Friday, July 9, 2021

The Westminster Intrigue--Tracy Grant

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We are inclined to think that our own era had the most scandalous scandals, the most outrageous behavior, but Tracy Grant, who writes wonderful Regency mystery/suspense novels, has a story for us today that could compete with any reality TV sensation. (Although of course if you watched any of Bridgerton, you have an idea what those lads and lasses could get up to!) Here's Tracy to tell us more!

TRACY GRANT: When I finish writing a book, I always find it interesting to look back at the influences that have shaped it. I write historical mysteries, so historical events always shape my books, and favorite classics such as Jane Austen and Shakespeare often influence me, but the influence of both were particularly strong in The Westminster Intrigue, my latest historical mystery about married ex-spies Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch. The Westminster Intrigue released in May, but the inspiration goes back to the summer after I graduated from college, when my mom, Joan Grant, and I sought refuge from a heat wave in Ashland, Oregon, in the Southern Oregon University library. We were already co-writing our second Regency-set book, and when we stumbled on the divorce trial of George IV (the former prince regent) and his estranged wife Queen Caroline in a collection of Regency letters we were browsing, we knew it had to be the focus of a book. We started plotting our third book, Frivolous Pretence, that night.

 Years later when I began my historical mystery series about Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch (who spied for opposite sides in the Napoleonic wars), I knew at least one of the Rannochs' investigations would take place against the background of the royal divorce trial. But first Mélanie and Malcolm had to navigate the intrigues of the Congress of Vienna, the Battle of Waterloo, and post-Waterloo Paris and London (with a side trip to Italy). I didn't get to the royal divorce trial until their latest adventure (by which time my own daughter was nine and writing her own stories). It was exciting to revisit the historical events I had explored with my mom decades ago.

George and Caroline's marriage was a disaster from the first (from the moment they met it seems). Their one child, Princess Charlotte (who died tragically in childbirth in 1817), was born almost exactly nine months after the wedding night. The royal couple soon separated. George returned to Maria Fitzherbert (whom he had married years before, secretly and without royal consent, which made the marriage legally invalid) and then took other mistresses. Caroline would later quip that she had once committed adultery, but it was "with the husband of Mrs. Fitzherbert." Eventually Caroline went to live in Italy. George sent commissioners to gather evidence against her. When he became king on the death of his father, George III, in late January of 1820, he was determined to divorce his wife and prevent her from being crowned queen. The divorce trial took the form of a "bill of pains and penalties" in the House of Lords (if it had passed it would have gone to the House of Commons) charging Caroline with "a most unbecoming and disgusting intimacy" with her courier, Bartolomeo Bergami (also called Pergami).

The trial was the talk of London, with the Whigs backing the queen and the Tories, the governing party, supporting the king. The evidence was decidedly bawdy—dirty linen literally being aired in public, with testimony about bedsheets and debates about if Caroline and Bergami had been seen lying down or sitting up (leading one of the characters in The Westminster Intrigue to say one can do quite as much in either position). Public opinion was on the queen's side, with petitions from groups all over the country, demonstrations in the streets, and insults hurled at peers as they drove to Parliament. Emily Cowper, sister of William Lamb (later Lord Melbourne) said in one letter that she regretted having a crown on the crest on her carriage. Reactionaries like my fictional Hubert Mallinson feared popular revolt. Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch, needless to say, are firmly on the queen's side. Malcolm, as an MP, is in the midst of the political turmoil, as is my ongoing character Julien St. Juste (now Mallinson), who is now in the House of Lords.

The Westminster Intrigue also features my first opera singer character, Danielle Darnault, whose missing memoirs are potential blackmail fodder that could be used to influence the trial. Danielle's memoirs were inspired by the real-life memoirs of Harriette Wilson, who attempted (later in the 1820s) to blackmail a number of her lovers by offering to keep them out of her memoirs if they paid enough. Her lovers included the Duke of Wellington and Radical politician Henry Brougham who served as Queen Caroline's attorney-general. Both Brougham and Wellington are entangled with Danielle Darnault in The Westminster Intrigue.

While Danielle's memoirs were inspired by Harriette Wilson, Danielle's career and wonderful vocal range were inspired by the real-life Angelica Catalani, who sang Susanna in the English premiere of Le nozze di Figaro in 1812. I love opera (my nonwriting job is at the Merola Opera Program) and have had several scenes set at the opera in my books, but this is the first time I've written an opera singer.

