Writing Wednesday: Chatting with Marin McGinnis, author of historical romance

This whole week is devoted to the SNARKOLOGY HALLOWEEN HOP and the prizes and fun that go with it... click on the image to enter the Giveaway!

But... before I signed up for the Hop I promised a visit to Marin MacGinnis, who writes historical romance. I loved (and reviewed) her novel STIRRING UP THE VISCOUNT, released back in January of this year.... and am so excited that she has a new book out AND took the time to chat with me! 

To access the Halloween Hop and the BIG GIVEAWAY, click on the banner above or on the left sidebar. But first, stay and say hi to Marin!

Welcome, Marin!

Thanks so much for having me here today, Katie!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I have lived almost half my life in a tree-lined, unabashedly liberal suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I have been married to the same great guy for over 20 years, and have one tween-aged son. We all live together in a drafty old house with our two standard poodles, Larry and Sneaky Pete. By day, I’m a lawyer, which really isn’t as much fun as writing. I’m totally into genealogy, which can be as much fun as writing, and I’m a card-carrying member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

What kind of books do you like to read and write?

I read all kinds of books (except nonfiction—just can’t get into those). Historical romance and young adult are probably my favorites, but I enjoy mysteries, especially historical mysteries, and contemporary romance as well.

I write historical romance set in the Victorian era. I am what my husband likes to call a ‘research weasel’ (isn’t that sweet? ;p) so writing historicals came out of my interest in research, and I love that time period—the world changed so significantly during the years of Queen Victoria’s reign, from industry to social and sexual mores and everything in between.

Research Weasel. Hmmm. Yes, very sweet ;-) Besides the cute title, what's your favorite part of being an author?

It’s a socially acceptable way to ignore people. ;) Seriously, though, I just love to create stories and play with words. I have also met some really incredible people through writing.

What's your approach to writing? Do you plot or go with the flow?

I used to be a total pantser, but that resulted in a pretty terrible book which now languishes under the proverbial bed. My first two published books were hybrid plotter/pantser books—I prepared a rough outline and ran with it--which worked reasonably well, but I am trying to plot the one I am currently writing, which seems to be going better. We’ll see what happens when I get to the dreaded middles, as that is what usually trips me up.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

I’d love to make myself invisible, at least occasionally. It would be wonderful for people watching.

Tell us about your new release!

My latest book, Secret Promise, releases October 30 from The Wild Rose Press. It is set in the 1860s, and tells the story of the long-lost brother of the heroine in my first book.

Here's the blurb: 

Falsely imprisoned as a blockade-runner during the American Civil War, Edward Mason yearns to go home. But when after seven years he finally returns to England, the life he expected is gone. His parents are dead, his home destroyed, his father’s legacy stolen, and his girl—his girl is now the single mother of a child Edward never knew.

Abandoned by the man she loved and disowned by her family, Anna Templeton has learned to stand on her own two feet and make a home for her son. Now the successful owner of The Silver Gull tavern, she's not about to put their happiness in the hands of the one man who let her down so badly.

Edward is determined to regain Anna’s love and be a father to his son. But when a series of suspicious accidents threaten him and those he loves, he must stop the man responsible, or lose everything.

Ooh, I can't wait! I so loved the first book and hope those characters play a part in this one, too! Okay, you’re casting the movie version of your novel – who would you choose for the main characters? We’re talking dream cast.

When I started writing Secret Promise, I envisioned Colin O’Donoghue (Hook, in "Once Upon a Time") as Edward, Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley, in the Harry Potter movies) as Anna, and Kevin Spacey as David Weston—he’s so good at playing complicated villain types. I hadn’t really thought about who would play Anna’s son, Zachary—he’s sort of a weird amalgam of lots of boys, including my own son, and Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. J

Awesome cast! Now, Where can readers find your book and where can they find you online?

Here are the buy links for the book:

          The Wild Rose Press

                  

                   Amazon

                   B&N

                   Kobo

You can find Marin hanging out at marinmcginnis.com, on her group blog at throughheartshapedglasses.com, on Twitter @MarinMcGinnis, Facebook at facebook.com/MarinMcG, or Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12256384.Marin_McGinnis.

Thanks for visiting today, Marin! And for offering this great #Giveaway too! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway