Aloha to Wendy Vella and THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS

The Hawaiian word of the day is 

pelekikena - president

Kamaehu ka Pelekikena.

The President is firm of resolution and purpose.

Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson was firm of resolution and purpose in the premiere episode of  Downton Abbey's third season.   There is something that draws American heiresses and romance readers to English society, including debut author Wendy Vella.   From her bio (at this link),

Born and raised in a rural area in the North Island of New Zealand, Wendy loves the beaches and lush green rolling hills of her homeland and is proud to call herself a very patriotic Kiwi!

Kim: We love international travel at SOS Aloha! I've seen glimpses of North Island when featured on House Hunters International. Can you share your favorite sight, sound, and smell of New Zealand?

Wendy:  My favorite sight would be of the beach near where I lived for many years, Muriwai. It’s on the West Coast of the North Island and it has played a huge part in my life for as long as I can remember. I spent birthday’s picnicking there as a child and teenage years with my college friends doing any number of things that would turn my parents hair grey. It has black sand that gets so hot you burn your feet and choppy blues seas which are rough and unforgiving if you don’t take care. Surrounded by native bush it is one of the most spectacular, untamed beauty spots you’ll ever see. 

Actually the smell I love the best is probably something a lot of people enjoy - the first time the lawn is cut after a long winter. There’s just a certain scent in the air when the sun has been on the grass that makes me think, yes, summer is here!

The Tui is a native bird to New Zealand and has a melodious bell like sound when it sings. They mimic humans, and my parents had one in a tree outside their kitchen that they nicknamed the backing bird because it made the same noise as their car. But when they are in full song they make a lovely haunting sound. 

Image by Follash
Released to Public Domain

Kim:  What drew you to the Regency Era?

Wendy:  My first historical novel was Georgette Heyer, These Old Shades, and I pretty much fell in love with the Regency Era from the first page. To me so much change happened during this time, both social and political, and there were extremes of poverty and wealth. 

Writing about this period you get a certain amount of license as long as you get any events or people dated and named correctly and your facts are accurate. Its not a time any of us have first hand knowledge of therefore you can let your imagination run riot.

I love creating colourful characters and attending balls and routs in my imagination; I love the fashion and the nuances of society life. How can you not enjoy writing about all that!

Kim:  Can you share a tantalizing tidbit you learned while researching for your book?

Wendy:  It’s not really tantalizing but still fascinating. Although I didn’t use this in my book in the end I was intrigued to learn that they used to have a shop in London called the Cow Keepers Shop in a place called Golden Lane. The cows were kept beneath in a well ventilated area and people could buy fresh milk and it’s where the milk maids used to fill up their pales too. I guess that brings true meaning to the words ‘Fresh Daily!’

THE COW KEEPER'S SHOP by George Scharf (1825)

Kim:  What inspired THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS?

Wendy:  The inspiration for The Reluctant Countess came from a competition I was going to enter. We were given an idea to start the book, it was to be based in a ball-room and there would be a beautiful woman and a wealthy titled man and we were to build the story from there. I’ve never written like that before so it was fun and as it turned out the book went on to do very well. Funnily enough I didn’t actually enter it into the particular competition that prompted the idea in the first place.

Margaret, Countess of Blessington
by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1822)

Kim:  What's next for Wendy Vella?

Wendy:  I have a few things on the go at the moment and am working on a series about sisters set in the Regency Era so we’ll see how that works out. I dabble a bit in contemporary as well and have completed two books set in America, but I’m not sure that either of them will ever see daylight as I tend to make them sound a bit formal due to my historical writing background. I have a busy family life too, with a husband of 28 years and two grown up children, so that keeps me on my toes and I also work full time, plus when I get the time I do a bit of cycling, so life is never boring! 

Visit my website: wendyvella.com

Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorWendyVella

Twitter: twitter.com/wendy_vella

THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS can be purchased from Random House IN at this link. 

Email: wendy@wendyvella.com

Mahalo, Wendy, for joining us today at SOS Aloha!  I posted my four star review of THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS on Goodreads at this link.   I am giving away a ecopy of THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Downton Abbey - are you a fan?  

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 12, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 13.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii