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Savanna Walker

FictionMystery

Robin Yocum

Interview by Savanna Walker

In high school, Johnny Earl seemed to have it all: good looks, brains, a pretty girlfriend and athletic talent. But when an injury ends Johnny’s mediocre career in professional baseball, he ends up back home in Steubenville, Ohio, with little money and no prospects. A stint as a cocaine dealer solves the money problem but earns him a seven-year stay in federal prison. Things go from bad to worse when Johnny is released from prison—and the informant who nailed him turns up dead soon after.

In Robin Yocum’s captivating new mystery, A Welcome Murder, Johnny becomes the primary suspect in the crime, but Steubenville offers plenty of other possible shooters, from a former homecoming queen to her long-suffering husband. Narrated by five of the characters, this entertaining tale offers both occasional hilarity and a realistic look at the economic decline of southeastern Ohio.

Yocum, who grew up near Steubenville, earned a degree in journalism and worked as a crime and investigative reporter for the Columbus Dispatch for more than a decade. His fiction debut, the 2011 mystery Favorite Sons, was released in a new paperback edition last week. His other books include The Essay and 2016’s A Brilliant Death, a coming-of-age mystery that’s a nominee for this year’s Edgar Awards. We asked him to tell us more about creating the memorable cast of A Welcome Murder.

All of your novels take place in the Rust Belt region of southeastern Ohio. Why do you keep coming back to this area?
I love the grit and grind of the Ohio River Valley. It’s an area rich in character and it provides a backdrop in which I am comfortable. As most of my readers know, this is where I grew up. When I was young, I didn’t know an artist, or a writer, or a musician. Every man I knew left for work each morning with a hardhat in one hand and a tin lunch pail in the other, my father included.

Several years ago, I started on a sequel for Favorite Sons. I set the story in Columbus, where I’ve lived for more than 35 years. While I liked the premise of the book, I struggled. I finally realized it was the setting. I like Columbus, but the backdrop was too sterile. I missed the smoke and fires of the steel mills. I might someday take another run at the book, but I will move the setting to the Ohio River Valley.

Your book has five narrators, each with a unique voice—Johnny Earl; ambitious Sheriff Francis Robertson; his scheming wife Allison; former Steubenville High homecoming queen Dena Marie and her put-upon husband Smoochie. Which one was your favorite to write?
My favorite character is my lead, Johnny Earl. Throughout the book he makes a transition from a cocky high school athlete, to terrified prison inmate, to, I believe, a pretty decent guy at the end of the book. But, to answer your question, Smoochie was my favorite to create. We all knew a Smoochie Xenakis back in high school. He was the awkward guy who tried too hard to be popular and was a frequent target for the bullies. It was a lot of fun creating his transition from class nerd to suspected murderer and watching him take advantage of the situation. There were times when I was writing about Smoochie and laughing out loud, particularly when he gives the clothing store clerk a hard time.

"I dropped a corpse in the middle of their plans, then sat back and waited to see how they reacted. Most of the time, they reacted badly, which is reality."

A Welcome Murder is a fascinating blend of genres and tones. It’s sort of a modern, rural noir, but with a decidedly comic voice. Are there any specific authors or works that influenced your style?
First of all, thanks for the kind words. My favorite writers are John Steinbeck and James Lee Burke. I’m also a fan of Mark Twain. However, I’m can’t say any of them really influenced me when I was writing this book. I started out wanting to write a story about a former high school athlete who never grew beyond his yellowing press clippings. When I started writing, I just let the characters take over. This book is dialogue driven. At times, I felt like I was simply taking dictation while they told the story. In a way, these characters are stereotypical—the ex-jock, the former homecoming queen, the class nerd, the aspiring politician and the unhappy wife. However, I dropped a corpse in the middle of their plans, then sat back and waited to see how they reacted. Most of the time, they reacted badly, which is reality.

Do you think the vices and bad decisions of Johnny Earl and other characters can be blamed at least in part on the hopelessness of their environment? Or do you think they would have managed to get in the same predicaments regardless of where they grew up?
I think it was a mix. Johnny Earl was his own worst enemy, particularly when he was younger, and the setting had no bearing on the fact that he was a horse’s ass in high school. Dena Marie was definitely influenced by her environment and her situation. Remember this passage: “We were sexually active in high school. My parents used to go visit my grandmother at the nursing home on Sunday afternoons, and I think they did that so I could have some time alone with Johnny. I used to give him head while he drank my dad’s beer and watched the Steelers games on television. Dad was a loyal Steubenville Big Red athletic booster and openly disappointed that my brother had been gifted with brains and not great athletic ability. However, if his daughter were to marry the greatest athlete in the history of the high school, that would be redemption for the shame of having fathered a mathematics genius. And if his little girl had to give a little head in the process, so be it.”

I can forgive Dena Marie some of her indiscretions given her situation. She wasn’t raised to be an independent woman; she was raised to be someone’s wife. Sheriff Roberson was raised in Steubenville and still managed to get out of the Ohio Valley and become quite successful. I think the environment has a lot to do with a person’s upbringing, but personal choices matter, too.

No matter how appalling their decisions are, your characters are, for the most part, sympathetic and even appealing. How do you avoid stereotypes and create such believable characters?
I don’t mean for this to sound flippant, but I try to let the characters develop on their own, then verbalize their thoughts. We all have hopes and dreams, regardless of our age. However, most of us are too insecure or worried about what others think to talk about our dreams. We’re afraid if we talk about it, we will open up ourselves to ridicule. That isn’t the case with my characters. They are honest about their aspirations. Johnny tells you he wants to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame. The sheriff tells people he wants to be the president. Dena Marie wants Johnny. Smoochie wants respect and Dena Marie. The sheriff’s wife wants to get out of Steubenville and into the governor’s mansion. This exposes their vulnerabilities. I believe that most of life isn’t black or white. It’s lived somewhere in that vast gray area in the middle. If your characters think and act within that gray area—like the rest of us—readers will be able to relate to them.

Do you share Johnny Earl’s love for baseball?
Growing up, I only wanted to be two things in life—a fireman and the second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I was a pretty decent baseball player. Not major league material, but a good high school and American Legion player. During baseball season my senior year in high school, while I was sitting on the bench with a shattered ankle and a plaster cast on my leg, I thought, “Perhaps I should come up with a backup plan in case this whole major league thing doesn’t work out.” Thus, I started looking for a career where a mediocre throwing arm wouldn’t be a deterrent to drawing a paycheck. I passed up several opportunities to play baseball in college to play football at Bowling Green [State University] because I needed the scholarship money. Yes, I love baseball, and I remain a diehard Pirates fan.

Why did you choose to set A Welcome Murder in 1989?
I set the stage for A Welcome Murder in the previous book, A Brilliant Death. The narrator in A Brilliant Death was Mitch Malone, who graduated high school in 1972. He and Johnny Earl are cousins born a few days apart. Thus, the math determined that the book would be set in the late 1980s. This isn’t a series, but the next book will feature another cousin, Nicholas “Duke” Ducheski.

You describe Steubenville, Ohio, in the book as “a dingy, gray city that is dying a slow death.” Have things gotten any better for Steubenville in the decades since the book was set?
Unfortunately, things have definitely not gotten better. When I was growing up, there were 60,000 steel mill jobs in the Upper Ohio River Valley. The jobs are gone and they’re starting to demolish the old mills. It’s very sad, and somewhat difficult to comprehend that something as mighty as the steel industry in the Ohio Valley has all but disappeared. My great-grandfather came to America, by himself, when he was 15 and eventually went to work in the coal mines of Eastern Ohio. My maternal grandfather went to work in the glass factory in my hometown of Brilliant when he was 10-years old. The entire economy of the Ohio Valley and Eastern Ohio rested on the broad shoulders of steel workers and coal miners. Now, it’s virtually all gone. The downtown Steubenville of my youth was a vibrant, bustling place with three movie theaters, the Hub Department Store, bakeries, five-and-dimes and on and on. Now, it’s a shadow of its former self. I hope that someday prosperity will return, but I don’t believe that will occur in my lifetime.

With the renewed interest in rural America since the 2016 presidential election, do you think an accurate portrait of this region is being drawn in the media? Or are there aspects of it that are still being missed?
For the most part, I think the media hit it right. The people in the Ohio Valley are fiercely independent and proud people. When America was in the throes of the Industrial Revolution and two world wars, the men and women of the Ohio Valley put the country on its shoulders and carried it through, producing steel at an incredible pace. We supplied steel for cars, bridges, tanks and airplanes. Now, the mills are gone and they now feel ignored, or worse, forgotten. The population of the Ohio Valley has dropped because young people need to go elsewhere to find work. It’s sad, and it makes people angry, particularly the ones who remember the good times. I wish I knew how to fix the problem, but I don’t.

If you were a casting director, who would you want to cast in a movie adaptation of A Welcome Murder?
OK, so I went to a website that features photographs of famous actors under the age of 40. My immediate response was, “Holy crap, I don’t know any of these guys.” I would probably call Clint Eastwood or Ron Howard and beg for help. But, that doesn’t answer your question. Most of the actors I really like are too old for the roles, or they’re dead, which further complicates things. (You know, the greatest entertainer of all time, Dean Martin, was from Steubenville.) OK, sorry, back to your question. I’d ask Kaley Cuoco of “The Big Bang Theory” to play Dena Marie. Kevin Sussman, who plays Stuart Bloom, the comic book store owner on the same show, would make a good Smoochie, but we would need to give him Botox injections in his lips. Chris “Captain America” Evans would make a good Johnny Earl. (Also, I would find a role for Katheryn Winnick, who plays Lagertha on the History Channel show “Vikings,” for no other reason than there’s something about beautiful Viking warrior babes that flips my switch.)

