Please welcome my guest, Rachel Brimble. Rachel lives with her husband and two
young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by
small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold
two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also
writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013
and she has since signed for three more.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic
Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing,
you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English
countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live
is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
Balancing Contemporary
and Historical Romance - How I Divide My Writing Styles
I often get asked how I divide my time between contemporary
and historical novel writing and in an ideal world, I like to alternate the two
subgenres to keep my writing fresh and interesting. For the reader and me!
I began my career writing contemporary because I’d always
been told to ‘write what you know’. I have devoured romantic suspense for as
long as I can remember and so my first two novels with The Wild Rose Press were
romantic suspense. I then wrote a romantic comedy. Throughout writing and
promoting these books, my mind started to wonder whether I could attempt an
historical….after all, I didn’t ‘know’ how to abduct or murder anyone as the
characters did in my first two books :o)
Like most (if not all) writers I read voraciously and
reading historical work, whether novels or biographies, is amongst my favorite
choices. I love history! I am drawn to British Royal history especially, but
also love the social and industrial changes of the Victorian and Edwardian
eras. As I was, and still am, intimidated by including real people and events
in my work, I decide my first attempt would be Victorian and focus entirely on
fictional characters and their emotions.
Emotion is key in romance. Love, hate, revenge, loss, joy
and tenacity would have been felt in the same way in the late 1800s as they
would today. So with this thought at the forefront of my mind, I dove straight
in and wrote The Arrival of Lily Curtis (The Wild Rose Press). It sold a lot
more copies than my previous contemporary work so that gave me the confidence
to continue.
Today, I am lucky enough to write contemporary romance and
romantic suspense for Harlequin Superromance and Victorian romance for
eKensington. I love that my writing has
fallen into a routine that I find so satisfying. I now aim to alternate my
releases between contemporary and historical…although this year, it is a little
more heavy on the contemporary!
The Temptation of Laura is the sequel to my debut with
eKensington, The Seduction of Emily. Laura
started out as a secondary character
in the first novel, but even as I was writing her smaller part I knew she
deserved her own story. Laura is a prostitute struggling for a better life
while harboring a lifelong love of the theater. When her path crosses with
stage star, Adam Lacey, her entire life is bound for a stratosphere beyond her
wildest dreams…
Here is the blurb & buy links – look out for book three,
What A Woman Desires coming in January
2015!
The Temptation of Laura
Laura Robinson has always been dazzled by the
glamour of the stage. But perhaps acting and selling one’s favors are not so
different—for Laura must feign pleasure with the men she beds to survive. Now,
with her only friend at death’s door and a ruthless pimp at her heels, escaping
her occupation seems impossible. Hoping to attract a gentleman, she attends the
theater. Yet the man Laura captivates is no customer, but a rising star and
playwright…
Adam Lacey has been driven to distraction since
the moment he saw Laura. She is his ideal leading lady come to irresistible
life—and so much more. Certain they can make the perfect team on and off stage,
he is determined to win her heart—and discover her story. But that is precisely
what Laura fears. And she has no idea that Adam harbors shameful secrets of his
own. Will the truth free them to love—or destroy all their dreams…?
Katherine here - Rachel likes nothing more than connecting
and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. She would love to
hear from you!
Links:
I like historical romance but the idea of doing all the research behind writing one...well, that's not for me. Kudos to you for finding a balance.
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte! I have found the balance...kind of. I have trouble switching off from the research and starting the actual writing! So much amazing inspiration from the Victorian period - especially the women :)
DeleteHi Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteThe research can be daunting. It definitely has to be something you enjoy doing. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for having me here today, Katherine :)
DeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for being my guest. I'm looking forward to reading "What A Woman Desires."
Hope you enjoy it! One of my favorites to write :)
Delete