Loretta Chase writes wonderful historical romances and her book Lord of Scoundrels is constantly hailed as one of the best if not THE best romance novel of all times.

It must be pretty clear by now how much I love Loretta Chase’s books and how she figures very highly in my favorite writers list. We are talking real fan girl here. So, it should come as no surprise to you when I say that when Loretta replied to the email I sent her, praising her work right after I read and loved The Lion’s Daughter, I stared numbly at the computer screen for a good 5 minutes. And when I created the courage to ask her for an interview and she said yes? I was incoherent for 3 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. No kidding.

So here we go ladies and gentlemen, a chat with the one and only Loretta Chase:

Book Smugglers: First and foremost, thanks very much for taking the time to have this chat with us, especially since it’s around the time your new book is coming out – how hectic is this moment for you?

Loretta: Thank you for inviting me. I’m delighted to be here. And yes, this time of year is extremely hectic but that’s mainly because it requires me to do something out of my normal routine and I disorganize and distract easily. Most of the time, my life is very boring: research and write today, research and write tomorrow, research and write the next day. Or for an exciting change of pace, go to a bookstore or library for more research material. When a book comes out, things get lively: Real human beings want to talk to me!

Book Smugglers: Your Scandalous Ways is your new release and it it’s the story of Courtesan Francesca Bonnard and James Cordier, an English spy. Can you tell us more about the story and how it came to be?

Loretta: The story, in a nutshell: James Cordier, my half Italian 007 of 1820, is fed up with the spy business. But before he can go back to England and try to have a normal life, His Majesty’s top secret agent gets one last mission: He must relieve Europe’s most expensive and exclusive courtesan of a packet of letters. He deems the assignment beneath him. Any beginner secret agent man could get some letters from a girl, he thinks. But Francesca Bonnard isn’t just any girl. She’s smart, sexy, and brilliant at manipulating men. The jewels adorning her beautiful body announce that she, too, is #1 in her profession. In short, James meets his match, and the world’s lamest assignment turns into the toughest and trickiest of his career.

Some of my books come from a deeply hidden place in my psyche. This one came from the local multiplex cinema. The James Bond movie Casino Royale gave me the idea for an early 19th C secret agent. It also inspired the setting.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale

Near the end of the film is one of those big special effects scenes, in Venice, in a building undergoing repairs. Usually, I view those kinds of crash-explode-fireballs-body-parts-flying scenes as Boy Entertainment, and promptly forget them. But this one stuck in my mind because of all the water–under the building! It was a revelation: “Venice is built on water!” I know this should be obvious but I didn’t grasp the situation. I had envisioned canals dug into solid ground, as elsewhere in the world. And that was all it took, really: curiosity to find out more. I’d scarcely started researching the place before I realized it was the perfect setting for my characters.

Book Smugglers: I fell in love with both James and Francesca and how they were both jaded, flawed individuals. I specially liked that you made Francesca a very wealthy courtesan and unlikely many courtesans in romance novels, she is an unrepentant one with a lot of joie de vivre. In fact, one of the reasons why James is so attracted to her is because she is a lot of FUN: she fully embraces who she is. What made you take this sort of angle?

Loretta: A number of factors contributed to Francesca’s character. When I thought of creating a courtesan heroine, the first thing that came into my mind was the aria “Sempre libre”–“Always free”–from the opera La Traviata.

I had an image in my mind of Violetta–but without TB–before she falls in love, before the big heartbreak and self-sacrifice. I envisioned a glamorous woman, free to choose the man she wants, and men vying for the privilege of being with her. I remembered the start of Regency-era courtesan Harriette Wilson’s memoirs, and her unrepentant attitude. It reminded me–again–that a courtesan, unlike a common prostitute, had a degree of freedom that other women of the time could only dream of (if they could even conceive of that level of freedom or dare to dream of it). And an important nudge came from Susan Holloway Scott’s Royal Harlot, and her view of Lady Castlemaine as a woman who relished her sexual freedom.

All this fed into an idea of a woman whose life’s been destroyed, who picks herself up and decides she’s going to take the route so many other women are forced to take–but this time, the woman decides that if she’s going to be a courtesan, she’s going to be the best: the queen of courtesans.

Book Smugglers: The book is set in Venice and having been there before, I was amazed at the detailed descriptions of streets, canals and buildings – it truly transported me back. The same goes for your descriptions of Egypt in Mr Impossible. The setting seems to be very important in your books – be it Paris, Venice, Egypt or Albania. Have you been physically to some of these locations to soak up culture, or is it through love of the cities through books/history?

Loretta: Thank you! Since I’ve been to neither Venice nor Egypt, that’s quite a compliment. Though I have traveled in Albania (many years ago) and in the UK, I rely primarily on books and cyberspace. Books have always transported me to other places and times, so history books, old travel accounts, memoirs, and so on, are as entertaining and fascinating to me as any wonderful piece of fiction. So I want to convey this feeling to readers–of history as another world, not a collection of dry facts, dates, and names. I try to make the setting not call attention to itself but simply be there, so that the reader is living, for the time of the story, in that particular time and place.

Book Smugglers: Your Scandalous Ways is the first in a new series called Fallen Women – can you tell us a bit more about the concept behind the series and what have you planned for after Your Scandalous Ways?

Loretta: Actually, it was my agent who gave me the idea. She pointed out that so many of my heroines are women of experience, though not all are sexually experienced. The idea of tackling fallen women really appealed to my longstanding desire to give history a do-over. There were so many different ways for women to become “fallen.” They were ostracized for having a love affair or bearing a child out of wedlock or being divorced–or even if people merely suspected they’d misbehaved. Meanwhile, of course, men who did the same things didn’t get into trouble. Well, that’s not fair. So Loretta, Justice Crusader, must fix it. The series actually started in the last book (so far) of the Carsington brothers series, Not Quite a Lady. In these stories, I’m responding to the Victorians’–and later works’–tragic ends for less-than-pure women. Each of the ways to be “fallen” becomes a starting point for a new story, a new heroine–and, of course, the man who’ll prove himself truly worthy of her love.

Book Smugglers: I am a “Hero” type of reader i.e. I usually fall in love with the heroes rather than the heroines but the opposite happens when I read your books: Your heroines are so spirited, competent, intelligent and independent that it’s easy for me to relate to them. Do you set out to write them with a purpose or do they spring to life out of their own accord?

Loretta: That is quite a compliment. Thank you! The matter of the heroine is a chicken-and-egg kind of question for me. When I first started writing romances, I knew I wanted to replace the passive or victimized women of the Victorian novels I loved with women who took charge of their lives and would not let the male-dominated culture rule them. But those are the kinds of women who spring to life in my psyche anyway. Here’s the way I see it: Romance demands a powerful, larger-than-life hero. I simply want to create a woman worthy of him. So she needs to be intelligent, savvy, determined, resilient, and so on. This often means she needs to have experiences or abilities that the average lady of the time might not have. Or–as in Francesca’s case–she’ll have survived and triumphed over the kind of personal catastrophe that would destroy other women. Or she fights back–overtly or via manipulation–in situations where other women became victims.

Book Smugglers: One of the things I love about your books is the special attention you give to the historical background – be it Canal building in 19th century England, a discussion of medieval Icons or Albanian nobility. How do you usually build your stories – do you come up with the characters first and then work out the setting and the time period or it is the other way around?

Loretta: My mind isn’t linear, so the creation process is a tangle. A nice word for this is “organic.” But really, it’s just a mess. A setting comes to mind, and I start wondering what kind of people would be there and why. But simultaneously I’ve got character ideas in my head and am wondering where they need to be, what environment will challenge them. So character and setting feed each other. And for me, the setting is a character. Characters have to interact with it. In some ways, the setting is the matchmaker and stage manager, bringing together people whose paths might not otherwise cross. Rupert and Daphne of Mr Impossible, for instance, would never meet at Almack’s, and if she were not in Egypt, facing all those physical challenges, she’d never realize she’s not just brainy but incredibly brave, while Rupert would never have the opportunity to show what he’s capable of. Physical hardship, being cut off from the familiar world–these elements are great for bringing a couple together and forcing them to stay together. The same goes for a canal, a valuable icon, or a rare papyrus.

“I’m a man,” he said…”I can do one or the other. Lovemaking or thinking. But not both at the same time.”

Book Smugglers: In Your Scandalous Ways Francesca and James are both connoisseurs of jewelry. In Lord of Scoundrels, Jess has an eye for valuable art and artifacts, in Mr. Impossible the heroine is a brilliant historian again with an eye for ancient artifacts. Do you have to learn about these items before writing about them – are you a collector yourself?

Loretta: I used to be more of a junk collector than I am now. I think my idea for the antiques and curiosities shop in Lord of Scoundrels came partly from Dickens and partly from the dimly lit little shops I used to haunt, starting in high school. I definitely study the various items, just as I do the settings, though I can’t say what inspires me to start researching, say, Russian icons. I can say that it’s all based on real stuff: the lewd timepiece in Lord of Scoundrels; Francesca’s jewelry, the various artifacts in Daphne’s house and the things she and Rupert stumble over in their travels up the Nile. And yes, I even studied the various attempts to decode the Rosetta Stone, so that I could put Daphne just a step or two ahead of everyone else at the time, in her grasp of some essentials of hieroglyphic writing. In short, while she beats me in the brains department, I win the nerd prize.

Book Smugglers: Lord of Scoundrels is hailed as one of the best romance novels of all time and constantly figures as reader’s favorites – What are Loretta Chase’s top 5 favorite romance novels?

Loretta: There’s no way I can choose a top 5. Maybe a top 100. I’d have to include all of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. Even their weaker works contain jewels. My keeper shelves include some traditional Regency gems (The Duke’s Wager by Edith Layton, His Lordship’s Mistress by Joan Wolf, The Ice Queen by Elizabeth Hewitt), Eva Ibbotson’s A Countess Below Stairs, a couple of LaVyrle Spencer’s books–mainly the later, bigger books–and contemporary romances by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jennifer Crusie. The list is mainly oldies for a reason: As time has passed, I’ve been reading fewer and fewer books in my own genre. This is because I can no longer read them like a normal person. I get all analytical–and no, I can’t turn that off–and it’s like grading papers instead of reading. Even the A+ work gets over-analyzed, which takes a lot of the fun out of it. This is one of the drawbacks of working in the same genre for so many years. But having an excuse to buy gigantic picture books of Georgian jewelry or Venetian palazzi, for instance, is some compensation.

Loretta Chase holds a B.A. from Clark University, where she majored in English and minored unofficially in visual art. Her past lives include clerical, administrative, and part-time teaching at Clark and a Dickensian six-month experience as a meter maid. In the course of moonlighting as a corporate video scriptwriter, she fell under the spell of a producer who lured her into writing novels…and marrying him. The union has resulted in more than a dozen books and a number of awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s Rita award. You can talk to Loretta via her email address Author@LorettaChase.com, visit her website at www.LorettaChase.com, and blog with her and six other authors at WordWenches.com.

We would like to thank Loretta for this amazing opportunity to learn more about her and her books.

And now, to close our Long Weekend with Loretta Chase event, we have three copies of Your Scandalous Ways to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment by Sunday midnight . We will announce the lucky winners on Monday. Good Luck!

If I started reading romance because of Julia Quinn, it was Loretta Chase who cemented it for me. It was right after reading Lord of Scoundrels that I was able to hold my head high and say “Yes, I read romance novels and I am proud of it”. Lord of Scoundrels is not only my favorite romance novel but it also managed to smuggle itself into a very high position into my top 10 favorite books of all time, alongside the likes of Lord of the Rings and The Sandman. Lord of Scoundrels is THAT good. It has, in spades, what I have come to call the “loretachaseness” factor: a very distinctive style recognizable anywhere with its alternating third person narrative (usually of the same scene), detailed historical research, a genius for entertainingly clever dialogue, a knack for creating amusing scenes , strong heroines and drool worthy heroes.

