Hello Nicole! Welcome to Author’s Magical Moments and congratulations on the pending release of Dancing on Air.
Hi Sarah, thanks for inviting me.
What was the first story you ever wrote?
I vaguely remember writing a pretty terrible mystery when I was about twelve.
Of all the individuals you have created, do you have a particular favourite? What appeals to you the most about this character?
I do… which might be wrong, but I do. His name is Armand and he is from a half written story I toyed with years ago. He is loyal, handsome and a does what’s right even if it is at his expense. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love all my heroes but it’s Armand I can’t get out of my head. I suppose I had better dust him off and give him his own story.
Has being published changed you at all? If so, how?
Yes, I suppose it has given me a little more confidence in myself and my writing.
What would we find on your bookshelf / e-reader?
Lots and lots of romance (what a surprise!) – Nora Roberts, Julie Garwood, Anne Gracie, Anna Campbell, Jenny Swartz, Samantha Holt just to name a few. Also lots of history books(generally medieval, Georgian and Victorian), cookbooks and classics.
What’s the most unappealing thing you’ve ever eaten?
I would like to say haggis (sorry to my Scottish friends), black pudding (sorry Aunty Paddy) or frog legs but the truth is I chickened out at the last moment.
If you could be any of the following characters for one day, who would you be and why? How would you re-write the ending?
a) Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind.
b) Thelma or Louise from Thelma and Louise.
c) Princess Leia from Starwars.
d) Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffanys.
I don’t know about rewriting the ending, but who doesn’t want to kiss Harrison Ford?
Of all the books in history, which do you wish you wrote and why?
Pride & Prejudice.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
If I had a superpower it would be the ability to fly… maybe it would help me get over my vertigo.
If you could go back in time, where would you go and when? What is one thing you would want to take with you?
Too many choices. I love history and there would be far too many interesting time periods and people to see. However I don’t think I would leave the house without a box full of Paracetamol, bottled water and an inhaler 
Can you tell us about your works in progress?
I’ve just started the second book in the Dancing on Air series. So once again it will be a Victorian era romance. This time the tale will center around Evander’s elder brother, Alistair, the Marquess of Coltswood. It’s about a man who can’t see love even when it is literally standing in front of him.
Finally, can you give us a sneaky excerpt from Dancing on Air, please?
Blurb for Dancing on Air
Cinderella meets Swan Lake in this Victorian-era set story about a ballet dancer, an aristocrat, and their class-crossing romance…
Lisette yearns for freedom, security and love, but none are offered on the run-down stage of The Imperial Theatre. Instead she has hard work, a tyrannical aunt, and the hope of one day becoming a prima ballerina. Dancing on the stage she catches the attention of two powerful men: Lord Gainsworth and Lord De Vale.
Lord Evander Gainswith never expected to fall in love, let alone with a woman so wholly unacceptable to his family and his peers. The sinister Lord De Vale covets Lisette’s youth and strength, and is willing to pay well for it. Lisette may dance roles in fairy tales and fantasies, but the real world is about to intrude, bringing with it the harsh realities of life for a young girl with dreams of rising above the demimonde.
Excerpt:
‘You should not have come,’ Lisette said as she leaned against the darkened doorway of the prop room, She turned her head and looked down the corridor nervously.
‘I could not stay away,’ Evander said.
Lisette looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. ‘Pretty words again, my lord. However you did stay away, didn’t you?’
Evander reached over and took her hand in his. ‘It is not just pretty words, Lisette. I had family business to attend to with my brother. It was unavoidable. The truth is, I thought about you all the time I was gone. I know that we have barely met, but I want to learn all there is about you.’
‘Do you say that to all the girls you woo to your bed?’
Evander’s eyes widened and with a slight laugh he asked, ‘Really Lisette, what would you know of such things?’
‘I have grown up in a theatre… this theater. I have seen the way of things; handsome lords and rich men weaving their pretty words to make the girls fall in love with them. Then when they are done — when their eyes catch onto the next prize — they leave the girls crying and wretched in their ruin and misery.’
‘Lisette, I swear to you this is different… I am different,’ Evander said.
‘Perhaps, but it would be better if you turned your attention elsewhere. I cannot be with you. I have a duty to my aunt and I cannot be swayed from my course.’
Links;
Amazon
