Category: Interviews

Interviews with authors and industry professionals

Lavinia Kent and Georgianna: The Last Real Duchess

Updated on April 18, 2013 by diane

Welcome back my friend Lavinia Kent! Lavinia is known for her hot, smart, sexy and intelligent Regency Historicals for Avon. What the Duke Wants, for example. Or her very creative Real Duchesses of London ebook short story series.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lavinia’s Real Duchesses series! But I’m not alone. Here are a few of the Amazon reviews:

“…she managed to capture intense emotions and give great characters even in a really short novella, so kudos!” — Stella (Ex Libris), Of Kathryn, The Kitten.

“Another fun, fresh addition to what is shaping up to be a fantastic set of novellas that feature tests to the bonds of friendship, cattiness, laughter, and the overpowering result of true love.” — Lisa Wolff, of Linette, The Lioness.

“The marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes in romance and Kent’s Elizabeth, The Enchantress is a magnificent marriage of convenience tale.” — Yvonne.

Lavinia has continued the Real Duchesses of London series with a brand new novella — Georgianna: The Last Real Duchess and she’s giving away a Kindle download of the novella (or a copy of a signed copy of an earlier book) to one lucky commenter.

Here’s the Amazon blurb:

Lavinia Kent returns to her iconic Real Duchesses of London series of novellas to tell the story of Georgianna, the last Real Duchess. When Georgianna’s husband. Lord Richard, unexpectedly becomes a duke, the two are brought together and then torn apart as each tries to find a place in their new lives. Georgianna had married for love – only to discover her husband’s mistress. Now the two find themselves sharing residence at the ducal estate. Are circumstance and passion enough to bring the two together? Can Richard reveal the love he has barely admitted to himself? Can Georgianna forgive him for all the hurt and lies?
Will one night of passion become a lifetime of love?

Welcome back, Lavinia! Tell us about The Real Duchesses of London series and about Georgianna, The Last Real Duchess.

I had so much fun writing this series. I loved the idea of writing about a group of strong women who would support each other during hard times. The first four novellas are definitely tied together in an overarching story.

Georgianna is more of a stand-alone story, although the other duchesses do appear.

I had originally hoped to write her story as full-length novel, but time and circumstance got in the way. I had a hard time cutting some of the earlier scenes to create something tighter, but I think in the end I succeeded in creating a novella about emotional trust.

You created quite a challenge for yourself. Both writing short novellas AND planning a series. How did you manage it?

The first four were relatively easy – except for the time pressure involved in writing a novella a month. They left me feeling a little burned out. I discovered that I get so attached to my characters when writing, that I needed more time to make the transition to the next hero and heroine.

I found writing Georgianna to be more difficult because I wasn’t following my original plan, but I still wanted to write a compelling love story.

What is risky about Georgiana, The Last Real Duchess?

Georgianna has to learn to trust a man who has completely betrayed her. Everything she believed when she fell in love and married turned out to be a big lie. She must make the decision to take a great risk, rather than live without love.

Did you come across any interesting research while writing the novella (or the series)?

I had a lot of fun researching political cartoons when I was working on the earlier four books of the series. I enjoyed thinking about the different ways information has been distributed over time. We take so much for granted today about how quickly information spreads. It was interesting to consider how differently a scandal would spread during the Regency.

For Georgianna, I researched funerals, but none of my work made it onto the page when I shortened the story. I’m saving it for later.

What’s the connection between the caricature of the Real Duchesses on your website and Risky Regencies?

The fabulous Janet Mullany’s daughter drew the original sketch for the caricature. I loved it, and it helped make the characters really come alive in my mind.

You’ve recently embarked on an indy published series. Tell us about it. How can readers find the books?

The series is called The Desire Series and consists of three books: Hint of Desire, Price of Desire, and Taste of Desire. This series is a prequel to my books for Avon. The hero of my first book, A Talent for Sin is the younger brother of the hero in Taste of Desire.

The series is currently on available on Amazon for Kindle, but I am working on increasing formats.

