Il Profumo delle Pergamene is very pleased to welcome the
author Mary Hart Perry to talk about her new novel
The Shadow Princess
Thank you for the interview!
1. How did you come up with the idea for The Shadow Princess?
I was searching for a concept for the third novel in my series of
romantic Victorian thrillers. The first two books (The Wild Princess and
Seducing the Princess) featured two of Queen Victoria's daughters in
dramatic tales of suspense and love. So the third book would feature
another of the princesses. I chose Vicky, the eldest daughter, when I
discovered that in 1888 she faced a terrible tragedy. Her husband, then
the Emperor of Germany, died of throat cancer. Meanwhile, back in
England, her mother the queen had her own troubles. Jack the Ripper was
killing prostitutes, and one of the queen's grandson's had been accused
of the murders. So I thought, well, why not give Vicky the task of
clearing the family name by helping chase down the Ripper? Of course,
she'll have a lot of help from a dashing young detective, Thomas!
2. Are you more hero-centric or heroine-centric when you're writing?
I think, marginally so, more heroine-centric. That's because most of my
readers will imagine themselves in Vicky's shoes, for instance, in this
book. But also because I like to keep my heroes a little more
mysterious and edgy. If we know too much about them, they lose some of
that mystique that the best heroes in literature have.
3. What traits do you admire in Vicky and Thomas?
Vicky is strong of mind, knows what she wants and goes for it--but
she's also very protective of her family and everyone else in her life
that she cares about. She'd sacrifice anything to make sure her family,
and the man she loves, are safe. Thomas is all about bringing the bad
guys to justice. I admire his dedication to the people of Whitechapel in
London. They are as poor and needy as the toffs in the West End are
rich. In a way, he's the guardian angel of the underprivileged. But he
also has a vulnerable side, has been hurt in the past, and although he
rarely will admit it, he longs for love.
4. What themes are prevalent in your books?
Oddly, I keep returning to the same theme. This is it: The power a
human being to redesign her or his life to make it better. So in The
Wild Princess, Louise faces the challenge of her mother's domination and
refusal to let her become an artist; she achieves that goal and alters
her life to find love. In Seducing the Princess, Beatrice refuses to
live her life without romance as the companion of the aging queen; she
defies convention and royal orders to win a husband and ultimately her
own family. In The Shadow Princess, Vicky has lived under the shadow of
her controlling mother and then survives under her husband's and son's
influences in a hostile country, but still rises above adversity. To me,
these stories show us that we, too, can reshape our lives to be closer
to what we want for ourselves.
5. What author do you think has had the greatest influence over your writing?
Even though I love romance, I think it's the great mystery writers who
have most influenced me: Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Agatha
Christie and many others. After all, life is a mystery and so every
good story has its own mysteries embedded in the tale. I hope my readers
will agree that combining exciting elements like romance, mystery,
historical settings, and more--this mix creates a very exciting story
that we can all escape into and enjoy. Happy reading, everyone! Mary
Hart Perry (aka Kathryn Johnson).
***
The Shandow Princess' Synopsis:
London, 1888: A year after Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee terror mounts
in the city's slums. A killer has butchered two prostitutes, the
crimes brutal even by London’s hardened standards. Rumors of the
murders reach Princess Vicky, daughter of Queen Victoria and grieving
widow of the German Emperor Frederick III. When her niece Princess Maud
visits, she brings with her even worse news--the Metropolitan Police
have a suspect. It’s Vicky’s nephew, Crown Prince Eddy. Desperate to
clear her family's name, Vicky rushes back to England.
Detective Inspector Thomas Edmondson believes there is a royal cover-up behind the killings. He will stop at nothing to expose the truth and bring a murderer to justice before he can kill again. But when Vicky joins him in searching for the man who will become known as Jack the Ripper, neither of them foresee the overpowering attraction that will draw together the royal and the commoner—or the danger their love puts them in.
Detective Inspector Thomas Edmondson believes there is a royal cover-up behind the killings. He will stop at nothing to expose the truth and bring a murderer to justice before he can kill again. But when Vicky joins him in searching for the man who will become known as Jack the Ripper, neither of them foresee the overpowering attraction that will draw together the royal and the commoner—or the danger their love puts them in.
The author:
Mary
Hart Perry lives in Washington DC with her husband and two feline writing
partners, Tempest and Miranda. Author of over 40 novels, she's written under
her own and a variety of pen names that include Kathryn Johnson, Kathryn
Jensen, KM Kimball and Nicole Davidson. She teaches fiction-writing workshops
for the renowned Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
In 2008, she founded
Write by You, to coach other writers interested in reaching publication. She
has been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Christy Award, and won the Heart
of Excellence and Bookseller's Best Awards (sponsored by the Romance Writers of
America) in 2011.
Links:
Participating Blogs:
MY REVIEW TO COME SHORTLY!
M.E.G.
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