Canadian Globe & Mail bestseller and received mentions in American Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and The Times. As a former corporate lawyer, Wells often features legal themes in her books. She lives in Brisbane and loves sharing her knowledge of the writing craft and the publishing business with other writers through workshops and private mentorships.
Wells applied the Page 69 Test to her newest novel, The Royal Windsor Secret, and reported the following:
Well, what do you know? A little bit of romantic tension on page 69 of The Royal Windsor Secret! The setting is my main character, Cleo’s debut ball, thrown by her wealthy hosts in London. Her best friend, Brodie, whom she hopes will become something more, does not belong to this world, and Cleo begins to see the widening chasm between them.Visit Christine Wells's website.For the first time, she became acutely aware of the vast difference between them physically. Brodie was a man now, and even the formal dress of a British gentleman could not conceal the raw power of his frame. His hold made her feel delicate and unsure, when she wanted to feel bold and strong. Ugh, what was the matter with her tonight?This page is not terribly representative because the focus of the book is on Cleo’s quest to discover whether she is the daughter of Edward VIII and on her ambition to become a jewellery designer, rather than on her romance with Brodie.
As she hesitated, he remarked, “You do know how to dance the foxtrot, don’t you, Cleo? I saw you doing it perfectly well just now.” He knew very well that she could dance. They’d taken an intensive course together with a dancing master Lady Grayson had hired before Brodie left for Oxford.
But the amused mockery in his tone snapped her into action. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried not to think about how solid it felt. Her feet shuffled as he drew her closer and she tried to make herself relax as they began to dance. He’d improved since they’d last danced together. That led her to wonder about his other dancing partners, which put her in a worse mood.
“Happy birthday, princess,” murmured Brodie. His warm breath tickled her ear.
She gave a start and jerked her head back. “Thank you. I, um ... It was good of you to come.”
She’d imagined this moment so often but now she was tongue-tied, behaving like an insipid bore. After a pause, she managed, “How have you been? We never see you anymore.” She hadn’t meant to sound so wistful and wanted to kick herself. Before he could answer, she added, “But I’ve met some lovely people. I’ll introduce you if you like.”
The prospect of Brodie’s meeting her friends made her review them critically, as if through his eyes. They were all rich and rather frivolous. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea.
My Book, The Movie: One Woman's War.
Q&A with Christine Wells.
--Marshal Zeringue
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