Category: Behind the Scenes

Six Degrees of Separation, Butterfly Games Edition–Napoleon to Jacquette

Posted on September 24, 2025 in Behind the Scenes, Butterfly Games, Newsletter, Swedish Royals

What do Napoleon Bonaparte and a Swedish countess named Jacquette have in common? More than you’d think! Here’s the whirlwind version: 1 As a young army officer, Napoleon proposed marriage to Désirée Clary, the daughter of a silk merchant from Marsei…

For fans of Philippa Gregory, Allison Pataki, Bridgerton, and The Crown, Butterfly Games is Kelly Scarborough’s debut biographical historical fiction novel about a young Swedish countess whose youthful love affair with the heir to her country’s throne has profound personal and political repercussions.

Historical Fiction Book Covers: Butterfly Games: Behind the Scenes

Posted on July 11, 2025 in Behind the Scenes, Butterfly Games

Discover the story behind the book cover of royal historical fiction novel Butterfly Games by Kelly Scarborough. Meet the artists who designed the fern embroidery and cipher pin worn by ladies in waiting at the Swedish royal court. Preorder Butterfly…

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I’m so excited (and a little awed) to celebrate the launch of Butterfly Games at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, NH. I’ll be in conversation with former NPR host and historical fiction author Laura Knoy, followed by Q&A and a signing.

🍪 Light refreshments + book cookies#ButterflyGames
🎁 Two Gibson’s gift card giveaways

📍 Wed. Jan 21 at 6:30pm
👉 Details: https://gibsonsbookstore.com/event/kelly-scarborough and in link in bio

#KellyScarborough
#HistoricalFiction
#BookLaunch

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From the Pages of Butterfly Games

Oscar learns about betrayal long before he ever betrays.
Raised in a world where loyalty is conditional, he repeats what he was taught.
No one escapes their inheritance.

#ButterflyGames
#KellyScarborough
#HistoricalFiction
#BiographicalFiction
#WomensFiction
#RoyalFiction
#ForbiddenLove
#WomenInHistory
#BookLaunch
#NewHistoricalFiction

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“Suddenly, Jacquette wasn’t a scandal or a symbol. She was real.”

I’m honored to be featured by LibraryThing this month in an author interview about Butterfly Games, research, and the real woman behind the novel.

🔗 Link in bio to read the full interview.

#LibraryThing #ButterflyGames #HistoricalFiction #WomenWriters #Bookish #AuthorLife

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Open post by kellyscarboroughwrites with ID 17945436203961588

“Suddenly, Jacquette wasn’t a scandal or a symbol. She was real.”

I’m honored to be featured by LibraryThing this month in an author interview about Butterfly Games, research, and the real woman behind the novel.

🔗 Link in bio to read the full interview.

#LibraryThing #ButterflyGames #HistoricalFiction #WomenWriters #Bookish #AuthorLife

So great to see my favorite Swedish history writer @annalenaberg_forfattare on this list. Vitt gift, set in 1845 at Attarp Manor, is true crime focusing on a murder mystery where a poisonous substance (likely arsenic, "white poison") is used, involving both gentry and servants, blending historical details, societal class dynamics, and a suspenseful whodunit as lives are disrupted by the sinister event. Check it out, and vote for your favorite. #truecrime #swedishhistory #bookstagramsverige

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So great to see my favorite Swedish history writer @annalenaberg_forfattare on this list. Vitt gift, set in 1845 at Attarp Manor, is true crime focusing on a murder mystery where a poisonous substance (likely arsenic, "white poison") is used, involving both gentry and servants, blending historical details, societal class dynamics, and a suspenseful whodunit as lives are disrupted by the sinister event. Check it out, and vote for your favorite. #truecrime #swedishhistory #bookstagramsverige

Who You’ll Meet in Butterfly Games — Carl Löwenhielm

Meet Carl Löwenhielm.

He believes integrity should matter more than charm—and that belief costs him dearly.

At a royal court built on performance, Carl chooses restraint, truth, and duty. He does not bend easily, and he does not recover quickly.

His fault is not ambition, but sincerity. And sincerity, in the Butterfly Game, is a liability.

#ButterflyGames #KellyScarborough #HistoricalFiction #Bookstagram #CharacterReveal

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Who You’ll Meet in Butterfly Games — Carl Löwenhielm

Meet Carl Löwenhielm.

He believes integrity should matter more than charm—and that belief costs him dearly.

At a royal court built on performance, Carl chooses restraint, truth, and duty. He does not bend easily, and he does not recover quickly.

His fault is not ambition, but sincerity. And sincerity, in the Butterfly Game, is a liability.

#ButterflyGames #KellyScarborough #HistoricalFiction #Bookstagram #CharacterReveal

Places You’ll Go in Butterfly Games—Haga Pavilion

A jewel box of a royal retreat.
Sunlight on water. Gold trim gleaming.

In Butterfly Games, Haga Pavilion becomes a backdrop for moments that are anything but casual — where intimacy and watchfulness share the same small palace.

Beautiful spaces, dangerous conversations.

Butterfly Games · January 20, 2026
#ButterflyGames #HistoricalFiction #HagaPavilion #RoyalIntrigue

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Places You’ll Go in Butterfly Games—Haga Pavilion

A jewel box of a royal retreat.
Sunlight on water. Gold trim gleaming.

In Butterfly Games, Haga Pavilion becomes a backdrop for moments that are anything but casual — where intimacy and watchfulness share the same small palace.

Beautiful spaces, dangerous conversations.

Butterfly Games · January 20, 2026
#ButterflyGames #HistoricalFiction #HagaPavilion #RoyalIntrigue

Thanks @cozy.coffee.reads! Made me think of this song by David Bowie.

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Thanks @cozy.coffee.reads! Made me think of this song by David Bowie.

From the Pages of Butterfly Games

Before power, before betrayal, before the rules of the Butterfly Game were fully revealed—there was a moment when everything still felt possible.

This is Jacquette at the edge of innocence, wishing for a simpler kind of love than the world will allow her.

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From the Pages of Butterfly Games

Before power, before betrayal, before the rules of the Butterfly Game were fully revealed—there was a moment when everything still felt possible.

This is Jacquette at the edge of innocence, wishing for a simpler kind of love than the world will allow her.

The Butterfly Game isn’t about love.

It’s about proximity to power — and what you’re willing to sacrifice to keep it.

This is the quiet mechanism that draws Jacquette in.
Not romance. Not rebellion.
But access — and the cost of staying close enough to matter.

Butterfly Games · January 20, 2026

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Six Degrees of Separation, Butterfly Games Edition–Napoleon to Jacquette

Historical Fiction Book Covers: Butterfly Games: Behind the Scenes

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