What’s next for you?

Ahh, the most difficult question of all. Currently, I’m working on (and about to finish) a prequel novella for a brand new regency series. This series is completely unrelated to any of the books I’ve already written.

If all goes as planned, this series will be darker and more erotic than my current books.

I’m also working on a steampunk romance that requires more world building than I’ve ever done before. It features a wonderful hero, and I’m working hard at getting him out of my head and onto page.

Thank you for having me at Risky Regencies. I love having the chance to visit.

And now my question for readers – one of whom will win either a Kindle copy of Georgianna: The Last Real Duchess or a signed copy of one of my earlier books.

At the end of the prequel I’m currently writing, the hero sends the heroine a gift. I’m debating whether he should give her a beautiful enameled hand mirror or kitten. There are reasons why each would be appropriate.

The hero has never actually seen the heroine’s face, and in the next book he will recognize the heroine because of the gift.

So, mirror or kitten? Help!

Posted in Giveaways, Interviews | Tagged Lavinia Kent, Real Duchesses of London | 16 Replies

Sally MacKenzie and Surprising Lord Jack

Updated on March 9, 2013 by diane

Diane here.
Today we welcome back Sally MacKenzie to talk about her latest Regency, Surprising Lord Jack. Sally just keeps giving us charming books. First the Naked series, now the Duchess of Love series. By giving, I also mean Sally is giving away a signed copy of Surprising Lord Jack to one lucky commenter chosen at random.

Here is what reviewers are saying about Surprising Lord Jack

*Starred review* “MacKenzie has penned another humorous Regency-era gem that will get a collective thumbs-up from readers.”–Shelley Mosley, Booklist

Four stars. “MacKenzie delights her devoted fans once again with a quick-witted, steamy romp. Add a touch of mystery and another bright tale of love and laughter is born. An engaging, and meddlesome, cast whips this lusty tale into a perfect heart-holiday treat!”–Anne Black, RT Book Reviews

4.50 / 5 -Reviewer Top Pick. “I recommend this book to all my fellow historical romance fans.”–Debra Taylor, Night Owl Reviews

Welcome back, Sally!

Hello, Riskies! I’m so glad to be stopping by again. I had a chance to see Diane at the Washington Loves Romance gathering in February. She was apparently deep in deadline craziness, but she looked calm and composed as always– (Diane note: Most likely I was merely sleep-deprived…)

Tell us about Surprising Lord Jack.

Surprising Lord Jack is the second book in my Duchess of Love trilogy. (Well, it’s a trilogy plus a novella: “The Duchess of Love” is the prequel to the series and tells how the duchess met her duke.) It’s about the duchess’s youngest son, and it begins where Bedding Lord Ned, the first book in the series, ends.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Unladylike behavior…

Frances Hadley has managed her family’s estate for years. So why can’t she request her own dowry? She’ll have to go to London herself and knock some sense into the men interfering in her life. With the nonsense she’s dealt with lately, though, there’s no way she’s going as a woman. A pair of breeches and a quick chop of her red curls, and she’ll have much less to worry about…

Jack Valentine, third son of the famous Duchess of Love, is through being pursued by pushy young ladies. One particularly determined miss has run him out of his own house party. Luckily the inn has one bed left. Jack just has to share with a rather entertaining red-headed youth. Perhaps the two of them should ride to London together. It will make a pleasant escape from his mother’s matchmaking melodrama!

There a Jack the Ripper sort of plot thread as well: someone is slitting the throats of prostitutes and even society women with soiled reputations, a class into which Frances now falls.

I’m excited because ALA Booklist gave Jack a starred review!

What is risky about the book?

Well, three things come to mind, though they might be more tricky than risky.

