Writer Wednesday: Hanging With … Margaret Locke?

With my darling hubby.
With my darling hubby.

Hi all! It’s #WriterWednesday! Wahoo!

Normally I bring you a new and different author every Wednesday, but today – SURPRISE – you get little ol’ me. Why? Because it’s A Matter of Time’s book birthday, and I feel like celebrating!

Hopefully you’ll enjoy these insights into my 2016 HOLT Medallion Certificate of Merit winner and 2016 RONE finalist, and perhaps learn a little more about me, as well.


Front Cover of A Matter of Time by Margaret LockeWhat inspired A Matter of Time?

I’d always intended on writing Regency romance. In fact, it’s the only thing I thought I’d ever write, but darn if my muse didn’t have other plans, since the first big story idea she brought was not set in the Regency at all! A Man of Character takes place in 2012 in Charlottesville, Virginia – with nary a duke or grand ball in sight.

Until the end. Because if my heroine Catherine Schreiber wasn’t going to be a Regency gal, at least her Jane Austen-loving sidekick Eliza James could, right? And what better way to tie my modern magical romantic comedy in with a Regency novel than by sending the sidekick from book one back in time in book two? That’s how the idea began.

Brainstorming what kind of duke Eliza might meet was a blast. Slick and debonair? A frilly, froofy dandy? Or a Darcy in disguise? Of course I chose the Pride and Prejudiceinspired latter for Deveric Mattersley, Duke of Claremont, and melded him with a Beauty and the Beast sort of touch, in part because bubbly Eliza needed a more Eeyorish counterpart, and in part because those are two of my favorite romances ever!

arthcollBut the most fun part, however, came when I gave Deveric two sidekicks – Morgan Collinswood, Marquess of Emerlin, and James Bradley, Duke of Arthington. Because, well, I’m totally obsessed with the BBC show Merlin and the two lead actors who played Merlin and Arthur – namely Colin Morgan and Bradley James. Turn them around, dress them up a little bit, throw in some Merlin references here and there, and voila! I had my counterparts to Deveric Mattersley. And I love them so much that they each shall eventually get their own books.

What was the hardest thing about writing A Matter of Time?

First and foremost, aiming for historical accuracy in details. And I’m sure I still made mistakes, but I tried to do diligent research and ask questions in the Romance Writers of America‘s wonderful Regency group, The Beau Monde.

Second, there were a few key scenes I had originally written from a third character’s perspective (Deveric’s mother, the rather dragon-like Matilda Mattersley). But my editor believed I should stick solely with Eliza’s and Deveric’s view points, so, well, having to rewrite those scenes from a different point of view while still showing Matilda’s character development proved rather rascally.

Our two new kittens, Otto and Edison, whom we got the day after Thanksgiving!
Our two new kittens, Otto and Edison, whom we got the day after Thanksgiving!

Do you always include pets in your books?

Yup! I decided from the start I’d include some sort of beloved animal in each of my novels, just because I’m a cat fanatic myself (yes, if I didn’t have husband, I’ve have more cats and be Crazy Cat Lady, indeed). So A Man of Character has a cat, Presley, A Matter of Time has a puppy named Pirate, and A Scandalous Matter has a cat named Ada Lovelace. It’s just a silly little thing for me to do, and I enjoy the feline and canine characters. Do you?

What’s coming up in 2017 for Margaret Locke?

To be honest, I had hoped to publish my next book, The Demon Duke, in December or January. But life has had a way of knocking me down this year (gallbladder surgery, tooth gone rogue, mom had major surgery, my beloved cat Scilla died), so it’s been pushed back a little, but hopefully it will debut in the late spring of 2017. It’s the first in my Put Up Your Dukes series, and a pure Regency, no magic at all. Hopefully my fans will still love it.

I also am working on a draft of A Delicate Matter, which takes a surprise character from book three in the Magic of Love series, A Scandalous Matter, and gives her her own story.


