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Riskies Interview Victoria Dahl

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Today we welcome author Victoria Dahl to the Risky Regencies. Victoria’s new book, One Week As Lovers, is out this Tuesday. In addition to writing historicals, Victoria writes contemporaries; her newest, Start Me Up, has been out a month. You can find Victoria at VictoriaDahl.com or on Twitter, where is absolutely charming and hysterical. A random commenter will be chosen to win a copy of Victoria’s One Week As Lovers, which she talks about with us here.

Q. Tell us about the book:

Viscount Lancaster is a charming young gentleman who’s inherited a crumbling estate and must marry for money. When he finds his betrothed in the arms of another man, he’s faced with an ugly truth: he can’t back out of the marriage. Desperate for some breathing room, he escapes to a remote estate, only to discover that the childhood friend he’d thought dead is actually hiding out in his attic.

Cynthia Merrithorpe is trying to escape her own ugly future and doesn’t appreciate it when Lancaster returns to ruin all her plans. But she’s loved Lancaster her whole life, and it doesn’t take long for her hostility to turn to yearning. Without a cent between them, and with Lancaster’s dark secrets casting a shadow over his life, there’s no hope for a future together. But the lovers are determined to have just one week…

Also, there’s treasure-hunting! *G*

Q. How long did it take? Was this an easy or difficult book to write?

I was under a pretty strict deadline with this book, so it only took a few months to write. A few difficult, disheveled months. The story itself was an easy haul though. This is actually a complete re-writing of the first romance manuscript I ever completed. Of course, that story lacked three-dimensional characters and a plot, so I had to add those in. I literally read the first few chapters of that original manuscript, and then tossed it aside and started with page one again in the writing.

Q. Talk about your characters. What or who inspired them?

As I said, the original manuscript was strictly cardboard characters with no internal conflict. The only thing I wanted to keep of that story was the framework. When I wrote Viscount Lancaster into A RAKE’S GUIDE TO PLEASURE, I knew he was going to be the hero of ONE WEEK. He was handsome and charming and a very sweet fortune hunter… and I was starting to worry that I’d gone with a two-dimensional character again. He was… nice. Pleasant. I couldn’t figure out what made him tick. (Or twitch, as it were.)

Then toward the end of RAKE’S GUIDE, Lancaster is roused from his bed and walks onto the scene only half dressed. First of all, he was sexy as hell. Secondly, he had a huge scar around his neck. I gasped. I had no idea where that had come from. And at the end of RAKE’S GUIDE, I still had no idea. I thought maybe he was a spy. But he wouldn’t admit to anything.

In the months between writing these books, his story came to me, and it was heart-breaking.

Q. Did you run across anything new and unusual while researching this book?

I don’t think so. Hmm. I tend to use research and then purge it from my brain, so I’m hopeless with these kinds of questions. The external plot of ONE WEEK centers around a search for treasure, so I did have fun researching the smugglers’ caves common along the coastline of England.

Q. You write in two different genres; how does that make it harder or easier for you to write?

It actually makes it easier! I have a short attention span, so I enjoy jumping from one thing to another. I don’t think I’d be able to write so many books a year if they were all in one sub-genre. I find when I go from a contemporary to a historical, it’s a bit like cleansing the palate. Though I do find I have to scour my contemporaries for overly-formal speech.

Q. What is it about the period that interests you as a writer?

I write in the very early Victorian period, and I love the transitional feel of it. The strictest of the Victorian mores hasn’t become social law yet. There are still quite a few attitudes left over from the Regency period. Victoria is a young queen, and the feel of the country is very hopeful.

Q. What do you think is the greatest creative risk you’ve taken in this book? How do you feel about it?

Honestly, I was scared to death when I turned this book in. It’s like nothing I’ve written before. The characters are in love, really in love, which was a departure for me. Most of my stories are sexually-driven power struggles. Also, the book is very hero-centric. Cynthia is strong and stubborn, but she has never left her little shire. Lancaster is the one whose past drives the story. Lastly, the hero is damaged, maybe beyond repair. I was really concerned that it would be too much darkness for this otherwise light story, and I had a back-up past ready just in case. *g*

When my editor wrote to tell me how much he loved it, I was in shock. I honestly couldn’t believe it. Really, I thought he was mistaken. I feel like I held my breath until I got some amazing feedback from the ARCs I sent out. Now I’m squealing with excitement over this book!

Q. Is there anything you wanted to include in the book that you (or your CPs or editor) felt was too controversial and left out?

Ha! There are several instances in the book when the hero takes a blow to the head. Some of the injuries are deliberate, some accidental. My CP said her head was starting to hurt from the pounding he was taking, so I edited out a couple of the blows.