You’ve written true crime, coming-of-age and mystery, and your critical reputation has grown with each book. What’s next for you?
My next book, which will be out in about a year, is also set in Ohio River town of Mingo Junction and centers around a former high school basketball star who, 20 years after he made the most famous shot in school history, seeks a way to define his life beyond something he did when he was still shaving twice a week.

I am also working on a book that is set in Eastern Ohio during a coal mine strike in the 1920s, and have a memoir in the works. I’m excited about the memoir. It follows the parallel paths of the steel industry and my family. There was a time when the steel mills boomed and my family all lived within a few miles of each other. I follow these separate but interrelated paths to a point where the steel industry begins to die, and I am pushed out the door in search of opportunities beyond the fires of the mills.

In high school, Johnny Earl seemed to have it all: good looks, brains, a pretty girlfriend and athletic talent. But when an injury ends Johnny’s mediocre career in professional baseball, he ends up back home in Steubenville, Ohio, with little money and no prospects. A stint as a cocaine dealer solves the money problem but […]
RomanceRomantic SuspenseHistorical Romance

Alyssa Cole

Interview by Savanna Walker

Two Union spies fall in love during a dangerous mission to thwart the Confederacy in our Romance Top Pick for April, An Extraordinary Union. Author Alyssa Cole has written a number of historical romances in other eras, but had determined to never set a novel in the Civil War. She talked to us about what made her change her mind, what it's like to switch between writing historical and contemporary romance and more! 

Describe your latest novel in one sentence.
A freed black woman with a photographic memory goes undercover as a slave in a Confederate senator’s home, where she meets a rakish fellow Union spy who grates her nerves, aides her cause and steals her heart. TL;DR version: Nevertheless, she persisted.

Because Elle has an eidetic memory, she frequently quotes or remembers passages from books she’s read. How did you pick out these quotations and determine which authors would be Elle’s favorites? Is there any overlap between what she enjoys and literature you like?
Although I do enjoy some of the literature Elle references, I looked through books that would have been available and/or popular during her lifetime, and searched for passages I thought would have resonated with the character. Because she remembers everything, there was a lot of material to work with!

You write in so many genres! Do you find there’s a difference in how you write depending on which genre you’re working in?
I think the biggest difference is, of course, the vocabulary and setting of the book, which I try to fit to the era in which the book is set. Sometimes when I’m bouncing between contemporary and historical, I’ll realize my contemporary characters are speaking like my historical characters, and then I have to recalibrate. I think no matter the subgenre, I try to focus on characters I find compelling and the romance that drives their stories.

You’ve written several other historical romances but had determined to not write a book set in the Civil War. What changed your mind?
Actually, and I had totally forgotten this, but An Extraordinary Union was the first historical romance I ever completed! I’ve always been a history buff and loved historical romance, but I had been resisting writing historicals because I didn’t want to deal with all of the horrible aspects of America’s past (this is a very typical American trait, you may have noticed). But I became a regular reader of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ blog at The Atlantic and fell in love with American history—particularly the untold stories.

In mid-2013, I had the idea to pull together an anthology of Revolutionary War romances featuring Americans whose stories are often neglected in history books, which eventually became For Love and Liberty (and my novella Be Not Afraid). I also wrote the first two chapters of a story that would eventually become my Civil Rights activist romance, Let It Shine. But I was definitely not going to set anything in the Civil War period . . . and then NaNoWriMo 2013 rolled around. The month before, I saw a call for a historical novella and 1960s America, the setting of Let It Shine, was beyond the cut-off point. Then I remembered Mary Bowser, the Civil War spy who Elle is based on, and “Definitely no Civil War” seemed a bit too hasty. Elle and Malcolm’s story took off from there.

Elle is an incredible heroine. What do you admire most about her?
I admire her bravery. One of the things that struck me the most in the accounts I read of Black-American Civil War spies was the bravery it must have taken to risk everything for a country that had done so wrong by them. Espionage and the situations it entails are harrowing, but I think it takes a special kind of bravery to believe fiercely in a country that has given you every reason not to.

Elle and Malcolm are both based on real historical figures. Where did you first hear about them and what about these people inspired you?
I’m pretty sure I first heard about Mary Bowser on Coates’ blog. I believe I came across Timothy Webster, who meshed well with the idea I already had for Malcolm, while researching Pinkertons. While Elle and Malcolm are fictional, the inspiration I drew from Mary and Timothy was their bravery, ingenuity and dedication to the American ideal.

You split your time between the Caribbean and NYC, and love to travel. What is your favorite place you’ve discovered recently?
Lately, because I live in the Caribbean for the most part, I’ve actually discovered some new places in America while visiting family and attending conventions. My most recent place that I really enjoyed was San Diego, which was warm and lovely. My impression of the city was probably aided by the fact that I rented an amazing tiny house while I was there!

What’s next for you?
Right now I’m finishing up Book 2 of The Loyal League series, A Hope Divided, which follows Malcolm’s brother Ewan. I’m also working on the second book of my Reluctant Royals series with Avon, which is launching in 2018. I’m really excited about this series, which is fun contemporary romance. And I’m also shining up my novella for Hamilton’s Battalion, an anthology I’m working on with Rose Lerner and Courtney Milan that will be out later this year.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of An Extraordinary Union.

Author photo credit Katana Photography.

Two Union spies fall in love during a dangerous mission to thwart the Confederacy in our Romance Top Pick for April, An Extraordinary Union. Author Alyssa Cole has written a number of historical romances in other eras, but had determined to never set a novel in the Civil War. She talked to us about what made her change her mind, what it's like to switch between writing historical and contemporary romance, and more! 
FictionHistorical Fiction

Anita Shreve

Interview by Savanna Walker

Grace Holland's life is spent in service to her children, her husband and her home, and any disatisfaction she feels is quickly pushed aside in the constant menial work that fills a housewife's time in 1947 Maine. But when wildfires sweep down the coast, Grace's home is completely destroyed and her husband is lost, most likely dead. 

Anita Shreve's The Stars Are Fire is the story of Grace's life after the fire, of her quest to secure housing and then financial security for herself and her children, and her discovery of the struggles and joys of independence. It is a book of small moments, a collection of seemingly simple themes that build to surprising and moving crescendoes. Shreve's spare, economic prose suits her character’s practicality and initial hesitance to determine the course of her own life. While Grace’s upbringing has not prepared her for any of the challenges she faces, she slowly begins to unfurl in the new space and freedom allotted to her, as naturally as a plant grows to fill unoccupied space. Shreve's crisp writing becomes more expansive in the moments when her protagonist consciously stretches beyond the boundaries of her previously narrow life.

A former journalist and creative writing teacher, Shreve became a literary sensation with the publication of her first novel, The Weight of Water, in 1997 and rose to further prominence when her next book, The Pilot's Wife, was selected for Oprah's book club. Shreve's books have fascinated audiences ever since and sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. We contacted the author at her home in Maine to ask about the historical inspiration for The Stars Are Fire and the ways in which the novel charts the evolving freedoms of American women. 

When did you first learn about the Maine fires of 1947? Did the idea for Grace’s story come along at the same time? 
I first heard about the fire about a decade ago when I picked up a pamphlet about the town of Cape Porpoise, Maine. I remember that there were harrowing descriptions of the Fire of ’47, as locals called it. And the pictures of the fire were just as terrifying. Later I read a book called The Week That Maine Burned. But it wasn’t until eight or nine years later that I thought about writing a novel based on the fire. One of the details that had most intrigued me was the notion of women and children having to flee into the sea to save themselves from the coastal fire. I began to imagine a woman named Grace with two children who has to do just that, and the novel was born.

Grace’s trajectory at times reminded me of a coming-of-age story. She is a married woman with children, but over the course of the novel she discovers and embraces her independence and sexuality. Where did the inspiration for her character development come from?
The development of Grace’s character came about because of the era and her marriage. It’s not a particularly good marriage even before the fire. But the era—post World War II—was a stultifying period for women. Most were housewives, stuck at home unless they had a car, which Grace didn’t. Laundry was done on a washboard and hung to dry. There’s a scene in the novel in which her husband, Gene, comes home with a wringer-washer in an attempt to save the marriage. The machine is so welcome, it does the trick. For a time.

"I’m interested in the reality of a woman pushed to the edge. How will she behave? I take it minute by minute."

The struggles of Grace and the other female characters in the novel to carve out lives for themselves despite the restrictions placed on their gender feel very realistic for the historical setting. Did you draw on family history to craft this aspect of the novel?
I did research to be true to the era. That was essential in shaping Grace’s character, especially in regards to what she can and cannot do. I used my mother and her chores and her approach to them to flesh out Grace—although I did not use my parents’ marriage. They were happily married for 56 years. But I remember the wringer-washer, the sheets and towels on the line, the one-night-a-week grocery-shopping trip, the playpens and bathinettes.

Grace’s relationship with her mother evolves significantly over the course of the book. How responsible do you think her mother is for Grace’s personality and situation, especially at the beginning of the novel?
Grace’s mother, too, is a woman of her era, but with prewar notions of how a woman should behave. When Grace tries to tell her that her marriage is troubled, the mother steers the conversation elsewhere. She doesn’t want to talk about such difficulties. But after the fire, as the necessity for Grace to make a life for them all evolves, Grace’s mother begins to soften her stance. Grace married at a young age. Her fiance fought in the war and appeared to be a gentleman. He was at school trying to better himself. That would have appealed to Grace’s mother at that time.

The balance between the bleak moments of Grace’s trials and the moments of triumph and grace is so delicate. How did you calibrate that during your writing process?
I kept it as real as I possibly could. I often do this in novels. I’m interested in the reality of a woman pushed to the edge. How will she behave? I take it minute by minute. Because Grace has endured so many hardships, the joys, when they come, while they may seem small to us, are momentous to her.

Music plays a key role in this novel. Are you a fan of classical music or did you have to research this element of the story?
I’m a fan of classical music but don’t know much about it. I do, however, love Brahms Second Piano Concerto very much and thus included it in the book

The coast of Maine has been a frequent setting for you, and Grace’s connection to the sea and the natural world is a touchstone of The Stars Are Fire. What is it about this place that continues to inspire you?
Every novel I think to myself: OK, I’m moving west in this novel. But I can’t seem to take a step away from the coast of Maine. It’s in my bones, I suppose. I know the area very well, and one of my favorite activities in life is to sit in a chair and look at the ocean.

The action of The Stars Are Fire felt very organic as it unfolded. Did any plot points surprise you in the midst of writing, or did the book follow your original plan for it?
I knew that Gene would be gone for a large part of the novel, and that the reader might be wondering if he would come back. I certainly knew the fire would be a large part of the book. And I knew that eventually Grace would either push a baby carriage or drive a car away from her home. I didn’t know where she was going or exactly why.

What’s next for you?
I’m afraid I can’t say. I’m superstitious about talking about a work in progress. I wrote my first novel, Eden Close, in complete secrecy, and that worked, so I’ve kept to that decision throughout the other seventeen.

 

Author photo by Elena Seibert

Anita Shreve's new novel, The Stars Are Fire, is the quietly powerful story of a Maine woman's struggle to live independently after her husband is killed in a 1947 fire.
RomanceMysteryHistorical Romance

Amanda Quick

Interview by Savanna Walker

When rookie reporter Irene Glasson stumbles onto the scene of a grisly murder at Oliver Ward's glamorous hotel, the pair find themselves thrown together in a race to catch a vicious killer in our May Top Pick in Romance, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. Irene and Oliver's suspects include Old Hollywood hearthrobs and East Coast hitmen, and Irene is hiding some secrets of her own that could spoil her and Oliver's growing attraction for good. We talked to Jayne Ann Krentz, the bestselling romance author who writes historical mysteries under the name Amanda Quick, about leaving the Victorian era, plotting out a web of killer twists and more! 

Describe your latest book in one sentence.
A failed magician, a gossip magazine reporter and a hired killer walk into a 1930s Hollywood bar.

As Amanda Quick, you’ve written a number of historical mysteries set in Victorian England. What made you decide to set The Girl Who Knew Too Much in 1930s Hollywood instead?
I was looking for a fresh fictional landscape. Talked it over with my editor and she said those fatal words: “Well, what about the 1930s?” I had never even considered that particular decade. But the minute I sat down to write the first sentence I got that wonderful jolt of recognition that zaps an author when she knows she has found a world that is ideal for her kinds of characters, plots and voice.

There are so many intriguing aspects and angles to The Girl Who Knew Too Much’s mystery. How do you plot all of them out? Do you make an initial, detailed outline and stick to it, or were there some elements that sprang up midprocess and made you change your plans?
I began with a rough outline, but as soon as I started writing, everything started to change. That’s how it always goes with me. It would be great to know exactly where I’m headed when I go into a book, but sadly, I don’t get my best ideas until I actually start writing. Something about the creative process drives the creative process.

I’m a huge Old Hollywood fan, and I had a great time trying to draw comparisons between the characters of The Girl Who Knew Too Much and real celebrities. Were there any specific figures or scandals that inspired you?
So many scandals, so little time! Those Hollywood fixers could cover up just about anything, including murder, if the star was worth it. That means the plot potential is unlimited.

What is your favorite thing about your reporter heroine, Irene?
I love to write about characters who are in the process of reinventing themselves. That takes grit and determination. Irene’s got plenty of both. I like that about her. I like it a lot.

Irene and Oliver make a great team, and they’re surrounded by intriguing side characters. Would you ever write a sequel and give them another case?
Amazing that you ask! I’m not doing a sequel, exactly, but I am writing another book set in the Burning Cove world. Readers will definitely meet Irene and Oliver again as well as many of the side characters. I love this new world, and I’m hoping to hang around here for a while.

What books do you find yourself turning to for escapism or comfort after a bad day?
I’m always up for escaping into a good book. On good days or bad I’ll read anything by Christina Dodd or Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and I’m a huge fan of Deanna Raybourn’s new Veronica Speedwell mysteries.

What’s next for you?
I just finished my new novel of contemporary romantic-suspense, Promise Not to Tell. It will be out January 2nd under my Jayne Ann Krentz name. I’m really excited about this one. It’s a sequel to When All the Girls Have Gone. For those who read that book, this is Cabot’s story.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of The Girl Who Knew Too Much.

Author photo copyright Marc von Borstel.

When rookie reporter Irene Glasson stumbles onto the scene of a grisly murder at Oliver Ward's glamorous hotel, the pair find themselves thrown together in a race to catch a vicious killer in our May Top Pick in Romance, The Girl Who Knew Too Much. Irene and Oliver's suspects include Old Hollywood hearthrobs and East Coast hitmen, and Irene is hiding some secrets of her own that could spoil her and Oliver's growing attraction for good. We talked to Jayne Ann Krentz, the best-selling romance author who uses the name Amanda Quick for her historical mysteries, about leaving the Victorian era, plotting out a web of killer twists and more! 

FictionSpeculative Fiction

Nicole Galland and Neal Stephenson

Interview by Savanna Walker

A sprawling story of government officials, academic experts and, eventually, actual witches banding together to alter the present by time traveling into the past, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. is so deliciously entertaining that the reader is instantly swept up into its sense of adventure, no matter how outlandish the plot may seem. The fact that this 700-page book was a collaboration between two authors makes it an even more extraordinary feat.

We spoke with historical fiction author Nicole Galland and sci-fi icon Neal Stephenson (Seveneves, The System of the World) about the importance of spreadsheets, sympathetic villains and pseudo-science. 

First things first—how did the two of you meet, and when did you decide to write a book together?
Nicole Galland: We have the same agent (Liz Darhansoff) and editor (Jennifer Brehl, at HarperCollins), and Neal kindly blurbed my debut novel, The Fool’s Tale. Several years later he invited me to join the heretofore-all-male tribe of writers creating The Mongoliad. (The story as I heard—Neal showed some early chapters to a female friend, who said there was too much testosterone and ordered him to include a female writer of historical fiction. This might be apocryphal, however. I defer to Neal’s version of events, as he was the initiator.)

Neal Stephenson: I have forgotten. The gender skewage on Mongoliad was so obvious, I’m not sure if a female was needed to point it out to me, but in any case Nicki was the obvious best person for that job.

NG: When I came out to Seattle for the final Mongoliad launch event, he told me the premise for D.O.D.O. and asked if I might be interested in writing it with him. I think I said yes while he was still asking the question.

At what point did you realize how complicated D.O.D.O. was going to be? And how did you even begin to keep everything straight plot-wise?
NG: I would say by its nature it was complicated straight out of the gate, but it got much more so as it went along. We began with an 11-page, single-spaced synopsis, most of which I could keep straight in my head, somehow. Then Neal generated an online chronology, which both allowed and guaranteed that it would all get more complicated.

NS: D.O.D.O. is an example of coherent universe fiction, where the story and the world need to hang together in an internally consistent way. We had, and still have, ambitions of trying to do more with this world, supposing people like the book. A first step in that is making sure that the timeline hangs together, and that gets a little more complicated in a time-travel story. So, spreadsheets.

Neal, do you think we will ever get to a point technologically where time travel is possible?
NG: I am so glad this question is directed to Neal.

NS: No. Not even in the book does it happen through technology. . . but that’s a spoiler.

Did you ever disagree about something while writing together? And if so, how did you resolve it?
NG: I’m sure we did but I don’t remember specifics. As a broad generalization, I think we have different approaches to problem-solving. My take is that Neal thinks like an engineer or a scientist or a coder—if something isn’t working, he calmly and methodically works on debugging the program, so to speak. I react more like a theater person—my impulse is to say, “That’s not working! We gotta try a different approach!”

NS: There were not any disagreements big enough for me to remember them. There were problems to be solved and we solved them.

How did you both pick which time periods to set it in? Were any of the periods completely new territory for either of you?
NG: Neal knew he wanted a medieval crusade because it would involve an encounter between different cultures (including military cultures). I suggested the Fourth Crusade since I already knew about it from writing my novel Crossed. The crucible of the Fourth Crusade was Constantinople, which happily turned out to be useful for other things in the book.

NS: Normandy, circa the Norman Conquest, was new for me. The specific times and places kind of fell out naturally from what we were trying to do from a narrative standpoint.

D.O.D.O. has such a huge and fascinating cast of characters! Who was your favorite character to write, and who was the easiest character to write?
NG: I especially enjoyed writing in Grainne’s voice. (Also, I loved depicting Erszebet. Witches with attitude FTW.) Mel was easiest. I tried to imagine myself pluckier, smarter and more grounded than I actually am, and most of the time that did the trick.

NS: The less attractive the character, the more I enjoyed writing them. Officious bureaucrats and PowerPoint weasels are where it’s at for me.

When it comes to the science in the book, at what point did you find yourself moving from established facts into the realm of, shall we say, informed speculation?
NG: I’ll let Neal answer this since it’s his wheelhouse. 😉

NS: It should be said that the overall tone of this book is lighthearted romantic adventure with satirical bits, and so burying the reader under heavy science wasn’t really on the program. There are a few parts of it where characters pretend to talk science. I hope that real scientists will read those with a sense of humor.

Nicole, you’ve written a book about one of the most famous villains in history, Shakespeare’s Iago, from his perspective. Without giving too much about D.O.D.O. away, what do you think makes for an engaging, sympathetic antagonist?
NG: If a character is engaging and sympathetic, you will enjoy them in any circumstance—especially if they have a believable motivation for their actions. “Being evil” doesn’t cut it; the more relatable the motivation, the better. For instance, Iago is not innately evil—he does bad things in response to bad things being done to him. (BTW I’m always happy to get into this over a drink with anyone who wants to argue about Othello.)

Similarly in D.O.D.O., certain characters evolve into antagonists in response to things that interfere with their well-being.

And for the record, I’m talking about antagonists who are center stage. Ancillary characters who cause problems by being irritating, narcissistic, complacent, knee-jerkingly greedy or vicious—that’s a different story.

There are so many more stories you could tell in this world. Any chance of a sequel?
NG: Stay tuned. . . 

NS: Thinking about it. . .

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O..

Galland author photo credit Eli Dagostino. Stephenson author photo credit Brady Hall.

A sprawling story of government officials, academic experts and, eventually, actual witches banding together to alter the present by time traveling into the past, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. is so deliciously entertaining that the reader is instantly swept up into its sense of adventure, no matter how outlandish the plot may seem. The fact that this 700-page book was a collaboration between two authors makes it an even more extraordinary feat.

RomanceHistorical Romance

Madeline Hunter

Interview by Savanna Walker

The first book in Madeline Hunter’s The Decadent Dukes Society series (and our June Top Pick in Romance!), The Most Dangerous Duke in London is the story of a complicated courtship between two stubborn individuals on either side of a family feud. Lady Clara Cheswick, wealthy in her own right, editor and founder of a magazine by women and for women, has every reason to reject any marriage proposal, let alone one from her family’s sworn enemy. For his part Adam Penrose, Duke of Stratton, is confused by his instant attraction to Clara, and torn between pursuing her honorably or using her to avenge his father’s death. Hunter embraces the complexities of Adam and Clara’s feelings, resulting in a nuanced and emotional portrayal of two people coming together against their better judgment. We talked to Hunter about her favorite romantic movie, the best cure for writer’s block and more! 

Describe your latest book in a sentence.
A handsome, brooding duke reconsiders his quest for vengeance when he meets the desirable, headstrong daughter of his enemy.

What is the strangest thing you’ve learned in your research about the Regency period?
With few exceptions people had very little privacy, which is something we take for granted today. If they were not wealthy, they lived in close, cramped quarters together. If they were wealthy, there were servants all around. No wonder going out into nature held such appeal—a person could actually be alone. Also, one wonders how anyone kept any secrets with all those nosey noses right there.

What is your favorite thing about Adam?
His quest for vengeance is based on principle and duty, but he is willing to rethink his motives in the name of love.

If you could have a column in Lady Clara’s magazine, what would you want to write about?
I would write a column that reveals how most women lived hard lives of hard work, so aristocratic women would perhaps soften their views of the lower classes. It would be a series of profiles that are "A Day in the Life of A _____" with various occupations and roles filling in the blank over time. Later historians would love me for doing this.

What is your favorite romantic movie and why?
Moonstruck. I loved how it mixed a contemporary story with strong allusions to both opera, and historical times and behavior. That house is right out of the ’40s, even the stove in the kitchen. The combination gives it a touch of magical realism. I enjoyed how the full moon became a metaphor throughout the film and showed up in various ways, like egg yolks in a frying pan. And I loved the casting, down to the bit players like the beauticians in the salon. I am Italian American, so this movie really resonated with me.

What books do you find yourself reaching for when you need an escape?
I read historical fiction from all periods, and also British mysteries from the Golden Age, like Dorothy Sayers and Ngaio Marsh (although she was born and lived in New Zealand, she also lived in London).

Best cure for writer’s block?
The only cure is the hardest one. Sit down and start typing new material. Anything at all. Your imagination will help you along after that.

Is there an era you would like to set a book in that you haven’t yet?
The Italian Renaissance.

What’s next for you?
I am hard at work on book two of The Decadent Dukes Society. It is the Duke of Langford's story and will be titled A Devil of a Duke.

 

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of The Most Dangerous Duke in London.

Author photo by Studio 8.

We talked to Madeline Hunter, author of The Most Dangerous Duke in London, about her favorite romantic movie, the best cure for writer's block and more!
RomanceHistorical Romance

Sarah MacLean

Interview by Savanna Walker

In the first pages of Sarah MacLean's The Rogue Not Taken, Sophie Talbot shoves Malcolm, the Duke of Haven and the man who cheated on her older sister, into a fish pond. In MacLean's The Day of the Duchess, that same nobleman must face something even more daunting than a very angry sister-in-law. His wife, the infamous Seraphina Talbot, has returned to London with only one goal in mind—divorce. Desperate for chance to make things right, Malcolm proposes a deal every character realizes is a ridiculous delaying tactic. He will grant Seraphina a divorce, but only if she selects a woman to be his new wife.  

We talked to Sarah MacLean about underwater ballrooms, what kinds of grand gestures are effective and the relevance of romance in the current political climate. 

Describe your latest novel in a sentence.
Scandalous celebrity divorce meets the 1830s, with a summer house party and more meddling sisters than anyone should have.

Malcolm and Seraphina made their first appearance in The Rogue Not Taken. How much did you know about their story at that point, and was there any significant change that happened while you were writing this book?
​I knew the first scene of the series would be the setup for the final book before I put pen to paper. The moment I envisioned Sophie (the heroine of the first book) pushing her brother-in-law into a fishpond, I knew the story of her sister and brother-in-law would have to be told, and that it would be the last in the series. The only challenge was letting myself really push the plots in both books—refusing to temper Malcolm's anger and actions in book one, and refusing to erase them in book three. This is the story of people who make devastating mistakes and overcome them. And who among us hasn't had to do that in our own life?

Do you blame Malcolm or Seraphina more for the state of their marriage, or is it impossible for you to pick a side?
Marriages are complicated relationships that rarely fail because of singular actions. While it was certainly Malcolm's action that destroyed the early days of their marriage, Sera isn't exactly without flaw. With this book, I wanted to explore the give and take of marriage. The frustration, the flaw, the forgiveness—it's so easy for us to point at broken marriages around us and say, "If I were her, I would never have. . ." or "If he were my husband, I'd leave him." But things are different when we are at the center of the relationship. I wanted to explore those emotions, and to do that, everyone has to bear a little blame.

You've always been vocal about the political and feminist relevance of the romance genre, and in recent speaking engagements you've discuss the idea of romance as resistance. Tell me more about that concept.
As a romance columnist and advocate, ​I rewrite the speech I give at conferences and events every year, evolving it alongside the ever-changing genre. My 2017 speech is all about Romance as Resistance. I've been thinking a lot about reading as a political act, about pleasure (sexual and otherwise) as a political act and about happily ever after as the best way to resist the pervasive hate rhetoric and othering that is happening in the U.S. and around the globe. After all, how better to speak truth to power than to choose our own happiness? Romance has always been a political genre—centering women (who are rarely centered in other media), honoring the female gaze, valuing female pleasure. Now, we're seeing the genre move toward intersectionality, with more and more books centering characters too often left out of literature: people of color, LGBTQ+ characters, characters with disabilities, etc. When we place these characters at the center of the story, not to die or to suffer, but to live and to triumph, that's the best resistance of all.

Where do you think romance could improve as a genre in terms of representation?
As I said earlier, the last few years have opened the door to many diverse authors: authors of color, queer authors, authors with disabilities and more. These women (and some men) are writing diverse, brilliant romances that center characters and readers who deserve more representation, and deliver delicious happily ever afters. There is immense work to be done, however. Publishers, agents, reviewers and distributors must acknowledge the value of diverse romance (a problem that we suffer from as much as any other segment of publishing). Authors must acknowledge the diverse world around us—both in contemporary romance and in historical (people of color were a significant percentage of working, merchant and servant classes in the Regency, for example)—and we can all do better work when it comes to representation in our books. But most of all, we can do our best to make space for writers who are doing the work of representation well by amplifying their voices and, most importantly, reading and recommending their books.

I was fascinated by the underwater ballroom that makes an appearance in The Day of the Duchess and was absolutely delighted to find out that it is inspired by an actual structure. When did you discover the existence of it, and what was it about Malcolm and Seraphina’s story that made you incorporate it into the book?
​I've known about the ballroom ​at Witley Park for years. I stumbled across reference to it in a long out of print history book that told the story of the eccentric criminal Whittaker Wright, who it seems had more money than sense, building a massive house on a massive estate that was the epitome of modern convenience and construction—including a completely ridiculous underground ballroom. He eventually died a criminal, taking a cyanide pill in a courthouse to get out of what would certainly have been a life-long prison sentence. But once you see pictures of that ballroom, you can't ever unsee them, and I'd been waiting for years to include it in a book. Which meant I needed a reason for such an outrageous thing to exist. . . a labor of love for a lost wife who might never be found seemed like a fitting one.

There are several grand gestures in The Day of the Duchess, and characters are often commenting on whether they are effective or not. What do you think makes a fantastic romantic gesture? Do you have a favorite from pop culture or your own life?
Grand gestures are a favorite trope of romance readers, and when I was writing The Day of the Duchess, I knew Mal would only ever be forgiven if his was an immense one. After all, he's been a villain since page two of The Rogue Not Taken, so how would readers ever forgive him if he didn't prove his regret and his ability to change? In this case, grand gesture: required. Romantic gestures don't have to be big and elaborate, however. They have to be personal. And important. And relevant to two people for a reason. Anyone can fly to Paris for a romantic proposal, but if it's the same, pat proposal that everyone else gets, then it's not really a grand gesture (though, of course, it's lovely). Grand gestures require risk and faith. As for my favorite? I'm pretty partial to this one. My husband packed up and moved from California to New York—without a job or an apartment or anything else—because he believed in us. Sixteen years later, he still gets points for that!

