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Dear Reader,
What's the difference between a historical and contemporary romance? Guest author James Scott Bell knows first-hand. Enjoy today's column, send an email and welcome James to the book club, and you'll be entered in a drawing for a copy of his book, Presumed Guilty. (Please be sure to include your mailing address, in case you win.) Email: JSB@jamesscottbell.com
Take it away James...
I never thought I'd write romance.
When I was starting out, I was all about thrillers. Legal thrillers mostly. Yes, they sometimes had a romantic subplot, but the idea of writing a straight-on love story played Boggle with my mind. I knew romance is by far the bestselling category in all of readingdom. But a writer (who is going to be any good, at least) has to follow where the wild mind leads, and I liked walking into legal drama and pulse-pounding thrills.
But then one day I came up with what I thought was a pretty good idea. Legal thrillers were getting to be a crowded category. What could I do that was different? How about a historical legal thriller with a woman as the protagonist?
That held great possibilities, because the further back you go the fewer women you find practicing law. I thought about setting, too, and found one that has hardly been touched: the history of my own home town, Los Angeles, at the turn of the last century.
Perfect! In 1903 women were just starting to enter the legal profession. You could count those in California on one foot. What if I had a young, idealistic woman arriving from back East, who wanted to be a trial lawyer? All sorts of delicious possibilities ensued.
That idea became the Kit Shannon series published by Bethany House. These books are now being re-published as e-books. Bethany thought to team me up with one of their popular romance writers, Tracie Peterson, so she could "show me the ropes" as it were. We did the first three books together, then I did three on my own, and it felt great. Tracie and I developed a voice together, and I was able to carry that on. I had evolved!
Now then, what's the difference between a historical and contemporary romance?
As far as the nature of love, nothing!
But as far as the nature of how that love is experienced, a lot has changed, as we all know. Rules of courtship were different a hundred, even fifty years ago.
What I liked about doing historical romance is that it is all fixed in time. It's also nice to revisit what I consider to be superior rules of the romantic dance. The deference, the restraint, the courtesy. The dance required that you learn some steps. You didn't just let it "all hang out," which was the cry of the 1960s and beyond.
After I've re-released my six Kit Shannon books, I may decide to write another. Because I like this woman. And that's the real key to any kind of romance, isn't it? A lead character people want to read about and root for, especially when it come to matters of the heart.
You can read about the Kit Shannon series at my website: http://www.jamesscottbell.com/styled-28/index.html
About today's author: James Scott Bell is the author of the number one bestseller for writers, Plot and Structure, and numerous thrillers, including Deceived, Try Dying, One More Lie, and Watch Your Back. His historical romance series featuring lawyer Kit Shannon hit the CBA bestseller list numerous times. Jim taught writing at Pepperdine University and at numerous writers conferences in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.muffinsandmayhem.com
AUTHORBUZZ: THE PARIS LAWYER (Fiction) by Sylvie Granotier, Anne Trager (translator)
Prize-winning THE PARIS LAWYER takes you from the sophisticated world of Paris to the rural outreaches of France, where beautiful countryside holds dark secrets. Catherine Monsigny is an ambitious rookie attorney. While preparing a case that could rocket-launch her career, her own past comes back with a vengeance. Who can she believe? Can you ever escape your past?
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on THE PARIS LAWYER to read more and to email Sylvie Granotier and Anne Trager, they'd love to hear from you.
KIDSBUZZ: Meet new authors--send an email, ask a question and they will reply. Plus enter to win a free (signed!) copy of WHO'S IN MY FAMILY: ALL ABOUT OUR FAMILIES by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Nadine Westcott; ROYAL PRINCESS ACADEMY: DRAGON DREAMS by Laura Joy Rennert and Melanie Florian and CAPTAIN NO BEARD by Carole P. Roman. For a chance to win free copies, say hello to the authors, and more, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz
* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE TUNNEL by Ernesto Sabato. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/Sept12Classics
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