Interview and giveaway: Grace Burrowes - The Heir

Today I have Grace Burrowes over, the author of The Heir. At the bottom of this interview you have the chance you win your own copy of the book.

Welcome to Book Girl of Mur-Y-Castell!

Tell me something about yourself, so we get a better understanding about the woman behind the author.

GB: I’m an attorney practicing family law in rural Maryland, and I have been a single mom since Beloved Offspring came home from the hospital. The impact of that on my writing has been to make me especially appreciative of honorable men and appreciative of a really good book, too.

Your newest book is called The Heir; can you tell me what it is about?

GB: A lonely, overworked earl is so busy avoiding his ducal father’s marital schemes that he almost doesn’t realize he’s falling in love with his pretty, secretive housekeeper—it was big fun to write.

Tell us three reasons why we should fall madly in love with your hero Gayle Windham…

GB: His drop dead gorgeous good looks are not a reason to fall madly in love with him, but they certainly make looking at him more pleasant. More significantly, Gayle Windham, the Earl of Westhaven, is honest, hardworking, and beneath some gruff shyness, very kind. He’s also a devoted son even to his scheming ducal papa, his spendthrifty sisters, and his emotionally ailing brothers. He dotes on his aging horse and is particularly fond of marzipan.  

Which person in this book was the most fun to write?
GB: I met the hero first, in an earlier manuscript. Gayle agreed to marry a woman without realizing his father was coloring outside the lines to bring the wedding about. In exchange for his promise to marry, Gayle got control of the family finances. Fortunately for Gayle, his temporary fiancée’s swain got matters sorted out in time to prevent disaster. Gayle held on to the financial reins, and also to my imagination. 

Are you working on something new and exciting right now?

GB: I have never had so much fun in all my born days. I just finished the copy edit review of Devlin St. Just’s story, The Soldier due out next summer by Sourcebooks Casablanca, and the final manuscript for Valentine’s story is due to my editor at the end of the month, for release as The Virtuoso (working title) in October 2011. For next Christmas, we’re starting on the sisters’ stories with Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish. It is very good to be me.

How did you feel when you heard you would get published?

GB: Overwhelmingly grateful, also nervous.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

GB: I will be blogging about this for the next few Mondays on my website (www.graceburrowes.com) because I am being asked about it, not because I think I have any great wisdom to share. Mostly, aspiring writers should write. They should write a lot more than they talk about writing, socialize about writing, or—ahem—blog about writing. And yes, I am an aspiring writer and I always will be. 

What kinds of books do you read? Any favorite authors?

GB: I have been a voracious romance reader since adolescence. My all time favorite author is Judith Ivory, but my keeper shelf includes Sophia Nash, Mary Balogh, Loretta Chase, Meredith Duran, J.R. Ward, Joanna Bourne, Julie Ann Long, Carolyn Jewel, Eloisa James, and several others. There is a wonderful abundance of talent out there. In terms of craft or research, I’m reading Harriette Wilson’s Memoirs, which was a terrific read.

I am going to use a previous question and ask you to give this time four reasons why this is the book to read…

GB: Read this book because it will leave you smiling from ear to ear when the swain and the damsel finally get their happily ever after. Read this book because it’s full of love, not just the love of a man and a woman for each other, but the love between siblings, between parent and child, between grandparent and grandchild. It’s all about the love. Read this book because these people are facing tough odds, a really scurrilous pair of bad guys, and all manner of difficulties and they prevail, which will encourage YOU to prevail when the deck is stacked against you. Read this book because for a few hours, it will help you forget your woes and worries, and take you to a place where love does conquer all, and you are guaranteed a happily ever after. 

Thanks for a great interview Grace.

Giveaway:

*2 copies of The Heir

*Open to US and Canada

*Ends December 12th

 * Ask a question, comment on the book, the interview. Just something more so I can see that you want it :)

*Leave your email if it is not in your profile

THE HEIR BY GRACE BURROWES – IN STORES DECEMBER 2010

An Earl Who Can’t Be Bribed…
Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, is the first legitimate son and heir to the Duke of Moreland. To escape his father’s inexorable pressure to marry, he decides to spend the summer at his townhouse in London, where he finds himself intrigued by the secretive ways of his beautiful housekeeper.

A Lady Who Can’t Be Protected…
Anna Seaton is a beautiful, talented, educated woman, which is why it is so puzzling to Gayle that she works as his housekeeper.

As the two draw closer and begin to lose their hearts to each other, Anna’s secrets threaten to bring the earl’s orderly life crashing down—and he doesn’t know how he’s going to protect her from the fallout…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Burrowes is the pen name for a prolific author of historical romances whose manuscripts have so far won, finaled, or garnered honorable mention in Romance Writers of America-run contests in Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, and Florida. Burrowes is a practicing attorney specializing in family law. She lives in rural Maryland and is working on her next book, The Soldier, set to release in July 2011.