BooksChatter: ℚ Scandal's Bride: Scandal [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Pamela Gibson to talk about Scandal's Bride (10 July 2019, Soul Mate Publishing, LLC, 265 pages), a Historical Regency Romance, book two in the Scandal series.

“I fell in love with Gwen and John right from the beginning. Marriage of Convenience tropes can be a little tiring because of similar plot lines, but not with this book. Here the H/h actually like each other! It's their reasons for marrying that cause the friction, and I immensely enjoyed how they got around their personal obstacles.” ~ Goodreads review

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

A very warm welcome to Pamela Gibson; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for Scandal's Bride?

"When I wrote Scandal’s Child, my first Regency, I knew I’d be giving Gwen her own story. I’d started writing her book prior to completing the first one, so it was easy to add her to the epilogue.

I adore the marriage of convenience trope, but I’d never written one before. I knew they were tricky. The characters need a good reason to marry, a gradual awakening, sexual tension, and satisfying consummation.

To me, the Regency period was a good place for this trope because most aristocrats married for money or property and most marriages were arranged, Gwen and John were good candidates for the trope. They were virtual strangers, but had a common background and could develop an easy friendship. Each needed to marry immediately and knew enough about the other to take the leap."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I’d like to think my main character, Lady Gwendolyn, reflects my own personality, but that isn’t the case. Gwen is bold, even brazen for her time. She cares not a whit what others think of her. She’s impulsive and optimistic and she’s not above telling a small falsehood to get what she wants. I am the opposite and that’s probably why I like her so much.

But when Gwen begins to wonder why John is reluctant to consummate the marriage she begins to care about her appearance and her body, wondering if he’s put off by her looks. This is the result of a bit of fat-shaming she endured at the hands of her nasty sister-in-law.

Insecurity is something I understand and probably imparted to my character. When I was about six I overheard a relative telling my mother it was such a shame that I was an ugly child. Looking at old pictures, I wasn’t ugly, but I carried that belief right into adulthood. On a more positive note, Gwen and I do share one bond. We both love to read. I couldn’t help it. I had to make John a reader, too."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Scandal's Bride - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I love covers with Regency women in beautiful gowns with a scene in the background and that’s what I specified for this book. Too often, the covers with men have inappropriate haircuts or shirts with buttons and I didn’t want to take a chance.

When my publisher realized I was writing a series she decided all the books should be similar. The original cover for Scandal’s Child, the first book, was attractive, but it didn’t necessarily have a Regency look to it. The cover was changed and I absolutely love the covers for both Scandal’s Child and Scandal’s Bride.

Fiona Jayde is the cover artist."

Why should we read Scandal's Bride and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Everyone has a choice to read or not read an author who is new to them. They make their decision based on the cover, the blurb, whether or not the trope appeals to them, and probably other criteria that’s more personal. In my historical books, I try to give readers a bit of history they may not have known. In Scandal’s Child, there were bits about how blind children were treated, how people we’d call manic-depressives today, were handled.

My current book is about how a relationship develops between strangers with mutual needs. John needs a wife with a dowry. Gwen needs a man who will get her out of a pending engagement she despises. They develop friendship first. They have flaws that hold them back, but their companionship continues to develop into something more meaningful.

There’s less history and more emotion in this book. While I still like to tell a good story, I tend to rely less on Regency minutia to do it. For some, that’s a good reason to read my books because I’m told my words flow quite easily. One of my reviewers said she stayed up all night and finished it in one sitting. A very good sign."

Can you tell us something quirky about Scandal's Bride, its story and characters?

"Names sometimes are problematic. The first book was meant to be a standalone and the name of John’s impoverished estate was Dorset Hall. When I wrote the second book, Dorset Hall didn’t work because I wanted a name more appropriate to Yorkshire. Hence, Woodhaven Abbey was born and I had to find a reason for the change. My characters discuss both names and decide on the latter because that’s what the locals supposedly called it before a previous owner changed it.

Because I didn’t envision a series when I began the Scandal books, I was pretty well stuck with the names of the characters, but they’re good, solid names. I actually like them."

Who would you recommend Scandal's Bride to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"This is a book for anyone who likes the marriage of convenience trope, for those who like the Regency period, and for those who like spunky, unconventional heroines and emotionally tortured heroes.

There are two sex scenes that are not overly graphic or lengthy, but are open door and are necessary to the development of the story. No rapes, no infidelity, no dead bodies, no blood."

If you could / wished to turn Scandal's Bride and the Scandal series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"This is an interesting question.

I’d choose Shonda Rhimes who is bringing Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton Series to Netflix, to produce the movie and select the cast.

Offhand, I can see Ella Purnell, who played Tess [in the Sweetbitter TV series], in the role of Gwen and maybe Jason Hughes, who played in some of the earlier episodes of Midsomer Murders, as John.

Shonda Rhimes - Producer Ella Purnell - Gwen Jason Hughes - John

It would take place in the Yorkshire countryside with a few scenes in London."

Yorkshire countryside

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 began writing contemporaries because I thought it would be an easier way to develop voice and craft and my Love in Wine Country series was launched.

But I love historical romance and I was super fond of the Regency period, so in time I decided to write one in that time period. I wrote a good story, fumbled my way through all the societal rules in place at the time (making mistakes), and Scandal’s Child was born.

My comfort zone, however is early California rancho period (think Zorro). My undergraduate degree is in history and I specialized in California’s pre-gold rush period, primarily because I was from a very small historic town called San Juan Capistrano, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. I grew up surrounded by romantic stories from the grand rancho period and have started a series called the Mission Belles series, set in this time.

Branching out again, my work-in-progress is a contemporary mystery."

What is your writing process?

"I begin with a vague idea, do a lot of pacing and snacking, then I write the premise, the theme, the main characters, and the ending. Some of this will change as I write the book, but I like to know where I’m starting, what the hero and heroine want, what stands in their way, and then I’m off and running.

I’m a pantser, meaning I don’t outline. When I seem to be stuck, my husband glares at me and says “just get the damn words on the page.”

When the very rough first draft is finished, I go through and “fix” time elements and anything that got changed along the way. Then I do eight more read-throughs to get to the polish. Specifically, I check for echoes, unneeded words, awkward phrases, passive tense—anything that slows the book down.

Finally, it goes to either my editor at Soul Mate or to my Indie editor because I am a firm believer in professionally edited books."

What is in store next?

"I’ve just completed the second book in my Mission Belles series called Return of the Fox. This is a second chance trope set during the war between Mexico and the United States in 1846-48.

I’ve also finished my first contemporary mystery which will be part of my indie series set in the northern California coastal town of Santa Marta. It will be out in November.

My third book in the Scandal series is next. In the epilogue of Scandal’s Bride we become reacquainted with Gwen’s friend Emily who has decided to skip the Season and remain at home on her family’s estate. There’s a mystery afoot and once again I will be delving into a malady that has a modern name, but was not well-known then. The working title of this book is Scandal’s Promise."

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?

"I am a crazy cat lady, or I would be if it were allowed to have more than three pets where I live. I’ve had as many as seven at one time. Fortunately, we lived on a five-acre property then.

At the moment I am catless, although I frequently visit my grandcats who live about three miles away with my grandfish. I also have a sweet granddog in another state.

My picture is with Romeo who has a small role in Scandal’s Bride."

Hello Romeo, you beautiful blackie! Lots of head-scratches and belly-rubs to you from all of us at BooksChatter, including our own five blackies ;-)

Pamela, what a lovely picture; thank you for sharing it and Romeo with us!
We hope you are having a great tour!