Jillian Leigh, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk about
your book, Some Like It Haute. What a great title! Tell us more about it.

Genre: Historical Romance (Regency)

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Buy links: http://boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/some-it-haute

Cover artist: Boroughs Publishing Group

Length: 10,000 words

Heat rating: Sweet

Tagline: Too haute for comfort? A stylish gentleman meets his
match when he wagers he can make a dowdy spinster the talk of the ton in Regency
England.

Blurb: Stylish leader of the beau monde Sir Richard Sheridan
has managed to avoid most forms of vulgarity for almost thirty years, but one evening,
when he is goaded by a drunken young pup in the middle of a ballroom, Sherry finds
himself embroiled in the most vulgar of wagers: to turn a dowdy young woman into
the talk of the ton. Jane Smith, in town as chaperone to her niece, isn’t interested
in a dandy such as Sir Richard, even if he is the most handsome man she’s ever encountered.
But when he offers to help make her niece’s season a success, how can she refuse
his company? Soon, they discover that they are–despite appearances to the contrary–
more evenly matched than either could have imagined.

What are your main
characters’ names, ages, and occupations?

Sir Richard Sheridan,
known to the world as Sherry, is almost 30. He’s a Regency gentleman, so
naturally he does as little as possible.

Jane Smith is about
the same age, though it’s impolite to speculate about a lady’s age. Suffice to
say she’s old enough to play chaperone to her young niece in London society.

Tell us about your latest book, including its genre. Does
it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?

Some Like It Haute is an historical Romance, set during the period
of English history known as the Regency. It’s my take on traditional Regency. I
hope I’ve captured some of the elegance and wit that this kind of historical is
noted for.

How do you come up with ideas?

Ideas come from all sorts of places. Sometimes I’ll see a scene
in my head. I don’t know exactly who these people are or what they’re doing there,
precisely, but it’s fun to find out. Or I might start with a premise: a what if?
Movies and books often start little ‘fires’ in my brain. Not all my ideas are suitable
for turning into stories, though, or they may need to be tweaked and refined a bit
first. Occasionally I’ll get a kernel of an idea that ends up sounding almost unrecognizable
by the time I’ve finished with it. But that’s writing for you.

What do you enjoy most about writing?

As Dorothy Parker famously said, “I hate writing. I love having
written.” While I don’t hate writing–or I probably wouldn’t do it–it’s hard work.
Once the draft is written, though, it’s fun to edit, revise, shudder at what’s on
the page, then come back and realize it’s not so awful after all. Even though reading
your own work can be a humbling experience, occasionally you come across a bit of
dialogue or a scene that you almost forgot you wrote–and it’s not bad!

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline,
or…?

A great deal depends upon what sort of idea has possessed my
mind. I do try not to do a lot of research before I start, because it can become
a distraction. So I either look up something as I need to, or make a note to come
back later (as long as an important plot point doesn’t hinge on knowing the answer).
Generally, I try to start with a vague but almost coherent outline. I used to think
I was a plotter, someone who needed to dot the ‘I’s and cross the ‘T’s before starting
to write. Somewhere along the way, I came to the conclusion that I was either too
lazy or too impatient to be a dedicated plotter. So then I decided I must be a pantser,
who wanted to launch into things and work out the finer points later. Now I realize
that I’m somewhere in between. I do need some sort of plot to work with, but writing
outlines and character sheets just makes me grumpy. Does that mean I’m a plantser?

If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what
would it be?

I would tell young me to ‘go for it’–not worry so much about
what I should be doing and do all the things I want to do, no matter how wild or
improbable they may seem at the time. I’d tell myself that your regrets tend to
be about what you wished you’d done, rather than the things you did do. I would
also tell young me to start writing sooner.

What do you hope readers take with them after reading your
work?

I would love to think that readers are transported to another
world for a little while, so much so that they forget their everyday existence and
go along for an entertaining and amusing ride.

List two authors we would find you reading when taking a break
from your own writing.

If I had to choose two only, I suppose I’d have to include Jane
Austen and Georgette Heyer. But if I could mention more than two–which I’m going
to do blatantly and unapologetically now–I would want to include writers such as
Dickens and Trollope. In the genre of historical Romance I enjoy, amongst others,
the fabulous Julia Quinn and Tessa Dare.

A biography has been written about you. What do you think
the title would be in six words or less?

She was a good girl, but…

If money were not an object, where would you most like to
live?

I’ve often thought, being an Anglophile and a history buff, that
I’d love to live in the UK. In some picturesque English hamlet, no doubt. I’d grow
a cottage garden and visit all the places I’ve mostly read about. But then I think
of how cold it would get and suddenly I’m thankful I live in Australia, where it’s
warm (no, make that hot). Actually, I’d love to have residences all over the world,
like Summer and Winter Palaces, that I could drop in on from time to time as the
mood took me. A girl can dream!

Picture yourself as a store. Considering your personality
and lifestyle, what type of products would be sold there?

My store is a cross between an elegant department store and something
out of a Dickens novel. You’d find an eclectic mix of old and new. In one corner,
you can try on the latest fashions, gorgeous shoes, sample makeup and perfume. In
another, you’ll wade through old collectibles and antiques. In a third corner of
the store, you’ll find books and DVDs. People will be dancing, performing live theater
and having debates. Of course there would be a café where you can enjoy a cup of
something and a great pastry. I don’t know whether my store would make any money,
but it would be a fun place to browse.

If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

Keep Her Fed and Watered Properly

I love
pizza with almost anything except olives.

I’m always
ready for a good laugh or a great conversation.

When I’m
alone, I daydream.

You’d
never be able to tell, but I can swear with the best of them.

If I had a halo it would be chipped, dented and slightly
crooked, but basically intact.

If I could
go back in time I’d visit the 19th century (of course).

I can
never read a map properly because I’m spatially challenged.

Website and blog: http://jillianleighauthor.com/

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