It’s axiomatic that protagonists in romantic fiction are going to have to face their worst fears. They’ll be forced by fate (or the author) into the one corner they most desperately want to avoid, and they’ll have to do the one thing they never, ever wanted to do–only to emerge worthy of a happily ever after.
When I started writing the Windham sibling books, playing the role of fate was great fun: The Earl of Westhaven started off as an orderly fellow who liked think his way through problems and take care of all in his ambit. He eschewed (other people would say avoid, but this guy is a ducal heir so he eschews) emotional situations, and regarded it as his lot to bear up manfully under His Grace’s queer starts and unreasonable expectations.
Oh, what fun it is to write… by the end of THE HEIR, Westhaven was getting tipsy with his brothers, had shouted his father into a heart seizure, been confounded by problems he could not solve, and frustrated by the one woman who would not allow him to take care of her. He was also a man capable of loving and worth loving.
His brothers fared similarly. Devlin St. Just, hero of THE SOLDIER, simply wanted to be left alone with the lingering effects of too much war, but fate inflicted responsibility for a small child on him, and he too ended up in love and fiercely loved.
Lord Valentine was a virtuoso pianist, so of course, his music had to be taken from him, and he had to admit that he and his dreadful ducal father had a lot more in common than either of them knew–and then, ably abetted by His Grace, Val could have his happily ever after. His story is told in THE VIRTUOSO!
Lady Sophie wants to have a few days to herself over the holidays, but she too must take on responsibility for a child, and she has no clue what infant care entails. Her story begins the Duke’s Daughters series, and is called LADY SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS WISH.
I thought these were fine stories and a lot of fun to write, but they were just fiction, until I realized… I am a lawyer, and like Westhaven, I’ve had to learn that not all problems admit of analytical solutions, much less legal resolution. Like Sophie and St. Just, my peace was substantially cut up when I became solely responsible for an infant, but I learned there are universes of love and laughter to be had as a parent. Like Lord Val, I had to admit that musical skill could not form the basis of my identity, and that rebellion is not the same thing as individuation.
Fiction, indeed. These characters have mined the lode of my lessons and losses in life and used them to remind me that growing up, becoming the person I am meant to be, is nothing more than learning how to love and be loved. This is an insight I can learn from many, many different perspectives, which is fortunate, as there are five more Windham siblings to go, and they all have friends and neighbors and cousins…. By the time I write all the books I have in me to write, I should be a very wise, loving person with a lot of wonderful books to my name.
THE VIRTUOSO by Grace Burrowes – In Stores November 2011
A genius with a terrible loss…
Gifted pianist Valentine Windham, youngest son of the Duke of Moreland, has little interest in his father’s obsession to see his sons married, and instead pours passion into his music. But when Val loses his music, he flees to the country, alone and tormented by what has been robbed from him.
A widow with a heartbreaking secret…
Grieving Ellen Markham has hidden herself away, looking for safety in solitude. Her curious new neighbor offers a kindred lonely soul whose desperation is matched only by his desire, but Ellen’s devastating secret could be the one thing that destroys them both.
Together they’ll find there’s no rescue from the past, but sometimes losing everything can help you find what you need most.
LADY SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS WISH by Grace Burrowes – In Stores NOW!
A luminous holiday tale of romance, passion, and dreams come true from rising star Grace Burrowes, whose award-winning Regency romances are capturing hearts worldwide.
All she wants is peace and anonymity…
Lady Sophie Windham has maneuvered a few days to herself at the ducal mansion in London before she must join her family for Christmas in Kent. Suddenly trapped by a London snowstorm, she finds herself with an abandoned baby and only the assistance of a kind, handsome stranger standing between her and complete disaster.
But Sophie’s holiday is about to heat up…
With his estate in ruins, Vim Charpentier sees little to feel festive about this Christmas. His growing attraction for Sophie Windham is the only thing that warms his spirits–but when Sophie’s brothers whisk her away, Vim’s most painful holiday memories are reawakened.
It seems Sophie’s been keeping secrets, and now it will take much more than a mistletoe kiss to make her deepest wishes come true…
The Duke’s Obsession
 THE HEIR #1 |
 THE SOLDIER #2 |
THE VIRTUOSO #3 |
About the Author
GRACE BURROWES is the pen name for a prolific and award-winning author of historical romances. THE HEIR, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and was selected as a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for 2010. Both THE HEIR and its follow-up, THE SOLIDER, are New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. She is a practicing attorney specializing in family law and lives in a restored log cabin in western Maryland without a TV, DVD or radio because she’s too busy working on her next books. For more information, please visit http://www.graceburrowes.com/
About the Author
GRACE BURROWES is the pen name for a prolific and award-winning author of historical romances. THE HEIR, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and was selected as a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for 2010. Both THE HEIR and its follow-up, THE SOLIDER, are New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. She is a practicing attorney specializing in family law and lives in a restored log cabin in western Maryland without a TV, DVD or radio because she’s too busy working on her next books. For more information, please visit http://www.graceburrowes.com/
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