I’m hosting a guest post for the book tour for “Married One Night”. Enjoy the guest post!
Fiction vs. Reality
by
Amber Leigh Williams
Do you ever wonder how much of what an author writes is informed by his/her real lives? It’s the age-old quest to figure out how much reality informs fiction. After Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published, J.K. Rowling revealed that the book’s dementors were inspired by her struggles with depression. Even in the fantastical world of magic, it seems that the influence of reality isn’t far behind.
I write contemporary romance novels for Harlequin Superromance so it’s easy for me to draw comparisons between what winds up on the page and what I’ve experienced in real life. It’s important to note that none of my characters are based on real-life people. They’re their own individuals; they all have minds and hearts of their own. That’s part of what I love most about writing: exploring and discovering the characters as well as figuring out how they complement and contrast one another. However, the three books I’ve written for the Superromance series take place in a real place, Fairhope, Alabama. I know Fairhope pretty well – I grew up there! The books were inspired largely by my feelings for Fairhope, which to me means peace and tranquility and, most of all, HOME. If my characters don’t think of Fairhope as the place their heart lies in the beginning of the book, they’re sure to by the end. RT Book Reviews gave MARRIED ONE NIGHT 4-½ stars. The review makes note of Fairhope as a charming setting and one of the best elements of the book. Recreating Fairhope on the page was a bit intimidating. I can only hope I’ve done the place justice. It means so much to me and many other people who have lived and visited the Eastern Shore where it rests….
A lot of the time, I don’t even notice when I place personal touches in my stories. Recently while my mother was reading my latest Superromance novel, MARRIED ONE NIGHT, she pointed out several that I previously hadn’t known about, simple things like a scene in which the heroine and her friend are having a morning drink on the terrace overlooking the bay. They’re discussing the hero many attributes. It’s one of my favorite scenes of the book. The thing my mother loved most about the scene was the fact that the heroine and her friend were drinking bloody mary’s, something my mother and sister often did when they lived on the bay in Fairhope. I didn’t notice the significance of this personal tidbit until she pointed it out to me. Also the heroine, Olivia, runs every morning along the Eastern Shore. The route she takes to the Fairhope pier and back to her family’s tavern is the same one my mother and sister often walked or ran on weekends when they lived there. My husband and I would often ride our bicycles alongside them when we visited….
The hero of MARRIED ONE NIGHT, Gerald, is a sexy British novelist. He was a pleasure to write, largely because he was inspired in part by charming and handsome English actor, Tom Hiddleston. I loved writing Gerald’s character so much that when it came time for him to share parts of his heritage with the heroine, Olivia, I felt compelled to delve a bit into my own ancestry and lend him a few of my own family footnotes. For example, Gerald’s family ties show some deeply aristocratic lineage (interestingly enough, he’s a twenty-first century renegade earl), though not royal…unless you count a distant Scottish ancestor who claimed to be the son of the Duke of Berwick who was the illegitimate son of King James II. Not only was the Duke of Berwick a real person; if you look back far enough into my father’s family tree, you’ll find him! In addition, Gerald reveals at one point that he is 1/4th Scottish. His mother’s maiden name is MacLeod and he spent part of his childhood on the Isle of Skye. My mother’s family is descended from the mighty MacLeod clan and their stronghold on the Isle of Skye, a castle called DunVegan that is still in use by the MacLeod laird and his family today. In one of my favorite scenes in the book, Gerald shows up to a formal event wearing a kilt – the MacLeod tartan. Because I include all these personal details in the story, the book is dedicated to the various branches of my family tree and I give a shout-out to those MacLeod cousins with the clan motto: “Hold fast!”
These personal touches are just a few reasons why I loved writing MARRIED ONE NIGHT and why I hope you’ll love it just as much! Happy reading and, on behalf of my Scottish bloodline, “Hold fast!”
About the Author
Amber Leigh Williams lives on the Gulf Coast. A southern girl at heart, she loves beach days, the smell of real books, relaxing at her family’s lakehouse, and spending time with her husband, Jacob, and their sweet, blue-eyed boy. When she’s not running after her young son and three, large dogs, she can usually be found reading a good romance or cooking up a new dish in her kitchen. She is represented by Joyce Holland of the D4EO Literary Agency.
Her latest book is the contemporary romance, Married One Night.
For More Information
- Visit Amber Leigh Williams’ website.
- Connect with Amber on Facebook and Twitter.
- Visit Amber’s blog.
- More books by Amber Williams.
- Contact Amber.
About the Book
What happened in Vegas…followed her home!
Olivia Lewis is not the marrying type. So when a wild weekend in Vegas leaves her with a surprise husband, she’s happy to sign anything to erase her mistake—even if that mistake is handsome, charming and comes with an English accent. Fortunately, her groom has other plans.
Bestselling author Gerald Leighton knows he can make his new bride fall in love with him—he just needs time. In exchange for a quickie divorce, Olivia grudgingly gives him a few weeks to attempt to woo her. And whether Olivia likes it or not, Gerald plans on using every second to win her heart!
For More Information
- Married One Night is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
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