Romance fans—myself included—often wonder where authors find their ideas. In part, I think this question stems from a desire to ensure their favorite authors will not run out of ideas.
In asking myself this question, I realized that I have always been drawn to the “bad boys” of the Regency period: the rakes, the rogues, and the scoundrels. My initial idea for The Virtuous Courtesan stemmed from my interest in rakish heroes. What would happen if my rakish hero met the one woman who ignited his passions—and possibly his heart—in his own element apart from the ton’s ballrooms, a place such as a courtesan’s home? And what if the woman happened to be an innocent young lady?
From these questions my hero and heroine were born—Nathaniel, the Earl of Abingdon, and Charlotte, the daughter of an earl intent on a love match. One question led to another and then another. Along the way I added a dash of mistaken identities, a pair of instructive courtesans, and a best friend who creates one wild scheme after another—with a mixture of hilarious and sometimes tragic results.
What began as a question about a Regency “bad boy” became a fully realized story. To learn more about Nathaniel and Charlotte’s story, please read the excerpt of The Virtuous Courtesan.
And I would love to hear your thoughts on Regency “bad boys!”
You know, they do say that reformed rakes make the best husbands! I’m looking forward to hearing more about these instructive courtesans and best friend.
I recommend you rent ‘Dangerous Beauty’ — another time and place, but entertaining.
What’s not to love about the bad boys?! And SarahJane is right; those instructive courtesans sound intriguing. Hey, a heroine’s gotta live up to her bad boy
I just love a rake. What’s not to love? Please check out my recent post on Long suffering heroes where I talk about this a bit here: http://kwanawrites.blogspot.com/2008/12/long-suffering-heroes.html
I really enjoyed your excerpt. I’ll be stopping back often and will add you to my blog roll!