The Twelfth Night Wager by Regan Walker – Review and Interview with the Author

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About the book: Release Date November 4, 2013

THE REDHEADED RAKE
It was a dull day at White’s, the day he agreed to the wager: seduce bed and walk away from the lovely Lady Leisterfield, all by Twelfth Night. This holiday season, Christopher St. Ives, Viscount Eustace, planned to give himself a gift.

THE INNOCENT WIDOW
She was too proper by half—or so was the accusation of her friends, which was why her father had to find her a husband. But Lord Leisterfield was now gone a year, and Grace was at last shedding the drab colors of mourning. The house felt empty, more so during the coming Christmastide, and so tonight her coming out would begin with a scandalous piece of theater. The play would attract rogues, or so promised her friend the dowager countess. It would indeed. The night would bring about the greatest danger—and the greatest happiness—that Grace had ever known.

Review:

The Twelfth Night Wager begins with Hugh Redgrave and Christopher St. Ives at White’s discussing Hugh’s “praise for his wedded state” and, in Hugh’s words, Christopher’s “tawdry existence” as a rake. Christopher is a little taken aback at Hugh’s description of his lifestyle and thinks there is nothing wrong with the way he chooses to live his life when it comes to women. So, Hugh entices Christopher with a little wager to test his methods of handling said women. The wager? He must seduce, bed and walk away from the beautiful Lady Grace Leisterfield by the twelfth night. Any other outcome will see Hugh as the winner. Christopher always did like a good wager……..

Grace is coming out of her mourning period. Her elder husband died suddenly a year ago and now is the time to put away the mourning wardrobe and step out into the ton. And who better to aid her than Mary, Hugh’s wife, and the dowager countess. They have several events planned and Grace looks forward to attending them all. And, of course, Christopher will be attending as well. Once Grace and Christopher are introduced, the attraction begins. The one problem? All of the single ladies of the ton are hoping they are the one to whom Christopher and Hugh have laid their wager on. So, in order to not set tongues wagging, and to keep Grace’s identity unknown, Christopher must spread his attention around. Another problem that he hadn’t counted on was his growing attraction to Grace. Maybe Hugh was onto something…………And, once Christopher realizes that someone is trying to blackmail Grace with some information about her dead husband, that if made public, would damage her reputation, as well as her stepson’s, he vows to help her no matter the cost and leave behind his rakish ways.

Regan Walker has once again written a beautiful story filled with a little mystery, a little fun and A LOT of romance. She has, in a very short time, become my favorite author in this genre. You will swear you can see the streets of the cities from long ago that she writes about. There is no unnecessary dialogue and no filler. She does a phenomenal job of making the reader feel as if they actually know the characters and you actually care what happens to them. We also get peeks into characters’ lives from previous books to see how they are faring as well. And, here I thought the dowager countess was the only match maker in this series. Who knew that Hugh would set things in motion that would warm our hearts? I, for one, can’t wait for the next installment. Well done, Regan Walker, very well done.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Vickie M.

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TRC: Hi Regan and welcome to The Reading Cafe. We would like to congratulate you on the success of 2013 and the recent holiday release of The Twelfth Night Wager.

Regan: Thanks! I’m so happy to be on The Reading Café. You have given my books some lovely reviews and I always appreciate your thoughtful comments!

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

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Regan: Sure. I grew up in California and had a career as a lawyer for many years that included several stints in government, which gave me a feel for the demands of the “Crown” on its subjects. So, not surprisingly, my first novels, all set in the Regency era, involve a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects are his private talent pool. I love to weave history and real historic figures into my stories. It makes them more real to me. My first novel in the Agents of the Crown trilogy, RACING WITH THE WIND, was published by Boroughs Publishing Group in 2012, and my second, AGAINST THE WIND was published in March of this year. WIND RAVEN, the third in the trilogy, will be released in early 2014.

I am a member of the Beau Monde and San Diego chapters of Romance Writers of America and frequently can be found at the Romantic Times Convention.

TRC: Do you believe your travel experiences and law degree have helped with your storyline premises and historical accuracies?

Regan: Oh yes. Having experienced the countries I am writing about helps me have a visual feel for the places. And the idea of delving into the past for my research is not new to me. I love it. Digging for the facts is a part of who I am. I can’t write the scenes until I have the setting and the history lined up. Also, my undergraduate decree is in field biology and that has helped me numerous times with flora and fauna, even wild beasts.

TRC: What was the deciding factor pushing you into the world of romance writing?

Regan: A good friend’s advice (after hearing me talk about alternate endings for some of the novels I was reading). She told me I thought like a writer and she could see me as having published novels. (She actually had a dream in which she saw nine of them on her bookshelf!)

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Regan: A bit of both. I let history lead me to the scene, but once I get a feel for my characters I know what they would say and do and they “speak” on the page.

TRC: Are you a plotter or a pantster?

