Thanks
for stopping by to talk a little about your writing! Let's jump right in. When
did you begin writing and why?
I started
writing about six years ago, it was fanfiction and partly as a way to build my
confidence and partly because I couldn't find the type of story I wanted to
read so I thought I'd write it myself.
After a
year or so I decided to try my hand at writing something original and here we
are.
Do you have a favorite
genre? Is it the same genre you prefer to write?
I love romantic stories, but romance
can fit into almost ever genre. I'm lucky I guess, right now I'm working on
three different stories one in 17th century England and two modern
ones, none of the stories the same apart from an underlying theme of love.
Do certain themes and
ideas tend to capture your writer’s imagination and fascinate you?
I get inspired all the time by silly
little things, even just a phrase will put something in motion. I often try to
fit things in to a story I've heard throughout the day. Or start a whole new
book just to use something I've seen or heard.
Do you have a favorite
author who introduced you to the genre?
I have lots of favorite authors
trying to pick one is like trying to pick your favorite child, just not
possible. As for romance writers, Betty Neels has written some lovely ones,
although she doesn't write MM books like I do.
What advantages or
challenges does a writer in your genre face in today’s fiction market?
I think the main challenge I face is
that so many small publishers have close recently but that also leads to an
advantage because I'm able to self-publish which is really exciting.
What's on the top of your TBR pile right now?
A writer I've loved since I was about
ten years old, Terry Pratchett, died just over a year ago and I've not been
able to read his final book yet, I tried and burst in to tears after a page. I
intend to start at the beginning and re read all his books. I also just bought
50 Betty Neels books from a pre loved book shop so I'm reading my way through
those too. So that’s the next month or two sorted.
Tell me a little about the
characters in Lightson
Dynasty.
Jo and
Marcus are such a lot of fun to write. Jo having grown up in India with doting
parents who allowed him to live how he wanted, including wearing dresses rather
than trousers. After they died Jo moved back to England to live which his
grandmother, who having been presented with what appeared to be a young woman,
she has decided that her 'granddaughter' must marry a suitable young man.
Enter
Marcus, who has a grandmother of his own. He's also been highly advised to
marry. Marcus' problems stem from the fact he's never found women to be in any
way appealing.
Where’s the story set? How
much influence did the setting have on the atmosphere/characters/development of
the story?
The story is set in 17th
century England which has a huge influence on everything about the story. The
characters have to act in a particular way due to the standards of the time,
but as much as there are restrictions on everyday life there are also freedoms.
No one is going to check if Jo is male or female before his wedding day, providing
he finds a man willing.
If you had to write your
memoir in five words, what would you write?
She never stuck to the rules.
How often does your muse
distract you from day to day minutiae?
My muse is like a hyper active six
year old who's been allowed free access to sweets. I can't write one thing at a
time, I always have at least three or four books on the go at any one time
What do readers have to
look forward to in the future from you?
Well in a month or so Lightson
Dynasty will have a sequel out called The Lightson Child. It's already finished
and with my darling editor. After that will be a Third called Over Fire and
Anvil which will complete the Lightson Trilogy.
There will also be a sequel to Red on
the Moon, called Moon Bound, The Mark of the Moon series will have five books
in total. Beyond that there are another four in the works too. Like I said my
muse is a hyper active six year old.
Historical romance
The series is The Lightson Dynasty
Jo's life had never been
simple. But since he moved in with his grandmother, things only became worse. First,
she assumes that Jo stood for Josephine not Joseph. Then she believes all young
women should be suitably married, especially her granddaughter, Jo…
So now Jo's expected to
marry a man he's never met and whose own grandmother also wants the match. But
how can he when he must protect his secret?
Marcus would rather spend
time with his books and the gentlemen at his club than women, let alone marry
one.
With both their
grandmothers working against them, will they be able to find their way out of
this potentially scandalous situation? After spending time together, will they
want to?
Excerpt:
Jo couldn't help but laugh out loud at that statement.
"I will bet you any amount of money you care to name that you will never
meet a girl like me again." Jo moved well back from the edge of the cliff
and opened the basket to retrieve the blanket that lay across the top of the
food. Marcus helped Jo to set out the food, and they sat down.
"How did your grandmother convince you to come, if you
do not mind me asking?" Jo asked.
"She did what every mother and grandmother does when
she wants a male of her acquaintance to do something he might not want to do.
She threatened me. She told me that if I did not comply, then I would be cut
off and disowned."
"That seems rather extreme."
"My grandmother wishes to see me settled down before
she dies. And my mother, well..." Marcus paused, staring down at his food
and avoiding eye contact.
"I know we just met, but I promise you nothing you say
to me will go any further than the two of us. My grandmother, after all, is
doing the exact same thing to me."
Marcus nodded. "I suppose we are somewhat in the same
boat, as it were. Very well, my mother is too frightened of my grandmother to
dare oppose her on anything. She is my father's mother, and very used to
getting her own way. She also has the type of mind that once 'tis made up,
there is no changing it."
Jo nodded. "Grandmother is just the same, but I have no
mother and father any longer whom I could turn to. I shall have to put up with
it. I must confess, I fully intended to make myself as unpleasant as possible
for the duration of your stay to insure that you wouldn't even think of making
me an offer."
Marcus laughed goodnaturedly. "I planned to be as
boorish as I could manage, so you wouldn't accept when I did. Ye gads, we are a
pair, aren’t we."
"What are we going to do now? You have to ask, and I
have to say yes."
Jo couldn't help but feel downcast as this all became
extremely overwhelming. He just did not know what he could do now.
"I do not know. If they were not such close friends, I
would suggest we lie. You could say I never asked, and I could say that you
refused me."
Jo huffed a laugh. "A good suggestion, but it would not
work. I never expected to marry. My mother used to tell me that one day, I
would find someone I wished to spend my life with, and she and my father would
be happy for me no matter who the person was. But now they are gone. All
Grandmother cares about is that I marry someone suitable."
"Why would you not marry? You are a beautiful woman;
gentlemen must have made you offers before," Marcus asked as if genuinely
surprised that Jo thought so lowly of himself.
"We better get back to the house. You'll want to settle
in and get ready for dinner," Jo said, getting up and artfully avoiding
the question.
"Yes, you are quite right. It would be most rude of me
to delay you any further."
Jo couldn't help but smile. "I doubt the staff expected
me back in time for dinner tonight. That is why they gave me the packed
meal."
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Find the author at: https://www.facebook.com/RhiannonWellman/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
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