A conversation with Rachel Brimble, author of '16 Marsden Place'

Please welcome author Rachel Brimble to the blog today. Be sure to leave her a comment or question below!

What was the inspiration behind '16 Marsden Place'?

Sienna (the heroine) actually came to me fully-formed, which is the first time that has happened with a character in almost three years. Funnily enough, the last time that happened was with a comedy (The Sharp Points of A Triangle) too!

I could literally ‘hear’ her in my head. I knew she owned a lingerie shop that was going to foreclose unless she relocated. I also knew she covered her pain with humor - then it was a case of finding her perfect hero…

Which character spoke to you the most during the writing process?

See above – Sienna was very clear to me from the outset. She’s great and was a joy to write. I’d love to be friends with her, we’d have a blast.

Which scene is your favorite?

There are many, but one of my absolute favorites is the scene where Sienna seduces Jack after consuming a little too much wine and chocolate body paint at her launch party…

Tell us about your other books.

I write across the romance sub-genres and 16 Marsden Place is my third book out of the four I would have had published during 2013. February saw my debut with Harlequin Superromance, which was an absolute dream come true.

Finding Justice is a romantic suspense and the first story in the Templeton Cove series, which set in a fictional UK seaside town. Book two, A Man Like Him will be released in August.

Another debut was my first Victorian romance with eKensington – another thrill! The Seduction of Emily is set in Bath, England and revolves around a loyal heroine desperate to do right by her dying father, and a confidence trickster who sets out to seduce her in the name of vengeance. What he doesn’t expect is Emily to be the woman she is once he scratches beneath the surface…

On what projects are you currently working?

I have just completed book three in my ongoing Templeton Cove series with Harlequin and waiting my editor’s response *biting fingernails*.

As this latest book is the first book in a new three book contract I have recently signed, I have jumped straight into the next one.

This book will be a Christmas 2014 release so it’s a first for me to be writing about the wind, rain and snow while sitting in the back garden working in the sunshine, lol! So far things are coming together nicely – long may it last!

What is it about the romance genre that is so fulfilling both for writers to create and for readers to consume?

For me, it’s the Happy Ever After – there is so much grief, sorrow and violence in the world, nothing makes me happier than to sit at my laptop and create something good and lasting. Taking readers away from their problems and worries for a while is a great honor as a writer and one that I never take for granted.

I like to think I create characters readers can connect with and understand – I hope they care about them enough to stay with them as they work through their internal and external problems. When the conclusion comes, I hope the reader is equally as happy and optimistic as my characters about the future.

How do you make yourself stand out in this competitive genre?

This is a difficult question and one that I think every author would love to know the answer! It is SO difficult to make yourself stand out in a genre that sells millions of books every year. As I’m British, living in the UK but write for the US market, I hope it gives me something new to offer to US readers.

All my books feature British characters in South West England…I am yet to venture to the States either myself or fictionally J The feedback I’ve had from readers is that they love the sense of ‘Britishness’ they garner from my books and love reading about the countryside and of course, the famous Georgian city of Bath.

You love to read. What are some of your current reads? What is next on your TBR pile?

I am currently reading “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett, which is a great epic tome of a story, taking place in 12th century Britain. It is over 1000 pages long and has everything a story of that magnitude should: romance, conspiracy, intrigue, greed, sacrifice…just fantastic J

Also reading Nora Roberts, “The Villa” – she is my romance novelist idol and for me, one who never fails to deliver a story where the characters stay in my memory long after I’ve finished the book.

Next on the list is, “Dark Fire” by C J Sansom – book two in his ongoing Shardlake series. Shardlake is a Tudor monk solving mysteries under the request of Thomas Cromwell, then Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and in the latest two books, Queen Catherine Parr. When I grow up, maybe I’ll be able to write stories of this caliber, lol!

You live in the English countryside, which elicits all kinds of romantic thoughts and ideas. What is it about the English countryside that is so romantic? What are some of your recommended destinations?

I think why the English countryside is so romantic is because it’s difficult to not be relaxed and happy in such surroundings. The UK is steeped in history and where I live, particularly so. I have Bath just a thirty minute drive in one direction and then the glorious Cotswolds villages and hamlets in the other. If I travel just a little further, I can be at Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Stratford-Upon-Avon or Avebury.

The opportunity to write fictional stories mixed with real-life events is rife, but I have yet to try. I’m sure I will once I have the courage and trust in myself and my research to get things absolutely right.

Writing romantic stories set in these places comes very naturally to me, purely because I feel romantic visiting and thinking about them. Of course, I know a lot of other writers who can think of nothing but creating murder mysteries when they visit the exact same destinations, lol!

Anything else you would like to add?

I LOVE connecting with my readers! PLEASE feel free to contact me anytime and I will respond as soon as I possibly can. I am an absolute Twitter enthusiast so that’s the best place to keep up with my day-to-day madness.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013.

16 Marsden Place with Omnific Publishing is her first romantic comedy since 2010.

She has just signed a further three-book contract with Harlequin Superromance.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England…although she hopes a dream visit to Canada might just change her mind!

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:

Website: http://rachelbrimble.com/

Blog: http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Brimble/181873201887441?fref=ts

16 Marsden Place

by Rachel Brimble

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BLURB:

There isn't a situation that can't be fixed by a coat of chocolate body paint or a liberal smear of Champagne Lick, right? Wrong!

Ever since her father was murdered by a gang of youths, Sienna Lloyd has named herself Potterford’s protector—her sexy lingerie shop is a place where the town’s women can visit and feel safe. But when that shop is in danger of closing, Sienna needs a solution that will keep her in Potterford, where she can always look out for her mother, friends, and clients.

The answer? Move the shop to her home at 16 Marsden Place. The problem? Her new neighbor, the delicious but seriously uptight Jack Beaton. Oh, and his four-year-old twin girls.

Jack has just moved to the tiny town of Potterford in a bid to start over. To build a new life that keeps his children safe from their violent and sex-crazed mother. So when he discovers his neighbor intends to open a sex shop right next door, Jack will do anything to ensure it doesn’t happen…including fighting every ounce of his attraction to the shop’s owner and his innate need to trust again.

~~Buy it on Amazon~~

 

Rachel will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!