Interview with Regency Romance Author Danielle Thorne

Danielle Thorne writes from south of Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of sweet romantic adventure books, both historical and contemporary. She also has a new series of Young Adult paranormal books. Danielle has been married for twenty-five years, is the mother of four sons, one daughter-in-law, and a rebellious Bombay kitty. Her popular blog, The Balanced Writer, focuses on life and the pursuit of peace and happiness.

Welcome back to my blog, Danielle. Please tell us about Proper Attire.

A "proper" West Indies romance, Proper Attire is a quirky Regency meets the Caribbean story about having the courage to stand up for yourself even in the face of danger and the unknown. In this novel, Julia Scott flees England and a cruel stepmother to determine if the West Indies is the paradise of her dreams. Attacked by pirates and desired by island natives, the only person she can trust is John Smith -- if that's her rescuer's true name. Reaching her uncle's station in English Harbor, Julia must find a way to face her feelings and deal with her traitorous family, a dashing new suitor, and the guardian angel, John Smith, who has no qualms sporting counterfeit names and less than what is proper attire.

This sounds so intriguing. Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

I had started this story as a one page exercise years ago and was working on other projects when one day it caught my eye. The storyteller in my head whispered, "What would happen if Jane Austen crossed paths with Jack Sparrow?" and the idea sparked the storyline to come to life. I had to get it down.

What a unique idea! I love it. What kind of research did you do for this book?

Because I write in the Regency and Age of Sail periods, the majority of my research was on the island of Antigua. This is one of the islands I haven't visited in my travels, so I'm unfamiliar with it. I also had to pull out my Age of Sail facts and vocabulary books to freshen up my memory of ships and sail tactics as well as just fun words.

You have written regency romance, modern romance, Young Adult paranormal, and poetry. All of your stories are clean and for all ages. Which genre is your favorite and why?

Gosh, that's hard to choose because I write what I love, but I guess I'd have to say contemporary romance is my favorite. Because it is modern, I'm more comfortable with dialogue and description. It really gives me more opportunity to dig deeper into character and plot.

That makes sense to me. Where can my readers find you online?

I'm easy to catch on Facebook and Twitter, and truth be told, I'm a great big Pinterest nerd. I also invite everyone to follow my blog!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.thorne.184

Tweeting daily at: https://twitter.com/DanielleThorne

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/danielle_thorne/

Blog: http://www.thebalancedwriter.blogspot.com/

Website: www.daniellethorne.com

Thank you, Danielle, for this fun interview. I hope everyone checks out your new story.