It was my search for blogs of moms who had a child with Cerebral Palsy that led me initially to Heidi's Blog Dunhaven Place, but it was Heidi herself who has kept me an obsessed reader. She continuously keeps me in stitches with her rants and raves of daily life in her house, and her anticipation of her brand new novel Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind . See Heidi is not only mother extraordinaire, she is also an author with her first book due to hit shelves any day now.
The Synapses for Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind on Amazon reads:
"A dashing rogue and a fiery heroine spar in Ashworth's charming Regency-era historical romance debut. Sir Anthony Crenshaw reluctantly accompanies Ginny Delacourt into the countryside at the request of his grandmother, who is trying to play matchmaker. But Crenshaw's mask of etiquette drives the spitfire Delacourt mad, and they can barely stand each other. When highwaymen accost the pair and force them to seek shelter at a local estate, they meet Lucinda Barrington and Lord Avery, lovers destined to marry, if only they can get past their foolish need for drama. Crenshaw and Delacourt begin to fall for each other, though their courtship is complicated by the attentions of both Barrington and Avery. The subplot involving Lord Avery and Lucinda Barrington elevates Ashworth's story above the genre's usual fare and the couple is a natural foil to Delacourt and Crenshaw. Their presence provides genre fans the opportunity to laugh at familiar circumstances taken to absurd extremes"
I got the chance to ask Heidi a few questions myself that I was curious about. Here is a portion of that interview.
What draws you to the Regency romance era?
My first true literature reading experience was with fantasy such as Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Pretty much most of what I read has an element of fantasy in it, whether it be a murder mystery, historical fiction about the royalty of Europe or regency romance. There is something very Cinderella-fairy-tale about regency romance. It all goes back to Elizabeth Bennet, a member of the gentility, snagging the noble Fitzwilliam Darcy in spite of his aunt, the wicked "step-mother". Contemporary romance bores me (with a few exceptions) and romances set in other time periods just don't hold the same appeal for me as a regency. A regency romance has certain rules that must be followed or it is not a regency. It is a smart book written for a smart audience. The time, place and conventions of the day are almost a "character" unto itself and it's a "character" I am willing to read about again and again.
Would Ginny fit in well with modern day women?
Yes. I think that is one of the things that is appealing about Ginny. She defies the conventions of the day and insists on a relationship built on true communication. It is very out of character for the time period, however, so was Elizabeth Bennet
What inspired you to put yourself out there as an author?
I have wanted to be a writer since I was seven years old. I took four years of typing between junior high and high school for that express purpose. I just kept working away at it, one way or another, until about ten years ago when the special needs of my family became paramount to everything else. I pretty much figured I would never become published at that point--thank goodness Miss D had already been written. Then, a dear friend who was writing regencies back when I was had started publishing hers. She encouraged me to submit Miss D. I am so glad I did!
As an avid reader of your blog will we get a sense of who Miss Delacourt is by reading your daily adventures, and the humorous spin you have on life?
I think so. I hope so. That's why I chose to stick to humor in my blog, so that the readers of my blog would get a sense of Miss D. So far the readers of my blog who have read my book all (claim) to love it--so I think it was a good way to go. We'll see...
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