Author Anne Rollins is joining us today for an interview. Historical romance and historical mystery fans are in for a treat with her latest novel, Secrets at Selwyn Castle. Castles, secrets, jewel thieves, and unexpected romance are sure to keep readers turning pages.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Secrets at Selwyn Castle
Author: Anne Rollins
Genre: Historical Romance/Historical Mystery
BLURB:
Richard Selwyn has a simple plan: throw a holiday house party to help his younger brother find a wife. Richard, having no desire to disturb his comfortable bachelor life, isn’t looking for his own match. But he didn’t expect a castle full of secrets, a jewel thief, and a kiss under the mistletoe that might very well change the course of his life.
Ivy Burnley was raised in luxury by her noble uncle and aunt, but her own parentage is so scandalous that she believes herself unfit to marry a gentleman. She arrives at Selwyn Castle intending only to help chaperone her debutante cousin during the house party. As Christmas draws nearer, winter walks, evening waltzes, and a handsome earl challenge Ivy’s resolution to stay single.
When an unknown thief steals one of Ivy’s most priceless possessions, she’ll need Richard’s help to move past the shame of her background and uncover all the secrets at Selwyn Castle.
INTERVIEW:
Welcome! It is my pleasure to feature your novel.
What was the inspiration behind your latest release?
I wanted to write a Christmas novella, and I wanted to set it in a castle, because what’s more fun than a castle at Christmas? Then I needed a plot for that setting, and I fell back on years of reading classic English country house murders. The result ended up being half Regency romance, half cozy mystery!
Do ideas for plot or characters appear first?
For me, “which comes first” varies from work to work. Sometimes I think of a plot or premise, then think “What kind of characters would the leads have to be to make this story work?” As I mentioned above, in the case of Secrets at Selwyn Castle, the setting came first. Then I decided I wanted an age gap romance (purely because I like that trope). That helped me create the lead characters. I asked myself why the male lead was still single if he was older than the usual marrying age. Answering that question helped shape Richard Selwyn as a character.
When did you begin writing?
I was still in elementary school (about fourth grade) when I started writing short stories, beginning with a supernatural thriller called “The Little Jade Dog.” The summer after I turned thirteen, I decided to write a whole novel, probably just to prove that I could. I figured a novel had to be at least 100 pages, so that was my goal. It was a portal fantasy that was my response to all the many children’s books in which characters explore an exciting, magical world, but return home at the end. I always thought “Why would you want to go home if you could stay in Narnia or Wonderland?” So I wrote a story called Crossworld Journey, in which the main characters did NOT return home.
After that novel, I wrote a novel every summer up until my college years. I didn’t start seriously writing again until after my first child was born, more than a decade later. I read so many picture books out loud to my baby that I thought “I bet I could write one,” and set out to learn how. After years of attempting to write picture books, I can confidently say that writing a 500-word picture book is, in many ways, harder than writing an 80,000-word novel!
What has been your biggest challenge?
As far as writing goes, I find revision to be more challenging than drafting, although I’ve gotten a lot better at it. But marketing and promotion are much harder than any stage of writing!
What does literary success mean to you?
My dream is to be able to walk into a bookstore or a library and see my books on the shelves. Libraries were a very important part of my childhood, so I’d really like to see my books in libraries!
Speaking of which, I hope readers realize that most libraries have a book request process through which you can ask that they purchase books they don’t currently have. That’s one way of supporting your favourite writers, even if you can’t buy their books.
What project are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m doing a complete rewrite of my first Regency romance work-in-progress. It’s a Regency fantasy romance set in the same world as my novel The Solitary Rose, but this story is told in first person from the perspective of a young autistic woman who has visions of the future. I love the lead characters in this book, but my writing has improved so much since I wrote the first version that I wanted to start over from scratch.
Upcoming books, events, appearances, giveaways:
Secrets at Selwyn Castle, the first book in my Beau Monde Secrets series, releases on August 30! That same day, I’ll be doing a half-day takeover at a Facebook group, the Tattered Page Book Club. There will be giveaways and fun stuff for readers! https://www.facebook.com/groups/269414840723994
AUTHOR BIO:
Anne Rollins is the pen name of an English professor who lives in Northern California with her family, her pets, and an enormous collection of books. She is a fan of Diana Wynne Jones, Jane Austen, and Patricia Wrede— just some of the authors who have influenced her writing. Her first romance novel was a Regency fantasy romance, and she is currently working on a series of Regency romances with a pinch of mystery.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Jill Piscitello 