Thank you,
Melissa, for having me here today.
Georgie,
thank you for being my guest today!
Tell us a
little more about yourself, including three things not many people know about you.
Three things
people may not know about me are:
- My all time
favorite TV show is Absolutely Fabulous. I own the series on DVD. Every episode
cracks me up.
- My favorite
ice cream flavor is Medieval Madness from Thrifty.
- My favorite
guilty pleasure is buying jewelry. I love sparkly things.
When did you
start writing?
I grew up
writing many different things including poetry, short stories and screenplays.
I wrote a short story for a contest in sixth grade. At the time, I was
fascinated by Greek mythology so I created a myth about the Greek gods and the
creation of the silver swan constellation. The story won first prize.
My
professional writing career began at a small cable TV station in San Diego
where I wrote marketing videos and public service announcements. I’d always
dreamed of being a screenwriter, so I moved to Los Angeles and earned my MA in
screenwriting. Despite my best efforts, screenwriting success proved a little
elusive (OK, a LOT elusive). I’d always read romance novels and so I thought to
myself, heck, I can write a romance novel. So I did. The first draft wasn’t
pretty, but I learned a lot during the revision process. That story went on to
become Lady’s Wager, a Regency romance and my first published novel.
Tell us about your latest release and what you
think readers will enjoy about it.
My next
release is Hero’s Redemption, a Regency romance that will be available July 29th
from Carina Press. In Hero’s Redemption, a widow and a war hero brought together
by a scheme must learn to trust one another and accept the tragedy that links
them in order to find love.
I think
readers will love the conflicted relationship between the hero and heroine. The
main characters have to deal with a lot of angst and emotion, not to mention a
plot to kill the hero, on the way to their happily ever after.
If someone
were to play one of your characters in a movie, which character and what actor
would it be and why?
I would love
for Richard Armitage to play Devon, the Earl of Malton, my hero from Hero’s
Redemption. Richard Armitage gave such a riveting performance in North and
South as a tormented man in love, that I think he would be perfect to help
bring Hero’s Redemption to the screen.
What’s you’re writing process? Has it changed
since writing your first book?
I used to be
a pantser, but now that I’ve sold to Harlequin Historical, I sit down and write
a summary and work on my characters before I get too far into a story. I
usually start with a specific scene in mind and then build the story out from
there. Having a summary really helps me make the best use of my writing time.
Do you
listen to music when you write and if so, what kind of music – or do you find
it distracts you?
I can’t write
and listen to music at the same time. I find it is too distracting. However, I will use music to brainstorm.
Soundtracks from movies set in the time period I’m writing in are usually the
most helpful.
What is your favorite source of inspiration?
I love reading non-fiction history books and
they are my greatest source of inspiration. So many times a single line from a
true event in history will spark a “what if?” moment and an entire story.
Is there any
advice, as a new writer, that you were either given, or wish you had been given? The best advice I can give new writers is to
keep trying and don’t give up. There were many years where I was writing
and nothing was being published and then all of a sudden, one day, all the hard
work began to pay off. It’s a long term
career so you can’t let setbacks make you give up.
What sort of
research do you do for your books?
I tend to
research as I write, unless there is a large “could this scenario really have
happened?” element to my novel. I especially use research when a story becomes
stuck. While I was writing my upcoming Harlequin Historical, Engagement of
Convenience, I was three-quarters of the way through the first draft when the
story stalled. Thanks to a little inspiration from a history-themed daily desk
calendar and some research, I was able to get the story back on track.
I use both
secondary and primary sources for research depending on the level of detail
that I need for a story. Secondary sources don’t always go into enough detail
because they are covering too broad a topic. I review primary sources to get to
more of the nitty-gritty of daily life.
Hero’s Redemption
by Georgie Lee
London, 1817
Devon, the Earl of Malton, is a hero
for his deeds at the Battle of Waterloo. But he suffers terrible nightmares,
and drinks himself to sleep most nights. A habit he vows to break when he
awakes one morning to find a woman sharing his bed, no memory of how she got there,
and her angry brother at his door.
Cathleen is mortified when her
wastrel brother and his greedy wife propose a blackmail scheme involving the
earl, but as a penniless war widow she's at their mercy. She goes along with
the plan and sneaks into Devon's bed one night, and ends up comforting him
through a night terror.
Charmed by her beauty and kindness,
Devon determines that rather than pay the blackmail, he will offer his hand in
marriage to Cathleen. Although she is deeply attracted to the stoic earl,
Cathleen cannot understand why Devon would want to marry her. What she doesn't
know is that Devon owes her a debt that can never fully be repaid…
Available for purchase at:
Author's Bio:
A dedicated history and film buff,
Georgie Lee loves combining her passion for Hollywood, history and storytelling
through romantic fiction. She began writing professionally at a small TV
station in San Diego before moving to Las Angeles to work in the interesting
but strange world of the entertainment industry.
Her first novel, Lady’s Wager, and
her contemporary novella, Rock ‘n’ Roll Reunion are both available from
Ellora’s Cave Blush. Labor Relations, a contemporary romance of Hollywood, and
Studio Relations, a love story set in 1935 Hollywood, are currently available
from Montlake Romance. Look for her Regency novella, Hero’s Redemption from
Carina Press on July 29, 2013, and her Regency novel, Engagement of
Convenience, from Harlequin Historical on October 1, 2013.
When not writing, Georgie enjoys
reading non-fiction history and watching any movie with a costume and an
accent. Please visit www.georgie-lee.com for more information about
Georgie and her novels.
Where can
readers find you on the internet?
Twitter: @GeorgieLeeBooks
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