Please help me welcome author Maureen Driscoll to A Buckeye Girl Reads!
First of all, thank you so much for letting me be here
today. I really appreciate it.
I love writing romance novels for the same reason I love
reading them – sometimes you need a happy ending. I’ve always been a hopeless romantic. My imaginary boyfriends have far outnumbered
my real ones. And, quite frankly, my
imaginary boyfriends sent me flowers a lot more often.
I write Regency-ish romance.
My first book, NEVER A MISTRESS, NO LONGER A MAID, starts off at the
Battle of Waterloo, but then quickly jumps to 1822, which is when the next five
books in the series take place. I say
they’re Regency-ish because they’re a bit light on history and quite heavy on
the rather explicit romance. So the
amount of sex is definitely not realistic.
But there’s something about that era that’s a lot more romantic to me
than the current day, which is why I set my books in that period.
It’s not just the clothes, although I’ve always loved
playing dress up. It’s the idea that a
woman letting down her hair could be incredibly erotic. That a glimpse of an ankle could be more
tantalizing than anything a Kardashian could show.
At the same time, I would find it very difficult to live in
a world that didn’t let women reach their potential, which is one of the
reasons I love writing stories where women break the rules. In my first book, the heroine, Jane, works as
the de facto surgeon in her
village. In NEVER MISS A CHANCE, Lizzie
writes treatises about the rights of women, despite being a duke’s sister. In NEVER WAGER AGAINST LOVE, Vanessa works
for the Home Office as a spy. In NEVER
RUN FROM LOVE, Melanie helps London prostitutes find new homes in America and
in NEVER DENY YOUR HEART, Rosalind refuses to marry a man she does not
love. Which was just as unconventional
as the others, and took a great deal of courage.
But despite my heroines’ strength and independence, there’s
nothing like a guy wanting to protect them.
Not rescue them, but let them know he’ll be there no matter what.
I’ve been divorced for 16 years. And I’ve learned to appreciate my friends, my
career and my own company much more than I ever did when I was married. I can go to parties alone, make major
purchasing decision, kill the occasional spider. All the things I used to have my husband
do. But a couple weeks ago I had to go
to a funeral back in my hometown of Helena, Montana. It was a really tough weekend. And while I was surrounded by family, I
realized how much I missed having a soul mate by my side. I got through everything fine. But I knew what I was missing.
And that’s what I’d like my heroes to be in my books. The hero isn’t necessary for the heroine’s
survival, but he makes her life better.
And she knows when he’s not there.
She misses him.
What do you think a good hero brings to a love story? What does your personal hero do for you?
Thank you for hosting me.
Happy reading.
Maureen Driscoll is an Emmy-nominated writer/producer living
in Los Angeles. She’s written for
several shows, including THE DISH on the Style Network, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE and
BRAINSURGE on Nickelodeon. Before moving
to Los Angeles, she worked on Capitol Hill.
She’s the author of six novels and is currently working on the last book
in the Kellington series of Regency romances.
