Will and Kate publishing frenzy
As Will and Kate anticipate wedding bells on Friday, publishers in the US and UK are looking forward to another sound 鈥� Ka-Ching!
The royal wedding has inspired a royal rush of Will-and-Kate-themed literature, from classic photo books and biographies to Will-and-Kate-inspired comic books and, yes, bodice rippers.
First there was the wave of insta-books that hit the shelves late last year when Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement. The Sun鈥檚 royal correspondent James Clench finished his book, 鈥淲illiam & Kate: A Royal Love Story,鈥� in about 48 hours.
Also part of the insta-wave were 鈥淲illiam and Kate: Celebrating a Royal Engagement,鈥� by Robin Nunn, and 鈥淲illiam and Kate: A Royal Love Story,鈥� by Christopher Andersen.
So last year.
Fervent royals fans caught up in royal wedding fever will want to snap up the new comic book based on the lives of Will and Kate, due to hit shelves Wednesday. serves up a comic version of their eight-year romance.
鈥淭he closer the wedding day comes, the greater the excitement for the book,鈥� said Darren G. Davis, president of Bluewater, the comic publisher, to . 鈥淲hat I like about this issue is it presents both William and Kate as two well-rounded and grounded individuals. It's a great love story.鈥�
The comic book features a sketched portrait of William and Kate, wearing the most famous engagement ring in the world, the 18-carat sapphire and diamond ring once worn by Princess Diana.
The 32-page comic book, written by CW Cooke and illustrated by Pablo Martinena, retails for $3.99 and a special 40-page collector鈥檚 edition is $7.99
That鈥檚 not it, folks. The and have published entire lines of royal-themed bodice rippers sure to steam up your bookshelf. (We suspect they鈥檒l be a big sell among the hordes of Prince Will groupies disappointed that the subject of their admiration is now truly off limits.)
The romance novellas are actually short e-books downloadable for only $1.99 each, a perfect late-night treat to enjoy as you await the royal wedding early Friday morning.
The , which are between 10,000 and 15,000 words, are based on actual royal marriages and historically researched. The , some of which were written in less than a month, place fictional characters in real-life royal weddings.
The romance novellas sport such titles as 鈥淪candal of the Year,鈥� and 鈥淏e Mine Tonight.鈥�
Blushing yet? There鈥檚 more.
Here鈥檚 a toothsome morsel from Terri Brisbin鈥檚 鈥淲hat the Duchess Wants,鈥� featuring Eleanor of Aquitane and a future Henry II:
鈥淗enry held her close and slid his hands around to her back, possessing her mouth and letting her taste of his desire for her. He wanted to touch more of her and began to caress the curve of her hip. Just when he would have moved his hand up, a loud knock came on the door and Eleanor jumped back, putting distance between them.鈥�
We鈥檙e guessing Will and Kate are probably thanking their lucky stars that they haven鈥檛 landed in a bodice ripper鈥et.
Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.
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