Kirsten S. Blacketer’s The Duchess Pursues Her Pleasure released this past week, 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’ve always had a passion for words, but I didn’t always want to be an author. I begged my tenth grade English teacher to let me into the creative writing class, although I didn’t learn much about my craft there. I remember stories I wrote for school, but never anything that was uniquely mine written without a direct purpose. It wasn’t until I was in college that I started writing more for myself and expanding my craft. I’ve always been obsessed with the romance genre as a reader, so writing a romance felt like the natural step forward. It wasn’t until I joined a writer’s group that I really started to dedicate time, effort, and passion to my craft of romance writing.
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?
The most inspiring place I’ve visited? Well, I’ve written a variety of subgenres of romance, but top three locations I’ve been to that inspired books I’ve written: the Austrian Alps, Devil’s Acre in London, and the banks of the mighty Mississippi River outside Alton, Illinois.
I love books and accredited websites to do most of my research. I do enough research to make my books historically feasible. I don’t have to know whether or not something happened, only if it was possible for that era. I adore the Victorian era, especially the later years, so those are the ones I enjoy researching and writing the most.
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’ve always been a fan of the late Victorian era. It has the best of modern inventions (trains, telegraph, electricity, indoor plumbing, etc) while giving us a historical aesthetic with the fancy gowns, propriety, and gilded decor. I don’t think most people realized that even though the Victorians were all proper on the surface, they harbored a lot of repressed sexuality that came out behind closed doors. I don’t think I could live in that period after experiencing the glory that is rock and roll. I love a good waltz, but honestly, I’m an 80s rock girl.
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 those who hide a deep, dark secret. Most of the time that’s the MMC, but there are some FMCs I’ve written who have some wicked secrets as well. I adore a good mistaken/hidden identity, sunshine meets grump, class difference, and I’m positively feral for a masquerade ball.
Where is your favorite place to write? Does it change depending on where you are in the process?
Honestly, I’ve gotten to the point in my writing career that I can write anywhere if I need to get the words down. But my most productive spot is in my house, sitting in my comfy chair with my laptop and serenaded by my Spotify playlists. (Yes, I can write while listening to music with lyrics, but I have to edit with instrumental music only. Weird, I know.)
Which comes first for you: the plot or the characters?
It depends on the book. Sometimes it’s a plot point that hits me first, but sometimes it’s a specific character. My favorites are when I get a specific scene in my head and write it, then I craft an entire story around THAT scene as my catalyst.
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’m a plantser. I outline my books, but I only put enough details in the outline to give me a general direction for the story. This also helps me with pacing and word count. But I learn a lot of details about the plot, characters, etc as I write the book. That gives me a chance to enjoy the discoverability of the process.
Does your writing process include any kind of ritual? Story specific playlists, tea, or candles, for example?
The only ritual I have when it comes to writing is music and a deadline. I write best knowing I have a deadline—and often end up procrastinating too much. But I need music to write; it’s like creative fuel for me.
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?
I write better in the afternoon. I’m not a morning person, so I have no motivation to do anything that early. And by evening, I’m exhausted and just go to bed. So afternoons are perfect. I can usually work just fine in a shared space with my family (or even out) because I let them know I’m working and need to get it done. But my house is never so clean as when I have a deadline and no motivation to write.
When it’s difficult to physically travel, how do you find ways to escape?
My best form of escape is working in my garden, but when it’s winter or bad weather, I find books and movies are the best form of escape to see something new or revisit something familiar to reenergize me.
From all your books, who is your favorite hero and why?
Simon Oh, the Lord of Devil’s Acre, is my favorite character. I don’t know why the Victorian crime lord has such a hold on me, but he does. I wrote his story in a novella, and he’s been insistent on returning in MULTIPLE books, including the Society of Wanton Widow’s Series. There’s something about his scarred past, quiet nature, and dominant personality that has me in a perpetual sate of swooning.
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 don’t typically venture far from the romance genre when I read. But I am a HUGE fan of the Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman, which is a LitRPG with absolutely no romance in sight. So. Freaking. Good. When I was a teen though, I used to sneak my Grandma’s romance paperbacks, so it’s in my genetics I think. 😉