But even though Lord of Scoundrels is my favorite , there is another book by Loretta Chase that has very recently, captured a piece of my heart: The Lion’s Daughter.

It is the story of two amazing characters – a rake that has nearly destroyed his own life with his debauchery and a young woman who needs to avenge her father’s supposed death. It is set in Albania in the 19th century and the historical background is superb. Not to mention one of the best Villains in the world of romance – one who has turned into a hero in another fantastic book, Captives of the Night.

I love her other books (special mention to Mr Impossible) but these two hold a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. These are, therefore, my two favorite Loretta Chase books.

When I was organizing this event I thought to myself , “Hummm, wouldn’t it be nice if we invited other known reviewers and bloggers around romanceland to talk about their favorite Loretta Chase book as well? ” And so we did. I started with Thea, my blog partner and she says:

“When Ana first started getting into romances, she began to PM me about such and such new author she discovered, some hero and/or heroine, etc. But after she read Lord of Scoundrels, my inbox blew up! Thus, I was persuaded to try out this Loretta Chase character and see what all the fuss was about…and I was promptly blown away. My favorite fairy tale is and always will be Beauty and the Beast, and Loretta’s take on the classic with Dain and Jess is incredible. I loved her fearlessness in pursuing an “ugly” hero, her ballsy heroine (how many romance novel heroines actually shoot the hero?), her attention to historical and artistic detail–and all the while building a tantalizing romance.”

And now I give the floor to our awesome guests to answer: “What is your favorite Loretta Chase book”?

Carolyn Jean – The Trillionth Page

My favorite Loretta Chase book: Lord of Scoundrels!

I’m brand new to historicals; I read one or two only this past year and realized, hey, I love these! Once I realized this (and aren’t you sort of jealous? Because look at the feast I have before me, all these amazing books unread!) I thought, hell, I’m going start with the best historical ever. I’d been hearing about the fabulous Lord of Scoundrels here and there, from Lisabea and then others. So I bought it, husband dutifully made fun of the title, and I went to.

Wow! Reading Lord of Scoundrels, I had this experience I haven’t had with a book before or since – the experience of literally grinning as I read.

It all started in that pawn shop where Dain and Jess are both interested in the icon. And then it continued…the saucy and subtle removal of the glove, the kiss in the storm, the shooting, the talk of lingerie in the carriage, post-wedding romance and on and on.

The thing about this book is that it doesn’t rely on withholding, or misunderstanding. The characters do big things, break boundaries and let the chips fall where they may.

And as characters, they don’t merely complete each other; they wrestle the humanity and goodness and romance right out of each other. Theirs is a bold love that takes risks. And their HEA feels real as rain.

Holly – The Book Binge

Lord of Scoundrels, naturally. I can’t express what an amazing book this is. The characters are well drawn, the banter witty. There’s more depth in the story and character than you first realize, and the two main characters are so much more than you expect them to be.The heroine is what made this book. Though the story was fun, the hero wonderful, the dialogue witty, none of that would have mattered had the heroine not been what she was. The romance world needs more Jessica Trents.

Jane – Dear Author

One of my favorite romance books of all time is Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels. I think, in part, because of how different Jessica Trent was from so many other heroines in romance novels. She was pragmatic, aware of her own sensuality, bold, and proactive.

With her most recent release, Your Scandalous Ways, Chase introduces another iconic heroine in the form of Francesca, a woman for whom life could have so easily ended in disease and death but for her own determination and indomitable will. Chase writes romances about what makes women great.

Kristie – Ramblings on Romance

I was excited when Ana contacted me to offer up my thoughts on Loretta Chase and promptly emailed her back and said I’m in!

