Character Interview Blog Hop - Heroes
I’m happy to be part of the Character Interview Blog Hop where
several authors have committed to introducing you to the heroes in our stories.
My thanks go to Arla Dahl who started
the blog hop last week when she spoke with Governor
Jameson Foster, the hero in her erotic novella trilogy, IMMORAL VIRTUE.
I’m delighted to continue this by
introducing myself and my Regency hero, Ian Markham, the rakish Duke of
Edgeware, who is the hero in THE DUKE
I’M GOING TO MARRY (Book #2 of the Farthingale Series).
My name is Meara Platt and, as
you may have guessed, I write historical romance in the Regency era. I am a
member of Romance Writers of America and of my local chapter (LIRW), and a
Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award winner in historical romance.
Regency romances are a favorite of mine, but I also enjoy medieval romances,
mysteries, and contemporary romances. However, there is nothing as delicious as
an English duke in Regency London who has no desire to marry or fall in love -
that’s why I simply had to bring along my
handsome English duke, Ian Markham.
Before Ian takes over - because
he’s alpha male and that’s what they tend to do - let me tell you a little
about my debut novel, MY FAIR LILY, (Book#1 of the Farthingale Series). It’s out now and has been an Amazon
bestseller since shortly after it came out in October 2014. The story is a
light-hearted Regency historical romance that I hope you will find funny and
romantic. Lily is an English bluestocking who knows everything about books and
nothing about men, except that her legs turn to pudding whenever she encounters
Ewan, the rugged Scottish hero who tries very hard not to fall in love with
her. The Farthingales are a large and boisterous family and Lily Farthingale is
but one of their daughters about to make her entrance into Society. Each of the
five Farthingale girls will have their own story – they each have distinct
personalities, and manage to add gray hairs on their father’s head in very
different ways.
Enough
about what I’m doing - Ian, how about you take over now since Lily’s identical
twin sister, Daffodil, is the heroine in your story due out in late January
2015 called The Duke I’m Going To Marry?
Thank you, Meara. On the surface, I seem to be a duke who has it all - wealth, title, and good looks, or so I’m told by the marriage-minded mamas and their daughters who seem to swoon whenever I walk by. But I have no interest in the marriage mart. I’m not suitable husband material. I’m haunted by my past, by an incident so awful it’s left me unable to love. Instead of settling down, I run with a fast crowd and have had a string of meaningless affairs - nothing too serious, and I’m quite content never to put my heart at risk.
Thank you, Meara. On the surface, I seem to be a duke who has it all - wealth, title, and good looks, or so I’m told by the marriage-minded mamas and their daughters who seem to swoon whenever I walk by. But I have no interest in the marriage mart. I’m not suitable husband material. I’m haunted by my past, by an incident so awful it’s left me unable to love. Instead of settling down, I run with a fast crowd and have had a string of meaningless affairs - nothing too serious, and I’m quite content never to put my heart at risk.
I’m considered a war hero, but I
don’t think of myself as particularly brave. In truth, I never really cared
whether I lived or died, and I’m surprised to have survived the Napoleonic wars
more or less in one piece. However, my safe and ordered life suddenly changed
when Daffodil Farthingale- her friends call her Dillie - rescued me from some
very unsavory scoundrels outside the Farthingale townhouse one dark London
night. That’s how I wound up in her bed - quite innocently, of course.
Very well, perhaps it wasn’t so
innocent on my part, but can you blame me? Dillie is the one girl I’ve never
been able to forget. I don’t know why I can’t get her out of my thoughts. She
considers me an idiot because of my rakehell ways, and I’m content to let her
go on believing I’m an unredeemable wastrel because she’s the one girl I fear
can touch my cold heart. I don’t want anyone getting close, especially not
Dillie. She deserves better, for she’s an innocent and determined to marry for
love. I’ll only destroy her happiness. Having been raised in hate, I know that
if Dillie falls in love with me, I’ll disappoint her and break her heart.
That’s what I seem to do best, destroy those who love me.
But want to know a secret? If
there is anyone I could love, it would be Dillie. She’s a very special girl
with a big, loving heart and the feisty spirit to stand up to me, even if I am
one of the ton’s most eligible bachelors.
Meara,
I’ll turn the interview back to you because I’m sure the readers would love to
know about the one person who made a positive difference in your life... other
than me, of course.
Thank you, Ian. I still love you
- you’re my baby, even though you are a hunky duke and can be quite arrogant at
times. There are many people who have had a positive influence on my life, but
above all is my father, and he’s the reason why I have so much respect for the
male of the species. I’m fortunate to have had many good men in my life - my
husband, my son, cousins, uncles, colleagues - and I hope my love for them
comes across in The Duke I’m Going To Marry. Ian isn’t a saint by any means,
but he has his own code of honor and is the sort of man ultimately worthy of my
Regency heroine, Dillie.
Louis Rhead [Public
domain], via Wikimedia Commons
|
Writing Ian’s story came easy to me because I
love reading historical romances, and whenever I’m in the mood to escape, I
escape into a book. When I was about 6 years old my parents bought me two
beautifully illustrated children’s books, one about King Arthur and Merlin, and
the other about Robin Hood. I vividly remember going to sleep each night
reading these stories and staring at the magical illustrations in the books,
Merlin casting a spell, Arthur pulling Excalibur out of the stone, Robin Hood
encountering Little John and Friar Tuck, and Robin Hood falling in love with
Maid Marian. I would say that the love story between Robin and Marian was my
first glimpse of historical romance and I loved it. I loved the costumes, the
manners, the dialogue, and the chance to visit another time and place.
Ian has several secrets, as Dillie will discover as she gets to
know him better, but I do not have any. Unlike Ian, I’m an open book (pardon
the pun) and am happy to be that way. My family is very much like the
Farthingale family in my series, everyone meddling and clamoring to express an
opinion, whether asked for or not. Ian is quite the opposite - he doesn’t have
a loving, joyful family, and has learned to cope by being a very private
person, something learned the hard way when he was but a child.
Meara, let me jump in and add a
little more here. In THE DUKE I’M GOING
TO MARRY, I have one particular incident from my past for which I’m most
ashamed. That secret haunts me throughout the story and defines my character,
but if I told your readers about it, then they’d miss my sometimes humorous,
and often emotional, journey to finding love. All I can say is that Dillie
Farthingale is a worthy heroine who manages to give this story the happy ending
it richly deserves. The one action from my past that I’m most proud of?
Accidentally kissing Dillie behind the lilac trees - that mistaken kiss was the
best!
And now, gentle readers, Meara
and I would like to thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed your time
with us and know you’ll have a lovely time with contemporary romance
author, Debra Druzy who is up next.
Christmas may be over but sexy
firefighter, Nick Knight, is still in town. Stay warm this winter with the
spicy contemporary romance, Sleeping with Santa, by Debra Druzy.
Debra is a lifelong
Long Islander, writing contemporary romance while caring for the hubby, two
daughters, and the dog. Her debut novel, SLEEPING WITH SANTA, a spicy romance,
is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other notable booksellers. To get
to know Debra visit her website, and
be sure to visit her blog,
where you’ll meet sexy firefighter, Nick Knight, her hero from SLEEPING WITH SANTA.