FOOL ME TWICE
BY PHILIPPA JANE KEYWORTH

Publication Date: December 1^st 2016
Madison Street Publishing
Genre: Historical Romance

From The Book Junkie Reads . . . Fool Me Twice . . .

Double life. Control. Mystic. TROUBLE. Something has to give. Caro has to make the world believe she is what she appears to be. The only way to do any of that was to create a new identity. She never counted on it working so well. He fascade worked enough to get her what she thought she wanted but then it brought more than she could have ever desired. The men are trouble turns out to be true for Caro. But it also turned in to a blessing in a way. This was a crafty game of cat and mouse between Caro and Felton. There was more there than what was presented. This drew you in and kept you moving forward to the end. There were a host of characters to fall in love with. The back and forth. The in the moment drama. There was more than you anticipated. I had a great time reading this one.

BLURB

In the gaming hells of eighteenth century London, orphan Caro Worth is leading a double life. By day she plays a proper gentlewoman on the lookout for a wealthy husband. By night she plays the infamous Angelica, her fictional half-sister with a talent for cards and an ability to finance the life her respectable self has built. An introduction to a rich Marquis brings marriage and security within Caro’s grasp…until the arrival of the unpredictable and totally ineligible Mr. Tobias Felton.

Dismayed by Felton’s persistent appearances, shocking frankness, and enigmatic green eyes, Caro watches helplessly as he comes closer than anyone to guessing her secret, but when complete and utter ruin threatens, she finds that Felton’s suspicions just might become her salvation. As the walls she has built to protect herself crumble down around her, Caro learns that no matter how careful your plans, life and love have a habit of falling quite spectacularly out of control!

AMAZON

MY INTEVIEW WITH PHILIPPA JANE KEYWORTH

How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?

Ooo, this is a difficult question, and one I’ve never been asked before. It’s difficult to say what style my writing is as I’m never going to be reading it objectively, so I guess it’ll be easier for me to talk about my influences! I LOVE Georgette Heyer. For me, she really brought the Regency and Georgian periods alive. Jane Austen was an incredible writer, but it was Heyer who, for me, made Austen and those periods accessible. I love her wit, mirroring Austen’s, and her dialogue. Then there’s Charlotte Bronte. I mean, there’s really nothing quite like her descriptions of English countryside and brooding country estates. Another influence would be Janet Mullany whose writing is really hilarious. There are so many more, but I think those are a fair few of my influences.

What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?

I guess it depends on which part of my writing cycle I’m in. If I’m starting something new then it’s just about sitting down there and then, in the moment, and letting my hands run free! Then if I’m trying to finish a project, there’s a bit more self-control involved. I can’t have distractions or lots on my plate. I definitely need a decent amount of headspace. Sometimes it helps to write in a new place where there are none of my life’s distractions, like a coffee shop or similar. It’s different hearing other people chatter away and the steam of the coffee machine than being distracted by your own to-do list. When it comes to editing, that really is where the full self-discipline comes in for me. Editing is the time when focus, deadlines, and organisation can be embraced, unlike my initial creative process. The things which are essential: coffee, tea, computer, notebook, pen, sketch book, research books and the internet!

Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?

These questions I love! Characters tend to come to me when listening to music, or when I'm out and about in the countryside. I love people watching, and sometimes that is the inspiration for part of my characters but never the whole of them. The rest comes from the story and their treatment/reactions within it. I tend to write characters and follow where they lead me from the tip of my pen. Once I’ve pinned them down with ink, I use a technique my friend taught me, a goals and motivation net, for each character and follow them through their story with it to make sure their characters are not only developed and 3-dimensional but also real enough that they stay true to themselves.

Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character? If so which one(s)?

I am a big fan of both Lady Etheridge and Lady Rebecca Fairing. I love straight-talking people who aren’t afraid to speak their mind even if it’s not in line with what’s ‘fashionable’. That’s why I like these two ladies. They’re cut from the same cloth, which makes sense as they’re related, and I wouldn’t mind being friends with them myself. Then there’s Caro, who is just the sort of woman whom you can’t help admiring, and Felton who is as lovable as they come.

Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper? Currently?

I would say I have a few. Of course, the fact that I have several projects on the go is part of the reason. There’s the development of a brooding hero in one of my unpublished series that I’m rather enjoying as it’s challenging to keep him true to his character over a series of stories. Then there’s a particularly feisty Regency lady whom I’ve been sketching out. I haven’t quite figured out all of her past, and how that has affected her headstrong and defensive character. And lastly the character growth of an eccentric widow in my next Georgian novel.

Have you ever felt that there was something inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no, what spurs you to reach for the unexperienced?

What spurs me on? I think it’s a combination of wanting to read what I can’t find on shelves, writing to process my feelings and life, and to create worlds which I would like to step into, be a part of, and meet the people in them. Do I sound crazy? Maybe. Do I want to change? No. So why not come and meet my characters with me?

I got this one from a friend. If you could have dinner with 7 fictional character, who would they be?

Oh my, that’s a good one.

1. Jane Eyre, from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre

2. Mr Rochester, from the above

3. Mary Challoner from Georgette Heyer’s Devil’s Cub

4. Middleton from M.M. Bennetts' May 1812

5. Cadvan of Lirigon from Alison Croggon’s The Gift

6. Ferro Maljinn from Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself

7. Aslan from C. S. Lewis’ Narnia series

Can you share your next creative project? If yes, can you give a few details?

Forgive me for my cryptic-ness here, I don’t like to tell everything before projects are finished, but I can tell you I have extended my sojourn in the Georgian period. I am spending some time with a rather eccentric widow who cares not one jot for others' opinions. Then there’s a tall aloof gentleman who is quite bewildered, yet intrigued, by her. And there are plenty of obstacles and problems that are causing untold chaos at present…

Thank you,

You selected so really great characters that resonate with me also. I sit and imagine these conversation over dinner. How does that make me sound? No matter. I love to read and find the new world that has been written for my entertainment.

Thanks again,

TBJR . . .

Author Info

Philippa Jane Keyworth, known to her friends as Pip, has been writing since she was twelve in every notebook she could find. Originally trained as a horse-riding instructor, Philippa went on to become a copywriter before beginning a degree in History. A born again Christian, Philippa lives in the south of England with her handsome husband.

Philippa has always written stories and believes that, since it is one of her loves and passions, she always will. In her early writing career, she dabbled in a variety of genres, but it was the encouragement of a friend to watch a film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that began her love affair with the British Regency. Since then, she has watched every Regency film and TV series she could get her hands on and become well acquainted with Georgette Heyer’s novels which gave her the inspiration to write her own.

Both as a reader and a writer, Philippa believes it is important to escape into a world you yourself would want to live in. This is why she writes stories that will draw you into the characters’ joys and heartaches in a world apart from our own. Her debut novel, The Widow’s Redeemer (Madison Street Publishing, 2012), is a traditional Regency romance bringing to life the romance between a young widow with an indomitable spirit and a wealthy viscount with an unsavory reputation. The novel has been received well by readers and reviewers who have praised the heartfelt story and admirable characters. Her second novel, The Unexpected Earl (Madison Street Publishing, 2014), explores another romance in the Regency era when an impetuous young woman has her life turned upside down by the reappearance of the earl who jilted her six years ago. Her third novel a Georgian romance will come out at the end of 2016.

Author Links:

Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads

Giveaway

To win a copy of Fool Me Twice by Philippa Jane Keyworth, please enter via the Gleam Fool Me Twice. Two copies are up for grabs! Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on April 5th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to residents in the US only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.