I was really pleased that the suitesses, as you call the women who compete to be Malcolm's new wife, were charming characters in their own right instead one-dimensional antagonists. How did you balance developing them as characters in addition to Malcolm, Seraphina and Seraphina’s sisters?
I never wanted them to be competition for Sera—largely because I knew Mal would never be really interested in winning any of them. But I don't have much patience for unlikeable female caricatures, so they had to be their own people, each with a different reason for allowing themselves to be thrust into a battle for a duke's heart, and each with a happy future of her own. As for Seraphina's sisters, whom most of society judge to be a scandalous pack of feral females, I think four of them were more than enough. . . so the suitesses had to be strong enough to stand up to the sisters, but different enough to temper them.

What’s next for you?
A new series! I'm currently working on the first book in The Bareknuckle Bastard series—which follows three half brothers, two of whom run an underground crime ring in Covent Garden, and one who is the starchiest duke you've ever met. At least, until circumstances require him to show his true colors. I've always loved the dark corners of the 1800s, and I think readers who loved The Rules of Scoundrels series will be very happy with how this is turning out.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of The Day of the Duchess.

We talked to Sarah MacLean about underwater ballrooms, what kinds of grand gestures are effective and the relevance of romance in the current political climate. 

Romantic SuspenseInspirational Fiction

Icebreaker: Colleen Coble

Interview by Savanna Walker

BookPage IcebreakerThis BookPage Icebreaker is sponsored by Thomas Nelson.

Indiana-based author Colleen Coble is the author of several bestselling Christian romantic suspense series, all set in unforgettable locations. But the Rock Harbor books, which began with her breakout novel, Without a Trace, might be her most beloved work. 

In Beneath Copper Falls, Coble's long-awaited return to the small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Dana Newell tries to start over after fleeing an abusive relationship. Here, she reunites with series heroine Bree Matthews as Dana tentatively explores a relationship with a new friend, Boone. But there's a murderer on the loose who preys on vulnerable women—romancing them, proposing marriage and then murdering them. When Dana's ex-boyfriend follows her to Rock Harbor and begins threatening to destroy her new life, she and Bree will have to sort through Dana's past and the dangers of the present to unmask the killer.  

Bree has been the heroine in several of the Rock Harbor books—when did you make the decision to split the focus between her and Dana?
I made that flip before in a previous book, Abomination, that’s been re-released as Haven of Swans, and readers loved that. Because I write romantic mysteries, not that you can’t have romance with married characters, but you have to have a problem usually! So I decided to have Dana return to Rock Harbor, looking for help from Bree, and that worked out pretty well, I think. I think readers are going to enjoy Dana’s story, but they’re also going to get to see what’s going on with Bree, Kade and the kids.

Did you find yourself approaching chapters from Dana and Bree’s perspective differently? Was it useful to have two viewpoints?
One of the things I typically do when I’m writing is decide who has the most to lose, because that ups your stakes. I brought Bree in for the scenes where she’s really afraid for Dana, and I felt that really helped the reader realize just how much danger Dana is in. Sometimes it helps to have another perspective, and as Bree’s had some experience with dangerous people, she was able to carry that. And I was able to show their friendship and bring in the search dog angle that my readers love so well.

When did you first visit the Upper Peninsula and what was it that captured your attention and made you set a series there?
My husband and I love to vacation up there, so we knew about it before I wrote the series. When I read a magazine article about search and rescue in Yellowstone, I thought I wanted a wilderness area, but I wanted somewhere that isn’t as well known. Then all of a sudden I thought, “Oh, the UP!” I could have put it anywhere in the UP, but as I was researching I stumbled across the fact that the Keweenaw region was settled by Finns. My best friend in high school was a Finnish foreign exchange student, I’ve been to Finland, we hosted her daughter as a Finnish foreign exchange student—it was like it was meant to be. I was led to a perfect spot!

I always try to make sure that I go wherever I’m setting a series, because you never really know exactly what that culture is like and what it’s like in that area unless you are actually visiting there. So I hit small local cafes and coffee shops and just sit around, listen to people talk and try to immerse myself in that. And the UP is almost like stepping back in time. It’s a very low population and the people are lovely!

“I look around and there’s no justice in the world, but by golly, I can make sure it happens in my books!”

Have you done any of the ice-climbing and other outdoor activities the characters do in the series?
I have done some of that! Not the ice-climbing [laughs]. When I was writing the second book in the Rock Harbor series, Beyond a Doubt, I wanted to experience what a winter was like up there, so we went up in February. It was the coldest winter they had had in 10 or 15 years. It was unbelievably cold! My husband looked at me and said, “Maybe you ought to think about writing a series someplace warm next time” [laughs]. But it is really something up there. It is just an amazing wonderland during the winter.

Did you have to decompress after spending so much time writing from the perspective of a serial killer and a domestic abuser in Beneath Copper Falls? Does it get to you at all?
It doesn’t really get to me because I know they’re going to get their just desserts! People sometimes ask me, “Why do you write this stuff?” and I think it’s because I have a really strong sense of justice. I look around and there’s no justice in the world, but by golly, I can make sure it happens in my books!

Was the Groom Reaper, the serial murderer in Beneath Copper Falls, inspired by any real-life killers?
It really wasn’t. I got to thinking how to tie the hero to the heroine, by having his sister being previously killed. So then I got to thinking, “How would that play out?” I thought it was an intriguing premise, that these women never measure up [for the killer], and so he has to dispose of them and move on the next one. In fact, my critique partner, the romance writer Denise Hunter, came up with the name, which was just perfect!

You’re already balancing mystery and romance in your books. As a Christian writer, how do you mix in your faith while making sure all three elements are balanced?
You know, I have always said that it doesn’t matter who the writer is, you will always pick up their worldview. I could no more write a story that didn’t have a faith element than I could breathe, because that’s who I am. And so it comes out in the story in a very natural way. The thing is, it’s usually not planned. And early on in my career I would think, “OK, I’m going to have this spiritual element.” Well, my characters never obeyed or followed through with what I had planned! They always had their own issues that they were dealing with.

In my books, it’s not a salvation message usually. It’s more people like me, dealing with things I deal with. If I’m dealing with an issue with forgiveness, for example. Maybe there’s somebody I’ve had to come to grips with who doesn’t like me, and I’ve got to go through that. Or loss, or figuring out how I fit in the world. I never want to write a character who comes across as having it all together, because I sure don’t have it all together! In the first book, Without a Trace, Bree is searching for a plane that went down while carrying her husband and her little boy.  She’s dealing with a lot of guilt about what she could have done better, and whether it was her fault because [she and her husband had] had an argument. I deal with guilt sometimes, too, that I didn’t do enough or I don’t do enough. I think we as women deal with that in particular—we feel like we should be able to do it all, and the reality is, no one can.

And yes the romance has to balance in there too, along with the mystery. We did a survey about one or two years ago to see why readers pick up my books. It came out that they really loved the mystery and they loved the emotional relationship stuff going on. So I try to keep that balance. A lot of people who write romance have the hero and heroine hating one another. I’m not that way. My romance is more where they’re having to work together and they have some conflicts because of personalities and who they are, but they’re attracted to one another. I don’t write your traditional romance where you have a black moment and they’re going to break up. That’s just not my thing. I write more of a women’s fiction—relationships and how they can be broken and how they can be fixed.

Are there any books in the Rock Harbor series that you look back on now and see something that was going on your life that made it into the book without you realizing it?
Oh, yes. And that’s another thing that a lot of people have asked, whether I plot my books. And I don’t. I start off with an interesting premise, and I usually do not know who the villain is. I lay down rabbit trails and see where it and the characters take me. The character decides, and I know that sounds crazy [laughs]! “You’re the writer, don’t you know what your characters are going to do?” and by golly, I don’t! I’ll be writing along and those characters will go off in a direction I didn’t even know they knew how to do.

And so those themes that come out in the novel, I usually don’t know what direction they are going in. I start off with an interesting premise, and I see how it plays out in the character’s life. And they tell me the theme and the theme develops. When I reach the end of the novel, I see it, and then I can go back and strengthen that in the editing process.

So how does that work, not knowing who the villain is in the first draft? You must have to go back and fix or omit a lot of things in the subsequent drafts!
Exactly. And I’ve written a couple of books where I plotted it out. I tell you what, it was so not fun! Because I knew what was going to happen. If I knew what was going to happen, then why write the book? I might as well just forget it, because I want to be on a journey too!

There are so many plot elements to put together while writing a mystery. Does not knowing who the killer is in your first draft make the process easier for you? By not having that pressure to make it all fit together?
It does for me. But what I always tell aspiring writers, is that there’s no one right way to write. Everybody comes at a story differently. There are some people who must have it plotted out. They’re paralyzed and they can’t write it otherwise. My process is not like that. Anyone who says, “You must write this way,” turn around and walk away, because they don’t understand writing! We are not all wired the same, we just aren’t.

I found the character of Lori, who is younger and less settled in her life than the other characters, very interesting and sympathetic. You nailed how some people develop in fits and starts. Will we see her take center stage in a Rock Harbor novel eventually?
I do want to have her center stage. I’ve waited a while, because she’s still pretty young and my characters tend to be more in their late 20s. I almost did [write a book about] her this time, but I thought, “No, I’m going to wait one more book.” She’s always been a very interesting character to me. I’ve always loved her even when she was really a brat at the beginning of the series! But she’s progressed further than I even thought she was going to. She’s getting there! I think we all see ourselves in her a lot, because we all mess up.

Do you know what the premise of Lori’s story is going to be yet, or are you going to let it surprise you?
I don’t know yet, but it will definitely involve murder [laughs].

 

Author photo credit Amber Zimmerman, Clik Chick Photography.

Colleen Coble returns to her beloved Rock Harbor series with Beneath Copper Falls. Sponsored by Thomas Nelson.

RomanceContemporary Romance

Alisha Rai

Interview by Savanna Walker

Alisha Rai’s Hate to Want You was easily the most sought-after galley at this year’s RT Booklovers Convention. Rai’s reputation for absorbing interpersonal drama coupled with unforgettably hot love scenes (and that stunning cover!) guaranteed intense interest, and the word-of-mouth buzz has been growing for months. Now that her first book with romance giant Avon has finally been released to glowing reviews, we talked to Rai about her biggest Twitter pet peeve, how she wove family issues and mental health into Hate to Want You’s love story and her past as a romance novel-obsessed teenager.

