Interview with Emily Bryan

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Emily Bryan. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

I’d love to, Kim. DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS is a sexy, light-hearted story set in the early days of Queen Victoria’s reign. My heroine, Artemisia (rhymes with amnesia) is a widowed duchess who longs to make her mark on the art world. She’s working on a series of paintings that feature the Olympic pantheon in the buff and is expecting new model when Trevelyn Deveridge lands on her doorstep. Trev never expected to pose nude to serve his Queen. But when the clues to the elusive Beddington lead to the duchess’s door, he has little choice. When one or both of them are in the altogether for most of the book, it’s inevitable that Artemisia and Trevelyn nearly drive each other to . . . distraction.

DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

Actually, the story started out as LOOKING FOR MR. BEDDINGTON because for a large part of the book, the characters are trying to find him. However, as you probably know, authors don’t have the final say on titles. My editor wanted to call it DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS because she likes alliteration. I have to admit, I like it better, too.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Actually, yes. The Victorian era spans a broad time period and was not always as repressed as it became after the Queen became The Widow of Windsor. In the early days of Queen Victoria, shortly after she married her dour German cousin, she actually had quite a risqué bacchanal painted on the walls of her boudoir. Later, after Prince Albert died, proper matrons were stitching up little pantaloons to cover their PIANO legs, lest the bare wood incite anyone to lust.
And along with the Victorian England research, I also studied British India, where my heroine was born and raised. My hero hoped to journey there to serve as an intelligence officer and needs the key he believes the elusive Bedding holds. There was a good deal of political tension between England and Russia over India, so it made sense for Russian spies to be after Mr. Beddington as well.

What character did you like writing about the most, and why?

I enjoyed writing Artemisia because she’s a different sort of heroine. After a loveless arranged marriage with a much older man, she revels in the freedom of widowhood. During the Victorian era, a married woman’s legal status was much like that of a child or an imbecile. Artemisia refused to be treated like either. She passionate about her art and has little time to waste trying to please those who don’t understand her devotion to her work. But she’s never known love and her attempt to find it while retaining her unique sense of self was interesting to explore. She’s also wickedly funny, often without meaning to be. The story begins with Artemisia saying, “I’m going to have to shorten his willie.”

If your book was made into a movie, what actor would you like to fill your hero’s shoes?

Boy, that’s a tough one. Trevelyn has to look good with his clothes off, so Matt Damon would be good for that part. But Trev’s also smooth and clever, so Pierce Brosnan comes to mind (love the accent, don’t you?) Then he also has to pose as the commoner Thomas Doverspike, so Colin Farrell with his rough good looks would fill the bill. It’s hard to pick just one. Maybe that’s why RT BookReviews tapped Trevelyn for a K.I.S.S. Award.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Tons. I’ve been an avid reader since I first cracked the phonetic code. Of course, I love Jo Beverley and Madeline Hunter, Kleypas and Quinn, but I also adore Mark Twain and T.H. White, Shakespeare and Wilbur Smith. My favorite book of all time is MM Kaye’s THE FAR PAVILIONS. It’s a sweeping epic with an aching love story wrapped in a wonderful adventure.
What do we have to look forward next? PLEASURING THE PIRATE sails into bookstores in August, just in time to be the perfect beach read! Gabriel Drake has earned a pardon for his crimes on the high seas, but his homecoming is not what he expected. His father and older brother are both dead, leaving him the title and 5 orphaned nieces. Jacquelyn Wren, chatelaine of Dragon Caern, will dare anything to protect the children, even a prodigal pirate. But Jacquelyn forgot one very important thing. What a pirate wants, a pirate takes. Readers can visit my website at http://www.emilybryan.com/ for a sneak peek of PIRATE. Right now, I’m working on VEXING THE VISCOUNT, a spring 2009 release from Leisure Books.

Thanks, Emily!

Thank you, Kim. I’m looking forward to visiting with your readers.

To celebrate her book release, Emily Bryan is offering a free book of DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio. Award-winning author Emily Bryan learned much of what she knows about writing from singing. A classically trained soprano, she gleaned the elements of dramatic and comic storytelling while performing operatic roles. She and her husband have lived in nine different states, but she now makes her home in the heart of New England.

Check out author’s website at http://www.emilybryan.com/

Buy DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS available now at http://www.amazon.com/Distracting-Duchess-Emily-Bryan/dp/0843958707/ref=sr_1_1/104-1040673-3501545?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192105485&sr=8-1 .