Interview with Elizabeth Hoyt – & giveaway!

Last month I read my first Elizabeth Hoyt novel – Wicked Intentions – and I couldn’t put it down. When I finished, I immediately started reading her latest release, Thief of Shadows, and that cemented Elizabeth Hoyt’s status as an auto-buy author for me.

She writes darkly sensuous historical romance, and I’m so honored to welcome her here today! Welcome, Elizabeth!

1. Your books are set in my favorite time period—18th century London, a time of incredible poverty and social tragedies but also a time when a sense of charity began to flourish. What draws you to write about that period?

Well, the social issues you mention, as well as the intellectual innovations that were going on. Science, agricultural invention, philosophy—all were suddenly blossoming in England and Europe. Plus London itself was booming—people were coming to London from all over the world, which just made worse all the overcrowding and social issues. It was a time of great vitality.

2. Your heroes tend to have a physical trait that is unusual to see in romance—such as Lord Caire’s long silver hair in Wicked Intentions. Your heroines seem to fixate on these traits, possibly being a little turned off or disturbed at first until their love for the hero grows. How do you choose the unusual traits your heroes will have, and what role do they play in the story?

Uh…they kind of come to me? 😉 Honestly I’ve never had this question before, but I suppose the physical traits could be an external cue for the internal part of the hero that the heroine eventually comes to love…if that makes any sense. 😉

3. When you were a child, you traveled extensively through the UK and Europe, and you spent a year in Japan as a student. Did those experiences spark your imagination?

Of course. The one thing that travel teaches you (hopefully) is that there’s more than one way to live, more than one way to think, and that there’s more than one way of being “right.” Once you realize that, the world opens up and there’s lots more possibilities.

4. I can certainly relate to that. Now, as a big contemporary romance fan, I was excited to see you have also written contemporaries under the name Julia Harper. Will you have any more Julia Harper novels coming out in the future?

Probably not. I love writing the Julia Harper books—it’s a lovely break from historicals and they’re just fun to write—but the Elizabeth Hoyt books make a whole lot more money. 😉

5. What was the last novel you read that you couldn’t put down?

Jo Nesbo’s THE SNOWMAN

Giveaway!

Elizabeth is giving away one copy of her latest release, Thief of Shadows, to a very lucky reader. Leave a comment for your chance to win. I’ll randomly select someone on Tuesday July 17th.

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt

A MASKED MAN . . .
Winter Makepeace lives a double life. By day he’s the stoic headmaster of a home for foundling children. But the night brings out a darker side of Winter. As the moon rises, so does the Ghost of St. Giles—protector, judge, fugitive. When the Ghost, beaten and wounded, is rescued by a beautiful aristocrat, Winter has no idea that his two worlds are about to collide.

A DANGEROUS WOMAN . . .
Lady Isabel Beckinhall enjoys nothing more than a challenge. Yet when she’s asked to tutor the Home’s dour manager in the ways of society—flirtation, double entendres, and scandalous liaisons—Isabel can’t help wondering why his eyes seem so familiar—and his lips so tempting.

A PASSION NEITHER COULD DENY
During the day Isabel and Winter engage in a battle of wills. At night their passions are revealed . . . But when little girls start disappearing from St. Giles, Winter must avenge them. For that he might have to sacrifice everything—the Home, Isabel . . . and his life.

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