Describe your latest novel in one sentence.
It's grown-up Romeo and Juliet plus mature adult communication minus the sad ending stuff plus secret annual hookups.

I’ve seen a lot of comments online comparing this book to Romeo and Juliet. Did you have that play in mind while writing, or was it only after the book was finished that you saw the similarities?
When I first got the idea for the book, I jotted down "their only love sprang from their only hate," so yes! But ultimately, I think the Romeo and Juliet comparison is only really applicable in that the two main characters have a bit of a family feud to contend with.

I was riveted by how realistically Nicolas and Livvy’s internal issues and traumas complicate the relationship between them, and also their relationships with other characters. How did you develop such emotionally nuanced conflict in Hate to Want You?
I think a lot of developing nuanced characters is being utterly charmed by how messy humans are. People are complex, imperfect, convoluted creatures. Love (any kind of love) is funny, because it's often like working through a grab bag of puzzle pieces from a million different puzzles that don't and shouldn't really go together. Getting those pieces together in a way where the end result makes the characters happier together than without each other is difficult without conflict.

Sometimes that conflict feels like it's insurmountable, but I think maturity and communication can alter perspectives and help ease those puzzle pieces into place. People can fit, even if it seems like their issues might keep them apart.

You’ve loved romance since sneaking a romance novel out of the library when you were a teenager. Do you remember which book it was? What sort of books introduced you to romance?
Yes! It was a Shirley Busbee, though I don't remember the actual book. The cover caught my attention, because I was thirteen, and almost naked people were what I was really into at the time (this was pre-Tumblr).

After that, I read every single romance that the library had in it. Historicals at first, because they were the easiest to identify, but romance is vast, so I quickly graduated to suspense and contemporaries and paranormals and sci-fi. Nothing was safe from me.

What is your biggest Twitter pet peeve?
That the gif function doesn't have every single gif of Jason Momoa as Aquaman yet.

Did Livvy or Nicholas change a lot throughout the writing process? Or were their personalities fairly clear to you from the beginning?
My heroines are almost always very clear to me from the beginning, and Livvy was a smart, sassy, wild-haired artist from the first page.

Nicholas took a lot more work. In fact, in early drafts, I struggled a lot with the opening, and I finally realized it was because it started in Nicholas's point of view. A hero not given to emotional displays of emotion is a difficult place to start a romance. He finally gelled for me, but he was a tough nut to crack.

Both characters come to epiphanies about their relationships with their parents that drastically change their view of them. How did you approach writing the early scenes between Livvy and her mother, and Nicholas and his father? Did you want to imply the emotional truth of those relationships early on, or have readers go on a journey alongside the characters?
Definitely the latter. Relationships with parents are ongoing, never-ending journeys that rarely have perfect tidy endings. Nicholas and Livvy's relationships with all of their family members will continue to evolve past the end of this book (and will be explored in the other books in the series as well).

One of the most moving aspects of this book for me was your insight into Livvy’s mental health and the mindfulness techniques she relies on. Have you found these helpful in your own life? Or did they come from research you did into coping strategies?
A little bit of both. I think there's some coping mechanisms that are pretty widespread because they're almost instinctive. Specific techniques mostly came from research and consultants (@TGStoneButch on Twitter has many invaluable resources on coping with trauma and anxiety, for example).

What’s next for you?
Nicholas and Livvy each have a sibling and I can't leave them hanging! Wrong to Need You will be out in November, and Hurts to Love You will be out in the spring of 2018.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Hate to Want You.

We talked to Alisha Rai about her biggest Twitter pet peeve, how she wove family issues and mental health into Hate to Want You's love story and her past as a romance novel-obsessed teenager.

RomanceRomantic SuspenseContemporary Romance

Monica McCarty

Interview by Savanna Walker

Monica McCarty is something of an expert in alpha males, given that she’s written an entire series starring medieval Scottish warriors. Her latest novel, Going Dark, takes the modern version of that archetype—a veteran Navy SEAL—and pairs him with a brilliant environmental activist. We talked to McCarty about writing a couple on opposite sides of the political spectrum, creating a cover to die for and the never-fading allure of Scotland. 

Describe your latest book in a sentence.
SEAL Team Six meets Rome’s Lost Legion.

This is your first contemporary book—what made you make the switch from historicals? And why contemporary suspense specifically?
I think, like most writers, I want to write the books I love to read. I’ve always read both historical and contemporary romance, and my favorite contemporary subgenre is suspense—especially with sexy military guys. I’m still planning to write more Scottish historical romances, but after completing a long series of 12 books (The Highland Guard), I was looking to do something a little different.

In terms of action and survival scenes, what was the biggest change from writing about a group of Highland soldiers to a group of Navy SEALS?
Not as much as you might think! These type of scenes always take a bit of research whether the technology and weaponry are 21st century or 14th century. It seems as if I’m always trying to figure out what they would have available to use either way.

The main characters in Going Dark disagree politically on a lot of subjects. That's not something I see a lot in literature, especially in romance, even though that is an issue a lot of couples have to deal with. What was your impetus for making that a key element of Dean and Annie’s relationship?
I think it’s not typical because it’s tricky to navigate without being preachy. I tried really hard to avoid that and to present both sides fairly without any kind of authorial slant. I was a lawyer so taking both sides is fun for me—I like to play the devil’s advocate! I also liked the challenge, particularly in today’s politically heated climate. I wanted to take some stereotypes and shake them up a little (bleeding heart liberal activist versus conservative military guy). I think it’s easy to put people in a category and jump to conclusions about how they think—I had fun playing with that. It also certainly provided lots of conflict! 

Who is your favorite couple in classic literature?
I hate to be unimaginative or predictable, but I love Darcy and Lizzie from Pride & Prejudice. A close second would be Farmer Gabriel Oak and Bathsheba from Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd.

What is it about Scotland and the Scottish culture that you think makes romance fans and authors gravitate to it so much?
I think it’s both familiar and accessible to American culture, yet different enough to make it interesting with the clans, tartans, great accents and the rich war-torn history that lends itself to great storytelling. For me, there was also the ancestral connection. My grandmother was Scottish. Some of the coolest emails and posts I received about my Highland Guard books were from descendants of people I wrote about—including Robert the Bruce! There is also a romantic element with the beautiful countryside, windswept moors and castles on rocky bluffs. And then there are those sexy guys in kilts. . . .

Going Dark has such a gorgeous cover, and you’ve said in prerelease materials that you were pretty hands-on in deciding what it would look like. What is the cover art process like for the author, and does your level of involvement change based on the book?
I was absolutely thrilled with how the cover came out. I was a little more involved with this one simply because it was the first book of a series, and we really wanted to get the feel of it right. Once the general look of the first cover is established, it’s usually easier for later books. For Going Dark, we discussed a general look at first, and then Berkley did all the hard work from there. I knew I wanted a guy on the cover, and that it was important that he reflect the guy in the pages. In other words, he had to be a hot, sexy badass! Which isn’t always as easy as it sounds, but the art department at Berkley came through with flying stars in that regard. I was thrilled with the model they picked. It was a rare case where the guy actually looked like the character I pictured. From there, it came down to poses. I loved the action shots because they felt a little different than the typical male-torso covers. But even though I’d seen the initial cover shot, I was amazed when they came back with the final cover. The Berkley cover gods worked some serious magic.

What is your favorite genre outside of romance?
I love nonfiction survival or adventure stories (think Jon Krakauer). I’m a sucker for anything about Mt. Everest, and one of my all-time favorite books is about recovering a lost treasure on a sunken ship (Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea).

What’s next for you?
Right now I’m finishing up the second book in the Lost Platoon series, Off the Grid. It will be out next summer!

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Going Dark.

Author photo by Alex Abercrombie.

Monica McCarty is something of an expert in alpha males, given that she's written an entire series starring medieval Scottish warriors. Her latest novel, Going Dark, takes the modern version of that archetype—a veteran Navy SEAL—and pairs him with a brilliant environmental activist. We talked to McCarty about writing a couple on opposite sides of the political spectrum, creating a cover to die for and the never-fading allure of Scotland. 

RomanceInspirational Romance

Elizabeth Camden

Interview by Savanna Walker

Gilded Age America, with its railroad barons, brash city life and old money rivalries, is an era perfectly suited for fresh and fast-paced historical romance. Elizabeth Camden’s smart, heartwarming new romance, A Dangerous Legacy, hops between the upper-class milieu of Sir Colin Beckwith, head of the New York City Reuters office, and the legal struggles of Lucy Drake, a telegraph operator at the rival AP news service. When Lucy suppresses gossip about Colin that could wreck his chances of marrying an heiress, she asks for his help in winning a generation-spanning family lawsuit. We spoke to Camden about the appeal of the Gilded Age, how telegraphs are like chat rooms and why she doesn’t use misunderstandings as plot points.

Describe your latest book in a sentence.
A desperate aristocrat, a wronged heiress and old secrets collide in this Gilded Age romance.

There are quite a few interlocking plot lines in A Dangerous Legacy, from Lucy and Colin’s work at rival news organizations to Lucy’s family lawsuit to Colin’s quest to marry into money to save his estate. Was one story thread in your head from the beginning, or did you write the book knowing that all of these ideas would eventually come into play?
I was inspired to write this novel after reading a terrific book by Tom Standage—The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century’s Online Pioneers. The book describes how news agencies telegraphed stories all over the world, and how the telegraph operators who staffed these machines around the clock often got bored and began chatting with one another during slow times. They also eavesdropped on one another. I immediately knew this would provide a great setting for a novel. Although we tend to think of online friendships and internet hacking as very 21st century, all of this was occurring during my 1903 timeframe. All the other storylines grew out of that initial inspiration.

Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of historical romances set in turn-of-the-century New York City as opposed to Regency or Victorian England. What do you think is the appeal of Gilded Age America?
I think the Gilded Age is appealing because you can still include the glamour, pageantry and romance of an earlier era, but it isn’t quite so foreign as Regency or Victorian times. Most importantly for me, the Gilded Age had realistic opportunities for women to move into the professions. All of my novels feature working women: scientists, artists, translators and in the case of A Dangerous Legacy, a telegraph operator. This gives me the chance to have my heroines interact with men outside of a ballroom or tea party. I can have my heroines engaged in storylines that have huge stakes, such as the quest to cure a deadly disease (With Every Breath) or translate military communications (Against the Tide). The potential for plunging my heroines into these interesting settings is what attracts me to the period.

Both Lucy and Colin place enormous importance on enjoying life and having enthusiasm for their work. I found this interesting given that journalists are usually portrayed in media as quite cynical. Was that a conscious choice on your part?
One way to write engaging characters is to have them be deeply passionate about their profession. In this case, both Colin and Lucy are news junkies. They went into the newspaper industry because of their insatiable curiosity and it provides an immediate touchstone between them. I get a little tired of bitter or cynical characters. Give me a hero who is willing to fight and die for an important cause, and I am immediately engaged.

Something I really appreciated about this book was that Lucy and Colin are very open with each other from the beginning, and the plot isn’t driven by misunderstandings between them. Did you find that choice opened up the story for you? Among romance writers there is a plot device called “The Big Misunderstanding,” which is an easy way to create conflict. I never do this. . . frankly, I can’t respect a character who jumps to conclusions when a simple, honest conversation will clear it up. The barriers between Lucy and Colin’s relationship were real and painful. There wasn’t an easy or obvious solution to their problems, so they had to fight, sacrifice and earn their happy ending. I think readers respect characters who tackle the hard stuff.

Which side character did you most enjoy writing?
Lucy’s brother, Nick! When I wrote A Dangerous Legacy, I intended for it to be a stand-alone novel, but Nick was one of those larger-than-life characters who had such a big and generous heart that I didn’t want to say goodbye to him. By the end of the novel, I knew he was worthy of his own book, so I crafted an ending that leaves him wide open for a sequel.

Lucy and Colin have a disagreement near the end of A Dangerous Legacy over whether it’s better to pursue justice and duty above all else, or to let go and pursue one’s own personal peace. Do you come down on one side or the other?
This one is tricky. There is a reason people who fight for justice and accept heavy burdens of duty tend to go down in history as heroes. I am a big fan of those “duty, honor, country” type of people. . . but sometimes the quest to pursue justice can warp a person and knock their priorities out of whack. I always try to weave some of these ethical dilemmas into a plot, as it adds a bit of richness to a story. Although the goal in my novels is always to deliver a rich, heart-pounding romance, the ethical dilemmas help ratchet up the emotional heft of the novel.

If you could go to one place or event in turn-of-the-century NYC, where would you go?
I get ridiculously emotional when I see old photographs of immigrants arriving on Ellis Island. I love looking at the expressions on their faces—anticipation, exhaustion, curiosity, trepidation. They risked everything for a chance at a better life and I admire their bravery. They were the people who built America, and it would be amazing to sit in one of those balconies at Ellis Island and watch as thousands of people funnel through the doors, lining up for their shot at a better life. I would really love to see that.

What’s next for you?
Nick’s story, A Daring Venture, will be released mid-2018. The heroine is a doctor who’s dedicated her career to fighting waterborne disease. She is part of a research team that proposes a controversial solution for supplying water to the cities. This puts her in stark opposition to Nick, who is the newly appointed Commissioner of Water in New York. It is based on a real life court case from 1908, and I loved the chance to research the courageous scientists, businessmen and engineers who participated in this landmark case. Decisions this big are rarely easy, so it was a wonderful story tailor-made for a novel.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of A Dangerous Legacy.

Author photo by Ginger Murray Photography.

Gilded Age America, with its railroad barons, brash city life and old money rivalries, is an era perfectly suited for fresh and fast-paced historical romance. Elizabeth Camden’s smart, heartwarming new romance, A Dangerous Legacy, hops between the upper-class milieu of Sir Colin Beckwith, head of the New York City Reuters office, and the legal struggles of Lucy Drake, a telegraph operator at the rival AP news service. When Lucy suppresses gossip about Colin that could wreck his chances of marrying an heiress, she asks for his help in winning a generation-spanning family lawsuit. We spoke to Camden about the appeal of the Gilded Age, how telegraphs are like chat rooms and why she doesn’t use misunderstandings as plot points.

FictionPopular FictionDebut Fiction

Icebreaker: Jamie Raintree

Interview by Savanna Walker

BookPage IcebreakerThis BookPage Icebreaker is sponsored by Graydon House.

Jamie Raintree’s debut novel, Perfectly Undone, follows a driven doctor through a season of personal and professional upheaval. Dylan Michels conquered med school and dove headfirst into a demanding career as an OB/GYN in a Portland women’s clinic. When her longtime boyfriend Cooper proposes, Dylan shocks them both by turning him down. The ensuing emotional turmoil forces her to re-evaluate all of her relationships and reconsider her devotion to her work. Over the course of one summer, Dylan confronts long-buried family secrets, her guilt and grief over the untimely death of her sister and her own very real failings as a partner.

We spoke to Raintree over the phone from her home in the Rocky Mountains about the long road between first draft and first novel, the importance of balance and which of her characters probably has a secret life as a yoga teacher.

Savanna: You come from a very artistic background, so what made you decide to have both Dylan and Cooper be doctors?

Jamie: It wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision. A lot of the times when I write, it’s just the way it comes to me. The medical field is very all-consuming. Because it’s a demanding job but also the people who work in that field love it so much. It’s such an important part of who they are. And so it can become their entire life. An important part of the story for me was that work can become so consuming that you neglect the other parts of your life, and how do you find balance there? So I think it was a natural choice.

I think in fiction directed towards women, there can be this regressive dichotomy between women who are successful in their work and women who are successful in other parts of their life. I admired how in Perfectly Undone both areas are treated with equal importance.

For me, and this might be a personal perspective, when you choose the right work, it’s not so much about the work itself. It’s about fulfilling your life’s purpose and what you’re called to do. And so work is always an important part for me when I write, and even just in everyday conversation. For me, it’s not just about the job. It’s about whether you’re fulfilling your life’s purpose—what you feel called to do, what feeds your soul, what makes you happy. I think Dylan’s job fulfills her in all of those ways, but she doesn’t realize it yet. And so she has to figure that out. She has to figure it out by, counter-intuitively, taking a step back from it. She has to find the right balance. At first, she comes at it in a very unhealthy way by trying to redeem herself and assuage her guilt over her sister’s death. But then when she’s able to take a step back from it, she can realize that it really does fulfill her in so many other ways.

In addition to being a writer, you teach other writers about productivity and business. As someone who switches between those two sides of the industry, how do you strike a balance in your own work between viewing it as an art form and viewing it as a business?

I think it’s all about, again, balance. I’m very big about balancing your day. Setting aside time for the business side of things, and then setting aside a time where you walk it off and go into that creative place where you can get the writing done. I think it’s important to hit on all of those things each day. Each of those things feed us in different ways. So that’s what I really try to focus on in my own life, and teach other people to do as well.

What do you do to decompress?

It’s all about reading. That is what absolutely feeds me. I probably read about 50 books a year, because that is what fulfills me. I read a lot of nonfiction, which is really good for me. When I’m writing creatively, sometimes it is difficult to read novels. I have a healthy dose of novels, but having nonfiction to read feeds me in a different way. I also do yoga a lot.

I’ve been practicing yoga for years, so I was delighted to see that you describe yourself as a yogi. Which character in this book do you think would benefit from yoga the most?

[Laughs] Oh, Dylan could definitely use some yoga! I thought that too! I think everyone should do yoga. All of them.

Dylan could use some really slow movements and deep stretches, I think.

I feel like Reese [Dylan’s landscaper turned unexpected confidante] has a yoga soul naturally.

I’m sure he teaches yoga in his spare time. He speaks like a yoga teacher.

Probably! I love that. That would be amazing!

There should be a whole spinoff series of Reese’s adventures, bringing joy and life to people with yoga and gardening! You developed a passion for reading relatively later in life. Early twenties obviously isn’t ancient, but for bibliophiles and especially writers, that is a pretty late age to get into literature. What books sparked that interest for you?

When I first started reading, it was romance novels! My husband was working a lot and taking classes, so I would go to the library, pick up romance novels and read them while I was waiting for him to come home. It was just a way to go into a different world. I read whatever I could get my hands on. And that great thing about romance is that there’s just such a wide variety of it.

I imagine it was a really helpful foundation. So much of romance is based on the importance of intimacy in all its forms, and that is often an integral part of a story like Perfectly Undone, which is so invested in the health of romantic relationships.

Oh my gosh, yes. I could talk about that forever. For me, human intimacy is a huge inspiration for my work. It seems like we’re always moving, we’re always going. And human interaction can be limited to just touching base with people. But how much time do we spend really sitting down with someone and having real and deep and important conversations? I find that really fulfilling, and I have a lot of really great people in my life who also have that approach. But I feel like there is a lot of human intimacy missing in our everyday interactions, even with the people in our lives. Even with the people who live under our roof, because we’re just so busy.

And so for me, that’s a huge inspiration—to really dig deep under those everyday interactions and see what’s really going on there. And all those little details that we might miss on an everyday basis, little exchanges and little glances, questions like “What do they mean?” and “How are we connecting?” and “How are we not connecting?” All those things just inspire me so much in writing my fiction. I want to bring that back, you know? I want people to get back to being connected, to really spend time together and see each other. Because I feel like we don’t do that even with the people who are really important to us.

