Interview with Sweet Romance Author Donna Hatch

Whether you like immersing yourself in the Regency Romance era or escaping to a totally new fantasy world, Donna’s historical romance and fantasy romance novels will sweep you away into a magical new world.

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection is a compilation of six sweet historical romance novellas, set in varying eras, written by six different authors, with one thing in common: Romance.

Welcome back to my blog, Donna. This book has six short stories by six different authors. Please tell us what your specific story is about.

On the First Day of Christmas, Clarissa’s coach breaks down in front of forbidding Wyckburg Castle, a place where generations of earls have murdered their young brides. An adventurer at heart, Clarissa is as fascinated as she is horrified. When she meets the young widower, Christopher de Champs, Earl of Wyckburg, she’s torn between fleeing for her life or uncovering the handsome earl’s terrible secret, a secret that may land her in the middle of a dark and deadly curse.

Where did you get your inspiration for this short story?

When fellow sweet Regency author Sarah Eden invited me to be a contributing author for this anthology of award-winning authors, I was as honored as I was humbled. I accepted, hoping an idea would come to me. When nothing happened right away, I went to a critique partner and we started brainstorming. I can’t even remember when the curse came into the plot, but suddenly, everything came to light as if my muse had been waiting for me to start asking the right questions. Originally, the heroine was comically paranoid of the mysterious castle and the murdering earl, but then I decided the heroine would be more fun if she were an adventurer at heart seeking a delicious gothic story come to life, complete with a gothic hero. That’s when the story really took shape.

What kind of research did you do?

Since I am already a shameless Regency nerd, I didn’t need to do any research regarding the era, but I did need to double check my facts regarding Christmas traditions observed in the Regency, which were a bit different than the Victorian customs one often thinks of when they think of an old-fashioned Christmas.

That’s interesting. What intrigues you most about writing romances?

It’s split between the development of the relationship and the coveted happily ever after. Both of those are not only fun and satisfying, but crucial to a romance.

Sooooo true!!! Thanks, Donna, for a great interview. And good luck with this new Winter Collection. To enter another contest for another Christmas book, visit my other blog at Thoughts About Writing.

Enter another Christmas book giveaway at http://lindaweaverclarke.wordpress.com.