Interview & Giveaway with Vanessa Kelly

With book titles like "Sex and the Single Earl", it's no wonder why I am jumping up and down in my computer seat to announce todays special guest! Vanessa Kelly's latest release features a main male character that's not necessarily plucked from the same well-worn path other historical heroes come from . He's not a Lord or Duke, He's a DOCTOR! Imagine a hot Gyno with McDreamy tendencies and you can see what type of a fix this puts our advantageous-marriage-minded heroine in! But without further adieu, let's get to chatting and learning more about my special guest!:


About The Author:

Vanessa Kelly was born and raised in New Jersey, but eventually migrated north to Canada. She holds a Master's Degree in English from Rutgers University, and went on to attend the Ph.D. program in English Literature at the University of Toronto. Alas, she didn't finish her degree, but she did spend many happy hours studying the works of 18th century British authors and writing about the madness of King George III. Vanessa now devotes her time to writing historical romance, and hopes that her readers will find her books as much fun to read as they were to write. She currently lives in Ottawa with her husband. You can visit her on the web at www.vanessakellyauthor.com.Source

Find Vanessa Online: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Latest Release:

Spirited, stubborn, and entirely irresistible...

She is difficult, demanding, and at times, quite fierce. And Dr. John Blackmore can’t take his eyes off her. The Countess of Randolph is the most striking woman he has ever seen...and the most infuriating patient he has ever tended.

Mired in responsibility, Bathsheba doesn’t have time to convalesce in the country. She should be in London, hunting for a wealthy new lover to pay off her late husband’s vast debts, not dallying with a devastatingly handsome doctor.

But it is only a matter of time until the good doctor and the obstinate countess will have to contend with the sparks that fly between them. Once their bodies surrender, their hearts may follow...

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The Interview:

RJ: Hey Vanessa! Welcome to Not Another Romance Blog. I am so excited to have you on! Congrats on your latest release, ‘My Favorite Countess’ (from Kensington Books, May 3rd, 2011). After publishing 3 single novels and a story in an anthology, have you gotten used to the anticipation that goes along with waiting out a new release or was it easier to handle this time around?

VK: It never gets old to see one of my books on the shelves! I am getting a bit used to it, though, so I don’t really get stressed out anymore. I just try to enjoy the day, and once the release date is past I get back to working on my next manuscript.

RJ: Your latest has a fresh twist to it: The male protagonist is a doctor. In my opinion, hot regency doctors haven’t gotten nearly as much ‘screen time’ as they deserve in romance novels. Why did you stray away from the traditional Lords of the House and go with a doctor as your Hero in this book?
VK: I do love writing about aristocratic alpha males, but sometimes it’s good to shake things up. Doctors have always been hot in TVs and movies, and they make great heroes (see Dr. McDreamy!). My idea stemmed from wanting to create a good match for my heroine, Bathsheba, who is rather arrogant, and aristocratic down to her fingertips. I needed someone to challenge her assumptions and make her realize that she could live her life a different way. A crusading slum doctor seemed just the ticket. Plus, researching Regency medicine was really interesting.

RJ: Let’s get straight down to it; what is ‘My Favorite Countess’ all about? 

VK: My heroine, Bathsheba, is a widowed countess, desperately in need of money for reasons that need to remain secret. She’s on the lookout for a rich titled husband, and the last person she wants to fall in love with is a doctor who’s more interested in helping the poor than in advancing his career as a physician to the rich and titled. But John has a few secrets, too, which makes it even harder for Bathsheba to imagine a life with him. These two really fall hard for each other, but they’ll both have to make significant sacrifices if they want to be together. But that’s what partly love is about, right?

RJ: Your heroine, Bathsheba, was actually a villain in your last book, ‘Sex and the Single Earl’. How did you go about ‘humanizing’ her in ‘My Favorite Countess’ and making her into a character readers could like-or even love- by the time they reached the last page?
VK: The first thing I did was reveal her backstory, which explained much of her behavior and why she acted so badly in Sex And The Single Earl. She also feels quite guilty about her past, and although Bathsheba is convinced she had no other choice in acting as she did, she really wants to atone for past sins. My Favorite Countess is a redemption story. Can someone who makes mistakes or behaved badly actually turn her life around? I think so, and that’s what I wanted to do with Bathsheba – show her journey to redemption and her personal growth.

