Author Interview with Leah Marie Brown

July 7, 2011  by Fifi Flowers

Leah Marie Brown is a freelance journalist and novelist with a passion for Paris and a penchant for all things pink. When she is not busy writing historical novels or maintaining her two blogs (Titillating Tidbits about the Life and Times of Marie Antoinette and On Life, Love and Accidental Adventures), she spends her time planning outrageously fun adventures with her best friends to exotic locales.

Now... let's learn even MORE about her, shall we...

Where are you from? 

I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio but have lived in several states in the US, as well as Spain, Panama, and Korea. (My husband is an Air Force pilot)


Tell us your latest news?

My historical romance novel, Silence in the Mist, is due out July 7, 2011 (TODAY)!

When and why did you begin writing?

I have always known I wanted to be a writer. I never considered being anything else.

When I graduated from High School, I was full of bravado and wistful dreams. I imagined traveling the world, working for the Associated Press, and one day writing a blockbuster novel. College did not figure in those plans.

The funny thing about youthful dreams, they usually get smacked around by the mature hand of reality before they’re actualized. While my friends were writing term papers and going to frat parties, I was working as a preschool teacher, a receptionist at a brokerage firm, and a salesgirl at a shockingly unfashionable clothing store. At night, I wrote poems, articles, and short stories. A year after graduation, I sold my first piece to Seventeen Magazine and got hired as an editorial assistant at The Arizona Republic. I wrote my first article for The Arizona Republic two months after being hired. Hard-hitting articles followed. If you lived in Arizona in the 80s, perhaps you read my articles about pet safety belts or the Stressball (an irritating gadget that sounded like shattering glass when thrown).

I sailed from The Arizona Republic in search of new journalistic worlds to conquer and landed at a very small newspaper in North Carolina, where I wrote investigative pieces about the local piano teacher who was a closet poet and the dangers of cow tipping (joking).

Realizing I would not achieve my dreams without a college degree, I enlisted in the Air Force as a Radio and Television Broadcaster and was stationed in Zaragoza, Spain. I was a drive-time radio jock, spinning records at the un-godly hour of 6AM while most of España still slept. I then anchored the nightly news, covering stories related to Desert Storm.

After separating from the Air Force, I worked as a freelance reporter and stringer for CBS news. I started writing novels ten years ago.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I've always considered myself a writer, but I considered myself a professional writer when I sold my first poem to Seventeen Magazine (when I was still in high school).

What inspired you to write your first book?

I read Rosalind Laker’s novel, To Dance with Kings, and was so moved by the characters and story that it sparked my imagination. For days after, I walked around as if in a dream world, imagining myself visiting Versailles in the 18th century and chatting with Marie Antoinette (the queen has been my obsession since childhood). I sat down one day and began writing what would become The Queen’s Folly, a 96,000 word historical romance set in the sparkling and tragic court of Louis XVI.

How did you come up with the title?

I came up with the title for Silence in the Mist after reading a journal of a counter-revolutionary spy who spent most of his time slipping between the shadows in the forests of the Vendée. He mentioned that the Vendée could be a perilous place to travel because of the heavy mists that blanket the land. Since my heroine, Françoise Després, is based on a real-life counter-revolutionary spy who also operated in the Vendée, I knew I had to write about the mists.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Honestly, I just wrote the story that was in my heart. I never really thought about themes or messages. I do hope my readers appreciate the awesome bravery displayed by Françoise Després and other women of the French Revolution. Women on both sides of the struggle risked their lives and sacrificed their safety to fight for what they believed in, whether it was the preservation of their religious and political traditions or the establishment of a new order that promised liberty and equality. (And I secretly hope they launch a massive campaign demanding more historical romance novels set in France!)

How much of the book is realistic?

Silence in the Mist is a historical romance but some of the main characters and plot points are based on real people and events. Françoise Després, my heroine, is based on a real counter-revolutionary spy who escaped capture and inspired her compatriots with her zeal. An educated and religious woman, she fought the revolutionaries because she opposed their methods.

In my novel, Françoise has a mentor named Renée Bordereau. There was a real Renée Bordereau, and although there is no proof she ever met Françoise, everything else in my novel, including some of her dialogue, is accurate.

General Lazare Hoche is the villain in Silence in the Mist. The real Hoche was one of the Republic’s most formidable generals.

What book are you reading now?

I love reading and usually have a stack of books on my nightstand. I also leave them open around my house so I can glance at them while I am doing different tasks. Right now, I am reading: Poetry and the Police: Communication Networks in Eighteenth-Century Paris by Robert Darnton (research for a future novel), Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe (an unlikely choice that is turning out to be an easy, entertaining read) and A Man in Uniform by Kate Taylor (a fantastic historical mystery).

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

I have two best friends who have always supported my writing. Stéphanie Mounts is my French sister from another mother. She is my best friend and an enthusiastic reader and promoter of all of my work. Her encouragement is truly invaluable to me. Cindy Miles has been my friend and critique partner for ten years. I treasure her friendship, rely on her support, and admire her discipline.