First, I wanted to try my hand at a “chick-in-pants” book, where the heroine pretends to be a man–or, in this case, a boy. Sometimes in these stories, the hero begins to fall in love with the heroine even before he knows her true gender. However, I happened to be working on Jack’s book during the Jerry Sandusky scandal. I followed the news reports pretty closely, partly because I have sons who’ve competed in Division I varsity athletics (and I went to the University of Notre Dame), so I’m interested in the whole question of the power athletics has in a college’s culture. But mostly, of course, I was reading and listening to news reports because the story was so horrifying. And since I’m the mother of boys, these kinds of events make me start questioning my sons to see if any coach or scout leader or other male in their lives ever did anything inappropriate with them. (My questioning drives them crazy, by the way. None of the men I’m related to wanted to discuss the trial.)

So with that, there was no way I was going to have Jack feel any sexual attraction for Frances while she was pretending to be male. Frances, however, was free to fall in love with Jack, except she hates men. So making their relationship develop when she’s in disguise was tricky.

Second, Jack’s book is the middle of a trilogy, and, unlike the Naked series, I planned these books to fit together. The first book had the advantage of setting things up, and the last book gets to tie things together (I hope). But the middle book is, well, in the middle. It’s got the threads I planned to run through the series coming and going. It has to be able to handle that, but be a satisfying, complete story on its own. So it was a bit tricky keeping things balanced. I think I managed it, though. A reviewer who’s read only Jack’s book told me she didn’t feel the need to have read Ned’s story first, so that was a big relief!

Third, the books are set in a pretty tight timeframe. Jack’s book actually begins as Ned’s is ending. I haven’t tried that before.

Was it easy to write?

Argh!! No. Maybe because it was the middle book, it just about killed me. I finished the first draft and revised and polished, but the book wasn’t working. I had to do pretty much a complete rewrite–or at least it felt that way. And since my publisher had moved the release date up, I had a real honest-to-God, drop dead deadline. The icing on the cake was that the D.C. derecho roared through a few days before that deadline, leaving our house intact, thank God, but taking our electricity and internet. I had to write with an eye on my laptop battery’s charge indicator and be creative in finding places to recharge when it got low. I discovered the church’s “crying room” had an outlet that worked, so I sat through Sunday Mass plugged in. (No, I wasn’t working, and no, there weren’t any babies in the room with me at the time, and yes, I felt very good about going to church that week.) When we went out to eat, I asked for a table with an outlet. The upside was that I kept my nose to the grindstone–no internet to distract and no battery power to waste on endless games of computer solitaire. When I was done–the day I had to send the manuscript off–I went to Panera’s to use their internet.

Did you come across any interesting research?

Yes–and Janet has already told you all about it. Back on November 15, Janet posted about the Threads of Feeling exhibit*. I was so excited! No, I didn’t know about the exhibit (until Janet mentioned it), but I had been researching London’s Foundling Hospital, so I knew mothers used to leave scraps of fabric when they gave up their babies, sort of like a claims check, I guess…so they could come back and reclaim their children once they were able to care for them.

I knew Jack was going to have some sort of charity he was involved in, and it made sense to me that since Ned’s son died in childbirth, the charity would have something to do with children. Well Jack actually has two charities–one for prostitutes who want a way out of that life and one for abandoned children. I researched the Foundling Hospital to see if such a plan would work, though the children at Jack’s house are mostly the offspring of prostitutes, abandoned on the streets. He finds them, brings them to his “foundling hospital,” and educates them until they are old enough to find work.

Bedding Lord Ned had a thieving cat. There’s a dog on Surprising Lord Jack’s cover. Does he have a role in the story?

Of course! The dog’s name is Shakespeare; Jack and Frances discover him with an abandoned baby in the stews, and he can do all kinds of tricks.

I may have said before that I’m a bit of a pantser–the story develops as I write it. I realized that Shakespeare had belonged to a local actor who’d decamped for parts unknown, leaving his dog behind. I thought that was a bit odd, and I filed it away as a “possibly important but currently mystifying” detail. At the end of the story, I discovered that Shakespeare’s former owner had a role to play in resolving the Jack the Ripper thread.

And I’m sure any dedicated plotters reading this are now twitching.

I never thought I would be a pantser. If you ask any of my four sons, I’m sure they’d say I’m a control freak. I think I scored “possible army officer” on the career test I took in college. But, to quote Popeye, “I yam what I yam.”

