One of the coolest perks of being an author is making friends with other authors, and thus being able to score advance peeks at their newest books. Kristina Cook is blond, slender, as graceful as a ballerina (which she used to be), and a very good friend—she's so nice, I can even overlook the fact that she's a Yankee fan. After reading Unveiled, I made sure I got my hands on Kristina's upcoming book as soon as possible: Undressed will be in stores next month, for the rest of you lucky readers to enjoy. Kristina agreed to share her secrets and some insider information on everything from why she went backwards to why her titles are so naked.
Caroline: I loved Unveiled, which is Jane Rosemoor's story. But then in Undressed, which is coming out a year after, Jane, the hero's sister, is a single girl. Did you notice that you went backwards and unmarried a couple, or did you plan it all along this way?
Kristina: Actually, I originally began to write Colin's story second, after Unlaced. I got about 100 pages or so into the manuscript, and it just wasn't working for me. The problem was, I really loved Colin and I felt the heroine I'd given him wasn't worthy of him. The plot itself was interesting but the characters just weren't very likable (just ask my critique partners!).
Caroline: Hmm. Sounds like HBO's Big Love… Oops. So how did you fix them?
Kristina: I set the manuscript aside and wrote Jane's story instead, which became Unveiled. I knew that I'd eventually finish Colin's story, and that it would take place before Unveiled, chronologically. So I basically left Colin off-stage the entire book. Once Unveiled was completed, I went back to Colin's manuscript, but I just couldn't make it work. Then one day I sat down at the computer and banged out an entirely new prologue and first chapter for Colin's book—new heroine, new set-up. I loved the new heroine I'd created, so I tossed the old manuscript (boy, was that difficult!) and went with the new. I have to say, it was a lot of fun making Jane single again, and somewhere, buried in Undressed, is even a little mention of Hayden, Lord Westfield—Jane's future husband.
Caroline: I saw him! OK, so you gave Colin a whole new girl, and she's a geek! On behalf of all nerdy girls everywhere, thanks. Actually, all your heroines are smart, practical chicks. How did you come up with her (and your other heroines)?
Kristina: Heroines are tough to write, in my opinion. It's easy (or easier, I should say) to write a sexy, commanding nobleman hero that will appeal to modern readers. But the women are trickier. A woman in early 19th century Britain couldn't own property, had very little legal rights, and was basically considered the property of her father and then husband. Her father's/husband's status became hers. Women of the aristocracy didn't have jobs, didn't go to university, and, well, I think if you wrote a truly historically accurate, 'typical' woman of the period, she'd be pretty darn boring to modern readers. On the other hand, there's nothing more irritating than a truly modern woman, just dropped into a historical piece. So the challenge, as I see it, is to create a heroine who might be atypical for her time—with interests or hobbies or even sensibilities that would be considered somewhat unusual—but within the realm of possible. Personally, I find these 'exceptions to the rule' type heroines more interesting, anyway. I always use Gone With The Wind as a good example. Scarlett was not your typical antebellum planter's daughter—she was strong-willed, obstinate, capable of running her family's plantation when need be, and even of running her own lumber business. These characteristics are not those that would describe many women of her era/social class. Melanie Wilkes was the more typical southern woman of that time. But just how interesting, how enduring a story would it have been, if Melanie and not Scarlett had been the protagonist? Don't get me wrong—I adored the character of Melanie. But as the heroine? Bor-ing. So, to make a long story even longer, I guess I try to strike a balance and create a character that could have existed in her time, but wasn't the 'norm' so to speak. A woman who will appeal to modern readers without seeming completely anachronistic. It's tough!
Caroline: Well, I think you did a fine job. It's the smart girls who should get the guy, in my opinion. So let's talk about the guy. You didn't take the easy way out with Colin, either. He drinks too much and gambles too much, and you don't shy away from showing the price he pays for his behavior. Was it hard writing a man who has to confront his personal demons this way, and making him a romantic hero?
