Our guest author, Madeline Hunter, answers her top five most asked questions…
Will you ever write more medieval romances?
It is hard for me to answer this question when I am involved in writing a book. I am totally involved in that world then and even thinking about another world is impossible. However, I will most likely return to the middle ages at some point in the future. It may not be a conventional romance, but possibly something more mainstream.
Does your personal life influence your characters and stories?
Yes and no. No in that none of my characters are based on people I know, or me. Yes because I am in every character to some extent, even the villains. And yes because while I do not base events on my private life, my experiences influence how I view certain things and even some choices. Often this is subconscious and I only realize it after the book is finished. For example, in By Design, I had a teenaged boy as a character. I think some medical issues with my own son at the time influenced me there.
What is the inspiration for your stories?
There isn’t really a set pattern. I have had books that began with one image. I have had others that began with the first scene. In these latter cases, a first scene or chapter comes to me, fully developed and formed,. It almost pops onto the computer screen. Then I have to come up with a story to fit that scene. Finally, many of my books begin with a character. The character is very vivid to me as a presence, and the story evolves from that personality.
How long did it take you to get an agent? To sell you first book?
The agent was found pretty quickly, so I just assumed the rest would follow quickly. It didn’t. I had six manuscripts written before I had my first sale.
Is all the research that you do really time-consuming? How do you research?
It is very time-consuming when I move to a new time period, then a bit less so for each book in that time period, then a bit less so for each book in a series. Research is cumulative, so early research is still available for later books. I have given workshops on research and it is hard to answer the “how?” in a brief posting. However, my quick advice is never to rely too completely on the web, to find a good library with interlibrary loan, and to read the footnotes in historical books because the exceptions and really interesting tidbits can often be found in them.
Now it is your turn! Have any questions for Madeline Hunter?
Yeah… she sort of answered the medieval one… sort of 😉
Have any others? Go for it, she will be around today to try and answer them.
oh oh, me me pick me!
I have a question! The answer to the medieval question worries me a touch. You aren’t going to move to Historical Fiction are you? And if you did, would you completely leaving romance?
If I ever move to historical fiction, I would not plan to leave romance. I also would expect my historical fiction to have a lot of romance. Think in terms of my medievals, but with the camera lens taking in a somewhat broader, deeper view.
The distinction between the two sub-genres is a very fine one, and getting finer all the time. Actually, I anticipate historical romances to get more historical in the next few years, and historical fiction with romantic elements to get more romantic at the same time. I could be wrong.
I would love for you to be right with historical merging with historical romance. I never thought I would be reading romance but loved historical fiction. [I did read smut for a while *g* which to me is Jackie Collins, Judith Krantz and the like :).]
I ended up reading Shadowheart because I was told I MUST! And feel in lurve with the happy ever after. Historical Fiction’s downfall to me (or at least the stuff I have lurved) is when it is based on real people their lives rarely end HEA!
And it is a bummer to have people die on you and shit. LOL sez I.
I think that many historical novels today are avoiding the people dying on you part by only novelizing one part, one important episode, in the historical figure’s life. The time frame is more narrow than in the past.
As an example of romances becoming more historical, or at least that being more acceptable now, readers can see the excerpt by Blythe Gifford that you have up right under mine over there–>. That is published by Harlequin Historicals, which not so long ago really discouraged “real” historical characters. Yet Blythe’s whole book is based on one, and it promises to be well-grounded in real history.
How about writing a contemporary romance? 🙂
that is just cruel katiebabs
hmmm I am reading it now. So does she have a horrid ending in real life?
For some reason, I got on a huge Henry VIII kick for a while. Terrible man so no clue why I kept reading about him and his many wives. Really rather silly since I always knew it was going to end badly *g*.
Katiebabs,
I have never been inspired to write a contemporary romance. If I ever did it would probably be romantic suspense. More likely if I went into contemporary it would not be romance.
I just never played “what if” with a contemporary plot.
I just finished Lessons of Desire and loved it. Maybe not as much as I loved The Rule of Seduction but not many books can. And Elliot is more than what I expected. I did not see him as interesting when I read TROS. But I have to admit I was wrong, real wrong. I loved his relationship with Phaedra. He can accept her as she was at the same time would not make him appeared to be too week. That is not an easy thing to write.
Just one question why Christian’s book is not the follow up? Not that I think your next book is not interesting but I wished it would be about him.
Hi, May,
Christian’s book will be number 4, and possibly the last book in the series. Roselyn had to be resolved first. So did some other issues that were raised in Rules.
But his book is coming!
May, I found the same thing – Elliott being much more interesting and different than I expected from Rules.