Interview with Christy Carlyle + Giveaway
Christy Carlyle: A lot of emotion, I hope. The is a friends to lovers tale, yet it’s also a second chance love story. One of my favorite aspects of the novel is that both of my main characters are writers, and you get to see snippets of the heroine’s book throughout the novel in chapter headers. I hope readers will also get a taste of the late Victorian era. It was an exciting time.
Stella: I LOVE friends to lovers stories!! Could you introduce the hero and heroine to us? (maybe even include some quotes to give readers a taste of the characters and their chemistry)
Christy Carlyle: Ophelia Marsden is trying to hold her household together by tutoring young ladies in decorum, despite the fact that her own personal beliefs about women’s roles is a bit daring for the time period.
Kit Ruthven left duty behind years ago to a be an actor and playwright in London. When his father dies, he’s forced to go back home, face his responsibilities, and confront the young woman he left behind.
One of my favorite snippets just before their first (re) meeting is:
He was drawn to her like a lost man seeks the polestar.
Her face was the only one he longed to look upon again, her voice the only sound he needed to hear. Even if she shouted at him. And she probably would.
Stella: Could you whet our appetites for the story in Twitter-style (in 140 characters or less)?
Christy Carlyle: When the rogue who broke her heart returns, Ophelia must choose between the life she’s made and a love she’s never been able to extinguish.
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Adam Driver |
Christy Carlyle: Funny you should ask. :-) I actually had a very clear idea of my hero when writing this story and saw him as having the large, muscular physique and dark hair and eyes of Adam Driver, who’s probably best known for playing Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens. For my heroine, Elyse Levesque, a red-haired Canadian actress served as visual inspiration.
Stella: Would you like to share with us your future plans, what shall we be on the lookout next?
Christy Carlyle: Rules for a Rogue is the first in the Romancing the Rules series. Each story will feature a Ruthven sibling. So Rules is Kit’s story. Sophia’s will come next and it’s called A Study in Scoundrels. Last but not least, the youngest Ruthven, Clarissa, will get her happy ending in How to Woo a Wallflower.
Stella: After such a release I think it goes without saying that you must be a period drama fan. So tell us: what is your favourite Jane Austen novel? / Modern Jane Austen movie/TV series adaptation?
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Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley and Romola Garai as Emma |
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Lady Sybil Crawley |
Christy Carlyle: Lady Sybil Crawley. So much so that I stopped watching the show for a year after one particularly heartbreaking episode.
Stella: ... favourite British tradition?
Christy Carlyle: Just the absolute respect and appreciation for good tea. I live in the Pacific NW and truly love coffee, but there is nothing like an excellent cuppa.
Stella: Did you discover anything interesting/funny/weird during your research for the novel?
Christy Carlyle: So many things! I did a lot of research on Victorian etiquette books and 19th century theater, most of which never made it into the book, of course. I also had to teach myself (with an article from the New York Times Magazine and You Tube videos) how to skip rocks, which I’d only ever done poorly in my life. There is a rock skipping scene between Kit and Ophelia, and I wanted to get it right.
Stella: Wow, that's dedication! :-) Anything else you’d like to add? What can we be on the lookout for from you in the future?
Christy Carlyle: Well, in addition to my Victorian historical romance novels, I’m working on a project that’s a little different for me. My only slightly secret project Is a historical mystery set in Gilded Age Chicago. I’m hoping to have it finished early next year!
Book #1 in the Romancing the Rules series
Kit Ruthven's Rules (for Rogues)
#1 Love freely but guard your heart, no matter how tempting the invader.
#2 Embrace temptation, indulge your sensual impulses, and never apologize.
#3 Scorn rules and do as you please. You are a rogue, after all.
Rules never brought anything but misery to Christopher “Kit” Ruthven. After rebelling against his controlling father and leaving the family’s etiquette empire behind, Kit has been breaking every one imaginable for the past four years. He’s enjoyed London’s sensual pleasures, but he’s failed to achieve the success he craves as London’s premier playwright. When his father dies, Kit returns to the countryside and is forced back into the life he never wanted. Worse, he must face Ophelia Marsden, the woman he left behind years before.
After losing her father, Ophelia has learned to rely on herself. To maintain the family home and support her younger sister, she tutors young girls in deportment and decorum. But her pupils would be scandalized if they knew she was also the author of a guidebook encouraging ladies to embrace their independence.
As Kit rediscovers the life, and the woman, he left behind, Ophelia must choose between the practicalities she never truly believed in, or the love she’s never been able to extinguish.
About the author
Connect with Christy at her website - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads
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