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Guess what? For the next few days only, ALL of my books are on sale! You can get each individual title for only $0.99 on Kindle, or all three books in the Magic of Love ebook series for only $2.99! Wahoo!

Prefer a paperback? Those are also available on Amazon, or you may contact me directly for autographed copies!


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Want to join me for A Matter of Time’s birthday bash?

Pop on in to my Facebook party tonight (November 30th, 2016) from 8-11 pm EST to meet a number of other great authors and learn about their books (and we’ve got an awesome variety, with several romance authors but also a couple of YA fantasy writers and an espionage writer!), and have the chance to win great giveaways and prizes from them and from moi!

Because I want to give back to all of you who’ve given me so much in this past eighteen months of being a published authors. It’s been amazing, a roller coaster full of thrills, and it’s taken me beyond my wildest dreams!

And for those of you who aren’t familiar with A Matter of Time, here’s its blurb:

recalcitrantsonCan a man with a past and a woman from the future forge a love for all time?

Nobody would blame widowed doctoral student Eliza James for giving up on Happily Ever After; at twenty-nine, she’s suffered more loss than most people do in a lifetime. But Eliza’s convinced her own hero is still out there, waiting for her, just like in the beloved romance novels she devours. Every Jane Austen-loving girl deserves a Darcy, right?

Only Eliza doesn’t dream of a modern-day affair: she wants the whole Regency experience. When a magical manuscript thrusts her back two hundred years into the arms and life of one Deveric Mattersley, Duke of Claremont, however, Eliza realizes some fantasies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, especially when her duke proves himself less than a Prince Charming.

Convinced he’s at fault for the death of his wife, Deveric Mattersley has no interest in women, much less marriage. Determined to atone for his sins, he decrees himself content to focus on running his family’s estates, and on raising his son–until the mysterious Mrs. James appears. Who is she? What does she want? And why does she make Dev’s blood run hot in a way no woman ever has?

A charming time-travel Regency romance full of wit and humor, A Matter of Time reminds us that, like books, you can’t judge people by their covers, and that love often comes when least expected.


fairytaleAnd a few reviews, just because they make me giddy. I can’t believe they’re talking about my novel!:

“A love story and so much more, A Matter of Time should be on every fantasy, paranormal, contemporary and Regency romance readers “to read” list…I would definitely recommend this novel – you will be charmed, captivated, have a few good laughs and shed a few tears as you cheer Eliza and Dev on to find their happy every after ending.” – Marsha, KeeperBookshelf.com

“This was one of the best fantasy, paranormal romances I have read in a while. I loved the characters and even the secondary characters were great. I would most definitely recommend this book and I look forward to more from this series.” – Cat, NerdGirlOfficial.com


Thank you so much for hanging with me, not only today, but all the time! I love you guys. Seriously. 

If you want to connect with me further, you can find me here:

Website | Facebook | GoodReads | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Amazon 

Two Books, One Year? A Big, Heart-felt Thank You From Margaret Locke

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I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s taken a chance on me this year.

The response to A Man of Character and now A Matter of Time (#25 in time-travel romance today? REALLY?!?) has been greater than I expected, and I am so, so grateful.

To friends and family who bought my books just because I wrote them, thank you.

To the fellow authors who gave me a shot, thank you.

To the book bloggers who agreed to give time and energy to reading and reviewing my book, thank you.

To all of you who’ve left reviews on Amazon and GoodReads, THANK YOU!

I couldn’t do it without you – and you make it all worth it!

Thank you from the bottom of this little indie romance author’s heart.
I truly mean it. 

Writer Wednesday: Margaret Locke, Part Two

Margaret LockeIt’s Writer Wednesday, and this week we’ve got … me, Margaret Locke? Well, sure – that’s one of the benefits of hosting your own weekly shindig: you can, uh, take over that hot seat whenever you, er, want to. Hopefully y’all will stick with me, and we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled roster of awesome writers next week (in fact, next Wednesday the amazing Tamara Shoemaker will be here, so don’t miss it!)

