Interview: Lorraine Heath, 'Lord of Temptation'

Lorraine Heath has long been an author readers trust when they want to read a heart-warming historical, one that will entertain them and make them shed a tear or two. That's probably because the emotions in Heath's stories are genuine. Heath writes with a deep empathy for her characters, driven by a love of emotionally rich storytelling she picked up watching classic films with her mother. Fresh off a new historical release, Lord of Temptation, Heath spent some time with HEA, giving us a glimpse into her latest book, the series she's co-writing with her son Alex, and the romantic love story that brought her into this world.

Pamela: Welcome to HEA, Lorraine! The story of your parents' romance — the British beauty queen and the man from Texas — sounds like the premise for a romance novel. Can you share that story with us?

Lorraine: Hello, Pamela. Thank you so much for having me. At 18, my mom entered a contest sponsored by Max Factor. She took second place, and I have the letter they wrote her congratulating her. My dad was in the Air Force stationed at Bovingdon, near London. My mom and her friend went to a USO dance. As my parents tell it, Dad had been working on one of the planes; he was a mechanic. He was pretty filthy when he decided to stop by the dance to see if it was worth his bother to clean up. Then he spotted my mom across the room and some minutes later he was back at the dance all spruced up. He caught her eye, and she was soon dancing with the handsome Yank.

Pamela: That sounds like something from a movie. Did the fact that your mother is British have any influence on the kind of romance novels you choose to write or your understanding of the deeper nuances of British history and culture?

Lorraine: My mom was a huge influence, giving me a love and appreciation for all things British. I was 18 months old when I moved to Texas and always considered myself a native Texan until I married a native Texan who informed me that I wasn't since I wasn't born on Texas soil. Native Texans are funny that way. But having spent most of my life here, I love Texas. I began my career writing Texas-set historicals, but early on I submitted an English-set story to one of my first editors and was told that I needed to stay with Texas-set stories. But the English characters continued to haunt me.

I grew up listening to my mother's stories about all the challenges she faced adapting to her new homeland, the differences in vocabulary and some behaviors. I thought I could use her "fish out of water" experiences to demonstrate that I was capable of writing British characters. By this time, I had moved to Avon Books, and my editor was open to my writing a trilogy that involved the second sons of English lords who were sent to Texas to make their way (many second sons were sent to Texas following the Civil War). Avon published that trilogy, and when my editor asked if I'd be interested in taking my Texas ladies to England, I was thrilled with the opportunity to write British-set stories.

Pamela: RT Book Reviews has called you a "consummate storyteller." You can back that up with a RITA win — and the fact that readers love your stories, consistently landing you on the big best-seller lists. What is it about your books and your style of storytelling that consistently deliver books readers love?

Lorraine: That's a tough question. Most of all I want to entertain, but going back to my British mom for a second — she always said of her favorite stories, "It won't half make you cry." So I want to tear up at least once while I'm writing a story, and when I do, I think, "That's for you, Mom."

I have a degree in psychology from the University of Texas, and while it didn't assist me in getting a job when I graduated, I believe it did give me a foundation for understanding much about human nature and for developing multidimensional characters. I don't make life easy for my characters. The heroes, especially, are forged by adversity, and they need strong heroines, even if sometimes those heroines don't realize how strong they are until they're challenged by the heroes. But my main goal is to create characters I can love — and that hopefully the readers will love — and ensure they find the happily-ever-after that they deserve.

Pamela: Your latest release, Lord of Temptation, book two of the Lost Lords of Pembrook trilogy, has garnered high praise. Tell us a bit about the story. How does it connect to She Tempts the Duke, the first book in that series?

Lorraine: In this series, I have three brothers who ran away from home at a young age when their father died and it became apparent that their uncle wanted to kill them in order to obtain the dukedom. They separated: Sebastian went into the Army, Tristan went to sea, and Rafe was left at a workhouse and eventually made his way to London. She Tempts the Duke is the story of the first brother reclaiming his title. Lord of Temptation is the story of Tristan trying to find his place back in Society. After Sebastian was again duke, Tristan returned to the sea for two years, but now he's returned, bored and restless. Until Lady Anne Hayworth hires him to take her to Scutari to say goodbye to her fiancé, who is at rest in the British cemetery there (which exists to this day). Tristan's payment for passage is to be one long, slow, leisurely kiss. During the course of the journey their attraction can't be denied, but they want different things: Tristan wants a life at sea, while Anne wants a stable life on land with a husband who is near and children. During the Crimean War, she experienced loving a man who was far from England's shores. She's in no rush to go through that hardship again. But then Tristan shows up in a ballroom. Maybe she convince him to give up the sea — or maybe he'll convince her to come away with him.

