Author Interview & Giveaway with Victorian Author Debra Brown

I'm excited to share with you today an interview with Victorian romance author, Debra Brown. Along with the interview, Debra has graciously offered to give away a PDF copy of her romance, The Companion of Lady Holmeshire. Stick around and I'll tell you how you can enter at the end of the interview!

JDP: Welcome, Debra. What made you decide to write a Victorian romance?

Debra: The thought of writing was a feel-good thing, like chocolate, roses and tea. And if I was going to write, it would be in the genre that had stayed in my mind from my earliest memories of reading. Even my memories of Nancy Drew books are pictures in my mind of Nancy hiding in secret rooms of old Victorian houses. Great Expectations was “expected” in school, and I had always had Miss Havisham and her mansion in the back of my mind, too.

JDP: What do you find most fascinating about the Victorian Era?

Debra: Though I should say that it is because it was a time of great change and progress, with the industrial revolution and women beginning to ask for their rights, I have to be honest. I love the mental pictures of beautifully dressed women with big hats and tiny waistlines having tea together with perfect manners, gentlemen bowing to ladies as they enter and never turning their backs on them without excusing themselves, and so on. Then Charles Dickens throws a wrench in the works with his realistic portrayal of life, including the grief that was often brought on by the strict rules and standards of the time as well as the horrible conditions that a large number of the people lived under.

JDP: I guess we need to know both sides of the coin. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy a little romance, though! I’m always interested in how authors research their historical novels. Could you tell us a little about how you researched the historical background for The Companion of Lady Holmeshire?

Debra: The beginning of my “research” was actually quite a pleasure. I watched period movies and TV series from Netflix for years while I was making jewelry. Over time, I began to see how the class structure was set up, how the servants lived downstairs while the aristocrats were upstairs, and so on. I thought it was very interesting, at least as entertainment, though I wouldn’t have wanted the role of such a servant in real life. Questions would arise in my mind, and I would look for the answers on the internet. When I began to think about writing a book, I checked out library books on the subject and used the internet even more. I wish I could have climbed through ruins and toured castles, but the only castle I have toured is Castello di Amorosa in Napa Valley, and though it is a real castle and great to tour, it is only six years old and was never lived in.

JDP: Whoa, you’ve got a castle in California? Why didn’t I know this! Okay, that’s definitely going down on my “to do” list! Can you share with us your top three favorite research books or other resources for the Victorian Era?

Debra: Besides some large picture books which enlightened me a great deal on the areas, villages and architecture of England, I love Sally Mitchell’s Daily Life in Victorian England and Liza Picard’s Victorian London. I also enjoyed Victoria and Albert: A Family Life at Osbourne House by The Duchess of York. There are many other resource books that I have learned from, too.

JDP: Are there any historical figures from the Victorian Era who particularly intrigue you?

Debra: I like Albert. I knew some about him from the movies and books I’d read, but when I read the book on Osbourne House, I developed quite a bit of respect for him. Here he was, a man appointed for the Queen of England if she would have him, who had to wait for her to decide and to say when. It took longer than he or others expected. When she finally decided on him, he had to leave everything behind from this wonderful country life and become an unpopular German in smelly London. He was not allowed to be head of the  house, at first, but he was a considerate husband and loving father. He and Victoria became very close and spent a lot of time with their children in comparison to the aristocratic norm of the day. He actually sought out a home for them away from the city, and they came to live on the Isle of Wight. He redesigned and remodeled Osbourne House for the family, and the children were able to live a nice country life there. It is Albert’s devotion to his family that impresses me. It is sad to see how, though he tried so hard as a parent, his descendents came to be enemies fighting each other in World War I. He died young, and both he and Victoria were spared watching their grandson, Wilhelm, grow up to fight his kin.

JDP: That’s interesting. We often think about what royal wives had to give up when they left their homelands to become a foreign queen, but we don’t often reflect on the reverse, when the royal consort is a man. Thank you for sharing that. What inspired you to write The Companion of Lady Holmeshire?

Debra: I decided to write a book- it seemed like a nice hobby. I assumed that I would write a chapter and then realize I did not have the time for it. However, when I picked up the large picture books from the library and thumbed through them, I saw things that I had to build a story around. One of them was the ruins of a monastery seen through naked winter branches from a castle window. It became my first paragraph and I went from there. It actually didn’t work- that first paragraph, and I eventually had to throw it out.

