THE SEASON by SARAH MACLEAN takes the reader back to the elegance of the great balls, fine dresses, and aristocratic excesses of the Regency period in England. Into this setting she brings seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford who doesn’t fit— she’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and she absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of a London Season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is much more interested in adventure than romance.
Between sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties and country weekends, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a puzzling accident, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. It’s a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, and suspicion. As she and Gavin grow closer, will Alex’s heart be stolen in the process?
Romance and danger fill the air, as this year’s Season begins!
Sarah Maclean grew up in Rhode Island, where she spent much of her free time bemoaning the fact that she was more than a century too late for own Season. Her unabashed addiction to historical fiction helped to earn her a degree in European History from Smith College before she moved to New York City to pursue a career in publishing. After receiving a Masters in Education from Harvard University, Sarah returned to New York, where she lives with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She is currently working on a series of regency-set romances to be released in 2010 from Avon/HarperCollins.
Here’s what the author had to say in answer to a few of my questions:
Sarah, of all your favorite books, which one do you wish you had written?
Oh, that’s easy! Pride & Prejudice. Austen’s voice is AMAZING–her ability to write sentences as a narrator that also sound like they’re from the mind of the character is unparalleled. She knows her characters so well, she can speak as author and subject all at the same time. It’s completely incredible.
After I asked this question, I kind of had a “duh” moment. What other possible answer could you give?
What fictional character do you wish you could be? To save me from another “duh,” I wouldn’t let her say Elizabeth Bennet. As it turned out she hadn’t planned to.
Eloise Kelly from Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series. She’s a cute little American Ph.D. student studying Jacobian spies in London. And falling for a gorgeous Lord. Yes, please.
Love that answer, Sarah. Love the period you write about and love your book.
It’s out and it’s ready, so order your copy now.
You’re my next victim. Anything you want to add before my wicked keys goes to work?
Ha! Great interview!
Janet