Beaux, Ballrooms, and Battles -Author Interview Series Heather King

Regency Personalities Series-Charles ... An Unofficial Guide to how to win the...

Beaux, Ballrooms, and Battles -Author Interview Series Heather King

Today we have an author interview from my latest work, Beaux Ballrooms and Battles anthology.

It will be available digitally for $.99 and then after a short period of time sell for the regular price of $4.99

The Trade Paperback version will sell for $12.99

Today we are fortunate to have with us Heather King, who writes in two genres, Regency Romance and Paranormal Romance. Though we want to hear of her historical work in the Regency.

1) What moved you to become an author?

I have written and made up stories since I was a small child. I was �� and still am �� a dreamer and would spend hours lost in a world inside my head! When I was about seven, I won a third prize for a story I had written at school and I continued from there. My first real novel came about when the Foot and Mouth crisis prevented me from working, but actually believing I could be a writer was another matter. There are times when I��m not sure I truly believe it yet.

2) How did you find out about the Waterloo project?

Susana Ellis put out a call for interested authors in one of the groups I am in on Facebook. We were already friends and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to work with other, more experienced writers and extend my author profile.

3) Can you tell us some of the things that attracted you to writing a piece on the anniversary of this famous battle?

Since I am English, it is one of my country��s greatest successes and I thought it would be wonderful to do something to celebrate the bicentenary. I have always loved horses �� when ��knee high to a grasshopper��, I used to ��groom�� the family dog and ��tack her up�� with a cushion and a belt! The Duke of Wellington��s horse, Copenhagen, is one of a host of famous horses that has fascinated me from those early days. The story of the battle is shrouded in romance, so it was the perfect setting for my style of writing.

4) Tell us about your current story in the anthology.

My story is set around a true event involving Copenhagen. Entitled ��Copenhagen��s Last Charge��, it brings together Meg Lacy �� newly arrived from England to join her Major-General father, Sir Vincent �� and a young lieutenant, James Cooper, who isn��t all he seems. Thrown together in unexpected fashion, their bickering hides a growing attraction, but when James fails to uphold Meg��s role in their undertaking, their relationship appears doomed.

5) How did the story begin to develop in your mind?

I had the basic premise in the historical fact I had discovered, so it was a question of fleshing out the story around that core. I had almost finished the novella by the time James condescended to tell me his name. Until then, he had been ��the Lieutenant��! While walking the dog and feeding the animals I mulled over the likely problems to arise from my central thread and then when I began to write, having decided to begin with the Duchess of Richmond��s ball, the story started to take shape.

6) What did you find most challenging about this story?

Getting it written in time! It was part written when I had to put it to one side to work on other commitments. Then Christmas was approaching fast and suddenly I found time was running out. A good deal of midnight oil was burned in the process of getting it finished!

7) Tell us a little about yourself?

I am English, as I��ve already said. I was born in Leicestershire, have lived in Lancashire and now reside in the Wilds of Herefordshire/Worcestershire. I love the smells of cooking bacon, baking bread and new-mown hay. I don��t often drink alcohol, but I love a good cup of tea! My favourite equine discipline is dressage and my special horse (they have all been special in their own ways, but there was one on whom I achieved most success) once won me a mark of nine out of ten for my final centre line in a test. That was a wonderful feeling.

I��ve always preferred the past to the present and can go off into another world quite easily, to the point of not hearing someone speak to me. I hate confrontation, unpleasantness and being used by others. I have a somewhat quirky sense of humour.

8) What is your next work, and beyond that, what do you want to work on.

I have just released my second Regency novel, An Improper Marriage. The publisher of my debut novel, A Sense of the Ridiculous, has recently closed down, so I shall be re-editing and reissuing it under a new cover, the intention being to have that ready at the same time as the anthology. Through my involvement in Beaux, Ballrooms and Battles, I was asked to join another collection and am thus due to submit a second Regency novella in June; I have a non-fiction book, on writing about horses in historical novels, to be polished and also a Shape Shifter novel I am very excited about to get ready for publication. The latter will probably be released under my alter ego, Vandalia Black��s banner. No peace for the wicked! I also have a Regency novel that is very close to my heart and which will hopefully be my next full-length release in that genre. It is the one my late mother both inspired and enjoyed.

