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…
READ MOREWant to know the story behind Butterfly Games? Read my interview with Kim Monaghan of Books Uplift. https://kellyscarborough.com/2026/01/02/books-uplift-author-qa-kelly-scarborough/
Butterfly Games is on the road! My historical fiction novel is in Germany at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest trade fair for books.
Looking for a home on the Connecticut Shoreline? Madison, the perfect New England coastal community. #CTRealEstate #LuxuryHomes #RealEstate
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When I imagine an actress as #Jacquette in #ButterflyGames, I see Daisy Edgar-Jones. She’ll make a great #ElinorDashwood. #JaneAusten #PeriodDramas
The “Twisters” and “Normal People” star is about to play one of Jane Austen’s most beloved heroines. https://www.vogue.com/article/everything-we-know-so-far-daisy-edgar-jones-sense-and-sensibility
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
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
“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
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
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.
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
