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Ruby Debut Release: Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey
 Posted by Vivi Andrews Jan 23 2012, 12:01 am in author interview, debut, historical romance, Regency, Ruby Release, Sara Ramsey
After winning the Golden Heart in 2009 and being named a finalist again in 2011 (with the first two books she wrote, but lets all pretend we aren’t green with envy over that), Sara is launching her delightful Muses of Mayfair series with those Golden Heart recognized novels, featuring artistic, rebellious highborn ladies and the rakish lords who love them. Sara grew up in a small town in Iowa, and confesses to an obsession with fashion, shoes (of course), and all things British. She graduated from Stanford University in 2003 with a degree in Symbolic Systems (also known as cognitive science) and a minor in history. After graduation, she worked at Google for seven years in a variety of sales, management, and communications roles. She left Google in 2010 to pursue her writing career full time. And now she can add “published author” to her impressive CV.
Heiress Without a Cause One title to change his life… A disgraced son with a dark reputation, William “Ferguson” Avenel is content to live in exile – until his father dies in the scandal of the Season. With rumors of insanity swirling around them, his sisters desperately need a chaperone. Ferguson thinks he’s found the most proper woman in England – and he won’t ruin her, even if he desperately wants the passionate woman trapped beneath a spinster’s cap. One chance to break the rules… Lady Madeleine Vaillant can’t face her blighted future without making one glorious memory for herself. In disguise, on a London stage, she finds all the adoration she never felt from the ton. But when she’s nearly recognized, she will do anything to hide her identity – even setting up her actress persona as Ferguson’s mistress. She’ll take the pleasure he offers, but Madeleine won’t lose her heart in the bargain. One season to fall in love… Every stolen kiss could lead to discovery, and Ferguson’s old enemies are determined to ruin them both. But as their dangerous passion ignites their hearts and threatens their futures, how can an heiress who dreams of freedom deny the duke who demands her love?
My, oh, my. What a delicious tangle, am I right? I was lucky enough to read Heiress Without a Cause before its release and the blend of heartfelt romance, realistically drawn characters, and risky Regency situations sucked me right in. Here’s a little peek inside:
Can you see why I couldn’t put it down? I sat down with Sara this week (in the metaphorical, via email sense) to get the inside scoop on her debut release. Vivi: My favorite historical romances are always so integrated with the period that they simply could not be told the same way in any other era. Your book is so deliciously Regency. What drew you to the era? Did you always know you wanted to write Regency? Sara: I adore, adore, ADORE the Regency. Some of it is standard: I like the clothes and the parties, of course. But I’m intrigued by Regency romances because I like the challenge of conforming to all the Regency expectations while still finding fresh ways for my characters to break the rules. I also think the time period is interesting because it parallels the modern world in a lot of ways – the extreme gaps between blatant excess and crushing poverty, the odd hypocrisies between sexual freedom and prudishness, and how obsessed people were with gossip rags. It makes the Regency a lot more accessible to modern readers than some historical time periods. Still, I like the fantasy factor of historical romance, and no matter what I write in the future, I doubt I’ll ever abandon historical influences. Along those lines, I’ll share something embarrassing – my first attempt at a romance was very Viking and very dirty. My best friend and I wrote the first chapter during a high school sleepover, and by the end of the chapter, the heroine (disguised as a boy) was discovered by the hero when he tried to whip her for insubordination. Obviously we were operating under the influence of the 1980s romances, and it will never see the light of day! Vivi: I love a good in-it-together, falling-for-one-another amid potential social ruin story. Did you set out to write that kind of story or did it just develop organically? (Sort of my version of a plotter vs. pantser Q.) Sara: My process for HEIRESS was so messy that I’m not sure I can claim that I planned anything! In the first version, there really wasn’t any scandal; instead, Madeleine’s long-lost fiancé from France turned up demanding to marry her in what was ultimately a convoluted attempt by Ferguson’s father to keep them apart. I scrapped that entire storyline, killed Ferguson’s dad, and started over when it became clear that my pantsing was totally off-the-wall insane. I loved the