9) In the Waterloo Shorty Story, is there an excerpt to share? Your favorite scene, a part of your life that you put into the work and think it came out exceptionally well that you would like to share.

I enjoyed writing this story very much, particularly the interplay between Meg and James. Many authors of historical novels make mistakes when it comes to horses. I like to think that in this excerpt all the characters come to life, not just the human ones.

The black gelding was standing with his near-side hind leg raised fetlock height from the ground. He flinched visibly when Cooper ran his hand down the limb. The lieutenant straightened, the heavy frown once more in place.

��He has strained his hock, by the looks of it. Of all the cursed luck. However will I come up with that crazy stallion now?��

��You must take my horse, Lieutenant. I am sure there must be some form of transport to be had, a hackney cab of some description��

��This is not London, Miss Lacy. I cannot abandon you. It is not far to the fountain. I shall accompany you on foot. If we do not find him there, then we will have to reconsider. Allow me to assist you to mount.��

He tossed her efficiently into the saddle, his demeanour revealing nothing of what had passed between them earlier. Meg could only be thankful, although a small, wilful part of her was piqued that he could so quickly recover.

He jogged beside her as she trotted along and, strangely, it seemed the most natural thing in the world. In a very few minutes, they approached another intersecting street, although it was smaller than the last. On the corner stood an ornately carved stone fountain and there, to Meg��s intense relief, was the powerful chestnut horse, splashing his nose in the basin beneath and playfully shaking his head so that droplets of water sprayed everywhere, much to the amusement of a crowd of onlookers.

Meg reached down and touched Cooper on his navy shoulder below the striking yellow epaulettes.

��Lift me down, please, Lieutenant. Do not make any sudden moves, I implore you.��

He complied with her request and if his hands lingered at her waist a fraction longer than necessary, then she could not find it in her to chastise him. For every second he was close to her, she had the oddest compulsion to lean against him again �� and the strangest notion that, for all his brusqueness, there was something about this man which fascinated her. It was a fascination she must guard against.

From the pocket of her peacock-blue pelisse, she produced a truncated carrot and knew a flare of satisfaction when his face registered his surprise.

��Where did you acquire that? I confess I am constantly discovering new things to admire about you, Miss Lacy!��

She permitted herself a small smile of triumph. ��When you were settling with the costermonger, I offered the urchin a penny for one of those he had purloined.��

��Consorting with criminals, eh? I am deeply shocked,�� he responded, sounding anything but. ��You will take care, will you not? He can be a devil at times, begging your pardon.��

��I do not believe he will do me any harm. It has always seemed to me, that with the exception of his Grace, it is men that Copenhagen dislikes. May I have your pocket knife?��

He handed over the implement, which to a soldier was many things: cutlery, scissors, awl, nail file and, on occasion, even a hoof pick. She quickly cut the carrot into slices lengthways, wiped the knife on her pelisse and handed it back.

��You have done that before,�� he observed.

��Oh, many times. As a child I was wont to walk down to the fields and feed my father��s hunters.��

��Where is your father��s estate?��

��You are very bold, Lieutenant, when we are yet to be properly introduced.�� She tried to sound stern, but could not keep the smile from her tone.

��Tis true,�� he answered, shaking his head. ��I am a sad reprobate, I fear.��

She dipped her eyelids, so that he might not see her enjoyment of this unforeseen side to his character.

��I believe you are correct, sir, but I shall indulge your curiosity on this occasion. My father��s estate, which is a modest parcel of land, lies in the county of Oxford. Now, if you will be so kind as to hold my horse��

Without waiting for an answer, she walked slowly towards Copenhagen. He turned his head at her approach, water dripping from his muzzle. The warm sunshine turned the beads of moisture clinging to his whiskers into jewels of brilliant colour. His neck was soaked with sweat to a deeper shade of red-brown and his nostrils were flared, revealing deep pink membranes within.

