Spotlight Author with Nicola Cornick

I have the pleasure of sharing my blog with the delightful, Nicola Cornick. Welcome Nicola, tell us a little bit about you and your latest release.

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and for inviting me to the blog today!

A little bit about me… Well, I’m British and I live in the English countryside with my husband and my pets. I write Regency historicals for HQN Books and I also work as a historian in a historic house, which is very inspirational.

My latest release is NOTORIOUS, book 4 in my Scandalous Women of the Ton series. Each of the books in the series is about a strong woman doing something that Regency society considers outrageous, whether that is traveling, taking a job or, in the case of Susanna, the heroine of NOTORIOUS, breaking hearts for a living! The hero is James Devlin, who featured in the very first book in the series and is a rake and a real bad-boy. In Susanna, though, he definitely meets his match. They have a “can’t live with each other, can’t live without each other” type of relationship, very hot and fiery with lots of verbal sparring and sparks flying!

What are you working on now?

I’m currently writing the final book in the Scandalous Women series and loving it. It’s a rags to riches story of a servant girl who finds herself the heiress to a grand estate. It’s called FORBIDDEN and it’s out next year. I’m also working on a short story for a Christmas anthology, which is quite a challenge to the imagination during a hot summer!


What is the hardest part about your job?

For me the hardest part of being a writer is working primarily on my own. Before I became a full time author I worked in an office with lots of people and I really miss that social contact. Fortunately I have lots of very good friends online and lots of contact with readers and this motivates me and keeps me going.

What is your favorite thing about being an author?

There are so many things I enjoy about being an author. I’m very lucky that I am able to do a job I love. That’s very special. Plus I love writing happy endings!

What is your secret to success?

I’m not sure I have a secret, but I do work very hard. This seems to be mainly to the surprise of some family and friends, who, if they happen to be around during the day can be heard to say: “You really do work very hard!” in tones of amazement, as though they secretly suspected me of sitting around watching daytime TV! I also believe that if you want to be successful you have to keep reading, learning and polishing your craft and that you need to write the very best book you can.

How long was your road to publication?

It was a long one! I started to write in my teens and began my first Regency romance when I was eighteen and at college. I submitted it to a publisher when I was about twenty- three and didn’t hear anything for over a year. Eventually it was rejected for having too much adventure and too little romance in the plot. I re-wrote it and sent it in again. This time I got a straight rejection. So I tried again… I was in my thirties by the time my first book was accepted for publication. Hence my advice to aspiring authors never to give up!

Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from all sorts of places, from snippets I read in historical research books to historic houses I visit. Sometimes I might see a gown in a costume collection and that can inspire a story idea when I start wondering who might have worn it, or I could overhear a couple of lines of conversation and start speculating on the relationship of the couple talking. Although I write historical romance I get quite a few of my story ideas from modern newspapers and magazines. For example, celebrity has been a theme in a number of my books. I find that there are so many parallels between the past and the present.

What is the most important advice you can give to aspiring authors?

I would tell any aspiring author to believe in yourself. Believe you can be successful. Sometimes it’s hard to keep going if your writing is rejected and if you have so many other demands on your time. Keep polishing your writing, keep reading, keep learning and above all keep trying.

What type of hero do you find irresistible?

I find integrity, resourcefulness, humor and intelligence essential in any hero. They have to be strong and brave in their own way and have a code of honor no matter how deeply it might be buried. I particularly like heroes who are protectors. And although in real life I am definitely not attracted to bad boys, in fiction I do like seeing a bad boy reform!


If you had to pick a favorite character that you have created or one that you wish you had created who would it be and why?

Good question! I love the character of Patrick Jane in The Mentalist. He fascinates me. He’s a tortured soul and he is so clever – arrogant at times – and yet he’s compellingly attractive.

I have to agree Nicola. I just love him and the show. ;-)

Thank you Nicola, for taking time to spend with all of us here. Where can we find out more about you and your books?

Thank you so much for inviting me! It’s been a lot of fun.

As I mentioned, I love chatting to readers, writers and history buffs and you can find me on my blog at www.nicolacornick.co.uk/blog

I’m also a member of the Word Wenches blog:
www.wordwenches.com

I love chatting on Facebook and Twitter too:
http://www.facebook.com/nicola.cornick
http:// twitter.com/NicolaCornick


Thank you readers. See you next week.

Hugs

Micole