characters, though, and those ill-fated 40,000 words were almost like an alternate-reality character development exercise for them. I lost a lot of words, but they were still the same people. And as I got to know them better, I knew that they would skate on the very edge of social ruin to get what they wanted – so I played that up in the new version, and ended up loving it. I also learned that I may be more of a pantser, but I have to do some plotting initially or else I work myself into serious trouble. I’m a lot less reluctant to kill my darlings after that experience, though – cutting a scene now is nothing compared to cutting half a book. Vivi: Your characters are so brilliantly developed. There is a fabulous duality in many of them, especially the heroine, Madeleine – who embodies both the daring actress and demure spinster – do you see her rebellion more as a balance of her two sides or as the emergence of her true self? Do you have any tips on character development for authors aspiring to your level of awesomeness? Sara: Thanks – I’m blushing! This question makes me happy because I hoped Madeleine’s duality would come across. As I wrote her, I thought a lot about how people often have many goals that sometimes come into conflict with each other, and how hard it can be to make a choice between two lives that can both be satisfying. Yes, Madeleine wants to be an actress – but it’s not the only thing she ever wants for her life, just the thing she most wants right now. Her lesson throughout the book is how to balance her current desires so that her true self can emerge – but she won’t know what that true self is until she understands what she really wants. If you’ll allow me to geek out for a minute, I think some characters feel one-dimensional because their goal is something quite basic / outside of themselves: find the artifact, save the child, get revenge. But if someone’s goal is basic/elemental, I often don’t find their character arc quite as satisfying – I may love the plot, but going from “I need to defuse this bomb or people die” to “yay I defused the bomb!” is pretty straightforward for the character. I’m more interested in characters who have to choose between two competing, higher-level desires – in Madeleine’s case, the need for acclaim/recognition vs. love and companionship. Humans are usually confused about what they want (or maybe that’s just me!), and exploring that confusion can really speak to the reader. Just don’t ramble like I did in this paragraph, or you may lose them Vivi: Your hero is a former rake, but instead of being glorified for it as can be a Regency theme, his past becomes a genuine obstacle for him – were you intentionally taking a less fanciful look at what reputation meant in that historical era than we sometimes see in Regency Land? Sara: I try really hard to avoid logical inconsistencies – to the point that my roommate probably doesn’t want to watch TV with me anymore because I’ll sometimes nitpick the entire episode (like last week’s Once Upon a Time, when I pointed out during the climax that one probably can’t roll down the back window in a sheriff’s car from the inside – not sure she’s forgiven me yet). Anyway, I love reading about rakes, but I have trouble believing that they could all be reformed easily. Reputations are really hard to shake, even now – it must have been worse back when honor and duty were such a huge part of the social fabric. Ferguson became a duke and had never done anything bad enough to be ostracized for it, but that didn’t mean everyone would suddenly love him. I didn’t set out to make a statement with him, but he certainly doesn’t find redemption easily. Vivi: As I mentioned above, I’m in love with your characters – even those who play more minor roles. I’m excited that there are two more Muses of Mayfair books to look forward to (Amelia & Prudence! I can’t wait!), but I’m also dying to know if there will be romances for Ellie & the twins. Pretty please? Sara: There are at least three more: Amelia’s book, Scotsmen Prefer Blondes is coming in March, and Ellie’s book, The Marquess Who Loved Me, is coming sometime around June – she wasn’t even a Muse when I started the series, but she steals every scene she’s in and won’t allow Prudence to go before her. I’ll write Prudence’s book, which is still untitled, for a fall release. Beyond that, the twins may get their books if readers are interested; otherwise, I have plans for a new Regency series to kick off next year. Vivi: How did you come about your decision to self-publish your 2009 Golden Heart Winner & 2011 Golden Heart Finalist manuscripts? Sara: It was a tough decision, but I’m thrilled that I made it. When my 2009 book didn’t sell, I put it aside and focused on writing the second book (which went horribly at first, as I mentioned above). That became my 2011 book, which my agent shopped to editors this summer. My agent and my beta readers loved it, but