Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I have a special treat for you, today! Remember how I was keenly excited about hosting a conversation with Ms Lortz for her lovely blog tour celebrating her third release within her Romantic Suspenseful Regencies? I have the honour of announcing this evening – our conversation can finally be shared!
I was overjoyed she was receptive to answering my questions (especially as they were delayed a bit of a spell from my original deadline) – you’ll find she is not just receptive to my enquiries but she has kindly expounded upon what we can expect to find in the future for this series which has knitted itself into her writerly heart!
Other points explored are sorting out who exactly is *Jacob Pevensey* and why is he the one lead detective your most likely to overlook and dismiss until you reach his chapters within ‘A Duel for Christmas’!?
One thing is for certain – if you are as hugged inside the Regency as much as Jorie – this is one critically accurate series you will not want to miss the chance in becoming familiar with as Ms Lortz takes readerly affection & writerly passion to a heightened layer of exposition as she knits each new installment of a series which has become a cherished one of my own now!
Let’s take an Autumnal respite back into the Regency – of the lifestyles of the ton and where courtship, honour & duty were still crucial components of ordinary life! Be sure to brew your favourite cuppa and settle into for a lovely conversation between the book blogger smitten with the series & the writer who is wickedly delighted to answer the questions stemming out of a series you can tell she is over the moon delighted to be creating!
Jacob Pevensey Mysteries:
To Wed an Heiress (see also Review)
The Duke’s Last Hunt (see also Review)
A Duel for Christmas (see also Review)
Converse via: #HistoricalRom, #HistoricalSuspense, #Regency, #RomSusp
How many mysteries do you think you’ll write within the Jacob Pevensey Mysteries and how did you decide upon the name?
Lortz responds: My first Pevensey Mystery is To Wed an Heiress, which takes events from the Norman Conquest and transposes them to the Regency Era. In 1066, William the Conqueror landed on the beach of Pevensey in the south of England. I needed a name for my detective, and this place name jumped out at me. It probably also subconsciously reminded me of the Pevensies from C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, which have always been favorite stories to read. I don’t think I was originally planning to write a series, but after the first book, Jacob Pevensey took on a life of his own and became the understated star of my next two novels.
I have a novella in the works to follow A Duel for Christmas and then plans for at least one more full-legnth Pevensey novel. But it’s entirely possible Pevensey may demand more of my time after those are finished–one never knows.
Ooh, that is how you conceived of the name for your lead detective hero! I somehow missed the overlays between the past & the present within the series itself – either that, or as there is a time delay between my readings of ‘The Duke’s Last Hunt’ and now, I could have forgotten or misplaced what I originally knew of this back-history – methinks though, I missed this crucial bit of back-story – as I am singular impressed how you conceptionalised the series and were able to recreate everything so far forward in a time-line in history which would befit the re-establishment of the themes/situations you wanted to create for your characters!
I am overjoyed knowing there is at least one full-length novel coming – turning this into a quartet – as much as I am hoping the novella might become an audiobook? As oft-times the novellas only remain in ebook with fewer going into print and blessedly more are heading into audio versions.
Each installment of the series has a unique point of entrance – what was the deciding factor in starting the series off by entertaining the notion of a son without an inheritance in need of an heiress?
Lortz responds: The Norman Conquest has always been of particular interest to me, especially the question of who had the right to the English crown. One of the medieval chroniclers writes that Earl Harold Godwinson swore to give the crown to William the Conqueror, but was promised in return the hand of William’s daughter. When the daughter died before a marriage could take place, Harold considered the vow nullified. Enraged, William determined to take the crown by force. This sparked the idea for me of an impoverished earl, forced to marry the daughter of a wealthy, title-mad merchant, in order to hold on to his family’s estate. But what happens when the daughter dies before a marriage can take place?
I can honestly say I would never have realised this back-history if you hadn’t shared it with me! The ways you’ve connected this history with the story – beyond impressive! Especially as you carried it out just as you’ve explained it – yet, there was so much drama and emotional anguish happening for your characters as well. They were quite torn by their circumstances and the choices they felt were some of the hardest they would have to make for themselves. You truly have a gift for reading History and then re-inventing how said History can become the fodder for Regency Fiction!
You have a very keen knowledge of the Regency – as it comes out in how you round out the installments by the nuances of the timescape but also, of the placing of how you relate details within the narrative itself which arch back to an earlier time in literature. How did you become intrigued by this time period and what do you love most about it?
