Monday, July 8, 2013

GUEST POST - WOMEN'S FIC AUTHOR KATHLEEN IRENE PATERKA


Thanks so much for inviting me to be part of Books by Banister, Tracie! Since we’re both avid royal watchers, I thought I’d share a little about my fascination with the British royals, and how that guilty pleasure ties into my new release, ROYAL SECRETS.

I’ve been a royal watcher since I was in my teens. My family and friends always made fun of how excited I’d get merely by the sight of yet another magazine cover with a picture of the royal family. I watched along with everyone else as Prince Charles (“The World’s Most Eligible Bachelor!”) dined and dated his numerous girlfriends. Who would it be? Who would he choose? When he finally settled upon his new Princess, I was right there watching the telly (ooh, how British!) with 750 million other people on July 29, 1981 as 20 year old Lady Diana Spencer walked the aisle of St. Paul’s Cathedral on her father’s arm to where 32 yr. old Charles waited at the altar.

But it wasn’t the idyllic scene we all believed. As Diana later commented to friends, “My wedding day was the worst day of my life… I felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter.” No wonder. Charles and Diana had only been out together on thirteen dates before they married. Diana later confessed that she knew, walking up the aisle on her wedding day, that Charles was in love with another woman: the infamous Camilla. Diana had discovered proof of her future husband’s notorious affair two days before the royal wedding. Her sisters stopped her from calling everything off. “Too late… your face is on the tea towel. You can’t chicken out.” And so, Diana married her prince. As the Archbishop of Canterbury said at their wedding, “Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made.

Unfortunately, we now know it was a fractured fairy tale, one which ended in despair, divorce, and ultimately, Diana’s death on August 31, 1997. The world mourned its princess, and grieved along with Diana’s two young sons, Prince William (15) and Prince Harry (12). Royalty watchers the world over rejoiced on April 29, 2011, as William married his Kate at Westminster Abbey. And as I write this, there is still a ‘royal baby watch’ on the way… and so the royal saga continues. 



Whatever you think about the British royal family, there’s no denying that they do a royal job when it comes to putting on a wedding. I love brides and weddings. My day job as staff writer at a real American castle which hosts numerous weddings (nearly 200 last year) feeds my fix for royalty and romance. When I began daydreaming about a plot for a new book, my love for all things royal and weddings came into play. But it wasn’t until my daughter and her husband settled in Las Vegas a few years ago, that I really started thinking. Royalty. Weddings. Las Vegas, the wedding capital of the world. Voila! The framework for a new story was born.



ROYAL SECRETS is the story of the Royal Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, and of Lily Lavender, whose family is distantly descended from the British royal family. Immersed in the regal world of weddings and romance, Lily grew up believing in brides, grooms and happily-ever-afters. It seemed her destiny and royal birthright to someday assume a position as wedding coordinator in their family-owned wedding chapel business. But when her mother Mimi’s third marriage eventually fails, Lily’s dreams of her own happily-ever-after quickly fade. She’s no longer interested in a life of assisting brides walk down the aisle into a life of disillusionment and possible divorce. Lily turns her back on The Royal Wedding Chapel and leaves Las Vegas to fashion a life of her own. Years later, Lily—now a single mom—discovers her teenage daughter has run off to Las Vegas, lured by Mimi to help run the chapel. Determined to save her daughter from the broken dreams of Sin City and the nonsensical world of which family fairy tales are made, Lily returns to Las Vegas. But nothing prepares Lily for the royal drama which awaits her… or the sins and secrets she stumbles across that threaten to close the chapel and ruin her family forever.

Author Bio:
Kathleen Irene Paterka is the author of numerous women's fiction novels which embrace universal themes of home, family life and love, including ROYAL SECRETS and the James Bay series (FATTY PATTY, HOME FIRES, LOTTO LUCY, and FOR I HAVE SINNED.) Kathleen is the resident staff writer for Castle Farms, a world renowned castle listed on the National Historic Register, and co-author of the non-fiction book FOR THE LOVE OF A CASTLE, published in 2012. Having lived and studied abroad, Kathleen's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Michigan University. She and her husband live in the beautiful north country of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

Buy ROYAL SECRETS:
Barnes&Noble      

Connect With Kathleen Irene Paterka:
Facebook   


19 comments:

  1. Great post! I had a lot of fun at my royal wedding watch party a couple of years ago, and I'm greatly anticipating news of the royal baby. Any day now!

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    1. Hi Laura!

      I LOVE LOVE LOVE the British royals, and I'm waiting (along with you and the entire world) to see if history is made and a Princess is born who will someday rule the British Empire as Queen (before any brothers!). Fingers crossed it's a girl!

      Any bets on the name? I'm thinking they may include "Frances" as a nod to Diana (her middle name) plus Diana's mother (who would be the baby's great grand-mother). William is so sweet and protective of Diana's memory. I believe he'll want to pay tribute to her somehow.

      Thanks for stopping by to chat!

      ~ Kathleen

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  2. I just finished Kathleen's Royal Secrets yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I live in Las Vegas so I loved all the references to the city in which I grew up. Be prepared to be glued to the book. As the story developed, I had a hard time putting it down!

