Meredith Duran Talks Rules for the Reckless and Romance

Meredith Duran, author of the Rules for the Reckless series, sits down with Fresh Fiction Reviewer Make Kay to talk about LUCK BE A LADY, the fourth book in the series! Make: Hi, Meredith! Thank you for joining us on Fresh Fiction. I'm so glad to talk with you about your books and your life! Meredith: Thanks so much for having me! Make: LUCK BE A LADY is the fourth book in the the Rules for the Reckless series. Can you tell me one fact that readers wouldn't expect about the series (even readers like me who stalk you on Facebook, Twitter, and your website!)? Meredith: As you’ve probably noticed, some of the books in this series are far more loosely connected than others. For instance, while Olivia (FOOL ME TWICE) is introduced in the book preceding hers, Lilah (LADY BY GOOD) is mentioned only in passing before we meet her (Olivia thinks a couple of times about the reformed thief whom she met at typing school, who taught her to pick locks).

And that, in itself, was actually the inspiration for this series: I wanted to write
about women who would be utterly tangential in most plots, particularly in the
classic, “polite society waltzes in the ballroom” romance. None of these women are
really wallflowers, per se (shy, modest, retiring, plain), but by virtue of their
choices or the circumstances of their birth, they would never have been included on
the guest list at the most proper society events. Moreover, none of them care to be
included.

Make: You posted recently on Facebook about LUCK BE A LADY that this quote sums up what makes the hero of the book tick: “I want the freedom to live as I please,” he said softly. “By my own rules, nobody else’s. How does that sound to you?” Does that resonate with you as a personal mantra as well? Meredith: What a fascinating question! I suppose that this might be considered any writer’s personal mantra; it’s certainly one of the greatest boons of being a novelist. Make: Will there be more books in the Rules for the Reckless series? If yes, will the next feature someone we've already met in a previous book? Meredith: My imagination is actually now wandering toward a couple of long- overdue sequels: the story of Lord Lockwood, whom we met in my debut novel (THE DUKE OF SHADOWS), and the story of Stella, whom we met in BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH, and who made a surprise appearance in LUCK BE A LADY, too. (Surprising for me, at least – I am not a plotter, and until I was in the thick of writing the scene in the asylum, I had no notion that Stella would appear.)

But as I always say, believe nothing about my next book until you see the
description posted on my website! I have a bad habit of chucking a manuscript after
30,000 words and then writing something entirely different.