What’s next for you?

I’ve finished the first draft of Loving Lord Ash, the last book in the trilogy which should be out in Spring 2014. Maybe because I’m a pantser, I can’t just type “the end” and send a manuscript off to my editor, though. I usually take several weeks to a month to revise and polish before I’m willing to part with a story. I’m just hoping Ash doesn’t give me the fits Jack did!

And now a question for your readers: Do you have a favorite book that features a cross-dressing heroine? Mine is Fool’s Masquerade by Joan Wolf. I have to say I’m a big fan of Joan Wolf’s Regencies–I have many of them on my keeper shelf. (Okay, really a keeper box.) Why do you like this kind of story–or if you don’t like “chick-in-pants” books, why not?

Thanks for being our guest, Sally. Readers, do not forget to comment for a chance to win Surprising Lord Jack.

*The Threads of Feeling exhibit comes to Williamsburg, VA, May 25, 2013.

Posted in Guest, Interviews | Tagged Sally MacKenzie, Threads of Feeling | 28 Replies

Guest Author Manda Collins and How To Dance With A Duke

Updated on February 22, 2013 by diane

I’m delighted to introduce our guest today, debut author Manda Collins whose How To Dance With A Duke is getting some nice buzz!

When I first met Manda, she was a reader and a reviewer who was wonderful enough to say nice things about my books. Now I’m thrilled that she is here as our guest author and is receiving some of the same.

“Collins’ debut delivers a fast-paced, adventurous love story that will enthrall readers. Her dynamic characters, a murder and passion combine with the perfect amount of lively repartee.” RT Book Reviews

“With sparkling Regency wit, a dash of mystery, and just the right amount of steam, How to Dance with a Duke is an enchanting debut, sure to sweep readers off their feet!” —Tessa Dare

Manda is giving away a signed copy of How To Dance With A Duke to one lucky commenter chosen at random.

Welcome, Manda! Tell us about How To Dance With A Duke.

This is my debut novel, and it’s the first in a trilogy about three wallflower cousins who must do battle with a Regency mean girl, solve mysteries, and find true love–all in the space of a season. In this story, Miss Cecily Hurston, an Egyptologist, must join forces with the newly minted Duke of Winterson to find her father’s travel diaries and Winterson’s missing brother. Think Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen. Or old school Amanda Quick.

We love a debut author! Tell us a little about your journey to publication and what it was like to get “The Call.”

I’ve been writing since my teen years, but didn’t do so with a serious eye toward publication until 2007 or so. I wrote one novel, a Victorian set in country house, that landed me an agent, but alas, did not sell. So I regrouped, licked my wounds, and decided to return to my first love–Regency romance. Since I’ve been reading Regency in one form or other since I was a pre-teen, it was like going home. I wrote How to Dance with a Duke, my agent loved it, and it sold five months later.

I got the call one morning while I was brushing my teeth. But because I am suspicious and didn’t want to tempt fate, I hadn’t programmed my agent’s number into my phone, so I thought it was a wrong number and let it go to voicemail. On the way to work though something kept niggling me about that call. So as soon as I go to the office I checked my email, and sure enough there was a message from my agent, Holly Root, telling me to call her. And when I looked through the rest of my email, I saw that Holly Blanck, the editor at St. Martin’s who was reading my MS, had followed me on Twtitter. I knew then that the news was good. I called Agent Holly back, she told me that Holly Blanck had offered me a three book contract and I’ve been grinning like a crazy person ever since.

You’ve been active in the Romance Writing community for a long time. What was it like to move from reader and reviewer to author?

