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Maryland author L.R. Jackson loves a good love story. (Who doesn’t?) After a lifetime of reading and writing, Jackson released her first traditionally published novel, The Accidental Queen. A “second-chance romance” meets “suspenseful forbidden love” in this page-turning debut.
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The story follows Ebony Rose, a strong-willed protagonist who “desires the freedom to love without limits.” The second-chance romance story follows her reunion with King Dafari, an uncoupled king facing pressure to find a queen. Marrying outside of his culture is strictly forbidden, but Ebony Rose embodies all the qualities he seeks in a partner and matriarch for his country. With Ebony hiding her own skeletons and secrets revealed throughout the novel, you won’t be able to put it down.
The story is compelling, and Jackson took the time and care it takes to create complex and lovable characters. Secondary characters also promise their own spin-off and sequel titles.
“This is the first of a five-book deal,” explains Jackson. “There are two sequels coming.”
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The strong-willed alpha heroines Jackson writes about certainly mirror her own tenacity. She grew up in a small town in Maryland and found a passion and love for writing at a young age.
“I wrote a short story when I was 12, and I actually won a contest,” she says. She had to fly to Chicago to accept the award and, since her family couldn’t afford it, she had to forfeit.
“I had to make sure someday that I would keep writing and my stories were told,” she says. As an adult, she entered the corporate workforce and devoted her time and energy to raising her daughter.
“Once she turned around 16, I was able to return to my passion,” Jackson explains. The Accidental Queen is the product of that passion, and we can expect at least four more page-turning romance stories from Jackson in the coming years.
“Just write it—those are my words of wisdom,” she adds. “People say ‘I want to write a book but I don’t know where to start.’ That’s why we have editors. There are plenty of resources to polish a story, but you have to write it first. Once it’s written, you’re an author—published or not.”
Find The Accidental Queen at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon as an e-book, audiobook or paperback.
Related: Get Lost in Literature at Delaware’s New and Used Bookstores
