It’s always such a pleasure to feature a fellow Australian and today I’m chatting with the delightful Carolyn Miller whose Regency romances have been capturing readers’ hearts everywhere. Carolyn shares why she tells stories, the music that inspires her, and the emotions she hopes readers experience when reading Winning Miss Winthrop. Be sure to enter the giveaway below!
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Why do you tell stories?
I tell stories because I’ve always been interested in people and their ‘what if’s’, and looking beyond the news story to wondering how people deal with the drama life so easily throws at them. Trying to negotiate some of these challenges as a Christian can be difficult – without Christ even more so – so I tell stories because I want to encourage others with the hope I’ve found in Jesus Christ. And if that’s framed in a world with some of Jane Austen’s Regency flavour, then all the better!
Your favourite place to read
I love to read in bed, with a real book. But then, I also like to read whilst lying on the couch in the lounge room, or in the family room, or in the bath, or a hammock, or listening to audiobooks as I do housework or drive…
Best meal of the day
I love them all! (And because of that, I’m now trying to eat less which hopefully means I’ll weigh less 🙂 ). If not thinking about moderating my food intake, I’d say I love dinner, because it’s a great chance to sit around the table with my hubby and four kids (and dinner would preferably be a great big roast turkey with all the trimmings!)
Most beloved childhood book
Easy: Anne of Green Gables. As a redhead, it couldn’t be anything else!
If your life was a TV show, what would it be?
Ooohhh… Escape to the Country? I live in a country town, but I love this show as I often imagine what it would be like to escape to a beautiful English county, far away from the hustle of school runs and noisy neighbours. (And preferably to one of those giant English manors that would require servants, and I would, of course, have the funds for both manor and servants. Hmm. There might be something said for writing down such fantasies, instead…)
Whose music inspires you?
I enjoy everything from 80s bands (like Tears for Fears, Sting & U2’s older stuff) to current indie and Christian music like TobyMac & Shawn McDonald.
What ice-cream flavour would you be?
Natural strawberry gelato – unpretentious, with loads of natural red sweetness and the occasional zesty tang J
The most recent novel you read
I recently read – and loved! – Kate Morton’s novel The Forgotten Garden. I enjoy her multi-timeline novels, and the fact this was set partly in Australia as well as England made it extra interesting for this Aussie.
What’s your current book recommendation?
I really enjoyed Carrie Turansky’s Across The Blue. I didn’t know much about the pioneers of aviation, and I liked the historical elements of this novel – as well as the setting and the romance 🙂
Name a book character you can’t forget
Mr. Darcy. (That. Is. All.)
Dream travel destination
I’d love to go back to England, but because I’ve been there I guess it’s more a ‘seen’ travel destination than a ‘dream’ destination, so a place I haven’t yet been that I’d love to see is France. Monet’s garden, museums, Versailles, lavender farms, villages, and so much lovely French food to experience – one day!
The Book
Catherine Winthrop has cried out to God too many times to count. Years ago, the man who stole her heart rejected her–and she’s never recovered. Now tragedy has brought him back into her life. This time it isn’t her heart he’s taking, it’s her home and her family’s good name–and she has no one to share her grief.
Jonathan Carlew’s life may look enviable from the outside–wealthy, handsome, landed–but the mystery surrounding his birth has shadowed his entire life. Now as he ascends to the barony, fresh challenges await, including a scheming mama who wants him to embrace power, even at the cost of losing love. How can he remain the kind, honorable man he strives to be and still meet the demands of his new society responsibilities?
These two broken hearts must decide whether their painful past and bitter present will be all they can share, or if forgiveness can provide a path to freedom for the future.
Set in the sumptuous salons of Bath, Regency England’s royal breeding ground for gossip, Winning Miss Winthrop is the first volume in Carolyn Miller’s new series. Fans of the wholesome and richly drawn first series won’t want to miss this new set of characters.
What was the working title?
In my mind it was always Winning Miss Winthrop – and I’m so glad the publishers could see the value in keeping it so.
I like the play on words this title holds, such as ‘Miss Winthrop must be won’ and ‘Miss Winthrop has a winning personality’ and ‘Miss Winthrop wins.’ Because she should, she had, and she does 🙂
Describe your book in 5 adjectives
Heartbreaking, heartfelt, Bath, masquerade, romantic
(I know some of those words aren’t exactly adjectives, but they’re still excellent descriptors!)
Which character did you enjoy writing most?
I loved writing Catherine’s POV, as she’s a quieter, more gentle character than a feisty heroine of Elizabeth Bennett’s ilk, and trying to balance her character qualities with the sensibilities of the day and still make her likeable to the modern reader was interesting. For pure fun factor, I loved the witty banter offered by Henry Carmichael – so much so that this elegant mischief-maker gets his own story in Miss Serena’s Secret (out July 24) 🙂
Which character gave you the most grief?
