Laura Robinson has always been dazzled by the
glamour of the stage. But perhaps acting and selling one’s favors are not so
different—for Laura must feign pleasure with the men she beds to survive. Now,
with her only friend at death’s door and a ruthless pimp at her heels, escaping
her occupation seems impossible. Hoping to attract a gentleman, she attends the
theater. Yet the man Laura captivates is no customer, but a rising star and
playwright…
Adam Lacey has been driven to distraction since
the moment he saw Laura. She is his ideal leading lady come to irresistible
life—and so much more. Certain they can make the perfect team on and off stage,
he is determined to win her heart—and discover her story. But that is precisely
what Laura fears. And she has no idea that Adam harbors shameful secrets of his
own. Will the truth free them to love—or destroy all their dreams…?
Inspiration…The
Temptation of Laura
One of the
most frequently questions asked of authors is, “Where do you get your ideas?”
The simple answer is everywhere, but that rarely satisfies the curious reader
or aspiring author…but it’s the truth.
Ideas can
come from newspapers, TV shows, snippets of conversation, the author’s life
experiences, their friends and family’s experiences, moral issues, books and
films. The list goes on.
The
inspiration for The Temptation of Laura was already established before I
started writing the novel. Laura is a secondary character in the debut book of
my Victorian romance series with eKensington, The Seduction of Emily. In this
book, Laura is a prostitute who the hero goes to for help in the hope of
imprisoning the villain. The more Laura appeared in the book, the more I
learned and liked about her. I wanted to tell her story…luckily my editor suggested
it first!
My
Victorian books are set in and around Bath so I started thinking about famous
buildings in Bath that I could use in my next book. I eventually decided on the
Theatre Royal. How could I use Laura’s prostitution and the theatre?
I started
trawling the Internet for accounts of famous prostitutes turned actresses –
that was when inspiration struck in the form of Nell Gwynn. Nell’s story
fascinated me. A prostitute, turned actress, turned mistress of Charles II who
bore him two children. What a story!
I read a
couple of biographies on Nell’s life and then the novel, The Darling Strumpet
by Gillian Bagwell, which I absolutely loved. Roll forward another 200 years
and Laura Robinson, prostitute turned actress, was alive and very real in my
imagination.
The
Temptation of Laura was a joy to write and covers poverty, hope, loss, joy,
success and ultimately, true love. I hope readers enjoy Laura and Adam’s
journey as much as I did writing it. Once I’d finished, another secondary
character pushed her way to the front of the queue and I am writing her story
as we speak. EKensington have contracted this book and another so long may
inspiration strike!
I’d love to
hear how non-fiction and fiction based on real-life people inspires or
interests your visitors J
Rachel lives with her husband and two
young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses,
she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to
Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian
romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013 and she has since
signed for three more.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic
Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing,
you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English
countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live
is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting
and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to
hear from you!
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