Carrie Lofty was born in California, raised in the Midwest, and found the love of her life in England. After earning her master's degree with a thesis on the importance of legend in society, she was excited to learn other parts of the world have history too--and then set about researching it all.

Two daughters and a half-dozen moves later, Carrie and her husband have settled just north of Chicago, where she writes fulltime and manages the talented authors of Unusual Historicals, a blog she founded in 2006 to celebrate romances set in unusual times and places.

Please join us while we chat with Romance Author Carrie Lofty.

HRC: Welcome Carrie! Let's get started - your debut novel, WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS, is a Medieval romance. Please tell us something about the characters and their story.

Carrie Lofty: Will Scarlet is Robin Hood's estranged nephew. He rescues an alchemist named Meg from certain death only to discover she's blind, obsessed with fire, and sister to the woman Will helped kidnap. Now, in order to defeat the new Sheriff of Nottingham, Will needs to become a hero for the ages. It's amazing what a scoundrel will do for love!

HRC: Sounds exciting! Can you tell us how you came to write this story?

Carrie Lofty: I'd always been intrigued by Will Scarlet because, in various Robin Hood adaptations, he served whatever purpose the story needed: a cad, a thug, a dandy, an inexperienced youth, a confidante. I wondered what sort of hero he would make--a full-blown, chivalrous, self-sacrificing warrior. Meg is an alchemist because I wanted to write a medieval romance that didn't feature magic. Instead, I researched the formative learning of the day to ground Meg's fantastic tricks in actual science. I love adventure and action in romance, so the two came together in a rather hot, fast, explosive way!

HRC: The Heroine sounds very unusual. Can you tell us more about her? How did this character come to you?

Carrie Lofty: I don't remember exactly why I made Meg blind, other than I wanted to challenge myself. One of the first scenes I imagined for the book is where Meg is nearly burned for witchcraft. I saw it all: the angry villagers gathered below, torches against the dark night, the smoke and flames coming up from the pyre. But then I realized that Meg wouldn't be able to see any of that. Every scene then became a matter of translating what I saw in my mind into what Meg would be able to take in with her other senses--the smell of burning wood, the heat against her legs, the frantic shouts. So it was a challenge, but it had the benefit of sinking me deeply into her point of view.

HRC: What made you decide to become an author, let alone decide to write romance?

Carrie Lofty: I always had stories to tell. How to explain that? They're just in my head and my heart, needing a voice. Writing it down is the end result. I began writing toward a career in the summer of 2006 when my husband was away in Virginia for a three-month internship. I stayed behind in Wisconsin with our young daughters and needed a creative and professional outlet.

I'm a romance writer because I'm always looking at the strange way couples fit together. What works for one pair does not work for another. People fill in each others' gaps, so part of what I find fascinating is the process of identifying who these fictional people are, what they need, and how their partners satisfy that need.

HRC: What did you do before you decided to begin writing? Do you have an interesting or humorous story you would like to share with us from any of your prior occupations?

Carrie Lofty: I used to be a financial analyst's assistant for an established family securities firm. One day I came into work and the Securities and Exchange Commission had to check us all in and lock down the computers. Turns out the owner had been embezzling for years and eventually went to jail! That was an interesting few months.

HRC: I understand you had a few false starts before you found real success with your writing. Can you tell us something about that?

Carrie Lofty: I wrote sporadically for about fifteen years before finally taking my career seriously. I suppose you could say those fifteen years were made of writer's block--lots of ideas, no follow-through, no completed manuscripts. After I gave myself permission to behave like a professional and make this my career, I got serious.

For the 2007 RWA National Conference, I braved internet crashes to get a pitch appointment, eventually sitting down with Hilary Sares of Kensington. She loved the concept and asked for the full. We spent the next few minutes talking about Russell Crowe. Only two days after I mailed the full, she called and offered me a two-book contract. I'm only glad that was my daughters' first day of pre-school, because I actually managed to conduct the conversation like an adult!

HRC: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Carrie Lofty: Set a manageable daily goal and meet it. When you can meet it consistently, push a little harder. Find reliable critique partners to help you see where you're stuck or where you can best improve. Take your career intentions seriously, especially if you expect others to honor your ambitions. And most importantly, trust that you have a story worth telling.

HRC: What is the creative process for you behind writing a romance novel?

Carrie Lofty: I start with a concept that intrigues me, or a place and time that speaks to me. Adventurous. Ready for romance. Then I map our my characters, looking for the missing pieces that will bring them together. Once I have my characters, I know the heart of my story--even if the plot remains a mystery. I do research to ground myself in the setting, then begin. If I stay too long with the research or fiddling too much with the plot before I start to write, I find the magic draining away. So after this preparation, I guess I consider myself a pantser!

HRC: When you are not immersed in creating your own stories, are there romance writers whom you read? Which authors have inspired you in your own writing?

Carrie Lofty: I tend to read different genres while I'm writing, so no historicals while I'm writing an historical. And as for inspiration, I tend to draw from literary writers, particularly with regard to the use of poetic prose. Helen Dunmore and Ian McEwan are two of my favorites, with Candice Proctor, Laura Kinsale, Penelope Williamson, and Susan Wiggs on the romance side. But with regard to action and adventure, I look to movies. I love rip-roaring books that have a big, cinematic feel.

HRC: What would you say is the most difficult thing about writing?

Carrie Lofty: Perseverance. It's not just about sitting down and hitting your daily word or page count. It's about believing that the story you have in your heart is worth telling, and pushing aside all the doubts and naysayers who'd tell you otherwise.

HRC: What would you say is the most rewarding thing about writing?

Carrie Lofty: Other than the pure accomplishment mechanics of it--look at how many pages I wrote!--I love when I find a review or a reader's comment and they just GET IT. Yes! That's exactly what I meant! That's exactly why I needed to write this down. They find it special too. In that sharing, the story takes on added meaning and depth.

HRC: When you get that longed-for chance to relax, do you have any favorite hobbies or activities you enjoy?

Carrie Lofty: I love movies, music and dance--both watching and performing. Belly-dancing is a fantastic way to unwind and find that inner sex kitten.

HRC: Are there any works in progress you can tell us about?

Carrie Lofty: SCOUNDREL'S KISS, the sequel to WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS, will be released in January 2010. In it, a Spanish warrior monk falls for the troubled woman he's sworn to protect, but she tempts him to abandon his vows of obedience, non-violence and chastity.

HRC: What is your favorite place in the world and why?

Carrie Lofty: The London Underground. When I studied in England for a year, I lived 2 1/2 hours by train away from the man who would eventually become my husband. So every weekend, one of us would travel to see the other. I loved riding the trains across England, and something about the Underground--the history, the bustle of people, the excitement of where I was heading--stuck with me. It's a very romantic place, to my thinking!

HRC: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

Carrie Lofty: SERENADE, my first manuscript, is being released throughout 2009 as a free serial on my website. Set in 1804 Salzburg, Serenade is the story of a widowed violin prodigy and a composer who stole the symphony he's famous for. The first seven chapters are available now on my website, with more to be posted in March.

HRC: Thank you Carrie, it was great visiting with you today!

Carrie Lofty's book can be purchased at amazon.com (direct link)
and at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, borders.com, powells.com,
thereadingwarehouse.com, buy.com, amazon.ca, amazon.co.uk, bookdepository.co.uk

Please visit Carrie at www.carrielofty.com
and lovelysalome.blogspot.com
and unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com

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