Jane Maguire: There’s No Single Right Way to Become a Successful Author
Jane Maguire is a Canadian author whose lifelong passions for history, writing, and love stories inevitably led her to begin penning historical romance novels. While her love of historical fiction spans all eras, she focuses her writing on high society in the regency period. She enjoys crafting stories with lots of angst, which makes giving her characters their happily ever afters all the more satisfying.
When she isn't at her computer writing and researching, you can find her vacationing in the Rocky Mountains, playing classical music on the piano, or simply curling up with a cup of tea and a good book. She lives with her husband, two kids, and a very floofy cat.
Blitz:
Name: Jane Maguire
Book title: A Study in Desire
Genre: historical (regency) romance
Release date: June 2023
Blurb/short description of the book:
An impoverished widow …
Theodora Prescott has lost everything. Recently widowed and drowning in debts, she’s forced to accept help from the last place she wishes to seek it—her late husband’s estranged family, fronted by the icy and domineering Dowager Marchioness of Rockliffe. Theo’s plan is simple: endure living at Rockliffe House, submitting to the dowager’s will, only until she can find a way to provide for her children and reestablish her independence. But as it turns out, the unwanted tutor hired for her sons becomes less something to endure and more an unlikely source of comfort … and attraction.
An accidental tutor …
Upon leaving Oxford, Jeremy Clare never had ambitions of tutoring children. However, when his sensible goal to settle down and become a vicar goes awry, accepting the tutor position that falls into his lap seems as good a way as any to get his life back on track. Developing feelings for his pupils’ mother is certainly not part of the plan. Yet the more he sees of the strong-willed, passionate Theodora Prescott, the more his desire becomes impossible to overlook.
An undeniable but risky allure …
Theo has vowed never to let emotion dictate her decisions again, and Jeremy has sworn not to stray from a practical path forward. But while a relationship between them would be fraught with obstacles, can an unanticipated chance at love make it worth the risk? Giving in to their desires could lead to the greatest happiness for them both. However, Theo’s life at Rockliffe House comes with other expectations. And the dowager marchioness, it happens, is not someone to be crossed …
Previous titles: Secrets and a Scandal, Rumors and a Rake, Longing for a Lady
Please tell our readers about yourself.
I’d like to think I have writing in my genes. Several generations of women in my family have dabbled in things like poetry and short stories, and my grandmother used to proudly tell me how her grandmother had won writing competitions on “the mainland” (ie., central Canada). I’m pretty sure I’m the first one in the family to craft steamy romances, though!
In addition to writing, I also enjoy embracing my creative side by playing and listening to music, trying out new recipes, and getting outdoors for long walks (which makes for great brainstorming time as well).
What inspired you to be a writer?
I was filling notebooks with bits and pieces of stories from the time I learned how to spell. With that said, as I moved up through school and writing assignments became more technical, I found my creative spark dwindling, and writing began to feel more like a chore. So much so that on the day I finished the final essay on my final university exam, I swore I was never going to write anything again!
Flash forward about five years, when it dawned on me that, between parenting two tiny humans and working as a non-fiction editor, I was neither writing nor reading for pleasure anymore, and I missed it. Therefore, I made it my New Year’s resolution that year to make time for fiction reading, and thanks to an ebook app from my local library, I came to discover what’s now my favourite genre: historical romance. In fact, I read so many romances that they inspired story ideas of my own to begin flowing again, and I guess you could say the rest is history.
Tell us about your writing journey so far.
After not having written fiction since probably my early teens, I found getting started with it again as an adult a bit daunting. That little voice of doubt inside my head kept telling me that I didn’t know enough about craft to write a book or that I hadn’t learned enough history (despite the hours and hours I spent researching) to write a regency romance. Eventually, though, I made a deal with myself. I was just going to write the opening line of my book with no pressure or expectations. Except then, once I typed that line … I wanted to write another. And another. Until eventually, I had an entire manuscript, which in 2022, ended up being my first published novel, Secrets and a Scandal. Since then, I’ve gone on to self-publish three more regency romances, and I have another one in progress.
What is your writing process—from idea to final draft?
While I wish I could plot in detail, I’m definitely more of a pantser. However, I do take a few weeks before I begin something new to plan out the major plot points I want to include. I also use that time for thinking about character traits and for any historical research that’s pertinent to the story.
The writing itself is a months-long process for me. In the end, though, I typically have a first draft that’s relatively clean. After that, I share it with beta readers and make any necessary adjustments based on their feedback. Once that’s done, the manuscript goes off for editing, which is the last step before I have a final draft that’s ready for publication.
You’ve recently published Book 1 in The Rockliffe Dynasty: A Study in Desire. What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve loved over-the-top family dramas ever since the days when I’d come home from elementary school and secretly turn on soap operas I wasn’t allowed to watch on the basement TV. A Study in Desire, and The Rockliffe Dynasty series as a whole, is my homage to that. It centres around a large, somewhat dysfunctional family, full of characters with intricate backstories that I hope will intrigue readers enough to keep coming back for more.
What were your biggest challenges?
Rather than write another villain who was unquestionably bad, I decided I wanted to create a family matriarch in the Rockliffe Dynasty who was more morally grey. Someone who did terrible things but had a method to her madness, to the point she could still garner sympathy, at least a tiny bit. That, however, has been easier said than done, and some readers have made no secret that they despise her! Challenging though it may be, I’m not giving up on my villainess’s softer side, and I’m hoping to showcase this more in future books (although she’ll still, of course, be committing no shortage of misdeeds as well).
What are you most proud of regarding this specific title?
Really, just the fact that this book exists is a point of pride for me. Less than three years ago, I doubted I could finish writing a book at all, so the fact that I’ve now written and published four, with a fifth on the way, feels like a huge accomplishment.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
My books always seem to contain a few surprises for me along the way, and A Study in Desire was no exception. As I mentioned, I plan out my characters and major plot points to at least some extent before I start writing, but it often happens that certain personality traits or situations I had in my head end up playing out differently once I put them on the page. It’s always interesting to see where that will lead, as it’s as much a surprise to me as to anyone else!
How do you create your characters?
Sometimes, characters I see in movies or read about in books randomly spark ideas of my own. For example, a few of the characters from the Rockliffe Dynasty series were inspired by a Canadian TV show I used to watch all the way back in the early 2000s. Other times, vague character concepts seem to just pop into my head. When that happens, I then consider how I can turn them into fully developed characters, complete with their own quirks, flaws, and vulnerabilities. Because I write romance, I also consider how each main character’s personality traits can play against each other. What draws the couple together? And likewise, what causes conflict or pulls them apart?
What is the current (or next) project you are working on?
I’m so excited to say that I’m nearly finished writing book two in the Rockliffe Dynasty series. I’ve been working on this book since the spring, so knowing the end is within sight and that I can soon start planning for publication is a wonderful feeling.
Many of our readers are fellow indie writers, some of them at the very beginning of their journey. What advice would you give them?
I recently attended my first writing conference, and out of everything I learned, my biggest takeaway was that there’s no single right way to become a successful author. On the contrary, everyone seems to have a unique path. Therefore, I believe it’s important to always continue learning and trying new things, in terms of both craft and marketing, but to also keep in mind that someone else’s methods might not be the right ones for you. We all have different strengths and comfort zones, so I think it’s worthwhile to find what meshes with you as a writer and to let go of what doesn’t. There is so much helpful advice out there, but it’s not always one-size-fits-all.
To learn more about Jane Maguire and her books, visit her website: www.janemaguireauthor.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram.
