Who is Rose Lerner? Give us the low down.
I guess the most important thing to know about me is that I’m a big geek, and the thing I’m geeky about is primarily stories. If you ask me what’s been going on in my life, the odds are I’ll tell you what I’ve been reading and watching. With a bit of encouragement I can keep it up for quite a while. For example, my roommate and I spent the better part of an hour last night discussing the characterization on Gossip Girl (best-written and -acted show on TV!).
One of my other favorite things to geek out about is food: my day job is cooking at a natural foods deli in Seattle, where I live.
A Lily Among Thorns has a heroine who is a former prostitute turned inn owner and a hero who has chosen to be a tailor. Both protagonists work for a living. (Which is so refreshing!) How did this story come about?
You know, the origins of this story are shrouded in the mists of time–I’ve been working on it on and off since college. The main impetus for the story was that I was reading a lot of traditional Regencies at the time (anyone remember those? They looked like this:
There was a very particular kind of alpha hero that was popular in them who wore an unreadable expression at all times and often had mysterious underworld connections. He was invariably saved from his dark past by the unconditional acceptance of an innocent but unconventional young woman. So I wanted to swap that dynamic around and see what it looked like if that dark-past-ed intimacy-fearing person was a woman and the unconventional innocent was a man.
I realized (a little sadly) that my heroine simply couldn’t do the things those heroes did (have lots of lovers, consort with low people, etc.) and still be accepted into society. Plus, how would an aristocratic young woman end up in that situation in the first place? So I made her a teenage runaway who ended up in a brothel, and then I needed something for her to do afterwards. Why an inn and why a tailor specifically, I can’t remember.
Solomon is more of a beta hero, who is actually intimidated by the heroine at the beginning of the story. He is actually teased by the heroine at one point about his womanly behavior. Yet he never comes across as less masculine. Give us some insight into writing his character and what a beta hero means to you.
Well, there’s a few things going on here. Four, I think. There’s alpha vs. beta, physically imposing vs. not, traditionally masculine vs. traditionally feminine (butch vs. femme might be a more compact way to say that, maybe?), and emotionally strong vs. emotionally weak. Those things often get conflated, both in romances and in our society, but I think they’re all totally independent of each other.
It’s kind of a fun game to try to place people. I’ve been playing it all day since I came up with the system, in fact! Captain Picard is a butch, emotionally strong alpha who doesn’t rely on physical strength. The Scarlet Pimpernel is a femmy, emotionally strong (open to debate), physically imposing alpha. Batman is a butch, physically imposing alpha who’s emotionally weak (I love the dude, don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t call his friends "friends" because that would be too touchy-feely, and his parenting skills leave something to be desired).
Solomon is beta. But he’s pretty butch (apart from his focus on clothes), he’s physically imposing, and he’s emotionally strong.
I knew going into writing him that he was a beta. I didn’t really think about the other stuff while I was writing, but when I went back and did revisions, I paid a lot of attention to them, because I knew readers would too. I didn’t change anything that was important to the character, but I did change some superficial stuff to amp up the other three categories. I wanted the book to be saleable.
And in the revisions stage with my editor, I did a whole lot of small changes to make sure his emotional strength was really, really clear. Serena’s a jerk to him plenty of times, and because a lot of the book is in her POV it wasn’t always obvious in the first draft that he didn’t feel particularly crushed about it. He’s definitely Serena’s equal in their relationship–the one person who <i>isn’t</i> intimidated by her, even a little bit, after the first couple of hours (can you blame him? she gives good scaryface)–and I needed to make sure readers saw that, and not "kicked puppy."
Sometimes it seems like romance heroes (and heck, men in our society, which I imagine must be a lot of pressure) have to be butch, physically imposing, alpha, AND emotionally strong. At least they get some leeway on that last one, so long as they work their issues out by the end of the book!
All of that stuff gets mushed together and called "being heroic". But for me, the only non-negotiable thing is that eventual emotional strength, knowing you can count on him absolutely when things get tough. The rest is just personal preference, like being attracted to freckles or curly hair.
I think there’s been a bit more variety in the genre recently, and that’s awesome. I do see more betas, femmy heroes, and physically not-so-tough guys in fantasy and mystery, and lots of those guys are both sexy and very popular with readers. Let’s get some more of that action up in romance! (This is NOTHING against alpha heroes, I love them too. I’d just like to see more variety.)
Rene is a fabulous supporting character. He is the kind of man you initially want to hate for his actions involving the heroine, but the more you learn about him, the more you start to root for him. Did he surprise you in any way or was his journey set for you from the beginning?
Thank you! I love Rene a lot myself, as you could probably tell. I knew what going to happen with him from pretty early on–I already half-planned to redeem him, but once I figured out that giving him the romance I did would make the story structure click into place, his arc was set. The trick was bringing readers along with!
Some of my critique partners really disliked him initially because he’s so mean to Serena. That was a great sign that they were invested in my protagonist and seeing things from her point of view, but not such a great sign that I’d done a good job with Rene’s characterization. Just because one of my characters is awesome in my head doesn’t mean they’re awesome on the page!
So I expanded the scenes that he narrates, elaborated his backstory with Serena, and carefully edited the scenes he appears in to give more hints at what’s going on with him and to highlight his underlying good-guyness. It seems to have worked!
I read on your website you prefer Hugh Grant in Sense & Sensibility over Colin Firth in Pride & Prejudice. *gasp!* Explain yourself. :)
Well, I like S&S better than P&P. But also Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy just didn’t grab me. Sacrilege, I know! I’m a little afraid to admit it, but I loved Matthew Macfadyen’s performance because he really sold me on the whole "Darcy is just socially inept and it makes him seem like a jerk" thing.
Colin Firth can break your heart with those eyes (Mmmm, The King’s Speech), but Hugh Grant sparkles! He is just my type. I lurrrrve him. I liked him better in the Bridget Jones movies too! (AS AN ACTOR. Obviously Daniel Cleaver is a jerk and Bridget should not get with him.)
But really, why choose just one? Looking at this picture, I wonder if my top choice isn’t for them to make out with each other!
That is my top choice too! LOL. Do you do anything special on release day?
No, actually. I never do anything exciting with my advance either! People ask me and I have to say, "…I put it in the bank." Although I did treat myself to one big thing: I paid someone to paint over the rusting scratches on the side of my car instead of spending all afternoon doing it myself. That was awesome.
I enjoy perusing your tumblr. Do you ever find yourself inspired by something that comes across your dashboard? What are some of your favorite tumblrs to visit?
Thank you! A lot of hot people show up on my tumblr dash, sometimes making out or giving each other googly eyes, plus people post all kinds of thinky thoughts and nice dresses and art and everything is grist for the mill! So that’s a definite yes to inspiration. When I read the question, this was the first thing I thought of:
I can’t really articulate why but this picture is one of the most romantic things I have EVER seen, and it just popped up on my dash one day.
As for some of my favorite tumblrs:
Things Miss Frizzle Would Wear (remember the Magic School Bus?)
OMG that dress! (fashion through time)
Fuck yeah history crushes! (historical figures submitted by readers with crushes on them)
Daily Reenactor (photos of historical re-enactors and their stuff)
18th Century Love (cool stuff from the 18th century)
OMG…Cravats (hot dudes in cravats)
Racebent Disney (fanart of Disney movies remixed to take place in other cultures.)
Zoe Archer’s is probably my favorite author tumblr I follow, but there are a lot of great ones!
Anyone have any recommendations? I’m fairly new to the site and always looking to add cool blogs.
What is up next for you?
I’m not sure! I’m almost done with a draft of a book about the 1812 Parliamentary general election. By the local rules of her town, the middle-class heroine’s husband would be eligible for a vote…if she were married. The younger-son-of-an-earl hero is sent to the town to find the heroine a husband, but of course he falls in love with her himself! But it’s not sold yet so I don’t actually know yet if it will be my next book out or when it will be on shelves. I’ll keep you posted!
Thanks Rose! Today we have a copy of A Lily Among Thorns to giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment. Open through October 22nd.
I love the working class hero and heroine in this book and the fact that Solomon is a beta hero. This sounds great and I can’t wait to read it! Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks! I hope you like it. :)
While I’d love to see a higher proportion of beta heroes out there, having them be few and far between does make each one a little more special, which is nice for me!
I love the book covers! They look quite old, it’s refreshing in a way :)
email: cruz042 at csusm dot edu
Thanks! I love those old traditional covers…they do look dated now but they’re so pretty.
Interesting Post…I’m such a sucker for regency, for really any romance…Solomon looks like an interesting character! Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks! Solomon seems to be a general favorite, which is exciting because I’m very fond of him. :)
Well, Rose already knows how much I love her writing (I’m one of those troublesome critique partners who gave her grief about Rene) so I’ll just say THAT PHOTO FROM BECOMING JANE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES TOO! (Sorry for the insane shouting, but I’ve had it on my desktop since August 2, 2010. If I were living in a time travel story, it’s what I’d be looking in the split second before I fall through the portal.)