Kristina: It was very scary! I was afraid I couldn't pull it off, giving him so many problems and still redeeming him, because it's very important for readers to believe that he would make a good husband to Brenna, despite his flaws. Writing him was very difficult, which seemed strange to me at first, since I already 'knew' him from Unlaced. But what did I know? Just that he had a very good heart, that he was a good brother, was loyal to a fault, and a gambler. But then I started thinking about what life must have been like for men of leisure like him—a young, wealthy man who hasn't yet come into his title, with no estates to run, no parliamentary duties, no occupation. How did men like this while away their days in Town? And the answer was, they went to their clubs, to balls and assemblies, public houses and gaming hells. In other words, a lot of drinking, and the potential for a lot of gambling. How did they not develop drinking problems?! It's sort of like Colin was in a waiting pattern, waiting for the day he would become viscount and actually take on some responsibilities. It seemed logical to me that a man like him, a really good man at heart, might become bored, might drink and gamble way too much. And probably wouldn't want to admit that he had a problem, until the stakes became high enough that he could no longer deny it. I really felt bad, putting poor Colin through the ringer like I did, but it seemed like he really needed to hit rock bottom before he could find some meaning, some purpose in his life. Up until then, there had never been any real consequences for his behavior—nothing really at stake. He just needed a really worthy woman to make him pull himself up by his bootstraps and become hero material. I hope readers feel that he did, indeed, become a true romantic hero in spite of everything.
Caroline: He definitely seems real, and he certainly does grow in the course of the book. Well, enough serious questions. Let's get to the juicy stuff. Which Hollywood hottie inspired you while you were writing Undressed, and please feel free to share photos for illustrative purposes.
Kristina: I'm a very visual person, and I definitely turn to Hollywood for my heroes—I can't help but cast the roles in my mind. Colin is a bit of a combination character—at times I've envisioned him as Hayden Christensen, and other times as Hugh Dancy. Hugh Dancy pretty much personifies the handsome, funny, brotherly Colin. But Hayden Christensen better captures the darker side of Colin, the angst-ridden side, the side that confronts some personal demons. Of course, Dancy also has the British accent…
Caroline: Well. That certainly brightens up a Monday morning. Which of your couples do you like best, and why?
Kristina: Oooh, this is sort of like asking me which of my children I like best!
Caroline: Except that the characters are, unlike children, imaginary, and can't make you feel guilty for admitting you have a favorite.
Kristina: LOL! Well, generally my strongest feelings are for the couple in the book I'm actually working on, because I have to be sort of 'obsessed' with them while I'm writing them for them to really come alive for me. But I do seem to have a particularly soft spot for Hayden and Jane in Unveiled.
Caroline: Awww, they're my favorite, too!
Kristina: I'm not entirely sure why, except that perhaps they were the two who felt that they had the most to lose, and who denied their feelings in order to 'protect' the other. They were both quite selfless that way. It might also be because they came the closest—just a hair's breadth away, really—from losing one another. I mean, at one point Hayden was standing in a church, prepared to marry another woman. I think they truly never imagined that they would have a 'happily ever after,' so I was especially pleased to give them one!
Caroline: Did you ever! That scene at the end, with Hayden on his horse and Jane in the carriage… (sigh). Note to readers: read Unveiled!
I guess we just need to find out what you're working on for your next book, and how on earth will the title unclothe your characters?
Kristina: I'm working on the fourth and last book in the Ashton/Rosemoor series—a prequel which I've tentatively titled Unbridled. This is Eleanor Ashton's story; she's the twin sister of Henry Ashton, Marquess of Mandeville (the hero in Unlaced). In Unlaced, she's happily married to Frederick, the Baron Worthington. It's mentioned that it was an arranged marriage that grew into love, and now readers will see just how that happened. It'll be interesting to see if the title sticks! Honestly, I just can't think of *anything* else to unclothe my characters! Untied? Unshod? Unbuttoned??
Caroline: Unshod… Does Frederick have a shoe fetish, by any chance?
Thank you, Kristina, for sharing with us! Undressed goes on sale in June, and you can get Unlaced and Unveiled right now.
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