Vanessa Kelly

Regency Romance That Sizzles

http://vanessakellyauthor.com/

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Blogging at Fresh Fiction

Vanessa Kelly | WHAT IS IT ABOUT SISTERS?
April 16, 2009
What is it about the topic of sisters that causes so much controversy? My new Regency-set historical,   Read More...

Dear Reader

Writers are often asked the question: why do you write? In my case—as I suspect it is for most writers—it was a gradual evolution. And it almost always starts with a love of reading.

I began reading before I was in kindergarten. Don’t ask me how I learned, I just did. By the time I reached fourth grade I was reading as much as I could, whenever I could. A special favorite was Gone With the Wind, along with all the other classics like The Wizard of Oz, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Anne of Green Gables, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and The Three Musketeers. In all of them I imagined myself as the heroine (except for GWTW - Scarlett really bugged me), and I spent countless hours re-writing the stories in my head to fit the circumstances of my life. Naturally, I always triumphed over adversity.

In high school there was To Kill A Mockingbird, Red Badge of Courage, and The Scarlet Letter. Even more importantly, I read my first Jane Austen and was introduced to the romances of Georgette Heyer and Victoria Holt. I’ve always wondered if it’s even possible to be a historical romance writer without having read Georgette Heyer first!

Fast forward to graduate school. I finally figured out that since I liked reading and writing so much, I should probably study literature. I gravitated toward British women writers of the Georgian and Regency period (must have been all the Austen and Heyer), especially the incomparable Fanny Burney. I earned my Master’s Degree from Rutgers University, and spent several years in the Ph.D. program at the University of Toronto. I didn’t complete my doctorate, but spent many contented hours holed up in the stacks of the library, combing through old documents and reading about the madness of King George III.

During this period my love for all things Regency burst into full bloom. I now imagined myself as the classic Regency heroine, eager to dance the night away, and throw myself into the arms of the first handsome rake who stumbled drunkenly from his racing curricle into my path. No doubt that was because I finally discovered Amanda Quick, Stephanie Laurens, Jo Beverly, and so many other talented writers. I just loved their ability to craft elegant, thrilling, and passionately sensual stories about intelligent women and the big, strong alpha males who loved them.

And I wanted to be a writer just like them.

Fast forward a few more years (after a period working in the public sector as a researcher and writer), and I finally got my wish. I began writing Regency-set historical romances, and signed my first contract with Kensington Books in May of 2008. I get to write passionate, sensual romances about my favorite period in history. Just like Amanda, Stephanie, and Jo. What could be more fun?

* * *

Vanessa Kelly was born and raised in New Jersey, but eventually migrated north to Canada. She holds a Master’s Degree from Rutgers University, and went on to attend the Ph.D. program in English Literature at the University of Toronto. Alas, she didn’t finish her degree, but she did spend many happy hours studying the works of 18th century British authors and writing about the madness of King George III. She left graduate school to work as a researcher and writer for a large public sector organization. Vanessa now devotes her time to writing historical romance, and hopes that her readers will find her books as much fun to read as they were to write. She currently lives with her husband in Ottawa.

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