Q. What are you working on next?

I’m about to start a new historical series! It’s the same time period, only a different set of family and friends. I don’t have a title for the next book, but it will be out in August 2010. The book opens with the heroine caught in a (truly) compromising position with an unsavory character. She refuses to marry the scoundrel, but there are fears she could be pregnant, so a husband must be found. Enter the hero, a big, strapping man who happens to be the illegitimate son of a duke… and a French whore. He has a deep affection for naughty girls, so he’s instantly smitten. But he has to convince the heroine that her love for pretty, delicate men is misguided and what she really needs is a big brute of a man in her life.

Q. Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you or your books?

It’s been a busy year for me, so I’ll just mention a few of my other projects. In July, my second contemporary, START ME UP, hit the shelves. I also released my first erotic romance this year! THE WICKED WEST is available at all e-book retailers, including Kindle and e-Harlequin. And I’m excited to announce that my first paranormal romance will be out in September. It’s a Highland vampire novella in the anthology collection HIGHLAND BEAST with Hannah Howell! Whew.

Thanks so much for letting me visit!

Thank you, Victoria!

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What (Not) To Wear, Part 2

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What (Not!) To Wear, Part 2:

This Tuesday, Amanda shared some of her thoughts on Dressing For the RWA National Conference. Today I’d like to talk about some of what I saw a few weeks ago in Washington, DC. It was not pretty.

1. Monochrome outfits–head-to-toe (including hat!)–in the same color make you look like a weirdo, not interesting or creative or anything but ‘stay the hell away from me’ bad.

2. Mom jeans are not a good idea unless you plan on doing some gardening. Which I don’t believe was an option during National.

3. White shoes?!?

4. No, I don’t want to see your rack. Or any part of you that isn’t normally on view. Unless your day job is being wrapped around a pole. Thanks.

5. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN GET IT ON DOESN’T MEAN IT FITS.

5a. If your usual size seems snug, there is no shame in going up another size. No-one will know you’ve got on a size 12 instead of a 10. We will all, however, be grateful for your discretion.

6. Just because it DOES fit doesn’t mean it’s age-appropriate. Here’s a tip: If you’re over 21, don’t shop at Forever 21, Mandee’s or Hot Topic.

7. Wear comfy shoes. And if you don’t wear comfy shoes, don’t complain loudly about your pained feet. Honestly? We don’t care.

8. Random zippers were okay back in the ’80s. Not so much now.

9. All kidding aside, most of these observations were limited to a few people. I just like to snark (like you didn’t know that?)

10. What are your fashion pet peeves?

Megan

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Domestiques Rule!

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The past few weeks, I’ve been watching the Tour de France, marveling at the cyclists’ athletic ability and intensity. It’s a joke between me and my husband that we’ll be watching a sports event, and I’ll say something like, “Remind me never to be a linebacker,” or “a catcher,” or anything, honestly, that requires that kind of Herculean effort.

But there is one athletic job I wouldn’t mind, and I think it can relate to the books I like to read, too: That of a domestique, a “a road bicycle racer who works for the benefit of his and leader. The French domestique translates as ‘servant’.”

Yeah, a servant. Which is likely why the quiet governess who’s suddenly thrust into the romantic spotlight is so appealing to me as well; after all, I myself shun the spotlight, instead preferring to observe and comment–usually snarkily–on the sidelines. My other favorite heroines are the plainer sisters of Diamonds of the First Water, who attract the attention of the Luscious Rake.

A domestique doesn’t have the pressure of having to win, just having to work hard for someone else (see: Megan and her spotlighting husband). But a domestique can have their own story, such as my favorite cyclist George Hincapie, who’s finishing the Tour this year with an allegedly broken collarbone. Allegedly because he says he’s fine, and won’t let doctors look at him until after the Tour. Now THAT is a hero! (Plus he’s 6’4″. Swoon).

Are you following the Tour? Do you find your allegiances remain consistent, whether it’s in sports or in books? What kind of athlete would you like to be?

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Janet Mullany Interview!

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Today Janet cedes her usual place in the Thursday spotlight to Megan, who interviews . . . Janet!

Janet’s latest book, A Most Lamentable Comedy, is out in the UK now, and Janet answers some questions all about it.

Tell us about this book; what was its inspiration?
It’s a sequel (sort-of) to The Rules of Gentility (2007), and and an attempt to prove to my editor at HarperCollins that Rules wasn’t a one-off book. Although she didn’t bite, Little Black Dress (UK), who’d bought and published their own edition of Rules, offered me a three-book contract. This is the first of the three. I chose Caroline as heroine because I wanted to write about a bad girl. Philomena, the heroine of Rules, was quite well-behaved, as was Inigo, more or less. Caroline isn’t and I had to create an equally disreputable hero to match her. I based the premise of the book on a couple of minor characters from Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend, con artists who find out after they marry that neither has any money, which I found quite fascinating.

It’s told in first person present tense—how did you decide to write it that way (since it is an unusual style)?
Rules was written that way, my UK editor loved it, and I find I have a lot of fun with it. Essentially it is all about my entertainment.

What would be your response if people say they can’t sympathize with your heroine, who is on the run from creditors and has not always led a pristine life?
Read another book?! She gets more likeable as the book goes on; she is a fiercely proud, loyal woman and you see that side of her emerge, although she remains a troublemaker who can’t resist opportunities to behave badly.

