Author Interview: Elaine Violette

EQ Welcomes Elaine Violette

EQ: Welcome to EQ! Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Elaine: Let’s see. I love to write, write and write. Of course, that’s in my treasured alone time when I can hide away. My writing room is cluttered with present and past creative endeavors,  including varied art supplies, my guitar, two large book cases filled with books, photo albums, porcelain dolls, and teaching materials. I am first and foremost a wife, mother, and grandmother but I also carry the titles of published author and veteran English teacher. I hold a BS in English Education from the University of CT and an MS in Educational Leadership from Central CT State University. Now retired from high school teaching, I presently teach public speaking part time at a local community college and write Historical Romance novels.  I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, CT Romance Writers (CTRWA) and Charter Oak Romance writers (CORW).

EQ:Tell us a little bit about your most recent release.

Elaine: I’m thrilled about the recent launch of A Kiss of Promise on April 3^rd, a Historical Romance  ebook published by Ellora’s Cave under their Blush imprint, i.e. sweet, sensual romances. Though the story line can stand on its own, it is actually a sequel to the story of the Blackstone brothers introduced in my debut regency, Regal Reward. 

Fans of Regal Reward urged me to write a sequel. I began the manuscript, but in my desire to give voice to my poetic side, I completed another I was working on first. In my second regency, A Convenient Pretense, my heroine, Emily Grace, is a poetess. What fun it was to include my poetry in Emily’s story!  Once A Convenient Pretense was published in 2013, I returned to my dear characters in Regal Reward whose stories needed to be written.  

In A Kiss of Promise, Martin Blackstone’s story comes to life and the woman he previously spurned, Alaina Craymore, is the strong-minded, self-sacrificing heroine.

Here’s the Back Cover blurb of A Kiss of Promise

Adventurer Martin Blackstone escapes the stuffy rituals of England to seek his destiny in America. He leaves Alaina Craymore behind, believing she is better off without him. Suffering under the scandalous circumstances surrounding her father’s death, only Alaina’s love for Martin and the memory of their one stolen kiss have kept Alaina steady. But she hasn’t heard from Martin in far too long and cannot wait forever in the hopes that he will return from America. Just as Alaina begins to recover, one of her father’s associates emerges from the shadows with a choice—she must pose as his fiancée in America or he’ll send her brother to prison on charges of forgery. Willing to endure ruin and an uncertain future, Alaina agrees—she can do no less for the brother who’s spent his entire life protecting her. Only the man who spurned her can save her from the black mailing scoundrel and a ruined reputation.

Martin hasn’t forgotten Alaina or the kiss they shared. When word of her sacrifice reaches him, he’ll move heaven and earth to find her and make her his, no matter the cost.
A Blush® historical romance from Ellora’s Cave

EQ: Describe how you came up with the plot of your novel.

Elaine: In my first book, Regal Reward, York and Martin Blackstone’s father is falsely accused of treason. The two boys and their mother are tossed to the streets of London. The boys are orphaned and forced to beg and steal to survive.  York, the elder brother becomes obsessed to clear his father’s name and regain the titles and lands lost to him.  Younger brother Martin aids him, but he has no title to gain and remains in his brother’s shadow.

 In A Kiss of Promise, I wanted to create Martin’s future.  Since he was very young when his aristocratic family was destroyed, most of his childhood was spent surviving peril in poverty.  He lives for rugged adventure and freedom from commitment.

 I wanted to send him on an adventure, very different than his brother York’s, so off he goes on a voyage to America. Despite his attempts to begin a life in the Virginia frontier, his memories of the woman he left behind, haunt him.

In A Kiss of Promise, I also complete Alaina’s story.  She is the daughter of the villain in Regal Reward and continues to be victimized by her father’s illegal ventures.  While Martin and Alaina each face their own dilemmas, they share a heated passion for each other difficult to contain.  Because I love to include a dastardly villain, one must be overcome and healing must begin before my hero and heroine can resolve their issues and find a happy ever after.

I loved including characters from Regal Reward and giving them complicated dilemmas to resolve, humor to lighten their stories, and satisfying resolutions. I especially enjoyed moving the story from England to America and back. 

EQ: Pick out one of the best lines in your novel. What do you love about it?

Elaine: “The truth, not the harsh wind, caused Alaina to shiver as the ship prepared to sail.”

I really like this line because it illustrates the beginning of Alaina’s voyage toward either ruin or love. She stands on the deck of a sailing ship destined for America. Leaving England under duress, she fears the days ahead but she must take responsibility for her decision. Desperate to save her brother and not knowing if she’ll ever be able to come home again or salvage her reputation, she agrees to a blackmailer’s demands.  Her self-sacrifice leads her on a frightening journey to face a bleak future without the man she loves.

EQ: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your writing?

Elaine: If you don’t mind my altering your question just a bit, I’d like to share the influences on my writing as well as the influence that has given me the ability to persevere as a writer.

 I began writing poetry at such a young age that it would be difficult for me to pinpoint a person that inspired me to write creatively. The desire to write my thoughts and feelings and tell stories either orally or written feels as natural as breathing. I believe God expects us to actively use the gifts He gives us and perfect them as much as our abilities allow.

He gave me a love of language and I became an English teacher. I was given the desire to read extensively. Reading historical romance was my guilty pleasure when I wasn’t studying the must-read classics for my profession. With my mom’s often repeated saying in the corner of my mind: “You can do anything you put your mind to,” I began writing what I loved to read, Historical Romance. My first regency, Regal Reward received wonderful reviews and inspired me to begin another and another…

The patience and the perseverance to write full length novels grew through suffering. Losing my son David when he was seventeen was the worse tragedy of my life. It’s been many years but as every parent knows who has lost a child, the pain never goes away. It is important to those who grieve to find avenues of expression that allow space to enjoy moments when the heart doesn’t ache for what is lost. Reading fiction was my escape and writing became a balm for pain. At first, I wrote poems as a catharsis for my loss. Now, I write about love since it is the best antidote for sorrow.

Patience grows where there is pain. I would never have had the patience or perseverance to write novels before my loss. Writing romance is an escape into worlds where you can expect a happy-ever-after ending.  Facing tragedy and all the emotions that come with it, allows me to create deeply emotional characters. Though they live in an earlier time period, readers can relate to my characters’ feelings and emotions. Though my heroes and heroines are fraught with problems, there is hope for happiness. I don’t think I could write a book that ended tragically.  I want to leave my readers with a smile.

Buy links:

A Kiss of Promise available at Ellora’s Cave

http://www.ellorascave.com/a-kiss-of-promise.html

For your Kindle

http://amzn.com/B00HQH99V6

For your Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/A-Kiss-of-Promise-Elaine-Violette

On Elaine’s website

www.elaineviolette.com

Visitors can follow Elaine on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/elaineviolette/author

and Twitter

https://twitter.com/elaine_violette

Elaine’s other books mentioned above:

Regal Reward (print and ebook)

http://amzn.com/1419956256

A Convenient Pretense (ebook)

http://amzn.com/B00B3YV24A