Free Gift of Desire by Samantha Kane, Kate Pearce Page B

that I still read newer books and sometimes think, before Brothers in Arms there were no series like this, at least not published. The funny thing is that at the time, I didn’t. I didn’t see it as anything new or revolutionary or unique. It was just something that I wanted to read and couldn’t find out there and so I wrote it. Only after the fact, and getting feedback from readers and other authors, did I realize that it was an original concept and it started something.
     
    4. What’s the most important thing to you as a writer?
     
    I want my stories to evoke an emotional response in readers. Not just a physical sort of knee jerk Oh-that’s-hot reaction, but something that tears their hearts out and makes them cry and laugh and rejoice with the characters. Everything I write is aimed at getting that emotional response, because I think that’s what readers really want and love. I know I do. And a big part of that is making my characters memorable and sympathetic and identifiable. My writing starts and ends with characters.
     
    5. How has your process changed/developed over the years?
     
    I started out a ‘pantser’. I just started writing and let the story go wherever it wanted until it arrived at a sort of end. Now I’m a plotter. I plot the heck out of a book, mainly because it’s my weak point as a writer. I could go on and on and on about the characters I love, from what they had for breakfast to how they spend each and every minute of every day. But that would make for some very boring,
Ulysses
-like stories, and God knows I don’t want to go there. So I plot out very meticulously what I want to happen and what needs to happen to get from point A to point Z in the most efficient and entertaining way. Plotting has been my salvation as a writer. And I think the difference shows. If you look at my first four books you can see that meandering path. But with my science fiction story
Tomorrow
, and the fifth Brothers in Arms story,
Retreat From Love
, the writing is cleaner and the stories much more focused and intricate.
     
    6. What do you think are the most important things about writing an erotic historical?
     
    Believability would be number one. We know we’re dealing with a time period where the characters we write—mainly upper class, well-to-do British characters, would not engage in the sorts of erotic relationships we write about. So we have to create a world within a world—a place where these things could believably happen. I’m always telling people that there’s as much world building in an historical series as there is in a paranormal series, it’s just a different kind. We have to maintain the integrity of the history while creating a fictional playground where our characters can interact. For Brothers in Arms I created a select group of friends who were veterans of the Peninsular Wars and who suffered from PTSD (although it wasn’t named such at the time or discussed in that way), and who are willing to accept each others idiosyncrasies and polyamorous relationships because they understand the difficulties of adjusting to civilian life after the atrocity of war.
     
    The second most important aspect of writing erotic historical romance is research. In order to create our world within a world, we have to fully understand the history of the world in which we are working. Doing the proper research also makes the stories more believable.
     
    The third most important thing is to remember that even though we’re writing historical romance, we’re writing it for a contemporary audience. There can be too much historical detail, and even too much historical accuracy, for a contemporary reader. Writers need to make sure to keep it sexy and exciting for a modern reader.
     
    7. What would your advice be to new writers? NY, Digital or Self-Pub?
     
    My advice would be to just write what you love. Then do the market research as to where you think the best venue for the story is. I really think