I have to admit, I haven't always been a fan of historical romances. It probably was mostly due to the fact that I hadn't read many, but once I started I was hooked! I had read probably hundreds of books set in the regency time frame and found myself drawn to the endless and somewhat silly rules of the ton, the strict rules of propriety, and of course the elegant fashions of the time and decided that was the time period I wanted to write my first historical romance in.
The problem I now faced was trying to decide what to write about. After reading so many books from that era I felt like every subject had been broached. I thought about it and thought about and one day as I was thinking I realized that though I had read lots of novels where the heroine had posed as a lady's maid, I had never read one where the lady's maid had posed as an actual lady. Thus, the seed began to take root for my first book in the Ladies of Deception Trilogy, "Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington". Immediately I knew that there would be three books even though I had only conjured up an idea for the first one, but as I began to write, new characters emerged and I quickly knew who all three of the books would be about.
Coming up with Pierce's character was easy for me. Of course I imagined he would be tall, dark, and handsome! I wanted him to have a rugged handsome appeal with a touch of the alpha male in him. He wasn't someone easily taken in by simpering young debutantes or title-seeking women of the ton, having had his heart broken in the past by just such a lady, so I knew it would take a special heroine to capture his somewhat jaded heart.
Hope of course was the perfect solution to what our hero needed! Unlike the typical young woman of the aristocracy, she was not bred to be spoiled. Hope is many things that her mistress is not; warm, caring, hard working, intelligent, strong, and witty. And, like me, she also likes to write!
One of my favorite parts of any romance is the chemistry between two characters. I personally like a little badinage and some of my favorite scenes in "Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington" are when Hope and Pierce are bantering back and forth. Pierce can be a touch arrogant, typical of his station as the Duke of Kerrington, but Hope can hold her own and doesn't back down when handling him. Maybe it's because she's not impressed with titles and ranks and is more concerned with who people are on the inside. Luckily for her, despite the duke's sometimes abrasive manner, he too has a heart of gold!
I'm really excited to hear what you thought of "Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington". I have lots more behind the scenes information to share, including pictures and songs that inspired me as I wrote, sharing my favorite scenes with you, and insights into the hero and heroines themselves. I can't wait to share it all with you!