Captain James Blayney, whose murder is the focus of the investigation in The Westminster Intrigue, is attempting to sell Danielle Daranult's memoirs, making a number of key figures at Queen Caroline's trial (both real and fictional) suspects. Jamie Blayney's character fell into place for me when I thought of him as similar to George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, with his relationship with Lord Pendarves, one of the suspects, having echoes of Wickham's relationship with Darcy. Jamie Blayney's entanglements with Pendarves's sisters owe something to Wickham and Georgiana Darcy but also more than a bit to Edmund's sex and power games with Goneril and Regan in King Lear (at which point I decided Jamie needed a brother, so we have an Edgar parallel too).

 By the end of The Westminster Intrigue, we are just at the point where Henry Brougham (who has spent the book dealing with the threat of Danielle Darnault's memoirs) is about to begin his defense of Queen Caroline. So there is plenty of fodder for Malcolm and Mélanie's next adventure…

 Authors, what historical events or literary influences have shaped your writing? In the case of literary influences, are you aware of them as you plot or only in retrospect? Readers, what historical events have you particularly loved to see dramatized? What events (from historical to present day) would you like to see the focus of a mystery? What parallels to literary classics do you see in your favorite mysteries?

DEBS: Funny story: my first ever attempt at a novel, co-written with a neighbor when I was in college, was a Regency romance. We didn't get very far--we had a plot but our writing styles did not mesh! And I'm sure it wouldn't have been nearly as good as Tracy's books! 

More about The Westminster Intrigue: Autumn 1820. From Mayfair to Covent Garden to Seven Dials, London is in an uproar over George IV’s (the former prince regent) attempts to divorce his wife Queen Caroline. And nowhere is the crisis more intense than in Westminster where the royal divorce is playing out in the House of Lords.

In this tense atmosphere, former spies Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch go on an undercover mission in a brothel that leads to a brawl–and the murder of the man they were tracking. The victim, Captain James Blayney, was selling the memoirs of a notorious courtesan, whose lovers may include Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, and key noblemen involved in the royal divorce trial. The missing memoirs may also hold crucial information about the Elsinore League, the powerful organization the Rannochs have been battling for years.

As revelations mount, Malcolm and Mélanie uncover the secrets of some of the most powerful people in Europe. The future of the British monarchy hangs in the balance. But as the Rannochs unravel the clues in the memoirs, they realize that the consequences for the royal family may be nothing compared to the consequences for their own…


Teresa (Tracy) Grant studied British history at Stanford University and received the Firestone Award for Excellence in Research for her honors thesis on shifting conceptions of honor in late fifteenth century England. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her young daughter and three cats. In addition to writing, Tracy works for the Merola Opera Program, a professional training program for opera singers, pianists, and stage directors. Her real life heroine is her daughter Mélanie, who is very cooperative about Mummy’s writing. Tracy is currently at work on her next book chronicling the adventures of Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch.

DEBS: What is it that is so fascinating about Regency England? In my case, I know my interest was fueled by reading Georgette Heyer novels when I was in my late teens and early twenties. What about you, REDS and readers? Jane Austen? Georgette Heyer? (Or Bridgerton!) 


 

69 comments:

  1. So fun to be here, Deb! Thank you and all the Jungle Reds for having me! So funny, years of being friends and talking writing, and I never knew your first novel writing foray was a Regency romance! I would love to read it. Your books are so different, but I can see echoes of Heyer in Gemma and Duncan and your other couples. My fascination with the Regency started with Jane Austen when I saw the Garson/Olivier "Pride & Prejudice" at 6 and my mom then read the book out loud to me. Then she started reading Georgette Heyer to me when I was ten - the first was "The Grand Sophy" and I remember being utterly fascinated by the world. I've been thinking my own daughter Mélanie is about the age for me to start reading Heyer to her (we actually read P&P during COVID as well as watching several film versions).

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    1. How old is Melanie, Tracy? She looks about 8 or 9 in the photo. How fun to share the same genre with her as your own mother shared with you!

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    2. That novel was never finished, Tracy, and I'm sure any trace of it is long vanished. It was a summer project, I think, when my friend and I were both home from our respective colleges, and so put down when our lives moved on. And besides, I think I had red-lined my poor friend to death--I already had very definite editorial ideas!

