Anne here, and today I'm interviewing Mary Jo Putney about her new book, Once a Rebel which I was lucky enough to read in advance (one of the perks of being a word wench.) The second in Mary Jo's "Rogues Redeemed" series, Once a Rebel will be released on August 29.
Publishers Weekly called it: “A page-turner tale…As these two appealing characters discover how friendship can change into romance, Putney completes their story with plenty of detail and cameos from historical figures.
Kirkus said: Putney’s continued foray into the new setting of the United States in the early 19th century is a welcome addition to the historical romance shelf. . . Though suspense and adventure drive this story forward, the love at its center sets it apart.
Anne: Mary Jo, in Once a Rebel your hero, Richard (aka Lord George Gordon Audley) appeared briefly in Once a Soldier and was the most difficult student to ever attend the Westerfield Academy (for boys of good birth and bad behavior.) Tell us about him.
MJP: Anne, Gordon had actually appeared in three of my Lost Lords books: Not Quite a Wife and Not Always a Saint as well as Once a Soldier. He has a tough and dangerous vibe and his former classmates regarded him warily, but he's very good at coming through in a pinch.
So how did he become the man he is? I often say rather random things about minor characters, and when they turn into promising hero material, I have to weave those threads into the fellow's life. For example, Gordon was described to his old classmates as "someone you'll recognize, though you knew him under a different name." He's also known as "Lady Agnes Westerfield's one failure." Clearly he has a checkered past!
Naturally I gave him a fairly dreadful childhood. My characters often have that because it gives me something to work with. Hence Lord George Gordon Richard Augustus Audley was the third and most worthless son of a marquess. Despised by his father and harassed by his older brothers, he is one angry and rebellious young man.
Luckily his closest childhood friend is his neighbor, Callista Brooke. She also had a difficult childhood, but their friendship and mutual trust kept them sane. Then they were brutally separated--and Gordon started a difficult and dangerous journey that ultimately brought him around the world and back to the one woman who owns his heart.
Anne: The heroine of the book was his childhood best friend, Callie, who was lost to him after a disastrous youthful attempt to save her from a forced marriage. When they meet again, it's quite the dramatic—and romantic—reunion. Tell us about Callie.
MJP: Like Gordon, Callie chafed against the restrictions of a bullying father, who leaped at the chance to marry her off to an older Jamaican planter. Alone in an alien land, over the years she creates a family for herself. She's used to carrying responsibility--perhaps too much so. But she's brave and beautiful and with her, Gordon starts to become the kind, amusing man he was meant to be.
Anne: Once a Rebel includes several incidents from the War of 1812; the burning of Washington, the Battle of Baltimore, the shooting of the British General Ross and the creation of The Star Spangled Banner among others. Writing a book set in your home town and weaving a love story through some very real historical events — what were some of the difficulties of that?
MJP: One of the challenges is that there's so much great research material available! Since much of this story took place on my doorstep, I figured I'd really better get it right. <G> I wanted to include the two big events of the 1814 campaign in the Chesapeake: the burning of Washington and the Battle of Baltimore, which includes the bombardment of Fort McHenry, which stopped the relentless advance of the British military machine.
The war had been a mess, with huge mistakes made by both sides, especially the Americans. Successfully standing up to the Royal Navy, the most powerful naval force in the world, changed everything and led to a peace treaty that essentially ended the war as a stalemate, and helped cement an American national identity. (A Canadian one, too.) It was complicated to sort through the historical possibilities and weave them around my characters and their developing relationship.
Anne: In Once a Rebel you also explore the challenge of divided loyalties; some characters are torn between American and British identities, others dealing with split families, adoption and the race/slavery issue.
MJP: Gordon and Callie are British born and bred, but both also have strong connections with the fledgling United States and they don't want the country to lose and perhaps be carved up by Britain. Abolition and was a hot topic then, too. Britain had banned the slave trade in 1807, but actually making slavery illegal was many years in the future. I'm a firm believer that real history lends richness and power to fiction, but it needs to be done through the characters. And since this is romance, I want my story to be overall positive and have a happy ending. Gordon and Callie get that, but it's a lot of hard work!
Anne: Would you care to share a little of Once a Rebel with us?
MJP: Gordon and Callie have just escaped a dangerous situation and they're trying to get some (platonic) rest before facing what comes next:
"If you decide to marry and settle down, your wit, handsome face, title, and a moderate fortune will make it easy to find a wife who can be both friend and lover."
"Finding a good mate is the most difficult thing on earth, I suspect," he said pensively. "My title isn't much use since it's merely courtesy. You didn't seem to be very impressed by becoming Lady George Audley."
She chuckled. "I was too surprised to be impressed. Besides, I don't like the name Lady George any more than I liked you being Lord George."
"With luck, you won't have to pretend to be Lady George again." He took her hand casually, his fingers lacing through hers. "We should be able to get another hour or two of rest before facing the new day, which is apt to be a busy one."
She covered a yawn. "That's a good plan. Sleep well, Richard. And dream of a suitable wife who is a friend, along with a happy, uneventful life."
As she drifted off, she heard him murmur, "I don't know if that's possible, Catkin. Because the only woman I've ever come close to marrying is you."
More at: http://maryjoputney.com/books/once-a-rebel/
And here's a universal link for Once A Rebel that connects with all the various e-book platforms.
Anne: What's next for you, Mary Jo? What book are you working on now?
MJP: The Rogues Redeemed series is a spin off of my Lost Lords, and the set-up and the beginning of Book 1, Once a Soldier, had five British men locked in a cellar in Portugal in the middle of a French invasion and sentenced to face a firing squad in the morning. In the course of long night where they work together to escape, they bond and decide to keep in touch. The heroes of these first two books appeared in the Lost Lords series, but Hawkins, the hero of the next book, Once a Scoundrel, was new and something of a mystery. In Once a Rebel, we find that Hawkins is a sea captain. Things happen. <G>
Anne: Sounds like fun. Thanks for answering my questions, Mary Jo. And for the advance read of Once A Rebel.
MJP: Thanks for interviewing me, Anne! I'll be giving away a copy of Once a Rebel to one commenter between now and Tuesday midnight.