I just read What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden and loved it. I talked with Caroline about the book, her writing process and a few random things that came to mind. Here is what she had to say:

TB: You have two really strong-willed people at the center of this love story. Are they modeled after anyone you know? 

Well, all my heroes are based in part on my husband (note: only the good parts. More than that, I cannot say). But if anyone in this book is based on a real person in my life, it’s Molly, the heroine’s daughter. My own daughter was 4 when I started writing this book, and pretty much everything Molly says and does is drawn from my own little girl (especially her love of bugs and animals).

To be more general, I think all my heroines are drawn from part of myself: often one small part that I flesh out with things that are more the way I would like to be. Hannah Preston is a lot like me in her practicality, and in her secret delight in luxuries even though part of her is appalled at the cost associated with them. But alas, I was not nearly the tomboy Hannah is. 

TB: That’s too bad. You never know when the ability to climb a tree will come in handy!

Do you remember the first historical romance you ever read? What was it?

Caroline: Julie Garwood’s The Secret. It’s actually not the first ever historical- I was addicted to the shorter traditional Regencies for a while before that- but it’s the first time I remember being totally blown away by the scope and depth of a historical romance. I read all the books by her I could find.

TB: Your descriptions of places, furnishings and buildings is very vivid. How do you research these things? Have you traveled to England?

I have been to England, once, but it was my honeymoon and I didn’t, er, research historical furnishings or building all that closely. But the truth is, I look at pictures and watch movies to get a sense of how things were laid out and designed, and then describe what I see in my mind for the item in question. When I’m really in the groove with a book, writing it becomes almost like describing a movie that’s playing in my head. Once the writing is done, I always have a dozen little notes to go back to and double-check myself: was ‘cocky’ a word in 1820? How long does it take to load a single shot pistol? How much land would a Regency town mansion have surrounding it?

TB: There is something sexy about a man in boots. Reading your descriptions of Marcus in his boots, I can't help feeling that I've found a kindred spirit. So, what is it that gives boots that appeal?

Caroline: The form-fitting breeches, the white linen shirt, the tall polished boots, Colin Firth...it’s all good. 

TB: Ahem. Colin Firth? You meant to say Matthew Macfadyen, surely? No problem, I can just fix that little typo before I post this. Speaking of hunky British actors--do you ever find yourself talking like your characters--using 19th Century British dialect rather than 21st century American?

Um.....no. I talk TO my characters from time to time, though, which seems odd enough to me. And I talk to them in very modern slang— when I get around to writing their parts of the conversation, I have to translate and remind myself that they would probably not shout “WhatEVER!” at each other.

TB: If you could sit down and chat with any authors from the past, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I want to smack Leo Tolstoy on the back of his head for having Anna lie down on the tracks instead of Vronsky. I would beg Thomas Hardy to get some therapy, get laid, whatever, so he could write one brilliant HAPPY book that wouldn’t leave me a sodden weepy mess for weeks afterward. I would fall at Victor Hugo’s feet and thank him for one of the finest, noblest bad boy heroes of all time. Oh yeah, and I would definitely go pubbing with Will Shakespeare.

This list doesn’t include any women, does it. I suppose I would like to ask Agatha Christie (one of my all-time favorites) what was up with that ‘faking her own death’ episode.

TB: Hmm. Very interesting. Me, I just want to talk about guys with Emily Dickenson. But--back to Caroline. What is your dream vacation?

One with no housework, and lots of activities for my kids planned by other people.

TB: That sounds good. Or maybe a second honeymoon in England? You could notice some of the scenery this time. Speaking of which. What's the most romantic thing you've ever done/your husband has ever done for you?

There is no one single thing I can think of- he just does lots of little things all the time that made me love him. Sometimes it’s something like bringing home take-out for no particular reason, or changing the stupid broken light switch that drives me nuts. And sometimes it’s building a whole new kitchen or planning a trip for just the two of us to Martha’s Vineyard. :)

TB: What is your favorite movie?

Shakespeare in Love! The script is so clever, I find something new to laugh at every time. And that Joseph Fiennes is just too, too hot. He kind of looks like my husband...mmmm....

TB: I love that movie! The show . . . must go on. What is your writing day like?

