My guest is romance author, Sally Orr. She debuts with a different sort of regency hero—a smart man of vision but not smart enough to stay out of trouble, lol! I'm looking forward to reading this one.
Today I’d like to tell you why I find the greater Regency-era exciting.
My books are
not technically a Regency romance. Instead, they would fall under the Regency-era.
The formal Regency is when Prince George ruled by proxy because his father,
George III, was unable to govern (1811-1820). So the expected Regency romance
should take place during these years. However, if you look up Regency-era on
Wikipedia, it is defined as a distinct time in British culture and civilization
(1795-1837). This era is before the railroads covered the country and before
Victoria took the throne.
I find this
era exciting, because it falls within the industrial revolution (1760-1840). A
time of progress in transportation, steam power, chemicals, gas lighting,
manufacture, and standards of living.
So you see I
have strayed from the dogma of a Regency Romance. Romances that are usually
characterized by having titled characters, like a duke. Regency romances
celebrate a time of simple living, balls, carriages, and proper manners. I can
easily see the allure of this time period and a duke as a hero, a wealthy,
powerful individual with a grand estate. Most of us can imagine finding true
love with a man like that, so it’s no surprise that they are the most popular
heroes in romance. They are so popular, in fact, that in our modern romance
world we have created thousands of dukes. In our fictional London, a large
percentage of the people on the streets are dukes. When in reality, a tall,
handsome, single, Regency duke (complete with seductive chuckles), is about as
rare as rocking horse poo.
If I had the
choice to fall in love with either a Regency duke or a man who would
invent/discover something significant that laid the foundation of our modern
world, I’d choose the inventor.
Why? If I wrote Medieval romance, I'd choose a duke as a hero, a man who earned the title for service to his king and country. However, very few dukedoms were awarded for merit during the Regency. Arthur Wellesley earned the title of first Duke of Wellington and some others, but most Regency dukes inherited their wealth and title. That does not mean that they are unable to be alluring or seductive heroes—they are. The actions of these heroes in Regency romances are definitely swoon-worthy.
My hero preference is a reflection of the fact that I'm a nerd girl whose taste in heroes is a little different.
Three years
ago, my husband and I took our old Airstream to Las Vegas. One day we toured
the Hoover dam. I distinctly remember turning the corner in the visitor center
and coming face-to-face with a handsome Regency-era portrait of a man wearing a
cravat—Michael Faraday. Now Michael Faraday is my muse, whether scientist or
writer. My favorite quote is his response to a young man who asked him the best
way to succeed as a man of science. Michael replied, “Work, finish, publish.”
Simple, yes, but you have to do all
three to meet your goal. Michael’s portrait was at the Hoover dam because he
invented the dynamo (the bases for power generators) in his basement laboratory
at the Royal Institute of Great Britain on London’s Albemarle Street in 1831-2.
So if I had to choose my favorite hero, I’d choose someone like Michael. In
fact, there are many fabulous Regency romances with these types of heroes. Lisa
Kleypas’ Simon Hunt from her first Wallflower book, Secrets of a Summer Night, comes to mind. My hero in The Rake’s Handbook: Including Field Guide,
wants to build a foundry to manufacture small steam engines. It is these
engines that will in the next couple of decades revolutionize the production of
small consumer goods. So in my opinion, heroes like this add a bit more
excitement and relevance to my enjoyment of the love story.
- Are any of your favorite heroes inventors or scientists or discoverers?
The definitive guide to seduction…
The
Rake’s Handbook was written on a dare, and soon took the ton by storm. Now its
author, Ross Thornbury, is publicly reviled by the ladies—who are, of course,
forbidden to read the handbook—but privately revered by the gentlemen.
Unfortunately, Ross’s notoriety is working against him and he flees London
painfully aware of the shortcomings of his own jaded heart.
Spirited
young widow Elinor Colton lives next to Ross’s country estate. She’s appalled
not only by his rakish reputation, but also by his progressive industrial
plans. Elinor is sure she is immune to Ross’s seductive ways. But he keeps
coming around…impressing her with his vision for England’s future and stunning
her with his smiles.
How does one resist the man who wrote the manual on
love?
Buy Links
Amazon
| Barnes
& Noble | BAM
| !ndigo
| IndieBound
| iBooks
Sally Orr worked for thirty years in medical
research, specializing in the discovery of gene function. After joining an
English history message board, she posted many, many examples of absolute
tomfoolery. As a result, a cyber-friend challenged her to write a novel. Since
she is a hopeless Anglophile, it's not surprising that her first book is a
Regency romance. Sally lives with her husband in San Diego, surrounded by too
many nerdy books and not enough old English cars. Author
Website, Facebook, Goodreads
