Author Spotlight: Stirring Up the Viscount by Marin McGinnis

I’m thrilled to have Marin McGinnis visiting the blog today. We had a fun interview and she’d promoting her book Stirring Up the Viscount! Please help Marin feel welcome.

 

Theodora (your heroine) seems like a very strong lady with a very difficult life. What was the hardest part about writing her? What was easiest?

The hardest part about writing Theodora was getting into her head and making her struggle a convincing one. The old adage of “write what you know” definitely didn’t apply here! It was easy to make her strong, though, because that’s what I would wish for every woman in her situation.

A strong but damaged heroine needs an equally strong hero. Tell me about Jonathan?

Jonathan wants to take care of everyone, but he recognizes a strong woman when he sees one. He’s slightly damaged himself, so he’s cautious, but at his core he is supportive and open.

What are you working on next?

I have three, maybe four, projects in the works. My second book, which tells the story of Theodora’s long lost brother, has been contracted by The Wild Rose Press, and is in edits. I am halfway through a third book, about Jonathan’s sister, which I hope (hope!) will be finished in the next month or so if the day job will ever let up. I am also partway through a completely unrelated book set in Cleveland’s Gilded Age, in 1885. A novella about Jonathan’s parents is percolating in my brain, and I started a handwritten draft of it in church a couple of weeks ago.

Please share one random fact about you:

I am a slob. Fortunately my husband, who is not, loves me anyway.

What would your theme song be as an author?

No idea! I seldom listen to music when I’m writing—I find it gets too distracting—so it’s hard to imagine what my theme song would be. I came of age in the early 80s, though, so chances are it would be a song from that era.

What genre would you like to write that you haven’t tried yet?

I’d love to write a paranormal, but I am still waiting for the right idea to come along.

If you could have an intimate lunch with anyone in history, who would it be? And why?

Good question! Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell. I’d love to know what it was like to be a woman writer during their respective eras. Elizabeth Gaskell was also a Unitarian, like me, and I’d love to talk to her about that as well.

Something you can’t resist (your kryptonite)?

Lightly salted Lay’s potato chips.

What’s your idea vacation or get-away? Does it involve writing?

I do love the writing retreat I go on every fall, but my ideal vacation wouldn’t involve writing at all. I like to visit places in which I have set or would like to set my books—England, Maine, Ireland, Italy, France…

And now for the speed round (ala Actor’s Studio). Answer each of the below with one word:

• What turns you on? Intelligence
• What turns you off? Cruelty
• What is your favorite word? Go!
• What is your least favorite word? Don’t think I have one. I love all words, in the right context.
• What sound or noise do you love? A baby’s belly laugh (sorry, couldn’t do one word!)
• What sound or noise do you hate? Licking (by my dog of his parts. *shudder*)
• What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Geologist
• What profession other than yours would you NOT like to attempt? Mathematician (sadly, my lack of ability in math kind of precluded the geologist idea)
• What is your favorite swear word? F*@k. So expressive!
• If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say to you as you enter the Pearly Gates? I’d like him to say, “Hey, welcome!” But what he’s likely to say is “What are you doing here?” LOL.

 

STIRRING UP THE VISCOUNT

by Marin McGinnis

Seeking to escape an abusive husband, Theodora Ravensdale answers an ad in The Times for a job as cook in a country home. A fortuitous house fire enables her to fake her own death and flee to northern England and live under an assumed name. But Theodora’s refuge is not all she would wish, when she stirs emotions in the heir to the estate, Jonathan Tenwick, and in herself.

Meanwhile, as the connection between Theodora and Jonathan grows, her husband learns she did not perish in the fire, and searches for her. Fearing he is close to finding her, Theodora must flee again to protect the family and the viscount for whom she cares deeply. In the final confrontation with her husband, Theodora learns she is stronger than she ever knew, and love is worth fighting for.​

The Wild Rose Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Review

With danger, passion, and gripping characters, STIRRING UP THE VISCOUNT by Marin McGinnis is a brilliant read and I look forward to reading more from this author. –Fresh Fiction

Excerpt

“Did you love him very much?” he asked quietly, afraid to know the answer.

Her voice almost a groan, she whispered, “Please, Jonathan. Enough.”

It was the “Enough” that was his undoing. In that single word, he heard years of torment, from a woman who clearly had not loved her husband, at least not for some time. Whoever or whatever he had been, Jonathan was certain he was the source of her fear.

But if he were truly dead, why did she still fear him?

About the Author

Clevelanders are tough, a bit cynical, and just a little crazy, and Marin McGinnis is no exception. She writes smart and sexy tales of Victorian-era romance.

When she’s not chasing after big dogs or watching tween-aged children skate around Ohio hockey rinks, you can find her hanging out at marinmcginnis.com, on her group blog at throughheartshapedglasses.com, on Twitter @MarinMcGinnis, or Facebook at facebook.com/MarinMcG.