Do you see writing as a career?

Absolutely, but it is also my passion.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Are you kidding? I am the worst sort of perfectionist, which means I am never entirely happy with my performance and/or achievements. I love my last novel, Scarlet Ribbons, and believe it is the finest, most emotionally-charged novel I have ever written, but if I picked it up today I would find a skazillion things I would want to change. (Skazillion isn’t really a word. It just sounded more impressive than saying a dozen.)

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I am sorry, but I do not remember how I became interested in writing. Some of my earliest memories are of wanting to be a writer.


Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I am finishing my sixth historical romance. Redemption is a moody novel with a real gothic-feel. It is about Sloan Ravenscar, a British secret agent who is tortured by his past. On a mission to assassinate Napoleon Bonaparte, he makes a mistake that costs the lives of several innocent people – a mistake that effectively ends his brilliant career. With his reputation and soul in shambles, he seeks seclusion far from society at his home on the wild moors. But he soon finds himself falling in love with a most unlikely woman - one of the victims of his botched mission.

I am also plotting my next novel, a straight historical novel about three sisters forced by Louis XVI to marry exiled noblemen.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I have loved many books and admired many writers, but five authors in particular have had an influence on my writing.

I discovered the historical novels of Alexandre Dumas at a young age. His tales of romance and adventure captured my imagination in a way few others had. Although I did not realize it as I was writing it, my fifth novel, Scarlet Ribbons, a dark romance about a young woman seeking vengeance against the man who sent her parents to the guillotine, was inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo.

I joke that Sandra Gulland has become my unwitting mentor. An expert at research, she seamlessly weaves historical details into her stories.

Amy Tan’s emotion-wrought novels challenge me to dig deeper when developing my characters.
In my opinion, Rosalind Laker is the finest historical romance author ever to have penned a novel. I lose myself in her novels and become so attached to the characters I weep when we have to part.
Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Alice Steinbach influenced my article and essay writing. Her evocative, honest style of writing appeals to my sentimental, candid nature.


Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

I love to travel! I believe a writer can gain invaluable knowledge through travel. I have traveled to France many times for pleasure and research. I wrote an article for Writers Digest about writers who travel to research setting details. Here’s a LINK.

Who designed the covers?

The cover for Silence in the Mist was designed by Amanda Kelsey, a brilliant cover who works for my publisher. She also operates a business called Razzle Dazzle Design.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The most difficult part of writing Silence in the Mist came after I completed the first draft. I entered it in Seattle RWA’s Emerald City Opener contest and won! I was still fairly new at the novel writing game, passionate about the story, and super excited about the contest win, so I sent the manuscript to editors and agents before revising or editing it. Once again, reality smacked my dreams around. Most of the editors who read it said they loved the story but didn’t think a romance novel set in the French Revolution would appeal to readers. Some also said it needed polishing. Unfortunately, I practiced selective listening – hearing only that they did not like my setting. It took me years to realize that if I wanted editors to make the big leap over the French Revolution hurdle, I needed to remove all of the other hurdles in the manuscript. In other words, I needed to edit and revise it.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Do you have any advice for other writers?

LOL! Gosh! I don’t feel I have reached the point in my career where I am qualified to dispense advice, but I can share a few of the lessons I have learned along the way.

Write the story that’s in your heart – the one that is yearning to be told – not the one you think would sell because of some market trend. No author likes to hear criticism about their work, but it’s easier to endure the slings and arrows of rejections and bad reviews if you truly believe in your story.

If, like me, the stories in your heart are set during a time or in a place that is unpopular with editors or readers, do not stop writing or give up on your story. The market is cyclical. Right now, readers might want to devour zombie books, but next month they might want French Revolution-set romance novels or Viking mystery tales.

That said; keep an eye on the market trends and be open to compromise. For years, I wrote novels set in the French Revolution. These manuscripts would win writing contests but editors would reject them because of the setting. I stubbornly refused to change my setting because I believed passionately that the French Revolution proved a dramatic, emotional background for a romance novel. Then, my dear friend and critique partner, Cindy Miles, (who probably got real tired of watching me beat my bloodied head into the wall) said, “You know I love your Frenchy stories, but editors just don’t seem to be on board with the setting. What if you write the same story, with the same characters, but set it in England?” Cindy’s suggestion was simple but brilliant. It was also the kick in the pants I needed to move beyond self-pity. Sometimes, you have to find a way to write the story you love but package it in a way that is more palatable for finicky editors.

And last, I would like to share a quote that resonates with me: “Don’t let your successes go to your head or your failures go to your heart.”

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you for reading Silence in the Mist. I hope you will visit my blogs or send me an email and let me know what you thought about Françoise and Sebastien.

 Don't forget to visit Leah Marie Brown's sites...

(Titillating Tidbits about the Life and Times of Marie Antoinette and  

On Life, Love and Accidental Adventures)

________________________________

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