Due to a mixup we actually have announced two winners for HER WARRIOR KING by Michelle Willingham.

Tracey and Santa, you lucky ducks, please email us at riskies@yahoo.com to claim your prizes.

And we thank Michelle for being so gracious about our little snafu!

1) Tell us about Her Warrior King!

Her Warrior King was technically the first book in the MacEgan Brothers series. When I first wrote it, the book had some serious flaws and didn’t sell. I put it aside and wrote Her Irish Warrior which did sell. I had also written The Warrior’s Touch in the meantime, and with both of those books coming out, I wanted to resurrect Her Warrior King.

I polished the first three chapters, dumped the rest of the book, and started over. It was truly a hard book to write because I had to let go of my previous version and start fresh.

The hero, Patrick MacEgan, is a king struggling to rebuild his Irish tribe after they were defeated by Normans. The price of their lives was an alliance with a Norman bride. Patrick agrees to wed Isabel de Godred, but he refuses to let his bride play any part in their lives. But what he doesn’t count on is Isabel’s idealism and desire to be a true wife. She’s stubborn, spunky, and is not about to let her Irish husband isolate her upon an island. She does everything she can to help their tribe, trying desperately to fit in. But the tribe won’t have anything to do with her. Patrick begins to sympathize with her efforts, and slowly Isabel conquers his heart. Then Patrick is faced with having to choose between his people and the wife he has come to love.

I loved these characters, and Isabel kept surprising me with things she did to make her place among the tribe.

I think the most startling scene, for me, was when she couldn’t find a boat to escape the island and she swam across the channel!

2) How does this fit with your previous releases?

It’s being released as a prequel, and it’s technically book 1 in the series. I would have liked to have the books come out in chronological order, but the original version had too many flaws to be published first. It’s not necessary to read the books in any particular order, but I’m glad that all three stories will be told. For readers who wanted to hear about the story of Patrick and Isabel, they finally can learn what happened.

3) Did you come across anything interesting in your research for Her Warrior King?

At first, I had made Patrick’s rank a chieftain, but after consulting with an Irish archaeologist, he pointed out that Patrick commanded too many people to be a chief or chieftain. Instead, he recommended that I make him into a petty king. I was startled to learn how many kings there were in Ireland–hundreds at one point!

Most readers’ impression of a king is one person governing a country, but in Ireland, they would elect a High King from all of the provincial kings. Being king wasn’t necessarily a birthright, either, although often the previous king’s sons were the strongest candidates.

Patrick is a fictional provincial king from an imaginary kingdom not far from Waterford. This was where the Norman invasion took place in real life.

4) Your settings are so well-drawn! What is it about medieval Ireland that makes you want to set your books there?

Anyone who has ever visited Ireland knows that the country has a mystical sense of folklore and romance. When I visited some of the ancient ruins, I could imagine sexy Irish warriors riding through the grounds.

Scottish heroes are always popular, and I wanted to put my own spin on Celtic heroes. Medieval Ireland seemed to be an untapped wellspring, and then I had a great excuse to return to the country last year, to continue the research.

5) I know you have three kids AND a teaching job! I think I speak for all writers when I ask–what are your time management secrets???

Early bedtimes! My children aren’t aware that other kids don’t go to bed at 7:00 p.m. Shh! Don’t tell them! I use the night hours to write, but that’s been more challenging lately with the birth of my son this November. But I do try to write, edit, or revise every day to keep my head in the story. I love what I do, and it’s not truly “work” to me.

6) What’s next for you?

I am finishing a book that’s set in 1101 AD, tentatively titled SLAVE TO HER DESIRES. It’s about a slave who comes to love the woman betrothed to his master. Kieran is a woodworker, and there is a connection to the MacEgans…but readers will have to wait and find out what that is!

Thanks so much, Michelle, for visiting with us again (while your kids are asleep, LOL).

For a chance to win a signed copy of Her Warrior King, comment on this post and watch for tomorrow’s announcement of the winner.

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What I’ve been doing this week:

1) Working on the new book. Up to page 56 now! And watching Caribbean vacation shows on the Travel Channel and calling it research. Never mind that the story is set in the 1530s, and it’s doubtful there were any all-inclusive resorts with cabanas and unlimited mango margaritas, it’s the atmosphere I’m after.

2) Deciding what books to order to celebrate my birthday, which is on Tuesday! Mango margaritas all around!

3) Mourning the loss of the Golden Globe awards. No gowns! No jewels! No hilarious tipsy acceptance speeches! January will be blah indeed.

4) Watching the DVDs of the BBC series Robin Hood, which I got from Netflix. My North and South DVD needed a rest, so I thought I would give this one a try. So far–interesting. More thoughts later. In the meantime, my friends are sick of me constantly yelling “Mr. Thornton! You are being such a meanie! And wash your hair!” at the TV screen.