Do you find yourself pulling traits for characters from people that you know? Or is it a more nebulous kind of inspiration?

I think that a lot of my main characters end up being different facets of myself that I want to explore. Every time I sit down to start a new book, what naturally comes out is what I want to explore about myself. And that’s not what I set out to do, but that’s what I end up noticing has happened. I don’t know if it’s a writer thing or a woman thing, but we have a dozen different versions of ourselves. When I was writing Dylan, work was so important. Because it fulfilled me, I made it so important in my life, but I also needed to find that balance and take care of myself. And so I think that sort of naturally came out.

This is your first novel. Was the idea for Perfectly Undone something you had in the back of your mind for years? Or were there other abandoned ideas and drafts along the way?

Well I had an initial idea for it, but the writing and editing of Perfectly Undone have spanned enough time that it evolved so much from what it originally was in so many great ways. It wasn’t the first novel that I wrote, but it was the first novel that I really dug into and spent the time to understand how to write a story and how to make it something that people would want to read. I basically had to put myself through a Master’s program of how to be a writer. Perfectly Undone went through that with me every step of the way and it is the culmination of all of that work. It naturally evolved over a period of years as I evolved over a period of years.

What was the biggest change from that first idea to the finished manuscript?

The biggest change was what motivated Dylan. That was something that I didn’t fully grasp when I first started writing. It was more like, here’s this situation I want to put this person in. And then it really came down to why. I was asking myself why repeatedly, for years! When I finally really understood what made Dylan tick, then everything clicked and came together.

Was it the history with her sister or her reaction to that history?

It was everything with her sister.

That’s fascinating, because a backstory like that is what I imagine a lot of people would start with.

When I write, there’s always this very specific situation I want to put the character in. I think the reason for that is that I want to figure out why! You come across people in your life and you notice something that happens to them or something that’s going on, and it triggers something within you that asks, “How would that happen?” Or “Why are they in this situation? Why are they choosing to handle it in this specific way?” For me, that what writing a story is all about—discovering that. For me, the joy of writing is figuring out why. I get to figure it out as I write it.

Nature is very important to you and gardening is a major through line in Perfectly Undone. What made you decide to set the book in Portland?

I visited there once and I fell in love with it. Everything there is so green! I think it left such an impression on me because I grew up in Arizona, and there’s just so little nature there. And I didn’t even know how important nature was to me growing up. When I moved to Colorado, I learned that people walk outside for fun and this baffled my mind. Because in Arizona, nobody walks for fun! You don’t go on a walk! You die! It’s 120 degrees out! I visited Oregon when I was on vacation, and there was just so much life everywhere. And it just touched my heart in a way that I was not used to. It took me a little while to recognize this, but if I don’t have the right setting, I actually cannot write the book.

For your next book, can you see yourself writing another story with these characters? Or are you going to do something else entirely?

I think that Dylan has done everything that she needed to do. I don’t have any intention of continuing with her story. I think that she’s had her full arc, she’s learned what she needed to learn. I think with the process of learning to write with my very first novel, I learned who I am as a writer as well. I’m working on my next book, and it has a very similar feel, but it’s a different story and characters—I’m really excited about it. The setting is a vineyard in Paso Robles.

You should go on many trips in California for “research.”

I know, I love doing “research”!

 

Author photo by Life & Rain Photography.

Jamie Raintree talks about her debut novel Perfectly Undone, the importance of balance and which of her characters probably has a secret life as a yoga teacher. Sponsored by Graydon House.

RomanceHistorical Romance

Mary Balogh

Interview by Savanna Walker

Mary Balogh's introspective new romance, Someone to Wed, is the third book in her series about the aristocratic Westcotts. The family is thrown into turmoil when their late patriarch's marriage is revealed to be illegitimate, making their distant cousin Alexander the new heir. Saddled with a crumbling estate, Alex embarks on a quest to marry into a fortune—even if that means he must court the cold, complicated heiress next door. We talked to Balogh about marriages of convenience, how to write a romance between two very practical people and how she dove into the psychology of her heroine.

Describe your latest book in a sentence.
Alexander Westcott, Earl of Riverdale knows he must marry rich in order to restore his newly inherited estate, yet finds himself shocked when a wealthy woman, who is willing to use her money to buy a husband, proposes marriage to him—and has to ask himself why?

Why do you think a marriage of convenience is such an enduring trope in romance?
I think it is at least partly because the couple has to cope almost from the start with the intimacies of marriage, even if they hold off on the sex, while gradually building a friendship and, of course, falling in love. Everything is happening at once and the story is likely to be full of emotion and passion with a new couple in close contact with each other all the time. And it is always lovely to see a relationship that seems so unpromising at the start blossom into an enduring love story.

The main obstacle in Someone to Wed is Wren's psychological damage from her birthmark, not the birthmark itself. When in the writing process did you make that decision and why?
The birthmark itself as an obstacle would have seemed too trivial. It is true that it was large and noticeable, and would always have made her self-conscious and made some people shy away from her. But at some point, readers would justifiably be mumbling that it was time this woman, this heroine, got over herself. The obstacle had to be much bigger than just that. If as a child she had been made to feel monstrous and worthless because of the birthmark, for example, and if she had been shut away from other people so that she would not disgust them, then she is going to have believably huge problems as an adult. As the heroine of a romance, Wren has gigantic hurdles to jump. That is the sort of challenge I enjoy as a writer.

There's a lot of discussion early on in the novel about how Wren does and does not conform to gender stereotypes of the era, and whether she is "womanly" or not.
Wren is independently wealthy and runs her own business, both of which were very unusual for a Regency lady. I had to set up her backstory to make it seem possible that it might really have happened. She is unusually tall and aloof, and of course she has the facial blemish that has made her a recluse all her life. Each of these facts attack the Regency ideal of femininity. Yet, she is a woman whose inner femininity is ageless. She yearns for marriage and even sex. They are important enough to her that she is willing to use her fortune to buy them. She has a hard time fitting into Regency society, but she makes the effort because she does not want to be a freak all her life and—ultimately—because she falls in love.

I absolutely adored the character of Alexander. He's kind but self-possessed, clear about what he wants without being overtly aggressive. To me, he seemed the perfect blend of the so-called alpha and beta character types for men in romance. What do you think about that distinction? Would you say Alexander is firmly in either of those categories?
Yes, I think that is a fair assessment. He is a take-charge sort of man. He likes to think he knows best and he likes to protect those he loves, sometimes to the point of being over-protective. His motives are always benign, but he can be a pain to the women in his life. It is one source of friction between him and the very independent Wren. However, this is where the beta side of his character kicks in and prevents him (I hope) from being in any way unlikable. He recognizes his tendency to be overbearing and learns to rein it in so that he and Wren can be co-equals in their marriage. He is no softie, though. He is capable of great firmness, even violence, in the defense of his loved ones—another alpha trait.

Both Alexander and Wren view marriage as something that can be marked by respect and affection at best, and don't expect anything more from a possible relationship between the two of them. How did you balance staying true to those characters while also delivering all the emotion and sensuality romance readers want?
Well, there always is the difference between what the two of them expect and are prepared to settle for, and what in their heart of hearts they want. Alexander has a romantic soul. He spent years getting his own estate in order so that at last he could turn his attention to his own happiness as he searched for a woman he could love. Then he inherits a title and a vast, impoverished estate, and has little choice but to give up his dream in order to marry someone with money. Even then, he will not marry just anyone. She has to be someone he can like and respect. But he is a man born to love. It would always have been virtually impossible for him just to like and respect his wife without also falling in love with her.

Similarly, Wren's life experiences have led her to believe that she is unmarriageable, even though through her teen years and early adulthood she had the unconditional love of her uncle and aunt. She is prepared to use her fortune to purchase a husband, but, as with Alexander, not just anyone will do. He must be someone she can respect. Neither of them expects love, but both are open and ready for it when it offers itself—in the form of each other.

The trauma from events in Wren's childhood felt incredibly visceral. Did you do any research specifically for it?
I didn't. I very rarely do for the terrible trauma my characters may have suffered. I have had a blind hero, a deaf mute heroine, a heroine who suffered dreadful childhood trauma (this book), a talented painter who lost both his right arm and an eye to torture and so on. I do it all imaginatively. I climb right inside these characters. I live their lives with them, even their past, and I feel what it is like to live this life. When I imaginatively became the blind hero, for example, I felt a claustrophobic panic attack coming on, and I incorporated several such attacks into his book. I am always relieved when a reader who has suffered the same trauma tells me I got it right.

What has changed the most in the romance genre since you started writing?
Probably the amalgamation of many publishing houses so that there are not too many options left for writers trying to get published. On the other hand, online publishing and indie publishing give all sorts of opportunity for writers to get their work out there. This is also great for long-established writers whose backlists have been long out of print. As a reader, I know how wonderful it is these days to be able to get my hands on all the books of writers I have only recently discovered.

As for any changes in the content of the genre, I am probably the wrong person to ask. I read very little romance. It was a conscious decision I made soon after being published. I don't want to follow trends or be influenced by what other people are doing. I want to follow my own vision of what makes a love story. I am a prolific reader, but I read other genres most of the time. Of course I often cheat, but when I do read romance, it is usually contemporary while I write historical.

What's next for you?
Someone to Wed is book three of what is projected to be an eight-part series about the Westcott family. The fourth book in the Westcott family series, Someone to Care, is written and ready to be published in May 2018. It is Viola Kingsley's story. Book five, Someone to Trust, is Lady Elizabeth Overfield's story. It is currently in the works and has been scheduled for November 2018.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Someone to Wed.

(Author photo by Sharon Pelletier.)

We talked to Mary Balogh about marriages of convenience, how to write a romance between two very practical people and delving into the psychology of her heroine.

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