Hi readers! I am very excited to welcome Rebecca May, a new author who just celebrated her debut release – Roses and Shadows – which is a traditional Regency romance, to Austenesque Reviews today! Rebecca is here to chat about Jane Austen, Regency romances, and her new release – Roses and Shadows!

Welcome, Rebecca! Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Since you are a new author to me and the readers of this blog, how about we start off with you telling us a little bit about yourself.

Thanks so much for having me, Meredith, so excited to be here!

What kind of books do you like to read? How long have you been writing?

I grew up really only reading fantasy – I read ‘Harry Potter & the Philosophers Stone’ when I was six years old and never looked back after that! I still love reading fantasy, but in my teens I started to read historical fiction as well. Of course, that included Jane Austen and some other lovely Regency romance authors, but I also love reading books set in late medieval England or Renaissance Italy.

I’ve wanted to be an author since I was eleven, but I began writing properly when I was about fourteen. I started off writing in different groups on Goodreads, and made some really good friends! But ‘Roses & Shadows’ is the first proper novel I’ve written, and I started writing that in 2016.

That is lovely that you have had the dream to become a writer for so long and are now seeing it realized! And I so agree with you about Goodreads. It is a wonderful way to meet like-minded readers who become friends! Since we are all about Jane Austen here, can you tell us where and when you found Jane Austen? Do you have a favorite Jane Austen novel? A favorite Jane Austen character?

The first Jane Austen novel I read was ‘Pride & Prejudice’, when I chose to compare the novel to the 2005 film for a school project when I was fourteen. I admit it took me a while to get into it, but I adored it by the time I finished! My favourite Jane Austen novels are ‘Northanger Abbey’ and ‘Sense & Sensibility’ – no surprises then that my favourite characters are Henry Tilney and Colonel Brandon!

Excellent choices for your favorites! Definitely some of Jane Austen’s most exemplary heroes! How about we talk about your debut release, Roses & Shadows a little? What inspired the plot of your story – it sounds like there is some tragedy, but also some hard-won romance?

Absolutely! When I first started reading Regency romances (Georgette Heyer, Julianne Donaldson, and Amanda Grange were all favourites of mine), I adored them all and had a wonderful time reading them. But as I read more and more, I slowly realized there was a particular type of character that simply never showed up, and I found that deeply frustrating.

I also found that there were particular issues or aspects of society that were never really addressed head-on… and with those things in mind, Roses & Shadows was born. For example, my hero, Henry Blackmore, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, following the tragic loss of his wife in fairly harrowing circumstances. So Roses & Shadows definitely has a darker, perhaps more Gothic undertone than most Regency romances out there. Then again, I’ve always thought the harder your characters have to fight for their happiness, the more their happily ever after feels earned when (or if!) they find it.

Oh yes!!! I sometimes feel terrible for enjoying books where the main characters suffer through intense emotional struggles! But it is as you say, something that makes their HEA all the more deserving and satisfying! What was one of the biggest challenges with writing Roses and Shadows? What part of writing this story was the most fun?

I think probably the biggest challenge for me was not skipping forward and writing the scenes that I found most exciting, the scenes that had burned themselves into my mind from the moment I thought of them. But I’m a firm believer in writing chronologically, in working to find the joy and anticipation in every single scene you write – after all, if you aren’t excited about your writing, your readers won’t be either! So that was really difficult, but I like to think my hard work paid off.

As for what was the most fun, I really enjoy getting into the minds of my characters, getting to know them really well – but still having those beautiful moments where they surprise you!

I applaud you for your discipline! 😉 I see from your author bio you are a lady that can claim a few accomplishments. Can you share a little about them with us?

It’s very kind of you to call them accomplishments! But I am very glad that I came to study Historical Archaeology in England, and now get to work in a museum – New Zealand is a truly beautiful and peaceful country and I’m so lucky to have been raised there, but anywhere can become a prison if you can’t do what you love.

What I don’t mention in my bio is that I also had piano lessons and martial arts lessons for fourteen years! I would love to have more time to play the piano, and while I don’t practice martial arts any more, I’m so grateful to have had it in my life. I really think that without it I wouldn’t be anywhere near as self-disciplined or self-confident as I am – two pretty crucial things for an author to have!

I couldn’t agree more! I love hearing that you also play the piano! What is next for you? Are you working on anything right now?

For the last little while I’ve been focusing all of my energy on getting Roses & Shadows published – but in that time I’ve developed a few neat ideas that I’m quite excited about! They’re all historical fiction novels and mostly – but not all – Regency romances… and I might be starting to write them sooner than I thought, with all the self-isolation going on in this crazy world at the moment! I think the next one I’m going to write will be a dual romance and murder mystery novel, also set in the Regency era, with a plot that deals with the implications of the slave trade in Britain in the early 19^th century.

Yay! That sounds intriguing and I am so happy that you have developed some ideas for historical novels already! How about we switch it up with some Quick-Fire Questions?

• What do you like most about Regency Romances?

There’s just something about the era that lends itself to absolutely charming stories, and incredible characters that are just so much fun to be around.

• What is one thing you would love most about living during Regency times?

I couldn’t pick just one thing! But the dances, absolutely, and the dresses… I think I’d also appreciate the rules around social interaction – it’s so much more confusing these days!

• What is one thing you would dislike about living during Regency times?

I’d hate being pressured into a marriage of convenience, whether by family or by circumstance… I’d much rather be alone than marry someone I didn’t love.

• Which fictional heroine do you think you most resemble?

I do think I’m rather like Catherine Morland – though a little more sensible, I hope!

• Which fictional hero makes you swoon?

Oh, John Thornton from ‘North & South’, without a shadow of a doubt… particularly when he’s being played by Richard Armitage!

• What is one of your favorite scenes from Roses and Shadows?

I wish I could say, but giving that away would spoil the novel! That being said, I really love the scenes where my main characters – Henry and Eleanor – have become comfortable in their friendship with one another, and are having fun little moments together, those are really special.

• If you could transport yourself to live in any novel, which novel would you choose?

Any Heyer novel would do!

I love your answers, Rebecca! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so happy to learn more about you and look forward to enjoying your debut release – Roses and Shadows – soon! All the best wishes to you! 🤗

~ Connect with Rebecca ~

Goodreads

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Today, Rebecca brings with her ONE paperback copy of her newly released novel, Roses and Shadows, for me to give away to ONE lucky winner!

To enter this giveaway leave a comment, question, or some love for Rebecca!

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Rebecca!
• This giveaway ends April 17th!