Dear Readers, while most stories set in
Regency England focus on the rich, the young, and the beautiful, award-winning
author Carolyn
Miller decided she wanted to give
readers something different for a change. Her new Regency Wallflowers series follows
the commoners, away from the hustle and bustle of 1810s
Q: Carolyn, please introduce us to your new Regency Wallflowers series, and specifically to your latest release, Dusk’s Darkest Shores. After writing nine books in the Regency Brides trilogies, I wanted to focus on stories that were less about the rich, beautiful, and titled aristocracy and more about ordinary people. Specifically, I wanted to tell the stories of women who were slightly older and who were considered “wallflowers” or those with very few, if any, matrimonial prospects. I have found that Regency fiction is often populated by an amazing number of single, rich, young, and handsome dukes instead of these far more relatable women and situations. With the Napoleonic Wars having killed many young men in Regency times, it seems a fair assumption that not all women would have married, so I wanted this new series to focus a little more on what that would have been like, and the challenges a woman might have faced given these extremely limited circumstances.
For Mary Bloomfield,
the heroine of Dusk’s Darkest Shores,
she is crucially aware that her age and situation mean she is unlikely to wed.
She helps her father, the local doctor, and is content with her lot in life,
until Adam Edgerton, a local war hero, returns. He’s the victim of an insidious
disease which has crippled his prospects. As Mary helps Adam fight to find a
future, frustration and antipathy develop into friendship and esteem, then into
something deeper. This story is set in
Q: What drew you
to write Regency fiction? What are some of the popular trademarks of stories
set in the time period? I’ve been a fan of Jane Austen’s works for many years (decades!), and
then my sister introduced me to Georgette Heyer, a British novelist whose books
essentially established the Regency genre. Once I started reading Heyer, well,
I knew I had found my niche. After writing several prize-winning contemporary
romance stories, I was told that US publishers wouldn’t want them due to their
Australian settings and characters, so I challenged myself to write a Pride and Prejudice–style novel, with
some of Georgette Heyer’s wit, and an unapologetic faith thread. That first
book drew a publisher’s attention and became The Elusive Miss Ellison, the first book in the Regency Brides: A
Legacy of Grace series, which led to two more Regency Brides series.
Some of the
hallmarks of Regency fiction include the focus on aristocracy and its
trappings, such as the country estate and the town house, balls, and marrying
for money versus marrying for love. Many of these books try to emulate
Georgette Heyer’s witty dialogue, and focus on the importance of social
behavior and its impact on society as much as on the details of gowns. It seems
rare to find Regency fiction that focuses on the lives of the working classes
or those for whom finances were not so easy to attain, probably because it
doesn’t offer the glamour of a Mr. Darcy–type strolling around the hallowed
halls of his magnificent Pemberley estate. Many of those Jane Austen–style
romances lead people into a fantasy of life in the Regency era. While I’ve
written my share of fairy-tale-type fiction, I like to write stories that
present relatable people with realistic challenges, woven with faith, love, and
humor.
Q: Tell us more
about
For many women in
this time period, their lives were certainly not focused on the latest fashions
from
Q: Can you tell
us more about your leading lady, Mary Bloomfield, who is quite self-sufficient
and, in some ways, independent? As the daughter of the local
doctor, Mary Bloomfield is put into situations that many “proper” young women
would never be exposed to. But as her practical, no-nonsense father values her
commonsense and useful ways, she is placed in circumstances most unusual for a
woman. This includes the preparation and mixing of medicines, as well as the
care of patients that leads her to adopt far more independent conduct than most
other women her age and younger.
Mary
is naturally compassionate; her older age, steady temperament, and caring
nature mean she is well respected in the community, allowing her some degree of leeway
from the usual social expectations. Like Elizabeth Bennet, she is partial to an
unchaperoned stroll, although Mary always has a purpose, such as visiting a
sick neighbor, and usually has her basket on hand (filled with medicine or supplies).
Q: What are
Mary’s views on marriage? Does being past “marriable age” bother her? In Regency times, many women were
thought to be “left on the shelf” if they remained unwed many years past
twenty. Mary is wryly aware of her lack of marriageability, especially as she
is older and is considered less attractive than other single ladies in the
village. She has accepted her lot in life, is content, and has quite given up
any notions of romance.
She does not allow
this to bother her, instead busying herself in good works, helping her father
with his work, visiting the sick in their community, and helping to care for
them in the little cottage infirmary that is part of their house. She’d rather
use her time for the benefit of others than wistfully daydream on what she
knows can never be.
