Even TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) heroines subscribe to Love Romance Passion's RSS feed for insight on HEAs (Happily Ever Afters) ~Keira

Keira: Of the three heroes in your latest trilogy, The Stud Club, who would look best in a cravat?

Tessa: Hm.  I know which one to rule out immediately, and that's Rhys.  He's definitely the Regency equivalent of a t-shirt and jeans guy.  Spencer cleans up well, but given his druthers, he'd far rather be in a barn than a ballroom.  Julian Bellamy, however, is known for having very smart clothes.  He's not a dandy, per se - but he's a trendsetter.  So I think I'd go with him.  Of course, I think all three heroes look their best sans cravat...and other items of clothing.

Keira: I read somewhere that you collect pictures as part of your research. Do you have any depicting Spencer?
Tessa: You know, Spencer's looks changed a lot in my mind as I wrote him and his personality evolved.  I never see my characters' facial features all that precisely--it's more about the way they carry themselves, and the general image of their coloring and hair.  When I was asked to send in pictures so that the cover art people could cast models, I sent this picture of Eric Bana playing cards in a film called Lucky You.

It fit, because Spencer is a card sharp, and I envisioned his hair looking almost exactly the same.  But I will admit - I half sent that photo because I was hoping it would make them pick Nathan Kamp as the model...and look, they did!  Squee!  The hair is *perfect*.

Keira: What was your favorite section of dialogue from One Dance with a Duke and why?

Tessa: There are two.  One is the argument Spencer and Amelia have just before they go to bed together for the first time.  Amelia has known her new husband to be a very taciturn, rude person--and she's just overheard him being incredibly tender and kind...to his horse.  Frustrated, she asks him why he doesn't treat her like he treats his horses, which leads to a funny/sexy/emotional confrontation.

My other favorite is basically the conclusion of that argument, thought it takes place weeks later.  Spencer finally lets his tender side show, and confesses his love for his wife.  I loved writing both those scenes.

Keira: How do you define love?
Tessa: Ack! What a question!  I suppose I've spent six books trying to define it and will hopefully continue the effort for several more.  I've said in the past that to me, finding one's true partner in life and love is about finding the person who accepts you for your worst self, but empowers you to be your best self.

Keira: I loved all the sexual tension and love scenes in One Dance with a Duke. What was most important for you when you wrote those scenes? Does it transfer to your other novels also?

Tessa: Well, I love to write sexual tension.  And Amelia and Spencer's tension was crackling, because it wasn't only sexual tension--it was emotional and conflict-driven tension, too.  The other two couples in the series have their own relationship dynamics, but I always strive to make the love scenes in my books essential to the story.  In my mind, if the reader could skip the love scene and not miss anything related to the story conflict, the character growth, the emotional journey...then there's no point to writing that love scene.  I think the best sexual tension and love scenes are true turning points for one or both characters.

Keira: What’s your favorite aspect of Regency romances?

Tessa: Why do I write Regencies, and not contemporaries, do you mean?  There are lots of reasons.  If Jane Austen had been writing in the Georgian period, I think I'd be writing Georgians (and so would most everyone else).  But I also think it has something to do with the notion that one can talk about concepts like "honor" and "duty" without the layer of irony they've accrued in modern times.  Also, the clothes are fun!

Keira: When it comes to reading romance what are some of your secret guilty plots or character types that you love beyond reason?
Tessa: Oh, I just love tortured heroes.  Love, love them.  And yet I had the hardest time writing my own.  Rhys, the hero of Twice Tempted by a Rogue, is so tortured, and writing his book just had me tied in knots at times.  But then, that made giving him a happy ending all the sweeter.

Keira: Jane Austen and Julie Garwood were some major influences when you first started writing. What is your favorite novel by each of them and why?

Tessa: Those two authors are probably the reason I love historical romance.  My first Julie Garwood novel was The Bride, and I remember just being enthralled by it--the humor, the emotion, the fast pace of the story, the Scottish setting.  I was completely swept off my feet.

Being asked to choose a favorite Austen novel is torture ... there are several I love for different reasons.  Pride and Prejudice, of course--a book I manage to obliquely reference in most of my own novels.  I think it is definitely my favorite romance plot within Austen's work.  But I also love Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion...

Keira: For the curious, how did you decide on a duke, a scarred war hero and a scoundrel?

Tessa: I wanted these three guys to come from very different life experiences, so they could clash against one another and have believable conflict. So I picked a duke first (Spencer), as the ultimate lofty aristocrat.  At the other end of the spectrum, I wanted a bad-boy hero from low origins (Julian, the "scoundrel").  In the middle is Rhys, who has inherited an estate and title, but has known a great deal of violence and suffering in his life.  Their stories developed in my mind over months and months.
Thanks so much for having me, Keira!  Hope that answers everything for you.

Best,
Tessa
http://tessadare.com

Buy: One Dance with a Duke

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Categories:

Author Interviews, D-F, Regency

Tags:

amelia, bellamy, confrontation, cover art, cravat, eric bana, jeans guy, nathan kamp, playing cards, regency equivalent, rude person, smart clothes, spencer, Stud Club trilogy, Tessa Dare, three heroes, trendsetter