~ LORRAINE HEATH ~
Welcome to UTC, Lorraine! We are so thrilled to have you. Let’s get to know you a little better. Who is Lorraine Heath? Tell us 5 interesting things about yourself that readers don’t know about you!
Thank you so much for having me here today. It’s a real treat. Five interesting things that readers might not know, huh? Well, let’s see if I can come up with that many.
1. I am married to my first love.
2. I grew up in Angleton, TX, a little town with a population of 10,000.
3. I am incredibly shy but have worked very hard to overcome that because I love meeting readers.
4. I’ve shaken hands and talked with both Penn and Teller.
5. I’ve shaken hands with Minnie Mouse.
You have a new series coming out called the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James. Can you tell us about the premise of this series? How did you get the idea for it?
One of my earlier series was The Scoundrels of St. James, which had the premise that the characters served as the inspiration for Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. As the stories were told, the readers met 3 young boys. The boys are now grown and are the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James. I came up with the idea of telling their stories when readers kept asking for them, so I don’t know if I can take full credit for the series idea although each of the stories are my own. I’ve had fun writing the first two. WHEN THE DUKE WAS WICKED is He’s Not Really Into You meets Victorian London. The heroine wants to marry for love. She asks her childhood friend, the Duke of Lovingdon, to help her identify the man who really loves her. The second book, ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE, is Overboard meets Victorian London. My heroine, who has been really catty to Drake Darling (formerly Peter Sykes in SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL). When Drake finds her in the river with no memory, he decides a little payback is in order and tells her that she is his servant, but he quickly discovers a woman he’s never known. Losing her memories is crucial to her being able to be her true self with him.
WHEN THE DUKE WAS WICKED is the first book of this series. How would you describe Lady Grace Mabry’s personality? Would you say she is similar to you in some ways?
Lady Grace Mabry is bold, confident, and extremely kind. But she has a secret that in her mind makes it crucial that she marry a man who loves her. She has an immense dowry so all the gents are falling over themselves to gain her attention, which is why she needs Lovingdon’s help. I don’t think she is similar to me. At her age, I was very concerned about being proper and not doing anything I shouldn’t. Grace doesn’t care. She drinks, snitches her father’s cigars, and cheats at cards. She wants to live life to the fullest, have an abundance of experiences, and she sometimes gets frustrated with Lovingdon because he withdrew from life after losing his wife and daughter.
Could you describe a typical writing day for you? What items do you absolutely require to write? How many words would you ideally love to have at the end of a typical work day for you?
A typical writing day involves a lot of hours at the computer or with my nose buried in research books. To write, I like to have thunderstorms playing in the background and a cup of hot tea within easy reach. I also like to have on hand fragrances that might represent my hero or heroine: sandalwood, lavender, roses. Ideally I would love to have written 3,000 words a day. Sometimes I fall short, sometimes I go over. I especially go over when deadline looms.
Historical Romance involves a lot of research and fact-checking. How do you keep track of all the information that is needed to make a story believable?
I usually write my story first and then begin my fact-checking so I know exactly what I need to research. Sometimes the discovery of something I didn’t know will mean rewriting a scene (once I wrote a book where I had a cattle drive passing through the big city of Dallas—only to discover that particular year Dallas was a couple of stores and neighborhoods). Once I get started on research, it’s so easy to get lost in it.
Since it’s Historical month at UTC, we want to know why you love the era in which you write in and perhaps share with us one or two of your favourite books that explore that time period.
I love the Victorian era because it is such a broad expanse of tapestry to work with. If I need a darker time, I can go to the early Victorian years. If I want something a bit more modern, I can go to the later years. It was such a time of change. I love that beginning in the 1870’s, American heiresses were coming to England to marry lords. I love exploring the difference between Americans and the British during this time.
Two of my favorite books for research are:
TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace. It chronicles the American heiress invasion in England. It gives insight into the differences between the two cultures and the different expectations of each.
DAILY LIFE IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND by Sally Mitchell. What I really appreciate about this book is that Mitchell breaks down daily life in an interesting manner that includes showing the differences in the classes. Funerals and marriages were very different for the lower, middle, and upper classes. So depending on where you were in Society, your experiences were different. It fascinates me.
Thank you so much for stopping by today and sharing with our readers!
Thank you so much for having me here today and for the interesting questions.
They are England’s most eligible bachelors, with the most scandalous reputations. But for the right woman, even an unrepentant rogue may mend his ways…
Lady Grace Mabry’s ample inheritance has made it impossible for her to tell whether a suitor is in love with her—or enamored of her riches. Who better to distinguish beau from blackguard than her notorious childhood friend, the Duke of Lovingdon?
With no interest in marriage, Lovingdon has long lived only for pleasure. He sees little harm in helping Grace find a proper match. After all, he’s familiar with all the ploys a scoundrel uses to gain a woman’s favor. He simply has to teach the lovely innocent how to distinguish honest emotions from false ones. How better than by demonstrating his wicked ways. But as lessons lead to torrid passion and Grace becomes ensnared in another man’s marriage plot, Lovingdon must wage a desperate gamble: Open his heart fully—or risk losing the woman he adores…
Out February 25, 2014
Buy Now: Amazon
[about-author author=”Lorraine Heath”]
Ms. Heath is giving away a copy of WHEN THE DUKE WAS WICKED (either in print or e)
to a lucky poster.
