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> "I think there is a great need, these days, for good old-fashioned storytelling. The straight novel has gone so far up market as to be almost invisible; the thriller has gone savage, and the mystery has gone glum. If you want to tell a plain romantic tale you must put it in disguise. Fantasy builds worlds of its own with its own rules; the historical novel recreates the rules of the past. It means that for both of them that delightful old-fashioned thing, the happy ending, is still a practical possibility." ~ Jane Hodge When the King and Queen of Vidaria finally produce an heir, it isn't the son they expected, nor a daughter anyone could expect! The King's directive to educate his young Kristina as only princes were produces a princess who's unconventional, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. After she leads the military in her early teens, much to the consternation of the male-dominated political establishment, her family's intrigues lead to the fight of her life. ISBN #1-4137-1294-0 Just released June 28 from PublishAmerica! BOOK AVAILABLE NOW TO ORDER DIRECT FROM PA! ORDER HERE ALSO AVAILABLE AT AMAZON and BARNES AND NOBLE, also several other bookstores, depending on location Review of The Maverick Princess by D. A. ArthurLet us take a trip to Vidaria and the ancient house of the Valborgs. A kingdom not unlike many others of the time but with one exception: Kristina is the heir to the throne. In a world with male heirs Queen Marta declares, "... how can you fix your mouth and your quill to declare that my daughter is to be raised as a boy?" She refuses to have anything to do with her own child because she is a girl, even though she is the only one of many miscarriages to survive. Such is the world of The Maverick Princess. Kristina ascends the throne at six years old declaring, "To the lord chancellor and all the good men of Vidaria, I am Kristina Valborg by the grace of God, the only child of great Gustav. I promise, with God's help to be a good, wise and just king." Her father, King Gustav has already laid the foundation for her education and put in place the foundation for the daughter who would be king. An official scholar Johan Schroeder Skytte is placed in charge of Kristina's academic education after his death. She follows in her father's footsteps and strives to rule a kingdom with gentry that is absorbed with the fact that she is female and this is the reason that they believe that she should not rule Vidaria. With obstacles at almost every turn Kristina overcomes the powers set against her at the expense of her own personal happiness. Prince Lars seeks to remove her from her rightful place as ruler of the kingdom because of her refusal to marry and place his family upon the throne. As we grow along with Kristina one thing becomes crystal clear; she is a strong woman who knows what she wants to do no matter what others may ask or expect of her. The Maverick Princess begins on the day of her birth and carries us well into Kristina's reign as Sovereign of Vidaria through wars and turmoil in the inner court. It starts off slowly, owing to D.A. Arthur's extravagant detail of scenery but once that is situated the story falls tidily into place and becomes one of much charisma and expressiveness. This is a first-rate read for lovers of Historical Fantasy and Fantasy alike with battles and conflicts enough to please all. For those, like myself, who have struggled to find good strong female characters that do not need the comfort of a male figure to prove their strength it is a welcome book. Kristina says it all: "Today I shall become King of Vidaria." The queen who was a king. --Review by Shanna Mawavise, author of The Tale of Chadizah An excerpt PROLOGUE The bright mid-August sun reflected off the surrounding mountains and shone through the large bay window beside the royal couple’s lavish wooden four-poster bed. Emerging from her thicket of satin sheets, her long corn-colored waves of hair flowing elegantly, Queen Marta winced, putting her hand on her stomach and taking a deep breath. “Oh, not these pains again!” she muttered. “Sometimes they get so bad I can’t even stand up.” King Gustav, handsome and well-educated, leaned over to his wife and lovingly kissed her on the cheek. Then he wrapped his arms around her stomach. “I felt a kick! The child moves!” he said excitedly. “What child?” Marta asked quizzically, gazing into her husband’s ocean-blue eyes. “Our child,” replied Gustav, hugging her. “You’re pregnant, Marta. We’re expecting!” Lying back down in the bed while Gustav tucked her in, Queen Marta moaned, “Oh, ohh! This pain has to stop! I don’t want to go through all this again.” “Marta, do