Interview with Regency Romance Author Donna Hatch

Donna Hatch, author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series," is a hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart. She is a sought-after workshop presenter and juggles multiple volunteer positions as well as her six children. A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.

Welcome back to my blog, Donna. I understand you have a new book coming out called Summer House Party, which features authors Sarah M. Eden, Regina Scott, and you. Please tell us about your part of the story.

 

Thank you so much for having me back. It’s always a pleasure to be here with you. Summer House Party is an anthology--one of three complete novellas. One novella was written by Regina Scott, one by Sarah M. Eden, and the third is one I wrote. They all have the common theme, Summer House Party, which has inspired completely different tales. Each novella is approximately 100 pages, which is perfect for an afternoon read while still providing very satisfying stories with happily ever after endings. They are all sweet Regency historical novellas that sit firmly on the “clean and wholesome shelf.”

 

In my novella, "A Perfect Match," Genevieve attends a summer house party hosted by her best friend who can't wait to introduce her to a gentleman she met in London. Determined to learn whether this young man is good enough for her friend, Genevieve watches him with a critical eye. Unfortunately, he is perfect, and Genevieve loses her heart to him. Torn between loyalty to her best friend and the yearnings of her heart, she must first escape the attention of a powerful lord who seems obsessed with her and who tries to rob her of any hope for a happily ever after.

 

Where did you get your inspiration for this story?

That is a story in itself. In an Amazon review for A Perfect Secret, a reader said her only complaint with the book was that the story began with the two main characters already in love, and she prefers books that start with the characters meeting and falling in love for the first time. (The book actually starts with them getting torn apart, and the rest of the story is about how they find their way back together, get over their hard feelings, and how they learn to trust and love each other again). Anyway, after I got over my hurt and my defensiveness, I took her opinion to heart and tucked it away for another time.

Incidentally, A Perfect Secret is my mother's favorite, probably because she relates to Genevieve--my mother, too, fled an abusive husband and found a second chance to love.

--> A couple years later, when the publisher of the TIMELESS Romance anthologies invited me to participate in another TIMELESS Regency anthology called Summer House Party, I knew my novella needed to be about how Christian and Genevieve meet for the first time, how they fall in love, and how the terrible Lord Wickburgh becomes obsessed with Genevieve. So I delved into their backstory and created a prequel with all new challenges, some fun new characters, and which tells their whole backstory. This prequel leads seamlessly into the next part of their story told in "A Perfect Secret." Let me emphasize that each tale is complete enough to be read as a stand-alone story, and the prequel has a strong happily ever after ending. However, the two books together complete Christian and Genevieve's story as a whole.

"A Perfect Match" is one of three 100-page novellas contained in Summer House Party. The other two novellas are penned by some of my favorite historical authors, Regina Scott and Sarah M. Eden.  This TIMELESS Regency Collection will be released exclusively on Amazon June 6, 2016 and is available now for pre-order.
 

What kind of research did you do for this book?

I briefly researched architecture so I could get a good picture in my mind of what the abbey looked like, and I talked to an artist friend to get some art terminology correct. I also had to brush up on my waltzing so I could describe how the hero could teach the heroine how to waltz. Overall, I’ve been researching the Regency Era as a whole for about ten years.

Do you consider your female characters to be strong and determined or meek yet spirited?

My heroines seem to have quiet strength—some are spirited and most are pretty witty. They aren’t tough, most can’t shoot guns or hold their own in a fist fight, but they unswervingly stick to their convictions and they will do hard things because it’s the right thing to do.

Where can my readers find you online?

Website: www.donnahatch.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/donnahatch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceAuthorDonnaHatch/

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Donna-Hatch/e/B002BMG9KK

Here is an excerpt from  "A Perfect Match," the prequel to A Perfect Secret:

He shied away from the truth, from the horrible challenge that led to his brother Jason’s death, and the scattering of his brothers over the fight Christian caused between them and the earl. He breathed through the pain lancing his chest. “I have done things in my past that I deeply regret. Lost people I thought would always be there—some through my own actions.”

Genevieve slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently. “Everyone deserves to be loved, to be given a second chance. Even you. Especially you.”

"A Perfect Match," part of Summer House Party anthology, is available now for pre-order from Amazon.