Regan: Again, a bit of both. I usually have the beginning and sometimes the ending in my mind before I begin to write. The first scenes come easily, but the middle is all pantster and it’s my greatest challenge. I never liked to outline in school, so I suppose my somewhat carefree approach comes naturally. I like structure but only when it comes to me as I write the story.

TRC: Has their ever been one of your characters that you would have liked to have re-written, perhaps change up the personality or characteristics-good or bad?

Regan: Funny you should ask. I have always wanted to write a real bodice ripper with an alpha male who is a tortured hero and only softened by the heroine. It may be coming in TO TAME THE WIND (the prequel for my trilogy) in 2015. But it’s hard to write those bad boys when you prefer gentlemen in real life. Most of my heroes are alpha males with a bit of an edge. If I were to change anything, I’d make them more edgy. My heroines are strong enough.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Regan: I imagine how I would feel as that character experiencing what she/he is experiencing. If the tears would fall, then my character cries. If I would hold it tightly inside trying to deny her emotions, then so does my character. But always I am in the character’s head so even as I try and conceive of how I would react, it’s not me; it’s her (or him). Some emotions are more easily felt than others. Anger is one of those.

As to how some authors fail, I think they are acting too much the narrator, distanced from their characters. A writer cannot do that. Too, I think there is pressure in some quarters to make the beginning of a romance cute, giving it a “hook” for hook’s sake, if you will. You can recognize them because the rest of the story doesn’t match up. I’m an avid reader of historical romance and I know when I pick up a worthy tale that I have to settle in and wait for the story to evolve. It might grab me on the first page; it might not. You have to slowly build the characters like leaves of an onion to make me cry with them when the sad part comes. I must be invested.

TRC: Your stories tend to revolve around actual historical events. How much research goes into that process? How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Regan: Hundreds of hours. To give you an example, I’m writing a medieval now, THE RED WOLF’S PRIZE, set in 1068 in England. The prologue is set five years earlier in the County of Maine (France today). It’s a wolf attack described in two and a half pages. I spent three days researching that one scene. I had to know if a lone wolf would attack a man and, if so, under what circumstances; whether they had wolves in France in the 11th century; if red wolves were found in the area; what kind of horse a knight would ride once off the battlefield (it’s not a destrier!); and what was the weather that winter (if I could find it). Oh, yes, and I had to know what William, Duke of Normandy was doing that year so I’d have his knights returning from the correct battle.

I can’t explain how history and my fictional story weave together but they do. I don’t let history dominate. Rather, it permeates in a subtle way. Sometimes I am led by the character who may be an historic figure. I want to portray him (or her) as best I can based on what we know of that person. In RACING WITH THE WIND, Germaine de Stael is a character. I spent days researching her and her books to get a feel for how she would speak and what she would say.

TRC: How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of deadlines?

Regan: My publisher is very reasonable on deadlines. We negotiate them. Still, if I know I have one coming up, I may pass on a friend’s invitation to write. And then there’s the fact that, as a lawyer, I am used to deadlines. I never missed one. Shows you how compulsive I am.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about you?

Regan: I appear more intimidating than I really am. My dearest friend tells me I’m a “mushball” inside. How pathetic is that?

TRC: Who is the first person you think about when you need someone to talk with and why?

Regan: Aside from God, it would be my dearest friend, who sadly, moved several states away and now we have to have our tea together via Skype.

TRC: If you could be a contestant on a reality television program, which program would you chose and why?

Regan: I never watch reality TV shows. I really do prefer to read. But if I was forced, it would be one set in a historical period like that one I heard about called the Regency House Party.

TRC: On what are you currently working? Planned for 2014?

Regan: My pirate Regency, WIND RAVEN, will be released in spring of 2014 and I’m very excited about it. I had such fun learning all about schooners of the period (even did a ride on one), and my historical pirate, of course, who was a real historic figure. But that one is in the can, so to speak. Right now, I am writing the medieval I mentioned earlier. It’s a bit of a detour for me. THE RED WOLF’S PRIZE is a William the Conqueror romance set two years after the Conquest. I was fascinated by the effect on Saxon England of all those Normans stomping over their country. And what would a Saxon maiden do who was given to a Norman knight? Read it and see!

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Regan: I just want to say how much I appreciate the Reading Café and all my readers who stay in touch (and especially those who write reviews. One of my readers suggested a scene to me for WIND RAVEN—and I used it (for which she will receive the novel free!).

LIGHTNING ROUND:

Dog or Cat: Dog (I have a close personal relationship with a Golden Retriever, but I include cats in my stories for my readers who love them)

Roses or Tulips: Roses (I am such a romantic)

Iron Man or Thor: Iron Man (love his brains)

Winter or Summer: Summer (unless I’m in the desert)

Last Movie you Saw: If on the big screen, it would be The Hobbit

Pet Peeve: Having to wait when I have an appointment (I post my reader pet peeves on my blog!)

Secret Celebrity Crush: Gerard Butler (a Scot, of course, and he’s tall!)

TRC: Thank you so much Regan!!

Regan: Ah, you’re welcome. I enjoyed your questions!