Today we’re pleased to have author Gayle Callen here to answer a few questions alongside the rerelease of Return of the Viscount, book 1 in the Brides of Redemption series.
Welcome! Can you tell us about what inspired this series? I wanted to create three men as close as brothers, and what else can bring men closer than serving together in war? One hero is still a soldier, the other two have resigned their commission, and they all come home to atone for the mistakes they made that caused the death of three of their fellow soldiers. They plan to help the families left behind—and all three families have women who desperately need their help!
What about this book in particular? I read about soldiers marrying women back home by proxy—and the idea of Return of the Viscount was born. Then I had to come up with why it was so necessary for Cecilia to propose such a marriage to a man she’d never met. I think I made it work!
What is your favorite aspect of Cecilia Mallory’s character? That she’s a woman who takes charge. To get access to her own funds, she proposes to a man she’s been writing letters to. She keeps her brother’s estates functioning, practically acting as steward. She thinks she doesn’t need a man, and wants her “husband” to go back to his command. She has some things to learn…
What is your favorite aspect of Viscount Michael Blackthorn’s character? His dedication to the memory of Cecilia’s father, and his conviction to do all he can to help the man’s daughter, even when it means marriage to a woman he’s never met.
How would you describe the dynamic between Cecilia and Michael? When they meet for the first time, already married, it’s very awkward. He’s a soldier recovering from injury who doesn’t plan to be in England long, but now there’s this woman he’s bound to for life, and she’s more than he ever imagined. On Cecilia’s part, marriage was a convenience that helped her achieve her goal of independence—and then she actually meets her husband, not the older man she assumed he was. And sparks fly!
What can readers look forward to in this series? I really focused on the idea of military men who are dedicated to their careers—and then dedicated to the women they vowed to help, even when the women don’t always want to be “saved.”
What is something you are really enjoying right now? Books, tv, food, etc? It sounds silly, but what I’m really enjoying as I write this is the NY State Fair. It always signals the end of summer, and my children and grandchildren travel home so that we have an entire weekend to ride rides (well, my grandchildren), see the shows, and eat and drink our way across the fair. My favorite food—the fudge!
Want to learn more about Return of the Viscount?
Her marriage of convenience seems far too convenient . . .
Desperation drove Cecilia Mallory to seek a union with a stranger—one who would wed her sight unseen and grant her full access to her inheritance with no expectations whatsoever. She anticipated, perhaps, an older, undesirable, equally desperate husband—never the young, vibrant, and devastatingly attractive man who answered her call. What could such a man really be after?
Unknown to Cecilia, Viscount Michael Blackthorne, a soldier and gentleman, owes a debt of honor to Lady Cecilia’s father, and granting her unusual request to wed seemed a worthy way to repay it. But an unseen threat perilously close at hand is convincing Michael that his true responsibility is to protect the beautiful, warm-hearted lady he has married . . . the woman he is unexpectedly coming to love.
Meet Gayle Callen:
After a detour through fitness instructing and computer programming, Gayle Callen found the life she’d always dreamed of as a writer. This USA Today bestselling author has written more than twenty-five novels and has won the Holt Medallion, the Laurel Wreath Award, the Booksellers’ Best Award, and the National Readers’ Choice Award. Her books have been translated into eleven different languages.
An avid crafter, singer, and outdoor enthusiast, and the mother of three grown children, Gayle lives in Central New York with her husband, Jim. She also writes contemporary romances as Emma Cane.
You can find her on her website, Instagram, Facebook, and BookBub.
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