Hi Wendy, and welcome. Tell us something about your adventure to this wonderful place we call Authorland.
Firstly thanks so much Jean for having me on your wonderful site!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I don’t know if I consider myself a writer yet but I think I began to feel a bit more comfortable with the title when I received my first contract in the post. It’s a funny occupation don’t you think? It’s not like training to be a Doctor or Architect, people don’t really take you seriously when you say you’re an aspiring writer, but when you’re published they immediately want a free copy of your book!
What inspired you to write your first book?
Actually it was a competition I was going to enter. They gave you a scenario and you had to begin your book there. Ballroom, handsome lord and a lady with a dangerous past. Funnily enough I never entered the competition but the book turned out well and went on to do great things in the Clendon competition.
What books have influenced your life most?
These Old Shades, by Georgette Heyer was the first historical set in the Regency Era I read. I remember thinking that it was like stepping into a different world (considering my previous reads had been Jill’s Pony Club) and I was pretty much hooked from that moment. I spent a lot of time reading Catherine Coulter but it was The Wyndam Legacy that really got to me. I loved the humour and dialogue and I wanted to write like that. There have been many others, Devil’s Bride - Stephanie Laurens, Fool For Love - Eloisa James, Devil In Winter – Lisa Kleypas and An Offer From A Gentleman – Julia Quinn. I love humour in my books and really sharp dialogue and all these ladies have that in their books.
What book are you reading now?
The Escape Diaries – by Juliet Rosetti. It’s a great read!
How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
I’ve written two contemporary and ten historical novels. Of course some of these will never see daylight but I think each one has helped me in some way to reach the point of publication. I wrote a book called Inauspicious Beginnings that I like a lot. The characters in this book were fun to create and developed in ways even I could never have imagined.
In which genre do you prefer to write and why?
Definitely historical, although contemporary is fun, I can’t see myself ever being really good at it.
You’ve recently signed with a publisher. Tell us about your writing journey before and after this point.
I had dabbled in sending out work and pitched a few times over the years but it was after I won the Clendon that I decided to get serious about being published. I was lucky enough to meet Sue Grimshaw, my wonderful editor from Random House, at the RWNZ conference in 2011. We got on very well straight away and I had actually done a cold read of a contemporary with her in the morning which she liked. When I pitched to her later, she asked about what else I had written and I told her about my historicals, and she said send me something. She loved THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS. Within two months she had requested the full manuscript and then she told me she wanted to buy it. The journey has been painless in all honesty, she’s very open and each step she’s been there with me. I know that there will be struggles ahead, but for a first book to go so smoothly I think I’ve been incredibly lucky.
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.
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.
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!
Visit my website: http://www.wendyvella.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorWendyVella
Email: wendy@wendyvella.com
THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS can be purchased from Random House INC http://www.randomhouse.com/book/221633/the-reluctant-countess-by-wendy-vella
Hi Wendy, thank you for sharing your publication journey with us. I also am a great fan of anything Georgette Heyer wrote (including her detective stories). Congratulations on your release, so exciting. Hope it sells squillions and such a fabulous way to end a year.
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