I thought it’d be fun to answer not only some of the questions I didn’t address the first time around, but also to tell y’all a bit about A Matter of Time, my new time-travel Regency romance. So without further ado…


What inspires you to write?

A Man of Character Cover Margaret LockeAs a teenager addicted to historical romance novels, I often had to defend my reading material of choice. I even wrote an essay for my tenth grade English class explaining my love for the genre: I read romance, because no matter what happens (and some pretty crazy things happen), you know those two people are going to end up together, and achieve that coveted Happy Ever After. For this anxiety-prone child of divorce, that was the ultimate comfort. Two flawed people could encounter all sorts of bizarre obstacles, and still stay together, still find everlasting love? Yes, please.

As to why I write it? Because I still seek that hope, that comfort, that security every day. Also, I’m a bit of a control freak. So an encouraging, reassuring story (with funny/witty parts, or so I hope) dictated entirely by me? Sign me up!

Writing allows me to explore my own thoughts and beliefs through watching/learning what my characters do. In A Man of Character, I examined the ideas of fantasy versus reality, perhaps in part because people have long challenged romance as presenting impossible ideals. In A Matter of Time, I delved into whether feminism is compatible with wanting to prioritize love and marriage (for the record, I am an ardent feminist who happens to be madly in love with my husband and who finds my identity in that relationship, and I’m good with that. So my answer to that question is a resounding yes.)

Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.

I spent a lot of time looking up various details about the Regency period, fervently attempting to get everything historically accurate. I’m sure I didn’t, but any errors are my own (still positive I don’t have the title thing down pat, in spite of marvelous help from The Beau Monde).

In addition to history books, I read numerous fascinating blog posts (there are tons of historical bloggers out there – my praise and thanks to them!). One post, from the UK’s Jane Austen website, discussed the making of hot chocolate in the Regency era, a tidbit I found so fascinating I had to stick it in the book. Definitely much more complicated than nuking milk in the microwave and adding powdered mix!

Name two things people don’t know about you.

  1. Hubby and I enjoyed some Bier in Hamburg!

    I’ve lived in Germany twice, and used to be quite fluent in the language (given it’s been fifteen years since I’ve regularly spoken auf Deutsch, I can’t claim that anymore). The first was in 1989, right after high school, in which I spent four months with a fantastic host family in Wülfrath (a small town near Düsseldorf and not all that far from Köln (or, as we say, Cologne)). The second was ten years later, when I’d won a DAAD grant for dissertation research, and I was to spend a year in Hamburg as I tackled the issues of gender and power and how they related to Ottonian queenship. I only stayed four months, but that’s a story for another blog post

  1. I met actor Wallace Shawn once in the Alderman Library on the University of Virginia’s campus. I and a bunch of fellow grad students were so star-struck that at first none of us would approach him. What if we were wrong, and it wasn’t him? (Inconceivable!) Finally I worked up the courage to ask – was he the Sicilian from The Princess Bride? He nodded his head and rather shyly said yes (or perhaps he was just irritated at the question and the crowd.) I was so giddy I just kind of hopped away. I didn’t compliment him on any other movies he’d done, nor did I ask for an autograph. I just ran, grinning like an idiot.

I’d like to think I did a bit better when I met Colin Morgan in 2013, but I probably didn’t – though at least I thought of something good enough to say that I earned a high-five from the man.

What fellow romance author do you recommend reading, and why?

TemptationOf course I have my big three (Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Sabrina Jeffries), to which I now need to add Sarah MacLean, and then also Valerie Bowman, Tessa Dare, and Erin Knightley, plus oh-so-many more! But those are the very well-know Regency names, the writers most people could find on the shelf in a bookstore.

As I’ve ventured down this authorly path, I’ve been blessed to meet many a romance writer, some who are traditionally published but less well known, or perhaps traditionally published but in e-format only, or, like me, who are indie published.

