Notorious!

Nicola here! With just over a week to go until the publication of my new book, Notorious, I am extremely excited! Notorious is book 4 in my Scandalous Women of the Ton series and it features many of the characters who have appeared earlier in the series including Alex and Joanna Grant from Whisper of Scandal.

 Inspiration 

As you know, ideas for books come from many different places and one of the inspirations for Notorious was Pride and Prejudice. When Lydia Bennet runs off with Wickham her sister Jane laments: “So imprudent a match on both sides!” Elizabeth, in speaking to Mr Darcy about the elopement is even more outspoken, believing that Wickham will ruin Lydia and certainly not marry her: “She has no money, no connections, nothing that can tempt him to… She is lost forever.”

Mr Darcy, of course, saves the day, by compelling Wickham to marry Lydia. Money changes hands to seal the deal. The match is made. And the idea came into my head: “What would happen if money changed hands to ensure that a match was broken rather than made?”

In the literature of the Georgian age, in the archives and in fiction we frequently read of imprudent matches and disapproving parents. Money, marriage and scandal could be closely linked. Servant girls were paid off if they became pregnant (I’ve come across a couple of examples of this in my researches into the Craven family!) Parents and trustees bought off fortune hunters in order to save their heiress daughters from throwing themselves away on unsuitable men. When I was researching a Yorkshire gentry family in the Regency period I came across a very curious payment in the ledgers to a young local man who was paid "to go away to London." At the time the family had a teenage daughter who was an heiress. Naturally my writer's imagination started to spark; perhaps he had been involved with the girl and the family wanted her to make a more upwardly moblile match so they paid him to go away... Thus the idea for Notorious was born; my heroine would be a match-breaker rather than a matchmaker, paid to distract impressionable young men of good family if they looked inclined to make an unsuitable match or to tempt rakes away from heiresses.

The Hero 

I didn’t have far to look for a hero for Notorious. After Whisper of Scandal came out a number of readers contacted me to ask if James Devlin, cousin to Alex Grant in Whisper, was going to have his own story. The idea appealed to me very much. Dev is the sort of man my late grandmother would have described as “cocky.” She would have said it with a smile because Dev is handsome, self-made and a little bit brash but so charming that he gets away with it. He is a little too confident of himself and of his ability to attract women. In short he needs to be taken down a peg or two and my heroine, Susanna, is just the woman to do it.

Of course life for Dev is nowhere near as smooth as it appears on the surface. He is engaged to an heiress and appears to have the world at his feet but it is a fragile world. Both Dev and his sister Chessie are fortune hunters and in Notorious I try to show what a precarious and at times desperate situation that could be. Dev's other problem is that he is bored with a capital B. He's been a sailor, adventurer and explorer. Now he is at the beck and call of his heiress fiancée. He is losing his self- respect, which I felt was an interesting conflict to give my hero. 

One other unusual thing about Dev. He has inherited an unusual title, that of Hereditary Knight in the Irish peerage. There are three hereditary knighthoods of feudal origin in Ireland and they sound as though they come straight out of the legends of King Arthur: The Knight of Glin (The Black Knight), the Knight of Kerry (the Green Knight) and the White Knight, which is currently a dormant title. I couldn't resist giving my Irish hero such a romantic background! The picture is of County Kerry, a stunningly beautiful place.

The Heroine and the Cover Art

I won’t give away how Susanna, the heroine, falls into her profession of match-breaker.  Suffice it to say she is a very beautiful woman who realises that her looks will enable her to escape poverty and keep her adopted family together. When my editor asked me to send her some pictures of what I imagined Susanna to look like, I was immediately able to visualise her and here she is! The picture is from a very long-running and well-known advertisement in the UK for financial services. This was Susanna, beautiful, slightly mysterious and definitely intriguing. I sent in the picture to my editor and was very amused when the cover art for Notorious arrived, featuring a “headless” heroine whose most prominent feature was her enhanced cleavage. Hmm. But they did keep the red and black colour scheme!

The Title

I very seldom choose the titles of my books, mostly because I am not very good at coming up with something that my editor and the marketing team consider sounds "right." The choice of the title Notorious was interesting to me. Susanna cannot be notorious because she operates secretly. No one can know she is a matchbreaker because that would give the whole game away. So it is actually Devlin who is the infamous one. By the end of the book, however, both Dev and Susanna are as scandalous as each other!

There is a fun trailer for Notorious here and here is a link to an excerpt if you would like to sample the story. I’ll be giving away a signed copy of the book to one person who comments between now and midnight Wednesday. Notorious is set in London and features a number of prominent London landmarks from Tattersalls bloodstock auctioneers (pictured) to St Pauls Cathedral. Do you have a favourite place in London that you have either visited or read about which you would enjoy seeing featured in a book?

Comments

[Helen]

Nicola
I am soo looking forward to reading this next book in the series I have so loved them all and I have enjoyd Dev in the series so far so his story is going to be great I know it.
Very interesting post about how you came to write it and I have never been to London but there are sure to be lots of sites that I am going to enjoy. I have heard a lot about St Georges Church in some of the books that I have read already so knowing more about that would be great

Have Fun
Helen

[kelly mann]

I am looking forward to the release of this book. It has been on my wish list. I have been to London and there are too many places to name. I loved the city but did not have enough time to see everything. My favorite was the Tower of London.

[Deb]

Nicola, congratulations on your newest release!

I've never been to London, nor England. I think I would like to visit famous Hyde Park to imagine all of the persons out and about to be seen and to see others. I would like to see Buckingham Palace and St. Paul's Cathedral as well. There are so many places to visit and I would want plenty of time to do so when I do visit some day. :)

[Liz]

Best wishes on the success of Notorious.

Years ago (30), we twice visited what I think is Ye Olde Cock Tavern, if that's near the Thames Embankment.

Not old enough to be included is my husband's favorite--Foyles Bookstore.

[Sue Mccormick]

I don't know if I have a true favorite in London, but when we were there in 1997, we walked down a narrow street near Harrods looking for refreshment: there was this sign that said "Tattersalls." So we had fish and chips there. (Not that the ton would have admitted to liking fish and chips!) Good food and lots of fun to be at such a famous Romance place. It is probably my favorite memory of London.
Sue McCormick

[Cindy]

I have barely been out of the state of Pennsylvania, let alone out of the country. I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future either, so therefore I live vicariously through books. I have loved this series and look foreward to the Notorious addition!!!

[RevMelinda]

This has been a superb series so far, and I am looking forward to "Notorious" (and hoping to win a copy)! As far as London landmarks go, my favorite is, of course, Westminster Abbey. (And I would love to be able to go down into the crypt and see for myself if what I have heard about the condition of the bodies and coffins down there is really true. . .yeah, I know, I'm a ghoul.)

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you all very much for the good wishes for Notorious! Helen, good choice of St George's Hanover Square. It features in so many fashionable marriages of the period. I went there for the first time last year for a look round. I believe one of the other Wenches may have blogged about it a little while ago. Here is a link to the website
http://www.stgeorgeshanoversquare.org/History2.htm

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Kelly! I love the fact that the Tower of London has been a tourist destination for years and that in the Regency period there was a menagerie there. I've always wanted to put that in a book. Not sure I would have wanted to go there though!

Deb, I hope you get to see all those places! I went to Hyde Park recently when I was visiting Apsley House, the Duke of Wellington's home. It was so busy, I could just imagine it bustling with all those Regency bucks and ladies!

[Nicola Cornick]

Although Foyles was founded in 1903 I always think it has a wonderfully old-fashioned feel to it, Liz, as though it was directly descended from the Regency bookshops and circulating libraries!

Sus, I love the idea of Fish and Chips at "Tattersalls"! Love the idea of fish and chips in general!

[Margaret Blake]

This book sounds so exciting, Nicola, can't wait to read it.

Incidentally, a marriage that needed Susanna's help was that of the heroine in "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall," what a dreadful man she married. But he was played in the tv version by the lovely Rupert Graves, however it was not difficult to hate him.

(I used to love that ad too - especially when the gorgeous girl who used to present A Place in the Sun - Amanda grr??? old age getting at me again - was in it).

Notorious sounds a really super read - lots of luck with it, tho' you don't need that.

[RebeLovesBooks]

I would love to go to London - I keep telling my history prof hubs he needs to find a conference there so we can visit!

