Blog Tour: The Twelfth Night Wager by Regan Walker (Interview + Giveaway)

Love Saves the World welcomes Regan Walker, who is currently on a blog tour for her book, The Twelfth Night Wager.

Regan will be awarding a copy of three (3) of her books, Racing with the Wind, The Holly and the Thistle, and The Shamrock and the Rose to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

To drop by Regan's other stops, click here.

For this stop, Regan very graciously answered some questions that I posed to her. Here is my Q&A with Regan Walker:

LStW: Your novella, The Twelfth Night Wager is set during the holiday season.  Do you have a favourite holiday in the year?
Regan Walker: It would probably be Christmas. I love the way they celebrated it in Regency England. During the period 1811-1820 when Prince George ruled as Prince Regent, the celebration of Christmas was more subtle than ours today. To my way of thinking, perhaps they were better for it. Christmastide, as they called the season, began with Christmas Eve and continued to Twelfth Night, or January 5th, followed by the Feast of the Epiphany the next day, the official end of the Yule season. The Christian faith was very much a part of the season as were family and friends. They didn’t give gifts to each other, except for a small toy to the children and gifts to servants on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas.

LStW: Your hero is a rake and your heroine is a virtuous widow.  Who or what inspired you to create Christopher and Grace?
Regan: Well, since the premise of the story is a wager to seduce a virtuous widow, I knew I was dealing with a rake in Christopher, Lord Eustace. In contrast, Grace is probably the most sensitive, biddable heroine I’ve ever conceived. Lovely and loveable. Eustace is in his 30s and a very experienced man, able to lure any woman to his bed. Grace, while a widow, is wise in some ways but inexperienced in others. And she is in her early 20s. If you asked me to picture them, it would be Gerard Butler and Evan Rachel Wood.

*Photos provided by author.

LStW: Your novel is about a wager between Christopher and his friend.  Have you ever made an interesting wager?  What was the outcome?
Regan: You’ll find it ironic that I would write a story centered around a wager and the wagering culture of Regency England when I am not a gambler. I am a risk taker in life, certainly, but never have I made a wager. I do however say to my friends, “I’d bet that’s going to occur,” or words to that effect. And often I am right. Comes with being a lawyer for so many years and a student of people.

LStW: Many of your novels are set in Regency London. What is the appeal of that period/setting?
Regan: It was an interesting time, a time of transition. While the period from 1811-1820 in England was characterized by a Prince Regent who lived a debauched lifestyle, and courtesans might have been treated better than the wives of arranged marriages, a young lady of the nobility would be raised in a certain manner with certain expectations of proper behavior. So there were stark contrasts. There was more freedom for women, particularly widows, than there had been, and more going on in history than you might think. The war with Napoleon ended in 1815, bringing changes to both countries, and the world was on the brink of the Industrial Revolution. And England would see its last war with America. These events feature prominently in my novels in my Agents of the Crown trilogy.

LStW: What's next for Regan Walker in 2014?
Regan: I’m very excited about my new pirate Regency, Wind Raven. It should be released in early spring. The hero is Captain Jean Nicholas Powell, a wealthy British merchant and a former privateer for England. The heroine, Tara McConnell, is an American and a very different woman than Nick has ever encountered. There will be some exciting shipboard scenes, I promise.

Beyond that, I have the prequel to write, To Tame the Wind. But before the prequel consumes me, I’m finishing a medieval I started after Racing with the Wind.

The Red Wolf’s Prize is set in England in 1068, two years after the Conquest. The idea for the story grew out of my fascination with the idea of one culture conquering another. I wondered what a high-spirited young English woman would do when all those Normans invaded her lands. Given that I like strong-willed heroines, it was just the kind of question I like answering. I had no idea what a challenge it would be to research life in the 11th century. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on the Saxon culture, what they wore, how they lived, what they ate. Then, too, I had to learn about Norman knights—their culture, their attitudes toward the English, and the battles fought after the Conquest. Even the horses they rode became a subject for research (they did not, for example, ride their warhorses—destriers—all over the countryside). Tentatively, The Red Wolf’s Prize will be released in the fall of 2014.

Thank you, Regan! Very excited for all the wonderful stories you have lined up in 2014!

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About the book:

Blurb:

On a dull day at White’s, the Redheaded Rake agreed to a wager: seduce and abandon the lovely Lady Leisterfield by Twelfth Night. After one taste of her virtue, he will stop at nothing less than complete possession.

Excerpt:

“Speak of the devil,” said Lady Claremont.

The five women looked toward the doorway that led to the smaller book room. There on the threshold stood Eustace, in a dark blue coat over a white shirt and buff-colored breeches. Grace thought him very dashing. When his eyes focused on her, followed by a warm smile, her heart skipped.

She thought she heard Priscilla Wentworth let out a sigh. Apparently Eustace had made another conquest. How tiring it must be for him, she thought to herself, all those ladies falling at his feet. But even to herself, that sounded like jealousy.

He strode to their table, stopping along the way to greet other guests playing cards. When finally he reached them, he wished the group of five women good-day.

“How’s the card game going, ladies?”

“It’s not whist,” said the countess, “but ’twill do as it’s loo.” She chuckled at her own rhyme, and the ivory feather above her silver locks flicked in jaunty fashion. Emily rolled her eyes.

Eustace chuckled, too. “You look well settled into the game.”

“Have you just come from the fox-hunt?” Grace asked.

“I have. But you can be thankful I first cleaned off the mud. It’s positively soggy out there. Still, it was worth it; Ormond, Alvanley and I had a good run through the woods.”

“It sounds delightful,” said Emily. “I love the sounds of the bugle and the hounds eager to give chase to the wily fox. Did you catch him?”

“Sadly, yes. The end of the chase is always so…final, and somehow disappointing.”

Eustace’s words drew her attention and she noticed his serious expression. She had the feeling he wasn’t talking only about fox-hunts.

Buy the book at:

Amazon

BN

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About the author:

As a child Regan Walker loved to write stories, particularly about adventure-loving girls, but by the time she got to college more serious pursuits took priority. One of her professors thought her suited to the profession of law, and Regan realized it would be better to be a hammer than a nail.

Years of serving clients in private practice and several stints in high levels of government gave her a love of international travel and a feel for the demands of the “Crown” on its subjects. Hence her romance novels often involve a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects as his private talent pool.

Website: www.reganwalkerauthor.com/
Blog: reganromancereview.blogspot.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/RegansReview

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Regan will be awarding a copy of three (3) of her books, Racing with the Wind, The Holly and the Thistle, and The Shamrock and the Rose to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

To drop by Regan's other stops, click here.