Issue 3 June 2008

An Interview with EMILY BRYAN, author of DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS

Dear Emily, thanks for finding the time to answer a few questions for Books Monthly! I hope I don’t keep you from your writing for too long! Here goes:

BM: You’ve already given your readers an immense amount of pleasure with your historical novel series. What made you decide to push the boundaries and write an erotic novel?

EB: I didn’t set out to write an erotic novel. My aim is always to tell a compelling story and everything that happens, including the sex scenes, must serve the story. The premise of DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS lends itself to a bit of sensual adventurism. When I start writing, my characters come to me first. My heroine, Artemisia, is a dedicated artist. She’s painted so many nudes she believes the human body holds no surprises for her. She’s wrong, of course. And throughout the story, she discovers not only the power of her lover’s body, but her own as well. I hope readers find my love scenes aren’t just side trips along the story’s journey. My goal is to advance the story, to deepen the characters with every scene.   

BM: I guess I ought to ask if you consider DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS an erotic novel before going on to my next question! You might think of it as an historical romance with sexy bits!

EB: I’ll have to admit, I was surprised when you characterized the DUCHESS as an erotic novel. I don’t know how things stand in the UK, but in the American market, erotic implies multiple partners, ménages, B & D, bi-sexuality and many other things about which I’m not qualified to write. My love scenes involve one man and one woman. In the world of erotica, my stuff is tame. I’d describe my writing as very sensual fiction. However, I did want to move my readers. I wanted to give them a wonderful love affair to relish. We aren’t just physical beings. We are mind, body, heart and spirit. A true act of love engages all of what it means to be human. Love is my theme. Sex is only plumbing without it.

BM: Did you do any research for DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS? For example, did you read the classic erotic masterpieces like FANNY HILL, MEMOIRS OF AN OXFORD SCHOLAR and, of course, LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER before embarking upon DUCHESS? Or perhaps you read some contemporary erotic fiction first?

EB: My husband keeps threatening to have a T-shirt made that reads: MY WIFE IS A ROMANCE NOVELIST. THE RESEARCH IS KILLING ME! (Of course, he always diplomatically adds the tag, “What a way to go!”). I must confess that I have not read any of the classics you mentioned above, but my husband and I are bound for a Caribbean cruise later this year. Perhaps I should pick up a copy of each. They sound like perfect beach reads. The only novel I’ve read that is labeled erotic was Suzanne Forster’s TEASE (I discussed this book on the Dorchester romance loop if anyone is interested in my take on stories that do not supply a classic ‘happily ever after’ ending.) I actually try not to read too heavily in the romance genre for fear of accidentally borrowing someone else’s words. Sex begins in the brain. My imagination provides plenty of research.

BM: There’s no discernible history as such in DUCHESS, yet you managed to convey a perfect sense of the period in which it’s set, as expertly as Georgette Heyer with her regency romances, if I may say. Did you read up on Victorian society and manners, or is it something you already knew about?

EB: Georgette Heyer! My goodness, you’ll turn my head. She’s the queen of historical romance. I’m thrilled to be compared with her. Yes, I do research the historical period I write about quite heavily. Romance readers are very sophisticated. If I make a mistake, someone will let me know. To get a feel for the period, I read some of Queen Victoria’s memoirs. She kept a journal faithfully throughout her long reign. It was something of a surprise to find that in the early days of her marriage to her German cousin, she had quite a naughty bacchanalia painted on her boudoir walls at Windsor. I also studied the Victorian home, mourning rituals, courting rituals and such. What I’m looking for is what I call “women’s history,” the little details of how people lived their lives. I’ve also been fortunate to visit England a number of times. I’ve spent countless lovely hours in your museums and walking the streets of London, soaking up the history and listening to the stories in the cobblestones.

BM: How important was it for you to secure the services of a literary agent?

EB:  I realized early on that if I wanted to have a career as an author, I needed an agent. It’s lovely to have a buffer between me and the publishing house when it comes to the business end of things. When I talk with my editor, we focus on the writing, not money. My agent takes care of that.

BM: How long before your break in publishing with Dorchester (Leisure Books)?

EB:  I started writing seriously in 2001. After some fits and starts, I began to win some writing contests. The contest wins attracted my agent, who sold MAIDENSONG (under my real name Diana Groe) to Dorchester in 2005. It takes about a year to bring a book to market so my debut was May 2006.

BM: Are you now concentrating solely on the more sexy side of your writing? Your next two books, PLEASURING THE PIRATE and VEXING THE VISCOUNT both seem to continue in the same vein as DUCHESS; or are you also writing concurrently as Diana Groe?

EB:  I’m contracted for two more Emily Bryan romances. The light-hearted, sexy stories are fun to write and so far, the reading public is receiving them warmly. I would love to write more Diana Groe stories, too. In fact, I have a third “song” book all finished to round out my MAIDENSONG and ERINSONG series. I’m in hope that readers who enjoy my Emily Bryan books will try my more serious Diana Groe tales as well. Then perhaps, my Diana Groe title list will continue to grow. I used to sing professionally. My Diana Groe books are grand opera, all angst and drama and passion. Emily Bryan is more Gilbert and Sullivan with a bit of naughtiness thrown in. Light or dark, serious or silly, we all need both to stay balanced.   

BM: How easy was it for you to write DUCHESS? Did you have to revise anything before sending it off to the publisher? It reads as though you really enjoyed writing it.

EB:  I thoroughly enjoyed writing the DUCHESS. I’m glad it shows. That said, I always revise. A lot. There are so many ways to tell a story. I want to make sure I’ve settled on the best one. Revision is actually the most fun for me. Fixing my prose is easy. Ploughing the virgin page is hard.

