I’m delighted to welcome Heather Boyd to the blog. Heather has a new release out: Improper Proposal, book 6 in her Dangerous Rogues series. Read on to find out more about Heather, for an extract, and for links to the new book.

1. When did you begin to write, and why?

I began writing in 2008. It was either write or go mad from the stories swirling around in my head. I had owned a bookshop, which meant I had access to all kinds of amazing works. When that ended, I had way too much time on my hands. Since my imagination just wouldn’t stay quiet I wrote a story… and it was terrible. Everyone in it had to have a scene in their point of view (something not recommended). I listened to advice, learned my craft until I thought I was ready. Like most authors, there were rejections. I’m not big on quitting so I let the bad roll off my back and kept going. And I’m still learning. Perseverance and a thick hide is a good trait for an author to have.

2. Why do you write in your chosen genre or genres?

Before I was a writer, I read in a lot of genres. Fantasy and science fiction stories were essential to surviving my 4 hour daily train commute to the paying job. Reading made the miles blur nicely. But it wasn’t until I worked in the bookshop that I found romance. Regency romance novels were the first books that made me laugh out loud. Not something I usually do around other people. Once I’d stripped the store of its best, I knew that’s where I had to focus my writing energy. There is nothing quite like a regency for escapism, strange medical practices, and heroines deserving a wonderful hero. It’s loads of fun to write around the rules of what was considered proper in the early nineteenth century and see how far you can bend them.

3. Do you base any of your characters on real people?

My usual answer is to say not directly. Sometimes I’ll be inspired by something I see or hear around me and that might go in with a twist. Everyday life inspires so many creative endeavors. My kids wrestling inspired a funny/sad scene in my most recent book, An Improper Proposal, but I applied it to older pair of men.

4. Who is your favourite character in the book you’re showing us today?

I always love the men. Lord Louth, the hero of An Improper Proposal, has been running in and out of my other stories for quite a number of years as a best friend character. He’s been fun and it was wonderful to finally work on his love life and give him his own happy ever after. Of course, the man did want to be difficult about my matchmaking efforts but I had my way with him in the end.

5. What’s your favourite scene and why?

In An Improper Proposal, Iris Hedley asks for training as a mistress. Lord Louth disagrees with her chosen career, but he’s not offering her a better life with him. In fact, thanks to events around his daughter’s birth (she’s illegitimate) he’s never getting married. They’d already discussed the pros and cons of her decision to become a mistress to a limited extent, and then proof of the pitfalls of a scandalous life comes rolling straight at him in a baby carriage (pushed by Mrs. Hughes). It was awkward for him but revealed the one thing Iris longed for most—children and a family of her own.

An extract from An Improper Proposal

Martin leaned toward her ear and pitched his voice low, eager to change the topic of conversation. “Have you thought what you would do if you became pregnant to a protector?”

“I would keep the child,” Iris said immediately. Her brow furrowed and she glanced over her shoulder toward Mrs. Hughes’s retreating back. “I’ve no idea if it’s the done thing or not but that is my answer.”

“You would allow your child to suffer an irregular birth?”

She licked her lips. “I should not like to see them suffer of course, but that is likely what will happen, isn’t it?”

“Very true, and yet there are some gentlemen who would do the right thing.” Martin would have married Vivian if he’d been given the choice. “What if your protector were to propose marriage to give the child his name? Could you marry the man if you did not love him?”

“Many women do marry for a title rather than affection.” A tiny smile twisted her lips. “I would have to consider the matter at that time, of course.”

He stopped. “You would hesitate to live a respectable life?”

“Well, I cannot say with any certainty what I would do at this moment. I’ve not even begun to be a mistress.” She smiled cheekily. “Perhaps he picks his toes at the dinner table and drinks custard with his pork chops.”

After that point, the conversation goes further downhill. LOL Thanks for having me. xx

About Heather Boyd: Bestselling author Heather Boyd writes sizzling regency historical romance that skirt the boundaries of propriety to keep readers enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. She has published over twenty novels and shorter works.

Connect with Heather: Website | Twitter | Facebook Page | Mailing list

An Improper Proposal
Distinguished Rogues, book 6
Regency Historical Romance
Release date: June 9, 2015

About the book: In order escape a devil’s bargain penniless spinster Iris Hedley requires private lessons in seduction to become a wealthy man’s mistress. No stranger to scandal or bad choices, Lord Louth is convinced Iris is headed for heartbreak and sets out to prove surrendering to wicked pleasure can have unwanted consequences.

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