Author Interview: Mary Lancaster.

About Mary Lancaster.
Mary Lancaster lives in Scotland with her husband, three mostly grown-up kids and a small, crazy dog.
Her first literary love was historical fiction, a genre which she relishes mixing up with romance and adventure in her own writing. Several of her novels feature actual historical characters as diverse as Hungarian revolutionaries, medieval English outlaws, and a family of eternally rebellious royal Scots. To say nothing of Vlad the Impaler.
Her most recent books are light, fun Regency romances written for Dragonblade Publishing: The Imperial Season series set at the Congress of Vienna; and the popular Blackhaven Brides series, which is set in a fashionable English spa town frequented by the great and the bad of Regency society.

Connect with Mary:
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/b4Xoif
Website: http://www.MaryLancaster.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryLancasterNovelist/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1178451.Mary_Lancaster
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mary-lancaster
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLancNovels
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Lancaster/e/B00DJ5IACI

1. The Wicked Marquis, book 5 in the Blackhaven Brides series is your newest release. Tell me more about it.
It’s a lighthearted, fun romance about an impoverished and eccentric nobleman – who paints to scratch a living – and his love for a wealthy lady. Here’s the blurb:
The lady meets her match - and he's hopelessly ineligible.
Poverty stricken marquis, Lord Tamar, is regarded in Blackhaven as an amiable eccentric and a gifted painter, rather than as a wicked man. But Tamar has secrets that he dare not reveal to anyone, let alone to the delightful Lady Serena, the Earl of Braithwaite's sister, who suddenly lights up his world.
To Serena, fed up with London etiquette and sent home to her family castle in disgrace after her engagement is broken, the fascinating Tamar is a breath of fresh air. Accepting his help with the mystery of the strange barrels in the castle cellar, she is soon in the midst of danger involving smugglers and spies and a friend's broken heart.
But it is her own heart which is in most danger, as she falls swiftly and desperately in love. And neither her family nor Tamar himself would ever countenance a marriage between them.
Moreover, the marquis turns out to have committed a far more shocking crime than mere
poverty.

2. What’s your favorite scene? Can you give me a short excerpt?
I had a lot of fun writing this story, so it’s difficult to pick just one scene. You can read the whole of Chapter One on my website (https://www.marylancaster.com/the-wicked-marquis), but here’s a short except that’s typically Tamar – light-hearted, unconventional, and over-bold!
Serena has just encountered him for the first time, while he’s trespassing, painting in the grounds of her family home. Neither is really aware of the other’s identity.
“Why do you paint at the castle? There are better views in the environs of Blackhaven, surely, than this orchard.”
He cast her a sardonic glance. “Did I mention the bailiffs? I’m hiding.”
“Really?” she said, intrigued all over again.
“Sadly, yes.”
“I’ll tell them you’ve gone to Scotland, if that would help?”
“It might,” he said, gratefully. “Thank you.”
“We might need the rest of the town to tell the same story, of course, but… Are you laughing at me?”
“I’m delighting in you, which is quite different.”
She cast him an uncertain glance. His teasing was verging on flirting, which she really couldn’t allow, especially given her disgrace. Besides which, he was a stranger of whom she knew nothing, and an artist to boot. She doubted anyone would consider him respectable let alone
safe.
“It’s a good thing and quite harmless,” he assured her, reaching up to pluck a solitary leaf off an apple tree branch. It was pale, golden brown and, halting his step, he held it up to her hair.
“Almost.”
“Almost what?” she asked, bewildered.
“The same color.”
“Is that good?” she asked with a hint of defiance.
“Exact would be better,” he said. “For the leaf.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “You talk a lot of nonsense, you know.”
“So I’ve been told.” His gaze dipped from her eyes to the region of her lips, and her breath
caught.
“I should go.” Although she meant it to be decisive and forbidding, the words sounded as reluctant as she felt about leaving the eccentric stranger just yet.
“Must you?” He sounded flatteringly disappointed. Slowly, his gaze lifted back to hers. 
He had rather beautiful eyes for a man, large and dark and yet always with that shade of laughter, as if he was never serious about the world. They caused a thrilling little twist in her stomach, as though a flock of butterflies had just taken wing.
She swallowed. “Yes, I must,” she said firmly.
“Then meet me again tomorrow.”
I can’t.
“Here?” he suggested.
She raised her eyebrows. “If you’re still hiding from your bailiffs.”
“Until tomorrow, then.” He raised his hand to her cheek, his fingertips just brushing her skin. A smile flickered across his lips and was gone as he lowered his head…
😊

3. Should readers start from the beginning of the series, or can The Wicked Marquis be read as a stand-alone?
Yes, it can be read alone – all the Blackhaven Brides books can - but I suppose you would get a better feeling for the secondary characters if you read the earlier books first. Main characters often reappear in other books, before or after their own stories. Both Tamar and Serena have had supporting roles in previous books.

4. Many Historical Romance novels feature marquises as the male protagonist. What makes Lord Tamar stand out from the rest?
Well, to start with, he’s poor 😊. He’s had a very odd upbringing, since his father gambled away all the family fortune and died, leaving his children running wild in the ruins of their family home. His happy-go-lucky exterior hides a sense of responsibility and a need to make things right for his family and others affected by his father’s actions. And, of course, he has his own secrets… 😊

5. Tell me more about the female lead, Lady Serena. What are your favorite characteristics of
hers? 
Serena’s had a much more stable and privileged upbringing than Tamar, and despite her domineering mother, is surrounded by a loving rather than a dysfunctional family. Although she’s been the darling of society, she’s basically a very kind, generous person with a lovable sense of fun. But she also has a hint of steely determination that I like!

6. In the blurb, it mentions danger, smugglers, and spies. Sounds action packed! Is this common for your books?
Yes, I like plenty of adventure and mystery to keep my characters busy! I like them to pull together through difficult times and learn about themselves and each other as they go.

7. What book are you currently reading?
His Dark Kiss, A Gothic romance by Eve Silver. Love a good Gothic romance!

8. Where can we find you writing? At home, in a coffee shop? With or without music?
I prefer privacy to write, so usually at home. Sometimes I write with music, sometimes without.
It depends on my mood and the mood of the book, and what’s going on around me.
I have a pleasant room (known as Mum’s library) where I like to work, surrounded by books and a few favourite knick-knacks we’ve picked up on our travels over the years. And the dog often joins me there on a nearby cushion 😊. Unfortunately, the kids also use this room in the evenings if they have friends in – which at least one of them nearly always does - so sometimes I’m driven away by the mess they leave behind until forced to clear it up!

9. What can readers expect from you next?
Next is the 6th Blackhaven Brides book, The Wicked Governess, which should release some time in April. I’ve also written a novella in the multi-author Marriage Maker series, which should be out later on in the year.
And I’m delighted to say there will be at least a least 3 more Blackhaven Brides books after that!

10. Any advice for aspiring authors?
I think every author makes their own journey in different ways, but I think it’s always good to keep reading, and not just in the genre you wish to write in. And to write constantly and listen to constructive criticism. Most of all, don’t give up!

Find the book:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38614946-the-wicked-marquis
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Marquis-Blackhaven-Brides-Book-ebook/dp/B079WNDG77