It’s been kind of strange at times. I have never had a shortage of opinions on various issues in the community, so there have been some moments since I made the transition from reader to author when I’ve had to forcibly remind myself to just keep quiet. It’s not that I don’t think authors should have a place at the table–I actually get twitchy when it feels like the blogosphere would rather we just shut up and write–but there are times when as an author it’s just common sense not to get involved. If someone doesn’t like my book and writes a review about it, there’s just no good way–with a few rare exceptions–for an author to join that conversation and have it end well. On the other hand, I feel like getting published has given me insider knowledge that I can use to help other writers who are just starting on the road to publication, so it’s not all a matter of biting my tongue. And I still review every now and then. I’ve always been one of those “only if I have something good to say about it” reviewers anyway so that hasn’t really changed. Though I don’t really have as much time for it as I used to.

Why did you decide to write a Regency Historical?

As I said earlier, I’ve been reading Regency, both trad and historicals, since I was in middle school, so I was Regency before it was the hottest thing going. Which I sometimes feel like I have to defend since there seems to be a backlash in some quarters against the period. But I adore it. The social customs, the witty banter, the sense that society is kicking up a dust before the coming strictures of the Victorian period. Plus, as some of you may know, I am a sucker for a dandy and sadly there were very few of them in the latter part of the century.

What is risky about the book?

Believe it or not, the mystery element. Again and again while I was on submission I got rejections from editors who loved the story but were unsure of how to sell it because it felt like neither fish nor fowl. Fortunately Editor Holly has a fondness for mystery mixed with romance so when it landed on her desk she snapped it up. Or that’s how I imagine it. She might very well have carefully lifted it.

What is next for you?

Next up is the next book in the trilogy, How to Romance a Rake, which comes out this summer in late July. And just last week I accepted another three book contract from St. Martin’s Press for a trilogy with the tagline I Know What You Did Last Season. So I have plenty to keep me occupied writing-wise for the next few years or so.

And now I have a question for you. Do you like a bit of mystery mixed with your romance? What are some of your favorite examples?

Comment for a chance to win a signed copy of How To Dance With A Duke.

Posted in Giveaways, Interviews | Tagged How to Dance with a Duke, Manda Collins | 34 Replies

Interview with Julia Ross, Part 2

Updated on February 21, 2013 by Amanda McCabe/Laurel McKee

We are back with Julia Ross for Part 2 of her interview. Click here to read Part 1.

Q. Your writing style has been described as a “combination of lyricism and sensuality … on par with Jo Beverley’s” (Booklist). How do you achieve this effect?

I’m very flattered to be compared to Jo, because I’ve always loved her writing. If reviewers or readers see some similarities between us, though, it’s probably because we were both growing up in England at about the same time and were exposed to many of the same influences. My writing style is exactly what comes naturally. I care very much about language and polish every sentence until it sounds “right” — the rhythm and feeling and choice of words — plus I try to delve deeply into my characters’ hearts and minds, so I write in terms of what matters to them, not to me. In the end my approach is very intuitive, and though many of Jo’s fans love my books and vice versa, that’s not always the case, since each book is unique.

Q. The heroine of GAMES OF PLEASURE is a courtesan, definitely a risky heroine. Can you tell us more about how you came up with this character?

All of my historical heroines have tended to be a little — or a lot — unusual, I think. My very first (in ILLUSION) was an English lady who’d been trained as a concubine while captive in a harem in India, and returned to Regency England with a gold ring in her nostril. Frances was expert in the erotic techniques of the Kama Sutra, but — since not even a maharajah always sampled every concubine that he owned — she was also a virgin, and that’s what made her so interesting.

And Miracle, sought-after courtesan to the Regency aristocracy? By the time I finished NIGHT OF SIN (with my brave Dissenter heroine, Anne Marsh) I knew that Jack’s brother, Lord Ryderbourne, had to have his own book. As a duke’s heir, Ryder was sexy and powerful and an obvious hero, yet he was also weighed down by duty and strangely innocent. Since romance thrives on tension, the heroine needed to present him with a challenge — and a professional courtesan was about as far from Ryder’s expectations as was possible. Though I must admit that when Ryder first plunged his horse into the ocean to save Miracle from drowning, I had no idea what she’d been doing for a living, or why she was unconscious and half-naked in a boat.