��Good boy,�� she murmured, keeping her hands behind her back. ��You have led us a merry dance, have you not? It is time to come home to your stable, sir.�� Continuing to croon softly, she edged nearer, stopping the instant the horse showed signs of flight. He stepped backwards, shifting his quarters as though intent on escape, and lifted his head higher. ��If you continue in this foolish manner, you will slip and lame yourself, you know, like the lieutenant��s poor horse. Be sensible, silly boy.��

She slowly brought her hand from behind her back and proffered a slice of carrot, her hand flat. Copenhagen whiffled through his nose, his nostrils quivering as he scented the root. Meg braved another step and then another. The stallion stretched his neck forward towards the tidbit.

��Oh, no, sir,�� she chided. ��You may have it when you permit me to catch you. If I allow you a slice now, you will take it and be off, will you not?�� She spoke the words in a sing-song manner, as her father��s groom had taught her many long years ago. Copenhagen dropped his head and snorted.

10) Who do you think influenced your writing, this work, and who do you think you write like?

In my early teens, I discovered the Regency novels of Georgette Heyer and the delightful, witty dialogue, the sense of fun and adventure, and sentence structure have all influenced me. The glorious stories by Elizabeth Chadwick have inspired me to find expressive ways of describing scenes and emotions. The wonderful writing workshops run by Sue Johnson have helped me to grow and expand my horizons as a writer.

Copenhagen��s Last Charge was triggered by the snippet of historical information I discovered while doing my research and the horsewoman in me at once took over. I think the ��who�� in this question is a ��they��, since all the horses and ponies I have owned, loved and worked with have played their part in my knowledge and understanding of the equine species.

I have my own voice when I write and do not aim, as such, to be like any other writer. That said, I should very much like to be thought to uphold the traditions of the Regency genre as laid down by Georgette Heyer (if for a modern audience) and thus follow, with tiny steps, in her magnificent wake.

11) Who do you read? What are the things that a reader can identify with that you have grounded yourself in.

Between working the ��day job��, walking my dog and caring for the family, which also includes two ponies and three cats, my days are pretty full! I don��t read as much as I would like to, but when I do have time, apart from revisiting old favourites from my Heyer collection, I love Elizabeth Chadwick, Barbara Erskine, the Poldark Series by Winston Graham, Jane Austen, JR Ward (the original Black Dagger Brotherhood series), Christine Feehan, Kerri Arthur and any well-written Regency Romance. There are many more I have yet to discover!

12) When writing, what is your routine?

Family and the animals come first! On a non-working day, if I am in the middle of a novel, I will re-read the last few paragraphs to get back to where I was when I stopped and hopefully that will trigger the creative juices. When I am between novels, as now, I usually have a list of tasks to complete and it is a question of working through them. If I am starting a new project that is longer than a short story, I often do a plot sheet. On a large piece of paper, I jot down ideas for scenes, conflicts, problems, plot twists etc., going off at tangents (with arrows) when ideas occur. I find pictures of my hero, heroine and other important characters, as well as settings. I also do a profile for each main character, so that I have an idea of their personalities before I begin to write, although this often changes when they tell me I��ve got it completely wrong!

I tend to write from beginning to end, as you would read a book, so my characters lead me through their story, rather than being driven by any heavy-handed, initial analysis on my part.

13) Do you think of yourself as an artist, or as a craftsman, a blend of both?

Neither, actually! I am just someone who enjoys creating a world where the nasties of modern life cannot enter. I write stories I would enjoy reading and I hope they immerse readers in that world and allow them to escape from reality for just a short while. I like to describe the settings, clothes and food, to give my readers a full picture of the world my characters inhabit, as well as a few tidbits of historical information along the way. I believe a story should flow, carrying the reader from one chapter to the next until they come to the sometimes humorous, but always satisfying finale.

14) Where should we look for your work.

An Improper Marriage