THE EVOLUTION OF A REGENCY ROMANCE WRITER
I like to think my life has been a process of evolution, growing and changing to reach the place where I am today. There have been periods of stagnation along the way – swampy interludes when I floundered around in waist-deep muck, trying to find a path back to solid ground before the alligators chewed my derriere to pieces. There have also been periods of rapid growth, when I was convinced I was on the verge of an evolutionary leap that would trigger long-dormant powers of tremendous psychic ability (ok, I was a hormonal teenager and had just started reading science fiction and fantasy, so no wonder I was crazy).
But through every phase I always imagined I was the heroine in my own story, perpetually waiting for the sound track to cue up the next big scene in my life. Here’s a picture of me in one of my first incarnations as a heroine – the sporty, athletic type who sailed through life with hardly a care in the world. Or, in archetypal parlance, the spunky kid. The good-humored tyke sitting next to me is my brother Brian (notice that he’s holding the pom-pom and I have the bat. I was always a trailblazer).
Sadly, my days as the sporty type were cut short when I developed asthma and discovered that I couldn’t run half a block without wheezing like a geriatric moose.
My next incarnation as a heroine took a turn to the west, when I developed a fascination for cowgirls. My parents bought me the best cowgirl outfit ever: deep red velveteen trimmed with spangles and fringe, complete with a pair of six-shooters. Sorry, no pictures of that phase, but you’ll have to take my word that I did look cool.
No doubt my view of life as story was fostered by the fact that I started reading books well before elementary school. Sadly, my kindergarten teacher did not see my prodigious abilities as a positive development, since she was convinced I had learned to read “the wrong way.”
Regardless, I continued on my wrong way through elementary school and high school, reading as much as I could, whenever and wherever I could. I still remember reading Gone With the Wind when I was a kid, along with all the other classics like The Wizard of Oz, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Anne of Green Gables, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and The Three Musketeers. In all of them I imagined myself as the heroine (except for GWTW – Scarlett really bugged me), and I spent countless hours re-writing the stories in my head to fit the circumstances of my life. Naturally, I always triumphed over adversity.
Then I went to high school. Well, we all know the basics of that story, so no need to share that. Thank God for Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, who got me through the worst of it. Here’s a picture of my mother and me from that period – I’m the geek with the glasses (notice how glamorous my mom looks). Enough said.
After my time in the pestilential bog of the teenage years, I went away to college. I majored in theater arts, which only increased my natural propensity to spend much of my time creating imaginary worlds. Unfortunately, my acting abilities were non-existent, which pretty much left power tools and dangling off really tall ladders. I hated heights and electric saws scared the hell out of me, so that ended my theatrical career.
I then briefly entered a rock star phase (Ziggy Stardust, and all), which you can see playing out in this next picture. My brother Brian took it in England one summer, and we both agreed it would look great on the back cover of my first album. Alas, I could no more sing or play an instrument than I could act, so I was forced to relinquish that particular heroic incarnation.
Fast forward to graduate school (after another long, boggy period). I finally figured out that since I liked reading and writing so much, I should probably study literature. I gravitated toward British women writers of the Regency period (must have been all the Austen and Heyer), especially the incomparable Fanny Burney. I earned my Master’s Degree from Rutgers University, and spent several years in the Ph.D. program at the University of Toronto. I didn’t complete my doctorate, but spent many contented hours holed up in the stacks of the library, combing through old documents and reading about the madness of King George III (hop on over to the Regency Reloaded section of my website to read about Fanny Burney’s connection to the mad king).
During this period my love for all things Regency burst into full bloom. I now imagined myself as the classic Regency heroine, eager to dance the night away, and throw myself into the arms of the first handsome rake who stumbled drunkenly from his racing curricle into my path. Here’s a picture of me … ok, that’s not me. I don’t know who that is, but she’s got great back cleavage.
Anyway, in addition to all the great literature I was reading, I discovered Amanda Quick, Stephanie Laurens, Jo Beverly, and so many other talented writers. I just loved their ability to craft elegant, thrilling, and passionately sensual stories about intelligent women and the big, strong alpha males who loved them.
And I wanted to be a writer just like them.
Fast forward a few more years (after a period working in the public sector as a researcher and writer), and I finally got my wish. I began writing Regency-set historical romances, and signed my first contract with Kensington Books in May of 2008.
And like any good heroine, I did find my Happily Ever After. I’m married to a swell guy (who is also a writer), have two great stepsons and a daughter-in-law, and more good friends and family than any one person deserves.
And I get to write passionate, sensual romances about my favorite period in history. Just like Amanda, Stephanie, and Jo.
It was worth the years in the swamp.
Happy reading!
* Photo courtesy of Candace Hern