Q: The
Deep down, Joanna
has a moral compass almost as strong as Mary’s own, and she is equally candid
in her assessment of what she perceives as Mary’s shortcomings. But she is also
loyal and loving, and doesn’t hesitate to step beyond the realm of propriety to
interfere when it seems as if Mary is about to lose it all. I enjoy writing
stories about sisters, having a sister of my own and two daughters. It’s the
ups and downs of such relationships that readers have responded to so well,
especially in sister-based series such as Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley.
I’m sure readers will connect warmly with these sisters in Dusk’s Darkest Shores, too.
Q: How does
Mary’s faith play a role in her daily life? What kind of spiritual promptings
does she receive? Mary
is a Christian, someone who tries to follow what Jesus says in her daily life
and practice rather than merely offering lip service and an appearance in
church each Sunday. She wrestles with her faith, believing far more than what
the church edicts allow for, especially in things pertaining to healing and the
like.
Mary prays, pauses
to listen for a response, and is quick to follow those inner urges to do
certain things, such as visit a particular villager or pray for someone. She is
conscious that the Holy Spirit has used her to see others healed in the past,
and this has built confidence that God will use her in this way again. I love
the fact that I can use fiction to talk about some very true things, and some
of the incidents mentioned in this book reflect the healings my husband and I
have seen in our ministry work.
Q: Adam Edgerton comes back from the war with an illness that has changed his life. What challenges would someone in Adam’s situation face in 1811? For the men who fought during the Napoleonic Wars, there were many diseases that could fell more soldiers than bullets would. Flushing sickness, or
For
soldiers like Adam, who were used to being strong, healthy, and independent,
being forced to become dependent on others would have felt humbling. To lose one’s hope is one of the
most devastating things in life, and for returned soldiers who could not
fulfill the roles they always imagined themselves doing, it was traumatic. How
could one provide for a family if you could not keep a job? In 1811, obviously
the social and financial situations of families and individuals were not
supported by a form of social security, so it became very necessary to rely on
the support of one’s neighbors and the church. For men returning from war who
were facing physical, mental, and emotional challenges, their transition back
into a peaceful community would have been most trying. Not only were they
facing the impact of illness and injury on their own lives but also on their
families, including such things as the future legacy of a farm that had existed
in the family for generations.
Q: Mary’s father
is the town doctor who treats Adam. Can you tell us more about the medical
treatments of the day and what kind of training doctors would have? How much
research did you have to do in regard to that part of the story? In Regency times there were a
number of ranks of medical professionals. A surgeon was often apprenticed to an
older doctor, learning on the job to eventually attain a role equivalent to our
modern-day general practitioners. An apothecary is like our modern-day
pharmacist, and they mixed herbs and the like to create medicines to be sold to
the public. A physician underwent the most training of all and was skilled in
such things as anatomy, physiology, and surgery, and had experience in
hospitals. Some of the best hospitals for training included Guy’s Hospital in
Medical treatments
in the Regency era varied, as did their effectiveness. Doctors might not
receive a great deal of formal education, but they could be well versed in the
use of folk remedies and practices that had proved themselves in the past.
Without anesthesia, antiseptics, or antibiotics, doctors used a blend of
observation, experience, and whatever training they had to diagnose and treat
patients. I found The Complete Herbal
by Nicholas Culpeper to be extremely helpful in understanding some of the treatments
of the day, such as the use of flowers like feverfew in reducing inflammation
and temperature. Reading some of the journals, letters, and medical accounts of
those suffering from
Q: Due to his
condition, Adam finds himself in some dark places, in more ways than one. What
does he struggle with spiritually? One of the biggest questions a person can face when
confronted with challenging circumstances is “Why is this happening to me?”
Linked to this is the question of purpose, and when one’s purpose seems to be
ripped away, the question becomes, “Who am I anymore?” Adam always thought he’d
be a certain type of person and have a certain kind of life, and when the
consequences of war affect this, he’s forced to confront these questions of
purpose and lost hope.
Connected to this is
his challenge to trust God when he feels like God has failed him. It takes time
for him to realize that God has placed people in his life who can help him
envisage a new future, learn to trust God (and those people), and understand
that God’s ways and a future entrusted to Him can lead to a life so much
greater than what we can know or understand.
Q: Without
sharing too much, what kind of scandal do Mary and Adam find themselves in? In
Regency times it was considered somewhat scandalous for a single man and woman
to spend time alone together. Even writing a letter to a single gentleman or
lady would raise eyebrows! So, when one of Mary’s training sessions goes awry,
they are forced to explain themselves in the only socially acceptable way
possible—for which Mary does not wish to oblige.
