Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for having me here at Novel Thoughts.
As anyone who knows me can attest, I rarely do things the easy way or in a consistent manner. I think it may be an oddity in my genetic make-up, because even when I try my best to be logical or simplify my life, I still somehow manage to go at it from the wrong direction.
Ever decided to make a meatloaf and dig out the spices, pre-heat the oven, caramelize the onions…only to realize you forgot to thaw the ground beef? I have.
Ever started reading a book only to discover it’s the second or third in an ongoing series and you don’t have the first one? I have—so many times I’ve lost count.
Ever written a story and turned it in, then done the research for it a week before the book was scheduled to be released? Yep, I’ve done that, too.
CHRISTMAS IN HIS ROYAL BED, my November Silhouette Desire and the third installment of my unofficial “Bed” trilogy (which began with BEDDED THEN WED and BLACKMAILED INTO BED) is set on the island kingdom of Glendovia. The heroine, Alandra Sanchez, travels there over the holidays to work for the mysterious Prince Nicolas. Unbeknownst to her, however, the prince has seen her before, knows who she is, and has invited her to his home with the sole intention of seducing her.
Now, Glendovia is a fictional province, but I did my best to describe it in a way that I thought would be accurate if it really did exist. Researching with books and online isn’t quite the same as actually going to an island to experience the locale first-hand, but sometimes it’s the best an author can do. After all, if we jetted off around the world every time we needed a piece of information for a work-in-progress, we’d never be home long enough to actually write our books. *g*
So imagine my surprised when, months after I’d finished Alandra’s and Nicolas’s story and turned it in, the chance to do just that—jet off to an island paradise—popped up. It was one of those bizarre, once-in-a lifetime opportunities that I simply couldn’t pass up.
Granted, Glendovia is a Mediterranean island, and I traveled to the Caribbean, but let’s just pretend that an island is an island is an island, regardless of how far it is from the equator. And just like Alandra, I spent a holiday away from home on a strange island—Halloween instead of Christmas, but it still counts, right? The point is, I learned what it was like to leave home and spend time in a place surrounded by water, more beautiful than anywhere has a right to be, with people who are different and unique, but also just like you and me.
The good news, looking back, is that I think I did a pretty decent job of describing the island kingdom of Glendovia. That little word, “fictional,” helped…I mean, you can’t exactly go wrong when you’re making it up, right? *vbg*…but I still managed to correctly convey the solitude, the splendor, and the attitude of island life.
Alas, there was no handsome prince waiting to seduce me when I stepped off the plane. Or checked into the hotel…or toured the tiny downtown shops…or drove around the island taking in the sights… But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.
Hey, I’m a romance writer; I’m pretty sure I’m required by law to be a hopeful (not hopeless) romantic.
To read more about CHRISTMAS IN HIS ROYAL BED and my trip to St. Thomas, feel free to visit my website—www.HeidiBetts.com—and blog—www.HeidiBetts.com/WIPsandChains. See you there…and when you arrive, the rum’s on me! 🙂
Heidi Betts
www.HeidiBetts.com/WIPsandChains
****Make sure you leave a comment to be in the running to win one of Heidi’s books! 🙂
Honorary Mention of Book Sluts 'R' Us Blogger Awards by 
RR@H Novel Thoughts & Book Talk 