12 Days of Christmas Joy: The Prince’s Fake Fiancée (book) by Darcy Flynn

Interview with Darcy Flynn about her book, 

The Prince’s Fake Fiancée:

Alexis: Why did you write this Christmas holiday story?

Darcy: I’ve always loved any news about the royal family in England and having lived there for a year with my husband, I became even more enamored. I’d been brainstorming ideas for a Christmas story and my love for all things royal seemed to be a great place to start. I’ve always enjoyed Cinderella retellings, as well, so it seemed only natural to combine the two. My stories tend to lean toward more light-hearted, romantic comedy themes, so I let my heart guide me from there.

Alexis: Tell me about your story’s heroine, Samantha Keller. What does she look like? Sound like? Act like? Believe in? What are her deepest desires and most obvious weaknesses?

Darcy: Samantha is a no-frills kind of gal. Having been compared with her beautiful stepsister since childhood, she’s grown to accept her looks with practical indifference. As a girl from Queens, New York, she’s not afraid to speak her mind, nor is she afraid of work. She has a deep desire to protect others, even those who’ve been unkind to her and who have taken advantage of her.

Alexis: Why does Samantha love her job? What is her role? Is she good at her job? Explain.

Darcy: Wearing a badge affirms her desire to protect and serve others. Even though she is no longer with the New York Police Department, she’s still able to protect clients through the security firm she works for. She is conscientious and takes her role with the firm seriously.

Alexis: Why does Samantha enjoy being unnoticed and overlooked by most people, especially men?

Darcy: After her father’s death, during her childhood, Samantha came to accept the continued and sometimes hurtful comparisons with her gorgeous stepsister. As a practical girl, she accepted her looks as less than those of the beautiful Tiffany. She convinced herself she was okay with that and being a young woman of character she found other things in life far more important than preening over one’s looks and going out of one’s way to attract a man. She found it safer and less painful to hide behind her no make-up, “Plain Jane” façade.

Alexis: Tell me about your story’s hero, Prince Marcus de Blecourt of Sterlyn. What does he look like? Sound like? Act like? Believe in? What are his strongest features and most noticeable flaws?

Darcy: Prince Marcus is dark-haired and enormously handsome. He’s tall and physically fit, and a polo player like his father before him. When he speaks, his deep voice is every girl’s dream of what a prince should sound like. He believes in the Crown and the Sterlyn’s monarchy. His father’s death was difficult for him and without his presence and guidance, Marcus found, that in some areas, he’d lost his way. On the surface he presents utmost decorum and respectability…until he doesn’t, of course. And that’s usually when he’s traveling abroad doing his best to put an end to Lady Pricilla’s determination to marry him.

Alexis: How does Samantha feel when she learns that she has been assigned to guard a playboy prince?

Darcy: Samantha has mixed emotions upon discovering she’s to guard Prince Marcus. At first, she refuses, but when that refusal threatens her job, she relents. She’d grown up crushing on the poster of the prince that hung in her bedroom throughout her teen years, but as she followed his life and career she’d become disappointed at his playboy lifestyle in his adult years.

Alexis: What is the prince’s first impression of Samantha? Does that ever change? If so, how and why?

Darcy: He sees a very plain, unremarkable looking woman, but he’s intrigued by her forthright attitude and the fact that’s she’s not at all impressed by his royal standing in the world. He finds it refreshing that she speaks her mind. He begins to see in her a rare beauty and is amazed she thinks so poorly of her looks.

Alexis: Why doesn’t Prince Marcus like the lady who his family wants him to marry?

Darcy: Lady Pricilla Rothschild is perfect in every way…outwardly. But she is a snob and at times says cruel things about others. She openly admits their marriage would be one of convenience and is more enamored about the position she’d hold as Princes of Sterlyn than any love for him. She is fond of him, of course, but that simply isn’t enough for Prince Marcus.

Alexis: How does Samantha compare to the woman who the prince’s family chose for him?