Pamela: That sounds lovely! You've got a new young adult (YA) series, the Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy, that you're co-writing with your son under the pen name J.A. London. Blood-Kissed Sky, the second book in that series, will be out on Dec. 26. What can you share with us?

Lorraine:Blood-Kissed Sky continues the saga that began with Darkness Before Dawn, but we wanted to expand the world beyond the original setting of a walled-off Denver, so Dawn journeys to Los Angeles, hoping to learn more about the threat that Denver faces and perhaps finding a way to defeat Sin, the villain. Los Angeles is very different from Denver. Clean with happy citizens. They have such a thick wall that the vampires can't penetrate it, and they don't give blood. But all the while Dawn is haunted by a dream where she's searching through a mountain and hears someone say, "Find me." Eventually the dream becomes real ... and Dawn's world will shift dramatically and lead us into the final installment next summer, After Daybreak.

Pamela: When did you realize your son was interested in becoming a writer? Were you proud — or did you beg him to do something else, anything else?

Lorraine: I realized he would become a writer when he was about 10. I got up from my desk to get something from the kitchen and returned to find he had edited my story. I had written, "He was lurking in the shadows." And he changed it to, "He was lurking in the shadows like a cockroach." Alex explained to me that I needed to do a better job at creating a picture of what was going on, so the reader could really see it. From that moment on, we often talked about the nuances of writing. He has such an appreciation for the written word.

Publishing is a tough business, but writing brings me such joy that I couldn't discourage him from pursuing it if he would find it as fulfilling. Plus, I'm a bit selfish because I thoroughly enjoy reading what he writes, so I did encourage him.

Pamela: "Like a cockroach." I love that! What is it like to co-write a book with your son? How do you negotiate the boundaries of the mother-son relationship when it's combined with a co-author relationship?

Lorraine: It was challenging as we both write by the seat of our pants, so we might not know what the other had in mind for a scene until it was written and shared. I respected that the premise was Alex's. He envisioned the world so I didn't try to redirect the path of the story. I made suggestions for how we might enhance certain elements. I think Alex respected that I had more experience and a better understanding of the young adult market, so he was very open to suggestions for how we might ensure the story appealed to our market. As he told one interviewer, we were able to laugh at ourselves as we worked together. He sent me a card for Mother's Day — so all is good.

Pamela: You also write the Dark Guardians YA series under the pen name Rachel Hawthorne. Why did you decide to write for the YA audience? So far there are four books in the series. Is No. 5 coming soon?

Lorraine: I had the opportunity to write for the YA market when HarperTeen did a series of historical romances. I wrote them as Lorraine Heath. From there, I had the opportunity to write some contemporaries and decided I should write those as Rachel Hawthorne. This was back before the YA renaissance we're seeing now. But I fell in love with writing for a younger audience. Switching back and forth between the historicals and YAs helped to keep me fresh, I think. It offered a break without having to leave my computer. Young adult readers are such a delight to meet and visit with. They are so excited about reading.

As for the Dark Guardians, at this point there are no plans for a fifth book, although I never say never.

Pamela: What's next in the Lost Lords of Pembrook trilogy, and what else can your readers look forward to in the coming months?

Lorraine: I fell in love with Chetwyn who was in Lord of Temptation. He gets his own happy ending Dec. 18 when Deck the Halls with Love, an e-novella and the first story I've written with a Christmas setting, is released.

Rafe's story, Lord of Wicked Intentions, is a May 2013 release. He needed a very special heroine. Life in the workhouse and then on the London streets was not easy. He's built a wall around his heart that even his brothers can't penetrate. But when Evelyn Chambers, the illegitimate daughter of an earl, is in need of protection, Rafe offers to provide it on the condition that she becomes his mistress. Her innocence is just what his cynical heart needs.

Pamela: We have lots to look forward to! Thanks for spending time with us! Best of luck in all your literary endeavors.

Lorraine: Thank you, Pamela. It was a pleasure to be here.

For more on Lorraine Heath and her books, visit LorraineHeath.com.

Pamela Clare is an award-winning journalist and nationally best-selling author of both historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense. She loves coffee, the Colorado mountains, and her two grown sons. Her website is PamelaClare.com.