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    1. Shelly, you are an absolute love! Your review of the book was fantastic, especially knowing you're from Las Vegas... any mistakes and you would have caught them! My daughter lives in Las Vegas (Henderson, actually) and my husband and I fly out a lot to visit... I love Sin City, and it was so much fun, writing about all its secrets!

      Thanks for the review on Amazon, and thanks for stopping by today!

      ~ Kathleen

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  3. Looks great! Def. on my TBR! -Francine

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    1. Francine, so glad to see you stopped by! Glad you enjoyed the post, and hope you enjoy the read!

      ~ Kathleen

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  4. This does sound like a great book to read. I'm also one who loves everything about the royal family.

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    1. Hi Janine!

      Sounds like both of us are waiting for the royal birth! I've been watching the British newspapers on-line and I read yesterday that the Queen has commissioned a 'royal helicopter' to stand ready at William's disposal for when Kate goes into labor and is whisked off to the hospital. They're modern royals, and I love love love that they're so much in love! (Okay, did I throw too many loves in there? LOL - But it's true! I love the British royals, and I especially love William and Kate).

      Thanks for stopping by, Janine, and I hope you enjoy the book!

      ~ Kathleen

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  5. I watched the 1981 royal wedding in Switzerland, where I was working as an au pair. What a day! I'm so looking forward to reading this book! Great post, as always, Tracie.

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    1. Hi Martha!

      How exciting, being in Europe during the Royal Wedding! I was up feeding my daughter (who was 4 weeks old at the time), and was captivated by the fairy tale wedding unfolding on TV. Absolute sadness, the way it all ended. But I suppose it teaches us that even royalty aren't immune to the tragedies of real life.

      Thanks for stopping by to chat!

      ~ Kathleen

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  6. I feel- and felt- the same way about the royals. Sounds like a great book- can't wait to read it.

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    1. Hi Deb!

      Princess Diana was one of my favorite royals. I will never forget blissfully watching as she wed her prince (who turned out to be a real toad). I also will never forget how I felt the night the news reported that there had been a car accident in Paris. First she had a broken arm; then it was an injury to her head. The list went on and on, as the reports grew worse. And you just knew... you knew it was not going to turn out happily-ever-after.

      But life goes on, doesn't it? William and his Kate, plus Harry (and whoever he ends up with) are proof of that.

      Guess it's obvious I love the British royals, and anything to do with weddings. Writing ROYAL SECRETS seemed like a no-brainer. I'm surrounded by brides at the Castle where I work my 'day job' (which doesn't feel like a job, by the way, but more like a fairy-tale-existence' come true!)

      From one royal watcher to another, thanks for stopping by to chat today, Deb!

      ~ Kathleen

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  7. I love all things English, which naturally includes the Royal Family. I'm currently watching the entire Showtime series, "The Tudors," which makes the current royal family look like saints in comparison. I can't wait to read ROYAL SECRETS, not just because the premise is genius, but because I know from reading your other books, Kathleen, that I'm going to love it.

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    1. My lovely Brea! I'm so honored that you stopped by today. :)

      My husband and I watched THE TUDORS on Showtime. Don't know what you think of Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry, but I thought he was excellent! The scene where he learns of Anne Boleyn's death should have earned him an Emmy.

      The Tudors: now there's a royal family with plenty of secrets! Hopefully, Miss Brea, you'll find that ROYAL SECRETS is filled with plenty of intrigue and drama (as befitting a royal read).

      Thank you for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence! I am honored!

      ~ Kathleen (self-proclaimed Queen of Exclamation Marks)

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  8. Your book sounds so fantastic, Kathleen! And I'll never forget William & Kate's wedding. Even though I'm not really into the Royals, I was living in London at the time, and the excitement was infectious. Everyone was out on the streets, celebrating the occasion. Great post!! :-)

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    1. Hi Libby!

      It must have been SO EXCITING to have been in London during the time of that wedding! I remember there was so much speculation about Kate's dress; would it be a nod toward Diana's? (No, but her mother Carole's dress was designed by Catherine Walker, one of Diana's favorite designers). And then she emerged from the auto with her father, and she looked every bit the regal princess as she walked down the aisle.

      Thanks for stopping by, Libby! Cheers!

      ~ Kathleen

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  9. Great post! :)
    I took the day off work to watch the Royal Wedding.. lol. As an Anglophile, there was NO WAY I was going to miss seeing every second of that ceremony.
    The new book sounds fantastic, Kathleen! :) I will definitely be adding it to my TBR list.

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    1. Hi Cat!

      Me, too! Me, too! As soon as they announced the date for the Royal Wedding, I scheduled myself for a day off from the Castle (where I work my day job). I was up way before the television coverage started, and I sat there in my bathrobe with the royal tiara atop my head, enjoying every single minute of the spectacle unfolding before me on the television screen. My favorite part? The balcony kiss... and then... (as the world held its breath), the SECOND balcony kiss! How perfect! How romantic! William and his Kate are so obviously in love.

      This one, unlike Diana and Charles, IS a fairy tale come true.

      Thanks for stopping by to chat, Cat!

      ~ Kathleen

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