Happy Release Day: Guest Post AND Interview AND Int. Giveaway, w/ Author Laura Lee Guhrke: Scandal of the Year

I'm so happy to have author Laura Lee Guhrke, here today at 

Among the Muses!

I recently had the pleasure to read and review the first two books of her new series, Abandoned at the Altar, and was swept away by both. The women are strong and on the cusp of the time of the woman's rights movement, which makes for some great action and dialogue, as well as a refreshing addition to the historical romance genre. Not to mention, the men are yummy! :)

Today Ms. Guhrke has been kind enough to stop by and tell us about what REALLY goes on behind the scenes during a new release day, as well as answer some of my own need-to-know questions!

So without further ado, I'd like to welcome Ms. Laura Lee Guhrke to the blog!

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Book Release Day: What It’s Really Like

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Before I became an author, I thought book release day was hailed with a great deal of fanfare, like it is in the movies: a book launch party in Manhattan, with cocktails, flashing cameras and an adoring press corps, or maybe an autographing at some famous bookstore, with fans lined up around the block. But when I became published, I was shown how it really is. And it is nothing like the movies. So with my new book, SCANDAL OF THE YEAR hitting the stores today, I thought I’d walk you through what book release day is really like for a typical author.

6:00 am: Stumble out of bed, throw on old yoga pants and t-shirt, make cup of coffee, go into office to start work because deadline for the book in progress is next week, and I am, of course, way behind.

7:00 am: Stuck on page 309 and feeling a bit panicky, I decide it’s time to check email rather than hyperventilate over the looming deadline. First letter goes something like this: “Dear Ms. Guhrke, I am so upset that I can’t get your new book on Kindle Australia.” I go into panic mode and must check Amazon. I am immediately sidetracked by the first customer review which is already posted. It’s an inaccurate trash-fest with a one-star rating. Oh, goody. The good news is that the Kindle edition is available. But not in Australia. I email my agent to ask why, and I send the woman in Australia my sincerest apologies, and go back to work, hoping that one-star review on Amazon is an anomaly.

10:00 am: Stuck again on page 311, I am staring at the screen obsessing about the one-star review, so I make the huge mistake of Googling my name. This is always a huge mistake, but like staring at a traffic accident, it’s irresistible. An hour later, I am convinced that my books are universally hated, I can’t write my way out of a paper bag, and want to pound my head into a wall because Snooki is being hailed for her fabulous (seriously?) new book. Why, I wonder, did I get out of bed? I call writer friend for sympathy and get a lecture on why we should not Google ourselves, even on Book Release Day.

2:30 pm: I manage to get unstuck, and am writing madly when my mother calls. “Hi, honey. Didn’t want to interrupt, but I thought you should know your book isn’t in Wal-Mart on our side of town.” Holy crap. A book not in Wal-Mart is a HUGE problem. I call my dad frantic. “Dad, where are you…the other side of town? Great, swing by that Wal-Mart and see if my new book is there…Yes, Dad, my book is out. It came out today.” I hang up the phone, feeling somewhat exasperated with my father until I remember that this is my 17th book, and he doesn’t read romances anyway. I send email to Avon asking if there’s a problem with Wal-Mart and go back to work.

6:00 pm:  I’m writing like mad, but I have to stop because it’s time to make the rounds of local bookstores and autograph books before the day is over. I remember to bring my Autographed Copy stickers, but forget to bring a pen. Borders is nice enough to loan me a pen and I sign all the copies on the New Releases shelf, placing them in front of Snooki’s book.

9:00 pm: I return home, check email and find that I have a fan letter (always nice!), a reassurance from my editor that I actually am in Wal-Mart, and a long explanation from my agent as to why Kindle America is different from Kindle Australia.

11:00 pm: I stumble into bed, where my boyfriend, dog, and cat are all sound asleep. At least I think all of them are asleep, until my boyfriend grabs my hand under the covers and says, “Happy Book Release Day, sweetheart. “ I reply, “Thank you, baby, but it was just another day at the office.”

So, there you have it, the glamorous, exciting truth about what happens the day an author’s book comes out. See? It’s just like in the movies. Well, except for the party, the cocktails and the adoring press corps. What about your job? Is it the kind of job people don’t really understand? Did you have a whole different picture of what your job would be like when you started it, or has it pretty much been what you expected? How would you feel if the work you did was in public view for everyone to review on Amazon? Would you like that? Hate it? If you were an author, would you Google your name and read your reviews?

~ Q & A ~

My first inclination is to tell readers that they can read the first two titles as stand-aloneʼs (being that I accidentally read book #2 first). However, after having now read both, I find that thereʼs  such  an  interconnectedness between  the two,  with  elaborations on  the backstories of events and characters, as well as giving further in depth knowledge on character personalities. With how well these two feed off one another, Iʼm wondering if you didnʼt write them both simultaneously? If so, what was that like? Any struggles, or was it easier to do it this way?

