Q&A and Giveaway - How to Seduce A Scoundrel by Vicky Dreiling

Description: 

Miss Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother's best friend-for whom she's long nursed a secret tendre-agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz. But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for Marc Darcett, Earl of Hawkfield, to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any self-respecting, recently discarded young miss with a wicked sense of humor would do. She secretly pens a lady's guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal sheet in London.

Every honorable rake knows that friends' sisters are forbidden. But suddenly, Julienne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can't resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter, and his nights dreaming of kissing her senseless. He's always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match? To read an excerpt CLICK HERE. 

Q&A

Lisarenee: What is the hardest thing you find about writing a book? Is it writing the dialogue and having it flow like a real conversation, filling in all the details so your readers can visualize events and places, research, or something entirely different?

Vicky: Writing dialogue is my favorite part. I love when the hero and heroine spar. Also, I happen to be one of those rare extroverted writers, which means I talk a lot. Interestingly, so do most of my characters.  Dialogue in fiction only simulates real conversation. If you’re ever created a transcript from a recorded conversation, you’ll understand how real dialogue is full of “ums” and “hmms” and goes off topic frequently. For me, dialogue is the best part and the easiest to write.

I’m not much of a plotter, other than to come up with the high concept premises of my books. To me, plotting generally involves top of mind ideas and only scratches the surface. What I look for is deeper and more complex emotions, and discovering this involves the subconscious. It’s what Stephen King calls the stuff in the basement. So while it’s a messy process, I think my stories are richer when I rely on my gut instincts. 

Setting isn’t something that interests me greatly, unless there is an emotional component involved, whether that involves humor, fear or angst. I tend to write spare setting and choose to focus on one or two intriguing aspects of the setting. Description of inanimate objects rarely captures my attention. However, I love descriptions of people as certain characteristics can reveal a great deal about the character. For example, in HOW TO MARRY A DUKE, Tristan taps his thumb repeatedly, a sure sign of what we now think of as a Type A personality. He also paces a great deal when he’s perturbed, because he has an abundance of energy.

Ultimately, what I find most difficult is when I fail to realize I’ve gone off track in the book. I’m uber persistent, so I’ll continue to try to fix a bad scene and fail to realize it just needs to be scrapped.

Lisarenee: What characteristics do you feel make the best hero of a romance novel, and have you incorporated any of them into your current books?

Vicky: I like heroes who are rakes, but retain a core sense of honor. For example, in HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL, Hawk’s sense of honor is tested when he must resist his attraction to his best friend’s sister. Even rakes abide by the unspoken rule that a friend’s sister is forbidden.

Lisarenee: What do you think it is about historical romances that draws so many readers to the genre?

Vicky: I think it’s the fantasy of a strong man who is also chivalrous. Also the tight breeches are a draw. 

Lisarenee: If you could go back in time to a specific time period for a day, what time period would you choose, what would you want to see, and is there anyone you'd like to meet? 

Vicky: I’d love to spend a day in Regency England, provided I got to wear a gorgeous ball gown and waltzed with a handsome hunk! I would like to meet Byron to see if he’s truly mad, bad, and dangerous to know. 

Lisarenee: What do you feel is one of the most romantic things a person can do for someone else? 

Vicky:  Tell them how much you love and admire them.

Lisarenee: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions.  

Vicky: Thanks so much for inviting me to your blog. May the Magic Romance Fairies be with you!

Vicky Dreiling

www.vickydreiling.com

Five Fun Facts

1. The Rules and He’s Just Not That into You inspired Vicky to write HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL.

2. Vicky writes to music and created a playlist for HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. Readers can listen to the songs on her website. The theme song for the book is Better Man (Pearl Jam).

3. Lady Julianne, the spunky heroine of HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL, finds inspiration in Anne Boleyn, who was said to be only moderately attractive but managed to charm everyone at court with her wit and vivacity.

4. A giant statue of Napoleon at Apsley House, the Duke of Wellington’s residence, was the inspiration for the hideous statue of Apollo in the opening scene.

5. One scene involving a decanter of wine and a thumping door is based on something that Vicky overheard. She plans to include a spoiler on her website that details the hilarious incident. 

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

I’m giving away 3 copies of How to Seduce a Scoundrel by Vicky Dreiling.

Rules to be eligible for giveaway:

1. Only residents of the US or Canada are eligible. 

2. Please leave either your email address or a link to your Goodreads profile so I may get in contact with you to get your mailing address. No P.O. Boxes, please. If uncomfortable about giving out such information on my blog, please feel free to email me your information at seducedbyabook@gmail.com.
3. Become a follower of my blog, if you aren't already.

4. Leave a comment about what kinds of things you like to see in a Romance novel.

Winners will be randomly chosen. Books will be sent directly from publisher. Giveaway ends July 10th,  midnight eastern time. Winners will be posted on my blog and notified by email or message posted to them via Goodreads. Winners will have 72 hours to respond before another winner will be selected.