Christy English

Q&A With Victoria Vane and a Give Away

Friday, February 8th, 2013 | Give Away, Victoria Vane

 

As a final entry in this week’s Georgian frolic, I have an interview with the lovely Victoria Vane. I have loved her books from the first one I read, and as we talk together, you’ll see more reasons why. At the end of the post, leave a comment answering the question: Do you love a reformed rake? This will enter you for the give away of Victoria Vane’s TREACHEROUS TEMPTATIONS (US only).

 

1)      Lord Hadley has a dark past…do you find yourself drawn to write about leading men with wild pasts? What do you enjoy most about writing novels in which a rake is reformed?

 

I am absolutely a sucker for a man in need of redemption, but he has to have at least a few qualities that make him worthy of the effort. My favorite heroes have all been men with dubious pasts, beginning with Philip Drake, a charming but deceitful rogue from THE HIGHEST STAKES who is redeemed (only after I put him completely through the ringer) in FORTUNE’S SON.

 

In my Devil DeVere series, the namesake character, Viscount Ludovic DeVere is truly the rake of all rakes, but as the series progresses, the honorable facets of his character are slowly revealed. The reader eventually realizes that he’s only using his wild and debauched behavior as a protective shield. When he at last confesses his feelings for Diana, it’s wondrous to see the mighty DeVere fall.

 

Lord Hadley is much darker than DeVere, who is playfully debauched while he seemingly orders the world around him like a puppet-master.  Lord Hadley, on the other hand is a very resentful puppet.  A true Byronic hero, Hadley has had little control over his life and has come to believe the very worst in people. Quoting Byron’s Corsair:

 

He knew himself a villain—but he deem’d
The rest no better than the thing he seem’d;
And scorn’d the best as hypocrites who hid
Those deeds the bolder spirit plainly did.

 

Hadley’s depravity and cynicism are clear from his very first scene:

Excerpt from Chapter One:

His gaze narrowed and his voice took on a frigid overtone. “You think I left Paris under my own volition? Pray let me correct your misapprehension, madam. You see, I’ve traded on my good name a bit too long and was induced to leave before my creditors installed me in the Bastille.”

“Is it truly as you say, Hadley?” She regarded him with overt skepticism. “What of your annuity? Do you mean nothing remains?”

“Latera ecfutut,” he replied darkly.

Her blank look forced him to translate with a mirthless laugh. “Fucked away, my dear. Literally and completely.”

Her frown deepened. “How can you expect to continue living large across the Continent at myexpense, while I’m forced to suffer alone in London playing the mournful widow under the disgrace of a ruined name?”

“Mournful widow, eh?” Hadley raked her with a blood-shot gaze that lingered on the brilliant gems adorning her hands, ears, and neck. He reached out to stroke her collarbone, tracing the diamonds resting above the milky white flesh of her bared breasts. “You don’t appear to have suffered.”

He grasped an erect nipple, indolently rolling it between thumb and forefinger, an act that elicited a convulsive shiver from her body and a low moan from her lips. Remarking the lust-filled glitter in her eyes, Hadley cupped both of her breasts and dipped his head to lick the length of her neck. While his tongue played in the delicate hollow behind her ear, his hands went to work deftly removing her necklace. “Ah,” he pocketed it with a smirk. “This should just about cover tonight’s losses.”

“You bastard!” Barbara shrieked. “You would steal the very jewels from my body?”

“Needs must…” he shrugged. “Right now, I would steal the gold from a dead man’s teeth. There are no depths to which one will not descend when in want.”

 

 

2)      Molly is a strong woman, in spite of her innocence. I think you created in this character a beautiful balance between a virginal woman who knows little about the world and one who is also intelligent and a fast learner. What draws you to write about strong women? 

 

The short answer? The rakish hero! My male characters are very hard to tame. The deed can only be accomplished by a woman with intelligence and considerable strength of character.

3)  Who is your favorite character in the novel? Why?

Call me crazy, but I adore the wicked countess, especially when she teams up with the bad Baron Barnesley. It was so fun to depict characters who are so thoroughly degenerate! I am seriously considering reprising that depraved pair for another story – maybe a novella.

4) In TREACHEROUS TEMPTATIONS you have a couple of nasty villains to round out the piece. I truly felt that Molly was in danger for most of the book, and that even Lord Hadley needed all his wits about him to manage to elude the evil of those around him. Do you enjoy creating evil characters? How do you keep even your nefarious characters so balanced, which makes them seem as real as the hero and heroine?

 

As I just mentioned, I adore my villains almost as much as my protagonists. I try very hard to make them multi-dimensional. What I loved most about Barbara Blanchard was her shameless tenacity and her adaptability. She ALWAYS looks out for number one and never gives up! Even when her first nefarious plan goes awry, she is quick to adjust to the changing circumstances!

 

5) What is next for you? 

Thanks so much for asking! I have many irons in the fire at present. First off, I am deliriously happy to say that my entire DeVere series is currently in production for audiobook. It’s been so much fun to hear my stories come to life through professional actors. This very much compliments the custom artwork and character portraits I have commissioned for the series that readers can enjoy on my Devil DeVere fan site: http://thedevildevere.com

 

As far as new writing projects go, I have several more DeVere books coming this year and am also nearly finished with my first contemporary romance. It is set in Montana with a cowboy hero,  and a heroine readers will readily relate to. I love the story!

As for historicals, they will always be my first love. I have many more titles cluttering my computer desktop that I hope Entangled will wish to add to the Scandalous line. I hope readers will follow me to keep up with my forthcoming projects.

Website: http://authorvictoriavane.com

Blog: http://victoriavane.wordpress.com

Twitter: @authorvictoriav

Facebook: Author Victoria Vane

 

Tags: Georgian Romance, Give Away, Treacherous Temptations, Victoria Vane

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