Scandal’s Bride by Pamela Gibson
Please welcome Pamela Gibson author of Scandal’s Bride
Pamela Gibson will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Scandal’s Bride
by Pamela Gibson
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GENRE: Historical (Regency)
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INTERVIEW:
- What or who inspired you to start writing?
We talk about “inciting incidents” in our books, events that had a lasting effect on our hero or heroine and helped shape their personalities going forward. For me the inciting event in my life was the death of my little brother when I was six years old. I became quiet, introspective, and spent more and more time alone. My companions were inanimate objects like interestingly shaped perfume bottles, colorful spools of thread, even marbles. I made up stories for them, spending hours arranging pencils into rooms and giving objects names and adventures. When I became old enough to write down those stories, I did, alternating between writing and reading because books were also my friends. I know now storytelling was a form of therapy. It still is.
- How did you come up with ideas for your book
When I got serious about writing romance novels I lived in the Northern California wine country. Most of my friends were either involved in professional winemaking or were amateurs and my husband and I soon got caught up in the wine culture. We planted red zinfandel, petite syrah, and sauvignon blanc grapevines on our property and eventually made wine as amateurs. Our experiences, and those of our friends, taught me a lot and gave me much material for my Love in Wine Country contemporary series. Other elements came from my work in city government, competitive sailboat racing, and reading headlines from local news outlets.
For Scandal’s Bride, I wanted two of the characters in the previous book, Scandal’s Child, to have their own story. I’d always wanted to write a marriage of convenience trope and these two gave me a way to do it. Gwen needs to escape an unwanted suitor; John needs money for his inherited estate and must marry a woman with a dowry. Elements from the first book had a natural place in this one. From there I think of things as I write. I am a true “pantser.”
- What expertise did you bring to your writing?
As I said earlier, it seems like writing has been part of my life for a long time. But my first paid job as a writer was for my local newspaper when I was in high school. I wrote a weekly column and an occasional feature story. I continued to work in the newspaper business all through college and graduate school, majoring in history. I dabbled in fiction, writing best-forgotten short stories, but I had honed my non-fiction skills by then. My first contracted book was a history of Orange County, California, in honor of its one hundredth anniversary. I wrote a total of eight history books before joining Romance Writers of America, entering contests, and generally honing my fiction skills. I had to “unlearn” a lot. Non-fiction is about telling a factual story. In fiction we show, we don’t tell.
As for the Regency period, I really cannot call myself an expert. I’ve read hundreds of books, have gleaned information from writers I trust, and in the past couple of years joined the Beau Monde chapter of RWA, a group that has experts and many resources. I’ve made mistakes, but my readers have been very forgiving.
- What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
In 2006 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I underwent surgery and radiation, but the tumor was small and hadn’t spread, so I didn’t have to go through chemotherapy. This experience taught me the value of getting that annual mammogram. It saved my life and allowed me to be cancer free thereafter. I urge all women to pay attention to their bodies and take care of themselves.
- As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
Every year in January I figure out my goals for the year. I’m one book short of completing 2019. I hoped to complete two long historical romances—Scandal’s Bride and Return of the Fox—plus one contemporary novella, and one contemporary novel. I’ve done the first three, but I have yet to finish the contemporary novel, the sixth book in my Love in Wine Country series, which is half done. Next year’s goals will be similar: one novella, the third book in my Regency series, and the third book in my Early California series. If possible, I may begin a non-fiction book called Confessions of a White-Knuckle Cruising Spouse, a chronicle of my five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot boat that took eight months.
- If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?
I’d like to be Gwen, the heroine in Scandal’s Bride. She’s spunky, spontaneous, optimistic, unconventional, and eager for new adventures, a woman who is probably my opposite. We are alike only in our love of books and pets and our occasional plunge into insecurity. Gwen, who needed to marry in haste to escape an unwanted fiancé, was willing to trust her new husband who promised her independence. In that time period this was almost unheard of and would have attracted her—and me. Women today have the opportunity to get to know their future husbands before they marry them; in Gwen’s time, that was rarely the case, but in the end she made it work.
- Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
When I first joined RWA’s San Francisco chapter, they encouraged members to find critique partners. Sharon Hamilton, who is now a prolific best-selling author, lived near me so she and I became partners, submitting a chapter a week, and meeting every Thursday to discuss our work. We did this for years, giving each other insights which we could accept or reject (but mostly accepted). She was starting her successful SEAL series and I was trying both contemporary and historical writing. Sharon writes very steamy sex scenes and I was a bit shy so she helped me get over my embarrassment. I treasure those years with Sharon and to this day, although we live very far apart now, we still occasionally consult one another. My new RWA chapter is the Las Vegas RWA and a critique group I attended gave wonderful advice as I was writing Scandal’s Bride. A group is a little less specific and more general in comments, but still quite valuable.
