We chat with author Karina Halle about The Royals Upstairs, which a sizzling second-chance romance where he’s the royal bodyguard and she’s the royal nanny…the annoyingly hot attraction that simmers between them—that’s a royal pain.
Hi, Karina! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hey Nerds! I’m a Canadian-born author who splits her time between Victoria, BC and Los Angeles, California (whenever we feel like escaping the rain or the heat), with my husband and our newly adopted pupparoo Perry! I’ve been published since 2011 in both indie and traditional and I write across nearly all the different genres of romance.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was a kid, I was always making up stories. Usually, it had to do with horses. I remember in fifth or sixth grade we had to do a book report and I made up the book. I called it Spotted Beauty (the unofficial sequel to Black Beauty lol) and made up an author name and everything (I wish I could remember what name I used!). Anyway, this book was whole plot that I got to illustrate as well. I thought I was SO clever but one day the teacher said “now, I looked at your book reports and they were all very good but remember we are supposed to be doing reports on real books, not on ones we made up” and I remember thinking, with the naïveté of youth, oh she must be talking about someone else. Oh, it would have been so obvious. Sorry, Mrs. Mullen!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Honestly, I don’t remember. If you want to go back to like when I was like a super young wee child, then maybe those books that were illustrated about different fantasy creatures. Do you remember those? I think it was the Serendipity series. I loved those!
- The one that made you want to become an author: Probably a really strange combo of The Baby-Sitter’s Club and The Long Winter. I loved the descriptions of the latter, I really felt like I was snowed in for months on the prairies, and the exciting, real life drama of it all. The former, I loved the informal way of speaking, the POV that made you be able to relate to almost every girl in that darn club (I always thought I related to Kristy the least but the older I get the more I’m like, yeah no, I’m definitely a lot of Kristy lol)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: That’s a toughie. The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue is one that I think about often. I have others—usually a cosmic horror or psych thriller that left me unsettled–but that’s the first off the top of my head.
Your latest novel, The Royals Upstairs, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Angsty, emotional, sexy, fun, funny!
What can readers expect?
All of the above! Also, expect a lot of tension because it’s a second-chance romance between Laila, a royal nanny and James, a royal bodyguard. Their brief affair didn’t end very well and, well, as luck has it, the two of them are stuck working for the wacky Norwegian royal family on an isolated estate where they are frequently snowed-in. Lots of banter, bickering, found family vibes, neurodivergence rep combined with beautiful snow-filled, Norwegian scenery, and a look into what it’s like to work for a royal. Did I mention all the spice?
Where did the inspiration for The Royals Upstairs come from?
It’s a spin-off of The Royals Next Door, so I knew it would be about James, who was a bodyguard that was a minor character in that one. I’ve also written a book called the Wild Heir, which is about the (fictional!) prince of Norway, so I thought this would be a great way to kind of bring him and his wife Princess Ella back into the fray, since in this book they’re now the royals that my bodyguard (James) and nanny (Laila) work for. It’s fun to experience your characters years after their HEA.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
As a Norwegian girl (whose father was born in the town of Todalen that is featured in the book) I loved showcasing the country and the culture. Even though my character Laila is Norwegian herself, James, the Scottish bodyguard, is an outsider, so it was fun to see that through his eyes. Also, the side characters in this book are some of my most beloved, and they add so much to the story. You really get the sense of living at this isolated estate with these royals (I love the scenes at the dive bar that Prince Magnus often sneaks James to). Also, spice-wise, I’m partial to the scene where Laila hears James, um, enjoying himself through the bedroom wall (they share a wall).
With dozens of novels published, how do you stay inspired and writing?
Spite! It’s true. Always trying to prove myself, whether it’s against naysayers, or people who dismiss me, or just myself. I’m always trying to outdo myself and do better with the next book. So, spite is a huge motivation factor in my career. But I also find inspiration everywhere. I never run out of ideas and while I don’t publish as much as I used to, I’m always thinking up my next book. The old noggin never stops going “Oh that would be a great book!” Now the challenge is, “okay, do I have time to write this?”
What’s next for you?
The latter half of this year I have the last book in my romantasy series Underworld Gods. I also have a secret spooky project I can’t wait to tell the world about. Then next year we have the first in my romantasy “drugs n dragons” series, Realm of Theives, then the trad re-release of my Sleepy Hollow retelling (that’s also MMF and dark academia), Hollow and Legend!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
OH MAN. So many. Currently in the middle of a psych thriller called Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra and it’s so, so good. I also really enjoyed The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi and The Cloisters by Katy Hays. I’m super duper excited for next year’s Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab, The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling (a queer American Horror Story in Westeros? Yes please!), and the next Alex Stern novel by Leigh Bardugo (whenever we are blessed by it!) OH, and whatever Isabel Canas releases next. Gimme, gimme!