BM: Given that you have PIRATE out in August and VISCOUNT early in 2009, how long does it take you to write a book like that? How long is your working day when you’re working on a book?

EB:  I usually play with a story in my head for about a month. I research the period. I flesh out the characters till I know them well enough to tell their story. Then I write a synopsis so I have a road map and it’s off to the races. I write full-time now, so my page goal is 10 a day, 5 days a week. I can have a first draft in two months and plan on taking another month to polish my prose till it sparkles. That’s if everything goes well. Right now, I have about 130 pages of VISCOUNT, but I’m at a writers’ conference all this week and when I return home, my parents are arriving for a visit till the end of the month. Which means, a three week writing hiatus. But my subconscious is still working on the story so when I return to the computer, I’ll be primed and ready to go.

BM: Do you have any plans to write further “adventures” concerning Artemisia Dalrymple Pelham-Smyth and Trevelyn Deveridge, or do you prefer to come up with a new set of characters for each novel? They’re such delicious characters, it would be lovely to catch up with them at some stage!

EB:  Delicious! What a lovely way to describe them. I would love to revisit Artemisia and Trevelyn. I’m sure they’re having some wonderful adventures without me in India. But romance readers enjoy the chase more than the capture. In order to write another story for Artemisia and Trev, they would have to suffer an estrangement and then rediscover each other. While I think that would be an interesting story to write, I’m not sure my editor would agree to it.

BM: What authors do you like to read yourself? Are you someone who reads only in your own genres, or do you also read thrillers, fantasy etc.? I can imagine you reading fantasy, as there are elements of it in your first three novels, of course. And there are so many fantastic heroines in the world of fantasy.

EB:  One of the pitfalls of being a writer is that I rarely read strictly for pleasure. I’m dissecting the book as I read, going to school on how another author handles all the elements of story. When I discover a writer who makes me forget I’m a writer too, I treasure them. In historical romance, I enjoy Jo Beverley and Madeline Hunter. I recently read Shana Abe for the first time and was mesmerized by her lyrical romantic fantasy. Outside romance, I enjoy Neil Gaiman, Wilbur Smith and Mary Stewart.

BM: How important do you think cover art is in selling a book? Many modern romances, yours included, have cover art that is absolutely stunning. Are you yourself consulted about the cover art for your books? Can you tell me who did the cover art for DUCHESS, and will the same artist do PIRATE and VISCOUNT?

EB:  Eye-catching covers are so important to sales. DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS is the first of my titles to make it into Wal-mart. I credit the cover with its placement in this important outlet in the American market. Dorchester sends its authors a questionnaire about each book, asking us to describe the hero and heroine, any plot points that might lend itself to cover treatment. I can’t tell you the name of the artist, but I love all my covers. When my editor sent me a jpg of MAIDENSONG’s cover (my debut Diana Groe title), I though it was so beautiful, I wept.

BM: I know I started off by asking you how you began writing erotic fiction; do you consider yourself primarily a romantic author? There is romance in just about everything, of course, but it is probably the single most popular genre in terms of how many titles are read. Harlequin put out an enormous number of titles each month and Leisure must come a close second.

EB:  Yes, I consider myself a romance author. Even though I’m experimenting with a romantic suspense, its still a love story at heart. I’m fascinated by the dance of courtship. Is there any more joyous and perilous journey than the distance from one heart to another? I’m extremely fortunate to be published by Leisure. Dorchester is the last independent publisher that’s not part of a larger corporation. Because they are smaller, more family-like, they take a deep interest in their authors’ careers. I’ve enjoyed incredible editorial support from the beginning. 

BM: What kind of books were you brought up with as a chilled, and which author in particular (if any) inspired you to be a writer yourself? Do you still have any of those books in your collection?

EB: I’ve always been an avid reader. I used to sneak books into bed and read by the narrow strip of light that shafted in through the crack in my door. I remember being fascinated by Madeline L’engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME, Louisa May Alcott’s LITTLE WOMEN and the Trixie Belden Mysteries. One of my treasures as a child was a first edition of Bulfinches’ THE BEAUTIES OF MYTHOLOGY. Not only did I drink in those seminal stories of antiquity, it was filled with eye-popping ancient art. I still have it.

BM: You’ve started showing different cover art for foreign editions of your books on your various sites. Do you think DUCHESS will get different treatment elsewhere?

EB:  Undoubtedly. Each house uses its own covers. They know their own market well enough to choose something that will be appealing. I’m delighted to know my work is travelling the globe.

BM: Finally I’d like to ask what five books you couldn’t do without on yout desert island? Series count as one choice, of course – I wouldn’t want to be without THE RETURN OF TARZAN if I had TARZAN OF THE APES with me – they’re part of the same story!

EB:  This is a tough question, but I’ll try. I adore THE FAR PAVILIONS by MM Kaye, The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The complete plays of Shakespeare (I’m trying to sneak them all in as a series!) and the Bible. (I might have to sneak in my BEAUTIES OF MYTHOLOGY as well) Great literature is a treasure to be revisited again and again. If I had those, I’d have stories to keep my mind busy for quite some time.

Thank you so much for your kind words about my DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS. I’m delighted that you enjoyed it enough to feature it on your excellent site.  And while we’re on the subject of websites, I’d like to invite your readers to visit mine. http://www.emilybryan.com . There are excerpts of all my work, contests, writing advice and a way to sign up for my newsletter and contact me.

Thanks again!