I highly recommend contemporary romance author Kathryn Barrett’s Temptationgreat book with a premise I hadn’t yet encountered (Amish hero, but not an Amish romance per se). And Katy Regnery is another contemporary romance writer who’s shot up the charts in the last year (in part because I’m convinced she’s secretly super-human, given how quickly she can churn out well-written, emotionally intense novels!).

But there are so many more – check out my Writer Wednesday interview tab to find other great names.

What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?

editorGet an editor.

I didn’t understand at first that there were different types of editors. I didn’t think I needed one, since not only was I fairly decent at the whole grammar/punctuation thing, but I have several marvelous friends and critique group members whose eagle eyes catch all sorts of goofs.

I didn’t realize that what I was thinking of was copy-editing/proofreading, and that there were other levels of editing, including the most global one, the developmental edit (which it turns out my first book really needed!).

I wish I’d hired Tessa Shapcott before I sent A Man of Character out on the query market. My guess is I would have had more success, more requests. Who knows? Maybe I’m wrong, though the original, unedited manuscript did garner some interest and a publication offer. But the version I crafted after receiving Tessa’s developmental suggestions resulted in a much better book.

Having gone through this writing and editing process twice, I know for sure that my developmental editor’s advice is worth its weight in gold, as both of my books are far stronger because of her advice. Not perfect, I’m sure (that burden is mine alone), but stronger!

If you’re a newbie like me, sinking a lot of money into a book is the last thing you want to do if you have no clue whether or not you’re going to make that money back. But here’s the thing: if you’re indie-publishing and you don’t get your works professionally edited, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. If you’re aiming for traditional publishing, you might also be sunk if your work isn’t solid enough to catch an agent or publisher’s attention. Gone are the days when agents/publishers were willing to dig and dig and dig for the diamond amongst the coal. You’ve got to pressure that puppy into a mostly finished gem yourself. Make use of the tools around you – critique groups, beta readers, and mostly definitely an editor!


Front Cover of A Matter of Time by Margaret LockeAnd now … A Matter of Time, a time-travel Regency romance in which a modern-day Austenite’s dreams come true when she lands in the arms of a Regency duke – only to realize some fantasies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be when he proves less than a Prince Charming.

Here’s the official scoop:

Love comes when least expected.

Nobody would blame widowed doctoral student Eliza James for giving up on Happy Ever After; at twenty-nine, she’s suffered more loss than most people do in a lifetime. But Eliza’s convinced her own hero is still out there, waiting for her, just like in the beloved romance novels she devours. Every girl deserves a Darcy, right?

Only Eliza doesn’t dream of a modern-day affair: she wants the whole Regency experience. When a magical manuscript thrusts her back two hundred years into the arms and life of one Deveric Mattersley, Duke of Claremont, however, Eliza soon realizes some fantasies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, especially when her duke proves himself less than a Prince Charming.

Deveric Mattersley has no interest in women, much less marriage. Determined to atone for his sins after convincing himself he’s at fault for the death of his first wife, he decrees himself content to focus on running his family’s estates, and on raising his son–until the mysterious Mrs. James appears. Who is she? What does she want? And why does she make Dev’s blood run hot in a way no woman ever has?

Can a man with a past and a woman from the future forge a love for all time?


“I fell in love with this book, just as I did with the Jane Austen classics. There’s a new Mr. Darcy in town.” – Annie, ARC reader, reviewer for The Write Review and ChickLitPlus.com.


You can pre-order A Matter of Time today on Amazon for only $2.99! Paperbacks available on official release day, November 30th, 2015.


Bio:

Margaret LockeA lover of romance novels since the age of ten (shh, don’t tell mom!), Margaret Locke declared as a teen that she’d write romances when she grew up. Once an adult, however, she figured she ought to be doing grown-up things (such as earning that master’s degree in medieval history), not penning steamy love stories. Yeah, whatever. Turning forty cured her of that silly notion. Margaret is now happily ensconced back in the clutches of her first love, this time as an author as well as a reader.

Margaret lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her fantastic husband, two fabulous kids, and two fat cats. You can usually find her in front of some sort of screen (electronic or window; she’s come to terms with the fact that she’s not an outdoors person).