But the story had begun and it took off on its own without the monastery. I also saw a picture of a thirteenth century slumping chapel, which became an interesting part of my story. Class divisions also had to play a main part, and thus Emma was badly treated in aristocratic circles.

JDP: Please tell us a little about your Victorian romance, The Companion of Lady Holmeshire.

Debra: Emma Carrington was a foundling infant who grew up to become the companion of a warm-hearted countess. She had served as a servant, and so when the countess wanted to take her along to tea and banquets in aristocratic circles, she was not warmly received. Emma had feelings for the young Earl of Holmeshire, but he was engaged by arrangement to a London lady, and of course, Emma was not in his class. There are humorous romantic tribulations with a downstairs servant couple and anguish of the hearts upstairs as well. Mystery is woven throughout the plot, and to this day, no reader has reported guessing the sudden twist at the end.

 JDP: Are you working on any new projects?

Debra: Yes, I am enjoying writing a second book, currently titled For the Skylark. It is very different from Companion, more emotion, more focus on a person. Companion is mostly a story about several people with a great plot. Skylark is so focused on a person that you don’t realize there is a plot until suddenly everything comes together at the end.

JDP: Where can readers obtain copies of The Companion of Lady Holmeshire?

Debra: Publisher’s Website: https://www.createspace.com/3646768

Amazon, Kindle and Print: http://amzn.to/nxH6Uh

Barnes & Noble, Nook and Print: http://bit.ly/p5fCWX

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/pQgKbK

Feel free to visit my website: http://bit.ly/l8aOKs and my blog: http://bit.ly/mZn4IL

JDP: Thank you for joining us today, Debra!

Now to the giveaway. For a chance to win a PDF copy of The Companion of Lady Holmeshire, just leave a comment on this interview WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.

(If you are unable to leave a comment, you may email it to me at jdipastena@yahoo.com)

Deadline for entries is Wednesday, September 28, midnight PST. The winner will be announced on September 29.

Debra asked me to include the following in relation to her giveaway:

RULES
1. No purchase necessary.
2. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose.
3. The PDF is available internationally.
4. The contest runs from Sept 21-28.
5. The contest is being offered by author Debra Brown, 604 NW Linden Avenue, Corvallis, OR 97330 USA.
6. The prize will have one winner and will be valued at the price of the book.
7. The winner will be chosen by random drawing.

Interview and Giveaway with Mystery Author, Miss Mae (See? She's so mysterious we don't even know her real name!)

Now that our Summer Treasure Hunt Contest is over, it's time to get back to business. Which in this case means another giveaway! But this one comes with an author interview first.

I am delighted today to introduce you to a fellow author from my Sweetest Romance Authors group. Her pen name is Miss Mae, and she has written a wonderful little Victorian mystery that I'm excited to share with you. (She writes contemporary mysteries, too, but being me, I chose her historical title as my first Miss Mae read. :-) ) Stick around. Miss Mae has TWO giveaways to offer some lucky readers of this interview when we get to the end!

JDP: Thank you for joining us today, Miss Mae. Please tell us a little about your Victorian mystery, See No Evil, My Pretty Lady.

Miss Mae: New maid Dorcy Edwards flees the scene of where her employer’s body is found. His murder sparks a chain of macabre events. Cloistered on a remote island with five strangers, including Gareth Davenport, her late employer’s brooding, but darkly handsome heir, Dorcy encounters baffling questions with what she fears may be terrifying answers. Who cut the telegraph lines? Who left a mutilated animal carcass outside her bedroom door? What is the reason for Gareth’s black gloves and eye patch? Can he be “Jack the Ripper”, the madman suspected to be Mr. Davenport’s killer? Dorcy must solve the mystery, and soon, or her growing attraction for Gareth could be her very death sentence.  

JDP: Ooooo, a Jack the Ripper story! Who can resist that? Not me! What did you find most fascinating about this time period?

Miss Mae: The time period, or Jack himself? As for the time period, there’s an allure of romance for the whole concept of “polite society” that men and women shared. The women in their long dresses, riding in horse drawn buggies while gentlemen “courted” them. It seems so simple and chaste today. And then to add England to the mix with its famous fog, cobble-stoned streets, the Brits unique way of speech -- it all rather casts a spell upon me.

With Jack, his technique is intriguing. One would assume, considering the limited medical knowledge of his day, how could he kill and leave very little blood on the body? This leads me to suspect that he was someone of extremely high intellect who knew anatomy in more depth than a mere commoner, or even the police.

