Tracey Devlyn, Checkmate, My Lord - Interview & Giveaway

Huge thanks to Wendy for having me today at Minding Spot! I look forward to chatting with everyone. 

1. Can you please tell us about your new book, Checkmate, My Lord, in 20 words or less? 

A desperate mother falls in love with the spymaster she’s forced to betray. 

2. How much research is involved when writing a historical romance? 

Honestly, not much more than any other novel. The first two books are probably the hardest, because the author is verifying and re-verifying all the little historical nuances like doorknob vs. latch, veranda vs. terrace, Lord Somerton vs. Lord Sebastian, sidewalk vs. pavement, etc. Then the world becomes part of the author’s vocabulary and the only research she needs to do for subsequent books is for items that drive the plot like location details, what instruments a physician used, etc. 

In talking to author friends, every genre or novel needs a fair amount of research. Historical novels might be a bit more difficult/intimidating because of the words. We have to make sure, as best we can, that they’re historically accurate. There are a great many primary sources in Google Books to help us, though. I’ve found GB to be a great way to check words, by refining my search to a specific time period.  

3. Is there anything about Sebastian and Catherine that only you know that you can share with us? 

Sebastian likes to dance, but never allows himself  the luxury, for fear of losing focus of his surroundings. 

Catherine would like a completely frivolous weekend with a group of lady friends. For a long time, she’s had to set fun and frivolous aside to take care of her daughter and to mediate her neighbors’ complaints. 

4. If there was one thing from Checkmate, My Lord that you wish you could bring to present day, what would it be and why? 

Sophie Ashcroft. Every time I read her pages, I feel happy. I’d love to have her scampering about my house, causing mischief and making me laugh. She’s 100% sunshine and love. 

5. Are you currently working on a new book? Can you tell us anything about it? 

I’m putting the finishing touches on A Lady’s Secret Weapon—Book 3 in the Nexus series. This is Ethan deBeau’s story.  Readers find out a great deal more about the mysterious Specter in this book, and I had a great time developing a heroine—Sydney Hunt—whose secrets rival Ethan’s. I think readers will enjoy watching these two circle each other like wary predators. The fun part is when they finally pounce. 

  

Thanks so much for visiting today! 

Thanks, Wendy! Loved your questions, and I look forward to answering many more from Minding Spot readers.

Spymaster Sebastian Danvers, Lord Somerton, has spent the last decade protecting England’s shores against a French invasion. Known for his cold logic and ability to sacrifice anything for the greater good, few can outwit him, and even fewer dare challenge him. Until now.

After being exiled to his country estate, Sebastian is surprised when his beautiful, no-nonsense neighbor turns her seductive wiles on him. But years of intrigue have left him wondering why a respectable widow would risk scandal for a few nights in his bed. Sebastian takes his time unraveling the widow’s secrets, for he quickly realizes she might be the one sacrifice he is unwilling to make.

Living a quiet existence at Winter’s Hollow, Catherine Ashcroft spends her days doing little more than caring for her precocious six-year-old daughter and negotiating her neighbors’ various complaints against their absentee landowner, the enigmatic Earl of Somerton. But, all her boredom comes to a searing halt after learning her newly returned neighbor might have had something to do with her husband’s murder.

Catherine's orderly existence soon upends and she now finds herself in a desperate bid to save her daughter’s life. But she must betray the earl to do so, even though she no longer suspects him of foul play. Lauren succumbs to the the earl’s passionate kisses and recognizes the same loneliness she has felt for years lurking in his hard, crystalline eyes. As her lover’s enemies close in, will Catherine be able to save both her beloved daughter and the handsome spy who has stolen her heart?

Tracey Devlyn writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more grievous journey Toward the heroine’s happy ending). She’s a co-founder of Romance University, a group blog dedicated to readers and writers of romance, and Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville, Chicagoland’s exciting new reading salon devoted to romantic fiction.  

An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her website at:  www.TraceyDevlyn.com. 

GIVEAWAY

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