Today it is my extreme pleasure to be bringing you a question and answer session from the author, Felicity George, who has written this lovely book, A Courtesan's Worth. But first, a little bit about the book.
The Blurb
A Courtesan’s Worth
A mistress cannot marry for love...
As one of the famous Preece sisters, Kitty is the most sought-after courtesan in London. But with the vicious Duke of Gillingham scaring away any man who looks her way, securing a new arrangement with a wealthy gentleman will be no easy feat. Kitty's only hope to find someone suitable is through her loyal and cherished friend, the Reverend Sidney Wakefield.
Sidney has devoted his life to the church, but it was never by choice. He is a writer and Kitty his muse. As he is roped into Kitty's plotting, he begins to realise that protecting her from the malevolent Duke comes at a price - and it might mean losing Kitty to someone else entirely.
As Kitty and Sidney try to find a way out, it becomes clear that years of friendship have developed into something deeper. Except that they are from different worlds and Kitty's heart has never been hers to give away...
Hello Felicity, and welcome to the blog.
Q Firstly, what inspired you to write your first novel?
A Ever since I was a little girl, I have created stories in my head. But it wasn’t until the start of the Covid lockdown, when I lost my creative outlet of teaching drama, that I finally sat down and started writing a novel. I worked seven days a week until I had a draft. It wasn’t a good draft – that first novel will never see the light of day – but it provided the boost I needed to believe in myself enough to study the craft. Ultimately, after another practice novel, I wrote A Lady’s Risk, which landed me my agent and my book deal.
Q What advice would you give to someone who wants to write a novel but doesn’t know where to begin?
A Learn as much as you can about the craft of writing (including character agency and plot structure). Choose your genre and study it carefully. Then, when you are ready to develop your novel, I suggest beginning with character work. Remember that even in commercial fiction, the characters drive the plot; thus, the plot develops from this character work, as a writer determines what obstacles will propel the characters towards change.
Q Why did you choose the Regency era for your historical romances?
A As is true of everyone who lives in this world, there have been some dark times in my life. In the darkest of those times, I read Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Regency romance novels on repeat. There was something so powerfully therapeutic about escaping into worlds where the characters had to overcome conflict and wounds, but always got a happy ending.
When the pandemic hit, several life circumstances came together for me, and I knew that if ever I was going to accomplish my life dream of writing a novel, lockdown was my chance.
In the darkness of that time, there wasn’t even a choice of what I’d write: I knew I needed to escape back to my decades-old happy place – the world of Jane Austen’s Georgian England.
Q What was your research process for writing Regencies romances?
A As a historical novelist, I rely heavily on primary sources. Maps, guidebooks, and art from the long-eighteenth century inform my physical descriptions of towns and places. Novels of the era (Jane Austen, Frances Burney, and Maria Edgeworth, for example) help me flavour my dialogue with the essence of the Regency. Letters and journals are immensely helpful for discovering little details of daily life which history books omit. The joy of primary sources is how they reflect the world as people understood it at the time, rather than looking back through centuries of filters, as a modern historian must.
Q What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
A Like many writers, I like to read when I’m not writing, both my own genre and others. I also enjoy watching films and television shows and studying their plot structure and character arcs.
Additionally, I love drama, theatre, and history, so I follow these passions. I direct a youth amateur drama community outreach program; every year, I put on a full-scale musical with my students. I can often be found in art museums, and I love Regency-era re-enacting. Lately, I’ve joined an English country dancing performance group.
It has been a delight to hear from Felicity today. I think the book looks great and I can't wait to read it.
*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.
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