- When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
At my first RWA national convention I signed up for pitching. Needless to say, I was not ready. I fumbled and stuttered and was aghast that the editor asked for a partial. My chapter members—San Francisco RWA—had lots of successful authors in it at the time and were very encouraging. I did not sell, but kept working on my craft and my presentation for subsequent conventions. At one point, after years of being unsuccessful and not even getting a response, I decided to give it one last shot. I went on line and submitted an entire manuscript to Entangled Publishing which promised a response whether yea or nay. Two months later I had a contract for A Kiss of Cabernet, my first Love in Wine Country novel, along with a contract for A Touch of Chardonnay, which they had not yet seen. Thanks to Stacy Cantor Abrams and Liz Pelletier, my career was launched.
- Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I’m a pantser. I start with a vague outline in my mind of what the book is about, I have a good picture of what the hero and heroine’s struggles will be, and I begin writing. I work hardest on the first chapter. Once I get it down, I’m off and running. Of course, the real work begins when I have a first draft. I go through the draft about eight times before sending it to an editor.
- Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to write a series.
I write three series at the moment. One is the Love in Wine Country novels, tied together with wine in each title and recurring characters who are part of the same family. The first three books are about the Reynoso sisters from Napa Valley, and the second three books are about the Reynoso brothers who are their cousins. My Love in Wine Country novellas—four in print and one due to be released in November—are set in the fictional town of Santa Marta on the northern California coast. A few characters from the novels appear in these books, too.
My second series is the scandal series which actually began as a stand-alone. When Scandal’s Child was released, readers asked for Gwen’s story. Scandal’s Bride is the result. A third book, based on a character in both books, is underway.
The series of my heart and expertise is the Mission Belles series, set in the early California Rancho period, prior to, during, and after the war between the United States and Mexico. Although the first book—Shadow of the Fox— didn’t get much traction, I have hopes for the sequel which will be released after Shonda Rhimes new Netflix series airs. Called Pico and Sepulveda, the Netflix series also takes place during California’s romantic rancho period. I have a third book planned for the Mission Belles series, too, but I haven’t started it yet.
The main problem most writers have when writing a series is keeping track of the characters, their physical description, their whereabouts, and the setting details. I always reread the last book before starting a new one. So far, so good.
- Anything else you might want to add?Thank you so much for having me today. I enjoyed this.
BLURB:
Marry in haste…
Lady Gwendolyn Pettigrew longs to be a mother, but refuses to marry the lecherous old fool her father has found for her. When her best friend convinces her to consider her husband’s younger brother as a suitable candidate, Gwen agrees to a marriage of convenience, hoping against hope that her dream of becoming a mother will have a chance.
The Hon. John Montague, a penniless younger son, is handsome, witty, and thrilled that a woman with a dowry has agreed to wed him. Best of all she’s a fiercely independent bluestocking, a woman who won’t want to bother with a family. Because John has a shocking secret. He’s vowed never to bring a child into the world, a child who, like his own mother, might carry the strain of madness.
As secrets unfold, tension grows, threatening the fragile bonds they’ve forged. Worse, someone wants them to abandon their home and leave Yorkshire, and they’ll stop at nothing to make it happen.
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EXCERPTS (Please choose only ONE to use with your post):
Excerpt One:
“May I come in?”
A frisson of excitement made every nerve ending tingle in anticipation. Did he want to consummate their marriage tonight? She looked down at her serviceable white cotton nightgown with its high neck and long sleeves. She’d put it on because it was heavy and warm. If she’d known John would be joining her in her bed, she would have left her hair loose and worn the pretty gown Miranda had given her as a wedding gift.
Oh Lord, oh Lord.
She let out the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she called out, “Come in.”
He poked his head through the door. His coat and waistcoat were off, and his cravat was in his hand. He looked mussed and adorable.
“I want to apologize for my behavior. I shouldn’t have run off like I did. I was feeling . . . ill-tempered . . . and didn’t want to subject you to my mood. I promise not to do it again.”
She peeked over the top of her covers. “You are forgiven. But I must say I was worried about you. Where did you go?”
“I rode toward the village, turned around, and came back. I gave my horse a good gallop and then a rub down in the stable.”
“I see.” She paused, not knowing what else to say.
He smiled. “We’ll play whist tomorrow night. I know you enjoy the game.”
“I shall look forward to it.”
“Good night, Gwen.” He closed the door firmly, and his footsteps echoed down the hall.
Why were her eyes filling with tears?
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Author of eight books on California history and twelve romance novels, Pamela Gibson is a former City Manager who lives in the Nevada desert. Having spent the last three years messing about in boats, a hobby that included a five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot Nordic Tug, she now spends most of her time indoors happily reading, writing, cooking and keeping up with the antics of her gran-cats, gran-dog, and gran-fish. Sadly, the gran-lizard went to his final reward. If you want to learn more about her activities go to https://www.pamelagibsonwrites.com and sign up for her blog and quarterly newsletter. Or follow her in these places:
Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/profile/pamela-gibson
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Twitter: www.twitter.com/pamgibsonwrites
Website: www.pamelagibsonwrites.com
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/pamgibsonwrites
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Pamela-Gibson/e/B00MKVB4XE
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Pamela Gibson will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER CODE
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