Last year I was in Prague and came across this bridge covered with locks. Our tour guide explained that they are called Love Locks. Of course, I knew immediately that I wanted to include Love Locks in my next book, Royally Lost. It involves an American girl on vacation with her family to Europe, and you guessed it, she meets someone royal. That’s all I’ll say about that for now, but you can expect lots of teasers when the release grows near.

Here’s how it works. People write their names or initial on a lock, secure it to the railing and throw the key into the canal. The legend goes that if a lock is placed by two people in love, their love will be forever locked.

I’ve done a little bit of research on Love Locks, also referred to as Love Padlocks, and it turns out they appear in locations all over Europe. Some of the locations include Rome, Paris, Cologne, Florence and Dublin. In some cities there are great controversies over whether or not to remove them, as some  consider the myriad of locks an eye sore. But to me, they are a romantic gesture of love.

So when Royally Lost  comes out, you can look forward to a romantic scene over the Vltava in Prague.