Kelle Z. Riley, an accomplished writer, speaker, scientist, world traveler, martial arts expert, and finalist for prestigious awards such as the Golden Heart and Feathered Quill, has garnered attention in local newspapers and national television broadcasts. Her new book ‘Counterfeit Commoner: Riches & Royals ’ recently hit the bestseller list and is a must-read this summer.
Her captivating literary works encompass the “Undercover Cat Mysteries” series, comprising engaging titles like “The Cupcake Caper,” “Shaken, Not Purred,” “The Tiger’s Tale,” and “Studying Scarlett the Grey.” These stories revolve around a scientist who has transformed into a sleuth while maintaining her passion for baking cupcakes. Additionally, Kelle Z. Riley has achieved critical acclaim for her acclaimed “Riches and Royals Romances” series, which includes captivating novels such as “Read My Lips,” “Royally Scandalized,” “Reluctantly Royal,” and “Counterfeit Commoner.” These books portray modern women who confront the challenges of loving a prince, realizing that it is more demanding than anticipated.
Kelle Z. Riley is an active member of esteemed organizations like the Chattanooga Writer’s Guild, Sisters in Crime, and Romance Writers of America, solidifying her strong affiliations within the writing community.
‘Counterfeit Commoner: Riches & Royals Book 4’ is part of a larger series but can it be read as a standalone novel?
Each book in the series can be read as a “stand alone” novel. Of course, I am hoping that once you read one, you’ll want to know what happens in the rest of the series. I certainly feel that way about books I’ve fallen in love with over the years. Discovering a new author with a multi-book series always delights and entertains me. I hope to do the same for readers of my series.
Can you discuss the themes of trust and betrayal in the book?
Interestingly enough, themes of trust echo throughout most of my books. (Maybe I have trust issues!) What makes a story engaging is the process a character goes through when he or she wants something but has obstacles standing in the way of reaching their desire. Writer shorthand for that is “conflict.” In the case of Sophia, there is a deep internal conflict with her. She wants to trust people, but fears that once they know her, they will take advantage of her. It is only by hiding her identity (i.e. her position in life) that she lets people see her true self.
Her mistake is placing her trust in the one person who could destroy her – former tabloid reporter Mike Maguire.
For Mike, the situation is even worse. Sophia is bound to be broken-hearted when he betrays her. He wants to be the hero she deserves. Wants to keep her secrets. But his own former life choices have him backed into a corner. His no win choice? Write the story that will dash her hopes and cause her pain, or let someone else do it. By choosing to do it himself, he hopes to minimize her pain, even though it will completely destroy his status in her eyes. So he chooses to sacrifice his future happiness for what he hopes will be her future happiness.
As I said, I often explore issues of trust in my works of fiction. The romance genre is the perfect place to do that. Readers of the genre know they are guaranteed a happy ending, so they are willing to suffer along with the characters as they work toward that ending. The angst, the emotions, the betrayals are all real – to the character and the reader – but only one of them (the reader) knows that it’s going to work out in the end. As a reader, I love being able to enjoy the characters’ struggles all the while knowing that somehow, “it’ll all be ok in the end.” Great catharsis!
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
Honestly, what I want most for the readers is that they gain a few hours of enjoyment from the book. I want to give them stress relief, escape, and all the things that a good vacation should give you – with a much smaller price tag. If they also end up putting me on a “favorite author” list, that would be wonderful, too.
How did you research particular elements of this story, such as the aristocracy and the American commoner lifestyle?
I enjoy putting myself into the shoes of another person and imagining what their life is like. From Hallmark Christmas movies to following the Royal Weddings of the British aristocracy, there is no shortage of information on what aristocratic life is like. One only has to imagine a life where your needs are secondary to a larger purpose. Many of us intuitively understand that, even if we are not members of an aristocratic class. We have expectations from our family, our community, or religious institutions, and many others that we have to navigate. Turning a “normal” person into an aristocrat involves, at its core, raising the stakes on the expectations we already feel. Once you have that idea firmly in mind, the fun begins.
Crafting my own aristocracy was a freeing experience. For many years I have approached political discourse with the thought “what platform would I use if I were in charge of the country?” Creating my own island kingdom was an extension of that. Believe it or not, I did a number of thought experiments regarding tax and fiscal policy for my research. But nothing was as fun as melding the Greek, Caribbean, and (for fun) Polynesian cultures to give birth to modern Melesia. I created history, traditions, mythology, and even a language for my world. Fun fact – a talented young musician also created a national anthem for me! That will be available on my website soon.
One of the stickier points was creating laws regarding royal protocols and lines of succession. You will note that the lines of succession don’t follow those of British or other well-known monarchies. And I fervently hope that when the Riches & Royals series become movies (are you listening, Hollywood? Netflix? Anyone?) that the royals don’t have an English accent. 😉
Researching the “American commoner lifestyle” was much easier. That’s what I grew up with! Even so, creating the town of Morgan’s Outpost and the characters that populate the story took every bit of my world-building skills and creativity.
Are there any particular scenes or characters in the book that you particularly enjoyed writing?
While Counterfeit Commoner is the fourth book in my Riches & Royals series, I have plans to continue the series. For me some of the most fun, and satisfying, scenes are those where I bring in characters from former books and have them interact with my current romantic couple. Revisiting the “people” that I’ve lived with so long in creating the books is a joy. It’s also fun to let them continue their growth arcs. For example, I really liked the scenes between Sophia and Constantine toward the end of Counterfeit Commoner. It shows such growth from when we first met them in Royally Scandalized!
By far the most fun, however, is writing the ending. You know, that part where all the conflicts are overcome, mistakes are forgiven, and happiness is gifted to the deserving couple? That’s the part that makes crafting a novel worthwhile. I love being able to tie up plot threads and gift my readers with that “ahh” moment when they can relax and enjoy that perfect fairy-tale ending. That is, until they pick up a new book…
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