Please help me welcome historical author Katherine Grey, whose Regencies are available from Wild Rose Press. I love Regencies, Katherine. What draws you to that genre?
I’ve always liked history. History and English were my favorite classes in high school so when I first discovered romance novels, I automatically gravitated toward historical romances. A friend introduced me to the wonderful works of Georgette Heyer. From that point on, Regency romances became my favorite type of historical romance to read. I also started reading a lot of non-fiction about the Regency period. I find the whole time period fascinating, not just the lords and ladies of the Ton, but the “regular folk” of the time as well.
Heyer was a such a wonderful story teller. I loved her books. Would you tell us about your latest, THE MUSE?
THE MUSE is part of the Love Letters line published by The Wild Rose Press. The hero, Blaine Hobson, was a secondary character in my novel, IMPETUOUS. I had such a hard time keeping him from taking over that book that I ended up sending him off to France for a good portion of the book. At that point, I knew I’d have to write his story which led to THE MUSE.
Blurb:
Noted poet Blaine Hobson counts the Prince Regent among his patrons. But ever since the socialite he wished to marry took her life, he has been unable to compose a single line of poetry. With a sonnet commissioned by the Regent due in a few weeks, Blaine spends his time alternating between trying to write...and wishing he had the courage to join his beloved in the grave.
Raised in an orphanage with her sister, seamstress Emma Tompkins lives with the guilt of her sibling’s death. Accidently finding a suicide note penned by Blaine, she resolves to keep him alive at all costs. Vigilant, she returns each day, pushing her way into his home--and losing her heart.
Can Blaine forget his beloved and return the affections of the seamstress? Or once finished with his work, will he cast Emma out of his life forever?
Excerpt:
The wind picked up, causing the skeletal tree branches to scratch against the sky. Leaves skittered along the ground, crackling like sheaves of paper as they shuffled against the gutter. Clouds raced across the sky, obscuring the moon more and more often.
Emma looked up at the inky darkness. No stars in sight. She didn’t consider herself to be superstitious, yet she had hoped to send a wish to one of the stars watching over the night. She needed reassurance that she’d done the right thing leaving Mr. Hobson alone. The guilt of Penny’s death nearly crushed her. She wasn’t certain she could withstand another death on her conscience. Not when she could have done something, anything to stop it.
She quickened her pace at the sound of footsteps behind her, scanning the darkness as she hurried along. There was no one about. She tightened her grip on the front of her cloak, trying to hold it closed against the harsh wind. The thin garment did little to keep out the cold.
She glanced behind her as she passed an alley, careful to give it a wide berth. Lazarus had told her of men who pulled women unfortunate enough to be out alone into alleys only to sell them later to a procurer for some of the worst brothels in London. Why hadn’t she remembered that before setting out?
So intent on watching the alley, Emma walked right into a stone wall. At least that’s what it felt like.
Two hands gripped her arms. She looked up at her captor, her heart in her throat.
And...and...who is it? Don't leave us hanging like this. LOL. The story sounds great. What’s your next project?
I just signed a contract for a full length novel featuring Lazarus. He plays a large part in THE MUSE and captivated me even more than Blaine had while I was writing that first book. (Lazarus is briefly mentioned in the above excerpt.) I’ve already started working on edits requested by my editor so that’s my focus right now.
That's great, Katherine. Good luck. What one tip would you offer writers?
When you receive a critique that you don’t agree with, don’t automatically discount it. Set it aside for a couple of weeks then come back to it and look at it again. With time and distance, you may be able to see what the person who gave you the critique was trying to say. If you agree with the comments, then make changes. If you don’t, then ignore it and move on. But if you’re getting the same type of comments then it’s not them, it’s the story and changes need to be made. Of course, I’m talking about constructive critiques, not ones given just to tear the writer down. (Yes, I have had some of those.)
I don't understand people who are so destructive. Thinking of something more positive: Do you have a special place you like to write?
I like to write at the dining room table. It gives me plenty of room to spread out my research notes, thesaurus, my book on word origins, and I don’t feel closed off from my family. Though I do have to make sure I sit so I can’t see the TV in the living room or I don’t get any writing done.(LOL)
How do your story ideas come to you? Which do you visualize first, characters or plots?
This is a hard question to answer. I get story ideas from all sorts of places ranging from newspaper or magazine articles, a line from a song, a conversation with a friend or family member, even a snippet of overheard conversation while waiting in line somewhere. In nearly every case, the characters have come to me first. They slip into my mind and whisper in my ear at the most inconvenient times so I’ve started carrying a small notebook wherever I go so I can jot down what they say.
Thanks so much for being here, Katherine. Come back again, when your next book is out--the one about Lazarus.
Thank you. I would love to.
Visit Katherine at her blog – http://katherinegrey.blogspot.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katherine-Grey/265375626827267?sk=wall
To buy Katherine’s books:
