Rachael Miles writes ‘cozily scrumptious’ historical romances set in the British Regency. Her books have been positively reviewed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, which praised her ‘impeccably researched and beautifully crafted’ novels, comparing her works to those of Jo Beverly and Mary Jo Putney. Her novel, Reckless in Red, won first place in adult fiction: novels in the National Federation of Press Women’s writing contest. A native Texan, Miles is a former professor of book history and nineteenth-century literature. She lives in upstate New York with her indulgent husband, three rescued dogs, and all the squirrels, chipmunks, and deer who eat at her bird feeders.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: rachaelmiles.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/rachael_miles1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rachaelmilesauthor
About the Book
Reese Turner visits Cypress Creek, Texas, to complete a photo assignment for National Geographic and buy back her grandparents’ cottage. After disastrous romances, she’s sworn off men to focus on her career. Marriage and the babies she longs for can wait. When she runs into an old flame, she decides she can live out a fantasy, then leave town to pursue her dreams. But love doesn’t play by the rules…
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Brazen
in Blue follows Lady Emmeline Hartley—and her dog Queen Bess—on a
cross-country escape with Adam Montclair. The Home Office has realized
that Lady Emmeline can identify the master criminal they know only as
Charters, and Adam (the man she once loved) is tasked with gaining her
help. At the same time, Em has asked Adam to help her run away from her
own wedding. So from the first we have competing goals and expectations,
complicated by the fact that Em has no intention of ever
helping the Home Office again. Add to that a English ballad about the
Faerie Folk, an unexpected trip to a brothel, pirates, an artist colony
(of sorts), and the ladies of the Muses’ Salon.
Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?
Lady Emmeline Hartley begins the book with a choice: marry her best friend, knowing it is the wrong decision, or face social ruin by running away. When she sees Adam arrive at the wedding, she asks for his help to escape. But to find her way back to Adam, Em has to discover not only the truth behind the stories he has told her, but also the truth of her own past.
Adam, an agent of the Home Office, is as devoted to his family (three sisters and three female cousins) as Em is to her estate and the people on it. He agrees to help her as a sort of penance for betraying her trust before. But he has his own reasons for keeping Em at arm’s length, even while he’s trying to keep her hidden from her fiancee and his employers.
And then there’s Queen Bess, Lady Emmeline’s giant Newfoundland hound, who serves as Em’s service dog. Em as a young girl had survived a devastating carriage accident that damaged her leg, and Queen Bess cares for her in a way that only animals can.
And — as in all the Muses’ Salon books — a strong community of talented women brings their skills to the aid of the main characters. But in this book, it’s not just the Muses, Adam’s sisters and cousins, who, without meaning to, give Em much to think about.
Your book is set in 1820 in England. Can you tell us why you chose this location in particular?
1820 is a really interesting year. The social, economic, and political stresses created by the Napoleonic Wars (which ended in 1815) reached the forefront of public discourse. In August 1819, peaceful protestors in St. Peter’s Field, Manchester, pressing for more equitable political and economic conditions (right to vote, repeal of the corn laws, etc) are charged by armed cavalry, wounding around 600 and killing 15. The event comes to be known as Peterloo—as a reference to Napoleon’s Waterloo. In response, Parliament, by November, passes what’s called the Six Acts, a group of legislation designed to limit protest. In January of 1820, George the IV, formerly the Prince Regent, ascends the throne, ending his regency. In February, authorities uncover the Cato Street Conspiracy in which several revolutionaries intended to kill the Cabinet. And that’s a great backdrop for stories. Spies, civil unrest, economic distress, debates about human and women’s rights. How could I resist?
How long did it take you to write your book?
I usually take 6-10 months to write a book, depending on what my other obligations are. Brazen in Blue took less time — about 3 months to draft — but I also took a bit of vacation from my day job to devote to it. And I spent every night and weekend writing.
What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?
My pivotal moment came long before I became a fiction writer. I always struggled with writing—and I wept over many of the papers I wrote in college and graduate school. But at some point early in my teaching career, I discovered Robert Boice’s research on mindful writing—and I realized that all the papers that I hadn’t wept over, I’d done without knowing it according to the principles he laid out: brief daily sessions, starting before you feel ready, letting others do some of the work (critique), and being mindful and kind to yourself.
What kind of advice would you give other historical romance authors?
Read. Read in the genre and out of it. Read in the period and out of it. And when you finish each book, think about what made the book work, and what didn’t. Analyze how those stories are constructed—I even look at when pivotal events happen in the plot. Figure out what makes you fall in love with the characters, then try all of those things in your own work.
Lady Emmeline Hartley begins the book with a choice: marry her best friend, knowing it is the wrong decision, or face social ruin by running away. When she sees Adam arrive at the wedding, she asks for his help to escape. But to find her way back to Adam, Em has to discover not only the truth behind the stories he has told her, but also the truth of her own past.
Adam, an agent of the Home Office, is as devoted to his family (three sisters and three female cousins) as Em is to her estate and the people on it. He agrees to help her as a sort of penance for betraying her trust before. But he has his own reasons for keeping Em at arm’s length, even while he’s trying to keep her hidden from her fiancee and his employers.
And then there’s Queen Bess, Lady Emmeline’s giant Newfoundland hound, who serves as Em’s service dog. Em as a young girl had survived a devastating carriage accident that damaged her leg, and Queen Bess cares for her in a way that only animals can.
And — as in all the Muses’ Salon books — a strong community of talented women brings their skills to the aid of the main characters. But in this book, it’s not just the Muses, Adam’s sisters and cousins, who, without meaning to, give Em much to think about.
Your book is set in 1820 in England. Can you tell us why you chose this location in particular?
1820 is a really interesting year. The social, economic, and political stresses created by the Napoleonic Wars (which ended in 1815) reached the forefront of public discourse. In August 1819, peaceful protestors in St. Peter’s Field, Manchester, pressing for more equitable political and economic conditions (right to vote, repeal of the corn laws, etc) are charged by armed cavalry, wounding around 600 and killing 15. The event comes to be known as Peterloo—as a reference to Napoleon’s Waterloo. In response, Parliament, by November, passes what’s called the Six Acts, a group of legislation designed to limit protest. In January of 1820, George the IV, formerly the Prince Regent, ascends the throne, ending his regency. In February, authorities uncover the Cato Street Conspiracy in which several revolutionaries intended to kill the Cabinet. And that’s a great backdrop for stories. Spies, civil unrest, economic distress, debates about human and women’s rights. How could I resist?
How long did it take you to write your book?
I usually take 6-10 months to write a book, depending on what my other obligations are. Brazen in Blue took less time — about 3 months to draft — but I also took a bit of vacation from my day job to devote to it. And I spent every night and weekend writing.
What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?
My pivotal moment came long before I became a fiction writer. I always struggled with writing—and I wept over many of the papers I wrote in college and graduate school. But at some point early in my teaching career, I discovered Robert Boice’s research on mindful writing—and I realized that all the papers that I hadn’t wept over, I’d done without knowing it according to the principles he laid out: brief daily sessions, starting before you feel ready, letting others do some of the work (critique), and being mindful and kind to yourself.
Read. Read in the genre and out of it. Read in the period and out of it. And when you finish each book, think about what made the book work, and what didn’t. Analyze how those stories are constructed—I even look at when pivotal events happen in the plot. Figure out what makes you fall in love with the characters, then try all of those things in your own work.