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    3. I'm very flattered that you see echoes of Heyer in Duncan and Gemma! But I suppose that anything you enjoy as much as I did Heyer's books leaves an imprint on your writing...

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    4. Mélanie is 9 1/2 now, Karen, but she was 7 1/2 in the photo, which was taken in August 0f 2019. It's wonderful sharing books with, especially books my mom shared with me. She also writing her own stories now and posting them on my blog, which is great We even did a joint interview on #momswritersclub Youtube channel!

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    5. LOL on redlining your friend, Deb! I started out co-writing Regency romances with my om and our first was a project on a family vacation. We put it down and picked it up multiple times before we published it when I was in college. And I definitely think writers we loved, especially when we're young and forming our own writer voice, definitely leave an imprint on our writing!

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    6. A third generation writer! That's so fun.

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    7. It's so great, Karen! My daughter never met my mom, but this connects all three of us!

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  2. Fascinating history I knew nothing about. Now I'm intrigued to learn more.

    And yes, scandals are nothing new. Unfortunately, I think that is part of being human.

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    1. Scandals definitely are to be found throughout history! I hadn't heard of George and Caroline's divorce trial either until my mom and I stumbled on it that day in the Southern Oregon University Library.

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  3. Royal intrigue! History is so fascinating . . . this sounds like a great book, Tracy . . . I’m looking forward to reading it. I enjoy historical stories, but don’t know that I have a favorite historical period . . . .

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    1. Thanks, Joan! I hope you enjoy it! It was definitely a fun book to research and plot. I love it when I can weave real historical events into a mystery.

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  4. Welcome to JRW, Tracy, and congratulations on your new book. I know very little about that historical period and feel like I should read some history first to get a feel for the times. It is very interesting to hear about how you have used literary references as well as history in creating your story. I know I'll begin with the first book in your series which is going onto my TBR list.

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    1. Judy, I've been following Malcolm and Melanie's adventures from the beginning and I love the way their lives and their relationship have developed. Tracy has done some terrific world-building in these books.

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    2. I just went looking for the early books in the series and am a bit confused about Charles and Melanie Fraser and Suzanne and Malcolm Rannoch. Is it the same series? I always like to start at the beginning.

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    3. Thanks so much, Deb! I love building Malcolm and Mélanie's world, both the historical world and the world of their (very complicated) relationship and their family and friends.

      Judy, I hope you like the series. I don't think you need to read a lot of history first to enjoy it - the history you need to enjoy the books should be in the books.

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  5. Congratulations on your new release!

    Other than the Brighton Royal Pavilion, I don't know much about Regency England. But I'll know more after I enjoy your books.

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    1. The Brighton Royal Pavilion was a project of George the Prince Regent/George IV who tried to divorce Queen Caroline - he made a splash in lots of ways :-). I hope you enjoy the Rannoch series if you try it - as I said to Judy above, any history you need to enjoy the books is in the books themselves.

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  6. Every age always thinks things have never been as bad, and history always proves them wrong.

    Congrats on the book!

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    1. Thanks, Liz! And so true about every age thinking they have invented scandal!

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  7. This is so interesting Tracy! I don't naturally gravitate toward historical fiction (except for Rhys of course), but I must try yours. I'm envious of you starting to write so young, with your mom. And now your daughter is writing! Did you always want to be a writer? And tell us more about the co-writing?

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    1. Thanks, Lucy/Roberta! I hope you enjoy the books if you give them a try. It was such a treat to co-write with my mom. I think it worked because although she had written nonfiction, we started writing fiction together. Also, going to Deb's point about writers we love leaving an imprint on us as writers, my mom and i loved the same books. We started our first on a family vacation when I was 13, put it down and picked it up several times, and sold and published it when I was in college We wrote 8 books together. We'd plot together and then write alternate chapters or groups of chapters and we did lots of revisions and editing together. It was a lot of fun, though we probably argued way more about writing than we ever did about mother-daughter things!

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  8. Tracy,

    As you know, I have been a great admirer of your work since Charles/Melanie books. I also cannot begin to thank you for your encouragement before my mystery series and your ongoing support. I truly appreciate it.

