Meet Joanna Bourne

Anne here, with a very special guest, Joanna Bourne.  Joanna burst onto the historical romance scene in 2008, first with THE SPYMASTER'S LADY, followed by MY LORD AND SPYMASTER. Since then her reputation and sales have grown through the best kind of publicity — word of mouth.   

 Joanna writes big, meaty, page-turning, action-filled, historical romances. She's a wordsmith as well as a storyteller, and her research is excellent. As well as rave reviews, Joanna's books have garnered a swag of awards, including the prestigious RITA for MY LORD and SPYMASTER. The third book in the series, THE FORBIDDEN ROSE , comes out in June, and I, for one, can't wait. Joanna, welcome to the WordWenches. 

I'm always interested in how a vague idea crystallizes into a story. My head is always full of story possibilities, but usually there's something — an image, a piece of music, a snatch of conversation, something I've read when I think, Yes! That's a story. Did anything in particular spark a story for you?

 Jo:  In my next book — Forbidden Rose — the protagonist, Maggie, is a folklorist.  They didn't actually use that word yet, but that's what she was.  She'd go around the countryside of Normandy, visiting peasant cottages, collecting old folk tales and writing them down, sending them off to scholars around Europe.

It's not a part of the story, but it's part of what she IS. 

Maggie thinks in the imagery of folklore and classical myth.  So when I was writing her, I thought that way too.  I'd be reading along in the history of the city of Paris and I'd 'see' it in . . .  I guess you'd say, I'd see Paris in mythic or folkstory terms.   

Then one day I came across a little known aspect of Paris and it sent me thinking about the labyrinth of the Minotaur and Orpheus following Eurydice into Hades and . . . well . . .  the whole idea of Hades in general.  And that gave me one of the central actions of the story.   

I'll admit I'm one more writer who's dipped back into the old myths for inspiration.

Anne: Your books are set in Revolutionary and Napoleonic France and Regency England. Traditionally, Revolutionary France has been a no-no setting for romance publishers, reputed to be the kiss of death for books, but you've proven that a myth, and readers have loved the fresh, vivid  and exciting world you portray. Why did you choose this setting?

Jo: Y'know, there are times and places where ideas put on the boxing gloves and square off.   Just about everything we know and believe about freedom and human rights was being thrashed out in this two or three decades.  How exciting is that?

I love the British—French struggle because BOTH sides were right and both sides were wrong.  A splendid complexity.      

 Anne: The characters in your books really spring to life on the page, especially your protagonists, Annique and Grey, Jess and Sebastian. In fact I told an author friend I was interviewing you and she said, "Ask her what Annique and Grey are doing at the moment." Do your characters spring fully formed from the head of Joanna, or do they slowly emerge in the writing?

Jo: The characters are very much an organic growth.  I don't know what to expect of them.  We're awkward at first.  But after a while we're chatting along like great friends.  A few month into the work and I begin to 'hear' my people when I'm writing.  It's cool for all of us.  

You can tell your friend that Annique and Grey went under cover in the south of France for a bit.  There was a spot of trouble, but they made it through just fine.

Anne: Your portrayal of spying in Napoleonic times is wonderful, as is your picture of the criminal underworld in My Lord and Spymaster. Could you tell us about some of the research do you do?

Jo: I do love research.  There's about a dozen core books in the field.  Mayhew's Characters, Thieves' Kitchen or The Regency Underworld by Low, and Sparrow's Secret Service are good.  But what I know about spying and the criminal underworld I really learned from the Scarlet Pimpernel and Kim and Oliver Twist.  

Anne: I was interested to discover you do a lot of writing in coffee houses (very eighteenth century of you.) What's the appeal of writing in such places for you?  

Jo: Home is both too quiet and too noisy for me to work.  I keep hearing the floors whispering, "Wash me.  Waaaaaassssh me."  And the vacuum cleaner rattles in the closet like a piece of angry pepperoni.

So I escape to the coffee shop where the electrical appliances don't have expectations of me and the people provide just enough stimulation that I have to concentrate on the computer, which keeps me focussed.

And yes, I do feel very eighteenth century.

Anne: THE FORBIDDEN ROSE  is about Maggie and Doyle, who are secondary characters in the previous two books. It's already garnering some wonderful reviews, including a top pick from Romantic Times. Tell us a little about it.

Jo: The French Revolution.  In Paris, secrets, spies and conspiracies are thick on the ground.  That's William Doyle's duty — to plunge into the thick of that and bring the secrets back to England.  In city and countryside, ordinary people thumb their noses at authority and risk their lives, snatching men and women from the guillotine, smuggling them out of France.  That's Maggie's job.  That's the group she leads.  

With so much at stake, it's not easy to fall in love.  Maggie's story is finding love and fighting tooth and nail to keep it.  Doyle's story is meeting THE woman and holding onto her.  And staying alive.  They have to do that too.

Anne: Could we have a short extract please?

    She wanted this. It would be so easy, so natural, to take this pleasure. To let her body answer his. There was no one on earth to stop her.
     Except herself. Except herself.
     She said, “I wish . . .” I wish I could lie with you. I am afraid and alone and I would be comforted by you. She picked one drop out of the sea of what she wished and put it into words. “I wish I were the miller’s daughter and you were the farmer’s son and we could play foolish games in the stable loft. I wish you were someone I could . . .”             
      “Be foolish with.”
      “Yes.” She sighed. “But I am not the miller’s daughter. I have never owned such simplicity. I do not live one minute without calculation.”
       “Pretend I’m someone you can kiss.” His lips came down softly over hers. Holding back, brushing lightly. Hinting. The taste, the possibility, was enough to hold her while he retraced the path up her backbone and slipped the calluses and strength of his hand under her wet braid and enclosed the nape of her neck.
       He muttered, “We’re both going to stop calculating for a minute.”

(Read another extract here)   
 Anne: Gorgeous extract, thanks. I can't wait to read the whole book. So, what's next for Jo Bourne?  Can we expect Adrian's story or are we still waiting for him or his heroine to grow up?

I'm working on Adrian's story right now.  We meet his lady — Justine — in FORBIDDEN ROSE.

Anne: Excellent, I know a lot of people who are eager to read Adrian's story. Joanna, thanks so much for joining us on Word Wenches.

I'm sure our readers have some questions for you as well. And here's Joanna's question for readers. She'll be giving a copy of her new book, FORBIDDEN ROSE, to some lucky commenter.

Joanna says: I always feel as though there's a dynamic between the adventure or suspense elements in a story and the softer, more romantic story of love.  And in Historical Romance, there's a sense of history as well.  I see these almost as three separate strands woven together.
What do you like to see, as a reader?  More concentration on the love story?  Something close to Historical Fiction with a love story at the center?  Or are you more interested in the drama, danger and suspense that drives the plot onward?

Comments

[Jo Beverley]

Jo, welcome to the Wenches from another Jo. I had the honour to present you with your RITA.

It's great to see you here.

Jo

[Linda Banche]

Hi Joanna. I loved both THE SYPMASTER'S LADY and MY LORD AND SPYMASTER. I know I'm going to like THE FORBIDDEN ROSE.

I like a rip-roaring adventure story at the heart of my romances, maybe because I like swashbucklers. But I also want lots of historical detail I can wallow in. I love wallowing.

I do read straight historical fiction, but I find I miss the romance. Your books are exactly the type I like--an exciting story, lots of romance, and plenty of history. And my favorite, a non-traditional heroine. I love your heroines. I love heroines who go against the narrow constraints imposed on women of the time and win!

And THE FORBIDDEN ROSE cover is beautiful.

[ValerieL.]

Any month that brings us a new book by Joanna Bourne is a very good month. I can't wait.
I love historicals of any kind, romance, mystery, or just fiction, but I'm a sucker for a great love story woven into the history. Thank you for giving us both the history and the "story".

[Kathy Otten]

Hi Joanna,

Wonderful interview. I love spy stories set during the French Revolution and The Scarlett Pimpernel is my favorite book. Action, romance and history, that's what I love to read. Nice to cyber meet you.

[maryjoputney]

Joanna, welcome to the Wenches from still another Jo! A friend of mine whimperingly asked a couple of months back if Joanna Bourne had stopped writing, so I assured her that The Forbidden Rose was imminent. Books with the research and texture of yours are no written in a long weekend.

***Home is both too quiet and too noisy for me to work. I keep hearing the floors whispering, "Wash me. Waaaaaassssh me." And the vacuum cleaner rattles in the closet like a piece of angry pepperoni.***

ROFL! Luckily, I'm better at ignoring my appliances, but I do understand the distractions of home. (E-mail and cats are at the top of my list.)

Put me down as a reader who wants it all: strong romance, fabulous characters, interesting history and setting, and some jolly action. IOW--books like yours.

[Janga]

Great interview, Anne and Joanna.

I'm with Mary Jo on wanting all of the above in a book. If forced to choose a most important element, I'll go with characters because if I'm not engaged by the characters and their relationships, everthing else is wasted on me. I do want some context for the characters though. I'll pass on romance in a vacuum.

I've pre-ordered The Forbidden Rose since, for some strange reason, I often have to wait a week after release day if I buy books locally. I don't want to have to wait to read Maggie and Doyle's story.

[donna ann]

Joanna – I read and thoroughly enjoyed the 1st 2 books and have waiting semi-patiently for the "Forbidden Rose" to come out. You do a fabulous job of balancing the love story with the action/drama/suspense of the story.

I think you put well by saying that historical romance has a sense of history -- I think that is one of the elements that I love about them. I'm reading for the romance and the story, but enjoy that “sense of history” it contains. I never thought of it quite that way before but think it describes it quite well. (Guess another sign of why I enjoy your books -- you know how to put it into words) :)

While I look forward to more of Adrian, I admit to a part of me almost dreading his story – if he finds his true love, he’ll never be mine ;-( Wishing you continued success and looking forward to more fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable reading thanks to you.

[liz m]

As a reader, I like all of the above in various combination. What I like most are thoughtful books, books that require more than a little Barry White music to explain the dynamic between the hero/heroine. Give me good character building and I'll follow you anywhere.

France is making a comeback, I think. Meredith Duran's newest (excellent) book is set in the 1890's and spends a great deal of time in France. It's always been interesting to me that most romance can be set in England or a mythical country, but nowhere else in Europe.

I am completely impatient for The Forbidden Rose. When I discovered TSL I was hoping there was some huge backlist of your books I'd somehow overlooked. You shot to the top of my must buy list in one book and it's an absolute treat to have you interviewed on Word Wenches!

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Jo B --

Thank you so very much. I am delighted to be here.

I say this as a long-time lurker on the site.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Linda Banche --

I like the term 'swashbuckling Romance' which somebody was kind enough to lay on the books.

D'ya'know -- folks who write in this Regency era often get enticed to it by Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen.
That's part of where I come from. Part of what the writing grows out of. I loved those books.

But I'm also drawing on the old adventure books -- Rudyard Kipling and Talbot Mundy, H. Rider Haggard, James Hilton, and Rafael Sabatini. I owe just as much to the 'big adventure' books as to the 'comedy of manners'. Maybe I'm trying to combine the two.

And I am just in love with the cover of Forbidden Rose. They've done me proud with this one.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Valerie L --

Thank you so much. Robert Frost is supposed to have said -- I should go google this to make sure -- anyhow, he's supposed to have said that writing poetry without rhyme was like playing tennis without a net.

That's how I feel about writing fiction set in an historical period. If you're not going to pay attention to the reality of the period, you are somewhat 'playing tennis without the net'.

So I insert a basketful of fiction -- people who didn't exist -- a spy organization that wasn't actually there.
I am, after all, writing fiction.

But I respect my setting. Making allowance for inattention and ignorance, of which I have a good share, I do try to keep the non-fiction part of the story plausible and true to period.

That occasional whomp you hear is me hitting balls into the net.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Kathy Otten --

jo waves. I am so glad to meet you.

I am a big Scarlet Pimpernel groupie myself. It's adventure and Romance and secrecy and spies and a Band of Brothers facing danger together and what's not to like?

I will tell you one problem I have with it, however.

There is a wide assumption that the aristocrats of France were cut down like ripe wheat and they were pretty much the only ones perishing on the guillotine. This is not so much true. Mostly the nobility of France hunkered down and came out the other side of the Revolution not much the worse for wear.

It was the ordinary folks who died in droves, on the scaffold and elsewhere. Well, to be fair, there are a lot more ordinary folks to drove, as it were.

But I'm just as interested in the story of the Marquise's sewing maid as in the Marquise. If not more so. So, in Forbidden Rose, my 'Band of Brothers' is a band of both brothers and sisters and they're not all aristocrats.
More to my taste, I guess.

[Edith]

Excellent interview! I'm a sucker for historical romances and have a huge weakness for spy stories. You don't write fast enough, Jo!

I read historicals so I can learn more about history so I like something close to Historical Fiction with a love story at the center. But for me, a book only succeeds if I care about the characters.

This made me LOL:
I keep hearing the floors whispering, "Wash me. Waaaaaassssh me." And the vacuum cleaner rattles in the closet like a piece of angry pepperoni.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Mary Jo Putney --

Thank you so much for the kind words. blush.

There are many Jo's writing, are there not? I have noticed this. I wonder if there is a 'Little Women Effect' where famous fiction pulls reality along in its wake like a particularly persuasive low pressure system moving across Texas, leading rainshowers.

I feel guilty about producing manuscripts so slowly. I'll have to buckle down and get more work done on this next one.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Janga --

I agree with you actually. It's the characters.

In writing, the characters come to me first. The characters, not the history or the plot, drive the direction of the story. And the characters make me care.

Yes. I care about the people in the story even though I know I created them. So weird.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Donna Ann --

I gotta say -- Justine is worth rooting for. She deserves Adrian. Really.

It's surprisingly hard to write Adrian's story. Part of it is making Justine good. Part of it is that Adrian's 'happy ending' feels like the completion of this fictive world. Maybe I feel a little sad, being at a place in the story where I have to let everybody go off into their own futures.

Fortunately, it doesn't mean this is the last story I can place in this fictive universe. I'm not writing in chronological order, which is hard in one way, but gives me lots of freedom in others.

[Virginia C]

Hello, Joanna! Congratulations on "The Forbidden Rose"! For me, historical romance is "the whole package" wrapped up in beautiful paper, ribbons and bows. History itself is not always pretty, some of it is unfathomably gruesome! When authors put pen to page and combine history with sweet, sensual romance, the bitter goes down so much better!

[NinaP]

Wow! I don't know what else to say. Just got back from reading your excerpt, Jo. I love your voice, the way you plunged me into your characters minds and held me there, leaving me to beg and plead and touch and taste and feel. Magnificent, Jo. Simply magnificent.

Nina, in awe (and as a writer, a mite jealous, too :-) )

[Celia Yeary]

JOANNA AND WENCHES-- eek! How have I missed this blog with all these wonderful, famous authors? I love blogs. Your books sound absolutely wonderful, Joanna--I enjoyed learning about you and your writing journey. Celia

[Scorpio M.]

For me the love story has to be front & center, that's not to say I don't want the history, nothing kills the joy of reading a great romance novel than lackluster chemistry or lack of screentime between the h/H.

I'm greedy. I want both historical depth & zeitgeist along with passion! :)

I look forward to The Forbidden Rose.

[limecello]

Hi Joanna,
Lovely post. I enjoyed The Spymaster's Lady and My Lord and Spymaster very much, so I'm excited about The Forbidden Rose. I love the setting of your books - and really prefer romance be the focal point of a romance. (I mean, that's why I read it as opposed to other genres.)
The drama and danger in a plot are important to me, and must be logical, but really they act as a catalyst to change the characters - and bring the hero and heroine together.
Heh - as for the house speaking, mine is definitely yelling at me and I don't even have the excuse of writing fabulous books.
I'm curious about this series - how many more books do you see in it? And are you working on anything else?

[Phyllis]

I'm very excited about the Forbidden Rose! I'm not usually one who uses exclamation points much, but here are a few extras ;) !!!!

I've got it preordered already, for that matter and am looking forward to the Revolution. (Wait, that came out wrong)

[Phyllis]

Sorry, I was supposed to answer the question, wasn't I? ;)

In historical romance, I like for the history to feel real - the language, the actions, the background, etc.

I'm not going to nitpick word choices and so on, but I don't want the characters behaving too out of place and no one should say "OK" in the late 18th century. OK, I'm pickier than *that*, but not to an extreme, I hope.

And I have more and more respect for the authors who get it right, as I've been trying to write historical fiction, too.

[Julia]

The two strands that hold my attention best are the romance and the historical aspects. Characters trump any and all concerns, but my favorite stories are the ones where I feel the characters have shown me some new aspect to history, either in the day to day life and challenges people faced, or in the human aspects of "famous" historical people and events.

I can't *wait* for the Forbidden Rose, I bought the new paperback of the Spymaster's Lady to tide me over (and encourage the publisher to go "bigger". Can't wait for hardback and more eBooks!)

[Katrina]

Hi Jo! You mention the three things that come together in your books, and those are definitely three elements that I love in equal measure. But a novel doesn't really stick with me unless the language is special.

That's what I love about your books. Romance novels are often trashed for lazy writing, and I think they sometimes live down to that reputation.

But when a writer like you publishes a new book, I hold it up in the air and yell, "See! Genre fiction doesn't mean sh*t writing!"

Okay, maybe I don't really do that, but authors like you make me proud to be a romance reader and writer.

Thank you.

[Lady Leigh]

Oh, Katrina took what I wanted to say ;-) I was trying so hard to be intelligent with my post when all I want to do is gush about how much I love your writing, and how much I appreciate your writing lessons on your blog. (I've just combed through all the posts about first chapters and feel propelled to another realm in my WIP. What is the story question? Where is the turning point? Why is there so much fuschia?)

As per your question, I love the romance, of course, (which is really the interaction of two well-drawn characters) and next the history and adventure. But what really catches me is language. I read a lot of romance novels and I read a lot of poetry. I want them both to be playing tennis with a net.

And I am so excited about TSL's new cover so I can send copies to my girlfriends (we got our English Lit degrees many moons ago.) Thou shalt not pooh-pooh Romance any longer!

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Liz M --

I do think that more writers -- like Duran -- are venturing into France. It's a rich, beautiful background . . . and in the Revolutionary period, the struggles were about ideas.

The convention wisdom is that European settings don't sell. I don't know why this should be. Let us hope conventional wisdom is wrong.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Edith --

Am I the only one who feels like the house is a spoiled child, tugging at your skirt, always wanting something?

[Deb]

Hi, Jo! I'm looking forward to Forbidden Rose! I like historical fiction because of the historical elements, of course, but I want the story to be about the hero and the heroine and their developing love. I don't mind suspense mixed in with the plot, but I really just want to read about the couple's journey to HEA.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Virginia C --

When we talk about the grim of history -- and it doesn't get much more grim than the exact two weeks where I have plopped Forbidden Rose -- I think we have to remember that on a micro level, close up, what folks mostly do is just keep on keeping on.

Can I pull a line or two out of Robiquet's Daily Life in the French Revolution?

"The fact was that a city of eight hundred thousand souls could not give up its habits so easily. Politics might shake it, there might be a catastrophe, but the next day the cafes opened their doors again, and the women came out wearing their finery and everything went on as usual."

People speak -- rightly -- of the banality of evil. But there is also a 'banality of good' that transforms the most horrific of times into 'just-another-day,-do-you-think-I-should-make-soup-tonight?'

We have to capture both the drama of these times, and their ordinariness.

[Chelsea B.]

Fabulous and excerpt! And I like the focus more on the love story :-)

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Nina P --

Oh my. Thank you so much.

I always think crawling into the character's heads is the first, second and third important thing to do, and I work at it. It's nice to think I'm getting it somewhat right.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Celia Yeary --

This is your first visit to WW? I envy you your first trip through their archives. I cannot tell you how much time I've spent wandering there.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Scorpio M --

For me, the love story may be the hardest thing to get right. It's so easy to write something shallow and cliched. I keep trying to delve down in the characters one more layer, and another layer, and another.

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Limecello --

With Forbidden Rose, there are three books in the series finished and in print. Four, if you count a very early, very long-ago, small Regency romance.

I'm working on Adrian's story right now. It's planned to be the book that rounds out the series. I could stop there.

But I might write more in this same fictive universe, because there are characters I'd like to get to know better.

It all depends on how I feel when I'm getting to the end of Adrian's story. What fills my mind and pulls at my heart.

So I have to say, "I dunnoh. We'll see."

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Phyllis --

I try to avoid horrible mistakes in period language. I don't always succeed. In fact, I cringe thinking how many mistakes I make.

We need more historical Romance writers who base their books in France, so I'm going to try to recruit you for that.

You know -- travel to Paris is tax deductible if you're writing a book set there . . .

[Jo Bourne]

Hi Julia --

Thank you so much for pre-ordering Forbidden Rose and for picking up the trade paperback of Spymaster's Lady. I am going to say with some total lack of modesty that that is just a beautiful edition of a book. And the print is big enough to read, which is always a nice characteristic for a book to have.

I, too, feel character is primary in my enjoyment of a Romance. Give me a wonderful character and I'll follow her into any time and place.

[Janice]

The first book of Jo's that I ever read was an old trad called Her Ladyship's Companion. It was an interesting read that left me with some food for thought -- which is one thing I appreciate in a book -- I don't like to waste an hour or an evening on something that turns out to be Chinese food for the brain -- something of value must remain.