Lortz responds: I read and re-read Jane Austen’s works during my teen years and discovered Georgette Heyer’s novels when I went away to college. Although I consider Austen and Heyer vastly different from each other, they each had a keen wit and a sense of the dramatic. They were both mistresses of the witty banter which is a hallmark of Regency novels. They both knew how to craft a storyline using the restrained manners of the period in a way that builds romantic tension. For all those reasons, and more, the Regency Era has been a favorite of mine.
I am on a journey into Georgette Heyer’s stories this Autumn & Winter – inasmuch as I am continuing to read the canon of Jane Austen. I never felt I could warm to Heyer in the past and in regards to Austen – it was merely circumstances which prevented me from reading more of her stories til now. I can tell we share an equal affinity for the Regency for mutually passionate reasons and I believe this is why I have felt so attached inside the world you’ve created!
How much fun was it showing the differences between the upstairs/downstairs lifestyles within “The Duke’s Last Hunt” as you conveyed it so dearly well!
Lortz responds: The way that a superior relates to an inferior is an essential part of that person’s character. In The Duke’s Last Hunt, Henry Rowland’s relationship to the housekeeper and the maids is an important way to cue to the reader that he is an honorable man. Rufus’ relationship to the downstairs characters shows just the reverse. In this way the downstairs characters act as important foils to show the upstairs characters in their true light. Using downstairs characters also allows me to paint a more well-rounded picture of Regency society. The world of the “ton” is almost a fairy tale world that floats above the more mundane facets of life like a hot air balloon. The ballast of the downstairs characters keeps us tethered to reality.
I couldn’t agree more! You’ve simply written it rather eloquently and like your stories, you have beautiful symmetry of symbolism and metaphoric insight which I have come to love!
Duty and obligation was a key undercurrent of theme in both ‘To Wed an Heiress’ and ‘The Duke’s Last Hunt’ – how difficult was it to balance the two concepts with realistic story-lines which a reader could feel attached in equal affinity for both story-lines?
Lortz responds: In traditional societies (unlike the postmodern society we live in today), duty was an important component of how an individual found his or her self-worth. The expectations of parents, family, neighbors, tenants, etc. placed a heavy burden on aristocratic heirs. They were expected to perpetuate the familial line and maintain the family holdings. In To Wed an Heiress, Haro Emison must ignore his feelings for Eda to make an advantageous marriage with an heiress. I find the interplay of duty and desire a fascinating aspect of the historical romance–in our modern world where we are endlessly encouraged to “follow our heart” this idea of subjugating desire to duty can be a refreshing one and involves endless dramatic possibilities for the hero and heroine to overcome.
It is also how you approach it though – I have read other Regencies wherein the premise felt strong but the execution might have suffered. The ways in which you approach yours are multi-faceted as much as they are strong narrative explorations of the human condition – you truly seek to strike a hearty balance between realism within the historical past and the interconnections of your characters’ lives between here duty and romance intersect and strike either to bring them closer together or tear them apart.
How did you conceptionalise to take stories or points of reference out of the Medieval era and re-address them specifically into the Regency?
Lortz responds: In all three of my Pevensey Mysteries, I took a death that occurred during the Medieval era and the characters surrounding that tragedy and then transposed them into a Regency setting. As I wrote, I tweaked the characters as needed to create a believable romance and a mystery full of intrigue and red herrings. The resulting novel would probably best be described as “inspired” by its medieval counterpart.
I believe you’ve achieved this rather accurately and yet, the story fit so well as a Regency tale – it is hard to even believe it was rooted further in the past – where the persons who once lived re-inspired new characters to re-live a portion of their actual lives!
How does Jacob Pevensey thread into the installments of the mysteries themselves as I stated recently on my review for ‘A Duel for Christmas’ I found one quirk of reading the series – I honestly can’t say I’ve remembered his presence?
Lortz responds: In the first two mysteries, Jacob Pevensey is dispatched from Bow Street in London to the country manor to investigate the case after the murder takes place. In both cases, this is due to connections that some of the principals have with him. In the third mystery, which takes place in London, Pevensey enters the story a little sooner, as he is investigating the Duke of Tilbury’s illicit dueling before the murder itself occurs. I imagine Pevensey will be entering even sooner in my next novel as he is edging his way into being not just the investigator but the romantic hero.
