Interview and giveaway: Leigh Michaels - The Wedding Affair

Today I have Leigh Michaels over for an interview and at the end of it there is a chance to win her trilogy: The Mistress’ House, Just One Season in London and The Wedding Affair. And this time it's open to all.

Welcome to Mur-y-Castell!

Could you tell my readers a little bit about yourself?

LM: I’ve been a writer since before I could actually write – there’s poetry in my baby book that I dictated to my sister. I wrote my first romance novel at age 14, when everything I knew about love would have fit on a Post-It. I love happy endings and love stories, and I’ve had a great career as a full-time writer –writing contemporary category romances and now spicy historicals.

Could you tell us about your latest book, The Wedding Affair?

LM: The title comes from the fact that the three couples in this book are brought together by a wedding, but none of them are the ones getting married. In fact, they’re much more interested in the love affairs they’re carrying on behind the scenes than they are in the wedding!

I like how you introduce 3 different love stories in the book. How did you come up with this idea?

LM: When I started writing my first historical, The Mistress’ House, I didn’t know it was a book – I thought it was a short story, and when it turned into a novella my writing partner suggested that there might be other stories which formed a group. But when I wrote the second book (Just One Season in London) and now The Wedding Affair, I intertwined the three stories so they’re all happening at once. I like to push myself a bit with each book – doing something I haven’t done before. So writing three stories at the same time, winding them together in one book, and using four to six points of view, is an exciting challenge.

What is the best thing about writing regency romance stories?

LM: Definitely the social rules of the time. Because of the restrictions on what a well-born lady was supposed to do, and the few opportunities that were open to her, she was sometimes forced to make difficult choices. In The Wedding Affair, Olivia, Lady Reyne, has no real options – she can’t work at any of the jobs open to a lady of quality because she has a small child. She can’t even take in a boarder to make the budget easier to manage, because her cottage is too small. Her options are so restricted that a short term affair, leading to a nice payoff, starts to look very inviting.

If you had been born in that era, what do you think you would have been?

LM: I’d have been trying to knock down the rules. Maybe I’d have been a writer, maybe a teacher – but definitely I’d have been trying to make life easier for the next generation of young women!

Could you tell me about the other books you have written… I know there are a lot!

LM: I wrote 80 sweet traditional romances for Harlequin Romance and Harlequin Presents, and I’m also the author of On Writing Romance, published by Writers’ Digest Books, which has helped a lot of people write and publish their own romance novels. And I write other non-fiction such as local history books and books for writers. I keep myself busy. :-)

Are you writing on some new and interesting at the moment?

LM: I’m working on a Regency-period historical which is another triple story – three heroes and three heroines, each with their own romance happening at the same time, when they’re drawn together by a special event. But I’m not far enough into it yet to talk about the story – I’m a bit superstitious about discussing work in progress, and I also find if I talk too much about a story I’m not as excited about writing it.

And last, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

LM: I see a lot of people who have talent, but fewer who have persistence. It takes both to be successful; it’s not enough to just write the book. The successful author then has to be professional enough to revise, listen to suggestions and implement them, and then gulp and send it out and wait to see what the market says. Definitely write the next book while you’re waiting to see what happens with the first one – because that next book might be the one that sells first.

Thanks!
Thank you for inviting me!



GIVEAWAY

I have such a treat for you all today. There will be two winners. And each winner will win a set of her books; The Mistress’ House, Just One Season in London and The Wedding Affair

There will be one international winner and one US winner.

• Open to all, worldwide
• Ends on September 26
• Just go ahead and enter.

And let's see what I can think of today if you want to write something more. Go ahead and ask Leigh a question or comment on the interview. Or tell me how you would have found regency life.

THE WEDDING AFFAIR BY LEIGH MICHAELS – IN STORES SEPETEMBER 2011

You’re invited to the wedding of the year!

The Duke of Somervale, whose sister’s wedding is the event of the ton, is fighting off debutantes and desperately needs help from beautiful, stubborn Olivia Reyne. But she is engrossed with problems engulfing her dearest friends and family. The last thing Olivia needs is to be embroiled with a duke whose dark gaze makes her forget herself entirely...

Discover a new side of a beloved author as Leigh Michaels draws you into the glittering, glitzy world of Regency England and an affair you’ll never forget.

About the Author 

Leigh Michaels is the author of nearly 100 books, including 80 contemporary novels, more than a dozen non-fiction books and three regency romances from Sourcebooks Casablanca: The Mistress’ House, Just One Season in London and The Wedding Affair. More than 35 million copies of her romance novels have been published by Harlequin. A 6 time RITA finalist, she has also received two Reviewer's Choice awards from RT Book Reviews, and was the 2003 recipient of the Johnson Brigham Award. Leigh also teaches romance writing on the Internet at Gotham Writers’ Workshop.  She lives in Ottumwa, Iowa.  For more information, please visit www.leighmichaels.com.