However, I already knew who Ryder was from NIGHT OF SIN. My hero always really drives the story, and if he’s complex and tortured, so much the better! Though Ryder isn’t as obviously dark and troubled as his brother Jack, it’s only because he’s less self-aware. So once I knew her real past, I was fascinated by how Miracle would react to a man like Ryder, and how he’d react to her, especially once he knew the truth.

Yet in spite of her pragmatic attitude to men and sex, I honestly didn’t think of Miracle in terms of risk. She’s honorable and brave and worthy of a hero’s heart, and she’s never been simply promiscuous. After all, there are plenty of rakes in romance who abandon their mistresses at the start of the story when they meet the heroine. It would reflect a very cruel double standard if those women were always villains, or doomed to unhappiness, wouldn’t it? So why not have a brilliant, sexually knowledgeable heroine like Miracle seduce a gorgeous guy like Ryder, and then overcome all the odds to eventually find happiness with him?

Q. What do you see as some of the greatest creative risks you’ve taken in your career? Has there ever been anything an editor asked you to remove or tone down? Anything readers had problems with?

To judge a character or plot-element as a “risk” implies that the author has accepted a certain set of expectations that she’s consciously breaking, and that’s simply not the way that I write. Though it might have been “safer” to write simpler or less sophisticated stories, all of my editors so far have encouraged me to go wherever the story demands, whether it’s “different” or not, and no editor has ever asked me to tone down a thing. On the contrary, my editors repeatedly tell me that my unique voice and approach is what they love most about my books. There’s great freedom in that, but it can also be a little intimidating at times!

As for readers having problems, several years ago I lost some of my early Regency readers, who didn’t like the explicit sensuality of my long historicals and let me know all about it. Yet only the kindest of readers seem to contact me these days. My fans sometimes point out little errors that might have crept in, but usually they’re incredibly generous with their praise, which always touches me to the heart.

Beginning every new book is incredibly tough for me, and it’s often at some moment of great self-doubt that I’ll receive a wonderful e-mail from a new fan. For example, a professional romance reviewer in Germany just e-mailed to tell me that she’d become so caught up in THE SEDUCTION that she was in danger of falling behind on her job. She’d already ordered copies of all of my titles still in print and was searching out my backlist, as well. I feel very humbled to get an e-mail like that, but it also helps to inspire me to keep writing.

Meanwhile, I’m absolutely thrilled that my fans have enabled Berkley to put the words “bestselling author” on my covers, and I owe them a huge debt of thanks. THANK YOU, READERS!! On the other hand, my stories are definitely not for everyone, so I don’t troll the Internet looking for negative comments from readers who prefer a different style. One of the greatest attributes of romance is that there’s enough variety to suit all of us, so no author needs to please every reader, and it’s far better that way.

Q. We hear you just completed the manuscript for your next book. Congratulations! Can you tell us more about it?

CLANDESTINE will be released in Berkley trade paperback in November with some very sensuous orchids and a lovely, iridescent barn swallow on the cover. It’s the third book in the Wyldshay trilogy, and opens when Guy Devoran — Jack and Ryder’s glamorous cousin — is accosted in a London bookstore by a redheaded schoolteacher from Bath. I had no idea when I began this story that Guy was hiding dark secrets throughout NIGHT OF SIN and GAMES OF PLEASURE — secrets he simply must keep from Sarah Callaway, even when he agrees to help her find her missing cousin. The cover art and a tiny teaser are already up on my web site at www.juliaross.net and I’ll be adding more between now and November. So please stay tuned!

Q. What are you planning to work on next?

I don’t plan very far ahead, and I always take off a little time between books to refill the well, so at the moment I really have no clue what the next story will be, or even when or where it might take place. I’m going to England again very soon — I go every year to explore new locations and ideas — so I trust that another “burning idea” will have grabbed me by the time I get back! Meanwhile, I hope I can find the time to put some photos up on my web site of places in Britain that helped to inspire scenes in previous books — like bluebell woods and coast paths — though that probably won’t happen for several more weeks. Which leads me once again to thank my readers for always being so patient with me. Including my necessary “dream time,” it takes me a solid year to write a book, so there’s not a lot of spare time left over. Thanks again, Risky Regencies!

