Nicola Cornick is quickly becoming one of my favorite “new-to-me-where-the-heck-have-I-been” authors. To celebrate the launch of the Harlequin Historical Undone line, she’s stopped by the pond to tell us all a little bit about her Undone title, The Unmasking Of Lady Loveless.
The Unmasking of Lady Loveless is set in the same fictional Yorkshire village, Peacock Oak, that I used for the background for my July HQN release Unmasked and also features some of the same characters. I wanted to write a Christmas story and the idea of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside under the snow seemed the perfect setting!
Research Tidbit:
Being a Yorkshire girl by birth I feel very happy when I write books that are set in that county. It’s like going home! One Christmas tradition I particularly liked when I researched the story was the idea of the Standing Pie. This was a huge pie filled with turkey or game, which had a separate pastry crust that stood up on its own! Apparently the pies were huge and one made for the Lord Chancellor in 1832 was so big that it collapsed under its own weight! When I read about this I remembered that my grandmother used to make pies and cook the pastry crust separately. She must have been following this very ancient tradition.
Summary
Erotic author Lady Loveless is scandalising the Ton with her shocking tales that are based on the real life high jinks of society. Engagements are being broken, inheritances lost as a result of her wicked pen and the gentlemen decide that enough is enough – she may spin the most naughtily seductive tales, but Lady Loveless must be stopped!
Lord Alexander Beaumont is convinced that the outrageous Lady Loveless is none other than his estranged wife Melicent, for the manuscripts are coming from the Yorkshire village where Melicent took refuge after the end of their brief, bitter marriage. Alex travels to Yorkshire determined to unmask his errant wife and put a stop to her wicked ways. But when he reaches the beautiful village of Peacock Oak, Alex finds that Melicent – and Lady Loveless – are not what they seem. Will Christmas in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside reunite Alex and the bride he lost years before?
LOL Wendy, thank you for the warm welcome! I don’t know why I always end up talking about food at times like this but it does seem a bit of a habit with me! Maybe it’s because when I’m writing I always seem to be eating as well (sigh), and it’s mostly chocolate. There’s something about a Christmas story and chocolate that seems to go together!
Nicola:
Heck, you can never go wrong talking about food. Says the girl who hit the leftover Halloween candy a little too hard yesterday.
I really enjoyed The Unmasking Of Lady Loveless, and your Edwardian out earlier this summer here in the US…..Last Rake In London. I’ve got Unmasked lying about somewhere at home. I really need to get to it soon!
Thanks, Wendy! I’m so pleased you enjoyed the story. Writing short is a real challenge for me, as it is for a lot of authors, I think , but it’s a good discipline. Cut out all those unnecessary words! I don’t usually go for the Big Misunderstanding either but I’m glad you thought it worked in this context. It’s a tricky thing to use!
I hope that you enjoy Unmasked as well when you get the chance to read it. The e-story is the link between Unmasked and my new trilogy coming out from HQN next summer.
I bought this yesterday. It looks like a good book. I love the premise.
Nicola: Yeah, in longer books I have a hard time with Big Misunderstanding. I feel like reaching through the pages, shaking the couple senseless and yelling at them to “Just talk to each other already!” But in short stories? I can totally roll with it, because you know the author doesn’t have the word count to drag it out forever 😉
MB (Leah): I really enjoyed this one! I read it in one sitting, while My Man was watching something on TV I had absolutely no interest in. Dang if I can remember what it was now – probably boxing!
I really enjoyed “The Last Rake in London.” I loved Jack. Congrats on the new release.
Thank you MB (Leah) and Jane! LOL Wendy, I know what you mean about the Big Misunderstanding. I wrote quite a few of those in my earlier books – before I learned it was all about communication!
Ah, this one sounds good too!!
What an interesting spin to put on the seperated lovers story and I like the idea of a woman creating some havoc in a man’s world.