20 March 2020

Break Out the Champagne: It's Time for a Book Launch Celebration


Today I celebrate another significant milestone!

Today, the fourth book in my Country Girl Empress series, EXCERPTS FROM THE IMPERIAL DIARY hits virtual bookshelves! I still can't quite believe it myself...this is so exciting. The book is centered around real historical figures such as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, her husband Emperor Franz Joseph I, and their children. Come join them as their story continues! Naturally, I fictionalized the story and filled it with page-turning adventures, some danger, and a hint of romance. 

If you enjoyed the first three parts of this series, THE COUNTRY GIRL EMPRESSA LIFE IN THE SHADOW OF THE CROWN, and THE PERPETUAL TRAVELERthen I have no doubt that you will love this installment. But, no matter if this sort of book is your cup of tea or not, there might be someone in your life who does enjoy historical fiction, and I love to encourage my readers to give books as gifts, as they make great presents for any occasion.  

To all my readers who have been following my writing journey, thank you for all your support, encouragement, and enthusiasm! You make the hard work worthwhile, and I could not have done it without you. If I have not "met" you yet, make sure you head over to one of my social media outlets on FacebookLinkedIn, or Goodreads, and introduce yourself. Thank you for celebrating this book launch with me! 

About the book:

Empress Sisi is still youthful, gorgeous, and desired by many. She is loved and honored by her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, but all too soon they are hit by tragedies they are powerless to prevent.

Although the King pays for his pet projects with his own funds, it does not spare Bavaria from financial ruin. Feeling harassed and irritated by his ministers, King Ludwig considers dismissing the entire cabinet and replacing them with fresh faces. However, the cabinet members agree to act first. Seeking a cause to depose their King by constitutional means, the rebelling Bavarian ministers decide on the rationale that he is mentally unfit and therefore unable to rule.

They ask Ludwig's uncle, Prince Luitpold, to step into the royal vacancy once the monarch is removed. Luitpold agrees, on the condition that the conspirators produce solid proof that the King is indeed insane. Then King Ludwig II loses his life under mysterious circumstances. Was it suicide or is someone strategically eliminating members of the House of Wittelsbach?

Meanwhile, at court, many people, including the imperial couple and Crown Princess Stéphanie, know that Rudi has plenty of extra-marital affairs. His newest conquest is 17-year-old Baroness Mary Vetsera, daughter of Baron Albin Vetsera and his wife, Helene Baltazzi. Rudolph’s marriage to Steffi is not a particularly happy one and results in the birth of their only daughter, Archduchess Elisabeth, affectionally referred to as “Erzsi”.

The sudden, and violent death of Sisi’s only son, Crown Prince Rudolph at his hunting lodge Mayerling, shakes the Monarchy to its core. And the fact that the dead body of his teenaged mistress is found right next to his completes the scandal. How will the imperial couple cope with this devastating loss? Does this tragedy mark the end of the Danube monarchy, since Rudolph only had a daughter? And will their love and faith in each other allow Sisi and Franz Joseph to master these difficult trials?


Piper is the author of several non-fiction books, and recently added four historical fiction novels to her ever-expanding collection of published writings, In the Shadow of Her Majesty , The Country Girl EmpressA Life in the Shadow of the Crown, and The Perpetual Traveler. When she isn't busy typing on her computer, she can be found chasing after her furry children or holding on tightly to a good cup of coffee. Follow her on LinkedInFacebook, and Goodreads.
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