Older, wiser, and
already aware that she is “on the shelf,” Mary is unwilling to bow to social
expectations and accept the role her small-minded village neighbors think she
now must play. She has now realized that she does not want scandal or the
opinions of others to influence the rest of her life, and she is willing to pay
the price, heartbreaking as that might be. It was really good to write a story
of an empowered woman, someone who stood against the societal flow and made her
own choices, given that wasn’t an option for many women at that time at all.
Q: What can
readers expect as the Regency Wallflowers series continues? What else can your
readers look forward to later this year? I’ve really loved turning
the focus from aristocratic foibles to those situations and people that are far
more relatable. Next year sees the release of Midnight’s Budding Morrow, a
Gothic-inspired romance set in a crumbling castle by the sea in Northumberland,
which delves into matters of belonging, acceptance, and family. The following
year sees the release of Dawn’s Untrodden
Green, which sees a very different Regency wallflower encounter someone who
may change her mind about marriage, in a book I consider to be one of my most
humorous yet.
Later this year, I’m launching two more contemporary releases as part of
the Independence Islands series, Regaining
Mercy (about what happens when a failed reality TV star returns to her
narrow-minded community) and Restoring
Hope (which asks whether opposites
who attract can ever really last). Just in time for New Year’s, I have another
contemporary romance releasing, The Break
Up Project, the first in the Original Six series, set in Boston and
involving a preschool teacher and a hockey player.
Lots of happy reading ahead!
Learn
more about Carolyn at www.carolynmillerauthor.com, or find her on Facebook
(Carolyn Miller Author), Instagram
(@CarolynMillerAuthor), and Twitter
(@CarolynMAuthor).
Thank
you, Carolyn, for sharing this story with my blog readers and me.
There
is a special giveaway with the release of the book:
Here's what is included in the giveaway:
Enter to win a fun prize pack inspired by the book and its English setting that includes:
- a copy of Dusk’s Darkest Shores
- a canvas bag to carry your latest reads
- a fun pair of Jane Austen socks
- Novel Teas’ English Breakfast tea
- “Drink tea, read books, and be happy” tea spoon
- “Let your faith be bigger than your fear” mug
- Black currant preserves from England
- Wax Lyrical candle from England
Readers, here are links to the book.
https://amzn.to/3tZXUSU - Paperback
https://amzn.to/3yiC8Nz - Kindle edition
Leave a
comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these
instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the
state or territory or country if outside
Void where
prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the
giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer
in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only
notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to
check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from
the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re
reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please
come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the
drawing. Here’s a link: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
17 comments:
This sounds like one not to miss!
Melanie Backus, TX
This book sounds so intriguing! Thanks for the spotlight and giveaway!
Winnie Thomas from Utah
Thank you so much for the interview with Carolyn Miller. Love hearing more about a book from the author and getting their perspective of people and events within the book.
"DUSK'S DARKEST SHORES" is most definitely on my TBR list and has been since I first heard about it. Can't wait for the opportunity to read it.
Thank you for the chance to win a copy! Shared and hoping to be the very fortunate one selected.
Kay Garrett from Mountain View, AR
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I can't wait to read this!
Abigail in VA
I've read several of Carolyn Miller's books and know her stories to be engaging, and fun to read. This one sounds like a wonderful addition to her booklist, and I would love the chance to read and review it!
Pam in OH
One can't go wrong with a book by Carolyn Miller! Love the description & the cover is a beauty! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
Diana in SC
Thanks for the interview ladies! I think I’ve only read a novella by Carolyn and would love to read more.
Patty in SC
This book is definitely everything and more than you would expect! It’s SO good! (Don’t enter me, as I’ve read it already😉)
I haven't read any of Carolyn's books mostly because she is a new author to me.
I love regency books and don't have a favorite yet.
Book sounds and looks like a great read. Love the book cover. Would love to read and review in print format.
Hope I Win
Crystal from PA in the USA
I've not yet read one of Carolyn's books. Thank you for the giveaway!
Caryl K in TX
I love Carolyn’s books. I need this to put on my bookshelf with the others. Blessings from WV.
Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
Conway SC.
Carolyn Miller is a wonderful writer! Thank you for the chance to win Dusk’s Darkest Shores! It sounds very good!!
Oops! I forgot to leave my name vm and where I’m from.....
Alison Boss from MI
Thank you, Lena! This is a great interview.
Thanks so much for hosting me Lena! So appreciate your kind support xx
Loved reading this interview.
Christine Dillon NSW, Australia
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