A Royal Novel Surprise

My very first blog post in September 2016 was about a charitable English tea we had here at Bella Terra with New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author, Rhys Bowen.

Not only was the event a wonderful fundraiser for Family to Family, (they provides scholarships to students in rural El Salvador) but it wasn’t your typical tedious fundraising event. Everyone got into the spirit of the English tea by wearing fabulous hats and dresses. The caterer, Julie Greder, outdid herself by providing beautiful sandwiches and scones.

As a result, we had a subsequent English tea fundraiser in April 2018. See blog post here. What made both events extra special was the main speaker. Rhys Bowen, with her lovely British accent recounted her hilarious stories about her characters, the details of her extensive research and her book writing experience. Surprisingly, Rhys writes two books a year!

During the event, there are charitable items you can bid on……one being the ability to be a character in one of author’s next books. My sweet husband purchased that item two years ago and quite frankly, I completely forgot about it.

A few weeks ago, I received a call from Rhys asking if I would like to attend a book event at The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, where she would be discussing her new book. It was at that time she told me that I was a character in her latest novel, Above the Bay of Angels. What? Wait? Weren’t we supposed to discuss this beforehand?

Since the book hadn’t been released yet, I didn’t know if I was a villain, a tramp, or a pathetic historical character. I don’t know where I got the idea that this famous author would consult with me on what role I would play in her book. Delusions of grandeur?

We drove to the book event which was very well attended. I was excited to hear about the book, while discovering what character was I going to be.

Known for her historical research and her attention to those details in her novels, Above the Bay of Angels is based in London and Nice in 1896, during Queen Victoria’s reign.

Naturally, I was anxious to get my hands on one of her “not yet released” books. I surprisingly found this lovely dedication in the front.

Rhys made me a delightful character! I am in my 40s, married to a Marquis and live in a villa in Nice, France. What I love about Rhys’ books is not only are they a joyful read, but there’s a history lesson in each. Above the Bay of Angels has it all~~oppression, opportunity, crime, adventure and romance.

They say that everyone has their 5 minutes of fame….I’m guessing this is mine! I haven’t finished the book yet, but am in the last few chapters and truly enjoying it. Rhys has a gift of keeping the answer to “whodunnit?” to the very end.

That’s my exciting news for the day! If you love to read and want an author to follow, I highly recommend Rhys Bowen. Her series include the Molly Murphy Mysteries, Constable Evans Mysteries, Royal Spyness Mysteries and currently she has 5 stand alone books. Click here for her Amazon link.

It’s hard to believe it is already Wednesday! Enjoy your day!