Make: In a 2009 interview for an Edwardian period blog, you said "Let it be said plainly: I have no desire to write historical fiction. I write romance, and I strongly believe that the history of the period should accentuate, rather than detract, from the development of a hot, steamy love affair that ultimately results in a lasting happy-ever-after." And I personally say to that, Huzzah! I adore the fabulous wealth of historical detail in your books! Are there some entertaining historical sources or blogs you can share with us that your readers might enjoy looking at? Meredith: My favorite resources for research are old newspaper archives and books published in the nineteenth century. If you don’t have a research library nearby that will let you go prowling in the stacks (I have found some AMAZING nineteenth-century Baedeker’s travel guides to London in mine), never fear – a huge wealth of material like this is now available freely on Google Books! Make: I know you did some studying abroad, for your graduate school, I believe. Can you share some more about that with us? Meredith: My doctoral work centers on issues of class, consumerism, and urban life in North India. I spent a good deal of my twenties doing research there, and I’ve been studying Hindi and Urdu since I was seventeen. As for how this influences my writing – well, if you’re a fan of romance novels, there’s no cinema better at romance than Hindi cinema (often called “Bollywood”). I’ve had great luck recommending films like Jab We Met to my fellow romance readers! Make: How much does your background in Cultural Anthropology feed into your books? Does it change your approach the plots for your stories? Meredith: It has certainly made me acutely aware that when we write about nineteenth century Britain, we’re always simultaneously writing about an empire; that the aristocrats and 1% of that era were deeply implicated in colonial projects abroad. Make: Is there a book you've read this year that you've thought, "I wish I had thought of that plot!" ? Meredith: Pretty much any book by Sarah Maclean or Courtney Milan leaves me awestruck in that regard. They both are so incredibly gifted at creating “high concept” books (i.e., those premises that make you go, “OF COURSE, THAT’S A BRILLIANT IDEA FOR A BOOK!”). Make: What are you obsessed with right now? It can be a book or series, a tv show, a band... What's captivating your soul currently? Meredith: On the television front, I’m obsessed with Mr. Robot and Humans. Book-wise, I’ve spent a year shilling STATION ELEVEN, by Emily St. John Mandel – it’s this fabulous postapocalyptic tale of a Shakespeare troop bringing art to a devastated world. And it’s a pageturner. Make: With a busy life and your writing career, how do you grab some "me" time, and what do you like to do for it? Meredith: I read a tremendous amount. I knit, and I butcher canvases in my attempts to paint them. I also try to get to the gym regularly. I grew up imagining I was the worst athlete of all time because I hated running. Then, in my mid- twenties, I discovered weight lifting, and you know what? It’s actually a ton of fun. Finally, I try to do ten minutes of mindfulness meditation each day, especially when I’m in the thick of a book – it is the best spur for creativity that I’ve ever found. Make: Congratulations on making this summer's National Public Radio's list of the top 100 all-time swoon-worthy romances! for THE DUKE OF SHADOWS. You also won a RWA award, the RITA, this year for best Historical Long Romance with FOOL ME TWICE. You're in the Historical category with some other amazing authors for each, and I hope you're fantastically proud of your success- I fervently believe you deserve the accolades! What has been your proudest moment as an author? Meredith: Oh, I would have to say that winning the RITA is up there. I am being bluntly honest here: I genuinely did NOT believe I was going to win. As you say, the competition was incredible. Grace Burrowes, Kaki Warner, Jodi Thomas? I mean… all of those women write exquisitely.

So… I spent the day of the ceremony repeatedly warning my husband that he needed to
take his excitement down a notch, because I would feel horrible when he was
disappointed by the announcement. When they did announce my name, my jaw dropped.

I think the only comparable moment in my career came when I first found out that THE DUKE OF SHADOWS was going to be published. All of my life – since I could talk – I have wanted to be a writer. To realize a dream you’ve nursed since childhood is such an astonishing privilege and good fortune. I remain dazzled every day that I get to do this for a living! Make: We're thrilled get to do this for a living as well! Thank you so much for joining us!

About Meredith Duran

Meredith Duran grew up enamored of British history. At thirteen years old, she made a list of life goals that included writing romance novels, trying sushi, and going to London to see Holbein’s portrait of Anne Boleyn. Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. When not studying, doing fieldwork in India, or working on her next novel, Meredith can be found in the library, browsing through travelogues written by intrepid Englishwomen of the nineteenth century. Website | Facebook | Twitter

About LUCK BE A LADY

Romance sizzles between a famous heiress and an infamous crime lord in this fourth sexy novel in the Rules for the Reckless series from the USA TODAY bestselling author of FOOL ME TWICE. THE WALLFLOWER
They call her the “Ice Queen.” Catherine Everleigh is London’s loveliest heiress, but a bitter lesson in heartbreak has taught her to keep to herself. All she wants is her birthright—the auction house that was stolen from her. To win this war, she’ll need a powerful ally. Who better than infamous and merciless crime lord Nicholas O’Shea? A marriage of convenience will no doubt serve them both. THE CRIME LORD
Having conquered the city’s underworld, Nick seeks a new challenge. Marrying Catherine will give him the appearance of legitimacy—and access to her world of the law-abiding elite. No one needs to know he’s coveted Catherine for a year now—their arrangement is strictly business, free from the troubling weaknesses of love. Seduction, however, is a different matter—an enticing game he means to ensure she enjoys, whether she wishes to or not. . . .