Q&A With Wendy Vella

Wendy Vella is the USA Today Bestselling author of historical romance. Wendy has written several series some of which are Sinclair & Raven series, Deville Brothers Series, her new series The Notorious Nightingale series and the second book in that series The Disgraced Debutante comes out this month! Wendy also writes contemporary small town romance under the name Lani Blake. 

Q: Wendy, would you like to tell the readers of the blog and I a little bit about The Disgraced Debutante, and how you came up with the concept for the book?

A: Thanks for having me on Book Notions, Bianca. It’s awesome to be here!

I have to go back to a series I finished this year to explain where I came up with the concept for The Disgraced Debutante. The Sinclair & Raven series featured a character called Ellen Nightingale, and the idea for another series started after she appeared. My readers loved the Sinclair & Raven families and wanted more books like theirs, with a slight hint of paranormal and historical romance. 

Ellen and her siblings, The Notorious Nightingales, each have a special skill as a clairvoyant. After they were disgraced in the eyes of society, they had to learn to survive in a world very different from the one they had always lived in, and their skills helped them achieve this. 

There is mystery, romance, and lots of quirky characters.

Q: Wendy, what drew you into writing historical romance? Who were/are your biggest supporters of your writing talent and goal?

A: I was always an avid reader growing up, but it wasn’t until I was in my teens that my sister gave me a Georgette Heyer book called These Old Shades. I was hooked after that. I then devoured all her books. I went on to read Judith McNaught, Kathleen Woodiwiss, and many others. I have so many favorite historical romance authors, like Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and Eloisa James. I reread their books all the time. 

I’ve been lucky. My family is all big supporters of my writing. My daughter Sophie is my assistant, and my husband also works with us. It’s a family operation!

Q: What is your advice to those wanting to write great historical romance like you do?

A: I think the most important piece of advice I was given early in my writing career was, do your research. By that I mean, read a lot of what you want to write to understand what is doing well. 

I often hear writers saying they will have a go at writing a certain genre, but they don’t read it. That makes things hard from the get-go, as they do not know what is selling. If you want to make writing a career, then you need to know what books are doing well and why. It’s important to not rush things because you only get one shot at hooking a reader, and if we leave them with a bad experience, there is a good chance they won’t read a second book of yours.

Q: Are you currently writing book 3 of The Notorious Nightingale series? 

A: I just finished writing the last book in the Devil Brothers series The Devil’s Deception, so now I’m actually just starting book two in The Notorious Nightingale series, An Imperfect Gentleman.

Q: Where is your favorite spot to plot, research, write and edit your work? 

A: I love writing in a coffee shop! I love the bustle and noise. I always write with headphones, but I like the feeling of being with people, having said that, I also like writing in my office. I taught myself early in my writing career to write anywhere. My early books were written while sitting with my kids while they watched T.V. with my headphones on!

Q: What are you currently writing under your Lani Blake pen name? 

A: I just released book one in a new series called the Duke Brothers. The first book is The Moment That Changed Everything. I’m now writing book two, The Moment They Can’t Forget. I love small town romance, and this is where all my Lani Blake books are set.

Q: Does the entertainment industry have the rights to your work? I could see your books making great shows for PBS Masterpiece and Hollywood in general needs new material and not the same remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels and spin offs. 

A: No! But I wish they did. It’s something I’ve been thinking about looking into. Especially with the success of Bridgerton, but as yet I haven’t made a move in that direction. I’m working on German translation and audio books at the moment. But who knows what’s possible in the future?