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Author Archives: diane

About diane

Diane Gaston is the RITA award-winning author of Historical Romance for Harlequin Historical and Mills and Boon, with books that feature the darker side of the Regency. Formerly a mental health social worker, she is happiest now when deep in the psyches of soldiers, rakes and women who don’t always act like ladies.

Debut Author Stefanie Sloane and The Devil in Disguise

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As you know, The Riskies all love a debut author. Today we welcome debut author Stefanie Sloane whose first book, The Devil in Disguise, will be released May 24.


The Devil in Disguise has received some pretty impressive endorsements:

“Captivating… Stefanie Sloane will charm her way into readers’ hearts.” –Susan Wiggs

“Smart, sensuous, and sparkling with wit…. Spectacular.” –Julia Quinn

Stefanie will give away one signed copy of The Devil in Disguise to one lucky commenter chosen at random. Without further ado, let’s welcome Stefanie to Risky Regencies.

Stefanie, tell us about The Devil in Disguise.
Lord William Randall is a rake—a most unlikely suitor for the beautiful and fiercely intelligent Lady Lucinda Grey. But his latest assignment for the Young Corinthians, an elite spy organization, involves protecting her from a kidnapping plot. To do this, William uses his devilish charm to seduce Lucinda, never imagining he will lose his own heart in the bargain. And though Lucinda has gracefully sidestepped even the most persistent suitors, she is tempted by William’s sinfully sensuous mouth and piercing eyes. Can she resist him when his touch begs her to let him so much closer?
How did you think of writing this particular book? Did it start with a character, a setting, or some other element?
The Devil in Disguise started with a character. I was at the gym, sweating away on the elliptical, when a dark, handsome stranger appeared in my mind’s eye. But he wasn’t just any handsome stranger. There was something decidedly dangerous about this man. I let my mind wander about his back story, and William Randall, the Duke of Clairemont, was born. A few more grueling rounds at the gym and I had Lady Lucinda Grey, my heroine, her unforgettable aunts, the Furies, and the over-arching premise of the Young Corinthians.
And then I had to, you know, actually write the book, which it turns out is way more tricky than anything I’ve ever endured at the gym.
Did you come across anything interesting in your research for The Devil in Disguise?

Oh, most definitely! I love the research part of writing—a little too much, actually, as I’ve been known to spend hours pouring over books and websites in search of the perfect touch for a scene. One of the most interesting aspects about the research for my debut was the fact that SO many interesting individuals turned out to be spies during the time period. From poets and professors to important politicians, clergymen, actors, and more were involved in espionage.
What do you think is the greatest creative risk you took while writing this book?

Honestly? Actually sitting down and finishing the book was the biggest risk for me. Before The Devil in Disguise, I’d poured my heart and soul into writing a contemporary chick lit manuscript. I signed with a top agent and thought that my career was going to really take off, the future looking as limitless as a summer sky. And then every last publisher passed on the book. I was devastated. It took a long time for me to think about writing again, and when I finally did sit down to start the Young Corinthians series, I was scared. Actually, terrified. Writing is unbelievably hard work on every level, and I just didn’t think that I could put myself through the process once again knowing that there would be no guarantees when I reached “The End.” But, the only thing worse than the fear of a second rejection would have been the regret I felt over letting myself get in the way of, well, myself. So I finished the book, and the rest, as they say, is history.
What’s next for you?
The second book in the Regency Rogues series, The Angel in My Arms, will be published June 28, 2011, and The Sinner Who Seduced Me, the third installment, will hit the shelves July 26, 2011. And I recently turned in the fourth book, tentatively titled, The Saint Who Stole My Heart, to my editor. Fingers crossed that she loves it!
Now, please say hello and you’ll automatically be entered to win a signed copy of my debut book, The Devil in Disguise!
Thanks so much for being our guest, Stefanie. I’m sure our readers will have questions and comments. They always do!
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What is a Romance Novel?

