Title: The Perfect Wife
Author: Amber Lake
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: June 18, 2015 by Ice House Publisher
A society full of rules, but when it comes to love, there is no written rule.
Charlotte Wilcox, an unfortunate baronet’s daughter, has been living with her father in a small village since her mother died when she was still a kid. Although she is happy at home and the fact of remaining single at 23 is not a worry for her, her relatives put pressure on her to find a husband who provides for her.
With that purpose, she travels to Bath, where her aunt Margaret is responsible for educating her so that she can get a proper marriage proposal.
Charlotte thinks that the strict norms that govern aristocratic members of society are ridiculous and old-fashioned. Thus, she is afraid that she will never become the perfect wife that her aunt expects and that every gentleman wishes.
At the first ball she goes to, she meets Edward Holne, viscount of Eversley, and all the rules that her aunt had taught her will be useless before the attraction between them.
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Author Interview with Amber Lake
1. Would you like to start by introducing yourself?
First, I’d like to send a warm greeting to all readers. I’m Amber Lake, a pen name I use to publish romance novels. I’m Spanish and I was born in Cartagena, a small village by the Mediterranean Sea and I’m very happy living there. I try to combine my job at university and my vocation as a writer with my family life the best I can. It’s something quite difficult to do, but I get by successfully.
2. Can you give us a brief overview of your latest novel and the inspiration behind it?
The Perfect Wife is a historic romance novel. The plot takes place in 1831 in England, in the city of Bath. Apart from the love story between the protagonists, which is one of the basic ingredients in works of this genre, I wanted to criticize the society of that time. It was very similar in all countries and it was governed by strict norms of protocol that oppressed women. That’s why the protagonist, Charlotte, is a rebel young lady that finds it difficult to accept those rules. When she falls in love, she decides to bend the rules without worrying about the rejection of society.
Here you have the book description: Charlotte Wilcox, an unfortunate baronet’s daughter, has been living with her father in a small village since her mother died when she was still a kid. Although she is happy at home and the fact of remaining single at 23 is not a worry for her, her relatives put pressure on her to find a husband who provides for her.
With that purpose, she travels to Bath, where her aunt Margaret is responsible for educating her so that she can get a proper marriage proposal.
Charlotte thinks that the strict norms that govern aristocratic members of society are ridiculous and old-fashioned. Thus, she is afraid that she will never become the perfect wife that her aunt expects and that every gentleman wishes.
At the first ball she goes to, she meets Edward Holne, viscount of Eversley, and all the rules that her aunt had taught her will be useless before the attraction between them.
3. How long did it take you to write [novel]? What is your writing process like?
I wrote it quite fast given that it is not a very long novel. I struggled with the documentation stage because I had to gather information about the customs of that time and that’s not always easy.
The steps I follow to write a novel are usually the same. Inspiration comes to me from different sources. On this occasion, I was reading the book The Perfect Wife (La perfecta casada) by Fray Luis de León, a classic from Spanish literature. From that idea, I developed a general draft of the novel and I started to write. After that comes the most difficult part –the proofreading and polishing processes.
4. Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on at the moment?
I’m about to finish proofreading a novel which I hope will be published this year and I’m gathering information for a new one. It’s a sequel from El escolta, a novel published in Spanish.
5. What’s your favorite quality about your heroine/hero?
Honesty.
6. How would you describe your writing style and previous novels to someone that has never read your work before?
I write what I’d like to read as a reader. I try to provide a bit of everything to my novels: humor, intrigue, passion and, of course, a realistic love story. For me it’s really important being well documented and paying special attention to the language to achieve a fluent story.
7. What is your favorite thing about writing romance novels?
I like writing romance novels of any kind, whether historic, contemporary, or chick-lit, even paranormal.
8. Did you always want to be a writer?
I’ve always liked writing. Since I was a little girl I’ve written short tales, stories and even poetry. However, I didn’t imagine that this hobby was going to become a job.
9. What would you be doing if you weren’t an author?
Apart from writing, I’m a librarian, a job that makes me very happy.
10. What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Never give up on your dreams, no matter how impossible they are.
11. Do you have any writing superstitions or rituals?
As I have little time to write, I can’t afford to have pet hates. I either write in a quiet room or in a crowded park. When you’re inspired, nothing can interrupt you.
12. Is there one book that stands out in your mind that you wish you’d written?
There are lots of books I wish I’d written such as The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet.
13. What would we find if we looked in your handbag right now?
Lots of stuff: diary, mobile phone, notebook for ideas, make-up, chocolate bars, lucky coin…
14. What’s your happiest childhood memory?
When I used to go with all my family to have a snack on the beach –my father used to fish, my mother told us stories, I played with my brothers…
15. Where is your favorite place in the world?
A fishing village by the Mar Menor (Minor Sea), a salty lake by the Mediterranean coast. There live my parents and it’s where I go on vacation as well as all the days off, when I have the chance.
16. Do you have any pet peeves?
I can’t stand cruelty against any living being, hypocrisy, greed, incompetence and arrogance of the politicians that govern us.
17. A few of your favorites…
Favorite scent? Wet grass after having rained.
Favorite color? Violet.
Favorite food? Salads. In all their forms.
Favorite word? Love, in its broadest sense.
Favorite book? Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez.
Favorite/dream vacation spot? A tropical nearly desert island.
Favorite time period in history? 19th century.
Favorite article of clothing? I feel comfortable with jeans and t-shirts.
Favorite drink of choice? Tea. In all its varieties.
Favorite celebrity crush? I look up to many celebrities, each one for a different reason. I can’t decide for anyone in particular.
18. Either or…
Dogs or cats? Both. I’ve got two cats and a dog. I simply adore them.
Red wine or white? Cold white wine.
Coffee or tea? I prefer tea but I also have coffee in the morning.
Summer or Winter? Summer, no doubt!
Sleep in or get up early? I don’t usually get up early because I go to bed very late but when the alarm clock goes off I get up immediately.
Apple or PC? PC.
Thank you so much for participating in this interview, I’m delighted to have you on my blog and truly appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions!
About the Author – Amber Lake
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Amber was born in a village by the seashore in Murcia (Spain) a long time ago and now she is living in Cartagena with her husband and children. She has a B.A. in History and she also has a degree in Teaching. She works in the university in the same city where she lives.
Since she was a little girl she has been passionate for literature. She lapped up everything she could get her hands on and very soon she began to create in her mind her own stories, tales, short stories and drafts of ambitious young novels.
Her studies, her work and her family were the reasons why she put on hold those literary dreams for several years, although she kept on embodying on paper some ideas that she wished her own novels would talk about. Fifteen years ago she resumed her old dream and she started to write regularly. She sent her stories to some competitions, where she won a few prizes, and also to different publishing houses.
In 2008 she saw how her dream came true with the publication of her first novel. Other novels followed that first one, such as El escolta in 2010, Buscando a la esposa perfecta, in 2012, El escolta (new version) in 2014 and some others. Thanks to all these novels, she has been very lucky to see how her readers have warmly welcomed them and this fact has made her very proud.
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Hi! It’s so kind of you to have posted the full interview with Amber Lake and the information about The Perfect Wife. I hope your readers will like it!!
Thank you! I enjoyed the content and thought my readers would too 🙂