The other thing I appreciate are fully dimensional characters, real people who could exist off the page. Anything else - plot, setting, language, all that stuff - is negotiable.

I would like to ask Jo, what were you doing all those years between Her Ladyship's Companion and your more recent books? There is quite a gap of time there.

[Kelly Hunter]

As a reader, I'm all for wanting characters to go on a rollicking adventure (Enid Blyton has a lot to answer for).

Give me a story that moves, a hero to fall in love with, a heroine who deserves him and I'll swoon as I read. It's good exercise.

Historical context, accuracy and interpretation comes in third for me on the must have list - I think I'm a lightweight in that regard.

[Anne Gracie]

Anne here. Joanna has been having a little trouble getting in to the comments page, so if there's a delay, please be patient.

It's been lovely to see so many fans drop in. Anyone who hasn't yet read Joanna, do so at once!

Janice the price that first book of Joanna's is going for, it might become a nest-egg for you. LOL

And Kelly Hunter, I like your style of exercise - swooning over heroes, heh heh. Works for me. Reminds me of Billy Connolly's devotion to his daily regimen of sit-ups -- one per day -- sit up in bed in the morning, lie down at night.

[Jo Bourne]

@ Kelly --

Enid Blyton. Okay. Okay. I'll admit it. One of my girlhood favorites.

I guess it still shows.

[Jo Bourne]

@ LL --

I, too, have pondered upon the matter of fuschia.

The Spymaster's Lady trade reprint makes me very happy. Now one can choose a bare-chested man on the cover . . . or a fully dressed female.

Nothing I like better than offering a choice.

[Jo Bourne]

@ Deb --

The love story is why we come to Romance, instead of . . . say . . . mystery. I wouldn't want to write anything but Romance.

[Jo Bourne]

@ Janice --

I spent a goodly number of years living and working overseas. I worked writing on the job, pretty extensively. Now that I'm back in the States I've returned to my first love, writing fiction.

I cannot tell you how delighted I am to 'meet' somebody who has actually read that 'apprentice work' so long ago.

[Jo Bourne]

@ Katrina --

We have some beautiful stylists in the genre -- not a few of them operating right out of this blog.

I am continually amazed at the peculiar view many people hold of the Romance genre. This is the best-selling sort of fiction. Do they think that happens because the writers aren't good?

[Cynthia Parker]

Hello Jo,
I am a historical romance buff. I am drawn to adventure stories in the medieval, Georgian and regency periods. I want a love story with memorable heroes and heroines with strong personalities. People I would recognize immediately if I met them in a coffeehouse in Paris. Your characters are like that. They stick with me.
I first met wonderful characters of yours in 1983 when I read Melissa and Giles story in Her Ladyship's Companion. Adrian, Doyle and Giles (who was a child in TSL) are in it. Your current books seem to be prequels to HLC. I love the flowing dialogue between the people in your stories. The protagonists are strong, yet vulnerable and smart.
Can't wait to get a copy of The Forbidden Rose.
Btw, you signed my copies of HLC, TSL and ML&S at RWA in DC last year.

Cynthia Parker

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

A belated welcome to the Wenches, Jo. It's a delight to have you here, and get a taste of the new book . . . for which I am already salivating!

Echoing others, I love ALL the ingredients you mentioned, though not every author can deliver them. Which is what makes your books so special!

[Debbie]

Hi Jo
I think for me its characters above all, but the historical context also matters a lot. I get really frustrated reading a book that is supposedly set in a historical time period yet the characters act as if they were modern day people. Part of what makes historical romance interesting is that people had different constraints on their lives, different choices they could make, and its fascinating to watch people play those out.

I can't wait to read Forbidden Rose--I've ordered it already for my Nook but I know eventually I'll buy a hard copy too.

[Verona St. James]

What do you like to see, as a reader? More concentration on the love story? Something close to Historical Fiction with a love story at the center? Or are you more interested in the drama, danger and suspense that drives the plot onward?

Hmmm...I'm trying to parse and I think I like it pretty half and half with maybe a BIT more emphasis on the romance. I think some of the most romantic scenes are moments snatched in the middle of action. Like in Spymaster's Lady when Annique about to jump out of the couch and she and Gray kiss. Very good.

[Janice]

Jo, I liked that regency a lot; it left me with food for thought. I have a review of it up at Regency Retro Reads; it's #66. Here is a link: http://www.hibiscus-sinensis.com/regency/retroread02.htm#66

It's on my keeper shelf :)