By Kelly Scarborough
My novel, Butterfly Games, follows Jacquette Gyldenstolpe, a young Swedish countess whose forbidden love affair with the heir to the throne sends shockwaves through her life and the fate of a rising dynasty. Based on a true story and set during the political storms of the early 1800s, the book is full of secret meetings, impossible choices, and the kind of slow-burn tension that builds every time two people who shouldn’t fall in love absolutely do.
When I write, music helps me find the emotional heart of each scene. The right song can sharpen the characters’ pain, heighten their joy, or dial up their passion. Some songs on this playlist echo Jacquette and Oscar’s devotion, some capture the ache of longing, and others hint at the danger that threatens them from behind the palace walls.
Playlist
“Some Day My Prince Will Come” (from Snow White) by Adriana Caselotti
This classic captures Jacquette’s early hopefulness—she’s a young girl with big dreams and a head full of stories about what her life could be.
“Love Story” by Taylor Swift
To everyone who has ever felt the pain of societal judgment because they followed their heart. “You be the prince and I’ll be the princess. It’s a love story, baby, just say yes.”
“Thank You” by Led Zeppelin
Written from the perspective of a 20-year-old with the world in the palm of his hand, this is one of my favorite love songs. It captures Oscar at his best, a young man whose thoughts have turned to love.
“Just My Imagination” by the Rolling Stones
This 1978 version of the Temptations classic is about the pain of being caught up in an impossible love. The Stones, as usual, mine the dark side of that vibe perfectly.
“Illicit Affairs” by Taylor Swift
For every bad decision Jacquette makes, and every time she lets Oscar pierce her heart, love is the reason. “And you know damn well, for you, I would ruin myself a million little times.”
“Watercolor Eyes” by Lana del Rey
“Young love don’t always last forever,” sings Del Rey. This song speaks to the loneliness of togetherness and the way love can blur into anguish.
“Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer
The ultimate requiem to a dying love. Once you’ve felt that pain, you don’t easily forget it. “My dear, we’re going down, and you know that we’re doomed.”
“Saint of Me” by The Rolling Stones
This could be Oscar’s anthem, as I imagine the young prince in Butterfly Games. “He loved women, wine, and song. And all the special pleasures of doing something wrong.”
“Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton
The indescribable anguish of losing a child, captured by the high priest of guitar.
By the time you finish Part Three of Butterfly Games, you’ll know why I chose it.
“Moonlight Mile” by The Rolling Stones
I love an album with a great closing song, and this one from Sticky Fingers is perfection. It’s all about loneliness and separation, recorded in Mick Jagger’s 19th-century estate on the eve of the band’s move to the South of France. I think he foresaw the rocky times ahead, but did what needed to be done. I’d like to think that Jacquette grew into the kind of person who could walk that moonlit road.
About the Author
After more than two decades as an attorney, Kelly Scarborough began writing historical novels about fascinating women who lived in challenging times. Her passion has taken her to Swedish castles and archives, where she has met interesting people and new friends. Scarborough’s debut novel, Butterfly Games, a tragic love story about two star-crossed lovers, a countess and a prince, is based on real-life characters who lived in Sweden in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. It’s for fans of Philippa Gregory, Outlander, and Bridgerton.
Scarborough currently lives on the Connecticut Shoreline and in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, where she bangs away on her MacBook Pro whenever her husband, three stepchildren, two children, and Shih Tzu cooperate. At heart, she’ll always be a Jersey Girl.
Learn more at kellyscarborough.com
About the Book
For fans of Philippa Gregory and Allison Pataki, a debut biographical historical novel about a young Swedish countess whose youthful love affair with the heir to her country’s throne has profound personal and political repercussions.
In some games, winning means losing everything that matters.
In the opulent world of the Swedish royal court, Jacquette Gyldenstolpe walks a dangerous tightrope between romance and political intrigue. Neglected by her parents and ostracized by the people around her, the young countess falls in love with Prince Oscar, heir to the Swedish throne—but their passionate affair has far-reaching consequences for the new Bernadotte dynasty, which is already challenged by threats from inside Sweden and beyond.
By the time Jacquette learns that the Butterfly Game is not for the faint-hearted, it is too late. For she has a secret—one as precious to her as it is potentially devastating to the crown—and she will stop at nothing to protect it.
Based on a true story and set in stormy early-1800s Europe, Butterfly Games is a sweeping historical tale of forbidden love, fierce duty, and the cost of ambition. From the lavish ballrooms of Stockholm to the elegant manor houses of the Swedish countryside, Jacquette’s story will transport readers to a world where every whisper could lead to triumph or ruin.
Comments
Loading…