JDP: A point you play up very well among the potential suspects in your story! I’m always interested in how authors research their historical novels. Could you tell us a little about how you researched the historical background for See No Evil, My Pretty Lady?

Miss Mae: The internet. I visited several sites, and spent hours reading the details surrounding the East End murders. I wanted to make sure I had the victims names correct, and the times and places of their deaths.

 JDP: Can you share with us your top three favorite research books or other resources?

Miss Mae: A dictionary is with me, always. :-) The internet, where I google anything I have a question about, and of course, Wikipedia.

JDP: Are there any historical figures from the Victorian Age who particularly intrigue you?

Miss Mae: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I’m a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and I marvel at how Sir Arthur developed this character. 

JDP: What inspired you to write See No Evil, My Pretty Lady?

Miss Mae: At the time this story came to me, I was enrolled in an online writing class. One lesson was to write a scene using our everyday five senses, plus we were to also add the sense of time and place. I came up with the opening scene of Dorcy and her mysterious attacker in the fog. If you’ll notice, I have all her five senses there -- the moisture on the steps railing, the sound of the trotting horse, her scent of the attacker, the sight of the burning gas lamp, etc. Those same items also set you firmly in the “time” of 1850’s London.

JDP: How interesting that See No Evil, My Pretty Lady began as a writing assignment. And I think it’s one you aced! The rich texture of the scenes caught my attention right off and kept me hooked all the way to the end. I must say, I was absolutely mesmerized by Sosby and his cigar smoke. Those scenes were so vivid. Among many others, of course.

Okay, I’ve got to ask…where did you come up with the name “Dorcy” for your heroine? I absolutely love it and it felt so perfect for the Victorian setting. But I've never heard it before. Is there a story behind her name, or was it just a random choice?

Miss Mae: When I went looking for names, I searched for "Victorian names". Dorcy was one, which actually is Irish and came from the Irish Immigrants. Darcy is actually morphed from Dorcy.

JDP: Oh, that’s interesting! I’ve heard the name “Darcy”, but we never hear the name “Dorcy” anymore. I love learning little historical facts like this. Are you working on any new projects?

Miss Mae: I’ve completed a new romantic mystery, Catch Me If You Can. Washed ashore a South Carolina beach, Lois Steinberg learns her shelter, an old plantation house, was scheduled to host a 'Catch Me' game convention. When the cook is found murdered, questions mount as quickly as bodies. Who is the villain? None of the guests know each other except for their love of the game - right? But it's not a game Lois seeks to solve. It's the saving of her life. Catch Me If You Can is currently an ebook at Smashwords. I’m awaiting the proof copy for it to, hopefully, within just a couple of weeks, become print at Amazon and other retailers.

JDP: Where can readers obtain copies of your books?

 Miss Mae: See No Evil, My Pretty Lady is an ebook at Smashwords and available in other digital format at other stores (Sony, Apple, etc.) The print can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, my own eStore, or get an autographed copy straight from me! Visit my website at www.missmaesite.com

********************

Okay, now for the giveaways! Miss Mae is offering a 50% off coupon for an e-book version of See No Evil, My Pretty Lady from Smashwords AND a $5 (= 50% off) gift certificate from Amazon for a hardcopy version of the same title. The first draw wins the e-book and the second draw the print copy, okay?

Here's how you can enter to win one of these versions of See No Evil, My Pretty Lady. Do one, two, or all three of the following. Each counts as a separate entry, so please do NOT combine entries into a single email or you’ll only be counted once!

(1) Leave a comment on this blog, then email me with YOUR  NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS to jdipastena@yahoo.com. Please type “#1: Who is the real Miss Mae?” in the subject line.

(2) Visit Miss Mae's website, click on her "Profile & Email Contact" link, and tell me: Which of her titles won a 2009 Top Ten Read at MyShelf.com? Email me the answer WITH YOUR NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS to jdipastena@yahoo.com. Please type “#2: Who is the real Miss Mae?” in the subject line.

(3) Visit Miss Mae's website, click on the "My Art Gallery" link, and tell me one of Miss Mae's artistic signatures. Then email me the answer WITH YOUR NAME AND MAILNG ADDRESS to jdipastena@yahoo.com. Please type “#3: Who is the real Miss Mae?” in the subject line.

Deadline for entries is Friday, July 23, midnight PST. The winner will be announced on Monday, July 26.

