My special guest is Regency romance author, Hazel Statham. Hazel resides in the UK and her work has been compared to that of Georgette Heyer. Hazel’s recent release is Lizzie’s Rake. We’ll talk about this new release and the romance genre.
CM: Welcome Hazel. It is wonderful to have you with us. Can you start off by telling us a bit about yourself?
HS: It’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for inviting me. I live in the UK and started writing many, many moons ago when I was fifteen. I devoured books by Bronte, Austen and Heyer and wanted nothing more than to create my own historical world. I write solely for my own amusement and it still amazes me when readers contact me and say how much they enjoy reading my work.
Writing is a compulsion and when I have an idle moment, even if I have no current work in progress, I find myself imagining different scenarios.
When my time is not taken up with writing, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have a beautiful grandson who, at the age of seven, has announced that he is writing a book! When asked what he is writing about he says Mr. Bean and Star Wars – rather a strange combination, but one that seems to work for him!
CM: Why did you begin writing Regency romances? What is it that attracts you to that time period?
HS: It is a total contrast to the modern world and I love the romance and elegance of the era, and it is this I hopefully recreate in my work. There is so much within the period that creates a desire in the writer to lay it all before the reader.
CM: While the economy is down, romance readers haven’t stopped buying. Why do you believe romance novels are so popular?
HS: Reading romance is a popular form of escapism. Romance itself never alters over the years therefore it is something everyone can relate to. There is nothing more appealing than immersing yourself in an absorbing romance and experiencing all the joys and woes of the protagonists.