This book sounds great! I can't wait till next week!

[cayenne]

I'm really looking forward to this book - I thoroughly enjoyed the series so far, so this is high on my to-buy list. Can't wait!

[Kate]

I would love to visit St. Georges. So many weddings have taken place there.

[Nicola Cornick]

Cindy, I love visiting places via my reading too! One of the reasons we wanted to travel on Route 66 on our last visit to the US was because I had read about it!

RevMelinda, I don't think visiting the crypt at Westminster Abbey is ghoulish at all! I totally get that, having visited the crypt of the church where all my Craven family Earls are buried. Okay it was a little creepy!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks so much, Margaret! I love Rupert Graves too but you are right about the Tenant of Wildfell Hall. On the other hand, Toby Stephens played the chap who wanted to run off with her and I kept thinking: "Yes! Go with him!"

[Elizabeth Moss]

I nearly used that picture of Tattersalls you've got there on the cover of one of my ebooks. Then I wimped and have gone for a sultry-looking female on a bed instead. (That ebook is due out next week - all about horses and tigers etc.)

Someone mentioned St George's. It is a LOVELY church and I always visit or at least wander past when in London, and think of all the romantic scenes that have taken place there in so many Regency novels!

Bankside is amazing too. Not a Regency hotspot, but a Tudor one. Highly recommended though, especially if visiting Shakespeare's Globe there.

[Laura T]

Hi Nicola,

The cover of Notorious is absolutely STUNNING! I am glad they took at least a small inspiration from the photo you provided.

You know from my frequent comments that I am one of your devoted fans and this book is already on my Wish List. I've also mentioned that receiving a signed copy of a book from a favorite author ensures that book a coveted spot on my Keeper Shelf. So, I've really got my fingers crossed this time!

Either way, I can't wait to read it and wish you great success!

Laura

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Rebel! I hope you get to London soon! Thank you too, Cayenne!

Kate, you can practically feel the atmosphere inside the church. Or maybe it's my lively imagination... Either way it's a fantastic place to visit!

[Suzy]

I love the profile of Susanna! Women who know their strengths & how to use them are my fav. Can't wait to read this!

[Nicola Cornick]

Good luck with the e-book, Elizabeth! Yes, Bankside is fascinating, isn't it. The Globe has such an authentic atmosphere!

I'm glad you like the cover for Notorious, Laura. Thank you! And for all your other lovely comments.

[Nicola Cornick]

I hope you enjoy the book, Suzy! Susanna certainly is a strong woman and has to draw on every asset she has to survive.

[Julia]

I have loved this series so far and can’t wait for Notorious. Dev’s story is going to be worth the wait. While there are 100s of places in London that are fascinating(I have only spent 3 days in London), i.e. Tower of London, St. Georges, Grosvenor Square (Hotel), I really loved Greenwich. My son and I took an unplanned Ferry ride to Greenwich last summer and ended up spending the entire day their visiting the Royal Observatory wondering through the park and shops. It was a quaint village compared to busy streets of London. It’s a settling I haven’t seen in a book yet.

[Louis]

Years ago when we visited London, we stayed at a hotel near the Tower and the Tower Bridge. I remember the biiig ravens that inhabited the Tower grounds.

Looking forward to Notorious.

[Nicola Cornick]

I was so excited to see your comment, Julia - Greewich features in Book 5 of the Scandalous Women, Desired! I love Greenwich too and was determined to use it in a book. I really enjoyed researching the history of the place. It is well worth the visit, isn't it!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Louis! Yes, the ravens are a real feature of the Tower. It's said that when the ravens desert the Tower, England will fall.

[Helen]

Thank you so much for that Nicola loved seeing the pictures now when I read a book and someone is getting married there I will have a better picture in my head LOL. As soon as I saw the columns I remembered a book I read about a couple who first met there a great book

Have Fun
Helen

[Heather S]

I've never been to London, or even England, but would love to! It is on my bucket list to visit there one day as well as Scotland. I think seeing the various castles and palaces is high on my wish list. Knowing that each place holds so much history makes it seem larger than life.

I can't wait to read Notorious, so please count me in!

[Nicola Cornick]

A pleasure, Helen! Heather, I hope you are able to make that trip!

