Mayhem and Mischief with Claudia Dain

Happy Thursday!

I happened to stumble upon Claudia Dain in the library and then again on the Internet, read a few excerpts, and I was hooked.  She has a way with her, and I can tell you, her characters can definitely misbehave, that's for sure.  Take the Courtesan's Daughter, for example. &nbssp; In this first book of Claudia's Courtesan Chronicles, Lady Caroline's mother was a courtesan before and married respectably to one of her clients before Caroline was born, so Caroline has all the right qualities for marriage, including a respectable dowry.  Well, Caroline feels like a social pariah and wonders if she just shouldn't follow into her mother's footsteps, so she tries to seduce her mother's lover while her mother is upstairs!  Talk about misbehaving!  If you think I told you a lot, that only takes you up to page 13!  How much more mischief Caroline will create before all is said and done?  You'll have to read the book to find out!

If you read Claudia's bio on her website, you'll find that she enjoys writing the kissing scenes, needs to write like the fish need water and she loves the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Here I thought I was the odd one out! Wow, look at that. The more authors I interview and the more I learn about, the more I find out that I was destined to be an author. How can I say that? Well, like Claudia, I really enjoy writing the kissing scenes, writing is as essential to breathing for me and I have always loved Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Leave it to a man to completely misinterpret a book! The movie was based off of a spoof of the legend of the Sabine Women, called Them Sobbin' Women. Enough from me.

Now, I give you Claudia Dain!  Take it away Claudia!   

People always ask writers where they get their ideas, and writers always give the same answer: everywhere.

It’s a good answer, a true answer, even if it doesn’t really answer the question. A better question might be, “Why did you write this book?” That’s a question I can answer, though I don’t think my answer is true for every writer.

I write because I have something to say. It’s not that there’s this story that I simply had to tell. It’s that there is something that I want to say, something I feel passionately about, and I create a character and place her in a setting where I can say it.

Yes, that’s right. I start with the theme. Scary, huh? People get scared when they hear the word, all those deer-in-the-headlights moments from high school English, the teacher picking you out of the pack, piercing you with her laser stare, “Sue? What is the THEME of the novel?”

Come on, it’s not that bad. I’m not going to give you a quiz or anything. Perish the thought. The theme is merely what the author is trying to tell you, why this story is being told in the first place (yes, I used to be a high school English teacher…and I have the laser stare to prove it).

I don’t know why I start with theme; it’s certainly not by choice, but that’s how the story comes to me. First the passion, then the perfect setting to bury the seed of passion in, then the perfect hero and heroine to bring that passion to flower. And very last, dead and cold last, is plot. The plot, at least for me, is the last thing I think about. In fact, I never do think about it. I let the characters worry about the plot. It’s their life, after all, and they’re going to make choices that take them places and result in specific actions and consequences. I just keep my fingers on the computer keys and let it all play out under the glowing sun of my theme.

It’s very scary. I don’t like not knowing what’s going on. I’m the author. I should know! But I don’t. I hate admitting that, by the way. It’s embarrassing. Based on a very unscientific and informal survey (done without their knowledge or consent), most authors I know start with the setting and the plot, hand in hand, then create characters who will behave appropriately in that plot. I seem to create characters that behave inappropriately all over the place. It’s exhausting, but also exhilarating. But mostly exhausting.

So tell me, what do you think the theme is for How to Dazzle a Duke? There are no wrong answers, and there will not be a quiz. At least not today.

Thanks Claudia! While this may not be a quiz, there are prizes, so be sure and leave a comment today to enter your name into the drawing today!