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What if you were asked What is a Romance Novel by someone who doesn’t read romance novels? A relative asked me this question. She’s an educated, well-read person, so I wanted to give her as good an answer as I could.


This is what I said:

Romance novels can be incredibly diverse, encompassing history (like me), suspense, elements of women’s fiction, comedy, paranormal, inspirational – you name it. They can also vary by tone from light “romps” to darkly emotional. But what they all have in common is that they are telling the story of a romance. The book is about the romance. The story is the romance–How two people fall in love and find their happily ever after. The happily ever after is essential. A romance is not about doomed romance or tragic romance. It is a celebration of successful romance.

What I mean is, an historical romance is not about the historical events; it is about how two people manage to find love together. Historical events might impact on them, but the story is about their romance. Same with Romantic Suspense- the story is not about—say—a murder mystery. It is about how two people find love together while impacted in some way by a murder mystery.

Because of the focus on two people falling in love, romance novels are basically character focused. And because nobody would read a book about a romance that goes smoothly from first meeting to the wedding day, there has to be conflict. There must be forces driving the couple apart as well as the attraction between them that make them fall in love.

The very best conflicts are internal ones, things about the personality or emotional characteristics of the hero and heroine that drive them apart. External conflict should also play a part. External conflict can often be what the hero and heroine think is keeping them apart, but really it is something inside them that they need to change in order to have their happy ending.

Romance novels today mostly have strong heroes and heroines. Gone are the victim heroines who must passively be rescued by the hero. Heroines need to act on their own behalf just as much as the hero. Characters must be three dimensional and must act in sensible ways or in ways that are understandably motivated.

The hero and heroine should not be “Dudley Do-Right” perfect; they should have flaws, ways they need to change in order to have their happy ending. The conflict should not be something that could be solved by a conversation. The hero, in my opinion, should be someone the reader will fall in love with; the heroine should be someone she’d like to be.

There are some “mostlys” we see in romance novels:

The hero and heroine mostly meet in the first few pages.
The hero and heroine are mostly together for most of the book
The plot is mostly fast-paced with a major turning point in the middle of the book and a “Black Moment” toward the end.
But none of these are hard and fast rules.
I also provided some links:

The best place to start is with Romance Writers of America. Here’s their take on what constitutes a romance novel:
Be sure to click on the link to the various subgenres as well.
Here’s a nice article from a respected romance review site where authors say what they think makes a romance.
Here’s another description – The essential elements of a romance novel according to Pamela Regis
Pamela Regis is an academic who has studied, taught, and researched the romance genre. She’s written a scholarly work on Romance Novels: A Natural History of the Romance Novel
Here’s a little summary:
And from my publishers, Mills & Boon, the UK branch of Harlequin- what constitutes a perfect romance

Okay….so, how did I do?

How would you have answered the question What is a Romance Novel?
What links would you have provided?
Speaking of romance novels, my cover of Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress is still up for best Historical cover at Cover Cafe. (So is one of Amanda’s covers) Vote here if you haven’t already, but don’t forget to vote in at least three categories.
On Thursday at Diane’s Blog, my guest will be Colleen Gleason, talking about her new adventure in publishing!

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Dark Mirror – My First YA

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I’m going to reveal a big secret. Until now I’ve never read a Young Adult novel. Nope. Not even the Harry Potter books. Nothing since I was a teenager and then they weren’t called YAs. But M. J. Putney’s publicist sent me her first YA, Dark Mirror, and that book became my first YA.

