The Princess and the Castle

If someone called the WILFAIR series a princess-castle story, I wouldn't object. Putting a modern, urban spin on the traditional princess-castle story has very much intrigued me.

I adore those old stories, or most of them. But I wanted to write about a princess who is in charge of her castle. She isn't just a figurehead. And even though she doesn't own her power yet, I wanted her to find a way to embrace her strength and talents.

And hotels, especially the very large and historic ones, are definitely city castles. Like a castle, a hotel is a busy little world unto itself, self-contained and complete with all needs. And hotels are castles anyone can stay at, too, which I love. It's that come-one-come-all spirit that infuses a hotel with immediate dramatic potential.

So:

Princess=Fair Finley
Castle=Wilfair Hotel
Kingdom=Finley family's nine California hotels

In the end, the princess of the WILFAIR books knows she has to get her key-wrap together. Thank goodness she is getting closer to the blacksmith and candlemaker next door. They won't be responsible for her owning her power -- that's totally her journey -- but their friendships will lend support and maybe a little sparkle to her day-to-day castle-managing duties.