Hello Dawn and
welcome to Adventures in Authorland. Please get comfortable and tell us about
your adventure.
In which genre
do you prefer to write and why?
Historical
romance is my genre of choice. I prefer
to write about Brits in the late 1700’s because there was so much going on
during that period: crazy King George, loss of the colonies, the French
revolution, the English attempts to control Scotland and Ireland. That time
also offered a veritable plethora of rules. Unlike today, society was steeped in
what was “proper.” So of course I have
my characters defy convention to achieve my favorite part of a book “and they
lived happily ever after.”
Besides, it’s
exhilarating to take a hero and heroine who don’t appear, on the surface, to
have anything in common and gradually show my readers why they are perfect for
one another. The uncertainty and
mistakes men and women make when they first fall in love can run the gamut of
emotions from heart rending to very funny. And, being human, romance is a
subject we can all relate to on some level.
When you are
not writing, what are your hobbies, passions, etc.?
I am an eternal
student, so I’m never at a loss for something to do. We just got back from
Pennsic War where I’ve discovered a number of hobbies over the years. (Try
searching the internet for the SCA, or Pennsic War if you’d like to see pictures.) The
workshops at this event have piqued my interest in: the harp, woodcarving,
gardening, weaving, working in metal-just to name a few. Of course, I can also
discover what I’m not suited for, such as falconry. My instructor informed us
you needed to be with the birds 24/7 and feed them small pieces of animals.
(Yuck) He was also helping to band a Golden Eagle when the bird put its talons
through his forearm. The other two men couldn’t pry the talons apart, so he had
to play dead to encourage the bird to let go. That hobby falls into the “too
perilous” category for me.
Do you have
any advice for new writers beginning their adventure?
Read-in all
genres, then take classes to hone your skill.
You’ll discover each genre has its conventions and until you know what
they are, and have mastered the “rules” of writing, you need to stay within the
guidelines. That said, once you know what is expected, then you can do the
unexpected-but only with good reason. Most writing “rules” were established to
help the reader stay connected to your characters and story. And as with anything else: practice,
practice, practice.
What inspired
you to write your first book?
I couldn’t find a
lot of the books that I like to read. (I enjoy fast-paced historical with
whimsy and clever repartee.) I’ve done some acting and I remember thinking I
can play all the characters and tell my kind of story. I’d had Alex and Declan’s plot (Love’s
Guardian) in my head for several years and I finally decided to put it down on
paper. Funny thing is, once I started
to write them they took on a life of their own. Probably because I picture the
scenes in my head, much like a movie.
If you could
have any super hero power, what would it be?
Come on guys, you
can probably guess my longed for super power from my answers to the other
questions. I’d like to be able to travel through time at will. Of course, I
only want to visit a time period with hazards like the black plague for
research purposes, and I’d make sure I had the appropriate shots before I went.
Oh, and I’d make it a point to give rats a wide berth. (Thereby avoiding their
fleas.)
Who are some
of your favorite authors?
I enjoy authors
who do history with a light touch, such as Teresa Medeiros and Julia Quinn.
It’s the amusing repartee between the hero and heroine, combined with the
character’s ability to find herself/himself in an unexpected predicament that
keeps me looking for their books.
And my dark side
enjoys paranormals such as Christine Feehan’s “Carpathian” series and Karen
Moning’s “Fever” series. I love alpha males, and these two authors take “alpha”
to a whole new level.
Can you give
us some details about your upcoming releases?
I rarely work on
two manuscripts at a time, let alone three, but that’s what I’m doing at the
moment. I’m nearly finished with MORGAN’S FOLLY, the third in my “Georgian”
series. (Love’s Guardian and THE PERFECT DUKE are the first two.) I’m
also writing two Highland time-travel stories. A short tale entitled A
HIGHLANDER FOR CHRISTMAS that will be in the Soul Mate Publishing Christmas
Anthology, and a full-length tale entitled A Highland Yearning that will
continue Highland Sons: the Mackay Saga. The Highland saga is wrapped
around the Mackays and the legend surrounding the “Ring of Belief.” Below are a few lines from A HIGHLAND
YEARNING:
***
Caden stopped Ariel as she passed;
his touch on her arm disconcerting. “Lass, you never asked my name.”
She sighed and rubbed Scruffy’s good ear. “That’s
because, if you aren’t an illusion, you’re Caden Mackay, of the clan Mackay. It
must the late 1700’s, and I suspect it’s before that blasted painting because
in the portrait you’re wearing the imaginary ring.”
“Ye don’t ken it’s 1775?”
“No, I don’t, because you see, I don’t belong here.”
His assessing gaze bored into her. “Aye lass, ye
don’t.”
Blurb for THE PERFECT DUKE:
Known as The Marble Duke amongst the Ton, Garret
Weston, the Duke of Kendal sets himself apart from his peers. Nothing will
hinder his guilt-driven attempt to become a “perfect” duke. Nothing that is, save the alluring and
imaginative betrothed he’d thought dead. His intended believes-of all things- that she is a Vicar’s
daughter. The “perfect” duke needs a “perfect” duchess, but how was he to
discern her suitability? Employing her as governess to his niece seemed like an
ideal solution. But whose “suitability” is being tested? His betrothed refuses
to see he is beyond redemption. And most grievous of all, she stirs his blood,
making him forget what’s important.
Cara believes fairy tales really can come
true, until she meets the unrelenting and arrogant Duke of Kendal. He looks
like a Prince, but acts like a Beast. Why must he challenge her at every turn?
Her greatest peril is her attraction to the vulnerable, seductive man behind
the title. A match between them would be impossible. But can she show him,
without losing her heart, that “perfect” is a matter of perception?
BIO – Dawn
Ireland-Monsees
“Once Upon a Time” are four of Dawn’s favorite words. Her
love of story became a love of romance when she read Georgette Heyer’s, Devil’s Cub. It inspired her to write
stories with strong characters that discover love is never easy, but always
worthwhile. Dawn’s written several award-winning novels set in Georgian England
– an era filled with rules and intrigue. Her characters often defy “Society” as
they pursue love, run away, pursue, run away – well, you get the idea.
Then again, she might write romance in order to do the research. What
other profession encourages you to sit in the audience at Harlequin’s Male
Model search, and take notes, or just sigh?
Dawn lives in a Victorian home in Upstate New York with her husband and
very independent cats. When she’s not writing, she’s singing, gardening,
learning to play the harp or wood carving. If you’d like to learn more about
Dawn and her novels, go to her website at www.dawn-ireland.com
For the full
scene, go to my website at www.dawn-ireland.com
You can also find
me on Facebook, Twitter and www.smpauthors.wordpress.com
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