Friday, May 17, 2013

Reading Addiction Blog Tours: Jane Lark - Illict Love

Reading Addiction Blog Tours

In the beginning – where my story inspiration starts

My stories always begin with a single image in my head. I see a picture, and then as I see that picture I feel the emotion of the scene.
Illicit Love is inspired by the memoirs of a real 19th Century courtesan. When I read her story, I think it was the emotion expressed in her words which presented a picture in my mind’s eye.
I saw a woman, looking across at a young man, I felt how she was physically drawn to him, his looks attracted her, and she felt a hot, burning longing suddenly, yet there was pain inside her too, and a dead feeling. Edward’s and Ellen’s story unraveled from there.
The image above isn’t even in Harriette Wilson’s memoirs, so it isn’t her story, but then anything can stir the images in my head which go on to become a new plot for a book. The opening image of the book I’ve just begun working on was inspired by a Lady Gaga song. She was even singing about the opposite sex to the image her song suddenly threw into my mind.
Authors all have different inspirations, but I know there are other people who start a story with a single image.
Several years ago, when I’d first begun writing with a determination that one day I would have a novel published, I visited Lyme Regis in the UK. There’s a small museum there, commemorating the author, John Fowles, who wrote, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, and of course, this story was spun from the image he had of a woman standing at the end of the old harbor wall, as the skirt of her dress and her shawl blew sideward on the harsh sea breeze. From that picture, he crafted the story which had led her there.
Oh, I could share with you so many images hanging in my mind’s eyes, just waiting for their story to be written, but I shan’t because that would spoil the surprise when these books come out ;)
In the words of Harriette Wilson, the real 19th Century courtesan, who inspired Illicit Love, and then - and then - and then…

If you read, Illicit Love, I value feedback, so please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads, or any other site you like. You can also let other readers know what you think on the Illicit Love Book Club page I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for this chance to speak about how my stories begin.
Best wishes

Jane   





Historical Romance
Date Published-  5/2/13

Synopsis: 
Ellen Harding longs to be free of the life she is trapped in - her husband died at the battle of Waterloo 
and her family disowned her and now she lives under the reign of a cruel protector. When her eyes are 
drawn to a beautiful man for no other reason than his looks, she imagines escaping her chains for a 
night by giving her body to him – to a man of her choosing – even if only to infuriate her captor. 
But Edward Marlow is kind and gentle when he touches her and her subconscious whispers that this 
man could save her. Yet how can he help her when she has secrets which prevent her ever being free. 
She has too many battles to fight. 
Edward is restless, lonely and a little angry with his lot in life – it is his only excuse for being drawn to 
another man’s mistress. The woman’s dark hair and pale eyes are striking and he cannot take his gaze 
off of her while she watches him over the top of a fan with an illicit intent in her eyes. But once he’s 
known her he cannot forget her - and once he’s seen how brutal her protector is, how can leave her 
with the man? But she will not run anymore than she will speak of her past, so how can he help her…

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