Get ready to find the Miracles on Harley Street from Sara Adrien! Sara was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
You can get your copy of this steamy historical romance HERE!
What is the most inspiring place you’ve visited and has it shown up in one of your books?
London (but not only)!
My time in college (but not only) included numerous visits to London, which served as the basis for the Doctors on Harley Street series and my jewelers in another series. I interned at the Inner Temple barrister’s offices, strolled along the Thames, and visited the many lovely tea and jewelry shops. Most of my characters live close to Mayfair, St. James Palace, and Piccadilly, so on my last trip to London, I walked along the paths where they would have walked. It’s like stepping into my characters’ shoes even though I came over two hundred years later. The buildings and art persist.
Since I was born and raised in Europe, I’ve visited many old castles, museums, and most capitals, so I love to include characters from other places besides England in my books. While London was certainly the biggest city in Europe in the Regency era, I draw a lot of inspiration from Paris, Vienna, Florence, Budapest, and the lovely places I’ve visited on my travels.
Last year, I went to Dublin and Florence with my family. But this year, so far, we’ve only been to the local beach here in Massachusetts. Beach days are lovely, too, and I certainly have beach (love!) scenes in some of my books.
What are your favorite kind of characters to write? Do you have a specific trope that you’re drawn too?
I love writing about arranged marriages and characters who never expected to experience love. It’s really fun to follow their external and internal journeys when they are thrust into a life with a person and have to make the most of it. I find love has so much more power when it’s controlled and intentional and the direction is given, but the hurdles seem impossible.
On the flip side, I love writing the impossible romance just as much. If circumstances keep two people apart, I step in to guide them to happiness. That’s probably why some of my characters return in subsequent books, just in tiny moments when I glimpse their continued lives. It’s like checking in with my dearest friends to ensure they are well.
Does your writing process include any kind of ritual? Story specific playlists, tea, or candles, for example?
Oh yes, tea! I don’t remember writing without a cup, mug, or mason jar of tea on my desk (depending on how much caffeine I need at that moment).
In some ways, I live and love the afternoon tea rituals and often make tiny sandwiches when I entertain guests or for picnics with friends. I grow my hydroponic sprouts on the windowsill and incorporate them into tea sandwiches, healthy spreads, or salads. They make a lovely garnish, of course. Baking and cooking are some of my favorite hobbies, but they are also necessary because I’m a mom, wife, and daughter, so it’s great to make pretty and nourishing meals for my family. But when my husband treats me to an afternoon tea every once in a while, I snap the best pictures of what the professionals bake. I’m sharing a photo from some treats we had, and I have a series in the 
works where this will play a special role, too.
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 love to read, and I read a lot. My Kindle is lovingly curated with lots of books from my Dragonblade author friends, but not only. Sometimes, I read in other languages when I want to stimulate my mind. Some of my books are now translated to French, and reading my stories in French has been amazing.
In fact, one of my favorite authors are Uri Orlev and Saul Bellow. I’ve read their books in translations, too. It’s fascinating how viewing a scene or concept in a different language offers a fresh perspective.
