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Susana’s Parlour is celebrating the second anniversary of The Romance Reviews with the Treasuring Theresa Lucky In Love Giveaway. To enter the contest, click the TRR graphic at right or the Treasuring Theresa graphic in the side bar.

Before you go, leave a comment on today’s guest post for five contest entries. Be sure to include your email address in your comment!

You Got Me, Téa!

One of my History Lovers colleagues, Téa Cooper, tagged me for the “The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.”

SO WHAT IS THE ‘NEXT BIG THING’ BLOG HOP?

The idea is for me to answer ten questions about my latest project, and then tag other authors in order to continue the hop.

I was tagged by Téa Cooper and haven’t tagged anyone else.* Yet. (Let me know if you would like an excuse to discuss your latest project. It was more fun than I expected!)

*Update: My friend Cora Lee will be writing about her upcoming project on March 28. Now I just need two more people!

Since I’ve blogged a lot about Treasuring Theresa, I’ll talk here about my latest project, which is still in revision stage and subject to change. It doesn’t have a cover yet, but I do have a photo of my heroine, Charlotte. The title, too, is subject to change.

TEN QUESTIONS ABOUT…CHERISHING CHARLOTTE

Was Cherishing Charlotte always the title of this book, even when it was a work in progress?

Well, originally I thought to call it The Heatherwyck Inheritance. But after Treasuring Theresa was published, I thought Cherishing Charlotte would be a good followup, since the major characters do appear here in cameo roles. But…keep in mind…this story is still a work in progress, and nothing is set in stone as yet.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

One day while Treasuring Theresa was still out to my critique partners and our MVRWA annual brainstorming event was approaching, I decided to brainstorm a list of future story ideas. This is one of the plots that came to me (and yes, I have several more waiting to be written). And thanks to the MVRWA for helping me straighten out the plot last September!

The idea came to me of a situation where the heroine (Charlotte) was being pressured to marry her grandfather’s nephew and heir (her second cousin) to save her family from destitution. Her wealthy grandfather disinherited his daughter (Charlotte’s mother) when she ran off with a tutor, but as he faces his own mortality, he comes up with a way to ensure his Chapman lineage by marrying off his estranged daughter’s child to his brother’s son. Of course, Charlotte can’t stand her cousin Wyatt, but her family is in desperate need and she won’t inherit anything unless she goes along with her grandfather’s plan.

What genre does your book fall under?

Cherishing Charlotte is another traditional, sweet Regency romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Frankly, I don’t like the idea of casting real people as my fictional characters. I don’t really like my favorite books, such as Outlander, being made into movies, because it totally spoils my inner visualization of these fiercely-loved characters.

But I did create a Pinterest board for help in visualizing characters and places in Cherishing Charlotte, and I have already chosen a photo of Charlotte for use in creating promotional items when the time comes. I’m having a hard time finding a good one for Colin, because my sources of stock photos seem to be limited to dark-haired or extremely young men. But I’ll keep looking!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Hmm…I haven’t actually gotten that far yet. But I’ll give it a try here. Just keep in mind that things may change before the story’s publication takes place.

Charlotte must choose a lifetime of misery wed to her coxcomb of a cousin or else doom her beloved family to destitution…unless she can persuade her grandfather to change his mind.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Who knows? It’s still a work in progress at this point, but I have no plans to self-publish it a tpresent.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

If you don’t count November, when I put it aside to write my NANO novel, which is the next project for revision, about two months so far. However, I am making substantial changes to the plot, so I would add another month before it is ready to submit to a publisher.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Treasuring Theresa, Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and lots of English historical romances based on English inheritance laws and romance. 

Who/what inspired you to write this book?

No one thing, I suppose. I am just intrigued by the situation of young women in Regency times whose futures depended upon “suitable marriages” to gentlemen they couldn’t even like or respect, let alone love. How many had to choose between spinsterhood or marriage to men like Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice? What would you do if your beloved brothers’ futures depended on you marrying someone you knew would make you miserable? There weren’t a lot of options for women in those days. In the end, did Lizzie Bennet think less of her friend Charlotte Lucas for marrying Mr. Collins? If the situation with Mr. Darcy had not turned around, I suspect Lizzie would have chosen spinsterhood, much as Jane Austen did herself.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Charlotte’s grandfather employs a handsome estate manager who is hiding a few secrets of his own. Colin Graham can’t like the match between his employer’s granddaughter and nephew, but he’s certainly not in a position to help her escape from it, even if he wished to, which he doesn’t. Does he?

And that’s about it!

Watch my blogs, Susana’s Parlour and Susana’s Morning Room, as well as my web site, for more news about Cherishing Charlotte (or whatever it will end up being called in the end).

And if you haven’t read Treasuring Theresa or the epilogue to Treasuring Theresa (a free read), why not do that now and be prepared to meet them again in Cherishing Charlotte?