Happy Publication Day, Laurie 🙂

Many thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

Interview with Laurie Benson…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

Hi Kerry, Thanks for having me. My name is Laurie Benson and I write fun and frisky Regency romances about men in boots and the women who fall for them. I began my writing career as an advertising copywriter, and learned more than you could ever want to know about hot dogs and credit score reports. When I’m not at my laptop avoiding laundry, I like going to museums and taking ridiculously long hikes with my family.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I write historical romances and most of my story ideas are inspired by a historical tidbit that I’ve uncovered. The idea for my first book, An Unsuitable Duchess, came to me because I wanted to write the story of the first American woman who married in to the English aristocracy. The idea for An Uncommon Duke came to me after I read about an assassination attempt that was made on George IV when he was the Prince Regent, and An Unexpected Countess is a treasure hunt romance involving the missing French crown jewels.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Lady Charlotte Gregory, my heroine in my new book One Week to Wed, is a widow that believes she will never find love again. The idea for her character came to me one night after I went out to dinner with a friend who is a widow. While we were having dessert, she started to tell me some of her recent dating horror stories. That night, I decided I wanted to write a story about a widow that believed it was impossible to find love twice in a lifetime but was proven wrong.

How do you pick your characters names?

This may sound odd, but a lot of my character names have come from gravestones in an old colonial era cemetery near my home. I also have a reader group on Facebook and sometimes they’ll help me come up with a character’s name.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

My creative brain works best early in the morning, so when I am writing a book I wake up around 5am to write or edit what I have written the day before and I’ll usually continue to write until the ideas for that day stop. Sometimes that could be late morning. Other days, I’ll write until late at night. Once I’ve written about half of the book, I will usually send it off to one of my critique partners to read through and let me know if the characters are relatable and if there is anything about the story that doesn’t make sense. Once I have their feedback, I finish writing the book. I write a fairly clean first draft, so I usually do one round of revisions before I send it off to my editor.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Jane Austen
Elizabeth Boyle
Suzanne Enoch
Karen Marie Moning
Washington Irving

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

If I could travel back in time, I’d love to have tea with Jane Austen and ask her what really happened between her and Mr. Tom LeFroy, the Irish gentleman that is suspected of being the one man she loved but never married.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Actually, I didn’t enjoy reading when I was a child. I’m glad that changed when I was in high school. Now, I can’t image my life without books. The best way for me to relax at the end of the day is with a cup of tea and a good book. Reading before bed helps lull me to sleep.

When did you start to write?

I majored in advertising in college, and began writing advertisements, commercials, and other promotional material shortly after that. It wasn’t until my boys were in school that I started to write historical romance.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

I’d call it Life Is In the Details. I think it is the little everyday moments in life that can stand out the most and are the things that we remember years later. I still have memories of walking home from school with my mom and that was a lifetime ago.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

Without a doubt it would be Mr Tilney from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. This is a man who appreciates women’s fashion, so I’d like to think we would have a lot of fun shopping together.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently writing a Regency romance series called The Sommersby Brides. These three stand-alone stories are about the three Sommersby sisters who find themselves in three scandalous situations that lead to three very different proposals. I’ve just turned the last book of the series into my editor. It’s entitled His Three-Day Duchess and it is a road trip romance.

Do you have a new release due?

The first book in The Sommersby Brides trilogy entitled ONE WEEK TO WED will be released on July 1st. It’s about an independent widow and a dangerous Lord who share one unexpected night of passion that leads to an unknowing betrayal, divided loyalties, and a marriage of convenience.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I love any excuse to celebrate. On publication day, I kick it off with cake and champagne for breakfast. My favorite bakery sells these lovely tiny cakes that are perfect for just one person. I usually settle in with one and a glass of champagne after my boys head off to school and the house is quiet. Then after dinner, I serve a larger cake that I can share with my entire family. They know all the time and hard work it takes to write a book. The cake is my way of thanking them for all the support and love they’ve given me during the writing of that book.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I love to hear from readers and they can send me an email through my website: http://www.lauriebenson.net.

They can also find me on these various social media platforms.
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurie-benson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurieBensonAuthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15139231.Laurie_Benson
Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/lauriebensonauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurieBwrites

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Thanks for having me on your blog, Kerry. If any of your readers enjoy historical romances, I hope they check out my books and find me on social media to say hi.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Laurie 🙂

One Week to Wed

One Stolen Night…leads to unexpected wedding vows!

Widowed Lady Charlotte Gregory believes she’ll never love again after losing her husband, until meeting dashing Lord Andrew Pearce brings her respectable, lonely world back to vibrant life! Left alone one night, they give in to their desires only to find their secret passion leads to shock, scandal…and a sudden marriage of convenience.

Purchase Links

Amazon: myBook.to/OneWeekToWed B&N: http://bit.ly/2na4khQ Google Play: http://bit.ly/2E4ql9I iBooks: https://apple.co/2E76BSO Kobo: http://bit.ly/2n78JlJ

Author Bio –

Laurie Benson is an award-winning author who writes flirty and frisky Regency romance novels. She began her writing career as an advertising copywriter, where she learned more than you could ever want to know about hot dogs and credit score reports. Her novel An Unexpected Countess was voted Harlequin’s 2017 Hero of the Year by readers.

When she isn’t at her laptop avoiding laundry, Laurie can be found browsing antique shops, going on ridiculously long hikes, or sitting in her car on the school pickup line. She lives with her husband and two sons in a house filled with testosterone—even her bunny is a boy.
To learn about her upcoming books, visit her historical blog, and to sign up for her newsletter go to www.lauriebenson.net.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurieBwrites

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/benson2762/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15139231.Laurie_Benson

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Benson/e/B01DMAOAA0

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurie-benson

Website: http://lauriebenson.net

Giveaway –

Win a signed copy of One Week To Wed (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter link below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.