Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Guest blogger: Leanne Banks

I first met Leanne during really bad circumstances. It was back in the days when I wrote fanfiction and someone took one of Leanne's books, changed the character names and posted it as her own story. Everyone was ooohing and aaahing over this woman's skill as a writer. And then... someone recognized the book and said it was a romance novel. I was tasked with finding a copy so we could make sure before we screamed plagiarism. Sadly, this woman had copied almost word for word. But on the bright side, I discovered romance novels and Leanne. After I finished that book, I went back to the used book store and hunted down Leanne's back list.

So please scoot over and make room on the swingset for NY Times bestselling author Leanne Banks.



Ever want to be a princess?

I grew up on Disney, so I did. I was the youngest of three daughters, however, so that slot was filled long before I was born.

While writing my first Silhouette Special Edition in ten years, I got the chance to write about a princess. She’s way different than the traditional fairy tale princess. She’s over worked with no life and no handsome prince in sight unless you count her cranky brother.

She’s always been the one to fill the gaps and she’s made sure not to cause any scandals. When she gets an opportunity to take a break from being a princess, she does it in a big way and gets pregnant by a Texas rancher.



I hope you’ll give ROYAL HOLIDAY BABY a try. You can purchase it in bookstores and there’s a 35% discount at Walmart. You can also get it online, of course. I’m giving away a copy of one of my previous titles to one commenter, so join in!

Here are my questions:

Have you ever wanted to be a princess?

What do you think would be the best part of being a princess? The tiara? The prince? Or the staff?

What do you think would be the worst part.





Visit me on the web at http://www.leannebanks.com/ or for weekly updates, check me out on facebook!

18 comments:

Laurie G said...

No I never wanted to be a princess.I was more in to sports.

Worst part- the lack of privacy. I would hate to have the press on my tail every minute of everyday.Plus the need to have a bodyguard for security.
Best- The pagentry, the aura of romance that surrounds royalty , the AHHH factor. I handsome prince would be the clincher!!

Minna said...

Have you ever wanted to be a princess? Never.

What do you think would be the best part of being a princess? The tiara? The prince? Or the staff?
Definitely the staff.

Marcy said...

No princess fantasies for me...although I do see the appeal of the clothes and the staff.

Good luck with your book, Leanne!

Playground Monitor said...

I've never had the desire to be a princess either, but I never tire of reading about them or watching royal weddings on TV. I'm wondering if the royal wedding from Monaco will be televised next summer. And I think that's probably the down side too -- lack of privacy as Laurie and Marcy said.

I like Minna's idea of having a staff. I could handle having a driver.

My granddaughter, who is four, already thinks she IS a princess and expects all of us to do her bidding. Sometimes I'm such a pushover. ::grin::

Leanne said...

Laurie, I've always wanted to be better at sports, but ooog, it just never happened. I think the one game I really enjoyed playing as a kid was kickball.:) Oh and once I went to college, I kinda enjoyed raquetball, because unlike tennis, the ball will eventually come back to you!:) Thanks for commenting!

Leanne said...

Minna, I'm liking the staff thing too.:) Thanks for commenting.

Leanne said...

Marcy, I agree with the appeal of clothes and staff too, however I do love lounging in my yoga pants and sweatshirt!:)

Leanne said...

Marilyn, isn't it fun having a little princess granddaughter? And yours is just gorgeous! Thanks for letting me visit the playground!:)

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

Welcome to the Playground, Leanne!

What girl hasn't wanted to be a princess? I think it starts at a very young age. When we went to Scotland several years ago I asked my daughters what they wanted me to bring them back. My oldest daughter (who was about 6 at the time) proceeded to tell me she wanted the crown jewels as her giftie. I told her she better start hunting down a prince...they aren't exactly thick on the ground here in Alabama.

Instigator

CrystalGB said...

As a little girl I wanted to be a princess but not as I got older. I think the public scrutiny and pressures of all the obligations would be the worst part. The best part would be the glamour and prestige of the role.

Angel said...

You know, out of all the Disney princesses, I only ever wanted to be Belle. I have a great love for the Beauty and the Beast story. And I could definitely go for someone else fixing my food and scrubbing the floors. :)

But I've always enjoyed reading about Princesses--I think it is the allure of a life so far removed from our own. As adults we see not only the perks (servants!) but also the complications (no privacy!) and want to see love overcome them. Will definitely have to check this out, Leanne!

Angel

Sherry Werth said...

No, I don't think I ever dreamed of being a princess although I did buy a lovely tiara recently. I'm thinking of wearing it around the house and see if it will make anyone in my household help out more! I kinda doubt it. :-(
The servants, clothes, travel and money would be a huge bonus but the lack of privacy would be a bummer. Notice I put servants first...my house needs a good cleaning! LOL
Well, come to think of it I am sort of like Cinderella, just stuck in the early years..BPC. (Before Prince Charming) :-D

I popped over to your website and read the excerpt from Royal Holiday Baby. Loved it! I might not have wanted to be a princess but I do love a sexy cowboy! ;-)

Summer said...

My princess fantasy would be Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday, her dresses, her haircut, and Gregory Peck. The only bad part would be that bittersweet ending.

chey said...

I never wanted to be a princess.
The worst part would be lack of privacy.
The best part would be the places you'd get to visit.

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

I think I want to be a Disney princess, but not a real princess. Much better to be Ariel in perfect princess cartoon-land than Princess Diana and have to deal with all the junk she had to endure.

Although... I did have a dream a few weeks ago that Prince William and I had secretly eloped. I have NO idea why. :)

I think the best part of being a princess would be perks - nice houses, nice cars, servants, bling, etc. I'll pass on the public appearances, pap stalking, and mass scrutiny. I don't want to be under anyone's microscope.

Problem Child said...

I would totally be a princess. Sign me up.

I won't even mind the paparazzi because I'd have a personal stylist to be certain I looked fab every time I set foot out of the house.

Seriously, if there's a princess job opening, let me know...

robertsonreads said...

Not that I can think of. However, I have thought about having a tiara, prince and the staff. Wonderful thoughts....
The worst part would be the lack of privacy.

Michele L. said...

I have always enjoyed watching movies about princesses but never had the desire to be one. One thing would be cool is to discover you had the heritage to a royal princess.

Definitely I would dig the part about being married to a prince but no desire to be one.

I love reading books about a princess though! So romantic! Sigh....