Q&A With Sabrina Jeffries 

Late last week into Easter weekend I sped through Sabrina Jeffries new release Hazardous To A Dukes Heart. Getting an early copy was the best early birthday present since the book was released today on April 29^th wherever books are sold! What makes this even better is doing this Q&A with Sabrina. Sabrina’s historical romance novels are on the New York Times Bestsellers List and many of them are in a series, short stories and some of her books are written under the pen names Deborah Martin & Deborah Nicholas. Some of Sabrina’s work includes, The School For Heiress’s Series, The Sinful Suitors Series, The Hellions Of Halstead Hall Series & The Duke’s Men Series. 

Q: Hazardous To A Dukes Heart is the first time I read your work, and I fell in love with the story and sped through it in a few days! Would you like to give a brief description of each of your series beginning with Hazardous To A Duke’s Heart?

A: I’m so glad you enjoyed the book!

The Lords of Hazard series is about how three lords, detained in France during the Napoleonic war, return home after years abroad in a prison camp to find that everything has changed, both in England and their families. It will take women of extraordinary talent and strength to teach them about love and help bring the person who betrayed them in France to justice.

I do have eleven series, so how about I give you the link to my “By Series page,” which has a summary of every one of them, plus the books in them!

https://www.sabrinajeffries.com/books/books-by-series 

Q: How much time does it take you to research and write your historical romance novels? 

A: About a year. The research for this one took quite a while, though, so it slowed me down. I used to be able to write a novel in six months, but I was much younger then!

Q: I love Hazardous To A Duke’s Heart through and through, though some of my many favorite scenes were Tory tutoring Jon with art lessons and then going to the museum! Which scenes did you enjoy creating for the book?

A: I did have fun with the art lesson and museum scenes, but I also enjoyed every scene with Cyril in it. He had his own personality that came out whenever I wrote him. Oh, and I also loved writing the scenes at the ball. Men can be clueless sometimes, and I do enjoy writing about them when they are. ☺

Q: What lessons & emotions do you hope readers learn and feel once they turn the last page after finishing reading your books?

A: I want them to have that sigh of pleasure you get when everything works out. I also want them to feel like they’ve learned something about history and have had a glimpse into other people’s psyches that help them be more tolerant of people’s shortcomings. And I want them to have that swoony feeling of what it’s like to be in love. As far as I’m concerned, love is the most significant emotion (it’s why I write romance), and anything that fosters more love in the world is important to me.

Q: I know Hazardous To A Duke’s Heart is the beginning of a series. I can’t wait to read the next book! Can you reveal any details about book 2? How many books will be in the series?

A: The series will have three books (at least that’s how I’m viewing it right now). The next one is about Lord Heathbrook and Giselle, and I’m having so much fun writing it right now. It’s a fake engagement story that turns into a real marriage (of course). She needs something from him, and he needs a fiancée, so they work out a bargain!

Q: I could see Hazardous To A Duke’s Heart (or any of your books) becoming a series on PBS Masterpiece. Whether Hollywood has the rights to your work or not, who would be your dream cast to portray Jon, Tory, Chloe, Cyril & the other characters from the book? The entertainment industry needs new ideas again! 

A: Wow, thanks so much! I love PBS Masterpiece, actually. I’d love to see Luke Kleintank (from FBI: International and Bones) as Jon. I really like the actor and find him very sexy but cerebral, too. For Tory, I’d choose Heida Reed from Poldark. I just love her. Christopher Harington might make a good Heathbrook. I think Christina Ricci would be great as Chloe. Cyril is hard. I can’t think of any child actors off the top of my head who could play him, but I don’t watch many shows and movies with child actors.

Q: What made you choose to write under the pen names Deborah Martin & Deborah Nicholas? Do you have any books coming out under those names that you’d like for your readers to know about?

A: Sabrina Jeffries is actually a pseudonym. I wrote as Deborah Martin early in my career (it’s my maiden name), and as Deborah Nicholas a little later, so those two author names came first. When Avon bought The Pirate Lord, they wanted to change my name, since my style had somewhat changed, so my editor and I came up with Sabrina Jeffries! There won’t be any more Deborah Martin books, but I might write another Deborah Nicholas book down the line.

Q: Congratulations on your books on the New York Times Bestsellers List! Does it ever feel surreal? What is your advice for anyone wanting to write a great historical romance novel? 

A: Yes, it still definitely feels surreal. I don’t go around thinking of myself as a New York Times bestselling author, but I’m grateful to the readers who put me there.

As for writing tips, the most important thing is to write a lot and discover what your strengths and weaknesses are. Write what you like. Don’t write a macho hero if you want a sensitive artist, or a timid heroine if you want a wise-cracking feminist. Choose characters that speak to you. Look at the characters in popular movies and shows to determine what kind you prefer. In White Collar, for example, do you like the reliable and steady FBI agent Peter Burke or the risk-taking former con man Neal Caffrey? Would you prefer Law and Order’s intense, crusading heroine Olivia or Rizzoli and Isle’s wise-cracking cop, Jane Rizzoli?