you realize what has just occurred? This is most wondrous news!” he exclaimed, kissing her on her forehead. “We must make a proclamation to the entire kingdom.” With those words the king departed. After getting dressed that morning, he jaunted downstairs to the council area adjacent to the living room, the sound of his boots hitting the floor and arousing both fear and respect in the regents who sat around his elongated wooden table. “Good morning, Majesty,” whispered one of them. “Morning, everyone,” Gustav replied, the grin on his face a mile wide. “I’ve some news to report.” The Lord Chancellor, Duke Axel Oxenberg, the young king’s trusted friend, looked at Gustav. “Ah, your face has a glow this morning. What is this news you have for us?” “Her Majesty—Her Majesty is with child!” Gustav spoke in a hurried voice unaccustomed to him. “How do you know? Are you sure?” Another skeptical regent said, “We’ve been through this before with the Queen. She’s been pregnant six times before, and all six times she has failed to deliver your heir. On five of those occasions, she didn’t even carry the child to term.” “Yes, I’m aware of Her Grace’s misfortunes,” replied the king, “but I’m confident, it’ll be different this time.” “Why are you so sure?” King Gustav’s eyes lit up. “Because I felt the child move—and my intuition’s never failed me.” The men of the Regents’ Council collectively widened their eyes. “Therefore, I must take extreme care in allowing this child to enter the world. I’ll order the nurses to tend to the Queen at all times. I want her activities to be restricted as well as her diet.” “Your Majesty—” “I am not taking any chances this time.” With that, the king went to his bedchamber. Soon after learning of the Queen’s pregnancy, the citizens of Vidaria rejoiced because, after much heartache, they believed that finally their king, Gustav the Great, would produce an heir. Superficial and pleasure-oriented as the Queen was, she reveled in her husband’s preferential treatment of her. She played her role of the pregnant wife to perfection, lying on her back, surrounded by fragrant candles, lavish furnishings, and fine clothes. As time went on, she also became increasingly demanding of her attendants. “Nurse! More rosewater! Wipe my face, I’m sweating too much. My eggs are cold! And where in God’s name are my rolls?” The couple took one trip together during her pregnancy. This was to visit Lady Tekla Gregersdotter, a soothsayer and prophetess in whose apartments on the back side of Valhalla hung a papier-mâché mobile of the known solar system. “Good morning, great Gustav,” the Countess greeted, grinning and bowing. She wore a colorful floor-length robe. “I see that you are here with your wife, who is pregnant for the seventh time.” Gustav and Marta sat, holding hands affectionately. Now somewhat advanced in age for childbearing—Gustav thirty-two and Marta twenty-seven—they hoped that the time had finally arrived for them to produce a surviving heir to the Vidarian throne. Nothing Tekla could say, it seemed, could shake their love. “Great Gustav, I must tell you that the baby your wife is carrying shall be very special indeed.” Marta scoffed. “Oh, honestly. Of course the child is special. It’s ‘the offspring of a King and Queen, for heaven’s sake.” Gustav, grabbing Marta’s hand, whispered in her ear to quiet her. But Tekla did not waver. “Great Gustav, this special child is headed for an extraordinary destiny. I cannot yet reveal the details of this destiny, for all shall be known in due course.” Gustav sat dumbfounded, allowing Tekla’s cryptic words to sink in. He rose to thank the Countess. He took his wife, who sobbed uncontrollably in his arms, out of the apartments. “Why are you crying?” the king asked. “Are you afraid?” Marta continued to cry. “Why shouldn’t I be? I’ve been through this six times already. Still, this feels much different.”LATEST NEWS: I have a book signing scheduled for June 18 at 10 AM at the St. John Parish (LA) Library. Also, watch for #2 in the series, Her Majesty the King, which also is coming soon. READ AN EXCERPT NOW! Per request - a little about me I'm 28, single, living at home, no kids yet. I work in a public library, which gave me a lot of time to dream about my own name on the spine of a book ;-). I have two adorable nieces and two handsome nephews :-) which give me much joy. I possess a B.A. in English, minor in psychology, from Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, LA, and plan to someday go to graduate school. Some of the other things I like to do when I'm not writing crazy books are reading, playing with my niece and nephews, going to rummage sales, and shopping.
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