Maggi Andersen’s In Pursuit of a Lady releases this 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 remember writing a story in 5th class. I think I knew then that I’d be a writer one day. It took a while, though. Marriage and children became my focus for some years. But as soon as my youngest child finished school, I studied for my Master of Arts in Creative Writing and began to write. I haven’t stopped since. I now have over 60 novels published and several series with Dragonblade.
What is the most inspiring place you’ve visited, and has it shown up in one of your books?
I love Richmond, Surrey, on the River Thames in England. I stayed there several times with a friend. I would walk her dog in Richmond Park, which has a rich history. The hunting grounds for Henry VIII. Deer can still be found there, but the stags are best avoided! Richmond has appeared in several of my novels. The most recent was Ravished by the Rake, Book 3 Improper Ladies.
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 usually pause from writing to check facts, especially whether some words used during those times still have the same meaning. It can change over time. I enjoy researching in libraries—I’ve visited some great ones in my travels, including the Richmond Library where I found some interesting articles on Georgette Heyer. I have many research books on my shelves, and there’s a ton of great information to be found on the internet, including some wonderful blogs.
What drew you to the era you write in?
I read all my mother’s Georgette Heyer’s books as a teenager and loved every one of them. Although I planned after my degree, to have a career as a mystery and crime writer, I discovered I preferred writing historical romance, although my Regencies are often romantic suspense stories, some with a murder mystery to solve.
The Regency era offers so much for a writer, from the wealthy and affluent in Mayfair to the poor of St. Giles, to the Napoleonic Wars and agents who worked for the Crown or operated under the Duke of Wellington. It was a brief, unique time in history, spanning from the time George III became too ill to carry on, and the Regency was formed to replace him with the Prince of Wales. It extended until his father died in 1820, when George IV became king, but the era is often extended to 1830, when the king died. Prinny was an eccentric and colorful character whose love of the arts: paintings, architecture, and literature created a uniquely elegant and beautiful era like none other. Prinny’s lavish spending stripped the coffers, which made him very unpopular with the people. Then there were the other influences for a writer to delve into: the French Revolution influenced England. Paris gowns in the simpler Grecian style, were adopted by the English. Men’s clothes changed dramatically; gone were the lavish satins and silks. Men adopted the crisp, clean style of the legendary Beau Brummel. They washed more often and wore clean linens and fussed over their starched cravats, adopting one of the elaborate styles. The ton, or the haut ton, adhered to strict rules of etiquette, although a lot went on behind the scenes! Orators, writers, wits, and poets were greatly admired. While the Napoleonic Wars raged on, during the Season many aristocrats entertained lavishly, and gossip was rife and could be ruinous for a person. I wrote a little about this in my novel, Falling for the Earl, Book 2, Improper Ladies.
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?
They might not know that women were barred from the House of Commons, so they crowded into a hot, dark, and cramped attic above the chamber, listening to political debates through a ventilation shaft.
Then there was the humble pineapple, which became a status symbol. Pineapples were so expensive and exotic in England during the Regency that hostesses would often use them as a centerpiece for their many dinner parties until they rotted. They were rarely eaten and could be rented out to grace someone’s dining table.
Parmesan Ice Cream: While we think of vanilla or chocolate, one of the most fashionable ice cream flavors of the ton was Parmesan cheese.
The drains! I would hate to have to use a privy or a chamber pot! I would miss electricity, too, although candlelight was more flattering to a lady, lol. The most difficult to live with would be the pollution. Especially the coal smoke and thick fogs in London.
What are your favorite kind of characters to write? Do you have a specific trope that you’re drawn too?
I like a hero with a sense of humor. There are several tropes in my books: marriage of convenience, faux engagements, loveable rogues, spies and agents of the Crown, inheritance and wills with provisions which forced characters into marriages or other difficult conditions. Then there are debutantes in their first London Season who become involved in a scandal, or a 
dangerous plot. Never Doubt a Duke, Book 1, The Never series, is a marriage of convenience story which was fun to write.
Where is your favorite place to write? Does it change depending on where you are in the process?
I was brought up in the ‘burbs of a big city. After my husband passed away, I moved to the country and now live on a farm. That was a bit of a shock at first, but now I love it. I write in my study, overlooking the horses grazing in the verdant paddocks and the colorful parrots flocking in the trees.
Which comes first for you: the plot or the characters?
The characters tend to come fully formed. The process is a mystery. 😊
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 have a rough idea of the story, but I’m a panster, which means the story unfolds as I write it. Sometimes I visualize how a scene will pan out, but there is usually some plotting involved. Especially when writing complex mysteries.
I do a fair bit of research for a story, but my characters tend to surprise me. I always have an idea of the ending. Well, it has to have an HEA, or the promise of one, doesn’t it? 😊
Does your writing process include any kind of ritual? Story specific playlists, tea, or candles, for example?
I find music a distraction while writing, but sometimes I’ll listen to a track that helps put me in the mood for the scene I’m about to write. Something upbeat, or romantic, whatever is required. I enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee with a piece of dark chocolate while working. And iced tea on hot days.
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 live in a cottage on my son’s farm. The only distractions come from the local wildlife: the possum who has decided to live in the ceiling, and a wombat who visits for a while beneath the cottage, or one of the horses waiting for a carrot at the fence outside my window. Also, the chickens I help to care for, who come to the door for a treat. I have a special bond with Harvey, the rooster. He’s a wonderful old gentleman, who protects his flock, and comes to me when there’s a problem.
When it’s difficult to physically travel, how do you find ways to escape?
I’m an avid reader, and there’s always Netflix! I enjoy a good, long walk, too; it’s wonderful for plotting.
From all your books, who is your favorite hero and why?
I find that very hard to answer, as I am very fond of all my heroes. He is always athletic, clever, brave, and honorable. He can be amusing too, sarcastic on occasion, and never hesitates to bring the villain down. My heroines are smart, independent, and attractive, and when in trouble, while they are fiercely determined to help themselves, they do bring out the hero’s protective instincts. I am especially fond of the Irish diplomat, Keiran Flynn, Viscount Montsimon, a close confidant of King George IV in The Viscount’s Widowed Lady Book 3 Dangerous Lords. A handsome rake, many women of the ton wish to take to their beds. Flynn treats women lightly until he meets the widow, Lady Althea, who resists his charm. Flynn is amusing, passionate, and determined to win Lady Althea’s affections.
What do you like to read when you’re not reading in your genre?
Historical romance. Great stories which are now considered classics, like Lady in White by Wilkie Collins. Detective novels, mysteries, and romantic suspense.
Did you have a favorite book or series when you were growing up?
As a child it was Enid Blyton, and a particular favorite was Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. In my teens, I loved Victoria Holt’s novels, Austen and the Bronte’s books, especially, Jane Ayre, which I’ve read many times, and watched all the movies made from the book over the years. I read Agatha Christie’s murder stories, as well as all of Georgette Heyer’s books many times over. I think that influenced the kind of books I write. I feel very much at home in the Regency world Heyer created, but my stories have passionate romances as well as mystery, danger and suspense.