Posted in Interviews | Tagged Julia Ross | 2 Replies

Interview with our new Risky, Diane Perkins

Updated on February 21, 2013 by Amanda McCabe/Laurel McKee

Diane Perkins (Warner), the newest member of the Riskies, leads a double life as Diane Gaston (Harlequin Historical/Harlequin Mills & Boon). She’s gained a loyal following as a writer who tackles the gritty underside of the Regency era with passion, style, and compassion. Her May 2006 Harlequin Historical release, A Reputable Rake, is an RWA Rita finalist, and The Mysterious Miss M was voted 2005 Favorite First Book on eHarlequin and tied for Best Historical Series on AllAboutRomance.com.

Brilliant writing, a classic reformed rake plot, and vivid depictions of the Regency period make this a compelling read for fans of this era. Romantic Times BOOKclub

This latest, after such stellar releases as The Mysterious Miss M, and The Wagering Widow clearly show this author has what it takes…. Historical Romance Writers

Diane, congratulations on your Rita-nominated book, A Reputable Rake. Tell us a bit about this book–how did you come to write it, and what gave you the original idea?

The “Rake” of A Reputable Rake (Gaston), started out life as the villain, Cyprian Sloane, in my second Mills & Boon, The Wagering Widow. He tried to take over the book, so to appease him, I promised him a book of his own. Sloane was one of those “bad boys” who really is honorable inside. He decides to become respectable, but the alluring woman next door threatens that goal.

Did you come across any interesting research snippets while you were writing this book?

I read Courtesans by Katie Hickman (Harper Collins, 2003), which told the real life stories of five courtesans from the 18th and 19th centuries. It seemed to me that courtesans had more freedom and led more interesting lives than Regency housewives and I wanted to write about them. So I decided to have the heroine run a courtesan school right next door to Sloane, and he keeps getting embroiled in her scheme, to the risk of his attempt to become reputable.

Which is your favorite book, and why?

Well, The Mysterious Miss M (Gaston) has a special place in my heart, as does my first Diane Perkins book, The Improper Wife. Both were born of the same idea–a dramatic, emotionally bonding first meeting between the hero and heroine. The Mysterious Miss M is extra special to me, because it was my first published book and the book that almost never was. But I really have a special fondness for A Reputable Rake, another Gaston book. Cyprian Sloane captured my heart immediately, and his heroine, Morgana Hart, was such a strong, resourceful woman. I loved them both, and I loved the cast of characters that joined them in the story.

This is a Regency with the gutsiness of a Dickens novel. It’s not always pretty, but it’s real and passionate. Gaston’s strong, memorable debut provides new insights into the era and characters that touch your heart and draw you emotionally into her powerful story. — Kathe Robin, Romantic Times BOOKclub.

The Marriage Bargain was a struggle for me to write but I am so proud of the result. It was a Romantic Times Top Pick and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee.

Perkins takes a standard marriage of convenience plot and brilliantly turns it into an emotionally intense, utterly captivating story that will thrill readers to their core.– Kathe Robin, RT BOOKclub

Your first book, The Mysterious Miss M, has a heroine who is a prostitute. Was this a difficult book to sell?

When the manuscript that became The Mysterious Miss M became a finalist in RWA’s 2001 Golden Heart contest, I marketed it to every agent and editor I could think of. It was rejected over and over, editors and agents saying that readers would never accept my “prostitute” heroine. By the time Miss M made the finals of the 2003 Golden Heart (giving me membership in the Wet Noodle Posse!), I knew of nowhere else to send it. I had just finished writing The Improper Wife and could only think to use my GH finalist status to try to sell that book. Then one day I had a phone call from Kate Paice, an editor at Mills & Boon who’d judged Miss M in the Golden Heart and wanted to buy it! I literally never considered sending the manuscript to Mills & Boon, so if it had not been for the Golden Heart contest, Miss M might never have seen print. And I would not have written The Wagering Widow or A Reputable Rake. I should add that Miss M won the 2003 Golden Heart for Best Long Historical manuscript, and a couple of months later, The Improper Wife sold to Warner Forever.

