Royally Yours, A Christmas Novella Collection With Guest Post by Ashley Clark!

Posted by abakersp in Spotlights / 0 Comments

Christmas novellas are everywhere, and have I got a great one to share with you this week!! Royally Yours is such a wonderful collection of stories, and I just happen to have each author on the blog this week talking about their story in the collection. Squeee!!! Fangirling over here 🙂 Today Ashley Clark is here to chat about her story, A Tinsel Holiday. Please join me in welcoming Ashley to the blog!

Royally Yours: Royalty Meets Small-Town Charm in Four Heartwarming Christmas Romances by [Johnson, Liz, Tagg, Melissa, Clark, Ashley, St. Amant, Betsy]

Tinsel, Vermont is known for its no-paparazzi policy and Christmas decorations that are fit for a queen. This holiday season, join four royals on a stroll through town square as they each find their Christmas wishes for a happily-ever-after…tiaras optional.  

A Tinsel Holiday by Ashley Clark

Princess Beatrix has already met the love of her life. Two years ago, an American journalist named Tyler was assigned to write a feature story about her. But the twenty-four hours that followed changed the two of them forever. Now, Tyler has returned home to Tinsel and traded his career in journalism to run The Melody Inn. Though the quirky mayor and eccentric town traditions are a far cry from the world travels he once enjoyed,Tyler has settled into small-town life and made peace with the knowledge he will never see Beatrix again. But when an American tour brings Princess Beatrix to Tinsel, she and Tyler will have another twenty-four hours together and one more chance at love. Only this time, with gingerbread and mistletoe.

Amazon / Goodreads

The Inspiration for A Tinsel Holiday

By Ashley Clark

Thanks so much for inviting me to chat about my story, A Tinsel Holiday! I’ve had such fun working in this Royally Yours collection with Melissa, Liz, and Betsy, who I consider dear friends.

I first got the idea for my story after seeing news coverage of Harry and Meghan’s wedding. I’ve never been one to keep up with the royal gossip, although I do love all things British! But something about the secrecy of their courtship and the fact Meghan is American really intrigued me. I knew there was a story to be explored there.

Melissa, Liz, Betsy, and I are all huge fans of the television show Gilmore Girls. So we all started thinking… what if we could create a town that would be a safe haven for royals? Our own small-town that was Christmas-obsessed with fun traditions and a sprinkling of Stars Hollow? In a snap, the idea for Tinsel was born. We started brainstorming Christmas contests and quirky characters, and the town quickly seemed to come alive.

My own story, A Tinsel Holiday, came out of my love for Roman Holiday. I absolutely adore the ending of Roman Holiday… especially that moment the two main characters share as he hands her the photographs. But like everyone else who’s seen the movie, I’ve always wondered if there were some way– any way–the two of them might meet again. What happens next? Would he return to America? Would she ever visit? Tinsel seemed like the perfect backdrop to explore what might have been.

I especially loved getting into the point of view of Princess Beatrix, who is juggling the expectations of the Queen, the assumption she will marry the most qualified suitor, and the more generalized blah’s she has begun to feel about royal life. But visiting Tinsel and seeing a certain journalist-turned-inn-owner has Beatrix wondering if maybe the magic in the air isn’t just because of the Christmas lights and gingerbread contest… maybe the magic is something she could feel all year long.

I hope readers enjoy reading A Tinsel Holiday as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Well, I loved it so I bet everyone else will too! 🙂

Ashley Clark

Ashley Clark writes romance with southern grace. She’s dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses as an adjunct. She’s an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not writing, Ashley’s usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns.

Do you follow any royal news and if so, what interests you?