BooksChatter: ℚ The Dead of Haggard Hall : Darke of Night [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Marie Treanor to talk about The Dead of Haggard Hall (26 July 2016, Samhain Publishing, Ltd, 197 pages), a Historical Gothic Paranormal Romance, book one of Darke of Night series.

"This is, without a doubt, the perfect start to a new series I will be reading; I actually can't wait to dive into book two, see what else happens, what will our characters do." - IzaDirtyBookGirl

"[...] the emotions definitely ran high, and my heart was pounding right along with the characters. Our leading man, Patrick, was a mystery throughout, yet my heart ached for his pain at losing his wife. There were times when I was in tears over the agony.
If you like historical romance, and enjoy when there is a twist of something else, I'd recommend trying this book. The blending of spirits with historical romance made this highly entertaining for me and I couldn't put it down." - Nicole (Goodreads reviewer)

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to fellow Brit Marie Treanor ; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for The Dead of Haggard Hall?

"All the Gothic novels and films I grew up with! A combination of Dracula, Victoria Holt and Penny Dreadful :-).

I had an urge to write something deeply atmospheric with a dark and dangerous hero. And then the character of Barbara Darke formed in my imagination, and The Dead of Haggard Hall, indeed the idea behind the whole Darke of Night series, began to grow."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Dead of Haggard Hall - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I love my cover for this book! I think it’s beautiful and perfect for the genre, with that wonderful, shadowed background, and the woman with the candles seems to glow.

Kelly Martin is the artist – she’s very talented and has, besides, a great knack of understanding both the book and what the author is asking for."

Why should we read The Dead of Haggard Hall and what sets it apart from the rest?

"Gothic romance is an old genre, often with deep if understated sexual tension that lends itself brilliantly to modern, more steamy romance. The Dead of Haggard Hall is modern Gothic, yet telling a Victorian tale of spirits, murder, troubled people and hot romance, set in an old and isolated haunted house in England.

Borley Rectory

I think my hero and heroine make it unique. On one level Patrick is a typical Gothic hero: dark, brooding, a little dangerous, with a disturbing past, but he’s also a rebel and a champion of the poor and downtrodden.

Barbara is really the soul of the series: a respectable vicar’s widow and teacher, she is also a natural medium who’s lived all her life talking to spirits and fighting off those who try to possess her. Unusually for her day, she accepts her own and others’ sexuality, even though she knows the dangers of giving into temptation. Although her own situation in life is difficult, she’s fiercely independent with a knack of understanding and solving people’s problems – perhaps because she can feel their emotions."

Can you tell us something quirky about The Dead of Haggard Hall , its story and characters?

"I rather liked calling my heroine Barbara Darke, since the surname suits her calling with the paranormal world! In the book, this leads Patrick to accuse her of theatrics and charlatanism - but the name genuinely belonged to her late husband, the vicar, whose spirit still talks to her."

Who would you recommend The Dead of Haggard Hall to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Everybody! :-) Seriously, I’d recommend it to lovers of paranormal romance and historical romance, and those who like their love stories on the steamy side. It isn’t erotic, but it is sexy!"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I write mainly paranormal romance with a little fantasy/science fiction romance thrown in. But within those genres I like to mix up others – historical, suspense, horror, humour, mystery.

I do also like to read in those genres, but I read more widely, too – I love anything with great characters."

What is your writing process?

"I’m a bit of a pantster! I do try to plan more, but in reality I tend to start writing as soon as I’ve got the beginning straight, and then I fly by the seat of my pants and only plan out complicated or difficult bits in detail. No point in carefully plotting out something your characters then refuse to do :-)"

LOL I here about characters taking over so many times - what a gift to have an imagination that allows that! :-)

What is in store next?

"Next will be the second Darke of Night story, The Prisoner of Silverwood Castle, which comes out on 16th August, and then The Veils of the Budapest Palace (Darke of Night 3) in September.

Barbara is vital in both of these stories, although they are each told by their own heroines who find themselves in the midst of the danger surrounding their own heroes."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Here’s a picture of our mad little dog, shortly after we got him as a puppy. That’s me too, holding his lead :-)"

Hello Little One! You are a gorgeous pup! Lots of head scratches, belly rubs and cuddles to you from all of us at BooksChatter! - yes, even from the cats ;-)

Thank you for sharing him with us, Marie; and thank you again for visiting us today!