The Earl’s Timely Wallflower is out tomorrow! Aurrora was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
You can get your copy of this delightful time travel romance HERE!
Did you always know you wanted to be an author? What is the first story you remember writing? How did you get from there to where you are today?
I didn’t always know that I wanted to be an author, but at the same time, I’ve been writing since I was a kid. Probably should have put that together a little sooner than I did, but there you go. The first story that I remember writing was when I was about eight. I was really into Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden mysteries at the time, so the story was about a group of kids who broke into an old, abandoned house and discovered that the furniture under the sheets was encrusted with jewels. In my teens, I wrote romances about whatever star I liked at the time and some fan fiction. When I finally realized that I wanted to be an author, I took a lot of workshops, and learned as much as I could. Still do, actually, because there are always ways to improve. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and I have an ever-growing list of books to show for it. What could be better than that?
What is the most inspiring place you’ve visited and has it shown up in one of your books?
I love Scotland. I’ve been there twice and it’s not enough. I’d go back tomorro
w if I could. On my last trip there, I dragged my family up a big hill, through two pastures, a golf course, and some woods to see the ruins of Yester Castle—also known as Goblin Hall. The legend is that a wizard made a deal with the devil to build the castle using goblins (you know – normal stuff…) and that he practiced necromancy there. The castle is one of those places that you could stand forty feet from a three-story curtain wall and not even know it’s there. All of Scotland is magical, but this place has added mystery, lore, and magic that you can still feel in the air. It’s the setting for my medieval romance His Christmas Angel where my hero, Dougal, is the son of that necromancer.
Which comes first for you: the plot or the characters?
Always the characters, but they’re usually followed right away by a scenario of some sort. And they come at all different times, whether I’m standing in line in the grocery store, dreaming at night, or writing a book. My favorite is when they drop in from out of the blue into the story that I’m writing and are already full of life. That happened in my second Dragonblade book, Touching the Hero’s Heart. Carter, who arrives about half way through the story, waltzed in out of nowhere and became so much more than he appears on page in this story. Everything that he presents to the world is a façade to cover up who he truly is. I think he’ll have to get his own story at some point. He’s just too interesting to leave alone.
What are your favorite kind of characters to write? Do you have a specific trope that you’re drawn too?
I love writing characters that have to overcome a lot of adversity and internal battles to find their happily ever after. I also really love a redemption arc and the fish out of water. Plus, funny, quirky side characters who are there when you need them but have zero problem giving their friends (the main characters) a hard time just because that’s what friends do. In addition to redemption tropes, I love reading best friend’s sister/brother, age gap, forced proximity, and anything fairy tale. I plan to write all of those in the future. But probably not all in the same book.
From all your books, who is your favorite hero and why?
I have a tie for favorite between two heroes—Gavril from Gavril of Aquina and Dougal from His Christmas Angel. Both men battle a lot of internal demons to become the men they are supposed to be. Men worthy of their heroine and their happily ever after. Again, I think it’s that redemption arc. They start out in pretty low spots. Gavril used to be king and now lives on the streets. He has a long road to regain his throne, and at first, he thinks it’s hopeless and doesn’t want to try. With Dougal, he’s fighting the shadow of his necromancer father. In a time when everyone is superstitious, being the son of a wizard makes all of his relationships difficult because people believe he’s tainted. Having a family of his own seems impossible.
Stories where you must overcome not only external obstacles but also yourself really resonate with me. So characters that can rise above all that strife become special to me.