Do you plan to write more on any of these characters?
Not at the moment. They may turn up elsewhere, but they haven’t so far!

You’re a “risky” writer in terms of sex, yet this book has hardly any actual sex in it; what made you write it that way (although it does have plenty of sexual overtones)?
For this style it’s all in the subtext, and so there’s very little explicit language, which makes sense given who the characters are. Also during sexual encounters most of us are not taking notes or having a blow by blow (if you’ll pardon the expression) narrative in our heads.

What kind of research did you do for the book?
Embarrassingly little. I researched card games, bears, and sheep online, and wrote to the Folger Shakespeare Library about prompt books. As usual I dredged up items from the large trivia collection in my mind.

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken here?
I think having characters who don’t reform. Nick and Caroline remain essentially who they are, but what redeems them is that they open themselves up to friendship and community and responsibility. I may also have offended every writer who’s written about Dukes and courtesans, and every reader who likes that particular trope.

What’s up with the animals that pop up in your books: The pig who eats buttons, the dancing bear, etc.?
Oh, I like animals. The pig is based on a bit of family lore and there’s a photograph to prove it (which my brother, ahem, is supposed to be finding and scanning so I can put it on my website). When my brother was two he had a traumatic experience in a Dutch petting zoo with a pig that ate a button off his coat. As for the bear, Elena Greene blogged at the Riskies last year about dancing bears and I found them very appealing. I needed a way for the hero to meet up again with another character who’d disappeared, and I thought of a circus. As one does.

Do you think this book has an HEA?
Definitely. I can’t write the long, drawn-out apologies, explanations, declarations and six babies later type endings. To me it’s always an act of faith, the leap into the unknown territory of marriage.

What is your writing process? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a pantser by nature which is a bit of a problem for selling on proposal. So my rule of thumb is that if an idea doesn’t come together in a week to can it. My synopses are always extremely vague (the phrase “after many exciting adventures” is very useful) and once I start writing, the plot twists and secondary characters emerge.

What’s next for you?
Lots! I have a two-book contract with HarperCollins for a paranormal-speculative history series, Immortal Jane Austen. The first one is about Austen and vampires fighting a French invasion in Bath and should be out next summer. I wanted to call it Blood Bath; my brother, with whom I brainstormed the idea, suggested Austen Powers. I’m just finishing up my next Little Black Dress book, Improper Relations, and I have no idea what the third one will be, although I have a very appealing title knocking around in my mind (Mr. Bishop and the Actress). I also have a two-book contract with Harlequin Spice, writing erotic contemporaries as Liz Diamond, and the first of those will come out in early 2011. I’m very lucky; I’m enjoying the glow of having all these exciting projects to work on, and then remembering that yes, I do actually have to write them.

Thanks for letting me pretend to be a guest here today, Megan! Today I’m also over at History Hoydens and guest blogging at Romance Buy the Book about writing a historical bad girl. There’s a complete blog tour on my site (and a contest!)

A Most Lamentable Comedy doesn’t have US distribution but you can buy it with free shipping worldwide from bookdepository.co.uk.

Thanks, Janet!

http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/2008/06/bears.html
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/browse/book/isbn/9780755347797/ref/janetmullany.aff
http://historyhoydens.blogspot.com/
http://www.romancebuythebook.com
http://www.janetmullany.com

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True First and Poignant

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Yikes!

Where to start. First off, all the Risky Regencies with the exception of Elena Greene, are here in Washington, DC, at the Romance Writers of America’s National Conference. Which is cool! And we are having a get-together on Saturday afternoon at Harry’s Pub so come by if you are also around.

But that means that I am, as usual, at a loss as to what to talk about. So, of course, I will choose to talk about hot guys. And right now my hot guy du jour (non-Clive Owen edition) is Stephen Moyer, who plays Bill Compton on True Blood. Since Carolyn Jewel–my RWA roomie–was onto the True Blood trend way before me (but her One True Love is Alexander Skarsgard), she brought her Season One DVD so I could see the first time Bill and Sookie do it. Which is what we did last night, in-between eating Krispy Kreme donuts and howling about rhinoceroses. Hard to explain about the latter, but let me assure you it was hysterical.

But back to the matter at hand. Bill and Sookie’s first time is so damn romantic, and Bill manages to convey both his lust for and worship of Sookie in that scene. And the donut was pretty damn good, too.

The first kiss, the first time, the first moment in the fiction we love–whether it’s movies, TV or books–is what gives my heart a poignant ache. Also in True Blood, the first time Sookie even sees Bill is a scene I had to rewind and watch over and over. And all it is is a look, but what a look.

The first time Darcy and Elizabeth see each other, when John Thornton and Margaret Hale have their first encounter, when Mr. Rochester nearly tramples over Jane Eyre–these are the moments that inform our romance vernacular.

What first times do you find particularly memorable? What was your first time like?

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