Jade Hendren’s Taming of the Screws releases tomorrow, and she was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
You can get your copy of this delightful start to a new series 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’m not sure I remember the first story I ever wrote, but I did win a national Highlights magazine writing contest when I was in 4th grade! That’s probably my earliest writing-related memory. Then, in high school, I got so mad at an episode of my favorite TV show that I had to fix it, and I re-wrote the ending myself. I was hooked from that moment on, but I never expected to take it so seriously. It just slowly took over my brain until I got to the point that I truly can’t imagine my life without it. It’s always been romance, though. Since that first fanfic.
What is the most inspiring place you’ve visited and has it shown up in one of your books?
London is absolutely the most inspiring place I’ve been so far, and it has definitely shown up in my books! I’d always wanted to go to London, and I went with my mom to celebrate my first book being published. I adore the history of the city and how the spirit of Regency London still lingers in the air. Next, I’d love to go to Edinburgh, which also appears in one of my books!
How much research do you do into the time period and places you write about? Do you have any experience dressing in character or participating in living history situations or are you more a fan of libraries and online resources?
I’m more of a fan of libraries and online resources, but I am obsessed with historical fashion, so I would love to dress in character! For these books, I focused pretty heavily on the history of medicine in the era, as all of my main characters have chronic illnesses. I was interested in learning about how my modern day illnesses might have been identified, named, and treated in the 1810’s, so I relied a lot on scholarly texts. Specifically, the work of Roy Porter was super helpful, and I read several of his books to understand the medical contexts that my characters would’ve been living in.
What drew you to the era you write in? Is there something about the time period you think most people don’t know about? What do you think would be the most difficult part about living in that period?
I was drawn to the regency period because it’s my favorite kind of historical romance to read. It’s such a period of decadence, and I will absolutely admit that I fell in love with the aesthetic. Something I don’t think a lot of people know about the time period is the darker side of the marriage mart when it comes to chronic illness and disability. We all know it’s far from a perfect system, and the young ladies of the aristocracy are expected to be almost impossibly perfect. So, it stands to reason that any kind of illness would render a debutante ruined, despite how rampant all kinds of illnesses ran and how limited medical care was. I think that would be the most difficult part of living in that era. As much as I am attached to my 2026 creature comforts, I’m also incredibly dependent on modern medicine to function, and that’s not even considering the social implications of being a chronically ill young woman. Unfortunately, though, it can often feel like we haven’t come as far as we should have in two hundred years on that front.
What are your favorite kind of characters to write? Do you have a specific trope that you’re drawn too?
My favorite characters to write are the messy ones. All of my characters are chaotic in some way, whether that’s mentally or physically or emotionally. I really like playing around with that emotional messiness, and friends to lovers is my favorite trope because the stakes are inherently so high in that circumstance.
Where is your favorite place to write? Does it change depending on where you are in the process?
I am absolutely a homebody, basically in every way possible, but absolutely in terms of writing. I think there’s a meme-version of the modern day author, which is just someone in a dark hoodie crouched over a laptop, and that’s definitely me.
Which comes first for you: the plot or the characters?
The characters! I am 100% a character-driven author, and my characters are absolutely real people to me. I think and talk about them like they are, and if I didn’t have to have a plot to write a book, I genuinely wouldn’t. If my characters could just exist, and I didn’t have to bother them, I would kind of love that.
Do you know where the story is going before you begin, or does it come to you as you write? Do scenes come to you fully formed or are you as surprised as the reader?
I am very much what we call a “plotter,” meaning I have detailed outlines and scene lists created before I start drafting. So, I know where the story is going before I begin, and I know the general framework for each scene, but there are still surprises in the little details of exactly how each scene and line of dialogue plays out. It’s kind of the best of both worlds, in my opinion!
Does your writing process include any kind of ritual? Story specific playlists, tea, or candles, for example?
I always write with music playing, and I have been known to make story specific playlists based on the vibe of the story. With that being said, for my historical romances, I wrote each of them while listening to modern American Country music. I know that’s weird, and I can’t explain why.
Do you write better in the morning or evening? How do you handle the distractions of working from home, especially if you’re sharing the space with others?
Definitely better in the evening! I tend to get my day job work done first, and then work on drafting after that. Sometimes things are busy, though, and I squeeze in any writing time that I possibly can. Since I work from home for my day job too, I tend to get distracted flipping back and forth from that to writing and back again. That can get chaotic, but usually, that means it all gets done by the end of the day!
When it’s difficult to physically travel, how do you find ways to escape?
Usually by reading! Whether that’s reading research books, historical romances, or something entirely different. Also, in the social media era, there are a lot of travel influencers that I follow – any place I’d like to go, someone else probably has, and they’ve likely filmed their entire experience and put it on YouTube.
From all your books, who is your favorite hero and why?
This is such a difficult question! Like I said above, I really think about my characters like they’re real, so this would be like choosing a favorite child. With that being said, Harry comes to mind. He’s the hero of book two of this series, and you’ll meet him in book one. He’s just precious, and I think he’s the quintessential grumpy teddy bear with a heart of gold.
What do you like to read when you’re not reading in your genre? Did you have a favorite book or series when you were growing up?
I read a lot of contemporary romance and I also write young adult romance, so I read a lot of those as well. I was a big fan of the Magic Tree House books growing up, and they really inspired my passion for transporting readers to another time and place!
