Today, I'd like to welcome my special author guest, Rachel Brimble.
Rachel is sharing a peek at the first book in her series, The Ladies of Carson Street Trilogy.
Bragging Moment: I have a copy of A Widow's Vow and will be reading it soon!
Before we take a peek at (book one) A Widow's Vow, let's get to know a bit about Rachel!
Rachel, please tell us a little about yourself.
Thanks for having me here today, Darlene! I am an author of 28 published romance novels, both
What is your guilty writing procrastination secret?
Social media! I sometimes I have to force myself to leave my phone in another room, especially if I have a deadline looming – it is such an awful time suck when you start scrolling while avoiding doing what you needs to be done.
What does your writing space look like?
I am lucky enough to have a small upstairs room in our house that I can call my own – I have a lovely, large white desk which sits in front of two corkboards. One holds pictures of my latest hero and heroine, where they live and any specific locations that feature in the book. The other holds my vision board with places I want to go, people I want to meet, goals I am working towards as well as pics of the book that is cooking in my imagination…Plus shelves and shelves of books, of course!
How do you come up with the titles of your books?
I don’t, thank goodness! It is very rare that a publisher asks an author to come up with the title of their book which is fine by me 😊 I am terrible at titles, and I am terrible at blurbs – if a publisher does want these things from me, I can usually come up with something, but the process is torturous.
Do you work with an outline or just write?
Oh, an outline definitely! I am a full-on plotter which means I write the first draft very quickly. Once I have an idea, I write character sketches for my hero and heroine (and villain, if I have one), then I will write a paragraph for each chapter and finish with a 3-4 page synopsis. Once that is done, I dive into the first draft and write from beginning to end without looking back. The tricky bit comes in the following drafts…
Describe your writing in three words.
Dramatic, emotional, romantic.
Where did the inspiration for your current story come from?
The inspiration for my current series, The Ladies of Carson Street trilogy came after I read The Five by Hallie Rubenhold – it is a non-fiction book about the five victims of Jack The Ripper. I know this doesn’t sound like a particularly appealing premise for a romance series, but how and why these women ended up in the circumstances they did really affected me. I couldn’t stop thinking about them and soon I wanted to write a trilogy about three women, from very different backgrounds, whose journeys lead them to living and working together in a Bath brothel.
What can we look forward to with your next writing project?
I am so excited for my next release! Victoria & Violet should be available from September or October 2022. This book makes one of my biggest writing aspirations come true – I have always wanted to write a book that includes real characters and events. Set in the court of Queen Victoria, the story revolves around the growing romance between her personal housemaid, Violet and the prime minister’s assistant, James Greene. Amid the scandals, ambitions and relationships of the royal court, we see the couple move from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace while navigating the challenges of a royal household and each other…
Let's take a peek at A Widow’s Vow (book 1 in the Ladies of Carson Street Trilogy).
From grieving widow...
1851. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath the only things she has left of him. And now the debt collectors will come calling.
To a new life as a madam.
Forced to leave everything she knows behind, Louisa finds more painful betrayals waiting for her in the house in Bath. Left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has nothing to turn to but her old way of life. But this time, she'll do it on her own terms – by turning her home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she's determined to spare the girls she saves from the street the horrors she endured in the past.
Enlisting the help of Jacob Jackson, a quiet but feared boxer, to watch over the house, Louisa is about to embark on a life she never envisaged. Can she find the courage to forge this new path?
A Widow's Vow is the first in a gripping and gritty new Victorian saga series from Rachel Brimble. You won't be able to put it down.
Where can we find you and your book online?
Website: www.rachelbrimble.com
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3xBUaKW
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3QveuGI
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/?hl=en
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3xBUaKW
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3QveuGI
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/?hl=en
Key words: Historical, romance, Victorian, book series, historical fiction.