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I’ve written another historical romance, a regency romance that blends old school and new, and I’m pleased. Self-satisifed. And I’ve been spoiled with good reviews. Spoiled.

Hm.

Now, I have been accused of spoiling my daughter, my dogs, my husband (I can hear him laughing hysterically from the next room) and myself.  To which I say “pfffffbt.” Water...under...bridge.  It’s too late for them (and me); they (and I) are done deals. Spoiled or not, we’re pretty well set in stone. Not so, the heroine of THE GOLDEN SEASON.

My heroine’s name is Lady Lydia Eastlake and she likes nice things.

She likes good wine, good music, good clothes and good company and, being incredibly rich, she has the means to avail herself of all of these and she does so all the freaking time. Added to which she is gorgeous.

Does this make her spoiled? I guess it depends on what you mean by spoiled. I’ve always defined spoiled as “an ongoing expectation of unearned benefits that, once in possession of, are treated indifferently.” And by my definition, the answer is a resounding no. Because Lydia never treats anything or anyone cavalierly.

It is her most attractive and laudable feature: she knows the value of a thing, an experience and a relationship.  Sure, she leads a very privileged life.  But, be honest, who wouldn’t want it? She’s a regency rock star, celebrated, copied, admired.
And if you’re living a life like that, I imagine you would hate the idea of giving it up, and fight to keep it, especially if you’d had never known anything else.

Which is exactly how Lydia reacts when she loses all her money. She fights to keep her place in society, her friends, her lifestyle, her ability to chose her own course.

I wrote Lydia Eastlake because I was tired, tired, tired, of worthy young heroines who only fight for truth, justice and the kind treatment of small animals. I wanted to write a character I understood. One who was honest and real. One who wasn’t too dense to realize she was gorgeous or the effect her looks had on people and who enjoyed that. One didn’t go apologizing for liking nice things. But one still with things to learn who would be forced to choose between what she knows and what she hopes to know.

I hope you get a chance to read THE GOLDEN SEASON and I hope you like Lydia as much as I do. If so, drop me a note and let me know. I love being spoiled....