Actually, I did not write them simultaneously. I wrote Wedding of the Season first, then Scandal of the Year. The two stories do intertwine. Scandal of the Year takes place after Wedding of the Season, but it has flashbacks over about a twelve-year period, and those flashbacks weave into the events before and during Wedding of the Season. It was unbelievably difficult because I had to keep the timing and sequencing consistent throughout. To make it more complicated, the third book, Trouble at the Wedding, takes place simultaneously with Scandal of the Year, with the hero of Trouble appearing in Scandal while in the midst of his own story. Yes, I think I’m a creative masochist.
 

I have no idea how you do it, but I would love to know how it is that you can write with such  amazing  historical  vernacular  that  the  reader  feels  as  though  they  been transported back to a moment in time. Can you please share with us how and where in the world you did your research?! How long did it take to write a single book? 

It takes me 6-12 months to write a book, depending on what my deadline is, what research I need to do, and how much I fritter around before I buckle down. As to my historical “voice”, I really try to use dialog that sounds like a conversation people would actually have. I have often read books and thought, “But people don’t talk this way in real life. I don’t ever want anyone to say that about my characters. I want the reader to feel like she is there, with them, in the room, listening. That’s what I always strive for. Most of my research for the series was just reading works of the period. Books by E.M. Forster and Edith Wharton, plays by Oscar Wilde. Also, I did a lot of research on English divorce law, since my heroine in Scandal of the Year had sought a divorce from her husband. For that, I found some great books, and I read newspaper accounts of famous divorce cases of the period. Divorce back then was very, very complicated.
 

Because of the ease, flow, and consistency within, and between, the story lines and story arcs, I have to know… pantser or plotster? :) 

Panster. Pantster. Pantster. I can’t plot ahead and whenever I try, I get everything messed up. I write very much be sheer instinct. I don’t recommend my process to anyone. It’s scary and frustrating to fly blind. But it’s the way I have to do it.
 

Does this time period hold a particular interest for you? In other words, why the turn of the twentieth century on the cusp of womanʼs rights? 

I love the turn of the 20th century. Love it. So many exciting things were going on. All the inventions—cars, airplanes, telephones, radio, electricity—were so new and people didn’t take them for granted the way we do now. Also, everything was in flux—morals, law, science, art, politics. The aristocracy was dying. The middle class was rising. Women were chaining themselves to railings to fight for the vote. It was an amazing, exciting time.
 

Am I allowed to ask whoʼs next in this series and when weʼll get to meet them? *rubs hands together* Is it Paul?? Iʼd love to pre-order already! LOL! 

I hadn’t thought to do Paul’s story, actually. But my editor would like me to, and I’ve had readers asking me to, so I might. Before Paul though, is Trouble at the Wedding, which features the Duke of Scarborough, who walks through the pages of Scandal of the Year while in the midst of his own story. I’m going to leave readers in suspense on that for a while, but anyone who wants the latest info can always check my website and sign up for my newsletter. And enter my contests! I give away books as prizes, so it’s always worthwhile to enter.
 

Is there anything in the makings beyond book three? 

Like I said, I might do Paul’s story. But nothing is decided yet. We’ll just have to see
 

Are there any authors or readings you take note of to help guide you with shaping your thoughts on your own historical romance writings? 

Anything I can read in the Edwardian period helps me. And I’ve watched Downtown Abbey like five times now. I love that show. If you like British period drama, I highly recommend it, because it’s a romance reader’s dream. The clothes! The house! The servants! Maggie Smith! What’s not to love?

Thank  you  for  your  time  in  answering  some  of  my inquiring-minds-want-to-knowʼ questions,  Laura. I  completely commend you on  such a  fantastic, well  written,  and deliciously romantic series! Iʼll be anxiously awaiting the release of the next installment!
Thanks, Tanya, and thanks to everyone at Among The Muses.
 

~ The Author & The Books ~

Laura's Website

(Make sure to stop by check out her contests and sign up for her newsletter.)


Wedding of the Season: @Amazon, @Book Depository
Scandal of the Year: @Amazon, @Book Depository

Giveaway:

Because I want to be able for others to have a chance at reading one of these great books, I'm giving away one copy of either Wedding of the Season or Scandal of the Year to one commenter who follows the rules! :)

Rules:

• Open Internationally (Book will shipped via the Book Depository)

 

You MUST: 

• Respond to Laura's post on the behind-the-scenes of what really goes on during a release day, OR leave Laura a question.

• Ever wonder about the book biz? Ask...

• Ever wonder how an author goes about research? Ask...

• Leave a comment with your email addy!

• Contest will run from 1/25 - 2/1 (but will not be shipped until the following week -- I'm sticking to my budget I tell you! LOL)

• Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is drawn.

Thanks for stopping by and supporting Ms. Guhrke! 

Good Luck!!