Meet your Author: Elizabeth Squire

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Meet your Author: Elizabeth Squire

March and April see the release of books by two new debut Escape authors: Maddie Jane (Fixed Up) and Elizabeth Squire (Closer to Sin). We thought you might like to meet them—and we were lazy enough to let them do all the interviewing work! Last we we published Elizabeth’s interview with Maddie—now enjoy Maddie’s interview with Elizabeth!


Hello, I’m Maddie Jane and today I’m interviewing my fellow author, Elizabeth Squire. We’re both debut Escape artists and are super-excited about our new releases. Elizabeth writes Regency romances and is talking to me about her gorgeous novel, Closer to Sin. Hopefully she’ll share a few secrets with us today, about herself as well as her sexy hero, Sinclair and her feisty heroine, Liliane.

Elizabeth, when did you tell your friends you were a writer with a secret identity and a passion for smoking-hot Regency rakes?

Funny you should ask that, Maddie! I was a naval officer up until a couple of years ago, so while a small number of my friends and family knew that I write—the vast majority didn’t. It was fun revealing my secret passion to everyone—I set a multiple-choice quiz and asked everyone to guess my secret. You would be surprised at how many selected option B—that I had been taking acting lessons and was about to appear on stage in a musical. As if!

How much research was involved in writing Closer to Sin? Were your trips to France or to the library?

I love the research component of writing historical romance, but I have to confess, I’m frequently guilty of disappearing down rabbit-holes if I happen to discover some new or interesting fact. Most of my research is done online, but I did undertake a fantastic research trip to France last September to visit Boulogne-Sur-Mer, where a large portion of Closer to Sin is set. There is nothing like being able to walk the same streets and laneways as your characters and have them whispering secrets in your ear about their next exploits! Ahhh…those voices are quite normal, aren’t they?

Regency romance characters always have gorgeous names. How did you come up with yours?

The challenge with naming Regency characters is that the names have to be appropriate to the time, but still resonate with modern readers. Liliane is fiercely independent, so she needed to have a strong name, but also needed a name that could be soft and feminine, and one that Sinclair could turn into an endearment—and so, of course, he cheekily provokes her by referring to her as ‘mon fleur’ or his flower. But I adored the name Sinclair because of the double entendre when the diminutive is used. One of my favourite lines is when Liliane asks Sinclair what she should call him, and he replies: ‘Just Sin, sweetheart, pure and simple.’ Those few words just tell us so much about who he is!

In what way are you like your heroine, Liliane?

Oh, gosh—I think there is a little bit of Liliane in all of us. Liliane’s story really is one of personal growth—she is impetuous and headstrong, and perhaps even a little selfish in her failure to see that, despite the purity of her motivations, her actions have consequences that impact on those around her. But, her redemption is that once she sees the error of her ways, she does all she can to set everything right—even if means sacrificing her own happiness.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Oh, that’s simple; just follow your heart. Aah, and the cute guy you briefly meet when you are just 21, give him your number—you’re going to meet him again in a few years’ time and he will be the love of your life. Why not start the journey now instead of waiting another six years!

Do you see more sexy Regency rakes in your future?

Absolutely! I am currently romancing Nathaniel Manning, who is the Duke of Martinbury and Liliane’s uncle, while he pursues Jacinta, a tempestuous Spanish assassin!

I look forward to reading that one, too! Thank you for your time today, Elizabeth and congratulations on your new release.

Discover more about Elizabeth Squire at www.elizabethsquire.com.


sin

Elizabeth Squire brings a fresh voice to historical romance in this tale of intrigue and passion.