Scandalous Victorian Interview--Jeanmarie Hamilton

Why do you write historical?

I write historical because I love the adventure of an entertaining historical romance.

What part of the Victorian era/setting do you write in?

I write in the Victorian era of the 1880s wild west. My American Title Contest finalist book, SEDUCTION, which I've sold to Highland Press, takes place in Arizona in 1880.

What is it about the era that most intrigues you?

To be honest I think it's the men and horses that intrigues me most. There's just something about a confident western man riding a powerful horse. The growth of the railroads at that time created an atmosphere of new adventure and prosperity in the towns and cities. My family lived the old west in Texas just outside San Antonio.

Where do you get your information?

I have heard and read stories about my Texas and Montana families since I was little. In addition, I've researched old family letters, legal documents, and family histories as well as information from books and maps in libraries in Texas and Arizona. I have photos of my family from the 1860s on. The photos provide information on how folks dressed in those days, and what their homes looked like, inside and out. They decorated their western homes with Victorian furniture, and they wore the latest Victorian fashions. They also incorporated suitable western fashions depending on the need and occassion, whether for a cattle drive in Montana or a fiesta in Texas. I'm told my great grandmother in Texas wore a velvet riding gown when she rode her horse during holiday celebrations. The skirt draped over the horse all the way to the ground. My great grandfather wore a black frock coat, vest, black trousers and western style hat. My grandmother told us that he taught her how to swim her horse across the Medina River when she was little. They often rode together on day trips between towns.

What are you working on now?

I'm having fun with a contemporary werewolf story which takes place in Texas near the border with Mexico. Waiting in the wings is an 1870s Victorian werewolf story that I'm impatient to finish.

How many books have you written?

I've written three western historicals and a paranormal western historical novella.

Do you write outside of the Victorian era, genre?

Yes, as I mentioned above. Also waiting is a fully plotted paranormal which takes place in the past before ancient cultures developed in the New World.

What challenges have you faced in your career?

Challenges which I think most writers face. Enough rejections to paper my office space. ;-) Contests. The American Title Contest II in which my book Seduction finaled. The need to rewrite and keep my goal of publishing books readers will love foremost in my mind. All while taking care of normal family needs and expectations.

What is you writing schedule like?

Crazy! Any scheduled plans for writing and finishing a current work in progress inevitably take second place to requests from editors to read full manuscripts. So my writing schedule basically involves writing and polishing the latest request before mailing it. Ideally, being a night owl, I plan to work on a current wip by writing every week day while my husband is at the office. But with interruptions, in reality that schedule only kicks in when an editor requests the full. Whether it's writing, blogging or emailing with other writers and readers, my main goal is to accomplish something writing-related every day.