Now, I don’t know why the publicist sent me the book. I do know Mary Jo Putney, but I am much more likely to send her a book of mine to read than the other way around!
I think the first traditional Regency I ever read was Mary Jo’s The Rake and The Reformer. It is still a favorite. My third Washington Romance Writers meeting was a workshop by Mary Jo on synopsis writing. We were invited to read her latest book before the meeting and write a synopsis of it for her to read aloud and critique. Only two people attending the workshop actually wrote the synopsis. The first person did it all wrong; she wrote a chapter by chapter outline. I had written a pretty good synopsis and actually received applause, but the joke was on me ultimately. The person who’d written the lousy synopsis was Catherine Asaro, who hit it big in sci fi/fantasy about a year later.
Mary Jo actually helped me plot The Mysterious Miss M. At one of our WRW Retreats, she gave me some good advice on a couple of plot points, advice I followed.
So, for all those reasons, I was highly motivated to read Dark Mirror.
Mary Jo loves Fantasy and loves the Regency. Dark Mirror combines the two. MJ’s Regency is a place where having magical powers, like flying or controlling the weather, is a great scandal. Those young people who display magical powers are sent to Lackland Abbey, a boarding school whose sole function is to remove the students’ magical powers. A group of students and teachers meet in a labyrinth underneath the school to do the opposite, to increase their powers. One night the heroine Victoria falls through a mirror, the time portal, and travels into the future. Ultimately Victoria and her friends travel to 1940 and wind up helping in the evacuation of Dunkirk.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was a satisfying read with appealing characters, surprises, and lots of clever connections using the magic.
Since this was my first YA, though, I also read it with an eye on what makes it a YA. Here are some of my ideas:
1. The main characters are teenagers; adults are much more peripheral.
2. The main characters band together to help adults in important ways.
3. The characters think about things teenagers would think about: friends, clothes, which boys are cute, does he like me?
4. There is a little bit of a message about friendship in the book: not to necessarily believe in your first impression of people.
5. The prose is just a bit simpler. The vocabulary and sentence structure a bit more accessible. This is not to say it is “dumbed down,” just simplified a bit.
What other elements distinguish a YA from an adult book?
What are your favorite YAs?
Have you read Dark Mirror?
Don’t forget to read my sneak peek at Valiant Soldier, Beautiful Enemy and enter my new contest over at Diane’s Blog. Something new is coming at the website on Thursday so don’t forget to visit!
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On the Way to the Retreat

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Like Elena, this past weekend I was at a Retreat–Washington Romance Writers Spring Retreat. Not to work, but to be “In the Company of Writers.” We had speeches and workshops and Romance Jeopardy and much conversation. More about that on Thursday at Diane’s Blog.

Melissa James, my Aussie friend who lives in Switzerland, and I started being “in the company of writers” even before the official start of the Retreat. We joined my critique partners, Lisa Dyson and Darlene Gardner, for lunch and a visit to an historical estate in Leesburg, VA, Morven Park. (L to R: Lisa, Melissa, Darlene)
Morven Park reminded me so much of English country estates in Regency times, not that its heyday was in the early 1800s. Rather, its grand days were 100 years later, in the first half of the 1900s. Westmoreland Davis and his wife Marguerite Inman Davis were a wealthy couple originally from Old South families who had made fortunes in New York. In 1903 they purchased Morven Park, a Greek revival house originally built in 1750, and 1000 acres surrounding it. Davis was an engineer and a lawyer, but he embraced the role of farmer, publishing a farming journal and utilizing the latest farming techniques. His wife ran the house and designed the gardens.
What reminded me of a Regency estate was the way Davis conceptualized the role of gentleman farmer. He felt a great deal of responsibility for his farm workers and for the owners and workers of the surrounding farms. Like a Regency lord might feel a sense of responsibility for an entire village, Davis made certain his community prospered along with him. During the Depression, for example, Davis never laid off any workers. He funded the town’s library and paid the librarian during the Depression. He even served in government. He was governor of Virginia from 1918 to 1922.
It was that sense of responsibility for others in the community that reminded me of a Regency lord. Like Davis, the best Regency lord would have known that people around him could either prosper or suffer, depending upon the decisions made. Like a Regency gentleman, he would have been a farmer, his fortunes rising or falling due to the crops grown there.
Morven Park was a surprise and a delight. And the perfect start to a wonderful weekend. But more about that on Thursday.
How was your weekend?
Later today visit my website for new news and a new contest!
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