Margaret loves to interact with fellow readers and authors! You may find her here:

Website/Blog: http://margaretlocke.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorMargaretLocke
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Margaret_Locke
Twitter: @Margaret_Locke


Thanks for putting up with this self-centered Writer Wednesday!
We’ll see you next week when we turn the spotlight back to where it belongs – on all those marvelous writers out there! 

#Giveaway! A Matter of Time & Mark of Four & Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good writer friend Tamara Shoemaker and I have novels debuting on the SAME DAY (11/30/15)! And to celebrate, we thought we’d give stuff away – because who doesn’t like free stuff?

So enter the Rafflecopter giveaway above for your chance at an autographed copy of A Matter of Time or Mark of Four (Kindle version for international participants) or a $10 Amazon gift card – and tell your friends!

Here’s a quick blurb about each book:

amatteroftimesmallA Matter of Time is Margaret Locke‘s new time-travel Regency romance, in which a modern-day Austenite’s dream comes true when she lands in the arms of a Regency duke – only to realize some fantasies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be when he proves less than a Prince Charming.

Can a duke with a past and a woman from the future forge a love for all time?


mofMark of Four is Tamara Shoemaker‘s new Young Adult fantasy in which Elementals wield one of four elements, and teens are sent to an Elemental training center to hone their talents.

But what happens when one Elemental can wield all four? Further, what happens when all the powers the world over, both good and bad, want this Elemental’s powers for themselves… and will stop at nothing to obtain it?

Margaret Locke: Failing My Way Into Happiness

This post originally appeared on Sydney Scrogham’s blog. I thank her for graciously letting me reblog it on my own site.

It was January 10th, 2000. I was in Hamburg, Germany, in month five of a yearlong DAAD grant for dissertation research.

I was also desperately lonely.

WWII Memorial Statue in Hamburg I walked by every day. I had to photograph it, because it represented how I felt much of the time I was there.
WWII Memorial Statue in Hamburg I walked by every day. I had to photograph it, because it represented how I felt much of the time I was there.

I missed my husband. We were newlyweds, married not even six months before. He’d visited in December. We’d spent the Christmas holiday together in the states. And then, suddenly, I was back in my subleased apartment on Beethovenstraße, facing seven more months of work – and separation.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t.

I’d lost interest in my doctoral work a while before. I’d applied for a Fulbright/DAAD grant anyway, mostly because it seemed the thing to do, the next step toward acquiring that PhD. I never thought I’d get the grant – they’re highly competitive. But, somehow, I did, and I found myself planning for a year away, a year I didn’t want to take.

How could I say no? This was a prestigious award, after all, an acknowledgment of talent and promise I never fully believed I possessed. I’d said for years I was going to be a professor of medieval history, and one couldn’t do that without a doctorate. I had to go. Right?

It never occurred to me it was OK to give up something in which I’d invested so much time – and money. Definitely money.

That was failure. That was defeat. That was unacceptable.

What would people think of me? What would people say? I couldn’t disappoint my new husband like that. He’d married me thinking he was marrying a fellow academic. Would he still love me? Would my mom, my family?

My identity had long been invested in my intelligence. People had told me my whole life I was smart. I excelled in academics. How could I stop in the middle of what I’d been pursuing for years, a career path that “proved” to me and to everyone else I was exactly what they thought I was?

Brett and me in Hamburg, December 1999 – we did have fun the three weeks we were together!
Brett and me in Hamburg, December 1999 – we did have fun the three weeks we were together!

Don’t get me wrong – I loved medieval history. I still do. But on January 10th, 2000, three years to the day after my husband and I started dating, my heart won out over my head.

I called my husband and then my mom, and told then I was coming home. I sobbed into the phone all my worries and fears about them thinking I was a failure, a quitter. My mom said this was a decision I, and I alone, could make. My husband said he supported me either way.

I called the airport to book a last-minute flight – and I took it, leaving all of my belongings behind.