The romantic hero, eh? I might need to sit up straighter to await Pevensey arriving on scene in the fourth novel, then! I would never have guessed,.. although I did talk about how dismissive his character has been for me – as I honestly could not remember him and only noticed him in the third installment (if I were to be truly honest) — I think if he is fleshed out even a bit more and brought more to the foreground, I might better understand the bloke. For me, it was the other characters who championed the spotlight and out-shined him — it would be fitting if he were to step out of the darker shadows and re-affirm his rightful place in the series.
How have you mastered the authentic nature of the Regency I love devouring so much in your novels? It truly feels as if you’ve time travelled directly to the Regency and brought back the best of what you observed and drank in personally?
Lortz responds: One research book that I have found particularly helpful is Georgette Heyer’s Regency World by Jennifer Kloester. This book is a wealth of information about houses, horses, and haberdashers in the Regency Era. Google is also my best friend! Many blogs like the English Historical Fiction Authors contain great info on Regency travel, marriage customs, gardening, etc.
I need to honestly read more English Historical Fiction! I found a lovely blog dedicated to their collective works and a few of their authors have mentioned they visit my blog – however, I simply haven’t had the chance to seek out their titles! I love travelling back into the British/UK historic past and regularly make my visitations to their long ago eras – so it would make sense if I set-up a proper reading list and start seeking out their stories! Ooh I know what you mean! Not just a search engine but for me the book blogosphere and the twitterverse, too! There are so many lovely ways to research nowadays in addition to public libraries & university libraries as well as ILL’ing (inter-library loan) when your not seeking stories out of used book shoppes!
What do you personally love to read for pleasure and what would surprise your readers to find outabout your favourite ‘go-to’ favourites?
Lortz responds: I love historical fiction and high fantasy. Current favorite historical authors are Roseanna M. White, Jane Steen, Sandra Byrd, and Heidi Ashworth. Readers may be surprised to note that a well written middle grade or young adult novel makes me just as happy as a novel written for adults. Kate DiCamillo’s most recent release, Louisiana’s Way Home, moved me to tears repeatedly.
I agree!! I’ve read a lot of YA and MG titles which have emotionally crushed me as well – those stories are written with such passionate drama and sense of characterisation it is hard to think we wouldn’t feel the emotions washing over us! I do admit, the author you love most though is one I can’t personally get invested into reading – though I did see a film based on her novel at the theater and took out a bit of joy in seeing it in that version. Of the other authors, only one I now of (Ms White) and hope to be reading within the course of the next year.
When you’re not writing or researching your stories what uplifts your spirit the most?
Lortz responds: I enjoy spending time with my husband and kids. I have four boys ages between the ages 5 and 8, and introducing them to good books is one of my favorite things. So far some of their favorites have been: My Father’s Dragon, Stuart Little, Little Pilgrim’s Progress, and The Chronicles of Narnia. It’s also delightful seeing them nerd out over history. They love playing “Civilization” on our computer, and my twins are planning for a Revolutionary War themed birthday party next month.
Passing forward our love of reading to our children is a joy I look forward to experiencing myself! Gaming about History is a great idea! I have found several board games which do the same thing – anything which stimulates interest in both the past and the present is time well spent – not to mention, as your introducing them to the stories you personally love yourself – it must be wicked brilliant re-seeing those worlds and characters through their eyes? Almost as if you get the chance to suspend your memories and your feelings – to re-see it with a fresh heard & mind?
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog!
Your quite welcome, Ms Lortz!
Thank you for blessing me with this beautifully lovely conversation!
This author interview is courtesy of:
by visiting the blog tour route:
{SOURCES: Book cover for “The Duke’s Last Hunt”, “To Wed an Heiress” & “A Duel for Christmas”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Roseanne L. Lortz, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.
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In the third installment of @RosanneLortz's #PevenseyMysteries we find ourselves tucked into the Christmastide in a journalled exploit of #12DaysOfChristmas interludes! A feast for #HistoricalFiction readers?
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Jorie hosts an #interview w/ #HistFic | #HistRom novelist @RosanneLortz discussing her #amwriting of a #RomSusp series this #bookblogger is wicked addicted to be #amreading!
Set in the #Regency w/ incredible depth of inspiration!
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