editors were lukewarm about it, and it became clear that no one was going to make a great offer for it. But self-publishing options are so much better than they were in 2009, and I know more about the industry than I did then. I also worked in the tech industry for seven years before pursuing publication, so I felt confident that I could figure out the technical aspects – and since my jobs were all around marketing and communications, I’m actually excited about creating a business from my self-publishing and figuring out how to get my books into the hands of readers. Beyond that, though, I’m just tremendously excited to have my books out and to share them with other romance lovers. My agent and I both believe in these books and were heartbroken when they didn’t sell traditionally – but while traditional publishers excel at distributing blockbusters, they simply can’t afford to take the same risks on newer authors. It’s a business decision, and I respect that. And traditional publishing is still the right path for some people, just as self-publishing is the right path for others. For me, given my expertise and interests, self-publishing is the way to go. And hopefully it will pay off – but if it doesn’t, at least I will know that my books had a shot with an audience and didn’t just languish under my bed with the poor ‘80s-style Viking romance I scrapped fifteen years ago Note: Sara is giving away a Nook copy of HEIRESS to a random commenter – it was chosen as a Nook First exclusive, and will only be available on Barnes and Noble for the next month. If the winner doesn’t have a Nook, she will give them an ebook or print copy of their choice on February 23. BUY HEIRESS WITHOUT A CAUSE FROM B&N :: LINK TO CHAPTER ONE Share:
              
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Today I’m thrilled and privileged to host our very own Sara Ramsey as we discuss her inaugural release, the fun and fabulous regency romance Heiress Without a Cause.
Scandalous cover;)
Nice interview, ladies. Congratulations and many sales, Sara.
Ha – thanks Kelly! I adore the cover too
Happy release day, Sara!
I loved hearing about your process for writing HEIRESS–probably because it sounds just like what I did for my first manuscript. Except I got all the way through the first draft before I realized it needed to be scrapped. Oh well.
Can’t wait to read HEIRESS!
I’m selfishly glad to have company in the ‘scrapped most of a manuscript’ camp, although I wish for your sake it had been smoother. Just keep telling ourselves it’s made us better writers, right?
I’m so excited for you, Sara! Congratulations! Looking forward to reading Heiress. Ferguson & Madeline sound right up my ally. Wishing you many sales and “overnight” success!
Thanks, Gwynlyn! I do love Ferguson and Madeleine – hopefully you’ll love them too
The story looks wonderful, so happy for you! Best of luck to you! When it’s available for Kindle, I’ll have to get it! Let us know how the Nook thing worked for you.
Thanks Diana! I think I’ll do a blog in a month or two about the different publicity/marketing angles we tried – will keep you posted. I hope your iselfpub day goes well!
The story sounds fabulous, Sara. Congratulations. If anyone knows your heartbreak in a having a wallflower Golden Heart winner, I do. You’re right about self-publishing being a much better option today. I’ll be joining you in the ranks of the self-published in a few weeks.
Congrats to you, Laurie – good luck taking the self-pubbing plunge! It was tough not selling, but I learned a lot about myself from the experience. Knowing that I want this enough to try all avenues was a big eyeopener and just made me more tenacious. I know your goals are strong too – hopefully self publishing works for you!
Congrats, Sara! It sounds sooooo good! I can’t wait to add it to my kindle. Oh, my. I have so many things to read…I’ll have to do a whole week at the beach to catch up.
Enjoy this day! Hurrah for Regency! (Yes, it will always be my first love!)
I know the contemporary world has been very good to you (still in awe at your 8-book deal!), but I’m glad to know you haven’t abandoned us Regency ladies entirely
A week at the beach to read sounds like the best vacation in the world!
Congrats Sarah! I must admit, I’m extremely curious about your degree – I’ve never heard of it and it’s fascinating to discover new fields of study (for character research of course!) Good luck with the release. It sounds fantastic and I hope I win a copy.
Thanks, Kat! Without boring anyone too much, Symbolic Systems is a cross between cognitive science and human/computer interaction. I had to take classes from computer science, philosophy, psychology, and linguistics to fulfill the core. But students could either do a predesigned concentration or design their own, and I designed my own in social/group awareness (how humans and/or computers form networks and how those groups act together).