I had no idea what I was doing. I thought maybe I’d be home for a few weeks, soak up some time with hubby, get my head on straight, and go back.

Nope. Oh, I did go back, six weeks later, on a whirlwind weekend trip to clean the apartment, gather my stuff, and to explain and apologize to the professor who’d been advising me.

Then I headed home again. I officially quit my doctoral program. I gave up a coveted grant and three years of graduate studies. And I was never happier.

Sometimes, when I tell people this story, they ask, “Don’t you want to go back?” They shake their heads (figuratively, if not literally), saying, “But you were so close! Why didn’t you just finish?”

Because. My heart wasn’t in it. My dreams weren’t in it.

Quitting grad school was the best decision I ever made – because I made it for me, based on what I wanted, on what I needed to feel happy.

Row houses in Lüneberg – for a nice German feel, and also to say, it was gorgeous. Not every day was a bad day. ;)
Row houses in Lüneberg – for a nice German feel, and also to say, it was gorgeous. Not every day was a bad day. 😉

Should everybody make such a rash life change? Not necessarily. I was blessed to have a supportive husband and be in a position where switching up life goals wasn’t unbearably financially risky. I was, and am, lucky. I know that.

Quitting grad school was the most freeing decision I ever made – because I did it, and the world didn’t fall apart. I didn’t fall apart. I was a quitter, and yet people still loved me, respected me, wanted what was best for me.

That was eye-opening – that quitting wasn’t necessarily failing. And that even if it were, people were there to catch me when I fell.

We’re still happily married. I’m still blessed, because my husband, my sweet, darling, ever-supportive husband, is 100% behind my decision to write, even though it means I’m likely to be costing us money, rather than making us money – at least for a while.

I’m so fortunate, y’all, and I know it. Not only do I have the support of family and friends around me, but I also have the knowledge, the certainty, that if I fail, it’s not the end of the world.

And when it came to pursuing this forgotten dream of writing romance, that certainty is what gave me the courage to try.


A Man of Character Cover Margaret LockeWhat would you do if you discovered the men you were dating were fictional characters you’d created long ago? 

Thirty-five-year-old Catherine Schreiber has shelved love for good. Keeping her ailing bookstore afloat takes all her time, and she’s perfectly fine with that. So when several men ask her out in short order, she’s not sure what to do…especially since something about them seems eerily familiar. 

A startling revelation – that these men are fictional characters she’d created and forgotten years ago – forces Cat to reevaluate her world and the people in it. Because these characters are alive. Here. Now. And most definitely in the flesh.
 
Her best friend, Eliza, a romance novel junkie craving her own Happily Ever After, is thrilled by the possibilities. The power to create Mr. Perfect – who could pass that up? But can a relationship be real if it’s fiction? Caught between fantasy and reality, Cat must decide which – or whom – she wants more. 

Blending humor with unusual twists, including a magical manuscript, a computer scientist in shining armor, and even a Regency ball, A Man of Character tells a story not only of love, but also of the lengths we’ll go for friendship, self-discovery, and second chances.

Amazon: http://bit.ly/AManOfCharacter
GoodReadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25535077-a-man-of-character


margaret lockeA lover of romance novels since the age of ten (shh, don’t tell mom!), Margaret Locke declared as a teen that she’d write romances when she grew up. Once an adult, however, she figured she ought to be doing grown-up things (such as earning that master’s degree in medieval history), not penning steamy love stories. Yeah, whatever. Turning forty cured her of that silly notion. Margaret is now happily ensconced back in the clutches of her first love, this time as an author as well as a reader.

Margaret lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her fantastic husband, two fabulous kids, and two fat cats. You can usually find her in front of some sort of screen (electronic or window; she’s come to terms with the fact that she’s not an outdoors person).

Margaret loves to interact with fellow readers and authors! You may find her here:

Website/Blog: http://margaretlocke.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorMargaretLocke
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Margaret_Locke
Twitter: @Margaret_Locke