Monday, September 2, 2013

Bewitching Book Tours Interview: Wendy Watson - Once Upon A Wallflower



What made you set Once Upon A Wallflower in Regency England?

I love the Regency period for all its contrasts.  First, you have the romanticism of the English countryside in contrast with the smoggy, smoky, poverty of London.  More intriguing is the prudish social rules for young women in contrast with the skimpy clothes and debauchery among the married folks.  As a writer, I feel like I’m getting away with something when I focus on the Jane Austen side of that society when I know that Regency England was rife with all the social and political problems we face today.

What made you want to write mystery?

Turns out, I can’t write much of anything without a dead body smack in the middle of it.  Mystery offers an intellectual puzzle that balances nicely with the emotional puzzle of love.  Even when I’m writing cozy mysteries, though, where romance isn’t required, I always include a thread of romance.  As much as I love that dead body, I love the nuances of emotional conflict, too.

The romance and the mystery are the constants in my books, but everything else varies.  I write historical, cozy, and contemporary stories, but those two elements are always present.


Across genres, series novels are very popular, why do you think that is?

As a reader, I love series.  I love getting to know the cast of characters.  Even when a hero and heroine have a happily ever after, it’s natural to wonder what happens next for them.  When you know they’ll be back in another book, it’s easier to invest in them.  When you pick up the next book in the series, it feels like coming home.


What is your favorite genre to read?

Honestly, I couldn’t name a single genre.  My reading tastes are wildly eclectic.  I read hard science fiction, historical romance, traditional mysteries, suspense (romantic or otherwise), thrillers, and even the occasional work of literary fiction.

What is on your TBR pile right now?

I’ve preordered “Burning Paradise” by my favorite sci-fi author, Robert Charles Wilson.  On the cozy front, I just finished “A Custom Fit Crime” by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, and I’m about to start “Cloche and Dagger” by Jen McKinlay.  For my historical romance fix, I’m looking to my fellow Entangled author Robyn DeHart and her new release “A Little Bit Scandalous.”


What is next for you?

I have another historical romantic mystery in the works, and a contemporary romantic caper that will be released one way or another next year.  I’m also writing a new cozy series, the Pet Boutique Mysteries, under the name Annie Knox; the first is out this January.  And despite that day job that’s demanding my time, I just submitted a proposal for yet another cozy series.



Once Upon A Wallflower
Wendy Watson

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Date of Publication: 8-12-13

ISBN: 978-1-62266-235-7
ASIN: B00DXJCQ5W

Number of pages: 178


Book Description:

A Perennial Wallflower…

When Mira Fitzhenry’s guardian arranges her engagement to one of the most scandalous lords to ever grace the peerage, all of society is abuzz. After all, the man has left a trio of dead young women in his wake, including his first fiancée. But Mira doesn’t see a killer in Nicholas’s moonlight eyes, and she resolves to find the real murderer before the wedding.

A Gothic Villain…

Expecting to scare the chit away within five minutes of meeting him, scarred and brooding Nicholas, the Viscount Ashfield, is intrigued by Mira’s tenacious resolve to prove his innocence. She’s not put off by his imposing appearance, but his family’s dark secrets mean he cannot let her get close.

As the wedding approaches, Nicholas and Mira grow ever closer, yet so does the danger.Will the truth bring Nicholas and Mira together or tear their love apart?





About the Author:

Wendy Lyn Watson writes mysteries of all types: contemporary, historical, and cozy. Whatever the time or the tone, her mysteries always feature a dose of humor and a dollop of romance. Her first cozy series, the Mysteries a la Mode, feature the owner of an ice cream parlor in a small Texas town.

Once Upon a Wallflower, due to be released in August of 2013, is a Regency-set romantic mystery. While Wendy does not commit (or solve) mysteries in real life, she can kill a pint of ice cream in nothing flat. She also enjoys 80s music, Asian horror films, quilting, and vegetarian cooking.

While she was born in Ohio and has called half a dozen states home, she currently lives in a college town in North Texas along with her husband and their three cats (Iphy, Squeak-a-Doodle, and Todd Baryshnikov).

She loves to hear from readers, so find her on Facebook at @wendylynwatsonauthor.





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2 comments:

Anna (herding cats-burning soup) said...

I really enjoy the contrasts the time period presents as well. Makes things so interesting. I've got this one on my tbr pile :)

Publius said...

Thanks, Herding Cats! (Love the handle, by the way.) Hope you enjoy Once Upon a Wallflower!

 
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