Have you ever picked up a book and realized, hmm, I think I've seen this cover before? Or read a book with the same title? When Victoria Dahl and I compared our upcoming titles in July 2007, we were struck by a certain…something, a vague sense of deja vu. There must have been something in the air at our common publisher: where my book was A Rake's Guide to Seduction, Victoria's was A Rake's Guide to Pleasure. Victoria the smarty-pants even said she was hoping people would think her book was a sequel to mine and rushed out to buy it! Well, there's a true friend for you. Regardless, if you fancy a rakish hero, Victoria and I have got it covered—although in very different ways. Thanks for coming by to share your secrets, Victoria!
Caroline: Your heroine is young, but also very (ahem) bold—much like the heroine of your first book, who was a ruined woman. What do you like, and what are the challenges, of writing younger heroines in books as deliciously hot as yours? (because, dear readers, they are very hot)
Victoria: I honestly don't make a conscious choice to write young heroines. For me, the age is dictated by the back story. For example, in the first book, Alexandra has been in exile for a year after a rather disastrous first Season. It would have been a very different story if she'd been hiding on her brother's estate for five years, I think. So she couldn't be more than nineteen or so.
As for Emma… I think the contrast between her actual age and what she's seen in the world was the crux of her personality for me. She is innocent and completely debauched at the same time. She's young but she has an old soul.
All that said, I do seem to always find ways of making sure my young heroines are not innocent. At all. I clearly have an affection for naughty girls. I wonder why that is?
Caroline: (saying nothing, looking innocent)
Victoria: Hmm. It's a mystery.
I'd actually be more comfortable writing a woman who's slightly older. My contemporary heroines are always around thirty. But I'd have to have a reason to write an older heroine in a historical. She'd need to be an old maid or a widow or a woman with very complicated reasons for not getting married.
Caroline: Hey, wait a minute… those sound like my heroines…
Victoria: I just haven't built on those back stories yet, but someday I will!
Caroline: You know I love a heroine with a dark history. Which is why I really liked how Emma schemed and plotted to take care of herself. That is one resourceful chick! But you've also sort of turned a romance tradition on its head, having the heroine be the one with the darker past. What made you decide to do that?
Victoria: I knew that Somerhart needed a heroine who would disturb him. Someone who would, first of all, shock him out of his perpetually icy state and then keep him off balance. He also wasn't going to be able to open up to a woman unless she understood his darker side, so it wasn't just a matter of a cheeky girl who could warm him up. I can't exactly remember how I built Emma in my mind. I think it started with that morning at the house party when Hart wakes up feeling dirty and used.
Caroline: And it does take a special woman to make a man feel that way. I thought the hero was very much a real guy, in his thoughts and actions (OK, maybe I'm just titillated by use of the word 'cockstand'). How did you keep him so real, given that he's a duke who lived in a much more formal era?
Victoria: Hart's early adulthood struck me almost as a guy going off to college. He had freedom and a strong belief in his own needs, if that makes sense.
Caroline: Sounds like a college guy to me.
Victoria: So he was very much a regular man to me in his backstory, albeit a regular guy who's extremely hot and very sensual. For me, that was the real Hart, and the controlled formality of his ducal personality was nothing more than a very thick, very strong shell. Despite his best attempts at suppressing that side of himself, he's still that young man on the inside. Hence, thoughts about his cockstand (snort).
Caroline: I loved the secondary plot about Bess, and how Hart dealt with all that (and also how you faked out the reader at that point; well done!). I really like books that show the dark side of life in historical times, which in this case made some of Emma's fears seem very real. What sort of life do you think Bess goes on to have?
Victoria: Wow, I've never thought about that! Hmm. Considering her past, I think Bess goes on to have a safe, solitary life. I imagine that Emma brought her along to the estate and gave Bess her own little cottage along with a job to do. Bess wouldn't be happy if she weren't working. I think it's possible that after a few years Bess might fall very quietly in love with a gentle older man. Someone steady and reliable like the old gamekeeper who keeps the estate in line.
Caroline: Good for her! You also write contemporary romance. How hard was it to switch gears from historicals, or was it easy?
Victoria: Switching between contemp and historical has been wonderful! It's a real relief to finish a book and literally step into another time for the next one. Like a breath of fresh air. Of course, I have a dreadfully short attention span. This might explain a lot of things.
Caroline: Well, that sounds interesting, but maybe a subject for another visit. Why did you decide to branch out?
Victoria: I started branching out for a couple of reasons. First, Kensington only wants one historical from me a year, and I can write a book in about 4-6 months. That left me with time on my hands and room in my wallet.
My first contemporaries were paranormals. This seems to be a natural progression for the historical writer, doesn't it, Caroline? My paranormals didn't sell, but my agent loved my contemporary voice and asked me to try my hand at straight contemporary. I was scared, and it took me months to come up with a strong plot, but when i finally started writing, it was a blast!
Caroline: So, tell all. What's it about?
Victoria: My first contemp, Talk Me Down, will be out in January 2009. I love the tag line, "What happens when the girl next door isn't so innocent?" But I like to tell people, "If you like cold weather, hot sex, and dirty jokes, this is the book for you!" You can check out the blurb and an excerpt on my website. Also, the awesomely awesome cover.
Caroline: Love the bare legs— those are your legs, aren't they? Never mind. You're still writing historicals, too. So what's next? You didn't leave yourself any brothers or sisters in your first two books.
Victoria: Hoo yeah, I'm still writing historicals. Next year, I'll have three historical releases. In February, watch for my first novella, Lessons in Pleasure, in the Lords of Desire anthology. There will be another novella in September, but you now officially know everything that I know about it: novella, September… that's it. My book-length historical will be out in August 2009. It's the story of Viscount Lancaster, who we meet in A Rake's Guide to Pleasure. He's sweet and dreamy and sexy, and he has a very dark past that everyone would like to know more about. (wink, wink) Where in the world did he get that scar? You'll all find out in a year!
Caroline: You terrible tease. But I bet you hear that a lot. Thanks so much for chatting about everything!
Victoria: Thanks for having me, Caroline. You're cheeky, and I like that.
A Rake's Guide to Pleasure is on sale now, wherever fine books about wicked women and hot dukes are sold.
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