Well, first the kids have to get to school, and the dog needs a walk. Then I check email. Run any errands I have to do, stop for an email break, clean up any mess left behind by the kids or created by the dog (the dog can destroy a room in 30 seconds flat), have some lunch, check email, realize I have not written a blessed word all day and it is now 1 PM, so write like mad for about an hour, then lie down until the kids come home. Then after dinner (and after checking email for the 132nd time that day) I take my laptop, turn off the AirPort, and write until my fingers cramp and my husband grumbles at me to come to bed.

I started writing when I was stuck at home with two very young children in the middle of winter; I wrote only when they were both asleep, which meant mostly at night. WHAT A WOMAN NEEDS, my first published book, was written almost solely between 9 PM and 1 AM, because I just didn’t have any other time. Now that both my kids are in school I have more time during the day, but, as you can see, there are also more distractions during the day. And when the kids are home, during the summer, I still write almost exclusively late at night. I just have to get away from the internet.

TB: Now I get the vacation idea. J Do you plot out your books before you start writing? If not, what is your process like?

All my books so far have started with a scene that just appear before me. For WHAT A GENTLEMAN WANTS, I started with two antagonistic people facing each other, and the man announcing (disdainfully), “I am your husband, madam.” Then from there I thought about who those people would be, why they would be in that circumstance, and how they would react from there. I get a vague idea of plot, then write some chunks of it, and flesh out the plot once I see how things are working.

TB: It is amazing that a whole novel erupt from such a tiny spark. Do you have any secret rituals, charms, foods or beverages that you use for inspiration?

Not that I intend to share on a public blog, thanks for asking.

TB: You've had some great reviews for WAGW--any quotes you think sum up the book particularly well?

Most of the reviews mention the secondary characters, and I do think that’s one of the finer points of the book. I really love the whole Reece family, and of course Molly.

TB: I have to agree. I loved the secondary characters--especially Rosalind, the step-mother. Very clever lady. What do you like to do to relax?

Sleep. And email.

TB: You are quarantined in a comfortable room with no outside contact for one year. You can have all of the works of 5 authors. Which authors will you choose. You may order your three favorite dishes to eat (supplied regularly so that they are fresh), one favorite cold beverage, one favorite hot beverage and all the dessert you can eat (the calories don't count). What dishes, beverages and desserts will you order?

OMG, wait- do I have email contact? If not, I don’t think I would last a year.

Let’s see...they would have to be authors with HUGE backlists, because I can go through books like nobody’s business when nothing else interrupts. I can’t choose just three dishes, since my favorites change by season, mood, AL East standings, etc. The cold beverage would be ice-cold seltzer; the hot beverage would be mulled cider. Only one kind of dessert? Chocolate chip cookies, the big kind with tons of chocolate, still melting warm from the oven. Gotta go with the classic.

TB: Do you have any ideas for stories that are not Regency set?

Oh yeah. My favorite just-for-fun book at the moment is a paranormal contemporary chick-lit sort of novel, starring a rabid Red Sox fan in the summer of 2004, which, as you know, was the greatest sports summer and fall of all time.

I have other ideas, too, but it’s best not to let the ideas run wild. A writer can, I think, be overwhelmed with ideas and not have enough time to do each one justice. So some ideas are sent to wait in the corner until it’s their turn, and some ideas are just told to go away.

TB: What are you working on now?

I just finished a follow-up to WHAT A GENTLEMAN WANTS, in which the very wicked brother, David, gets his comeuppance. It’s a bit about not knowing what you’ve got until you’re about to lose it. I didn’t begin WHAT A GENTLEMAN WANTS with the intention of writing David’s story, so I made him pretty bad, and left myself quite a hole to climb out of with him! But his heroine is one of my favorites; she’s very smart-mouthed, and clear-eyed about the world, and she doesn’t take any baloney from anyone, especially not David— which is exactly what he needs. And now I’m getting started on Marcus’s and David’s younger sister, Celia.

TB: Ooh--I can’t wait to read David’s story. I know he’s bad, but oh so sexy. And I think you do give us a glimmer of hope for him in WAGW. And Celia is such a romantic. I love stories about women who are true romantics. It’ll be interesting to see how she grows up. Thanks so much for spending time with me here and thanks again for a wonderful read.

Click on the link to Teresa's Website Contest for a chance to win Caroline’s debut book--What a Lady Needs.  For more information about Caroline's books visit her website at http://www.carolinelinden.com