And please don’t forget the NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS part. If I have to try too hard to hunt you down, your prize might become forfeit and be given to someone else!

OPEN TO USA AND INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

Jenna Dawlish: Author Interview and Giveaway

Today we have an extra special visitor to JDP NEWS! An interview with British author, Jenna Dawlish. In addition to the interview, Jenna has graciously agreed to donate a copy of her Victorian romance, Love Engineered as a giveaway to one lucky reader. I’ll tell you how you can enter to win a copy at the end of our interview!

JDP: Thank you for joining us today, Jenna. On your website, I see you refer to yourself as an author of "Vic-Lit". What is "Vic-Lit"?

JENNA: Hi Joyce, thank you for having me on your JDP NEWS blog, it's great to be here. "Vic-Lit" stands for "Victorian Literature". It's a play on the "Chick-Lit" term which I thought might be fun to use - it's very tongue-in-cheek.

JDP: Please tell us a little about your Victorian romance, Love Engineered.

JENNA: Love Engineered is a book about a single woman who happens to be a wealthy land and estate owner in Devon. She is very interested in the engineering world and falls for the civil engineer Charles Lucas, who is tipped to be the next Brunel. (For those who don't know, Brunel is the most famous Engineer in Britain). This should be simple, because surely, a wealthy woman is what every man wants? But Charles is only interested in his work and because he has encountered a lot of problems with landowners like Louise, he naturally (or stupidly) thinks she is like the rest. Of course, there is a happy ending, but a lot happens along the way; slowly Charles realises there is more to Louise than he realised and for the first time he stops thinking about work and listens to his heart. Louise learns she can't always get what she wants (well, not at first anyway). She is very much a woman in a man's world, which is similar to my own situation at work and at home.

JDP: The Victorian Era lasted over 60 years (1837-1901). Why did you choose 1855 for the setting of your novel?

JENNA: There are specifics in the novel which meant that was the perfect year. I mention the Great Exhibition happening a few years before, so 1855 is about the right time in that respect.

I love the early to mid Victorian period because whilst there are changes going on, the railways etc, there isn't the technology you get in the later period. So, by the time Queen Victoria died, there is electricity, telephones, telegrams etc. Communication is much more advanced. But in the 1850's the railways were still expanding and the postal service was still the only method of long distance communication. That makes things interesting if people have to wait days for a letter to arrive. 

 JDP: We’ve certainly been spoiled with e-mail in the internet age, haven’t we! What do you find most fascinating about the Victorian Era?

JENNA: It's a long time ago, yet it's not. Here in England where I live, the Victorians had a massive impact on us even now. It was a time of huge change - leaps in engineering, science and technology. Factories and industry meant poor people had a good chance of bettering their situation. When the Victorians built things they built them to last, which sadly isn't true these days. I also love the way that life was slower compared to now. Modern life is so hectic, and I think it very appealing to be able to escape back into the Victorian period when you need to slow down a bit. But I like to come back to now where there are votes for women and modern medicine!

JDP: As a medieval author, I’m definitely with you on that! I’m always interested in how authors research their historical novels. Could you tell us a little about how you researched the historical background for Love Engineered?

JENNA: I've done research in a number of ways. General research is part and parcel of reading Victorian novels (like the Brontes, Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Gaskell). You can pick up a massive amount of research this way. In a similar vein, TV or film adaptations of Victorian novels also help. If there is something specific I want to know about, then I'll look on the internet or visit my local library for a book. 

Here in the UK there are a number of museums which have recreated Victorian streets or towns. I love visiting these, as you can really get a feel for the era. I've dragged my family to many places in the name of research!

Specifically for Love Engineered, I visited a number of Brunel's works (more about this later) to get a feel for the life of a Victorian Engineer and had a book on Victorian civil engineering. I also read a number of biographies on Brunel.

I also have a huge pile of book on the Victorian Era. If I pass a second hand bookshop I always pop in to see if they have anything that might be useful. I've picked up some pretty strange ones. For example, I have one that is about Victorian inventions. It's fascinating to look at (and quite amusing). For example there are a number of bizarre flying machines all of which with our modern hindsight would never get off the ground. But there are also some examples of Engineers being ahead of their time. There is a picture for a Printing Press from 1881 being driven using the sun to drive the steam engine. Not quite solar panels as we know it, but still the inventor was on the right track.

