I absolutely love speaking with my readers, and sometimes I know you have questions about my books, my series, how I write, and more – so this is your time to ask me!
I am going to have this blog comments section open forever, so whenever you have a question, just pop it in the comments and I promise to answer them truthfully!
Whenever I was studying for my exams when I was young, I would always need to have chocolate chip cookies. For me, that’s what revision tastes like! I would use them for motivation; all I had to do was get through revising another few pages, and I would have a cookie.
As I’ve got older, I really haven’t changed that much! Some days I am completely in the zone, the Muse is with me, and I can’t imagine struggling to write another chapter – and another chapter – and another chapter…
But sometimes, writing is hard. Writing is hard! Every word seems to be a real challenge and although I know I need to write more, I struggle.
That’s when the cookies come in.
There’s nothing quite like incentives like cookies! I line them up and make sure I promise myself not to have one until I finish the chapter. All of a sudden, the chapter is written, and I’m stuffing a cookie into my face!
But that’s what works for me. What works for you? What food or drink do you use to motivate yourself – or do you use something else?
My latest release in my Never the Bride series, Always the Bluestocking, has Mariah Wynn as my heroine – a bluestocking who is desperate for education and furious that society forbids her from university.
I loved writing this book. Mariah is probably one of my heroines who is most like me, and so I had a great time being angry on her behalf – or was it that she was angry on my behalf?
Because I am angry. Although I was able to go to university for an undergraduate degree and even my masters, there are women and girls all over the world who are denied that right.
Bluestockings are not a thing of the past. There are millions of girls in countries in almost every continent who are not allowed to go to school, whether because they are needed at home, because they need to work, or because education isn’t seen as valuable for girls.
I’d really encourage you to look at Unicef’s website about girls’ education, which you can find here: https://www.unicef.org/education/girls-education
I look forward to the day when every girl can get a good education! In the meantime, I’m going to keep supporting Unicef and writing books that have strong, powerful, and amazing women.
As many of you who are subscribed to my newsletter know, I moved just before the pandemic and that means that I’ve only just got my writing room into the order that I wanted!
I recently shared – for the first time – a sneak peek into the place that I write my bestselling historical romances, on the Dragonblade Publishing Readers Group. You can watch the video by clicking here.
So what makes the perfect writing room? Here at eh three things that I need to be able to write:
So that’s my perfect study! Have I missed soemthing off your list?
What is your favourite flower?
I have loads of favourites. My grandparents were horticulturalists with their own nursery, with my Mum working for them, and so I was surrounded by flowers and plants growing up. I love them. I love nature!
(I wish I was better at keeping them alive, but…)
But my love of flowers isn’t limited to my childhood. My boyfriend (now husband!) immediately understood my obsession with flowers, and has treated me with flowers throughout our dating life, engagement, and marriage.
In fact, one of my favourite flowers is the purple/blue orchid, the first flowers he ever treated me with.
Flowers have been used in courting for years, and the Victorian era solidified our ideas of the language of flowers, which existed as early as the Regency period.
This secret code was designed to make sure that other people couldn’t immediately tell what you wanted to say to your beloved.
So did you know what a gentleman caller would be saying to you if they sent you…
…a mimosa? This delicate plant meant ‘chastity’, because of the way its petals close up when touched.
…a dark pink rose? This gorgeous blossom means ‘thankfullness’.
…a sprig of heath lavender? I love this scent, and when given as a gift, it means ‘admiration’.
…an orange lily? Run a mile if you receive this one – it secretly means ‘hatred’!
…a sweet pea posy? My absolute favourite flower, this heavily scented flower means ‘blissful pleasure’ or ‘goodbye’!
Did any of these surprise you? What is your favourite flower – let me know in the comments, and I will tell you what it means!
Everyone has a hobby. For some people, it’s a sport: swimming, rugby, tennis. For others, it’s something that is more personal: gaming, or learning a language.
And then for others, it’s creative: knitting, crafting, music, or writing.
I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. My parents even found some of my earliest school reports from when I was around six years old, and even then I’m ignoring what I should do at school and writing stories instead!
I have always found writing a wonderful escape, and a way to explore different worlds.
Many people actively encourage their friends in their hobbies, either turning up to matches, or praising their creations.