RJ: You simply must tell me more about your main characters! John and Bathsheba seem like complete opposites. John (from what I gleaned) is a kind doctor who will go out of his way to help any patient- rich or poor. Bathsheba-at first glance- seems to be a mercenary character interested only in making a good match and doesn’t care who or how she has to hurt to get it. What is the true character of these two and how are they able to work together as a couple?
VK: With John, it’s pretty much what you see is what you get. He’s a great guy, although he does carry a burden of guilt from some mistakes he made in his younger days. Bathsheba, on the other hand, didn’t start out as the person she appears to be at the beginning of the book. She was actually a sweet, rather shy girl when she married her first husband. That marriage significantly changed her, as you find out in the course of the story. But Bathsheba’s motivations have never been entirely selfish. In fact, they are grounded in wanting to protect her family and the people who depend on her. In that way, she’s much like John.

RJ: I must touch on your choice for character names real quick. John is a nice, common, and popular name while Bathsheba is one I haven’t seen around in historicals that much. Is there a story behind the choice of her name or was it something fun and different you just wanted to go with?
VK: I think it’s an unconscious tribute to Loretta Chase, who named her heroine Bathsheba in Lord Perfect. I also think it really fit my heroine’s rather bold and sexy character.

RJ: I think secondary characters are sometimes the unsung heroes in a story. Great main characters are a must, but authors who put the time into making loveable or even detestable secondary characters as well offer a better-rounded story for us readers. That being said, I’d love to know the name and a little about a secondary character from ‘My Favorite Countess’.
VK: I absolutely agree with you about secondary characters, and I spend a lot of time on them in my books. The most important secondary characters in My Favorite Countess are Meredith and Stephen, the hero and heroine of my first book, Mastering The Marquess. As you can imagine, they were pretty easy to write about since I knew them so well. But I also have a number of characters who are John’s patients and who live in the slums. They were really interesting to work on because I wanted them to be sympathetic and intelligent, and not stereotypes of what we might think poor people were like during the Regency. One of them is a little flower girl named Bess, and I love her. She’s cheerful and strong, and plays a key role in helping John and Bathsheba out of a sticky situation.

RJ: What were some interesting tid-bits you picked up while researching or something quirky that you incorporated into the story?

VK: I was absolutely fascinated by the history of midwifery, and how starkly terrifying it could be to give birth back in the Regency period. There were many accomplished doctors and midwives but, boy! Things could go very wrong. The climax of My Favorite Countess incorporates some of that in what I think is a very dramatic scene.

RJ: The writing process differs from author to author. Some are planners, and others just jump right in. Some consider themselves evening writers, while others need daylight and a park bench or a coffee shop to set the mood for creativity; what’s YOUR writing process and atmosphere like?

VK: I need order, and lots of peace and quiet! I’m a huge plotter, and spend several weeks putting together a notebook that includes a full outline, character biographies, a plot chart, family trees, and just about everything but the kitchen sink. And I’m definitely a daylight person.

RJ: Besides anything reading or writing related, what are 5 things you can’t live without?
VK: My husband, my family, my friends, coffee, and TV.

RJ: What can the readers expect in stores and on the shelves next by you?
VK: Later this month I’ll be releasing a Regency short story in e-book form, called His Wicked Revenge. It was really fun writing that, and I think it’s a very cute, sexy story. I’m also hard at work on my next book, which is a Christmas story and will wrap up my series.

RJ: Final Question: What is something shocking or interesting about you that the readers may not know?

VK: I can’t really tell you, because it would get me in a lot of trouble!

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RJ: Thanks once again for stopping by and sharing! I can’t wait to read ‘My Favorite Countess’! Best wishes!

~*~Giveaway Details~*~

Vanessa Kelly has generously offered to giveaway a copy of her latest historical romance, 'My Favorite Countess' to (1) one lucky commenter! She asks that to be eligible for the giveaway, simply tell her in the comments which new books you're most looking forward to reading in May or remark (meaningfully) on the interview.  The giveaway will end on June 3rd and the winner will be announced and contacted shortly thereafter.

*Please leave an email address in your comment so that you can be contacted if you're chosen as the winner.