GUEST AUTHOR: Maggie Andersen

I'm very excited to be introducing you to a new author to my blog, one who hasn't been here before. Please say g'day to Maggie Andersen!

Hi Kylie, thank you for inviting me to your blog.

Maggie, it's great to have you here. As this is your first visit, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I'm an Australian author of historical romance, romantic suspense and young adult novels.

I live in the countryside outside of Sydney with my husband, a retired lawyer and our rescued Champagne Persian, Affie who lies beside my computer with her furry tail waving over the keyboard. You can’t say no to a purring cat can you?

Townies all our lives, we now find ourselves besieged with the local wildlife: possums demand fruit and noisy yellow-crested white cockatoos eat the chicken feed. Pretty brown ducks that swim in the creek at the bottom of the garden visit our pool and like a bit of bread. So far the snakes and spiders have minded their own business I’m glad to say.

When did you start to write and how long did it take you to be published?
I began writing after raising three children and completing a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. My first novel was a crime/mystery/suspense, but I found my voice suited the historical romance genre and my first published work was a Regency novella, Stirring Passions. I am a huge fan of Georgette Heyer and Victoria Holt. My historicals often contain adventure, mystery, or suspenseful intrigue and are always passionate romances.

What do you think it is about your genre that readers find so fascinating?
Historical intrigue, passionate characters, and beautiful gowns. What’s not to like? They can be entertaining, but also informative about history and human nature. One of my past jobs was an interior decorator and I am an artist’s daughter, so I enjoy painting a picture of a vibrant era of history by drawing on the fashion, architecture, and décor to create a fascinating world for my characters to negotiate; hindered of course, by the strictures of the times.

What’s your writing process from start to finish when writing a book?

My first draft just gets the story down. It’s critiqued by a talented group of historical writers who will pick up any historical inaccuracies I might have missed and it comes out pretty clean, but short on word count.

With a better understanding of the story and my characters who have done surprising things I didn’t anticipate, I begin a more thorough second draft where I deepen character motivation, add more detail, and check that each scene moves the story forward. I also add new scenes which tend to go off in startling directions I hadn’t thought of before.

Does this sound like fun? It can be when it goes well. When it doesn’t, well, we won’t go into that. Where’s that bottle of sherry?

Maggie, I think we've all had days like you mentioned! LOL

You've published quite a collection of novels and short stories. What's your latest release?

My Regency novel, RULES OF CONDUCT has been released in print and received some great reviews. Viola has lost her memory and is taken under the wing of Hugh Beauchamp, the Duke of Vale. She and Hugh try to find out about her past and the mystery behind the locket she wears. What happened to her before he found her dressed as a male servant, unconscious on the road to Vale Park?

Discovering her to be a Classically educated young woman, Hugh calls her Viola and places her with his nanny in a house on his estate. Viola tries to ignore her growing love for her kind benefactor, for he is soon to marry, while Hugh nobly struggles with his desires and the demands of his family.

 Click here to read an excerpt.

So, what’s next for you? What are you working on?
My Victorian/contemporary romance SURRENDER TO DESTINY, comes out in June with New Concepts Publishing along with an anthology of my stories titled Regency Bucks in print.

I’m working on another Victorian mystery romance, THE FOLLY AT FALCONBRIDGE HALL. Here’s a taste:
Recently orphaned, Vanessa Ashley finds employment as a governess at Falconbridge Hall, the home of Viscount Falconbridge and his troubled daughter, Blythe. A sad past clings to gloomy and shuttered Falconbridge Hall. Lord Julian, a botanist and explorer, is soon to depart for the Amazon. Uneasy about leaving his daughter, he decides on a marriage of convenience. Vanessa accepts his proposal for Blythe’s sake, or so she tells herself, but fears she lacks the social graces to please her handsome husband. After an old murder mystery is brought to light, danger stalks Vanessa and Blythe.

Maggie, thank you for answering my questions and sharing more about yourself. I wish you all the best with your latest release, SURERENDER TO DESTINY.

Maggie's other books:

Check out Maggie's website for more excerpts and information about her books.