open, it wouldn't budge.

Stasi blinked. How strange! Her door had never given her any problems before. She tried again, this time pushing harder, but with no success. Finally, throwing all her weight into it, she shoved the door with her shoulder. Nothing.

Had someone barricaded her door so it wouldn't open?

Stasi looked around her suite uneasily.

She was trapped inside her own room, and the royal motorcade would be leaving any minute for the state dinner.

Refusing to give in to the panic she felt, Stasi grabbed her phone and dialed the number for the palace managers.

Theresa Covington answered.

"I'm trapped inside my room—and the motorcade is leaving any second!" She fingered her sapphire necklace uneasily.

"I'll send someone immediately."

"Thank you." Stasi ended the call and waited, glancing nervously around, wondering why her door wouldn't open, and if the peculiar disturbance had anything to do with the other unusual trespasses she'd experienced lately. She knew of at least three other times in the past few weeks when items in her room had been eerily displaced—not stolen outright, but disturbed, as though they'd been rooted through, and then put back slightly out of order.

Footsteps approached from the hallway outside her door. "Your Highness?" A voice sounded from the other side, and she watched the doorknob turn. "Your Highness?"

"Yes!" She practically threw the door open, prepared to thank whoever had rescued her, but she startled backward when she recognized the man on the other side of the door.

Kirk Covington.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.rachellemccalla.com

Thank you, Rachelle, for another interesting interview.


Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Protecting the Princess (Love Inspired Suspense) - paperback
Protecting the Princess (Love Inspired Suspense) - Kindle

As a special bonus, here's a link to the short prequel to the series: http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=1655&chapter=1

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