Author Spotlight: Barbara Russell

~ One Book More

Happy Tuesday and a very happy book birthday to DUCHESSES DON’T CRY, the seventh book in the Victorian Rebels series by Barbara Russell!! I read this wonderful historical romance and loved it! Barbara always writes such swoon-worthy and unique love stories, and I actually spotlighted this series a while back because I enjoyed it so much! Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled to have the chance to interview the author!

Getting to Know Barbara Russell:

AUTHOR BIO:

I’m an entomologist and a soil biologist, which is a fancy way to say that I dig in the dirt, looking for bugs. Nature and books have always been my passion. I was a kid when I read Ivanhoe by Sir W. Scott and fell in love with medieval novels. Then I discovered medieval fantasy, and I fell in love again. In fact, I took it too seriously and believed that my elderly, bearded neighbor was Merlin and his black cat was Morgan le Fey. When I read Harry Potter and learned about Animagi, I knew I was right. Then I grew up and… nah, I’m joking. I didn’t grow up. Don’t grow up, folks! It’s a trap.

PS I hate gardening. There, I said it. Sorry fellow Kiwis.

Question: You’re an entomologist and a soil biologist. Does your background in science ever sneak into your writing?

BARBARA RUSSELL: Yes! Mostly my background in biology. Every time I need to research which type of drugs or disinfectants were popular in the 19th century, I revisit my chemistry and physiology notes. Sometimes the results are shocking. GPs in the 19th century prescribed cocaine to their patients!

Q: You grew up reading The Lord of the Rings, Poirot, and Sherlock Holmes. How have those influences shaped your voice as a romance author?

BR: I love mystery novels because they have a tight plot where every detail is important. That’s what I try to do in my books. I love well-constructed plots where every storyline is connected to each other, and Agatha Christie is the queen of plots.

Q: If you could time-travel to any historical era for just one day, where would you go and what would you do?

BR: I would visit Jane Austen and watch her writing. It sounds creepy, but I would love to see how she worked.

Q: What new or upcoming releases are on your radar?

BR: The latest Kennedy Ryan’s book, Can’t Get Enough. I’m looking forward to reading it. I love her writing and stories. They’re like a punch in the stomach in the best way possible. The Grip Trilogy is one of the best contemporary romance series I’ve ever read.

As for TV shows, I can’t wait to watch the next season of The Gilded Age!

About Your Books:

Q: You write layered, emotionally rich characters. What’s your process for creating such compelling and dynamically developed personalities?

BR: Thank you!  I’m chuffed.

I start with the theme, a.k.a the thematic/philosophical question, a.k.a “what’s your point?” That’s the core of the story.

For example, in Duchesses Don’t Cry, the philosophical question was: Can love change you and make you appreciate other people’s point of view? The answer is, of course, yes, so

What’s left is the “how” do people change.

Once I have the theme, I build the characters around it, and it’s a quite enjoyable work.

Each of the characters represents a different type of love: Isabella and Anthony are the romantic love; Grandmama and Anthony are the motherly love; Isabella and Helen are the sisterly love; Anthony and Patrick are the brotherly love. Then there’s love as friendship between Isabella and her lady’s maid, and love as infatuation between Isabella and Patrick.

I play with the characters until I know who they are, and from there, I add the plot. 

ABOUT DUCHESSES DON’T CRY:

Anthony Beaufort, Duke of Gloucester, is in need of a wife, and his grandmother is in charge of choosing the perfect lady for him.

But when he meets Helen, he finds her lack of personal opinions and her affected manners too daunting for his taste. Instead, Isabella, Helen’s sister, impresses him with her laughter and spontaneity.

Clever, spirited, and beautiful, Isabella will be a great duchess, someone he could rely on and trust to share his work with.
His grandmother disagrees. Isabella is a romping young woman with delusions of adequacy. Not to mention she supports women’s suffrage.

Isabella enjoys Anthony’s company, but marriage isn’t her priority, and Helen’s biggest wish has always been to marry a duke.
How could Isabella hurt her own sister? But how could she refuse a duke?

LINKS:  Goodreads  |  Amazon

Q: Which of your characters do you most relate to, which would you love to meet, and which do you think would enjoy reading your books?

BR: They say an author is all their characters, including the villain, haha. I most relate to the character in my WIP novel, Marcus (it should be published before the end of the year.) He’s an introvert who doesn’t mind being on his own.

Q: Themes often act as invisible threads in fiction. Are there particular themes you find yourself returning to, consciously or not?

BR: Yes! I often return to themes of redemption through love, self-worth, the meaning of hope in our lives (I got that from Tolkien), and overcoming fear through love. I love philosophy and psychology, and certainly philosophy is very helpful for writer. It helps create more believable characters and stronger themes. Kierkegaard said that “Freedom is the element of love.” (This could be the theme of a story.)

Q: In many of your stories, you blend a combination of history, paranormal elements, and suspense.  What freedoms and/or challenges come with mixing those genres together?

BR: When I want to add a paranormal element, I start from history, researching myths, legends, and ghost stories. The Victorian Era is full of odd and mysterious stories, and they’re always a good point from where to start. For example, the Mary Celeste was an American ship found abandoned at sea by the British. The ship was in excellent condition and well supplied, but no one was found on board. The British found the tables set for a meal, but to this day, it’s not clear what happened to the crew. The Mary Celeste (and another ship) was Bram Stoker’s inspiration for the unlucky Demeter, the ship where Dracula hid before killing every member of the crew.  

Wrap-Up:

Q: Can you tell us anything about your upcoming books?

BR: The Lady and the Lion, book 9 in the Victorian Outcasts series, will be released in August. It’s the story of Lady Vivienne, the young daughter of an earl, who decides to help a speechless young man escape from the circus where he’s treated like an animal.

It contains some strong themes, but nothing graphic.

Q: Where can readers learn more about you and your writings (i.e., website, Twitter, Facebook page, Goodreads, etc.)?

BR: Here we go:

Many thanks for having me!

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