    As for THE WESTMINSTER INTRIGUE, it is a wonderful book rich in period atmosphere. It is a complex and elegant tale of spies, conspiracy and murder amid the beau monde with a twist that leaves readers breathlessly anticipating the next move of a ruthless and calculating villain. Bravo! Your writing gets better with every book.

    By the way, I, too, enjoyed Georgette Heyer's Regency novels, as well as her mysteries. Rafael Sabatini's swashbuckling adventures were a great influence too.

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    1. Woot! Another reader who still loves Sabatini! Thank you for mentioning him, Daniella. Captain Blood was my high school fiction crush.

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    2. Gigi,

      I adore Sabatini. You can't forget Sacramouche, The Black Swan and Seahawk. All must reads.

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    3. Gigi has been telling me to read Sabatini for years, Daniella! I must do!

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    4. Daniella, I love your Emmeline Kirby - Gregory Longdon mysteries. For anyone who hasn't read them yet, you are in for a treat! Daniella, I do believe that you were a guest on JRW and that is how I found out about your books. It is nice to see you here, today.

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    5. Judy,

      Thank you so much for your kind words about my mystery series. I'm delighted you enjoy Emmeline and Gregory's adventures. Yes, you are correct I have had the tremendous privilege of being on Jungle Reds. It's always such fun. I hope to return.

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    6. I love Sabatini too! My mom search "Scaramouche" to me about the same time as we were reading Heyer. Definitely a big influence on me as well. "Scaramouche" in particular helped shape the twists about Malcolm's parentage, I think.

      I love hearing about which writers influenced other writers. That could be a great post in and of itself!

      And Daniella's Emmeline and Gregory series is wonderful!

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    7. Tracy,

      I instinctively knew you must be a Sabatini fan too. He was a great storyteller. I can see the influence he had on your books. Isn't exciting how writers influence one another to inspire other great stories?

      Also, thank you kind words about Emmeline and Gregory.

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    8. Daniella, I love tracing how writers have been influenced by other writers. I wrote a blog post about it once called "literary forebears."

      Excited for the next Emmeline and Gregory book!

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    9. And because it seems to go with Sabatini, The Scarlet Pimpernel was also a huge influence on me. My mom never read the book to me, though I read it later, but I remember seeing the Howard/Oberon film with my parents, and later in high school the Andrews/Seymour version.

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    10. Tracy,

      Oh, yes. How could we not mention The Scarlet Pimpernel? I read the book and loved both film versions. We could go on and on about books and authors forever. It's such a fascinating subject.

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    11. One of my major inspirations for the Malcolm & Mélanie Rannoch series was watching the Andrews/Seymour Scarlet Pimpernel and during the wedding scene thinking "what if she'd really gone into the marriage to spy on him..."

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  9. Congratulations on your new book, Tracy. And wow, what courage to research and write with your mother. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to co-write with anybody. It's fun that you went back to that research for your latest book.

    I have read Heyer and Austen, and about a zillion other Regency novels. I'm not sure if it's the special aura of that era that keeps us coming back to it, or if it's just that the publishers are too faint-hearted to venture into other times and places. For a long time (maybe still) romance writers were limited to Regency or Scotland if they wanted to write historical novels. Mystery writers seem to have more options. Lately I've been reading lots of delicious stories set in the first half of the 20th century, centering around the two wars. Whenever it's set, I really enjoy getting a glimpse of life in a setting that is rife with the intrigues of the past.

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    1. Thanks, Gigi! Co-writing my mom seemed easy, but I don't think I could co-write with anyone but my mom. Maybe with my daughter some day!

      I find the Regency era incredibly rich to explore - there's so much going on in the transition from the 18th century to the Victorian era. But it's also true it's very popular with publishers, which encourages more stories set there. I love the first half of the 20th century. I grew up on films from the 30s and 40s and musicals and popular songs from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. World War II seems to be a particularly popular setting right now, but I recently read and loved Lauren Willig's "Band of Sisters", which is about a unit of Smith graduates (all women obviously) at the front in World War I - it's fascinating.

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    2. Tracy,

      I also grew up on movies from the 1930s and 1940s. I know them better than contemporary movies. I agree the first half of the 20th century is interesting as is World War II. I'm also a bi fan of Lauren's books too.

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    3. Aren't Lauren's books great, Daniella?

      I'm enjoying sharing old movies with my daughter now. Last summer we watched the Garson'Oliver P&P while we were reading the book.