Sometimes it’s tough to write characters without making them appear a little like caricatures, and Lady Winthrop was a little over the top. But for a woman in grief, who is given free rein to say whatever she likes with little fear of the consequences, I think a lot of her reactions could be considered realistic. It was a hard balance to make her unlikeable but still somehow sympathetic, and I hope people can understand why she acts the way she does, and can see some redeeming qualities by the end.
What emotions do you think your story will generate in readers?
I hope people will feel deep sympathy for Catherine, and will cry, yearn, hope and laugh along with her.
What emotions did you experience while writing this story?
Pretty much all of the above! Of course, this may have been fuelled by copious viewings of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, with which Winning Miss Winthrop shares some parallels.
How do you choose your characters names?
I have to choose Regency appropriate names – so, no Ta-Neiqua’s or Ridge/Thorn/Storm names for me! Catherine was a classic top pick Regency-era name I hadn’t used in my first Regency Brides series, and Jonathan was also Regency appropriate (and one of my all-time fave male names) – plus it had the bonus of being able to be shortened to Jon, which this Aussie appreciated. I can’t remember why I chose Winthrop – it just sounded classically English, I suppose – but Catherine’s sister was named Serena to emphasise her cool aloofness, which is definitely a façade as we see in her story Miss Serena’s Secret.
I have started to follow Georgette Heyer’s lead in finding English place names on a map, and using this for the surnames of my characters 🙂 I want my character names to be appropriate for the era, but also suggest a little about their personality, too, so I’m a little precious about my names, as I love my characters, and hope my readers will love them, too.
Thanks Carolyn!
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.
A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, and her newest, Winning Miss Winthrop, all available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc
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Buy at Amazon: Winning Miss Winthrop or Koorong
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April 7, 2018 at 1:18 am
I love the regency era for it’s social etiquette and refinement. The gowns are gorgeous. The people are courteous. It’s just a fascinating time period.
April 7, 2018 at 2:25 am
I have all of Carolyn Miller’s books and love Regency fiction, so reading Winning Miss Winthrop is a must for me! Thanks so much for the interesting interview and giveaway opportunity!
April 7, 2018 at 2:38 am
Oops, as usual I entered my comment before I saw the question. :/ I simply love the setting, magnificent balls, dress, and customs of the Regency Era. Knowing Jane Austen lived during that time makes it even better! 😛
April 7, 2018 at 4:56 am
Lovely interview, Rel and Carolyn! I enjoyed learning more about Carolyn and her writing.
Carolyn, you are so talented at creating wonderful characters, and your knowledge and recreation of the Regency Era is fantastic. I love your books! Keep writing! Thanks for sharing your time and talents!
April 7, 2018 at 6:23 am
I love your books and this one looks so good. I have the first two in the series,so would love to read this one.
Thanks for the chance at the giveaway.
faithdcreech at gmail dot com
April 7, 2018 at 9:46 am
I love Regency for the eloquence, the fashion, the culture, love to read about the food, the architecture, etc… It’s just another world that is fun to escape in!
April 7, 2018 at 4:23 pm
The clothes, the manners, the romance…and I agree with Carolyn: Mr. Darcy. If a Regency book has a clean story and spark-flying chemistry of Lizzie-and-Darcy proportions, I’m in! 🙂
April 7, 2018 at 10:21 pm
story line is what appeals to me.
April 7, 2018 at 10:51 pm
What appeals to me is the step back in time, when people respected each other and followed etiquette when in social situations, especially the slow romance and courting.
April 7, 2018 at 11:25 pm
I love the clothes, locations, food, and the way they talk.
April 8, 2018 at 5:36 am
I like reading about the Regency era because I like reading about the glamour and the social society of the period.
April 8, 2018 at 5:42 am
I just love reading about different time periods–the clothes, the manners, the differences in life from today, the things I would never experience otherwise.
April 8, 2018 at 6:55 am
I enjoy reading stories set in the Regency period for many reasons; the different careers, the customs, the clothing and aspects of history I may not be familiar with. Thank you so much for the chance to win!
April 8, 2018 at 9:00 am
I like reading Regency period books because their lives are so different from my life. It is interesting to read about different customs and society rules. I am very happy with modern conveniences but find reading about times without them to be very interesting.
April 8, 2018 at 11:30 pm
I think it’s interesting to see the different social rules and customs. I love history, so getting glimpses of how things were in other eras is really appealing to me.
April 9, 2018 at 8:16 am
I love so much about Regencies – the dresses, concerts and balls, the prim and properness, the carriages and horseback riding and the relationship woes. I love learning about a different time.
April 9, 2018 at 4:28 pm
Since my very first romance read was Pride and Prejudice, there is a bit of nostalgia when it comes to enjoying regency romance. Other than that, I really like the formalities when it came to courting and marriage, in general.
April 10, 2018 at 10:19 am
What appeals to me about Regency romance novels is the fashion/gowns, the balls, the chivalry of the gentleman, the etiquette. I love Carolyn Miller’s books! Thanks for the opportunity of this giveaway!!!
