Today we welcome Barbara Russell to answer a few questions for the release of The Lady and the Lion, book 9 in the Victorian Outcasts series.

Welcome! Can you tell us about what inspired this book in the series? I got the idea of The Lady and the Lion by reading a non-fiction book on Victorian past-time and entertainments. Many of them were quite innocent, like playing whist or snapdragon for a Halloween party, but others were horrific, like the freak shows where people who were born with physical problems were made fun of and exposed to public scorn for mockery.

Can you talk a bit about the setting of this story? The story is set in Victorian London in a moment when society was changing. The middle class was rising economically, becoming a force the aristocrats had to deal with. In that period, many catastrophes happened (I always pick up a historical disaster to add into the story.) The Regent’s Park’s ice-skating disaster happened in January 1867 when the completely frozen boating lake cracked, and the people ice skating on it were plunged into the icy water. My protagonists found themselves in the middle of that.

What is your favorite aspect of Vivienne’s character? She cares about animals and people who can’t defend themselves. I like this trait in real people as well. I met the most amazing people when I volunteered at the animal shelter and at Oxfam.

What is your favorite aspect of the Lion Boy’s character? He never gives up. He’s always optimistic, which I’m not. I’m the type of person who gets grim and gloomy when they rearrange the shelves at the store.

What is your favorite part about the dynamic between Vivienne and the Lion Boy? I like how they trust and support each other even though they come from two different worlds. She’s the daughter of an earl, and he’s forced to perform in a circus. Their supportive dynamic is the main core of the story.

Can you talk about your experience writing an ongoing series such as this one? It’s a bit challenging because I do a lot of research on the historical setting and on philosophy/psychology of the theme I want to write about. The theme is always a philosophical question that requires research and studying. I start with a personal problem, turn it into a metaphor, and then I build the plot around it.

What are some things you are really enjoying right now? Books, TV, foods, etc.? It’s winter in New Zealand, a particularly cold one. (4 degrees this morning). So I’m drinking a lot of hot chocolate and eating many soups (barley soup is my favourite at the moment) and watching Christmas films because there’s always snow in them (watching them in December when it’s summer here and we have barbies on the beach and drink ice tea is a bit weird).

Thank you for having me!

Want to know more about The Lady and the Lion?

From the outside, Vivienne has it all. She’s the daughter of an earl, lives in a beautiful house in Mayfair, and has a bright future in front of her. But deep down, she wishes to be free from the constant pressure of her demanding mother.

The only thing Lion Boy remembers of his past is the cage in which he’s lived all his life. He’s the main attraction of a circus of human curiosities as the young man raised by lions. He’s actually speechless, drugged to make him aggressive for entertainment, and treated like an animal.

After watching the horrifying show, Vivienne vows to help Lion Boy leave the circus. In a way, she sees herself in him.

He can’t believe a fine lady like Vivienne wants to help him. No one has ever cared about him. So when she comes to rescue him, he promises to return the favour one day.

She disobeys her parents and the law for the first time in her life by getting Lion Boy out. Except freeing Lion Boy is just the beginning.

How can she keep safe a young man who has lived in a cage, can’t talk, and doesn’t know anything about the world?

Trigger warnings: forced drug use, addiction, emotional abuse, grief for the loss of daughter, mental illness, forced servitude, depression.

Meet Barbara Russell:

Love stories have always captured my imagination. What’s better than two people falling in love with each other? I write steamy romance, usually with a paranormal twist in an historical setting. Add a touch of suspense and mystery and a pinch of darkness.

I love stories with strong, sexy heroes and mischievous heroines who pull no punches.

I live in the City of Sails, New Zealand, drinking tea (coffee gives me anxiety) and devouring books.

You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Bookbub.