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    4. Tracy,

      Yes, Lauren's books are terrific. The Garson/Olivier Pride & Prejudice was great. Do you enjoy Daphne Du Maurier? Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel are my favorites.

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    5. I do enjoy DuMaurier - I think I was 12 when I read Rebecca first!

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    6. I think I was about the same age when I read Rebecca. I think the fact that the narrator is unnamed, except for the fact that she becomes the second Mrs. DeWinter, only serves to heighten the suspense. All along, the reader suspects that something is wrong and is compelled to keep flipping pages in a race to find the truth.

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    7. Yes, she's unnamed. I remember when I read it really wanting to know what her name was!

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  10. One of my best friends in high school was raised in a strict Evangelical household. She and her sister were not allowed to dance or to go to movies, but Daisy devoured romance novels, including Georgette Heyer. She got them from the library, so they didn't have luridly colored dust jackets, so her father--who was illiterate--could not know what they were about and put a stop to it.

    Alas, I never read them, since my own taste, even then, ran to mystery novels. Sounds like I should start looking for more Regencies, including yours, Tracy. I'm impressed at the depth of research that goes into them; just following the Bridgertons showed that!

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    1. Karen, I read mysteries AND Regency romances and loved them both. But novels like Tracy's that combine history, romance, and mystery are a real treat!

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    2. I didn't know what I was missing, Debs!

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    3. Karen, I've always loved mysteries and Regencies too! My mom and I wrote Regency romances, but we always had some mystery in the plot - to the point where editors would gently remind us the books was supposed to be a romance :-). After writing a few romances on my own after my mother died, I realized what I really wanted to write was a Regency-se mystery series, with a central couple with a complex relationship. Now I can't imagine writing anything but the Rannochs and their world.

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    4. How lovely, that you got to share that world with your mother, Tracy. What a great legacy she left you!

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    5. Judy, when I say Daisy's dad was illiterate, I mean he could not read at all, and signed his name with an "X". In fact, she was named Daisy Mae because he happened to be looking at the Lil Abner comic strip when the nurse told him he had a girl. He fortunately couldn't remember the horrible name his wife had picked out!

      He was strict, but a very kind man.

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    6. It was great, Karen - and makes me feel connected to her long after she's gone. Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch were actually inspired by characters in a never-published book we worked on.

      Daisy's father sounds like he could be the basis of a wonderful character in a novel!

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  11. Tracy, welcome to Jungle Reds!

    Question: Does your daughter Melaine mind that your character has the sane bane in your romance novels?

    As for THE WESTMINISTER INTRIGUE, it sounds intriguing! Now I want to read the novel. I remember that Jane Austen received a royal command to write a novel for the Prince Regent and she created EMMA, which was supposed to the the female version of the Prince Regent, though Emma redeemed herself at the end. And I also remember that because Prince Regent's only child Princess Charlotte died, it meant that a young Princess Victoria was in line to the throne. She became Queen Victoria.


    There are many historical mysteries that I love. My current favorites take place between the First World War and the Second World War in England and the British Isles / Ireland.

    Diana

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    1. Thank you for the welcome, Diana! My daughter was named after Mélanie in the Rannoch series (which are definitely mysteries not romances). She loves that she shares a name with Mélanie Rannoch. Her middle name is Cordelia, after Shakespeare, but also after another ongoing character in the series. Deb, I don't know if you remember this, but when I was mulling names for Cordelia Davenport, you said you loved Cordelia, which ended up influencing both the character's name and my daughter's middle name!

      Diana, so true about Princess Charlotte's death eventually paving the way for Queen Victoria. When Princess Charlotte died, a bunch of the regent's brothers scrambled to get married. Victoria was born to the Duke and Duchess of Kent in 1819, just before Westminster Intrigue is set. George IV was succeeded by his brother William, but William didn't have any surviving children, so in 1837, Victoria became queen.

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    2. I'd forgotten that, Tracy! I love that Cordelia is Melanie's middle name--I'll bet she does, too1

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    3. And thank you for putting the Regency and Victorian periods in context.

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  12. Tracy, your books always have the most gorgeous covers. Have you been involved in the selection of the cover art?

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    1. Deborah,

      I agree wholeheartedly about the covers of Tracy's books. They always scream elegance and intrigue.

