Q&A with R.K. Harrington

  

 

 

R.K. Harrington is the author of the new novel Kindred Schemes. Also an engineer, she lives in the Washington, D.C., area.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Kindred Schemes, and how did you create your character Alaina?

 

A: I have always loved stories. As a reader, I go through many genres, but I always come back to historical romance; it is my absolute favorite genre, an escape that feels grounded.

 

I was reading a book one day and thought, maybe I should give this a try? I said it out loud to my husband as a joke, but he encouraged me to give an earnest try (even if I was an engineer by day).

 

As for my inspiration, I would say that is all the greats before me: Jane Austen, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, and Julia Quinn (and many more!).

 

My character Alaina grew organically as I wrote. The more time I spent with her, the more she took shape. There is always some element of personal experience a writer builds into their characters (maybe I am a bit of a bookworm). That is the starting point. But then they become their own person on the page. By the end of writing Kindred Schemes, I can imagine Alaina’s whole life.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I did a bit of research for this book, but as an avid reader of Regency romance novels myself, I mostly relied on patterns in that genre that I felt were already ingrained in my mind.

 

However, one of my pet peeves is the feeling of “time travel” in books and shows (how did they get there so fast?), so I did learn speeds and traveling times by carriage. Interesting fact: Horse drawn carriages can go 4-12 miles per hour. Also, 10 mph is pretty fast (https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/blog/the-carriage-era-horse-drawn-vehicles)

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: When I first started writing Kindred Schemes, I had an outline in hand and as I closed in on the end of the first half, I realized my mind didn’t want to follow that path. So, I crumpled up my plan and went full-on pantser. I had a general idea of where I was ending, but I certainly discovered how I was going to get there along the way!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope that readers take away two things: (1) That true love conquers all (HEA is a must!), and (2) People are complex, often flawed, individuals. Life and people have nuance and I want my readers to identify and empathize with my characters.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have finished the first draft (and a couple rounds of editing) on book two of the Schemes series. The working title is Risky Schemes and it follows another couple in my Regency world. There are some familiar bad guys that finally find justice (or maybe justice finds them). My editors have loved this new book, but I still have much more to polish.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Since I have started writing, I am amazed by how many stories live in my head. Just right now, I can imagine six additional novels (three in this series, and three more set in the post-crusades era). I honestly do not feel like I can write fast enough.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb