Elizabeth Boyle: I write historical romance, set primarily in England during the Regency period.  My motto when I tell a story is:  Adventure, Passion, Romance.   And not necessarily in that order.

Q: Tell us a bit about your upcoming/current release(s).

EB: My new book, IT TAKES A HERO, is the final book in my Danvers series.  This is the story of the youngest, rather misfit Danvers brother, Raphael.  He’s come back from the war, finds he has no real active place in English society, refuses to take charity from his brothers and relations, so he starts taking clients who need “problems” solved.  He’s a rather upscale Bow Street runner.  The story revolves around a series of murders and a novelist who is writing some rather scandalous stories.  Before he knows it, Rafe is tangling with the very wily Rebecca Tate, and in an instant, he finds he’s met his match. 

This isn’t the last of my Danvers books though—I have a novella coming out sometime in 2005 featuring one of the reoccurring characters from these books, Jemmy Reyburn.  He’s featured in ONCE TEMPTED and IT TAKES A HERO, and I just couldn’t leave the series behind without telling his story.  This novella, The Matchmaker’s Bargain, will be included with stories by Christina Dodd and Stephanie Laurens, two of my favorite writers, so I am very excited about that project. 

And finally, I am finishing up another book, SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE, which is about a baron who makes up a wife to keep all the marriage minded mothers in London off his back, only to arrive home a few years later to find Emmaline happily ensconced in his home masquerading as his wife.  The story is a rather madcap romp of how he tries to get rid of her, then much to his dismay, falls in love with her and has to find a way to keep her.   

After that, I am looking at starting another historical series, a spin off from SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE, but I’m still in the mulling stages of that idea.

Q: What year did you get "The Call"?

EB: I never really got the traditional “call.”  I sold my first book via a publishing contest, the Dell Diamond Debut.  So first off I received a letter that I was a finalist, and then had to submit the completed manuscript, then wait for four months until the winner was announced at a luncheon at RWA in July of 1996.  So I had to sit politely through a luncheon before I discovered the winner.  Long process, but it was wonderful to share my “call” in front of 1200 other writers.  The entire story of how I had to finish the book in six weeks and get it to New York at the final hour is on my website..

Q: How many years had you written before you got "The Call"?

EB: I had been writing seriously for about five years.   

Q: Describe your first sale experience.

EB: After I won the contract, then I discovered that you have to keep writing and write to someone else’s schedule.  My advice is to become very disciplined before you sell, and learn to write even when all you want to do is celebrate your newfound success.

Q: Is there anything you wish you had known/done before you made that first sale or subsequent sales?

EB: Probably learn more of the business side of writing, but even now, after eight years, I am still trying to learn all the intricacies of the publishing world.  Overall, having been a member of RWA for those five years had truly prepared me for many of the changes that came about after I sold my book.

Q: What is the best piece of craft advice you can give an aspiring author?

EB: Learn how to revise and polish your work before you submit it.  So many unpublished authors lose first sales because they don’t take the time to truly polish their book and make it their best work possible.  Editing is not the job of the editor—it is your job.  

You need to look to see that the characterizations are consistent throughout the book, that your motivations and conflict are believable and compelling, that your romance moves in a logical course of action, that you’ve taken every opportunity to use sexual tension efficiently—whether you are writing sweet or hot.  Make sure those hooks are fantastic, not just at the end of the high moments, but at the end of every chapter, every scene.  That your dialogue rings with authenticity.  Don’t be afraid to cut what doesn’t work, what doesn’t add to at least two or three of the elements above.  This may all sound rather clinical, but sometimes the finishing work is more important than that initial draft. 

Q: What is the best piece of industry advice can you give an aspiring author?

EB: If you want to be a success in this business learn what is marketable.  So many writers are disappointed that their extraordinary story is not appreciated.  If you want to be a success in this business you have to write what is compelling to the marketplace.  That doesn’t make you a slave to the trends, but use the trends and add your own twist to them.  My first published novel was set primarily in France during the Revolution.  Now any editor would tell you that the French Revolution is a no-sale, but I did it because I understood what would make it compelling:  I started the story in England, gave a great opening to my characters, until they were off and running and then took them to France.  The editor said that by the time I had her on the boat across the Channel, she didn’t care, she was in love with the story. 

As a side note, if you look at the publicity for that book, there is NEVER any mention of the French Revolution, again never emphasize the more unmarketable parts of the story, but rely on the elements that make the story saleable to the publisher and the readers.

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