Hi Alyssa! OMG isn’t that picture AMAZING??? The play of light and shadow is so incredibly atmospheric and sexy. I’m really excited for your Gothic post by the way! I’m thinking a little spookier for the next book after the one I’m working on and I’m counting on you to help me out…
Stalker Growly reporting for another chance to win a copy! ;)
Have you considered self-pubbing your next book or is that something you have no interest in?
Hi Growly! Self-pubbing probably still isn’t my first choice at this point, but it’s definitely a cool option and if at some point it seems like the best choice for me and my work, I’m open to it.
Great interview. I have been eyeing your book ever since I heard about it. I like that the heroine has so much to overcome and is given the chance to do so.
P.S. I do remember the Magic School Bus. Loved that show, so fun and educational.
Thanks! Have you read Meredith Duran’s Written on Your Skin, by the way? If you like heroines with difficult journeys, that’s a great one.
Ooh, it was a show too? I think I just had the books…I mainly remember the one where they go inside that kid’s nose. I felt really bad for him that he didn’t get to go on the field trip.
Congratulations on the book. I think some readers think that beta heroes are weak. I find that they are usually slow to anger, but when pushed, they will fight for something important.
I agree! Beta, to me, means the hero doesn’t want or need to be in charge in a general sense. That doesn’t mean he’s a pushover or that he doesn’t expect the people around him to respect his opinion. Look at Mr. Spock! I think he’s beta: he’s not interested in commanding the Enterprise, and most of the time he’s happy to follow Kirk’s lead, but he’s got a backbone of steel (and the shoulder nerve pinch to go with it) if he thinks you’re wrong.
Please don’t enter me. I’ve already got my copy and I just started it yesterday. I just wanted to say that I LOVE Solomon so far. Nothing against alphas, but it’s so nice to have some variety in the heroes out there and he’s adorable. Rose, I hope you are able to keep selling your books (either through traditional publishers or by self-publishing). They are so refreshingly different from the usual Regencies.
Yay, thank you! I really think the genre is shifting and expanding these days, and I’m so so proud to be part of it. Believe me, I will be selling many many books to come! (And yay for loving Solomon, too! He IS adorable, isn’t he?)
Although again, that is NOTHING against more traditional stories. Those are great too! Like you say, it’s all about variety. I think with e-publishing it’s going to be a lot easier to make money from books that appeal to a niche market, and I’m really excited to see where it goes…
Right – I like traditional Regencies also, but there’s room for many more plots than the standard dissolute rake falls in love with sweet (or plunky) ingenue while waltzing at Almacks LOL.
This is the first I have heard of your book but it looks wonderful. I love the cover for it. Do you get any say in what they put on the front of your book?
Thanks! I love the cover too. My editor was generous enough to ask for my opinion at a couple of stages in the process (I said I preferred the image of this couple out of the ones they were considering, and suggested a London background), but the final say is hers and the publisher’s. Many authors get barely any input, or none at all.
What an interesting and refreshing change. I love the cover for A Lily Among Thorns too (unanimous!) & your next book sounds just an intriguing.
Looks like I found a new author to add to my A list.
Aw, thanks! Let me know how you like the book when you read it. :)
I love the description of the classic alpha with the “look”. I think betas are the new norm. Thanks for the giveaway. I would love to read A Lily Among Thorns.
Thanks! Ooh, have you read a bunch of betas recently? Any recommendations?
This was a really interesting inteview!! I’d love to win the book! :)
Thanks! Good luck in the drawing. :)
A Lily Among Thorns sounds great, with very interesting main characters – who work for a living, that’s very different. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Barbed1951 at aol dot com
Thanks so much! If you’re interested, I did a post over at Cecilia Grant’s blog all about that aspect of the book and got a few recommendations from commenters for books with working protagonists:
http://ceciliagrant.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/make-em-work-10-things-to-love-about-heroes-heroines-with-jobs/#comments
Another one I absolutely loved was Courtney Milan’s novella “This Wicked Gift” about a girl who ran a small circulating library and a clerk. Have you read it?
I think it’s interesting to have a beta hero. There are so many alphas out in the book market right now that you don’t often see this type of heroic character. Thanks for the giveaway.
mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com
Thanks! I love betas too. I feel sure their comeback is coming any day now. You see more of them in mysteries and fantasy, I think, and many of them are sexy and popular, so let’s get in on that action!
Wow, I agree Rose, that photo of Colin and Hugh together :-D Love how their eyes sparkle and they both look so happy :-)
And thank you for the lovely interview, I haven’t heard of A Lily Among Thorns before, but now I can’t wait to read it!! :-)
Thank you!
stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com
I know, and they match too! Yum. Those are two guys who’ve aged REALLY well.
Aw, thanks! I hope you like it.
I think that Matthew Macfadyen was the better Darcy too! I don’t think that I’ve read many books with a beta hero. Actually I can think of only one: Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts. I quite liked it. I’m definitely putting your book on my TBR list. Thank you for the interview.
Thanks!
I loved everything about that adaptation. I even (sap that I am) loved that they gave the Bennets a more-or-less affectionate marriage. There was just something very sweet about the whole movie.
I’m definitely putting that Nora Roberts book on my TBR list! I don’t read a lot of contemporaries, but I’ve been looking for somewhere to start with her and that sounds perfect.
I would love to read this book. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
Thanks, and good luck!
Aloha, Rose! The picture of Colin and Hugh reminded me that I stumbled across the set of Brigit Jones Diary II in Hyde Park where they fought in the fountain. The director let bypassers watch from a distance as the stars performed their scene then jump into a hot tub between takes. Oh, what joy it would have been to jump in the hottub with them!
Oh WOW. That is a truly amazing story, I am so so jealous right now! I wasn’t a huge fan of the second movie but that scene saved the whole thing. So had they brought like a free-standing hot tub with them, or was it in a trailer or something? Tell me more!
Loved the interview. Has me interested in reading the book.
Thanks! Good luck in the drawing.
I read quite a bit of historical romances / regency romances, and it would be nice to read something different for a time. Although I really love all the Dukes and Earls and Viscounts and all. The balls and parties and carriages and Bond Street.
But to see it from an other point of view, yes, I would like that. And I love a strong heroine, so that is a plus. Not sure yet about your hero.
Question: have you ever read Jennifer Ashley? She wrote a book with an autistic hero, really great and original.
I adored the Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie! So so awesome.
Courtney Milan, Joanna Bourne, Meredith Duran, and Sherry Thomas are some wonderful authors who often include protagonists from different social backgrounds if you’re interested (although all of them but Bourne write Victorians, not Regencies).
Let me know what you think of LILY if you decide to give it a try!
Hi Rose!
Thank you for the lovely post! The draft of your next book sounds really intriguing. I don’t think I have ever read about Parliamentary general election in a romance.
Thanks! There’s been at least two–Tessa Dare’s A Lady of Persuasion and Blair Bancroft’s The Lady and the Cit. But there’s plenty of material there for dozens of books! I had a blast researching it.
Excited to check this book out! Added it to my to-read on GoodReads. :)
Thank you!
Matthew Macfadyen is much more like the Darcy I see when I read Pride and Prejudice.
I like the categories you use to describe types of characters. The 4 categories seem to account for much more well rounded characters that a simple alpha vs. beta distinction. :)
I really loved that movie. He’s just so awkward! I feel like Jane Austen’s heroes are all shy, slightly uptight geeky guys, which is exactly my type, but somehow on the page it often falls flat for me (for me! I know they’re right up many people’s alleys)…but the right actor can bring the parts alive for me.
Thanks! I love systems like that despite their obvious inadequacies. Have you read Sarah Rees Brennan’s theory that all heroes are either Angst Muffins, Sandwiches, or Trays of Pastries? It’s here, and it’s HILARIOUS:
http://sarahreesbrennan.com/sarahs-snacks-theory/
I’m with you in the Hugh Grant love! And the Matthew Macfadyen Pride and Prejudice will always be my favorite movie eveha! Though, I will say, Colin Firth is one of my favorite actors and I’ve loved him in most everything he’s been in. Haven’t seen The King’s Speech yet, though! Was it very sad?
That is one romantic picture! I had such high hopes for that movie, but… I won’t spoil it, but, sigh. That is all I will say. 8)
I can’t wait to read A Lily Alomg Thorns! I have heard nothing but good things!
Thank you so much! Hopefully it will live up to the hype. :)
The King’s Speech was not very sad! It was an uplifting story of perseverance and good-heartedness in the face of Nazis and family dickishness. And Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter and Geoffrey Rush all gave GREAT performances. I did cry a few times though.
I haven’t actually seen Becoming Jane…I have very mixed feelings about love stories about Jane Austen. But I do love James McAvoy.
Nice twist, I like it!