The Widow Wore Plaid by Jenna Jazon

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Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

The subgenre I write is historical romance, mostly because I’ve always loved history. From a very early age I’ve been fascinated by how people lived in times past and compared it to life as I have lived it. I was a history major in college and my Ph.D. is in theatrical history, which is just as fascinating. I always told my Theatre History students that theater holds a mirror up to society in whatever era you look at. Because people want to see themselves on the stage. I think this is also true of historical romance. Readers want to identify with the heroine or hero, so authors of historical romance have to find the connections from the past that appeal or intrigue contemporary audiences. They might not want to live back in the Regency, but they want to experience it vicariously through my books.

What research is required?

In a way, historical romance authors are also world-building—we’re building the world of Regency England, or Civil War era America. And because readers have a vast knowledge of different parts of the past, historical romance authors have to be scrupulous in their research of a period, because if you don’t get it right, you’re likely to hear about it from the readers. I’ve researched things as strange as how many days does it take for a man to die of a bullet wound, or how far can a horse and carriage travel in a day, or what colors of fabric were in fashion in 1816? Fortunately, I LOVE to do research, so this is right up my alley.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

From my heroine I learned stubbornness pays off. Jane is not one to give up on an idea quickly. At the outset of the book, she’s been a widow for two years and for very good reasons, doesn’t want to remarry. Even though she loves Kinellan. She’s also tenacious when it comes to getting herself and Kinellan to safety, and won’t take no for an answer. She’s one tough cookie, to be sure. I was a bit surprised as she’d never shown that side of herself in the previous books.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I write to a very exacting plot outline that I sculpt so that each chapter is normally 3,000 words long. For a full length novel I write 30 chapters, so 90,000 words total. Each chapter is further broken down either into thirds (1,000 words per section) or halves (1,500 words per section). That is how I keep track of how much more I need to write to complete a chapter (one chapter a day). I allow myself to go a little over, or a little under, but I’ll try to even it out so I get right around or a little over the 90,000 word mark by the time I type THE END.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I am a plotter. See answer above!

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper is sitting to my right. Also my mouse. Some kind of beverage is always next to me.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’m currently working on a novella for Katheryn Le Veque’s The Lyons Den shared world series. It’s set in Regency London and begins in a gambling establishment called The Lyon’s Den. It’s run by a woman who manages to run not only a gambling house but a matchmaking service out of this place. My hero is about to get embroiled in a situation not of his making in which he has to act honorably or a young woman he doesn’t even know is ruined. I’m really excited to be working for Katheryn on this novella.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Because I write in several different periods—my tag line is “Passion is timeless”—I always like to ask readers of historical romance which period they prefer to read and why. I’ve written Medieval, Georgian, Regency, and Victorian, so I’m always interested in knowing what my potential readers are interested in reading.

The Battle of Waterloo made them widows, but each has found new happiness. And Jane, Lady John Tarkington, intends to keep her freedom, even if love—and one particular gentleman—are determined to claim her heart . . .

It is a truth rarely acknowledged—at least in public—that a wealthy widow is free to pursue a great many adventures. For two years, Jane has privately enjoyed her independence. Why should she remarry, even when the gentleman proposing is as wonderful as Gareth, Lord Kinellan? She entreats him never to ask her again. But as her Widows’ Club friends—now all joyfully remarried—gather at Castle Kinellan, Jane begins to wonder if stubbornness has led her to make a terrible mistake . . .

Kinellan needs a wife to give him an heir, and he wants that wife to be Jane. They are perfect together in every way, yet she continually refuses him. Just as he is on the point of convincing her, a series of accidents befall Gareth and point to an enemy in their midst. He has promised Jane a passionate future filled with devotion, but can he keep them both alive long enough to secure it?

Read an Excerpt

“The men would stay here how long to hunt?” The primitive accommodations did not instill confidence in Jane. She’d likely not make it here a single night.

“According to my father, sometimes a week or more.”

Grimacing, Jane moved to the single door on the right. “What room is this?”

“That chamber is reserved for the Kinellan.” He opened the door and ushered her in.

Much larger than the other rooms, this one boasted a large double-sized poster bed with curtains around its four sides made of what was once costly blue brocade fabric, though now faded and dusty looking. At the time they were new they must have been quite elegant. The walls of this chamber were not Spartan as the other rooms, but decorated with several sets of antlers, a portrait of some Seton ancestor she assumed, and an ancient broadsword hung beneath the Seton coat of arms. A chest on chest and a wardrobe gave the room an aura of sophistication after the other sparsely furnished rooms.

“I see the Kinellan likes his luxuries.” She ran her hand over the comforter and pressed down on the mattress, testing the bed. “Although this mattress is quite lumpy.”

“Really?” Kinellan suddenly loomed overtop of her and she caught her breath. “That could be unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate?” Her voice rose to a squeak as he tipped her head back and lowered his mouth to hers.

The insistence of his lips, the tension in his body, and the bulge in his buckskins all told of his desire.

So much the better.

About the Author:

Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories.

She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets--including two vocal cats, one almost silent cat, two curious bunnies, and a Shar-pei beagle mix named Frenchie.

Blog: http://www.jennajaxon.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon
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