The twelfth and final Once Upon a Prince book is here! To close out this fantastic fairy tale retelling series, it’s The Winter Prince: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling by Constance Lopez!

This shapeshifting, tricksy fae twist on the classic fairy tale is a swoon-worthy romantic adventure!

The Winter Prince on Amazon

Breaking his bargain with another fae has earned Revi, Prince of the Winter Court, a terrible curse: he lives as a beast and must watch his people suffer under a withering blight. The only cure? A heart freely given.

When a human patrol steals one of Revi’s magical roses, a sliver of opportunity strikes. He agrees to spare their lives in return for a woman who must live in his castle for a year and a day. But could such a beauty learn to love a beast like him?

Although Kienna was warned of conniving fae before her arrival at the Winter Court, the Winter Prince, while beastly, is not the monster she expected. Her dreams plague her—or more specifically, the enigmatic silvery man who walks them does. She’s determined to find him in the waking world and free him from his imprisonment.

Her dream prince begs her not to trust her eyes. But… can she trust her heart?

The Winter Prince , a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, is book 12 of  Once Upon A Prince , a multi-author series of clean fairy tale retellings. Each standalone story features a swoony prince fighting for his happily ever after.

This one sounds like an absolutely tropetastic romantasy dream and I am here for it! I actually got to chat to the lovely Constance in the run up to release day, keep reading to find out about her writing journey, where she finds inspiration and what you can expect to see next from her…

Hi Constance! Thank you so much for chatting with me, it’s been a dream working with you on Once Upon a Prince! Tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with.

I’m from Texas, born and raised! I am married and we have two charming wildlings whom I homeschool! I love reading, sewing, and hiking when I’m not writing.

Wildlings, I love that – my five year old son is definitely one of those!  When did you start writing and what inspired you?  

I started writing as a teenager when I realized that authors were real people, which meant I could write a story just like I loved reading. Granted, those stories were awful messy things, but I loved making stories and characters.

I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t realise writing books was a job real people could do until much later! Hehe. What’s your favourite genre?

FANTASY. Always! I grew up on Lord of the Rings, and I have always preferred fantasy to every other genre (though I also read classics, historical fiction, and contemporary romcoms). I love of a lot of romance tropes, but one of my favorite tropes in ANY story is fish out of water. It makes for so many fun moments!

I love a fish out of water story! And there are so many ways to do it in fantasy, the possibilities are endless! Tell us about your first novel, Of Stormlarks and Silence.

My first book is a connected standalone, which means it’s part of a series (The Kasmian Chronicles) where every book has a happy ending/no cliffs, and follows different characters from the world. Of Stormlarks and Silence is book one, and it’s about a princess-turned-assassin set on revenge and reclaiming her kingdom–until she meets the kind prince who throws a wrench in her plans.

I’ve heard so many good things about this book, and it’s waiting on my TBR shelf, I can’t wait to dive in! Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

Any and everywhere! Sometimes it’s a conversation with a friend (this is what prompted my take on Beauty and the Beast in The Winter Prince), sometimes it’s other books or movies. 

I’m so glad that conversation sparked your idea for The Winter Prince and the decision to organise the OUAP series, give my thanks to your friend! Do you consider yourself a plotter, pantser or plantser?

Plotter! Maybe Plantser. I make the plan, and if it deviates, I adjust it as I go. But I need SOME sort of framework or I just flounder.

I’m exactly the same, I like to have a road map even if I take a few detours on the way to my destination. What are you working on next?  

I just plotted out book 3 in my Kasmian Chronicles! It’s got enemies to lovers, a morally grey hero, and lots of cute animal companions.

That sounds right up my alley! I can’t wait to read the entire series, animal companions are just the best. Before I let you get back to your writing, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to any aspiring authors reading this?  

Be consistent! Even if you only write a sentence a day, the consistency of showing up every day is what will finish your story, not big inspired bursts followed by months of not working on it.

Okay, I feel both called out and inspired, haha! Thank you for speaking with me Constance, I’m so grateful to you and Alora for everything you’ve done to make Once Upon a Prince such a huge success, and I’m looking forward to reading everything you write in the future! Where can we keep in touch with you and find out more about your books?

You can go to my website, follow me on Instagram or Facebook, or join my NL!  

Website:   https://www.constancelopez.com/ 

Newsletter signup:  https://www.constancelopez.com/newsletter 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/constancelopezauthor/ 

Facebook page/group:   https://www.facebook.com/constancelopezauthor 

If you haven’t read The Winter Prince, or Constance’s debut series The Kasmian Chronicles, go and grab them now!

Happy reading, friends.

Lyndsey

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