April 10, 2018 at 10:46 am
Wonderful interview, Rel and Carolyn. I find the etiquette and fashion of the Regency era fascinating.
Thank you for the opportunity.
April 10, 2018 at 1:33 pm
Julie Klassen was the first author who introduced me to Regency fiction. I just fell in love from that get-go!! I love everything about the time period from the ball dances to how courting was done right. The respect men had for women and vise versa is refreshing 🙂
Thank you Rel for the fun interview and giveaway!
April 11, 2018 at 11:07 am
The clothes were beautiful. Oh, and the ‘parties’, the dancing!
wfnren at aol dot com
April 11, 2018 at 11:08 am
I love the clean, respectful treatment of relationships and the interesting cultural nuances.
April 11, 2018 at 11:10 am
The pomp and circumstances are intriguing. The dresses are lovely and I want to get far away in my mind and Regency does just that.
April 11, 2018 at 11:20 am
I do love to hear the background behind books. Author interviews are one of my favourites to read and to do.
April 11, 2018 at 11:21 am
you wanted me to answer a specific question! Commented before I read.
I love the wit of regency novels.
April 11, 2018 at 11:20 am
Regency era is one of my FAVE eras to read about!
April 11, 2018 at 11:35 am
I love any books set in England, so it’s mostly the setting that appeals to me.
April 11, 2018 at 11:41 am
I love that period with all the clothes and jewelry
April 11, 2018 at 11:47 am
I love history and the chance to escape to a place and time that is so different from my life. Although I do not think I could live with all those rules and restrictions, it would be fun to try!!
April 11, 2018 at 11:57 am
I’ve just always loved this time period. My grandma used to read this time period and got me into it when I was in junior high.
April 11, 2018 at 12:18 pm
I love the fashion, the simplicity of life, culture, balls and mannerisms of that time period. At least in literature, it seems like a very romantic time period.
April 11, 2018 at 1:01 pm
The fashion, the people’s manners, and the settings of Regency novels attracts me to read them.
April 11, 2018 at 1:17 pm
I just really love the regency era. I love history and so reading historical fiction has always been a passion for me. I guess what I love most about regency historical fiction is getting to see the era in the eyes of a young woman who lived there. I know that they are not real but it still is really cool to see what it was like living in the era.
April 11, 2018 at 2:07 pm
What appeals to me about regency books is fashions and how the etiquette was like for men and women.
April 11, 2018 at 2:40 pm
The reason I am interested in Carolyn’s book is that it parallels Austin books. This book is one I can share with my daughter. Since she has a masters in English education, I think she would like this book.
And historical fiction is one of the genres I like.
April 11, 2018 at 2:43 pm
Regency Romance novels are an escape for me.
April 11, 2018 at 3:08 pm
wow.. this time period interests me. I love reading books from different eras/time periods. I would love to be entered to win a copy of this book. I love the cover.
April 11, 2018 at 3:58 pm
I love reading about the British culture in that era :).
April 11, 2018 at 4:36 pm
I have been waiting for the next book in this series, can’t wait to read it !!!
April 11, 2018 at 7:49 pm
I love the Regency time period & Carolyn Miller does a great job with stories during that time
April 11, 2018 at 9:14 pm
I have not read any of these books yet, but I am looking forward to starting. I love to read and adding a new series is always on my list.
April 11, 2018 at 9:41 pm
Winning Miss Winthrop sounds like a wonderful read! I ,too, love Jane Austen and look forward to reading this new release. It was fun too get to know Carolyn through your post as well!
April 11, 2018 at 11:49 pm
I’m not a fan of Regency Romance but our church library readers are.
If I win, this book will be going to the library so that others may enjoy it.
April 12, 2018 at 2:29 am
I am addicted to historical romance and I love the regency period! The social interactions, the dress, the manners and strict rules. Love it!
April 12, 2018 at 11:36 am
I love historical books and ANYTHING historical, really. I am a genealogist and I am big into what happened back in the day! Would love reading this!
April 12, 2018 at 12:46 pm
I like how proper they are. There were no crazy sex fetishes, so they relied on pure passion!
April 13, 2018 at 5:41 am
“Winning Miss Winthrop” sounds like an awesome book and one I’d love to read. I love this time period because it’s interesting to read about the ways and rules of courting, proper etiquette of the time as well as everything else about that time frame.
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of one of Carolyn Miller’s books.
April 13, 2018 at 8:55 am
I love regency times because I learn so much about the culture then. The gowns, the food, the people…all fascinating!
April 13, 2018 at 1:43 pm
I still can’t decide if I like contemporary or historical fiction better! But when I read historical, my first thought is Regency. I’m a Jane Austen junkie, so I love anything from that era. I can’t wait to read this book! Thanks for the giveaway.
April 13, 2018 at 4:02 pm
I would love to win! Thank you for the chance!