My fourth Kingdom novel, Will Be Done, published in July 4, 2023.
Summary: Kingdom is a world filled with magic and monsters ruled equally by five fairytale queens. Sondra and Harold Saturn of Earth visit this fantasy land to help out their royal friends. On their latest arrival, they learn that a new king sits on the throne. This king has cast a spell on the queens and everyone in Kingdom to erase any memory of their rule or the queens’ love of their husbands. To break the spell, the queens must kiss their true loves.
Easy? Hardly.
Cinderella hates her former husband for forgetting her when he tried her slipper on everyone else. The Little Match Girl, left to a cruel world, doesn’t trust anyone. Beauty only desires friendship from her beast-like companion, and the Marsh King’s Daughter’s husband is missing. And the eldest queen, Penta, never had a true love.
With a villainous king tracking them and a mage who can’t get her teleportation spell right, Harold and Sondra have their hands full pairing the queens with their princes. And just when they think they have a plan for how to succeed in their quest, they learn the identity of the new queen…
If I had to pitch it, I’d say this is comic book company Marvel comic’s What If with fairytale characters.
This novel, like the others, is a standalone, high fantasy adventure set in the fairytale land of Kingdom. Most of the characters in prior stories will be present including Kingdom’s version of Cinderella; Beauty; The Little Match Girl; Penta, the Maiden with no Hands; and The Marsh King’s Daughter. I replicated elements people have said they enjoyed about the previous novels in the series . In particular:
- More familiar fairytale characters
- New exotic locations, including a chalet built strictly for a romantic rendezvous.
- A dastardly villain with a powerful artifact who has a reason for opposing the queens
- Settings outside of both Kingdom and Earth
- A bit of darkness, a bit of humor, a lot of heart
My novels are mostly fairytale continuations. I always wondered what Cinderella would do if her kingdom were brutally killing animals for their pelts, or less scrupulous people established an evil tavern. How does a pure-hearted person live in a world with such challenges? This novel delves into the sacrifices and compromises the fairytale queens had to make.
Usually, my novels highlight one of the queens more prominently than the others. Will Be Done belongs to Cinderella. She played a minor role in the previous three, but this time she has the most page time. So if you like the sound of her dilemma—she thinks she’s living with the consequences of her prince abandoning her—you’ll find much to enjoy here.
I also purposely looked at my map and selected places my main characters hadn’t been to before to flesh out Kingdom. This map will be updated with new, mysterious locations to explore. The new map is linked below.
Technically, Will Be Done is a self-published novel available in online and paperback format. My novels are stuffed with extras, so you’ll find quotations, a map, a visualization of the sibling worlds to Kingdom, a timeline, and a cast of characters before you start the book. Illustrated chapter headings begin each chapter, and an interior depiction of one of the locations occurs a quarter of the way through the book.
Will Be Done may be enjoyed whether you’ve read the prior three novels or not. You’ll catch up quickly, and you’ll enjoy getting lost in a big fantasy adventure with relatable Earth characters interacting with familiar fairytale characters.
Sub-pages:
The map – Will Be Done, brings our heroes to new locations detailed on the map since the first novel.
A Tour of Kingdom – I wrote this long ago but it’s still relevant.
Radiance’s Retreat – An original illustration of a key location in the novel, a romantic chalet.
The Green-Haired Abductor (Short Story) – A prequel to Will Be Done starring Sinope the sprite.
Image Gallery – The illustrations of this novel.
The Marsh of Wishes – An original illustration of a key location in the novel, a swamp where wishes come true.
And once you’ve read Will Be Done, here’s a behind the scenes blog.