Today we welcome to the Riskies debut author Pearl Wolf whose book Too Hot For A Spy debuts this month. She’ll give away an autographed copy of the book to one person who comments or asks a question, so drop in, say hi, and chat.

Readers who enjoy action-adventure series by Celeste Bradley have a treat in store with Wolf’s daring debut. The nonstop pace, feisty heroine and alpha hero will take you on a wild ride as two strong-willed people encounter their match in a sizzling tension-filled love story. — Romantic Times Bookreviews – 4 Stars

Pearl, welcome to the Riskies and congratulations on the release. Tell us the story behind the story—how did your book come about?

For one, history is my passion. For another, large families fascinate me, since I grew up in one. Put the two together and you have Too Hot For A Spy, out in March. This is the first in the series about the Fairchilds, the children of the Duke and the Duchess of Heatham.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

My generous friend, noted author Shelley Freydont (AKA Gemma Bruce) who is my critique partner as well, introduced me to her agent Evan Marshall. I sent him a partial—three chapters and a synopsis, expecting him to decide whether or not he would represent me. Two weeks later he called and said he’d sold a two-book contract to Kensington Publishers.

Why the Regency?

It’s one of the most colorful periods (1810-1820) in English History. My fictional characters live within a world informed by that history, just as we live in our world today.

What do you love about the period?

Royalty dictated a strict code of behavior then, but breaking the rules ran riot anyway. No author wants to write about characters who play by the rules when it’s so much more fun to write about the rebels.

What do you dislike about the period?

Given my rebellious nature, I wouldn’t have fared very well living in this period. I might have been beheaded given the fact that, like my heroine Olivia, I have enormous difficulty following other people’s rules.

Who are your writing influences?

Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, Daphne DuMaurier, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare. Want more? Suffice it to say I read, read, read read!

The risky question: What risks did you take with this book?

Women take risks even though we struggle against impossible odds. Today women break records in spite of those odds: The glass ceiling; outer space; presidents and prime ministers of our country. The list is endless. My heroine Olivia, the daughter of a powerful duke, had a tougher time in the Regency period. She risks everything and manages to succeed in an all male spy school against all odds.

What makes it stand out?

Olivia’s determination is key. In spite of the obstacles she faces because she’s a woman, she succeeds. She submits to the humiliation of scrubbing the kitchen galley on her hands and knees with the same determination she shows in mastering push-ups, something she’s never done before either.

What’s next for you?

I’ve just completed Too Hot For A Rake, due out in 2010. Olivia’s younger sister Helena, a timid young woman who is jilted by her betrothed, must decide what to do with her shattered life. I’m already thinking about the third book in this series, Too Hot For A Scoundrel, about Georgiana, another of the duke’s daughters. Bitter Steppes, a stand-alone Russian historical saga that takes place in the time of Catherine The Great is high up on my list of projects as well.

How old are you? (Riskies disclaimer–Pearl made us do it!)

I turned seventy-nine a short time ago. Imagine! I’ll be eighty years old next year. That’s middle age, isn’t it?

March is a strange month. It’s not quite the “armpit of the year” (that would be February, the Darkest Month), but it’s not quite spring, either. Sometimes it’s cold (last week), sometimes summer-warm (this week), and it’s always allergenic. But I can see spring just over the horizon as the tips of my lilac bushes turn green, and Daylight Savings Time (not to mention St. Patrick’s Day) is only a couple weeks away!

One thing I’ve been doing this week is planning my garden. I have a tiny house with a wee back yard, but I do like to put in flowers along the front walkway and in pots on the porch, and I have a vegetable patch in the back yard. I’ve been looking over seed catalogs, and think I’m going to try some new heirloom tomatoes this year, as well as cucumbers, green beans, and peppers. Any other suggestions?

So, it seemed appropriate to find that today marks the anniversary of the founding of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1804! (It was just called Horticultural Society then, and gained the “Royal” in 1861, by charter from Prince Albert). According to the Society’s website, “The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. Our goal is to help share a passion for plants, to encourage excellence in horticulture and inspire all those with an interest in gardening.”

The Society was first suggested by John Wedgwood (son of Josiah) in 1800. “He wanted to hold regular meetings, allowing the society’s members the opportunity to present papers on their horticultural activities and discoveries, to encourage discussion of them, and to publish the results. The society would also award prizes for gardening achievements.” It was 4 years before the first meeting, with 7 members, on March 7, 1804 at Hatchards bookshop in Piccadilly, London. The other members included William Townsend Aiton, Superintendent of Kew Gardens; Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society; and William Forsyth, Superintendent of the gardens of St. James’s Palace and Kensington Palace.

The RHS now has 4 flagship gardens in England, all of which look gorgeous. Wisley Garden, near the village of Wisley in Surrey (pictured at left); Rosemoor in Devon; Hyde Hall in Essex; and Harlow Carr in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Their first garden was in Kensington from 1818 to 1822, and in 1821 they leased part of the estate of Chiswick to set up an experimental garden. They held fetes there, and shows with competitive classes for flowers and vegetables.

They’re also famous for their annual flower shows, the most well-known being the Chelsea Flower Show. There are also 8 London Flower Shows at the Royal Horticultural Halls, the yearly Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, and Tatton Park Flower Show in Cheshire, and they also administer the Britain in Bloom competition. (I’ve never attended one of these shows, but I love looking at the photos every year and trying to find out if the plants featured would also flourish here).

A good source to learn more about the RHS is Brent Elliott’s The Royal Horticultural Society, A History: 1802-2004.

Reading about all of this just makes me want spring to get here sooner, so I can go out and dig in the dirt! Do you garden? What are some of your favorite “crops”? And if you’ve ever attended one of these flower shows, or seen the RHS gardens, tell us about it! Happy almost-spring, everyone…