SCANDAL'S DECEPTION by Pamela Gibson - Interview - "Engaging"
Pamela Gibson joins us for an interview and a peek at Scandal's Deception, the fourth novel in her enchanting and entertaining Scandal series.
Scandal's Deception
Jane Stafford, raised in America, is shocked to learn she is a wealthy heiress, her late father was an earl, and her English mother is alive. Anxious to meet the woman she long-thought dead, she travels to London, only to be whisked away by her sinfully handsome guardian to a remote estate to be “schooled” in the ways of the ton.
Gilbert Carmichael, Lord Ralston, chafes at having to make a rebellious young heiress acceptable to society, especially one who is impetuous and blatantly democratic. Because the instruction she needs is more than deportment and dancing. It’s also about how to spot a rake who might woo her for her fortune.
When Ralston learns his ward is to be used as a pawn in an elaborate scheme involving a secret impersonation, he will move heaven and earth to keep her safe. Because proximity has brought the uncomfortable knowledge that his interest may be more than duty—it just might be love.
Q&A with author
Pamela Gibson
What compelled you to write this particular story?
I’m fascinated by all the tropes available and have “tried out” several during the course of my writing career. This story is what we call a “fish out of water” story about someone taken out of their comfortable environment and thrust into one that seems alien to them. I call it my “Parent Trap” meets “My Fair Lady” story.
For those not familiar, Parent Trap was an old film about twins who never knew about the other, who meet at summer camp and when camp ends, they trade places. The father lived in America, and their mother in England. When they divorced, each took a twin. My Fair Lady is about a street woman groomed to be a lady, but you all know that story.
This is Regency, the fourth book in my Scandal series, so I had a lot of research to do. I relied heavily on books about the life of Betsy Hamilton and Dolley Madison, before their husbands were famous, to imagine what life was like for an American woman just before and after the War of 1812. I can tell you it was quite different from the life of a woman raised in London society. When Jane, my heroine is sent to England, she is bewildered by all the rules. When she finally meets her twin, she is astonished to find even more surprises await.
What do you hope readers will take away from Scandal's Deception?
First, I hope it entertains, and second, I hope it informs, and third, I hope it inspires. I’m going to talk about the “inspiration” part.
The theme of this book is simple: if you believe in yourself, everything will come right in the end. It’s attributed to the heroine’s housekeeper and close friend, Maddie, in Chapter One, when Jane’s father has died and she is thinking about her fate. She remembers Maddie’s advice about grief, and it ends with the following words. “Everything comes right if you believe in yourself.”
Throughout the book, my heroine is met with challenges. Every obstacle put in her path is a learning experience and even in her darkest moments, she relies on herself because she believes all will be right if she does. I think we all need this reminder. It’s easy to give up when a situation seems hopeless. I grew up thinking everything happens for a purpose and if we continue to believe in our own abilities to grown, learn, and survive, all will be right. I still do.
Give us insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?
My hero, Gabriel Carmichael, Lord Ralston, is a minor character from the previous book. He’s a fixer, a no-nonsense type who calls out his best friend’s addiction to laudanum in Scandal’s Promise, stands by him as he fights it, and later helps him locate his son who has been abducted.
In Scandal’s Deception, Ralston discovers he is the guardian of two young ladies. The girls’ father thought he was naming Ralston’s namesake father, who is deceased. But Gilbert never shirks a duty and takes up the task, knowing the young women are nearly twenty, the English girl will soon receive a proposal, and the American one—well, he’ll help her navigate the shark-infested waters of the ton. He’s also a protector, and wants to keep the unusually independent American from damaging her reputation. When he fails, he does what “duty” dictates. What he doesn’t realize is duty isn’t his primary motivation. He’s fallen in love.
He’s one of my favorite characters.
Do you have to be alone or have quiet to write?
It’s funny because my first response is yes, I need quiet. Most of my writing is done on my living room sofa, a pillow at my back, laptop on my crossed leg, cat next to me in his bed. Yet, when I look back, I’ve only written like this since my husband’s stroke. I now need to be nearby in case he needs something.
In the past I wrote at a noisy coffee house and even did a write-in in a casino restaurant. I found I was able to tune out the noise and concentrate on what I was doing. I’ve written on a moving boat and in the grandstand keeping an eye on my son’s baseball practice. I once proofread a galley in the car when my husband was driving on an interstate with cars whizzing by.
So the answer is no. I don’t need to be alone. I don’t need quiet. But that’s what I get now, and frankly, I’ve been a lot more productive.
Why did you choose to write historical romance? If you write in others, how do you balance them?
I discovered Regency romance when I was pregnant with my first child. That’s when I began to devour books by Mary Balogh, Georgette Heyer, Barbara Cartland, and a few others. I also liked gothic novels, especially Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and the Mary Stewart historicals. When I began writing, many years later, you’d think I would try to write the kinds of books I read the most. Nope.
My first series was Love in Wine Country, six novels featuring cousins: three girls, three guys. These were contemporaries because my writing friends told me to start with something I know. I lived in the Napa-Sonoma area, dabbled in wine-making, and the series was born. My first Regency followed—I really wanted to write these—and I also have an Early California Rancho period series (think Zorro). This last series came from my love of California history, a subject that was my college major.
If you count my Love in Wine Country novellas, I’ve written 18 books altogether. The novellas began life as part of Marina Adair’s St. Helena Kindle World, now defunct. The rights were returned, settings and character names changed, and voila. These are now set in a fictional town on the Sonoma Coast and I occasionally add to this world. Otherwise I plan to stick to historicals.
Books & Benches: Thank you so much, Pamela, for sharing more about your writing and Scandal's Deception. Gabriel sounds like a fabulous hero for a novel!
The Author
Author of eight books on California history and seventeen romance novels, Pamela Gibson is a former City Manager who now lives in the Nevada desert. She has a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in public administration, but her passion is and always has been writing.
Having spent three years messing about in boats, a hobby that included a five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot Nordic Tug, she now spends most of her time indoors happily reading, writing, cooking and keeping up with the antics of Ralph, her Siamese rescue cat.
If you want to learn more about her activities go to https://www.pamelagibsonwrites.com and sign up for her blog and quarterly newsletter.
Genre: Historical Regency Romance
Series: Scandal Series, Book 4
Release: July 21, 2021
Pages: 236pp
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing LLC
Type: Novel
Content Rating: 4 Hearts
Tour Giveaway
Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
The giveaway is open to US only and ends on August 27, 2021. You must be 18 or older to enter. Void where prohibited by law. This giveaway is sponsored by the author and hosted by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
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