Amelia Grey, A Duke to Die For – Author Interview…4.20.09

“Responsibility is the last thing the carefree Duke of Blakewell is looking for when it arrives on his doorstep in the form of a beautiful young lady. In a sequence of unfortunate events, the guardianship of Miss Henrietta Tweed falls to Blake.

Blake doesn’t know if he’s irritated or impressed by Miss Tweed’s boldness, but he can’t be responsible for her. His feelings for the seductive and captivating Henrietta are far from what a guardian should feel for his ward. Finding it hard to resist his desire for her, Blake decides the only honorable thing he can do is find her a suitable husband.

Henrietta Tweed has been controlled by men since her parents died when she was a young girl. She’s not interested in her roguish new guardian finding her a husband.

All of her previous five guardians have died, causing her to believe she is cursed. Not wanting the appealing Duke to die because of her, she tries to warn him off. Blake isn’t one for superstitious nonsense, even though mysterious accidents are happening that put him in danger.

Blake considers possible suitors, but eventually rules them all out and concedes that Henrietta has captured his heart.

But has he pushed her away for too long?

Henrietta must find a way to escape the curse, and Blake, before he becomes the next “duke to die for.”"…FROM THE AUTHOR SITE

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…I love a romance stories from the Regency period.  The passion that comes with the romance when it’s supposed to be “forbidden” since women are supposed to be innocent and men who entice are considered rakes and rogues.  The stolen kisses and intimate touches when nobody seems to be around brings more heat to the story.  The thing I like about romance is that even though we all know it ends the same where the boy gets the girl, the story in between is what makes it different.  The curse that seems to follow Henrietta and her Guardians is what makes this one different while an older gentlemen is about to invest in a hot air balloon venture with a lady who wishes to turn riding hot air balloons into a traveling business.  I’ve read many romance novels from the Regency period and several of Grey’s novel’s but I don’t recall ever reading one about hot air balloons and curses.  A Duke to Die For was a fast read filled with great passion.  For the one who loves a good romance without too much passionate scenes, this one’s for you.  Not too tame yet not too wild…

Thanks to SourceBooks, I was able to snag a copy of A Duke To Die For AND
interview Amelia Grey on her novel.

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR…

Book Faery (BF): What was your inspiration to this book?

Amelia Grey (AG): I’ve been fascinated by the British since I was in grade school and the Beatles took America by storm. I love books set in Regency England, and I’m fascinated by the titled few. I wanted to write a trilogy so my first thought was that I’d make one a duke, one a marquis and one an earl, and was the start of The Rogues’ Dynasty, and it’s been great fun!

BF: How did you go about creating the characters and places? Are any of the characters or places you wrote about significant to you?

AG: Since I wanted 3 titled gentlemen, I had to make them cousins rather than brothers. And I had to make sure they were all different. So in the first book of the trilogy A Duke To Die For you’ll meet the Duke of Blakewell. Blake is a carefree, undisciplined rogue who doesn’t know anything about responsibility. And of course the first thing I did was to saddle him with tons of responsibility by making him the guardian of a lovely young lady.

BF: Who was your favorite character to write?

AG: My favorite character to write in A Duke To Die For was Sir Randolph Gibson, aka Gibby. I love it that older people feel free to say most anything that comes to their minds. Gibby is no exception. He adores the attention the cousins give him and never lets up on them.

BF: What was the most challenging part of writing the book?

AG: The biggest challenge for me in A Duke To Die For was trying to make sure I made everything as historically accurate as possible. It’s amazing at the little details that can get past you that someone will catch. It’s always a struggle with Regency romances.

BF: How long did it take to finish this novel?

AG: It took me about 2 and a half months to write the first one hundred pages of A Duke To Die For because I was trying to get to know not only the hero and heroine but also the other two cousins who would have the second and third books in the trilogy, A Marquis To Marry and An Earl To Enchant. And at that point I knew Gibby would also be in all three books so I had to make sure I had all their characters firmly in mind. It then took me about 4 months to write the rest of A Duke To Die For.

BF: If your book was being discussed by a book club, or a few friends meeting over coffee, what about the book do you think would drive the most discussion? A particular character, event, theme?

AG: I’m thinking it might be the fact that my heroine thinks someone placed a curse on her. Some people believe in curses and some don’t so I would assume that would make for a lively discussion.

BF: If your book was made into a movie, what actors/actresses would you like playing the main roles?

AG: Well Prince William would be my first choice, but if he wouldn’t agree to step into acting shoes I’d settle for Robert Pattinson. He was to die for in Twilight and I’d have to choose Keira Knightley for Henrietta.

BF: Do you write during set hours of the day or do you write when the mood hits?

AG: I have set hours to write. I’m usually at the computer 5 days a week from about 9:30 to 4:30. I seldom work at night or on weekends.

BF: What types of books do you most enjoy reading? Who are your favorite authors?

AG: I am a devoted romance fan, and romances have always been my favorite books to read. I read all kinds of books except horror. I enjoy Sandra Brown, Amanda Quick, Jo Beverly, Mary Balogh, Joan Johnston, Kat Martin, Linda Lee, Stef Ann Holm, well the list goes on and on…

BF: Do you have any advice to those working on their first novels?

AG: Yes. Do not give up! If you really want to be a published author keep writing even if the rejections keep coming in. And don’t be afraid to send out your book once you’ve written it.

BF: Are you currently working on another novel and if so could you give us a sneak peek?

AG: Absolutely. I’ve already finished A Marquis To Marry and it will be out October 2009 and I’m working on An Earl To Enchant which will be out April 2010. I’ll enclose a short blurb about them.

A Marquis To Marry October 2009

Based on true events regarding five-strands of pearls, A Marquis To Marry is the story of Lord Raceworth, a man determined to find the thief who stole his grandmother’s pearls. The trail leads him to Susannah Brookfield who is searching for the pearls as well.  She swears the elusive necklace belongs to her family, not his. Soon the two join forces to find the thief. But after a night of unexpected passion, Susannah wonders if the real danger lies with the thief, or in the arms of Lord Raceworth.

An Earl to Enchant April 2010

In An Earl to Enchant, Arianna Sweet has a secret. Her recently deceased father discovered a formula which could be the fabled fountain of youth. But because of suspicious circumstances surrounding her father’s death, Arianna is certain whoever killed her father is after her too.

For help, she turns to Lord Morgandale, the rake of London Society. After years of living on the edge of London’s underground intrigues, Lord Morgandale wants only to accept his title and live a quiet life at his country estate.  But once Miss Sweet arrives, the notorious bad boy finds himself in the unaccustomed position of having to keep the enchanting innocent out of harm’s way.

Thanks again to SourceBooks for giving me the opportunity to interview Amelia Grey on her latest book.
Getting the privilege to interview a well known author is an absolute honor.