Writing Inspiration: Cats, Travels, and Georgette Heyer – Nancy Herkness Interview
Nancy Herkness is a multi-published, award-winning romance author. In her interview with me, she shares how she conquered writer’s block with her Royal Caleva series, how her cats help her write, and her recent travels.
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Once! Not surprisingly, it was early in the pandemic when we were in serious lockdown here in northern New Jersey. No one knew how COVID was transmitted or whether it would kill us all. Like everyone else, my anxiety levels were through the roof. I had just finished a three-book contract with very tight deadlines for my publisher which had stressed me out, and now I found myself exhausted, terrified, and unable to face the blank screen on my computer. My muse had curled up in a ball in her cave and refused to come out.
So for eight months I did nothing but read books by other people… a lot of books! Weirdly, I gravitated toward science fiction and ripped through a series by Lois McMaster Bujold called the Vorkosigan Saga. I loved it! There was an emperor, nobility, and several different planets to live on.
That gave me an idea: create a whole new country that didn’t have COVID! Give it a modern-day king! And a royal duke named Gabriel! I could get out of lockdown in my imagination.
My muse waltzed out of her cave, stretching and flexing in new directions with abandon. I didn’t try to control or direct her. I let her dance however she wanted to. She and I both needed to just have fun.
And that’s how my new series, Royal Caleva, was born out of that terrible time of the pandemic.
What are some of your favorite things?
They’re not things; they’re cats. My two tabby brothers, Skoda and Mobi, are my best writing buddies. They are rescue kitties who were found as kittens living with their mom and siblings under the porch of a house that was being renovated.
Skoda, the mackerel tabby, is the curious one; he’s lucky he has nine lives because he will poke his nose into anything. Mobi, the classic tabby with the swirls, is a shy guy, but he also likes to leap onto the valance of my living room shades and do a highwire act which makes me very nervous. At night, I sit in front of the television with my legs up on an ottoman, covered in a blanket. My two boys curl up together on the blanket, purring away. It’s the best stress reliever ever invented!
I also love to travel, and most recently took a cruise through the Panama Canal. I had always wanted to do that because my grandfather, when he was a recent graduate from West Point, was stationed there while the canal was being built. My father captained a destroyer in World War II, and took his ship through the canal more than once. So I grew up on stories of “the big ditch.” It was fascinating to see it in person, partly because it’s very utilitarian. There’s no fanfare about going through the locks alongside enormous freighters. It’s just a practical convenience for shipping while being a marvel of engineering built over 100 years ago.
Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
Georgette Heyer is the reason I became a romance writer. My grandmother loved Ms. Heyer’s delightful Regency romances. As soon as Grandma finished reading one, she would pass it along to me. As a pre-teen, I fell madly in love with all those dukes, earls, and barons. (That’s probably part of the reason I created a modern royal family for my fictional country of Caleva.) I adored the witty dialogue, the elegant manners, and the beautiful dresses. When Ms. Heyer died, I was distraught because I would have no more of her wonderful stories to discover. However, to this day, I re-read my favorites: Venetia, Frederica, Devil’s Cub, and several more.
(I attached a photo of my Georgette Heyer books to insert here.)
Not only that: I decided that I wanted to write books like hers. Not set in the Regency period because I felt I couldn’t compete with Ms. Heyer’s brilliance there, but modern-day romances with the same sparkle. Twenty books later, I’m still hoping that I’ve succeeded.
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to?
In my bestselling Wager of Hearts series, there is a recurring secondary character, a doctor named Ben Cavill, whom my readers got attached to. They’ve asked me to give him his own story, and I’ve tried a couple of times but never quite managed it due to time constraints.
However, I had a flash of inspiration recently. I want to bring Ben to Caleva for a much needed vacation. The man is a workaholic because he acts as a concierge doctor to the rich and he runs a low-cost medical clinic in the South Bronx. So his three friends from the Wager of Hearts books are going to drag him out of New York City and try to make him chill on the beautiful white sand beaches of Caleva. Of course, he’ll get to meet the royal family too. I think it would be such a fun crossover of characters. Now I just need to find the time to write it…
Can you tell us about any other upcoming books, series, or writing plans?
I’m so glad you asked! I am writing the third book in my Royal Caleva series. The first book was about the royal duke Gabriel, who plays the flamenco guitar. My current release is about the lonely silver fox, King Luis. Now I am working on the story of Raul, Caleva’s crown prince.
Raul is riddled with guilt over his cousin Gabriel’s kidnapping because the abductors wanted the prince but took the duke instead. Raul’s solution is to work all the time so he can bury the guilt and prove that he was worthy of Gabriel’s sacrifice. When his father, King Luis, forces Raul to take a vacation, the prince finds love and a way to forgive himself. There are dragons involved; not the flying kind, but the giant lizards native to Caleva. Yes, I gave my fictional country large frilled lizards because I always wanted to have dragons in my books, but I don’t write fantasy. I told you my muse had fun with this series!
Zara, thank you so much for allowing me to visit with your readers here on your blog. I loved answering your terrific questions. If anyone has more questions for me, please type them in the comments. I will be checking back here to answer anything you post.
Royal Caleva: Luis
by Nancy Herkness
A second chance romance, Cinderella story…but for the king, not the prince.
Luis, king of the exotic island country of Caleva, is stunned to discover that he has a daughter he never knew existed. He is determined to bring his newfound child into his life and that of the royal family. To do that, he knows he must win over her adoptive mother.
Eve, single-mom vet tech in the heartland of Iowa, is concerned when a mysterious stranger sets up a secret meeting. The shocking truth that is revealed upends her life, as she and her adopted daughter are swept off to Caleva and wrapped in the luxurious, privileged world of royalty.
But there’s an unexpected complication: passion flares between Eve and Luis.
She isn’t queen material, and he has sworn never to wed again, so their affair can have no happily-ever-after…or can it?
If you were rooting for Queen Clarisse to find her true love in The Princess Diaries, you’ll love Eve and Luis’s story. Read Royal Caleva: Luis to feel all the feels of two single parents trying to protect their shared daughter, while struggling to find their own happiness with each other.
Available
About Nancy Herkness
Nancy Herkness is the award-winning, best-selling author of contemporary romance for readers who love richly developed characters and an immersive reading experience. Meet the wealthy, powerful alpha heroes who need down-to-earth women to show them how to find soul-deep love and pulse-racing passion.
Website:Â www.NancyHerkness.com.
Facebook:Â https://www.facebook.com/nancyherkness
YouTube channel:Â https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSSauEGQY5mWIjXe557IE1A
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask them here in the comments! I will be checking in periodically and I love to hear from readers!