Hey loverlies new and old. Welcome to We heart Historicals, a celebration of Historical Romance. Today’s special guest is the amazing Victoria Janssen . She’ll be giving away a copy of one of her favorite books, SEIZE THE FIRE by Laura Kinsale. All you have to do is leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win but remember in order to enter or win you must be 18 years or older. And don’t forgot to join us tomorrow when our guest will be Amy Ruttan.

Winner of Pimp & Win weekend: Bettina. You’ve won a set of Catherine Anderson’s, Comanche Moon & Comanche Heart.

Please email me your snail mail addy via my contact page! Thanks to all who participated.

EMMA & JACKIE: Ms. Janssen, thank you so very much for joining us in our celebration of historical romance and all of its authors and genres. Before we start talking about books and writing, tell us a little bit about Victoria Janssen.

Victoria Janssen: I was fascinated by history when I grew up; I loved hearing stories about my family’s past, and one of my favorite books from the library was about prehistoric Europe. I decided I was going to be an archaeologist, and in college I did study archaeology and anthropology, but stopped before I completed my doctorate because I realized what I really wanted to do was write fiction, and I didn’t have to complete a Ph.D. to accomplish that goal; I just had to write.

I love the conventions of genre, and the multitude of ways those conventions can be both exploited and subverted.

EMMA & JACKIE: What’s a day in the life of Victoria Janssen like?

Victoria Janssen:I have a day job, 35 hours a week, so all my fiction writing takes place on evenings, weekends, and vacation days. I get up early every morning to check email and prepare blog posts and the like. I twitter during small gaps in the work day. At home, when I’m under deadline, I tend to write every weekday evening for at least a couple of hours, sometimes more; I write until I have a thousand words, then stop. On the weekends, I tend to get up early and write until lunchtime, take the afternoon off, then sometimes return to writing in the evening, depending on deadline pressure and non-writing committments.

I think it’s important to have time to myself to refresh and refuel my mind, so I guard my time jealously. My friends have learned that sometimes I do have to skip outings to stay home and write, but I try to make it up to them later.

EMMA & JACKIE: How long have you been writing?

Victoria Janssen: I puttered around with writing in high school, but didn’t start truly writing and finishing stories until the mid-1980s, when my college friends and I wrote interactive stories for fun. I didn’t attempt writing for publication until years after that, but by then I had many friends who were published writers, agents, and editors, so had a good idea what went on in the publishing business, mostly in the sf/f genre, and knew whom to ask for further information. My first erotic short story sold on its second submission.

Over all, I spent over a decade writing seriously before I sold anything.

EMMA & JACKIE: Can you tell us about your first sale or big break?

Victoria Janssen: My “big break” into novels happened because of my many years as a short story writer. My current agent, Lori Perkins, approached me because various publishers were looking for erotica and erotic romance writers; she was co-editor of an anthology to which I’d submitted, and liked my story enough to want to see more. She requested a proposal (synopsis and three chapters) from me and sold THE DUCHESS, HER MAID, THE GROOM AND THEIR LOVER based on that. MOONLIGHT MISTRESS was the second book on the same contract; I was very pleased Harlequin was interested in historical erotica. MOONLIGHT MISTRESS also has paranormal elements.

EMMA & JACKIE: What drew you to Historical Romance?

Victoria Janssen: I’ve been a reader of science fiction and fantasy since I was small. In my mind, the skills required to create worlds for sf/f are very similar to those needed for historical writing so far as inclusion of details is concerned. Also, my love of history has influenced my science fictional and fantastical worldbuilding, and reading sf/f set in historical periods has sometimes led me to research those periods more fully.

Among my favorite historical romance authors are Laura Kinsale, Carla Kelly, Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas, Loretta Chase, Mary Jo Putney, Pam Rosenthal, Liz Carlyle, Nita Abrams, and Connie Brockway.

EMMA & JACKIE: How much research goes into your books and do you enjoy it?

Victoria Janssen: I am a research junkie. I have many more research books that I could possibly need and am always on the lookout for more. When writing MOONLIGHT MISTRESS, I had to be careful not to allow myself to read things I wasn’t going to need for that particular book, because otherwise I would read and read but never write.

The werewolves are not part of the historical record, so far as I know. *ahem*

EMMA & JACKIE: What do you think makes a good hero for a romance novel, one your readers fall in love with?

Victoria Janssen: I think vulnerability is the key to a good romance hero. Or heroine, for that matter. Both characters have to need something which the other can provide.

I tend to favor outsider characters who are seeking a connection.

EMMA & JACKIE: What do you think is the most important element of an unforgettable romance novel?

Victoria Janssen: I love entertaining dialogue more than any other element in a romance. Second to that, I adore plot elements that might seem bizarre but work wonderfully, for example Laura Kinsale’s SEIZE THE FIRE, which includes both Penguins and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

EMMA & JACKIE: Have you always written historicals and can your fans ever expect a novel set in the modern day from you?

Victoria Janssen: I have written stories that were set in the present day, future worlds, and imaginary worlds as well as stories set in the past. Contemporary is my least favorite to write, for the most part, but that doesn’t mean I won’t write it again. A lot depends on the original story.

For Spice, I would prefer to stick with unusual settings.

EMMA & JACKIE: What do you have in store for lucky readers in the future?

Victoria Janssen: MOONLIGHT MISTRESS, my first historical novel, releases December 2009 from Harlequin Spice. I haven’t seen many historicals set during World War One, so I’m hoping that readers will enjoy the period as much as I do. Though it’s an “erotic novel” rather than a romance, readers may be assured there is a happy ending for the main romantic couple, and a happy ending in progress for the subsidiary characters.

MOONLIGHT MISTRESS has a paranormal element as well, though I treat the werewolves relatively realistically.

EMMA & JACKIE: Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers? New releases? Special projects? Signings, etc?

Victoria Janssen: For 2010, I’m writing a sequel to THE DUCHESS, HER MAID, THE GROOM AND THEIR LOVER tentatively titled THE DUKE AND THE PIRATE QUEEN, which features Duke Maxime and Captain Imena Leung on a sea adventure complete with pirates, a storm, and a desert island. I’m not sure what my 2011 book for Spice will be, but I’m hoping it will be another historical. I’m also working on a steampunk story set in an alternate-universe western United States after the Civil War.

EMMA & JACKIE: Thank you so very much for visiting us Ms. Janssen. And don’t forget, readers, comment and you’ll be entered to win a copy of one Ms. Janssen’s favorite books, SEIZE THE FIRE by Laura Kinsale. If you’d like more information about Victoria Janssen and her work you can visit her website here.