{"id":565,"date":"2014-05-29T15:08:09","date_gmt":"2014-05-29T19:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/?page_id=565"},"modified":"2019-04-11T17:27:26","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T17:27:26","slug":"where-it-began","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/fun-extras\/where-it-began\/","title":{"rendered":"Where It Began"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"In June 2011 I participated in a blog chain with a dozen or so fellow Heart of Carolina Romance Writers<\/a>. The theme of the blog chain was to have one of our characters interview us! It was great fun. I wrote it just before setting off to pitch my book at the national Romance Writers of America conference. My attendance at that conference would ultimately land me both an agent and a book deal. Needless to say, it\u2019s near and dear to my heart (as is James, as you will see!).<\/p>\n

The Character…<\/em><\/p>\n

Mr. James Simpson is a secondary character (but please don\u2019t tell him that–after all, everyone is the hero of their own story, right?) in An Heiress at Heart<\/a>, which is set in 1851. James is London\u2019s most amiably scandalous bachelor. He is so much fun to be around that any trouble he gets into never seems to stick. He\u2019s also a master at witty banter. Although his time period is a few decades before Oscar Wilde\u2019s plays, if you\u2019ve ever seen \u201cThe Importance of Being Earnest\u201d you\u2019ll know what to expect from James!<\/p>\n

The Interview…<\/em><\/p>\n

I wait for James impatiently, because I\u2019m leaving for New York very early Tuesday morning and I have a ton of things to do before I go. Finally, James arrives, looking quite dashing in his perfectly tailored suit with yellow cravat and matching waistcoat. He removes his top hat as I let him in. Somehow the hat has not managed to disarrange his wavy brown hair.<\/p>\n

His blue eyes twinkle as he gives me a gorgeous smile and kisses my hand. \u201cA pleasure, my dear, as always.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t help smiling back, even though I try to reprimand him for his tardiness. \u201cYou are late, James.\u201d<\/p>\n

James takes a moment to check his cravat in the hallway mirror and says with a gleam in his eye, \u201cI apologize. I\u2019m afraid a certain young lady kept me out very late…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo doubt,\u201d I reply dryly. I lead him to the living room and offer him a chair.<\/p>\n

He looks around with amusement. \u201cWhat a charming little cottage. Where is the main house?\u201d<\/p>\n

I try not to sound too taken aback. \u201cErm, this is it. It\u2019s only a modest ranch, but we like it. Shall we get right to the interview?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes indeed!\u201d He leans forward in his chair, his hands on his gold-handled cane. \u201cI have several burning questions to ask you. I confess, I find you extremely fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe? Fascinating?\u201d I can\u2019t help blushing.<\/p>\n

He nods. \u201cYou seem to have made some decisions that I consider quite shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

This startles me, as I can\u2019t think of much that would shock James. \u201cI\u2019ve led a fairly tame life, actually. Although I have traveled a lot, and those three years I spent in Montreal and Ottawa, Canada were amazing–\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, no, I\u2019m not talking about all that,\u201d James breaks in. \u201cWhat I want to know is, why did you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo what?\u201d I say, not comprehending. \u201cGet married? Move to Raleigh? Decide to become a writer? That last question\u2019s easy. See, my mother was a writer. Margaret Wayt DeBolt — she wrote a wildly popular book called Savannah Spectres, and also Savannah, A Historical Portrait. She was a journalist, but I\u2019ve decided to go the fiction route…\u201d<\/p>\n

I stop myself. James is laughing and shaking his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not taking notes,\u201d I point out.<\/p>\n

\u201cDearest, you\u2019re missing the point,\u201d James replies. \u201cWhat I want to know is, why, oh why, did you make me the secondary character?\u201d<\/p>\n

Oops. Somebody told him. Also, I should have known this interview would be largely about James.<\/p>\n

He confirms this as he continues, \u201cIt hurts my pride to think I am only in the book for comic relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThat\u2019s not the case at all,\u201d I hasten to assure him. \u201cYou play a vital role in the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m aware of that,\u201d he says, somewhat pettishly. \u201cThe so-called hero and heroine…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGeoffrey and Lizzie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. They would never have gotten together in the end if it weren\u2019t for me. So why am I not the hero?\u201d<\/p>\n

I try to think of a diplomatic way to explain. \u201cYou see, James, in my books the hero and heroine get married in the end. You have stated plenty of times that you are not the marrying kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looks incredulous. \u201cHave I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember that conversation where Lizzie asks Geoffrey, \u2018How many men would face any obstacle, and go to the ends of the earth for their love?\u2019 Do you remember the remark you made when you overheard this?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looks at me blankly.<\/p>\n

I try to imitate his joking tone as I quote: \u201cI certainly have never flung myself off the map for another. It sounds terribly uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

James waves a dismissive hand. \u201cThat was all in jest, of course. I was merely trying to lighten a very tense situation. Actually, I am a hopeless romantic. Remember the time I told my aunt that I would never marry simply for money?\u201d He adds as an aside, \u201cEven though I could certainly use it…\u201d<\/p>\n

I smile. \u201cI remember. You said, \u2018I shall wait until perfect love falls upon me. Or knocks me over\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI also said that I have no doubt that I shall succumb in time. In the meantime, I intend to live in the present and make myself merry, rather than worry about whom I shall marry.\u201d\u00a0He smirks, looking quite pleased with his little joke.<\/p>\n

\u201cJames, I will let you in on a little secret,\u201d I say with the air of one imparting an important confidence. \u201cAn Heiress at Heart is the first in a trilogy. I have big plans for you by book three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, hah!\u201d he says. \u201cI knew you had something up your writer\u2019s sleeve. What is it? You must tell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t do that,\u201d I say with mock seriousness.<\/p>\n

His eyes sparkle. \u201cBeing coy now, are we?\u201d He considers the information I\u2019ve given him. \u201cBook three. Why not book one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to admit, Lizzie and Geoffrey\u2019s story is quite compelling,\u201d I say, in an effort to appease him. \u201cShe pretends to be a missing heiress, sort of like the woman in Anastasia. But then she falls in love with Geoffrey, the man who is supposed to be her brother-in-law. And Geoffrey, who is the youngest son of a baron, is dealing with having suddenly been made a baron himself\u2014a position which he did not want and was not trained for. His story reminds me of George VI in The King\u2019s Speech. Except he does not stammer.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can see that all of this is not convincing James. So in desperation I add, \u201cYou take the lead in a later book because I want to save the best for last, of course!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you are talking sense!\u201d he proclaims. \u201cThat\u2019s what I love about you\u2014you have an innate sense of timing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of timing…\u201d I check my watch. \u201cJames, we\u2019ll have to cut this short. I\u2019m going to New York tomorrow, and I\u2019ve got to get packed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York? That backwater? Whatever for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to the annual conference of the Romance Writers of America. I\u2019m looking for an agent and an editor for the book. I want to get it published, so that many more people can get to know you!\u201d<\/p>\n

James rises and reaches for his top hat. \u201cWell in that case, what are you waiting for my girl? You must leave right this instant!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In June 2011 I participated in a blog chain with a dozen or so fellow Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. The theme of the blog chain was to have one of our characters interview us! It was great fun. I wrote it just before setting off to pitch my book at the national Romance Writers… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":560,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"page-nosidebar.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-565","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1268,"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/565\/revisions\/1268"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jenniferdelamere.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}