[Quilt Lady]

I have never been to London, but my friend has. I hope to travel there one day but who knows when. I have always wanted to go. For now I will just have to travel there in books.

[Nicola Cornick]

Not a bad way to travel, Quilt Lady!

[Kat]

I would like to ride down "rotten row".

[Na]

Most thing I know and love about London comes from books, particularly historical fiction. Well The Amazing Race is pretty inspiring for places to visit as well. I don't have any particular place I'd like to see in books but I do like learning new things and being surprised =)

[LouisaCornell]

Can't wait for Notorious to come out! I have so enjoyed this series! And actually I love the cover as it simply screams NOTORIOUS!

My two favorite places to visit in London are the British Museum and the National Gallery. I fairly haunted the British Museum as a young girl and when I returned to England with my college choir I went back and still found it fascinating.

WHEN I go back (sending positive vibes out into the universe!) I will, no doubt, visit those two again, but I would love to visit Hyde Park, Soane's Museum, Hatchard's, St. George's and Apsley House. I'd better plan a long visit!

[Marie]

I agree with some of the other people. I would love to read about(and see!) Westminster Abbey. It has always been on my list of places that I just have to see one day.

[Maureen]

Congratulations on you new book Nicola! It's too bad that your cover couldn't have a picture of a woman similar to the one you sent. I have never been to London so all I know of it is what I see on television or what I have read about. I enjoy historical romances that introduce me to parts of London that I knew nothing about.

[Dee Feagin]

It seems to me that women in past historical ages have had so few choices in their lives. It is refreshing to read about one that used her attributes to provide for herself and others and not necessarily by selling her body! She must be intelligent and courageous as well as beautiful, yes? I want to read this one, especially as I do remember Whisper very well and look forward to meeting James Devlin again.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you, Na! I love learning new things and being surprised (in a good way!) by books as well. It's part of the pleasure of reading, isn't it!

Louisa, most certainly you need to plan a long visit! The National Portrait Gallery is wonderful, IMO. I used to sit there for hours as a student, looking at the portrait of Richard III.

[Nicola Cornick]

Marie, Westminster Abbey is a wonderful place to visit - good choice!

Maureen, it's always interesting to read books that draw on the unusual as well as the more familiar elements of London, isn't it. Love that!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you very much, Dee. I think all the Scandalous Women have had to be intelligent and courageous and resourceful. Although the majority of women had fewer choices in their lives than we do now, what always interests me and inspires the books, is the ones who do exceptional things. The more I read the more I realise there were some remarkable women about!

[Minna]

I've never been to London, but British Museum and Kew Garden would be my choises.

[Nicola Cornick]

Kew Gardens are lovely, Minna!

[alyce]

Oh, what an interesting twist for a plot! For my part, I would have loved to have seen Green Park, with its cows and dairymaids in the middle of the city. And I'm always intrigued when the characters go into the subscription libraries -- I can relate to the joy in finding a new volume, or running into friends and chatting about books!

Take care,

[Liz Hanbury]

Nicola, many congratulations on the release of Notorious - I can't wait to read it!

I have a guidebook of London from 1815 which mentions the 'wild beasts' at the Tower of London - it cost a shilling to see them and a keeper explained their 'several histories'. The guidebook advises visitors that 'great care is taken to prevent injury to visitors' but they should 'avoid every attempt to play with' the wild beasts!!

[Nicola Cornick]

In my next book, Desired, I have the hero and heroine stopping to buy fresh milk from one of the dairymaids, Alyce. Stuff like that intrigues me when I go to London today and see how busy and different it is. What I would give to go back in time!

Liz, that is wonderful! I'd love to get my hand on that guidebook. I bet it's packed with fascinating stuff!

[Amy Conley]

This book sounds so awesome!!! I love the idea of a "matchbreaker". So cunning. Can't wait to read it.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks you, Amy! Yes, I thought it was a fun set up for a story!

[Elaine C.]

This book sounds like a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to reading it.
I have felt confused when I looked at the cover. The dress seems Elizabethan to my eyes, not a Regency with a high waist. It's gorgeous, but from a different time period.

[Nicola Cornick]

Elaine, I know we have all had many discussions about covers... I'm not sure how accurate any of mine are other than not very!