Interview with Romance Author Wendy Vella & GIVEAWAY!

Please welcome romance author Wendy Vella to the Nook today. Her book, "The Reluctant Countess", came out on Monday the 14th and she took the time to sit down and answer some questions for me. 

Photo from author website

Wendy Vella is a lover of all things romantic. She started reading her first Georgette Heyer book at a young age and instantly fell in love with the Regency era. Writing is something she has always found time for; she penned her first novel at eighteen though she says it will never make an appearance further than the closet in which it currently resides.

After having her two children Wendy then joined RWNZ and started honing her chosen craft by entering competitions with some success and attending conferences. Her Clendon and Readers Choice award-winning historical romance The Reluctant Countess will debut in Jan 2013 with Random House in their Loveswept line.

She has an addiction to reading and loves a wide range of genres while her first love will always be historical. She relishes novels steeped in Romance and excitement with feisty heroines and delicious heroes, especially when they are set amongst the treacherous waters of London society.

Wendy is a sucker for a happy ending having secured her own. She has been married to her own dark brooding hero for 28 years and shares her home with two wonderful children, two dogs and anyone else who happens to be visiting at the time. Born and raised in a rural area in the North Island of New Zealand, Wendy loves the beaches and lush green rolling hills of her homeland and is proud to call herself a very patriotic Kiwi!

Wendy's website: http://www.wendyvella.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorWendyVella

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/wendy_vella

Email: wendy@wendyvella.com

 

       Bea: Wendy, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. What is it about the Regency period that attracts you? If you could choose any time period to live in, would it be the Regency era?

  

Wendy: Yes I would live in the Regency time, although I’m sure the lack of bathroom facilities would get to me after a while! I love the intrigue of that era, the scandal and decadence. It was a time of self indulgence for the wealthy and they lived in a society with the most amazing set of rules like; men always went up the stairs first and ladies down the stairs first. Seriously, who thought up that stuff?

      Bea: Why romance? What’s the appeal for you? Do you think you might try a different genre some time?

Wendy:  I’m a hopeless romantic. From my first M & B (Mills & Boone) I was hooked and I never thought about writing anything else. I don’t like books that don’t have happy endings either. I have written a contemporary and am having a go at another, but I haven’t tried anything else.

      Bea:  Using a tweet format, why should we read your book, “The Reluctant Countess”?

  Wendy: 2 peeps from diff worlds, Sxy Earl thinks hot Countess is 2GTBT, Regency setting, humor & passion + intrigue & IMHO a bloody good read!

Bea:  What was the inspiration for this book?

Wendy:  I’ve never a written a book like this before, it was actually a competition I came across, you were giving the opening scene; dark Earl, mysterious Countess and a ballroom and I wrote the book from there. I never entered the competition but it worked out well in the end.

      Bea:  Do you prefer print or digital books?

  Wendy:   I’m pretty old school and love print books but having said that I’m now pretty hooked on my ereader, so I guess I’m swinging more towards digital.

Bea:  You mention on your site that you like many genres. What are some of your favorites? Any favorite authors?

Wendy:  I’m a huge Nora Roberts fan (Oooo, so am I! ~ Bea) and love all of her books. I like paranormal and read a lot of Nalini Singh. To be honest I read most genres as long as they have a happy ending!

      Bea:  If you could be a character in a book, which one would it be, and what part would you play?

  Wendy:   I’d probably be Rowan Tripp from the book "Chasing Fire" by Nora Roberts. She’s tough and mean but has plenty of hang ups and she gets to leap from a plane into fires, what’s not to like? Plus she gets to sleep with the sexy Gulliver Curry.

Bea:  Do you have a guilty pleasure? If so, what is it?

Wendy:  Whittaker’s chocolate and roasted almond peanut slab. My husband thinks that only three come in a pack, because by the time I get home from the store I’ve usually eaten two already. (LOL ~ Bea)

      Bea:   When you write, are you a planner or do you make it up as you go?

  Wendy:   I make it up as I go. I get the idea for a character and then work on naming him or her, names are big for me, they have to (be) right or it won’t work. I then start on the story and it builds from there. Sometimes I’ll make a few notes as I go just to keep track of eye color and things like that but that’s about all. I’ve tried to plan a few times but I find it hard to write several pages which are not actually anything I can use.

Bea:  Was there anyone who mentored you or has been a big help to you getting started writing?

Wendy:  Romance Writers of New Zealand has been a big part of my success. I came into contact with so much experience when I joined, I attended conferences and was exposed to outstanding writers, editors and agents who were happy and willing to share their knowledge. Plus there were the competitions; these were in valuable for me. The feedback helped to sharpen my writing skills.

Bea: Do you think social media is important these days for an author?

Wendy:  Absolutely, I’m not that sharp on social media yet so I’ve been working on this and have some wonderful friends helping me, but it is a way to get yourself out to readers. It can also cut into your writing time because it is something you have to do consistently, but I think it’s the way of the future so it’s something as a writer I want to embrace. (I agree; I love engaging with authors on twitter and facebook but if I had to choose, I'd rather they devote the time to writing. ~ Bea)

Wendy, thank you so much and best of luck with your book. 

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Thanks to Random Loveswept, I have 1 print book & 3 Net Galley Preview copies of "The Reluctant Countess" to give away today. US only for the print book, sorry. You need a NetGalley account for the preview copies. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below; please read my Giveaway policy.

From Wendy Vella comes a Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart.

Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn’t add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society.

Despite Sophie’s humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick’s heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever.

a Rafflecopter giveaway