Historical Fact Versus "Romantical" Fiction - The King's Treasure

It's quite odd to let someone else wander around in your head, stepping into your daydreams and those countless little "what if" plot threads that pop up in the middle of the night, disturbing an already not peaceful slumber. But, that's exactly what I allow others to do when I publish my little romance novels.

It opens your thoughts and opinions up to for debate and pondering. For every nice review we receive as authors, there's always that negative one that sticks in your craw and drowns out every other voice. You have to develop an "Oh well" thought process or you'll never want to write anything. Ever. Again.

My first published novel, "The King's Treasure" (previously published as "The Sun King") has been the subject of much bashing. Like a first born, it was brought into the world by someone who really didn't know a damn thing about parenting. It's been a bumpy, learning endeavor for the both of us, with tons of growing pains along the way.

Look - I'm not a historian. I didn't study French history. I don't write Historical Fication. I write Historical Romance. I was inspired by a tale and others' interpretations and fashioned a romance out of it. A romance that I thoroughly enjoyed writing, that has some super steamy, sexy scenes in it (if I do say so myself). I used some historical timelines and events but it in no way was meant to be construed as fact. Come on, as "romantical" as one may wish 17th century France and the court of Louis XIV was, let's be real - nobles smelled ripe and used corners of palaces for toilets. 21st century hygiene norms were not in vogue or even possible. Lucky for us, we can still imagine them that way as we flip the pages or tap the screen of our favorite historical romance novel. 

As a romance author, I'm finding it difficult to fit into a specific genre and what's expected from the readers that enjoy them. Some of my stories have a lot more heat to them than others and I think that's based on what the story merits. I'm working on another installment in my Romance Reigns series at the moment. More than halfway into it and there hasn't even been a kiss between the hero and heroine yet. Hell, I'm wondering when the heck they are going to finally lock lips myself.

And that's one of the things I love about writing. I can have a slip of an outline for a story and then my Hero zigs when I thought he would have zagged... because it fits the character.

So, why have I babbled for this long? If you've read The King's Treasure and want to know what my inspiration and research pulled up on Louis XIV, read away. If you never plan to read The King's Treasure and don't mind being spoiled, read on, too... 

Please don’t read this until you’ve read the story as there are spoilers below.

​I have loved swashbuckling tales since I was little. I read Alexandre Dumas’ The Man in the Iron Mask (after watching a film based on the book) almost two decades ago and became even more intrigued with the reign of Louis XIV. And, then, my romance daydreaming took over: heaving bosoms under desperately tight corsets, possessive men with lust in their eyes – you’ve gotten the idea since you made it to the end of the book and are reading this right now.
Since my story is obviously one of fiction, below are items where I chose to roam from historical fact:

• Louis did have a brother named Philippe. He was, however, not his twin but his younger brother.
• The inspiration of Louis’ imprisoned twin brother, Philippe, stems from Dumas’ historical fiction novel. There was a man held captive, his identity hidden, for decades under the reign of Louis XIV. You can find many theories, but all seem to trace back to this prisoner being a threat to Louis’ throne and his title of king of France.
• Louis did indeed love women and had many, many mistresses. Cecilia is merely a fictional representation.

The research I did based on Louis’ reign (including some important historical events) and his many palaces are by no means extensively thorough. If you are a history buff, you more than likely were disappointed by some errors. I apologize. In the end, my main focus was the romance. (I’d love to hear any comments you’d like to share. But, please, keep the flogging to a minimum.)