RomanceEverAfter

Romance Authors Corner

Nancy Henderson

Nancy would love to hear from you.  Readers may read about her work and e-mail her by visiting www.nancyhenderson.homestead.com.

What I enjoy most about reading historical romances is not only the romance element but the fact that historical romances teach the reader something about history as well. And as far as writing historical romance, I can honestly say I enjoy the entire process--except coming to the end of the story because that's when I have to say that final goodbye to my characters.

Tell us about your novel, "Blackbird" and your upcoming release, "Heart's Bondage."

BLACKBIRD is set in eighteenth century New York. Hero, Adahya, a Mohawk warrior and scout for the British, is on a mission to bring Reverend Joshua Knox to Fort Ontario for execution for treason. Adahya finds instead Katherine St. James, a frontier mission teacher.

Katherine is determined to save Rev. Knox from this accusation and demands Adahya to take her to the fort instead to plead Joshua's case. Katherine has no idea what danger she faces. Her heart already belongs to Joshua. She has no idea she will fall in love with Adahya.

Adahya, on the other hand, finds Katherine irritating, outspoken, everything a proper Indian woman is not. When he makes the mistake of asking her to show him the white man's way of affection, he is lost. He expected a simple betrayal. He never expected to lose his heart...

BLACKBIRD can be ordered through any bookstore, just use ISBN#0-9710473-3-2, www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com, and of course at www.dragonflypubs.com.

HEART'S BONDAGE, due for a spring 2005 release from Dragonfly Publishing, Inc., compliments BLACKBIRD. Again, readers will be taken back to the Mohawk Indian village, and they will meet hero, Shadow; a troubled soul who will is trying to relocate his people away from the impending Revolutionary War. He never expects to fall in love with Jessie McCrea, the white woman who has been found near death and brought to the village. Jessie has vowed to never again be taken into servitude by a man. And Shadow will do anything to keep her with him.

I'm not sure. I think I may have been born in the wrong century or maybe I fought in the American Revolution in a former life. New York state has such a rich colonial history, and I think few people even realize it. Native American culture fascinates me. To think what they have endured and survived shows the true strength and tenacity of the indigenous spirit.

What challenges do you face as a historical romance writer in writing your stories?

I think the biggest challenge is to stay original. Every possible plot has already been written. It's up to the author to make it original by using her own voice. Characterization is key. Make them real. I try to incorporate one or two flaws in my characters.

For example, the hero in BLACKBIRD, Adahya, is self conscious about his looks, i.e. his height, or lack of it. Let's face it, we're not all six-foot tall, and we're not all 110 lbs. I love Fabio to death, but there aren't many of them out there. It's the average person we fall in love with. And if we're in love with them, they are beautiful in our eyes, regardless of appearance.

What 2 recommendations would you give to a writer who is interested in writing historical romance?

First and foremost, never, ever, ever give up. I received an entire file cabinet drawer of rejection letters before I was published. It will happen, given the fact that you don't quit writing and submitting. Secondly, read all you can. Romances, history books (start in the children's section for easy understanding of an unknown subject), even old diaries . Try to learn all you can. Just by doing research, you can come up with some great story ideas.