At the risk of giving Ms. Chase a superiority complex, I think she is one of the best historical authors out there – bar none. I’ve been reading her books a lot longer than many other reader bloggers and I still remember the hiatus she took after The Last Hellion. This was in the days before author websites or looking books up on the net. We had to do things the old fashioned way – going into bookstores and checking the shelves. Month after month, I’d cross my fingers for the next Loretta Chase release, but alas, a few years went by before I was rewarded.

Ana asked us to talk about a Loretta Chase book we enjoyed. I think probably most who will be participating will pick Lord of Scoundrels, so I decided on another one. But I can’t not mention LOS as we fondly call it. This was the first Chase book I read and I was blown away. Many years later I’m still blown away by it and it’s one of my top reread/comfort books. The writing is exquisite. Jessica is a fabulous heroine, well able to stand up to the giant, growly, lashing out inappropriately due to his own insecurities Dain, This book is funny, charming, heartwarming and a wonderful comfort read when all else fails.

But as I said, probably many people will be talking this book up so the one I chose to focus on is another one of her older books, Captives of the Night.

Lord of Scoundrels was the first Loretta Chase book I read and I think I read it not long after it came out. I was entranced and wanted to read any other books I could find by her and began searching out Used Books Stores. It took me quite a while, but I finally found an old ratty copy of Captives of the Night. The cover was all bent and the pages were loose and normally I wouldn’t have bought a book in such rotten condition, but this had been the only one I’d been able to find so I simply had to pick it up. While it didn’t pack quite the punch that LOS did, still I was enthralled with this one.

The Comte d’Esmond is rather a mysterious fellow who works for the crown. He plans on helping Leila Beaumont an artist who is under suspicion of murdering her (I know this is a modern term – but it applies) rat bastard of a husband. He’s not doing it to help her, but to uncover secrets that her late husband held over high ranking people. But he is very attracted to her and she to him, though she has every reason not to trust men, what with the rat bastard of a husband she had. But it doesn’t take too long for D’esmond to become totally besotted by Leila – in his own mysterious ways that is.

This book kept you guessing right up until the end and since I read this one before The Lion’s Daughter – I read these entirely backwards the first time I read them. Of course then I read them all over again in the proper order the second time.

D’esmond was a very intriguing character, even without knowing who he really was. I found him most mysterious and delicious.Leila, though battered by life and by men, is a successful artist and a great character herself. One of the things I really appreciate about Ms. Chase’s heroines is their strength. I last read this one about two years ago. But now that I have the nice pristine reissue, I think it’s time I read it again.

For those who read and loved Lord of Scoundrels – and I think there are MANY, don’t miss this one either!

Rosario – Rosario’s Reading Journal

My favorite Loretta Chase is also my favorite romance of all times: Lord of Scoundrels. It’s so much a favorite of mine that it was the only book I brought with me when I moved to the UK. It’s just… perfect. There’s not one word I would change, not one scene I don’t adore. I love Jessica’s intelligence and the clear-sighted way in which she sees exactly who Dain is and loves him all the more for it. I love Dain’s vulnerability, his utter and complete need for Jessica and his bemusement at how this goddess of a woman actually wants him. I love their relationship, full of banter but losing none of the heart-wrenching emotion for it. And most of all, I love Ms. Chase’s witty, charming voice, which infuses every page with wry humor.

Sarai- Thoughts of an Aspiring Writer

Loretta Chase brought back the word romance for me. Her characters are deeply flawed and yet strangely beautiful. They define the word chemistry. Each of her characters met on equal footing which made the romance all the more beautiful. My favorite story is Lord of Scoundrels. I loved this story and how each of the characters needed to feel loved. And yet when they did feel love beginning they were shy and scared of losing it. It really struck a cord. Because of this book I rushed right out, after the happy *sigh* at the end, and bought every book I could by Ms. Chase. She is definitely one of my MUST BUY authors. Thank you Ms. Chase for reminding me why I read this genre!

CJ, Holly, Jane, Katie, Kristie, Lisabea, Rosario and Sarai, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.