E. Knight: Love reigns in all genres
E. Knight, author of My Lady Viper, makes the point that love and romance play a role in most, if not all, fiction genres.
Eliza: Welcome to Tudor-land, where scandal, intrigue, risqué liaisons and head-rolling are everyday fare. And love. Love abounds, it breeds, it multiplies, it feeds on the hearts of those who dare bare their chests to it. But in the world of the Tudors, love can mean death and pain and fear. And yet, it is not avoided, but sought after voraciously.
Love and romance abounded then as it does now, but almost more desperately — maybe because life was so short and probably because the majority of nobles were lucky if their marriages held an ounce of love.
What exactly is love? According to the dictionary love is: (1) A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. (2) A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. (3) Sexual passion or desire. (4) A person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
In my new historical novel, My Lady Viper, Anne Seymour wants desperately to find love. She's grown up in a household that was cold and unaffectionate. At court, she's gathered friends she adores, but they often drift away — either because of political and religious factions or because they die. When she meets her future husband, she feels obligated to love him, though she glimpses moments of this burning passion she wishes to clutch to. And then another man seeks her out. One who wishes only to love her for herself, and not for what she can give to him — and as much as she wants to fall into his arms, she can't. It's a double-edged sword, because all she's ever wanted is presented before her, taunts her, and yet, she can't have the one thing she craves — unconditional love. If she falls for him, she's likely to be charged with adultery and if she doesn't, she'll lose herself.
Love and romance reign in all genres. Love and passion for a person, an idea, a goal, one's self. In My Lady Viper, Anne Seymour struggles with love in many places. Love for her husband, love for a man she desires, love for her children, her parents, siblings, her friends — herself.
Before I'd read my first historical romance novels, I was drawn to historical fiction — reading Margaret George, Ken Follett, the classics, mysteries, thrillers (pretty much everything). Romance was a major sub-plot in all these books (though not always with a happy ending). But why is love so prevalent? Because, to be human is to love.
'Twas my enjoyment of historical novels and the relationships and struggles within a historic era that drew me toward historical romance — the first authors I read and loved were Julie Garwood and Jude Deveraux. I have a fierce love of both the historical fiction and historical romance genres, which was why I decided to write in both.
Now you may ask, what is the difference between my historical fiction and my historical romance? There are two big differences: heat level and a happily-ever-after ending. Whether you crave the volatile Tudors or hot-blooded Highlanders, in either case, I do believe you'll be left satisfied.
Here's the blurb about My Lady Viper:
May, 1536. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.
When Anne Boleyn falls to the executioner's ax on a cold spring morning, yet another Anne vows she will survive in the snake-pit court of Henry VIII. But at what cost?
Lady Anne Seymour knows her family hangs by a thread. If her sister-in-law Jane Seymour cannot give the King a son, she will be executed or set aside, and her family with her. Anne throws herself into the deadly and intoxicating intrigue of the Tudor court, determined at any price to see the new queen's marriage a success and the Seymour family elevated to supreme power. But Anne's machinations will earn her a reputation as a viper, and she must decide if her family's rise is worth the loss of her own soul ...
Find out more at www.elizaknight.com. You can also connect with Eliza on her blog, Facebook and Twitter (@ElizaKnight).