Her stories are witty and unforgettable, with characters that are laid bare in such a manner that readers are drawn into the story right from the opening chapters… Diane Gaston’s books are always page-turners; she involves her readers in the dramas of her characters with the knowledge of their motives and cheeky insights into their thoughts. Naomi, Fallen Angel Reviews

Do you feel that having a first book with such a controversial heroine made your readers expect something different and daring in consequent books?

I am not sure about readers, but I know that Mills & Boon expected something different and daring in my subsequent books! They really have encouraged me to explore the darker side of the Regency, which has been great fun. Warner has been more interested in the emotional character-driven stories set in the Regency, and that also has been a great pleasure, because I love to delve deep into my characters.

What do you consider particularly risky about your writing?

The easy answer would be my choice of subject matter for my books — prostitutes, gaming hells, courtesans — but I think what is really risky about my books is my take on the characters. I love to conjure up complex characters that have genuine flaws and darkness about them. And I don’t like to totally redeem them either. They are flawed people who grow because of love, but not everything turns out perfectly. Because of love, however, they are able to live with what is not perfect.

The Improper Wife is a grand historical romance written with deep emotion, authenticity, and originality. One for the keeper shelf.— Jane Bowers, Romance Reviews Today

Your books have beautifully done sex scenes. Do you find them difficult to write?

Thank you! I have the great good fortune to have Karen Anders, a Blaze author, as a critique partner, and, although my sex scenes are not nearly as erotic as hers, I have learned so much from her on what makes a great love scene. Something emotional has to happen and change for the characters in their sexual encounter, and you must try to bring in as many of the senses as possible. So I just try to emulate Karen when I write the scene.

What are your influences/what do you like to read?

My influences are first and foremost Mary Jo Putney and Mary Balogh. Books like theirs were what I aspired to write when I tried my hand at writing a Regency Historical Romance. I’ve also read a great deal of Georgette Heyer and all of Jane Austen. Before I started writing in the Regency, my very favorite genre to read was Traditional Regency, now sadly fading from the publishing landscape. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to all the authors who taught me to love this time period and to honor its history. Unfortunately, now that I’m writing in the time period, I have a great deal of difficulty reading it. I think I am afraid I will assimilate other author’s story ideas. Or maybe I’m afraid I’ll read something so wonderful, I’ll be scared to compete! What I’m enjoying reading lately are non-fiction books set in or relating to the Regency era. Lately I’ve been reading books about Brighton, where my next as-yet-untitled Warner book is set. Before that I thoroughly enjoyed My Lady Scandalous : The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, Royal Courtesan by Jo Manning.And I recently read Discipline by Mary Brunton, a novel written during the Regency. I want to read more novels of the time period and on my TBR pile is The Duchess of Richmond’s Ball: 15th June 1815 by David Miller, about the Ball the night before Waterloo. I also recently acquired a 1926 edition of The Linleys of Bath by Clementina Black and I can’t wait to read that.

What are you working on now, and when does your next book come out?

I am currently writing Warner Forever Book #3, as yet untitled. It is the second book in my “Ternion” series of the three friends, Spence from The Marriage Bargain, Blake, and Wolfe. This is Blake’s story. My next book to be released is another as-yet-untitled book, a Harlequin Historical Christmas anthology. My novella, A Twelfth Night Tale (Gaston), will be one of three. The other authors are Elizabeth Rolls and Deborah Hale. A Coveted Rose (Gaston) will be out in the UK sometime in early 2007, telling the story of one of the courtesan students from A Reputable Rake. Blake’s story from Warner, (Perkins) , is due to be released in Spring 2007.

Diane, welcome to the Riskies, and thanks for talking about yourself!

Posted in Interviews, Risky Book Talk | Tagged Diane Gaston, Diane Perkins | 12 Replies