And, in case you thought my week was totally wasted, I found out January 12 is the anniversary of the founding of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The RAS’s website states that it “…encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar system science, geophysics, and closely related branches of science.” Anyone over 18 who proves acceptable to the Society can apply for a fellowship even today. It all began at a dinner at the Freemason’s Tavern on January 12, 1820, when it was just the Astronomical Society (it received a charter from William IV in 1831). It was formed by mostly “gentlemen astronomers” to support and further their research.

The minutes of this meeting record: “On this day several gentlemen…met together by appointment at the Freemason’s Tavern, Great Queen Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, to take into consideration the propriety and expediency of establishing a Society for the management and promotion of astronomy.” 14 attended this meeting. The Duke of Somerset was elected president, but resigned a week later. His friend Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society, thought a new Astronomical Society might drain resources from the RS. William Herschel then became president, with Francis Baily secretary and Daniel Moore chairman.

The second meeting on February 8, at the Geological Society rooms in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, boasted 83 members. The Monthly Notices began publication in 1827 (prior to this reports of their meetings were found in the Philosophical Magazine). It wasn’t until 1915 that a Supplemental Charter admitted women to the Society.

So, if we can’t see stars on the red carpet, at least we can still see them in the sky! What have you been up to this week?

I thought I’d try something a bit different today — an offbeat introduction to a new Regency author, shorter and sillier than our formal interviews (er, I mean the introduction, not the author!) and hopefully fun.

Many of you have probably seen Georgie Lee’s comments on our blog — well, her first Regency, Lady’s Wager, has just been published by Cerridwen Cotillion, and you all know how I love any sort of Regency gambling! (In this particular wager, if the heroine loses, she has to get married — and that’s always great fun.) So let’s get to know Georgie Lee a little better!

So, Georgie, how did you feel when you sold your first book?

Excited, and somewhat terrified. I’ve heard many authors describe their first sale experience but until I went through it, the contract, the edits, the nail biting countdown to release day, I had no idea the trials awaiting me. However, the feelings of accomplishment and pride that came with selling Lady’s Wager made all the other stresses and headaches worth it and I can’t wait to do it again.

What’s one big difference between writing for Hollywood, and writing novels?

Well, so far neither has made me rich but there is still time (haa-haa). It was an adjustment moving from screenwriting to novels and it took a while to make the switch. In screenwriting, a writer provides the director with a dialogue blueprint and the end result is someone else’s vision. Writing a novel made me responsible for everything and it took a while to get the hang of scene descriptions and sensory details. My first draft of Lady’s Wager was difficult to read because I hadn’t learned how to move characters through a scene without constantly using the word “and”. However, after a couple of drafts I got the hang of it and my writing greatly improved.

Why do you like writing in the Regency period?

I’ve always loved the manners and the elegance of the Regency. I know those manners covered up what could be a very harsh society but the delight of romances is the ability to enjoy a time period without the ugly reality. Also, writing in the Regency is like being a screenwriter during the golden age of Hollywood. Back then, characters couldn’t always say everything they wanted to say, especially if it was racy. As a result, writers came up with very clever dialogue and scenes to suggest what the characters were forbidden to express.

What’s your favorite Jane Austen novel?

Persuasion. Unlike many of Austen’s other characters, such as Emma and Elizabeth, who are self-confident, Anne lacks self-confidence at the beginning and must learn to believe in herself and her opinion. I think we all feel a lack of self-confidence at times and so we can easily identify with Anne. Also, it’s touching to watch her change and grow and to see her growth rewarded with a second chance at love.

Non-Jane Austen Regency Romance?

His Lordship’s Swan by Martha Kirkland. It was one of the first Regencies I read and I love the heroine’s spunk and the way her defiance of convention catches the hero’s attention. I enjoy strong female characters who don’t conform to social expectations and this non-conformist attitude is one of the defining features of Charlotte, the heroine of Lady’s Wager.

What’s your favorite period movie?

Where do I begin? I love so many period movies, from Dangerous Beauty to An Ideal Husband, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility to Elizabeth. However, my all time favorite is Gone with the Wind. I first saw it in junior high, and Scarlett O’Hara’s determination to succeed combined with her devil may care attitude and her belief in the promise of tomorrow really spoke to me. About ten years ago I was finally able to see it in a theatre and it was like seeing it for the first time.

If you had to marry one Jane Austen hero, which would it be?

Mr. Darcy. In a lot of ways he reminds me of my husband. Both of them are reserved and somewhat shy, which can sometime be mistaken for pride, and both are devoted to those they love.

Thanks for joining us, Georgie! (Okay, you’re married to Mr. Darcy…does that mean I have to hate you?) 🙂

And if anyone wants to know more about Lady’s Wager or about Cotillion Regencies, just go to Cotillion’s Georgie Lee page.

And remember to stop by Risky Regencies next Tuesday to discuss the new adaptation of Persuasion! (When any of the new Austens air on PBS, we’ll discuss them here the following Tuesday.)

Cara
Cara King, author of her own little gambling book