Darcy: They are complete opposites in the looks department and even more so in their character. Samantha thinks of others and goes out of her way to be kind and thoughtful. Pricilla thinks only of herself and her position in society. She has little use for those she feels are beneath her.

Alexis: Why does Marcus think he has to turn Samantha into a supermodel?

Darcy: Marcus is used to wealth and position that comes with his office as Prince of Sterlyn. In trying to thwart Lady Pricilla and his mother’s insistence he marry Pricilla his plan when he travels is to be seen with a beautiful woman by his side—to set the press to speculation as to who his “latest” is. Samantha’s no fuss – no frill façade would never do. He must keep up appearances for his ruse to work. Who would believe it, otherwise?

Alexis: What brings Samantha and Marcus together then what threatens to tear them apart?

Darcy: The Queen’s hiring her through Colfax Security brings them together. There is something in Samantha’s past that threatens to tear them apart. This comes to light by the scheming duo of Lady Pricilla and her stepsister, Tiffany.

Alexis: Why did you choose New York as the setting for this story? What makes it a special place for your main characters in this story?

Darcy: There’s something about New York City at Christmas time. I’ve had several visits there at Christmas and it is one of the most spectacular and festive places I’ve ever seen during the holidays. Truly magical.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about this holiday story?

Darcy: I’d like for my readers to remember two things: #1: Angels are real. #2: That God doesn’t give us dreams to frustrate us, but to motivate and inspire us. Dreams are what keep us positive and hopeful, anticipating what very well may come. They get us through disappointments and the rough patches in life and who knows, an angel may even help us along the way.

Alexis: Did you play Christmas music while writing this story? If so, which song was your favorite and how did it inspire your storytelling?

Darcy: I’ve read of authors who listen to music as they write, but I’m not one of them. I tend to prefer quite as I write. I do occasionally create playlists to help set a mood or inspire my writing, but I didn’t for this book.

Alexis: What is your favorite Christmas holiday treat? Did it help you while writing this story? If so, explain.

Darcy: Caramel cake is a holiday favorite in my home. It was the perfect dessert for Miss Ellie to serve Samantha and Prince Marcus in her attic apartment.

Alexis: If you could give one of your characters a Christmas gift, what would it be? Why?

Darcy: I’d have Samantha give her stepmother a book of memories, but only the good ones. Sometimes memory loss needs a little help.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Darcy. Merry Christmas!

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Author Bio:

Award-Winning Author Darcy Flynn, is known for her heartwarming, sweet contemporary romances. 

Her refreshing storylines, irritatingly handsome heroes and feisty heroines will delight and entertain you from the first page to the last. Miss Flynn’s heroes and heroines have a tangible chemistry that is entertaining, humorous and competitive.

Darcy lives with her husband and a menagerie of other living creatures on her horse farm in Franklin, Tennessee. She stargazes on warm summer nights and occasionally indulges in afternoon tea.

Although, published in the Christian non-fiction market under her real name, Joy Griffin Dent, it was the empty nest that turned her to writing romantic fiction. Proving that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

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Blurb for Darcy's book:

No nonsense, Samantha Keller loves her job at Colfax Security Agency. 

The no-frills environment is the perfect compliment to her simple hair cut and no makeup lifestyle. After living in the shadows of her glamorous but hateful stepsister for so many years, Samantha’s quite content to be unnoticed and overlooked.

When she discovers her latest assignment is to guard a popular playboy prince, she’s anything but elated. Even worse, when she finally meets him, she learns her job has nothing to do with protection.

Prince Marcus de Blecourt of Sterlyn is looking forward to visiting New York on what could be his last trip abroad as a single man. But he hasn’t given up his freedom yet. This trip could be the perfect opportunity to thwart the family’s ‘arrangements’ with Lady Pricilla Rothschild.

Prince Marcus is anything but impressed with the unattractive woman from a security firm who arrives as his escort. Unless he can turn her into a super model overnight, it will take a minor miracle to pull off his plan. But when he learns who’s responsible for the setup, he’s even more determined to succeed. He decides to turn the tables, only to find the tables have indeed already turned…but on him.

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