Tell us about your book(s)!
I am back to writing traditional Regency romances. When I began self-publishing my backlist, I realized how much I preferred writing that style of book: sweet romances with enough sexual tension to make them interesting but no graphic sex scenes, lots of Regency flavor, and light-hearted humor. There have been many obstacles, most self-created, in getting the newest book ready to publish, but I am confident it will be available before Christmas.
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
I don't much care if they're good or bad, as long as readers post reviews. Amazon, B&N, GoodReads ... everywhere. Any reviews at all help bring attention to a title, to spead the word, to get people talking about it, etc. So I am happy to get any and all reviews. But I will confess that I seldom read them. Everyone gets something different out of every book. If it's a positive reading experience, then I am delighted. If it's a negative experience, I don't need to read about it as there's nothing I can do to change that reader's experience. And I don't need one more obstacle (bad reviews) to keep me from writing. If a friend or fan points me to a particularly good review, I will seek it out. But I don't otherwise go looking for them.
Your website has long been the go-to site for anyone interested in the Regency. Was that a deliberate goal, or did it simply evolve over time?
A bit of both. It began when my web designer suggested I include articles on the site about my various Regency collections, as a way to feature new content between book releases. Those collections articles became very popular. Then one day I was browsing through the vast website of a paranormal author who dedicated most of her site to the special fantasy world of her books, giving readers a way to really immerse themselves in that fictional world. It occurred to me that all my books are set in a special world, too. And even though it happens to be a real world, rather than a fantasy paranormal world, I figured readers would get just as much enjoyment out of of a site that allowed them to become immersed in the world of Regency England. So I expanded my site significantly, with an illustrated Regency glossary, a detailed historical timeline, illustrated digest of real Regency people and places, and more. My original collections became a part of this new Regency World.
This site has had a remarkable amount of traffic, with huge numbers of visits each month. It is the only author website listed among the online resources at the Jane Austen Centre in England, and has also been referenced by the Museum of London, which was a big thrill for me. Recently, we did a huge site overhaul, mostly because the underlying technology was old and clunky, and there were lots of new things we could now do using database technology. All the Regency World info is still there, just reorganized a bit. I post new content weekly, and you can subscribe to an RSS feed to be alerted when something new is posted. We also just implemented a search function, so you can now, for example, do a search on "1812" and see every post that references that year. I'm enormously proud of the new site and hope those of you who haven't visited it will drop by and check out the Regency World.
How do you relax?
I read. A lot.
What is your favorite motivational phrase?
"Put your butt in the chair and write." I think Nora Roberts said that.
What is your favorite book?
Depending on my mood, it's either Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion by Jane Austen. When I'm in a more expansive mood, it's the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. Yes, it's literally 6 books, but I like to think of them as 6 volumes of the same book. Lymond is my all-time favorite hero.
Who is your favorite author?
As you can guess from my previous answer, Jane Austen and Dorothy Dunnett are my favorites. But I have lots of favorites. I love to read Balzac and Zola and Dickens and Hardy and Trollope. But I read a lot of genre fiction as well. I'm currently reading George R. R. Martin, and loving his Song of Ice and Fire series. I enjoy mysteries, especially those of Anne Perry, Elizabeth George, Jan Burke, and Ashley Gardner. And of course, I read a lot of historical romance. My go-to authors are Mary Balogh, Loretta Chase, Laura Lee Guhrke, Lisa Kleypas (assuming she ever goes back to writing historicals), Madeline Hunter, and Sherry Thomas.
What is your favorite movie?
Based on how many times I watch it, I suppose it would have to be The Women from 1939. Love it!
?
Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Lord Nelson and Thomas Jefferson. Both had flawed personal lives, but each acted boldly, courageously, and selflessly in their public lives.
What is the most interesting trip you have ever taken?
A leisurely trip down the Nile on a small but elegant boat.
LIGHTENING ROUND
White wine or red? Champagne.
Coffee or tea? Tea.
Cook dinner or order take-out/delivery? I love to cook.
Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream? Chocolate.
Pancakes or eggs? Pancakes, especially the lemon-ricotta pancakes at Hell's Kitchen here in Minneapolis. Yum!
Sleep in or get up early? Sleep in. I'm a night owl, and seldom go to bed before 3:00am.
Laptop or desktop for writing? A laptop with a docking station connected to a huge monitor, external keyboard, and mouse. I can't type fast on a laptop keyboard.
Candice is giving away one print copy of A Garden Folly to a Lucky commenter. All you have to do to enter is answer the question, what you enjoy most about traditional Regencies? Don't forget to leave your email. Good Luck!! :-)
I read. A lot.
What is your favorite motivational phrase?
"Put your butt in the chair and write." I think Nora Roberts said that.
What is your favorite book?
Depending on my mood, it's either Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion by Jane Austen. When I'm in a more expansive mood, it's the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. Yes, it's literally 6 books, but I like to think of them as 6 volumes of the same book. Lymond is my all-time favorite hero.
Who is your favorite author?
As you can guess from my previous answer, Jane Austen and Dorothy Dunnett are my favorites. But I have lots of favorites. I love to read Balzac and Zola and Dickens and Hardy and Trollope. But I read a lot of genre fiction as well. I'm currently reading George R. R. Martin, and loving his Song of Ice and Fire series. I enjoy mysteries, especially those of Anne Perry, Elizabeth George, Jan Burke, and Ashley Gardner. And of course, I read a lot of historical romance. My go-to authors are Mary Balogh, Loretta Chase, Laura Lee Guhrke, Lisa Kleypas (assuming she ever goes back to writing historicals), Madeline Hunter, and Sherry Thomas.
What is your favorite movie?
Based on how many times I watch it, I suppose it would have to be The Women from 1939. Love it!
?
Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Lord Nelson and Thomas Jefferson. Both had flawed personal lives, but each acted boldly, courageously, and selflessly in their public lives.
What is the most interesting trip you have ever taken?
A leisurely trip down the Nile on a small but elegant boat.
LIGHTENING ROUND
White wine or red? Champagne.
Coffee or tea? Tea.
Cook dinner or order take-out/delivery? I love to cook.
Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream? Chocolate.
Pancakes or eggs? Pancakes, especially the lemon-ricotta pancakes at Hell's Kitchen here in Minneapolis. Yum!
Sleep in or get up early? Sleep in. I'm a night owl, and seldom go to bed before 3:00am.
Laptop or desktop for writing? A laptop with a docking station connected to a huge monitor, external keyboard, and mouse. I can't type fast on a laptop keyboard.
Candice is giving away one print copy of A Garden Folly to a Lucky commenter. All you have to do to enter is answer the question, what you enjoy most about traditional Regencies? Don't forget to leave your email. Good Luck!! :-)
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