My next novel, Sprig of Thyme, is about a governess. So I bought a non-fiction book called The Victorian Governess by Kathryn Hughes which has helped a great deal. However, I've also read Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey both of whom are governesses, and they taught me a great deal.

JDP: Can you share with us your top three favorite research books or other resources for the Victorian Era?

Jenna: 1. A TV series called: "The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World", a brilliant set of seven hour long episodes which explain great engineering feats: The London Sewerage System, The Panama Canal, The Bell Rock Lighthouse, The Great Eastern Ship, The Transcontinental Railway, The Brooklyn Bridge and The Hoover Dam. It really brings history to life and gives the personal struggles behind those who built them.

2. A great book called What the Victorians Did For Us by Adam Hart-Davies. This gives a great general overview of what went on in the Victorian period.

3.  A Website: Victorian London (http://www.victorianlondon.org/) Even if your book or story is not set in London, this website gives you a great deal of general information about the Victorian period and what everyday life was like.

JDP: Are there any historical figures from the Victorian Era who particularly intrigue you?

JENNA: Definitly Prince Albert. If anyone saw the film last year "The Young Victoria" [JDP: Oooo, I wanted to see that, but the movie theater playing it was too far away! L ] then you'll know what an amazing man he was. He was ahead of his time. A philanthropist, and because of his experience with his parents broken marriage, he was a faithful husband and very moralistic. He even assisted Queen Victoria each time she gave birth, which was unheard of at the time. He has all the characteristics of a great hero for a novel. No wonder Queen Victoria mourned him for 30 years. 

I'm also a BIG fan of Brunel (if you couldn't tell already!). He was such an amazing man. Most of his work is still standing and I love visiting them when possible. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Royal Albert Bridge, the railway in Dawlish, SS Great Britain and tunnels in London which are now part of the London Underground. He was totally driven to become the worlds best engineer and I think he achieved his dream. He was a family man too, and whilst he was away from home a lot, he looked after his wife and children well.

JDP: What inspired you to write Love Engineered?

JENNA: It was the 2004 TV adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel North and South that kicked if off. I'd read the book before, but was intrigued how the heroine of the novel (Margaret) became the hero's landlord (John Thornton). This happens at the end of the book.  So I began to imagine what it would be like to have a lonely and wealthy female landowner who falls for a mill owner tenant of hers. Eventually the mill owner became an engineer and I changed other circumstances too, but you'll have to read my book to find out!

For those of you haven't seen the TV show or read the book North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, I heartily recommend it.

JDP: Are you working on any new projects?

JENNA: Yes, I have my second novel out in May called Sprig of Thyme. As I mentioned before, this is about a governess who becomes engaged to the tutor who works at the same country house. He has a BIG secret and ends up breaking the engagement. Then, five years later the story is picked up when they meet again in Bath. It's a classic, "love lost, but regained" story which is the type of novel I love to read myself. The reader gets to find out the secret and how they rebuild their relationship.

I'm always writing and have just started a new novel about a Victorian writer and her publisher, but it's very much in the early stages. 

JDP: Your books all sound so fascinating! Where can readers obtain copies of Love Engineered?

JENNA: From Amazon.com, (also available in Kindle version), Amazon.co.uk, The Book Depository (free worldwide delivery) or direct from my publisher as an ebook or paperback:www.escapewithabook.com

Later in the year my books will be available as an iPhone application.

JDP: Wow! iPhone! Very cool! (I’ve always wanted an iPhone, but so far…oh well, maybe someday!)

Thank you so much for joining us today, Jenna!

Okay, now for the giveaway portion of our program. If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Love Engineered, by Jenna Dawlish, please do one, two, or all three of the following:

(1) Visit Jenna's website to find out where in England Jenna lives. Send me the answer to jdipastena@yahoo.com with "Love Engineered #1" in the subject line, AND INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS.

(2) Visit Jenna's blog and tell me the name of the wharf clerk who's diary Jenna will be following all year. Email me the answer to jdipastena@yahoo.com with "Love Engineered #2" in the subject line, AND INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS.

(3) Quick! Without looking back to the beginning of this interview, tell me what Vic-Lit stands for! Email me your answer to jdipastena@yahoo.com with "Love Engineered #3" in the subject line, AND INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND MAILNG ADDRESS.

There you go, easy as Pi. (Or is that Pie?)

Please don't combine your entries, or you may only be counted once. Deadline for entries is February 21, midnight PST. The winner will be announced here on JDP NEWS on Monday, February 22.

Good luck to one and all!