Hello Katie! Great to see you here. Now, like my debut novel Doubting Abbey, Mansfield Lark (blurb at end) features a rundown stately home - can you describe it to us and explain why it
is verging on ruin?
When the story begins, Mansfield Hall is in serious
disrepair. The carpets are threadbare,
and there are ugly brown water stains on the Robert Adam ceilings; the roof
needs repairing, the boiler is on its last legs, and the plumbing is so ancient
that only a rusty trickle of water comes out of the spigots.
The Earl of Locksley and his family can no longer afford
the upkeep on the sprawling estate. The
family trust that’s covered the costs thus far has all but evaporated. Mansfield
is a historic home, but it’s not a stately.
His lordship refuses to allow tour groups to traipse through his home,
nor will he relinquish it to the National Trust. He’s a proud and stubborn man.
It’s loathsome to him, then, that he must turn to his
rebellious (but filthy rich) son, rock star Dominic Heath, for financial help.
Like yours, my book also features an earl - I loved
writing about aristocratic life as it is so different to mine. What was the
appeal for you?
Honestly? I’ve
always wondered what it must be like to live in a grand old house. Maybe it’s because of all the films and
television shows I’ve watched – Jane Eyre,
Pride and Prejudice, Bright Young Things, “Downton Abbey” –
but I pay almost as much attention to the sweeping staircases and carved
library ceilings as I do to the plots!
Living in such an immense house is wonderful, surely; but
it’s also fraught with responsibility.
For despite the English gardens and follies by the lakes, the long
galleries and morning rooms swathed in silk, there is a great deal of expense
to be borne. And, of course, there are
future generations of the family to consider.
Would you have rather lived upstairs in past centuries,
in a stately home, or kept up to date with all the gossip in the servants'
quarters, downstairs?
Well, my initial answer is that I’d like to have lived
upstairs. Having servants to draw your
bath and dress you, never being required to fix dinner or mop a floor – that
would indeed be wonderful!
But life in those days was so restricted for women, and
so circumspect, that I think the reality was probably far from our romantic
imaginings. I can’t help but believe
that living below stairs, although certainly much harder, would prove a lot more interesting!
I loved your debut book, Prada and Prejudice. The second
in the series is called Love and Liability - and now Mansfield Lark. Presumably
you are a massive Jane Austen fan?
Jane Austen wrote books that still resonate with us
today, because she understood human nature so well. She wrote about universal themes – love,
family, pride – things that we all relate to.
Her characters, too, are unforgettable.
Is there a more romantic hero than Mr Darcy in all of literature?
But while I love her books, I would never dare to try and
“reimagine” them, as other writers have done (and done very well, I might add). No, I prefer to write about things I observe
in my daily life – amusing things, confounding things, frustrating things – and
fictionalize them, just as Jane Austen documented the foibles and follies of
the people in her own day and time.
Would you ever consider writing a story set in the past, like
hit TV series Downton Abbey, or are you very much a contemporary writer?
I would love to write a Regency romance! I’ve written (well, half-written) one and it
was great fun to write. I love the
comedy of manners, the sharp wit, the history, and the clothes. The main reason I’ve stuck to modern-day
settings is because I haven’t the time to do the meticulous research required
to do justice to a Regency. (Those
Regency readers are a tough audience, I hear!)
Out of the three books, which is your favourite
character?
Oh, hands down, Dominic Heath, the recalcitrant rock
star, is my favorite character, probably because he’s my polar opposite. He gets to do all of the things I’d love to
do – sing rock songs onstage, sling a guitar, behave badly, and plow his way
through a succession of women (well, for me it’d be men, obviously).
What is it like being published by a digital-first
imprint?
It’s been great, if a little intense. When my three books were initially bought by
Carina UK back
in August of 2013, I had no idea they’d publish them so quickly, and in such
quick succession. From a marketing
perspective it was brilliant; but from a personal perspective, since I’m still
working full time, it was a bit stressful!
But I’ve loved every crazy minute. Carina’s art department design some of the
most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen.
And my editors, Helen Williams and Lucy Gilmour, are excellent (and
very, very patient).
Are there only three books in the series? If so, what can
we expect from you next?
I’m working on two more books – I’ve started a new
Natalie and Rhys story, set in a Scottish castle. It’s the Christmas holidays,
and Nat and Rhys have been invited to her friend Tarquin’s family castle. There’s
a gruff, mysterious groundskeeper, a house guest who isn’t quite what she
seems, and a family secret.
And Natalie has a secret of her own, one that might jeopardize
her brand-new marriage to Rhys...
The other book is finished, but I’m adding in a subplot
featuring a new character, an Anglo/Indian pop singer named Christa. The plot centers on Gemma, who has a massive falling
out with Dominic, and Jack Hawkins, the sexy arms dealer from Mansfield Lark. It promises to be adventurous and fun.
As for a third book - I’ll probably revisit Holly and
Jamie and see how they’re getting on.
Something from Jamie’s past comes back to haunt him. And his mother turns up on Holly and Jamie’s
doorstep for an extended visit, and she’s driving poor Holly crazy...
Thanks for visiting, Katie, and good luck with your future writing!
Katie's Bio:
I was born
in Washington DC and have lived in the Northern
Virginia area all of my life. I have two sons, both grown. When they left home, I decided to seriously
pursue my dream to write. I love
romantic comedy and chick lit, so I chose to specialize in those genres. I wrote in the evenings and weekends (I still
work full time) until I completed two books.
I’m also an active blogger.
I’m
currently represented by the Holloway Literary Agency and recently sold my
first three books to Carina UK, a
division of Harlequin UK.
I love to
write, and I love it even more when readers tell me how much they enjoy my
books!
Or buy her book, in the UK or US?
BLURB FOR MANSFIELD PARK:
A present
day Mr Darcy in Disguise?
Gemma
Astley has succeeded where so many others have failed. She has somehow managed
to tame tearaway rock star Dominic Heath and stop his womanising ways for good.
But just as they find happiness, Dominic’s secret aristocratic past becomes
public knowledge, and everything changes…not necessarily for the better.
Dominic is
actually Rupert Locksley, heir of Mansfield Hall, a crumbling stately home that
needs major financial investment to save it from ruin. Dominic’s mother pleads
for his help, but his father, the earl, is on the verge of disinheriting him.
Meanwhile, Dominic’s new status as Mansfield’s long-lost heir attracts the attention of cut-throat gold-digger,
socialite Bibi Matchington-Alcester, who means to make him hers at any cost.
Gemma and
Dominic will need to test the strength of their foundations – as well as those
of Mansfield Hall – if either are to remain standing.
Book 3 in
Katie Oliver’s Dating Mr Darcy series