But what has been really strange is that since I have become a published author, it’s been a bit strange seeing whether my friends want to read my books or not.
Obviously none of my friends should be forced to do it! I would hate for my friends to feel like they were obliged to read my books, but at the same time…
I pour so much of myself into my books. Writing is my passion, it’s what I spend – well, almost all my time doing! It’s such a huge part of my life, and so sometimes it is odd that you cannot understand a part of me without reading my books.
What about you? Do you encourage your friends to read the books you love, or get involved in your hobbies?
Okay, here we go: it’s time to decide which is the best, medieval romance or Regency romance.
Let me just be upfront right now and say that I have written romances in both the medieval era and the Regency era. I love reading books based in both of those eras, and a few in and around that!
But they are incredibly different…
Medieval romances
Usually set more in the Highlands of Scotland, medieval romances have a lot of clan or tribe rebellions, far more kings and queens, and some incredible clothing descriptions.
I love medieval romances partly because that is what my Masters was in (Medieval Studies), and I think there is so much we don’t know about the medieval era because it’s not really taught in schools that much. I learn so much about the medieval era whenever I read romances set here!
Regency romances
Probably the most popular type of romances on Amazon right now, these are books set around the same time as Jane Austen’s romances. Instead of clans, it’s card games and balls, with plenty of gossip and scandalous rumours!
I love Regency romances because of the hierarchies, the desperate need for so many ladies to marry, and how quickly a reputation could be utterly destroyed. The Regency era is so wonderful to be swept up in and it’s easy to imagine it – though perhaps that’s because I live just down the round from Bath, England!
So, which is the winner?
…don’t hate me – I can’t pick! I love romances set in the medieval era, and the Regency era. They have so much to offer, and if I didn’t read one, I would miss it so much.
What about you? Do you have a favourite – or perhaps a different time period? Let me know in the comments below!
I have read and loved historical romances for…well, almost my entire life! So many of my readers share with me what they are looking for in a historical romance, and I wanted to share some of my favourites.
Have I missed something that you love from historical romances? Tell me in the comments!
You know that book I mentioned that I’d finished? It’s now available for pre-order!
Always the courtesan and never the bride – it’s a life she never chose and cannot escape…
Indulge yourself in book 3 of the bestselling Never the Bride series. Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Lady Honora Lennox hasn’t gone by that name in three years – not since she was abducted and forced to work in a brothel.
She’s but nineteen and has given up on the world offering her anything of kindness. Until he walks through her door.
Josiah Stanhope, Earl of Chester, is exhausted with politics and games, deceit and lies – it’s time for simplicity, and there’s nothing simpler than the clear cut exchange of coin for pleasure. And yet there’s something different about this girl. She knows how to please a man, certainly, but there’s more to her. Something refined.
He’s determined to find out the truth. She’s terrified of destroying her family name. Tensions mount as wills clash and there can only be one victor.
Can Josiah ever prove himself as trustworthy, or will he fall back to old habits? Can Honora ever return to society after her fall from grace – or is his bed far more inviting?
In my last blog, I talked about the weirdness of trying to write in lockdown, and how hard I was finding that. I am always honest with my readers, and so I wanted to share some of the process that went on behind the scenes. You can read it here.
So many people reached out and shared that they, too, were finding it a challenge to do normal activities while lockdown was in place. Our whole routines have been completely disrupted, and it’s hard to think of another event in recent memory that has been like this. The only thing I can think of is the Blitz, and sadly that’s almost beyond living memory now.
I wanted to update you with the joyous news that I finished a book yesterday! Not just written, but edited twice, proofread, and sent over to my editor.
I experienced such a huge sense of relief when I clicked ‘send’, because it’s been a real struggle for me to focus on writing. Ther are so many things going on in the world, and my day job interacts with the NHS (the UK National Health Service) on an hourly basis. It’s hard for me to mentally separate myself from the pandemic, and that’s been really hard on me emotionally.
It is thanks to amazing authors who I speak to on a regular basis, and thanks to you, my wonderful readers (thank you, those who got in touch!) that I am able to keep going.
And you know what? I think I’ve broken my funk. I woke up this morning wanting to edit the next book – and I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt like that.
It’s challenging to think about normal life, and what the world will be like when this is all over. But whatever that world looks like, we’re going to work it out together – and with some amazing books by our sides.
