Lady Jane is my fourth “Lady of Disgrace” set in the Regency era. This is my first attempt to write Regency, so I’ve had to pull out my book, “Jane Austen for Dummies” written by Joan Klingel Ray, the President of the Jane Austen Society of North America, for research purposes.
Each time I write a book, it is a different experience. My first book, I was filled with dread and self-doubt. My second book, I dreamed a lot about it. My third book turned into a “what if” scenario and the story unfolded. After that, I wrote three more books in my Legacy Series and my subsequent “Ladies of Disgrace” books and “Romance with a Kiss of Suspense” books.
As a general rule, I don’t plot. I hate outlining. I’m a panster, which is the type of writer who starts with a premise or theme and then writes from the seat of my pants. The story leads my imagination, or I like to think, it’s a muse dragging me along on a journey. Some books come easy, while others are like pulling teeth–a slow and painful process.
Lady Jane has been a flood of inspiration. I started it five days ago and now have it half-finished at fourteen chapters. To add to the oddity of it, I really love the story. As an author, you often have favorites among the books you write and not-so favorites too. Lady Jane is turning out to be one of my favorites. There are complex characters, with interesting backstories, and important journeys they each must take to find happiness. It’s a bit scandalous and will have a high heat level in the sex scenes. Though it’s in the Regency era, it’s going to be a bit far from the Jane Austen-type purity. If you’ve read the others, most of my ladies, even though disgraced, have been pretty tame in comparison.
I’m shooting for a fall release. In the meantime, I’ll be posting some tidbits on research as I have done for this era. Stay tuned!
Enjoy the new cover. Also, all the Ladies of Disgrace covers are being revamped to match the above branding.
All my best,
Vicki
Ladies of Disgrace 