You'd never guess, after meeting Sally MacKenzie, that she'd write books that come with the word "NAKED" on them in big shiny letters. But she does! The Naked Duke was such a hit, she then wrote The Naked Marquis, and now brings us The Naked Earl. Those of you who know your British nobility can see the pattern, no doubt. This month she's stopped in to explain the web she's weaving, and give some hints about what's next (here's a clue: we've probably already met the characters!).
Caroline: You have quite a tangle of relationships in this book (including plenty of people from previous books). Can you clarify how all these people are related? And give any hints of characters who will be returning in future books?
Sally: Sure! Lizzie, the heroine, is the sister of James, the Duke of Alvord—the Naked Duke from my first book. Robbie, the hero, is the cousin of Sarah Hamilton, the heroine of The Naked Duke. Meg Peterson, Lizzie's friend, is the sister of Emma, the heroine of The Naked Marquis. (Meg will be the heroine of my fourth book, The Naked Gentleman.) Mr. Parker-Roth, who is introduced in the The Naked Earl, will become Meg's hero in The Naked Gentleman.
Charlotte and Felicity both first appeared in The Naked Duke—and will appear again in The Naked Gentleman. (Felicity will even find her hero!) Lady Beatrice first appeared in The Naked Marquis—she will also show up in The Naked Gentleman. There are other common characters, but I don't want to overly confuse anyone!
Caroline: Um…No, no, no…I'm getting it…I think.
Sally: Good! I'd like to say this was all carefully planned, but I'd be lying. I do have the basic premise that characters should work for their pay, so if I can use someone I've got on hand, I think that's better than 'hiring' someone new. I'm having fun discovering more about my story people as I write more books. And it makes sense to me. The English ton was a smallish group. I think it's reasonable to expect they would all know each other and the same people would circulate through Society.
Caroline: Lizzie…James…Robbie…Sarah…Meg…Emma…
Sally: I should probably point out, too, that the books are all written to stand alone.
Caroline: Good!
Sally: I do hope readers will want to read more about the characters and will enjoy seeing them in other books, but they don't have to read one book to understand the others, nor do they need to read them in order. In fact, I'm planning to 'go back in time' with my next book, setting it at the same time as The Naked Duke and giving readers new glimpses of those characters. As I say, that's the plan, misty as it is!
Caroline: You must have a big family tree on your wall. Now, Robbie has a problem of a rather sensitive nature, particularly for a romance hero. Why did you choose THAT for his problem?
Sally: Well, I realized when I sat down to write this book that I had a problem! Robbie and Lizzie had known each other for ages—Robbie was one of Lizzie's brother's closest friends. I thought it was clear in Duke and Marquis that Lizzie loved Robbie and that everyone knew it. The duke, Lizzie's brother, certainly did. Frankly, everyone wondered why Robbie hadn't popped the question ages ago. Something had to be holding him back. He cared for Lizzie. He wasn't in love with anyone else. What was the problem?
Caroline: Besides mule-headedness, I assume you mean.
Sally: Very funny. So after hitting my head against the computer screen a few—many!—times, it finally came to me. Robbie had an issue that was too embarrassing to discuss, that would affect his sense of self worth, and that would keep him from ever marrying—until he was forced into matrimony by events outside his control.
Caroline: Well, that they did. Your heroines are very proper, innocent ladies, and Elizabeth is no exception. Yet they seem to have a knack for finding themselves naked, with the hero, also naked. Why is that?
Sally: Well, these ARE romance novels…
Caroline: So are my books, but my characters aren't usually naked in the first chapter. And you call yourself demure!
Sally: Perhaps you should try it! (Winks, then clears throat and adjust glasses) As a reader, I find I like a certain level of sensuality in a novel. The completely sweet books with no sex at all usually strike me as a little bland. Erotica or very sexually explicit books are sometimes a little over the top for me. So I decided to try to write something in between, something with sexual tension, or even actual sex scenes, but with the wit and banter of a traditional Regency—Georgette Heyer with the bedroom door open. (Not that I can compare myself to the great Georgette, but that's my goal.)
I should also point out that I'm a very proper, innocent lady myself.
Caroline: (laughing hysterically, thinking of the research questions Sally asks)
Sally: No, really, I am. All four of my sons were plucked from the cabbage patch. Sadly, however, my characters pay as much attention to my wishes as my sons do. They—the characters—frequently put me to the blush.
Caroline: Uh-huh. Cabbage patch. Sure. Now, your villains are often very villainous, but this time you have a character of mixed motivations: Charlotte. What led you to create Charlotte's story (which is also a romance of sorts)?
Sally: I'm always trying new things with my writing. Initially I just wanted to try to write a female villain, and in the early drafts Charlotte was pretty unsympathetic. But then I thought about it some more. Was she too one dimensional, more of a caricature than a person? Why was she behaving the way she was? Did she really just want revenge? That was a little boring, a little static. What would be more interesting?
As I contemplated her life and her motivations, I got deeper into her personality. (Yes, I DO know she's just a fictional creation, but, well, as I say, the characters take on a life of their own.) I looked at the pieces I already had of her and realized she had a desperate need to have a child. (In retrospect, this played into what I think became one of the themes of the book.) I rewrote the second chapter where Charlotte first appears many times until I felt I got it right.
Also, I was trying to have this story progress pretty strictly through the characters' interactions without some other more linear subplot. I needed more than one romance to move things along. When Baron Tynweith thrust himself onto the scene, I was intrigued. I had to discover his story, what his history with Charlotte was.
Caroline: So what's next? Any sneak peeks?
Sally: The Naked Gentleman is scheduled to be released in May 2008. That will be Meg and Mr. Parker-Roth's story. Felicity will find love, and readers will catch up with many of the other Naked characters—and their babies. (Lots of baby jokes in Gent!) I've also agreed to write three more books for my publisher, so I foresee more Naked men in my future.
My current work-in-progress, still in the planning stages, is tentatively titled The Naked Baron and tells the back story of two characters first introduced in The Naked Gentleman.
Caroline: Well, who doesn't want to see more naked men in her future? Thanks for fitting this interview into your very busy schedule, Sally!
The Naked Earl is on sale this month, and don't miss the previous book, The Naked Marquis.
Return to the Contest page and enter to win something from Sally!
