Interview with historical romance author Danelle Harmon

Danelle Harmon writes historical romances. She's touring her de Montforte Brothers series of books and is here to give us the scoop. The four novels are: The Wild One, The Beloved One, The Defiant One, and The Wicked One.

She's also going to be awarding a digital copy of book two, The Beloved One to one randomly drawn commentor at EVERY stop and a $25 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commentor during the tour. So, leave an e-mail address with a comment to be entered to win. And visit her other tour stops for more chances to win.

Bio:

Bestselling, multi-award winning and critically acclaimed author Danelle Harmon is the author of ten books, previously published in print and distributed in many languages throughout the world. 

Though a Massachusetts native, she has lived in Great Britain and is married to an Englishman; she and her husband make their home in New England with their daughter Emma and numerous animals including four dogs, an Egyptian Arabian horse, and numerous pet chickens. Danelle welcomes e-mail from her readers and can be reached at danelle@danelleharmon.com.

Welcome Danelle. Please tell us about the de Montforte Brothers series.

The de Montforte Brothers series is set largely in Georgian England during the 1770s and follows the love stories and adventures of four gorgeous aristocratic brothers, headed by the eldest, Lucien, who is the fifth Duke of Blackheath. Each brother has been given a nickname by the locals which is also the title of his book: Lord Gareth, the ne'er do well black sheep of the family, is The Wild One; Lord Charles, the brave and noble soldier, is The Beloved One; Lord Andrew, the gifted, reclusive inventor, is The Defiant One; and the duke, who spends the series matchmaking and manipulating his brothers into marriage with cunning delight, finally gets his comeuppance in his tale, The Wicked One. Though each book can be read as a stand-alone, I think they are best enjoyed read in order in the series.

What inspired you to write this series?

I got the idea for the de Montforte brothers while my husband and I were still living in England. We were married in, and lived, in a little town named Abingdon-on-Thames, and it figured into the setting for The Wild One. At the time, I had just finshed another book for my publisher and was casting around for a new storyline, and the idea of a handsome quartet of brothers came to me. I went into this venture with some definite ideas -- indeed, one of the brothers was supposed to be, and remain dead, but he surprised me (much as he did some other members of his family) when that proved not to be the case at all! But isn't that half the fun, to be surprised?

What exciting story are you working on next?

During my long sabbatical from writing, I received many emails from readers who wanted to know if, and when, Lady Nerissa de Montforte (the youngest of the de Montforte siblings) was going to get her own book. When we last saw her and Perry, the earl of Brookhampton, it might have appeared that the two were going to have their happily-ever-after … but Perry's ordeal in The Wicked One has left him dark, dangerous — and damaged — and Nerissa's brother the duke no longer wants his little sister marrying this man. Will Perry's need for revenge against the duke overpower his abiding love for Nerissa? That's something even I have yet to find out! In the meantime, I'm in the process of re-releasing (with some light revisions and editing) my entire backlist of ten books for e-readers; look for a new title to be available every six weeks or so, with updates and news posted on my website and Facebook page.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Becoming an author was never, for me, an actual, focused intention -- I wanted to be a veterinarian. But I loved to write stories as a child and as a teen — horse stories, usually — and in my 20s I became fascinated with the local story of pirate Captain "Black Sam" Bellamy and his ship, Whydah, which went down in a storm off of Cape Cod in 1717. Bellamy died in the shipwreck, leaving his lady-love mourning him from the windswept cliffs that overlooked the wreck site, and the story haunted me … I ended up doing volunteer work for Barry Clifford, who found and is still salvaging the Whydah, and during that time, fulfilled Sam's and Maria's unrequited love story by writing my first "real" book, which was eventually published under the title Pirate in My Arms by Avon. It went on to be a national bestseller and I guess it was then that I actually first considered myself a "writer."

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I can write full time, but I don't, as I'm not a regimented person and have never been able to sit down and keep to a tight schedule of either page count or hours put in. Instead, I try to write something every day, and there are days where the words flow, and others … not so much. On the good days, I may write for hours on end, but even that is hard to do, as I'm also a full time mom and also have four dogs and a horse, so it can be hard to find solid blocks of uninterrupted time to "get in the zone" and write. Subsequently, I probably do my best (that is, most uninterrupted!) work late, late at night after the rest of the house (including the four dogs!) have gone to bed.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I'm not sure I have any, though I do find it fun to try and envision actors, both present and past, who might best play the role of each of my heroes if ever any of my books made it to film. But I don't usually share that information (though I have my own very definite ideas!) because part of the magic of reading is that it allows each person's imagination (whether that person is the author or the reader) to envision a character exactly as they wish to envision it. I may paint a word picture, but when it comes to hard visuals, it's probably best left to the reader's imagination!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I'm still waiting to grow up! But in my younger years, I wanted to be a veterinarian! I've always surrounded myself with animals, and love them dearly!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to all of you who have stopped by to visit me on this stop on my blog tour, who have taken the time to buy and read my books, and to let readers know that I love hearing from you! Don't forget to stop by my website or "like" me on Facebook to be kept up-to-date on news and new releases! Have a wonderful summer, and thank you, Lisa, for hosting me! It has been a pleasure and an honor!

It's been a pleasure, Danelle. Happy touring!

Readers, don't forget to leave your e-mail with a comment if you'd like to be entered for either of the giveaways!

The first book in the series, The Wild One is priced at $0.99 at all outlets. Here are the buy links:

For Kindle Users (Amazon.com)

For Nook users (B&N)

Included in list of Danelle Harmon books for Kobo readers