by Nina Lane
Each room in the lighthouse will contain books, paintings, illustrations, and resources devoted to specific countries, with plenty of tables and comfortable chairs so people can research or simply sit and read.
In addition to the library, we plan to build an addition to the kitchen so we can open The Mad Hatter Tea Shop, a fairy-tale themed café serving pastries and, of course, a variety of teas. Flynn and I will be the establishment’s co-owners, and when the library opens—hopefully in the fall to coincide with the publication of Fiamma—I’ll start my official position as chief curator.
I leave the workroom and walk up the spiral staircase to the tower. I turn the light on. Flynn’s desk, cabinets, and corkboard are all back in his office at Ramshackle Manor, so the tower is empty aside from the expansive view streaming in through the windows.
We haven’t yet decided what role the tower will serve in the fairy-tale library. Flynn has suggested we keep a specific collection of fairy tale books here—Hans Christian Andersen, maybe—or use it as a reading and study space.
I have my own ideas for a Riley Flynn Room, a place to display the artwork he doesn’t want to part with, and also for other local authors to give readings and lectures. We could even have small-scale art classes and children’s programs here. The tower is too special not to share with everyone.
I look down at the ocean, the waves breaking along the cliff, the secrets wall bordering the plateau. A figure appears in the distance from the direction of the parking lot. Dressed in jeans and a black coat, his stride long and certain, his dark hair rumpled from the wind… he’s unquestionably the man I love.
My heart spins, wild and happy. The past four days without him has felt like four weeks. Funny how I’ve gotten so used to having him around.
I start to turn, anxious to run and meet him, but he passes the front door and continues toward the hill. As if drawn by the light, like I have been so many times, he glances up at the tower. He keeps walking.
He stops by the secrets wall and takes something out of his pocket. After pushing it into the crevice of two rocks, he ambles to a bench, sits down, and… waits?
I hurry downstairs and open the front door. Our gazes meet with a warm, sparking current as I pass him on my way to the wall. I kneel and reach between the cold, damp stones. His secret is the only one here.
I stand and unfold the crumpled paper. Written in his distinctive black scrawl is one sentence.
You are my favorite fairy tale.
A breath catches in my throat. I turn toward Flynn. With a smile, he stands.
My soul fills with a love so powerful it could make the sun rise. I cross the terrace and fly right into my husband’s arms.
THE END
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As much as I love words, there aren’t enough in any language to express my gratitude to the following people for their extraordinary help bringing Flynn and Eve’s story to life.
Stacy Jerger, your insights, knowledge, and ridiculously sharp brain are treasures, and I love that I get to reap the benefits of them all. I can’t thank you enough for the time and care you’ve invested in this book. Jessa Slade, your ideas never fail to get both me and my characters out of a rut and to take my stories to a whole new level. Cathy Yardley, I never want to write a book without you.
Lea Ann Schafer, how you perceptively pick up on things I can’t see at all is a mystery for which I am so grateful. Corinne DeMaagd, thank you for pushing my ideas both in the right directions and outside of the box. Thank you, Lori Devoti, for your incredible knowledge of story structure, and Jennifer Bray-Weber for your insightful ideas. Kelley Heckart, your eagle-eyed copyediting is always a perfect polish to my books.
Danielle Sanchez of InkSlinger PR, thank you so much for your energy, support, and efforts on my behalf. I’m so thankful to have you in my corner. Thank you, Kelly Emery, for the beautiful graphics and teasers.
Thank you infinitely, Letitia Hasser of RBA Designs, for working so hard on the beautiful cover; Paul Salvette of BB eBooks for the rock-solid formatting, and Wander Aguiar for the cover photo. An extra big hug to Andrey Bahia for getting the job done with such professionalism and speed.
Victoria Colotta, if I weren’t so happy to have you as a friend, I’d be jealous of how multi-talented you are. From book and website design to art, writing, and editing—I don’t know anyone else who can do it all so well. Thank you so much for bringing your A-game every single time.
Special thanks to my amazing friends and readers MJ Fryer, Rachel B., and Maria D. Your support and love leaves me speechless, and I still can’t wait for the day when I get to hug you all in person. Warning: I will cry.
I owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude to the storytellers, folklorists, collectors, artists, and writers who have preserved fairy tales for countless generations. Though not a complete list, I relied heavily on the following resources.
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, ed. Jack Zipes; The Twelve Fairy Books, ed. Andrew Lang; From the Beast to the Blond: On Fairy Tales and their Tellers, by Marina Warner; The Hard Facts of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales, by Maria Tater.
Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen, (1845): hca.gilead.org.il/snow_que.html
Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen, Lit2Go edition, (1845): http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/198/the-snow-queen
The Little Red Riding Hood Project: media.usm.edu/english/fairytales/lrrh/lrrhhome.htm, ed. Michael N. Salda, University of Southern Mississippi.
SurLaLune Fairy Tales: www.surlalunefairytales.com, ©Heidi Anne Heiner
Folklore and Mythology E-Texts: www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html, ©DL Ashliman
Mapping the Fairy-Tale Heroine’s Journey: theodoragoss.com/2017/04/03/mapping-the-fairy-tale-heroines-journey, ©Theodora Goss
My ideas for Flynn’s books and Maria Wood’s art were inspired by the following artists:
Graeme Base: graemebase.com
Natalie Frank: www.natalie-frank.com
Hieronymus Bosch: www.hieronymus-bosch.org
Hiro Kamigaki, author of the Pierre the Maze Detective series
Chris van Allsburg: www.chrisvanallsburg.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone.
Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she’s that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.
www.ninalane.com
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