Author interview- Nicola Cornick
Friday, July 8, 2011
Hi, everyone. I am interviewing USA bestselling Historical romance writer Nicola Cornick today.
Originally from the North of England, Nicola now lives in the Oxfordshire countryside with her husband and a menagerie of cats and dogs. Genealogy is one of her passions and she has traced her family tree back to the sixteenth century by way of various poets, pirates and a link to the Earldom of Halifax.
Since the pub
lication of her first Regency romance by Harlequin Mills & Boon in 1998, Nicola has become a USA Today, Borders and UK Bookscan bestselling author as well as being shortlisted twice for both the US Romance Writers of America RITA award and the UK Romantic Novelists' Association Romance Prize. Nicola now writes for Harlequin HQN Books in the US and MIRA in the UK. (from her website)
TRIVIA
Favorite color- Blue
Zodiac sign- Leo
Favorite author- Mary Stewart
Favorite book/books- Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne Du Maurier and This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
Place of your dreams- Wester Ross, Scotland
Your motto- To thine own self be true
Describe yourself in one word- Loyal.
The real questions:
RC- Why did you decide to start writing romance?
Ans- I started to write historical romance in my late teens because I enjoyed reading it very much. When I ran out of romance books to borrow from the library I thought I would try to write one myself. Historical romance particularly appealed to me because I love history so much and romance was a natural genre for me because I love happy endings!
RC- Describe 3 qualities you would want your dream character (romance novel hero and heroine) to have.
Ans- My dream characters need to have integrity, courage and a good sense of humour plus quite a few other qualities besides!
RC- Tell us something about your books.
Ans- I write historical romance set in the Regency period and I love setting my books against unusual historical backgrounds. My heroines are strong women doing things that challenge the conventions of the era and my heroes are resourceful men of honour.
RC- What is the most difficult/easiest part of writing historical romance?
Ans- Interesting question! I find some books are easier to write than others. Some flow, others are more of a struggle. It’s not always easy to apply myself when the going gets tough. That’s something I find difficult about writing. What’s easy about writing historical romance – not much, though I do find it easy to get lost in my research and to fall in love with my characters!
RC- What is the daily life/schedule of a writer like?
Ans. I think different writers have different schedules depending on what suits them best. I start work early because I’m a morning person and spend the first half of the day writing. In the afternoon I will deal with emails, write blogs and do any other non-writing work. If I need a break I will go out for a walk in the countryside. I find it very refreshing to be out in the open air and often I have my best story ideas when I am out walking.
RC- What message would you like to give your fans?
Ans. I’d like to thank them very much! Writing can be a very solitary job and it is wonderfully encouraging to hear from readers and to know that they enjoy my books. I appreciate it so much!
To find out more about Nicola and her books, visit-
Her latest novel Notorious will hit bookstores in August.