This is a great interview! I love the fact that you’ve shared handshakes with Penn & Teller and Minnie! 🙂
You mentioned that you are very shy. Has writing helped you channel the less-shy you? Have you done any book signings? If so, how did they go?
Thanks and good luck with the new series!
I think I have channelled my shyness into my writing and into some of my characters. At the same time, I can have fun creating characters who are bolder and more daring–the way I sometimes wish I was. 🙂
the interview was great i love to read this i love books about dukes, knights, prince`s in them im like you i love emotional love stories thanks so much
Great interview.
I love the descriptions for these books….also I love overboard so definitely looking forward to once more, my darling rogue…thanks
I love Lorraine’s books!
Thank you all for stopping by, for enjoying the interview and my stories.
Lorraine, what books did you read and love as a child and how have they influenced your writing?
I actually wasn’t a big reader as a child. But when I did read, I read books that involved dogs. I read the occasional Nancy Drew. When I was in high school, I read MRS. MIKE. That probably had some impact on me. I remember thinking it was a wonderful love story.
Cool, thanks for answering.
I love her writing day 😀 and her books… and her heroes 😀
Aly: Thank you!
I really enjoyed the interview and look forward to reading this latest book, When the Duke was Wicked. It sounds like a wonderful story. 😀
I love how you have compared the books in your new series to present day movies. That really gives us an inkling of how the stories may play out. Being shy can have its advantages too. Being the one in the background because of shyness, one hears ALL KINDS of interesting things.
Oh, yes! The wallflowers hear and observe lots of interesting things!
I enjoyed reading the comments. i have been a fan of Lorraine’s books for awhile now. It shows in her books just how much research she does. l ike that in my stories.
would love to read sounds good
I love historical romance books, and read books by Lorraine Heath before and I know I will enjoy many more of her books! Thanks for the giveaway
I know how shyness can be! I’m a very shy person but I think it makes it easier for others to confide in you. Since they never hear you out gossiping or being in the center of it all it makes people feel safer sharing their secrets. At least that’s what I was told. The series sounds great Lorraine, I’m a big fan of historical romance.
I never considered that before but it makes a lot of sense. In school I was the one a lot of people confided in.
LORRAINE, I am always so amazed at how many so talented folks are out there… and when there are close to you ties, it really flips me out. I drive through Angleton every morning to go to work. How amazing that you used to live so close to the same area. Wow. Thanks for the post
That is so cool! So many people have never heard of Angleton. I’m always surprised when someone has.
Great interview! I’m impressed you’ve talked to both Penn and Teller – I guess you were nowhere near the stage so that both of them could talk. ;-).
I love your books!
After their show, Penn & Teller go out into the hallway so as people exit the theater they can stop and visit with them. And have their pictures taken. I should post the pics on my website. But we thought it added a special touch that people could visit with them for just a bit.
Great interview! Can’t wait to read the book! Friends to lovers is my favorite trope!
I’m going to have to check out that earlier series in preparation for the new one!
Lovely cover and nice interview and excerpt.
The series sounds great.
I enjoyed the interview, and love your books. Thank you for the chance to win.
Congrats to Lorraine on the new release! it sounds fantastic 🙂 thanks for sharing!
I’m so looking forward to reading this.
Awesome interview 🙂
I enjoy reading your books and look forward to reading this one as well.
Great interview. I love HR novels but actually haven’t read any of Lorraine’s books yet. Glad to hear I am not the only shy person around. I get super nervous when talking to authors but I am getting better at it, too.
Authors love to meet their readers. I’m glad you’re overcoming your shyness to talk with them.
Sounds good! Will love reading it!
Such an interesting interview! The cover looks amazing too 🙂
I love Lorraine’s books, so looking forward to this new series 🙂
Fabulous interview! I’ve got another book to add to my TBR pile!
I enjoyed reading the interview,Thank you UTC and Lorraine 🙂
Cover is wonderful and synopsis sounds promising 🙂
The series look fun to read, especially book 2. Thanks for introducing the series 🙂
I want to thank you all again for stopping by. It’s so wonderful that you took the time to visit for a bit. Sorry I didn’t get back over here yesterday evening. But I so appreciate you and your interest in my stories.
Congrats on your new series & sharing it with us. Sounds really good! Hopefully more than 2 books….
Do you ever find yourself getting ideas for new stories while you are doing research? I can imagine fertile authors minds developing plots upon plots!
Loved the interview! This book sounds like one that needs to be on my TBR pile.
Great interview and such a lovely cover – this is my favorite type of read and sounds like something I would really enjoy – thanks for the chance!
That cover !!! Sigh… And I must get Once More My Darling Rogue. It sounds delightful !
Great interview!
I can’t wait to read When the Duke was Wicked!!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Fun facts
OMG So Drake Darling is Peter!!! I was questioning it but wasn’t sure. 🙂
Can’t wait to read, sounds great. Thanks for the giveaway.