It was all very interesting stuff, and I loved it. The downside is that it was broad but not deep, so if I wanted to keep going with it, I would have had to choose one subject and get an advanced degree. Writing ended up being way more fun
Congrats, Sara. I love the story line and if Vivi says it’s great, I know it is. Can’t wait to buy my copies and to past the word on.
Thanks so much, Autumn! Vivi is wonderful, and I’m mostly sure she loved it and isn’t just saying so for my sake
Autumn, I’m honored my good opinion holds weight with you.
But don’t just take my word for it, see for yourself!
And no, Sara, I’m not just saying I loved it for your sake. As I’ve said before, if the next book had been out when I finished Heiress Without a Cause, I would have downloaded Scotsmen Prefer Blondes right then (at 2:30 in the morning) and kept reading.
Oh how I love a good scandal!
Congratulations on the release, Sara, and may you have many sales.
Thanks Anne Marie! Definitely an exciting day, whether we sell any copies or not.
Oooh I really loved that excerpt. Congratulations Sara. Wishing you many sales. (And adding yet another Ruby Sister book to my TBR list.)
I am totally blown away by the success you’ve had with your first books. It’s probably that Stanford Education. I stand in awe.
Ha – not sure the Stanford bit helped (although it’s certainly a wonderful school and I had an amazing time there), but I’m glad I went into the tech world so that I can pick up on all the tech requirements for self-publishing.
And your success with your series has been amazing – can’t wait to read the next one!
I am so excited about this book! I hate to wish an entire month away, but as I own a Kindle, I really can’t wait until I can hit that “buy” button. I am amazed at how the romance publishing world is changing, and so impressed by all the work I know it took to complete the self-publishing track. Congratulations, Sara!
Thanks Gillian! I felt a little bad about the B&N deal because I knew a lot of my friends have Kindles instead of Nooks (although I used it as an excuse to upgrade my early-gen Kindle with a Nook Simple Touch, and I love it). But hopefully the word of mouth it generates makes up for losing the Kindle crowd during the first month. Thanks again for your support!
So excited for your release, Sara! CONGRATS! Love the cover and the excerpt and cannot wait to read it! Alas, I’ll have to wait to get it on my Kindle *sniffle* LOL, but forcing me to wait also means that I can use it as a carrot to finish my WIP. That’s pretty darn good incentive, right?
Wishing you many many many sales and success!
Thanks Cynthia! I feel so evil making people wait for the Kindle version, but hopefully the Nook exclusive generates some decent buzz
I would be honored if you used my book as a carrot! Best of luck with your WIP!
Great interview ladies. The cover is beautiful. Wishing you many many sales.
Thanks Rita! I’m glad other people adore the cover as much as I do – I got goosebumps the first time I saw it
Congratulations, Sara! Looking forward to reading it, and wishing you great success!
Thanks so much, Sally!
Oh, man…not out for Kindle for another MONTH?!!!!
I can’t wait! Love the excerpt, love the cover, love the idea for the plot!
Congrats, Sara!! Here’s to many, many sales!
Thank you so much, Elisa. Less than a month now for the Kindle version…while I’m excited about the Nook deal, it’s a little sad that even my own parents haven’t gotten a copy yet
Congratulations, Sara! I’m with Elisa, in that I want the Kindle version now, rather than later. Oh well, anticipation, right? Can’t wait!
Thanks Tina! Hopefully the wait is worth it
SARA!!!! Super congrats! This is one of my favorite covers ever. I cannot wait to dive in!
Thank you!! The praise on the cover coming from you is saying something, considering how drop-dead (no pun intended) gorgeous all of your covers have been! Best of luck with your insane writing schedule.
Congratulations, Sara! How exciting! I’ll have to wait to buy it on my Kindle, but I can’t wait! =0)
Thanks Colleen!
I’m a little late chiming in with my congratulations … That’s what happens when I don’t read any blog posts for a couple of days.
Congrats, Sara. It sounds like a fabulous book — and I have a Nook. *runs to download*
Yay for the Nook! I hope your couple of days away from blogs were super productive