Sarah MacLean is the author of wonderfully romantic and funny romance novels. Her books have been published in Germany by Cora and Mira, but there are much more novels to explore in English. (Foto: Copyright Rupert Whiteley)
Thanks for participating in this interview.
Thank you so much for having me!
I really love your books and enjoyed them very much. You started writing Young Adult novels with „The Season“. Do you plan to return to that genre sometime since it has such a high at the moment?
Absolutely. I love YA books and YA readers–and because that is where I started, most of my friends are YA writers! I have an idea that I’m quite desperate to write, but I’m still trying to figure out how to stay on top of my romance deadlines…so it’s hard to think about writing both at once!
Since you love the Regency period – what about it fascinated you (aside from Mr. Darcy without his shirt *wink*)?
Well, you got me there. Because Mr. Darcy without his shirt is a huge part of it. 🙂
I love the breathlessness of historicals – the way that every glance, every touch, every movement can mean something. It’s harder to capture that deceptively simple excitement in contemporaries, I think . . . which is why I find myself so drawn to historicals.
The titles for your novels are in itself very funny. Who invents them and do you have a say in that?
I have titled all of my books myself. Sometimes the original title doesn’t fly with my editor (The original title for A Rogue By Any Other Name was The Method to My Marquess), but mostly, we agree — if they make her laugh, I get to keep them!
The „Rules of Scoundrels“-series is your newest work. It hasn’t been translated in Germany, yet, so what can your readers expect from it?
The Rules of Scoundrels series is my homage to those two sides of pre-Victorian London. The books are born from the idea that society and the underworld are not so far from each other, and not so different after all. The premise is simple—four one-time aristocrats, royalty in society, each having fallen in some way or another, come together to found a casino—The Fallen Angel—and become royalty of a different sort.
What in the writing process do you enjoy the most?
Revising. I hate the actual process of getting new words on the page, but I could edit and tweak and revise for years if I had the opportunity. That’s where the real magic happens for me.
How do you keep track of settings and plots that go on for more than one book? Do you have ledgers or documents on your computer?
I probably should! Most everything related to the book lives in my head. Periodically, if I forget something, I have to go looking in earlier manuscripts, which is a bit of a slog (I use the „Find & Replace“ tool more than most people, I think.), but so far, I can keep the threads of a series in place in my head.
How does your writing process start? With the couple, a story idea or a specific plot in mind?
Always with the characters. Usually with one more than the other–so, for example, in Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, I knew Callie first–Ralston came second, and then the plot fell out from there.
You do readings in several places. Which one do you enjoy the most and are you nervous before reading in front of an audience?
I prefer talking to reading from my books because I always end up changing the text before the reading. It comes from my obsession with rewriting and revising…I just can’t leave the finished books alone. I used to be nervous about reading or talking, but it starts to become more like second nature the more you do it. Practice makes perfect!
How do you keep in touch with your readers?
My readers are always welcome to find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/sarahmaclean), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sarahmaclean) or on my blog at www.macleanspace.com.
What would you like to tell your German readers?
Thank you so so much for reading! Germany was one of the first countries to publish me in translation, and I’m so honored to be on your „To Be Read“ pile!
Thank you!
Thank you for having me!
