Eliza Knight: What was the idea behind Lord and Lady Spy? When I heard the title, saw the cover and read the blurb, I was immediately drawn in—thinking OMG, it’s like Mr. and Mrs. Smith Regency style!
SG: First of all, thank you so much for having me here today. I always enjoy visiting with History Undressed.
You are exactly right to think of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. In fact, the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie movie is where I got the idea for the book. I was watching the movie on cable a few years ago and started thinking, what is the year wasn’t 2005 but 1815? And what if Mr. and Mrs. Smith were Lord and Lady Smythe? I made the characters spies rather than assassins and forced them to work together to find a murderer. In the book, Bonaparte has just been captured, so Adrian and Sophia are out of work spies. There’s one open position, and the spy who finds the person who murdered the prime minister’s brother first, wins the position.
Eliza Knight: Fascinating! I can't wait to read the book. It is in my queue to review :) What interesting/unique tidbit did you find out while doing research for the book?
SG: This is a fun, adventurous book, but I also deal with the more serious issue of infertility and miscarriage in it. I know this is something so many of my readers have been touched by in one way or another.
I did quite a bit of research on conceptions—or rather, misconceptions—about infertility and miscarriage throughout history. Not surprisingly, women were told ridiculous things like a foul mood causes miscarriage. What did surprise me was how many women died from miscarriages. This is all but unheard of today. I could not find exact numbers, but one of the main concerns with miscarriage at the time was the very real risk of death to the woman from blood loss and hemorrhaging.
Eliza Knight: Wow, I am really glad at the way medicine/thinking has changed, even in the last couple hundred years. I've heard some pretty crazy stories too... What do you think makes your books unique to readers? Any fun past reader comments you want to share?
SG: My books have a lot of adventure in them. A lot of historicals set in the Regency period focus on balls and rides in Hyde Park and the fun play of manners. I love reading these books, but I also like to read something with a faster pace and more action. I guess I like a little danger in my books from time to time. That’s what I write.
Recently a reviewer told me she was reading an advance copy of Lord and Lady Spy while on her way to work and ended up weeping so hard she had mascara running down her cheeks. I’m sure her fellow passengers wondered what was wrong. That’s not really a fun comment, but it always means a lot to me when I know that something I felt emotional about when writing it, touches a reader as well.
Eliza Knight: That is definitely a reason why I like your books--the action and fast pace, makes the book not only a love story, but an edge-of-your-seat story too. That is very touching to hear you had such an impact on your reader--means you did your job right? What sort or research did you do to learn about female spies in the Regency period?
SG: I read a book called The Man Who Broke Napoleon’s Codes by Mark Urban. Urban tells the story of George Scovall, an engraver’s apprentice who became the Duke of Wellington’s decoder. Scovall deciphered Napoleon’s Great Paris Cipher, which reportedly contained over 1,400 elements.
The other source I replied upon was My Lady Scandalous: The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott by Jo Manning. Grace was an Englishwoman and a courtesan in France at the time of the French Revolution. She was an ardent royalist. Details about her work as a spy are sketchy, but it is known that during 1790-1791, she traveled to Spa, Belgium, which was a European crossroads and a place where spies and couriers met and exchanged information. She acted as a courier for Queen Marie-Antoniette and the cousin of the King, the duc d’ Orleans, her former lover.
Eliza Knight: Ooh, that sounds like fun research! Anything else you'd like to share with readers?
SG: I’m sure authors say this all the time, but I know I’ve never said it before. Lord and Lady Spy is truly a book of my heart. It’s incredibly special to me, and I’m so honored and pleased it’s finally on sale. I hope readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it because it really was a lot of fun to write.
Eliza Knight: Any advice for aspiring authors?
SG: Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never give up.” I think that’s good advice.
Eliza Knight: Great advice!!! Thank you so much for being with us today, and for the giveaway! Readers, don't forget to leave a comment with your email address to win! Two winners (US and Canada only) will be drawn tomorrow.
LORD AND LADY SPY BY SHANA GALEN – IN STORES SEPTEMBER 2011
No man can outsmart him...
Lord Adrian Smythe may appear a perfectly boring gentleman, but he leads a thrilling life as one of England’s most preeminent spies, an identity so clandestine even his wife is unaware of it. But he isn’t the only one with secrets...
She’s been outsmarting him for years...
Now that the Napoleonic wars have come to an end, daring secret agent Lady Sophia Smythe can hardly bear the thought of returning home to her tedious husband. Until she discovers in the dark of night that he’s not who she thinks he is after all...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shana Galen is the author of numerous fast-paced adventurous Regency historical romances, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold worldwide, including Japan, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She’s a wife, a mother, and an expert multi-tasker. She loves to hear from readers: visit her website at http://www.shanagalen.com/ or see what she’s up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.
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