Facebook Author Page


Monday 26 November 2012

Writing The Next Big Thing...


Gwen Kirkwood, who you can meet at http://www.gwenkirkwood.blogspot.co.uk is the author of Another Home, Another Love and has kindly invited me to take part in a blog event entitled THE NEXT BIG THING - a series of questions and answers about what is happening in my writing life.

What is the title of your book? 
My current release is called Lady Rascal, because my starving heroine Madeleine makes the most of being mistaken for someone - and something!- she’s not.

How did you come by the idea? 
At the time I was studying The Age of Enlightenment with the Open University, and to be honest I was finding the work a bit dry. I wrote Lady Rascal as a welcome escape from philosophy, and into romance. 

What genre does your book fall under? 
It’s an historical romance, set in France and England just before the Regency period. 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Madeleine’s new happiness is threatened by a terrible secret that torments her dashing rescuer, Philip.

Is your book self-published or traditional? Lady Rascal originally appeared in both hardback and paperback versions for the Harlequin Mills and Boon Masquerade line. I’m releasing it now as an ebook on all platforms, so it’s available everywhere - from Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones, etc.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About five months on and off, as I was working full-time in journalism at the time.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? 
I wanted to invent opportunities for my poverty-stricken heroine Madeleine in a period when anything seemed possible, before the Reign of Terror took hold in her native country.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
You can watch a book trailer for Lady Rascal here: http://bit.ly/STCfUy which gives a glimpse of the images behind the story. Hero Phillip thinks he is whisking Madeleine off to the safety of the English countryside, but soon discovers first impressions can be deceptive.

I hope you enjoy Lady Rascal, and my thanks go to Gwen Kirkwood for giving me the chance to take part in “The Next Big Thing”. There's a signed book from my backlist on offer to a comment here picked at random.

Margaret Mayo has kindly agreed to pick up THE NEXT BIG THING baton at http://www.margaret-mayo.com/blog/ next Tuesday, 4th December. Thank you, Margaret!

6 comments:

  1. I like the sound of this book Christina - love and adventure plus a secret to discover. Well done to pass on the baton too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "... her dashing rescuer, Philip." I LOVE "rescuer" stories (and being "dashing" sure can't hurt, LOL)! "Rescuer" stories are easier to imagine myself as the heroine, always providing sweet dreams. Sounds lovely. Many thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Gwen. Lady Rascal was great fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for commenting, Laney - there's nothing like a hero taking control, is there? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Christina, I was wondering if you found the process of writing about what you were studying at the OU - in fiction rather than essays - deepened your understanding of the subject? Maybe every university should request short stories as coursework instead of lab reports or critical reviews!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Elanor! Thanks for commenting. Yes - I definitely began to enjoy my course work much more, because I was on the lookout for interesting snippets I could use in my fiction. I wonder if that's how Jean M Auel started? ;)

    ReplyDelete