The Bonnie Prince

Okay, so I have a new modern day hero. Besides Eddie Vedder.

Prince Charles.

Now, when I was a young girl, I eagerly awaited the fairytale wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. In anticipation of the event, I’d revamped Barbie’s house into a palace and Barbie wore her white wedding dress nearly everyday. My brother’s Spiderman doll served as Prince Charles, and six Breyer horses pulled a shoebox coach. The day arrived and my mother and I woke up really early to watch the whole ceremony on television.

Over the years, I’ve had a cursory interest in the comings and goings of the Royal Family, my curiosity mostly satisfied with candy-coated descriptions and pictures in People or Hello! magazines but really, the fascination has always been about Diana. I never really paid attention to Prince Charles except to note a few facts. He owns a lot of castles. Sometimes, he wears a kilt. He likes to play polo. Seems to take time to smell the roses. And he makes cute kids.

It was news to me to hear about his environmental concerns and organic farming, not because it’s the latest trend but because it has been his true passion for twenty years or more. Imagine converting an entire estate to green. Or a royal prince of the old guard flying commercial. Many modern CEOs wouldn’t even consider that.

Of course, his critics berate him for not practicing what he preaches but I wonder what they have done to affect change?

Prince Charles is changing the world in baby steps. Given his means and status, of course, his baby steps seem like giant strides, but at least he’s trying. His example has inspired me to change my house’s light bulbs, and I’m slowly starting to become more aware of the vast amount of damage I alone cause the world simply by living a consumer lifestyle. It’s fairly frightening.

So, here’s to a great role model who is doing what he can to save the world. Just as a king should.

The Lusty Month

It’s May. Peach tree blossoms, long walks, warm weather, grilled seafood, ice cream cones, and cake. Of the literary variety that is. My new book, Cake, a fun-filled fantasy romance about a woman who lands in the Land of Cake releases today from Wings ePress. To celebrate, I’ve posted a yummy contest on my website. Hope you stop by to enter it and read more about the book. In the meantime, here’s a quick excerpt for your May Day pleasure:

A slight smile played at Rune’s lips and he seemed relaxed. He acted as though they strolled through Brickbottom and that reassured her somewhat. Still, Breena’s gaze skittered to the edge of the wetlands, where something rustled in the cattails. She began to hum.

They entered the swamp with its towering trees, dead giants choked in webs of gray-green. Splashes of blue, will o’ the wisp, fired along the path and in the bracken. Thoughts of Dracula flit through her mind. She hummed louder.

“You’re going to start babbling in a minute, aren’t you?” Rune asked. “If you start singing, I will throw you in the swamp.”

“There are alligators in swamps, Rune, with big teeth and they move really fast. My parents took me to Louisiana when I was a kid and we went on a canoe ride through the swamps and they just sit there like fat lumps and grin and then they slither and there’s this thing called the loup-garou, probably a relative of Luke’s, but not so nice. I didn’t see one of course but it felt like it was out there waiting and--”

He stopped walking. “Fox cub?”

“Yeah?”

He took her by the shoulders and very slowly, leaned forward to touch her nose with his. He drew back and said, “I assure you that there are no alligators, swamp werewolves, or any evil creatures in Scar Burrow.”

“Oh yeah?” she said, looking over his shoulder at the horde of zombies advancing on them. “Then what about them?”