Interview with Delilah Marvelle, our 8th author for LLC 2013!
Hi, we are Aurian from Boeklogboek and Maia, and today we have best selling author Delilah Marvelle, author of very original historical romances visiting us here in Utrecht, Holland.
Aurian: Welcome to Utrecht, the Netherlands, Delilah. Have some hot chocolate with whipped cream, and some Dutch cookies.
Delilah: Thank you, Aurian! Mmmmm...I think you need to adopt me J
Maia: Can you tell our readers who might not yet know you or your books, a little about yourself? Something that is not in your official bio (which is at the bottom of this post).
Delilah: I write historical romance, and in, particular, am obsessed with nuances of naughty history that school never really touched upon. I do a lot of historical research and so I’m always digging up things about history that astounds even me. Whatever doesn’t end up in my books finds a place on my blog, A Bit O’Muslin (www.DelilahMarvelle.blogspot.com ). I just love surprising myself and my readers and needless to say, history is full of surprises.
LL Convention questions
Aurian: Could you tell us why you are attending a convention in Berlin, Germany, Europe? Have you been there before? Or other places in Europe? Were you surprised at being invited to a convention this far away?
Delilah: This will be my first time attending both the convention and my first time stepping into Germany. I have been hearing quite about about the Love Letters Convention and usually attend a lot of the convention here in the United States, so when I was asked if I could attend the convention in Berlin, I was *beyond* excited to jump at the chance to go. Why? I have a growing audience in Europe and I really wanted to connect with my readers in the same way I do here in the States by meeting them in person. It’s incredibly special meeting my readers face to face as opposed to just keeping it to a computer screen. Was I surprised at being invited? Yes. I didn’t realize I had enough readers in Europe who wanted to meet me, lol. I have a lot of readers here in the States, but my readers in Europe are still growing. It’s wonderful. I have been to many places in Europe and so this is an extra treat for me. I am first generation Polish with most of my family living in Poland, so I travel to Europe and Poland, in particular, as often as I can.
Maia: The convention is in Berlin, a beautiful city. Are you planning to do some sightseeing? In Berlin or even in the rest of Europe?
Delilah: Oh, yes I am indeed going to do sightseeing! Especially anything related to historical sex J And I know Berlin is full of enough naughty history to keep me busy. I am always looking to add to my collection of pictures and research notes/books. I can’t wait to see what Berlin has to offer. As far as sightseeing anywhere else, I will be in France 8 days prior to Berlin and then again 4 days afterward, so I will definitely be doing a lot of sightseeing there in France. And needless to say, I have a lot to see both from a historical research perspective and a culinary perspective. Because for those that don’t know, I am also a chef. So France holds a very special culinary place in my heart. I am so looking forward to the food! (And in Berlin too!)
Aurian: There's a lovely group of authors coming this year. Do you personally know any of the other authors present?
Delilah: Authors usually know each other in one form or another, either by meeting at conventions or on Facebook or Twitter. But I’m always trying to meet them all because they are all such amazingly wonderful people. Although I know many of the names listed, the authors that I have spoken to in person and have met on more than one occasion is Cherry Adair, Courtney Milan, and Erin McCarthy. Mostly because they are in my part of the woods, lol. I am excited to meet and get to know everyone, however!
Maia: The convention promo and books are in German. Will it be possible for you to bring some English swag?
Delilah: Done and done.
Book questions
Aurian: So far, I have only read Forever and a Day, but I have the other books in the series on my shelves and will read them in time for the convention. I also have Rules of Engagement (anth.) ready to dive in.
I have to say, I was a bit disappointed with this book, as a lot of intriguing things are missing, like the time spend in New York, before Roderick loses his memory. But then Maia pointed out to me (as stated on your website), you have written this series as pieces of a puzzle, and I will discover more in the next books. Of course, now I know this, I want to read the next books sooner. My question: why did you go for this unique format, and how do most of your readers react to it?
Delilah: The reaction from readers have actually been amazing. Because my readers know exactly how my mind works. It is the same approach I took with the School of Gallantry series. Where all the books take place at the same time. The series actually starts with Forever Mine (an e-novella) where you are introduced to a series of events and the family behind the entire series. My approach toward writing this series (as well as any series I write) is to never repeat anything throughout all the books and create a new experience every time for the reader, whether they are just starting the series or continuing on to the next. I feel that too many series books rehash scenes and characters and you only learn something new in snippets as opposed throughout the whole book. I wanted to step beyond that. I wanted to weave everything intricately together. One book will show you a scene in which you may see someone briefly passing by and in another book, you will have the perspective of that person who is passing by and it is anything but brief. I love playing with flipped perspectives. In answer to your question, if you are used to and expect a certain ‘experience’ when it comes to reading a romance then I would say yes, my approach will cause you to raise a brow. But I refuse to settle into giving my readers the same thing they have come to expect in other books. I am constantly challenging myself and my readers to step outside the box of how they think a book should be written and hand themselves over to what it really is: another world.
Aurian: I am really intrigued by the lady who teaches Georgia how to be a lady. Will she play a part in the next books, do we learn about her past, and will she perhaps find her true love at last?
Delilah: Yes and yes J Lady Burton gets her own book in Forever a Lady. I made sure the characters that I did introduce would all get their own time to shine and Lady Burton gets her time with Matthew, who is Georgia’s “stepson” So all of the characters you met in Forever and a Day, re-appear. You will also see Georgia in many scenes you didn’t see in Forever and a Day. And the same goes for Forever a Lord.
Maia: I've read and loved your first two "School of Gallantry" series books. I'm very glad to see you are (finally!) writing follow up books. Do any of them have per chance in it Lord Brayton, the virginal, scarred, blue-eyed gentleman who gives a woman a dagger to protect her virtue and her heart? (swoon)
Delilah: I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the first two books! And haha and oh yes. Lord Brayton will be getting his own book. And I always save the best for last. A scarred virgin has quite the story, lol.
Maia: Since we're talking about this series. I remember you had problems with the continuation of the School of Gallantry series way back in 2009. I still can remember the call to the blog-sphere to buy and support your series. It was the reason I bought the second book. What do you feel about the influence of publishers on writers’ series? Do you see more chances for writers now, for example with self-publising?
Delilah: New York publishers have done a lot of amazing things for writers and the industry. But they have also done a lot of bad things to the industry. They have killed genres readers love, claiming no one will read them (when self-publishing has proven otherwise) and they have killed a series based on the same reasoning. It’s astounding to think that big decisions like that are controlled by a select few. Self-publishing is an author finally taking back control. New York will always have a special place in my heart, for they know how to do so many things right, but the things they haven’t quite figured out is that an author needs more control than they are willing to give. One of the biggest one being, control over the content. Too many readers think that what they are reading is 100% all of the author, when it fact, sometimes, even the story is altered against the author’s creative judgement because ‘marketing’ or ‘editorial’ does not approve of something. I have had this happen to me many times. And it’s difficult to listen to readers point out what could have been different about a book when in fact, an author does not necessarily approve of the final version getting into their hands.
Aurian: I actually did read the whole FAQ on your website. So now I want to know, will you be taking your handsome husband with you to Berlin?
Delilah: As a matter of fact, yes, he will be there in Berlin, lol. And it still costs money to take pictures of him, lol.
Personal questions:
Maia: We both have enormous TBR mountain ranges, how big is yours? And what do you plan on reading next?
Delilah: My TBR pile is 298 books long. And that doesn’t include research books, which would punch it up to double that. I’m planning to read Summerset Abbey by T.J.Brown next.
Aurian: Who are some of your favourite authors? Do you still have the books you loved reading as a young girl?
Delilah: My favourite authors are actually all the dead ones, lol. Edith Wharton, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Henryk Sienkiewicz, to name a few. And yes! I still do have many books that I loved reading as a girl. I have my copy of Little Women, Pinocchio, Hans Christian Andersen, Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Animal Farm.
And now for some fun quick questions:
Are you left-handed or right-handed?
Right
What is your favourite movie, and which is the last one you saw in the theater?
My Favorite movie is AMELIE and the last movie I saw in the theatre was THE HOST.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Morning Person
What famous author, dead or alive, would you love to meet and why?
Edith Wharton. Because that woman was brilliant and lived through enough to give me fodder for my own books if I sat down with her for a conversation J
Official Bio
Delilah Marvelle spent her youth studying various languages, reading voraciously and playing the pianoforte. She confesses that here ends the extent of her gentle breeding. She was a naughty child who was forever torturing her parents with countless adventures that they did not deem respectable. Confined to her room on many occasions due to these misadventures, she discovered the quill and its amazing power. Soon, to the dismay of her parents, she rather enjoyed being confined to her room and finished writing her first historical romance (which was a heart-stopping 800 pages long…) at the age of fourteen. She is the winner of the Reviewer's Choice Best Sensual Historical Romance and made Booklist’s TOP 10 Romances of 2012 with her book Forever and a Day.
Where to find Delilah:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/delilah.marvelle
Twitter: @DelilahMarvelle
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1423331.Delilah_Marvelle
Delilah’s next book is Lady of Pleasure, the third in the Gallantry series, and out this month.
True love isn't always blind...just misguided
Lady Caroline Arabella Starling has been in love with her older brother's best friend, Caldwell, since she was thirteen. Unfortunately, too many things keep getting in the way of proving her love. Her four younger sisters, her mother, her brother, all of society and the man she loves himself. But where there is a will, there is a way, and Caroline is about to redefine not only respectability but true love.
Ronan Henry Dearborn, the fourth Marquis of Caldwell, is known for attending champagne parties and tumbling with women. Although not for the reasons everyone thinks he does. When he and Lady Caroline get tangled in a situation neither of them can get out of, the only way to create a happily-ever-after between them is to take up the advice of a French courtesan who re-educates them both in the art of love.
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