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    2. Thank you, Deb and Daniella! I've been very fortunate with covers. I've always sent ideas for the covers and sometimes images. Now I write up notes and suggest scenes for Natanya Wheeler, who does amazing cover art. She sends me drafts and I can make suggestions, but they are usually fairly small - n this one, I wanted to give Mélanie earrings on the cover, because she always wears them. I love how Natanya captures both the Regency era and a feel of mystery.

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  13. I have got to get caught up, Tracy! I've enjoyed your books for years but somehow I got behind. I remember being absolutely fascinated by all the intrigue, political and romantic, at the Congress of Vienna. The Regency is such an interesting era. I think the first books I read as a child that touched on it were the Hornblower books. I love historical fiction with the Regency and the Great War eras being among my favorites.

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    1. How great you have read the series, Pat! There's a list of all the books on my website if you want to get caught up. Also feel free to message me with questions. I loved writing about the Congress of Vienna. Talk about scandal and intrigue - both political and romantic!

      The Hornblower books are another great entry point into the Regency era. Also more recently the Patrick O'Brien series.

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  14. Goodness, these books sound like fun! Thank you, Red, for the introduction. Must go order...
    I think there are a lot of women writers who never quite got over reading Heyer at an impressionabl;e age. I meet others often. Her historical research was impeccable, her characters and dialogue are often hilarious - I always preferred the funny ones, perhaps because my very first was Cotillion, - and of course there was romance, too. especially if you were too much of a snob to read teen romances. (Not that I know anyone like that) I still sometimes re-read some of her last chapters for a reminder of how to do it - she could lay out a complicated denouement and have the reader enlightened, laughing and heart beating faster all at once.'

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    1. Triss, I think Heyer's denouements are amazing! I particularly love ones like in "The Grand Sophy" where she brings all the various characters together in one location and all of the intersecting plots resolve. I did a bit of a Heyer homage in the denouement in "The Paris Affair" where all the characters arrive at the same country inn and mystery plot unravels.

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  15. Austen, Heyer, Chesney...those were the regency authors I read during my formative years. I am always fascinated by that era and I can't wait to dive into The Westminster Intrigue. Tracy, I am so impressed with how you weave real events and fictional characters so seamlessly and add a mystery to it all as well. Well done!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jenn - I hope you enjoy it! Weaving together historical and fictional events and people can be a challenge, but also tremendous fun. And sometimes I find pieces of my mystery plot are already there in the history. As I was plotting Westminster Intrigue, I realized that Danielle Darnault's fictional memoirs could give all sorts of real and fictional characters murder motives - especially at the time of the royal divorce trial. With Henry Brougham, Queen Caroline's lawyer, I had a real life scandal ready to use in the book. A few years before he had run off with the wife of George Lamb, brother of William Lamb (later Lord Melbourne). By 1820 she had returned to her husband, but both her family and her husband's were powerful Whigs whose votes Brougham needed (she was an illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Devonshire - there so much more intrigue in history than I could make up!).

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  16. Tracy's book is already in my TBR, but now I want to reread some Heyer, too!

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    1. This is making me want to re-read Heyer too - perfect time to start reading them to Mélanie!

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    2. Oh, I have so many! I love "The Grand Sophy", which is the first my mom read to me. "Venetia" has a lot of depth and a great love story and is also very funny at times. And I love the portrayal of Waterloo in "An Infamous Army" - that book in many ways inspired my own "Imperial Scandal." What are you favorites?

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  17. I became interested in historical fiction from reading Alice Curtis “Little Maid” books when I was a young girl. Reading Georgette Heyer solidified my interest in the Regency Period. I also love historical mysteries, and Tracy’s books are the perfect combination with characters I love and enjoy.

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    1. Hi Diane! I haven't read the "Little Maid" books, but I loved kids historical fiction when I was young. When my family took a long trip to Britain just before I turned 7, I got books called "Young Elizabeth I" and "Young Mary Queen of Scots" and I came home fascinated by Lady Jane Grey. I loved Sallie Watson who wrote YA historical fiction set in different eras with the characters connected by a sprawling family tree. I also watched Elizabeth R and The Wives of Henry VIII when I was quite young and that and going to Britain and actually seeing the Hampton Court and the Tower of London cemented my love of English history.

      I also love how many Heyer readers we have here!

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