Q. So is it really going to be the end of The Rakehells?
A. I don’t think so, I still have a few more characters who need to be revisited. The trouble is I might have to fill in some blanks, as it were, between some of the earlier books.

Q. But the last three books, Madness, Beguiled and Beguiled Anew really surprised me.
A. Great, I had hoped they would.

Q. I felt like I had really been on a journey with the whole Rakehell set, and the true end of the Napoleonic wars came as much of a relief to me as it was to them, I think.
A.Glad to hear it. Yes, as long as Napoleon was still alive, he would pose a threat to Europe, particularly England, and as long as that was the case, the Rakehells would be called upon to do their duty, with all the danger that would entail for them and their loved ones.

But yes, I had to try to come to some sort of natural stopping point in the series. You don’t want to keep repeating yourself. I like the variations on a theme, hero and heroine meet, fall in love, rise to challenges, which is pretty much the formula for every romance, but I wanted to still keep coming up with something fresh and new.

Q. Yes, I recall you saying in another interview that all your books start out with, “I wonder what would happen if…”
A. Exactly. And then it can go in any direction, based of course on who the person is and what their challenges, issues or situations are. So for instance Lawrence is about to be married to another woman when he meets Juliet. Normally they would not have a chance at happiness no matter how well-suited they were to each other. Add to that his issues about trusting women and his horrendous background and all the things that are going on behind his back and hers, which the reader knows about but they don’t, and you have a powderkeg ready to explode.

Q. Great stuff. And I thought that was so perfect, the way you tied up all the loose ends from The Matchless Miss and who Alexander REALLY was after all.

A. That was the idea, yes. Alistair is in the other books throughout the series in a supporting role as well, but he was such an outstanding hero, who had suffered a fair deal in his own right, so I was sure he deserved even more of a happily ever after and once I researched my political history of the period, well, he gets to be a near hero in the end. All of the Rakehells working together for the sake of justice and the women they love seemed really fitting as well to round out the series.

Q-And that’s the great thing about your heroines-there’s not a door mat in
sight, but no witches either. How do you strike the balance?
A-A woman can be soft on the outside, but strong on the inside, if
she follows her inner goddess, as my heroines do in the love scenes
I write, which you’ve been so kind as to compliment.

So they are ordinary women, who face extraordinary circumstances, and move
heaven and earth to win their happily ever after. Sometimes the
couples will pull themselves apart, but most of the time it is
their enemies, or the march of history.

But let’s face it, if everything were smooth, fun and easy in the romance, would we
really think that they had fallen in love, and that it would last
for all time?

Q-True. Like Ellen in The Model Husband. I thought her transformation from
teenager into woman was very well done. And Ash too, in the Model books. He
really grows up as well throughout that story arc as a supporting character and then a hero in his own right once he is old enough to marry.
A-Love will do that to a person. Transform them, hopefully into a better person.

Q-Yes, they certainly do seem like real people to me, not just stock
characters you would expect to see in romance novels. You only have a genuine rake or two in the whole series, in fact, compared to the entire Regency genre.
A-Well spotted. And done on purpose. A romantic hero has to be interesting
for more reasons than simply the number of notches on his bed post, in my
opinion. So yes, they are called Rakehells but really only a few of them have a romantic history that would make them really blush.

Q-So you would definitely describe yourself as a romance writer and a romantic?
A-Oh yes. Time and time again I’ve see love transform, and Tantric
lovemaking, for instance, in which a couple aims for true spiritual
union, can bring so many gifts to both the man and woman.

Not all the romances in the series are Tantric, mainly the Model
ones, but I do get a lot of questions about those books, in particular about some of
the love scenes in the later novels in the series.

A lot of people have commented on The Model Master, for instance, that there are a lot of love scenes. They are really only in about the last half of the book as they both start to learn to live again, and to really love for the first time. Every love scene is designed to advance character and story, as well as capture falling in love.

Q. I can just imagine what they ask. (Giggle)
A. It is possible. I can give you a non-fiction reading list if you like, but again, yes, everything
about the history and the love scenes are ALL true.

The love scenes are an expression of each individual hero and
heroine in each of the books, so they are NOT formula or cookie
cutter. At the same time, there is nothing in bad taste-it is all
100% heterosexual and consensual and in a loving context between
the hero and heroine.

Q. Absolutely. Not a ripped bodice in sight. So, we’ve got more Rakehell novels to look forward to in the future, which is great. I can’t wait to see Sebastian redeemed.
A. And a few other people with colorful pasts, perhaps?

Q. Oh, good hint. So, we’ve talked about the Rakehell series a lot–what about your
other novels?
A. Until next time…