Fellow TWRP Author, Hebby Roman, romance author is here to share about her inspiration for The Princess and the Templar
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COMPELLING
CONCEPTS FOR ROMANCES
When I wrote my first published
historical romance, BETRAYED, I set the book in Puerto Rico, my husband's
birthplace. Traveling to my husband's home island, I became fascinated by
Puerto Rican history and soon realized Cuban history had been well documented, overshadowing
Puerto Rico. This made me determined to write a story set in Puerto Rico.
I learned through research that even
though Puerto Rico is a commonwealth territory of the United States, historical
sources were limited. And ironically, the most interesting point was that
Puerto Rico's settlement had far more in common with the U.S. than Cuba or the
other islands of the Caribbean. Most Caribbean island economies had been
founded on sugar plantations and slavery. But Puerto Rico, like the U.S. was
primarily made up of small family holdings where the settlers worked their own
land.
After a long struggle to free their
island from Spain, Puerto Rico was independent for just two years before being
conquered and annexed by the U.S. during the Spanish American war. I choose
this period of revolt against Spain to set my romance because it was a time of
conflicted loyalties and upheaval, which added an interesting backdrop for my
romance. And I went a step further and took my inspiration about conflicting
loyalties to craft a Puerto Rican version of Gone with the Wind.
Years later, I became fascinated
with the colorful and romantic pageantry of the Middle Ages. Again, I wanted to
utilize a compelling concept to showcase my medieval romance. My inspiration
was another mega-hit: The Thornbirds.
Since
the Church was a very important aspect of medieval life, I created a hero who
was similar to a priest, like in The Thornbirds, because of his sacred vow of
celibacy. This set-up was the ultimate conflict for a romance, a forbidden
romance. And even before Brown's blockbuster, the Da Vinci code, I had decided
a Knight Templar would be the perfect hero for forbidden love.
I
set my medieval, THE PRINCESS AND THE TEMPLAR, at a historical turning point
when the rich and powerful Templar Order is purged and exterminated by Philip
IV of France. Against this backdrop of historical upheaval, my hero, who has
fallen in love with an Irish princess and is sorely tempted to break his vow of
celibacy, is caught on the horns of a dilemma. Even before he meets the
heroine, he's in doubt about the depth of his vocation. Meeting the heroine and
falling in love with her drives him further from the precepts of his Order.
Then
when he's faced with corruption within his Order and its extermination, his
vocation is severed. But is he abandoning his duty so he can openly love the
heroine or are his internal doubts valid?
I
believe by utilizing a powerful concept that interweaves the internal and
external conflict, this makes for a compelling read. I hope you agree and will
try a sample at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Princess-Templar-Hebby-Roman-ebook/dp/B00GVKRVP0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1385378463&sr=8-4&keywords=Hebby+Roman
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THE PRINCESS AND THE TEMPLAR
Raul de Porcelos, a dedicated Knight Templar, is duty bound to bring orphaned
Irish Princess Cahira O'Donnell to wed the Earl of Orkney, Raul's lord. But
Cahira has a mind of her own and resists the handsome Templar, refusing to
relinquish the castle and lands that her family died to protect. Thrown
together by fate, they come to know each other and a forbidden passion is
kindled. Who will be the first to surrender to desire, the warrior-princess or
the warrior-monk?
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About Hebby Roman
Hebby
Roman is the author of eight print published romances, four historical romances
and four contemporary romances. She is a member of the Romance Writers of
America and the past president of her local chapter, North Texas Romance
Writers. She was selected for the Romantic Times "Texas Author"
award. She lives in Arlington, TX with her husband, Luis, and Maltipoo, Max.
Please visit her at: www.hebbyroman.com or
on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/pages/Hebby-Roman
If you would like to subscribe to my
newsletter, please send me an email at: callofmuse@sbcglobal.net
