Meet Lorri Dudley
Lorri Dudley writes Regency romance for Wild Heart Books and just this year hit the milestone of ten books released. She has two series of books, The Leeward Island Series for those who love a good beach read, and The Agents of Espionage Series for those who enjoy spies and intrigue. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband of 25 years and three boys, and writing romance is her release from her testosterone-filled household. She can often be found sneaking my laptop into wrestling meets, lacrosse practices, and football games.
Tell us about your newest book.
Revealing the Truth was released on audiobook by RB Media and read by Elizabeth Sastre. The rest of my Agents of Espionage Series followed shortly after. When Katherine Jenkins is rescued from the side of the road, half-frozen and left for dead, her only option is to stay silent about her identity or risk being shipped back to her ruthless guardian, who will kill to get his hands on her inheritance and the famous Jenkins Lipizzaner horses. But even under the pretense of amnesia, she cannot shake the memory of her sister and Katherine’s need to reach her before their guardian, or his marauding bandits, finish her off. Will she be safe in the earl’s manor, or will the assailant climbing through her window be the death of her?
British spy, Stephen Hartington’s assignment to uncover an underground horse-thieving ring brings him home to his family’s manor, and the last thing he expected was to be struck with a candlestick upon climbing through the guest chamber window. The manor’s feisty and intriguing new house guest throws Stephen’s best-laid plans into turmoil and raises questions about the timing of her appearance, the convenience of her memory loss, and her impeccable riding skills. Could he be housing the horse thief he’d been ordered to capture—or worse, falling in love with her?
What inspired you to write your story?
Revealing the Truth was inspired by a scene I wrote in middle school while daydreaming in class, where the hero crawls in the heroine’s bedroom window and she hits him with a candlestick. My mom sent me a bunch of my old notebooks that she didn’t want to throw away. I found the scene, and it sparked my creative juices for this novel.
What genre do you focus on.
I have always been drawn to the chivalry of England’s Regency Era, where honor and reputation were worth dueling over. The strict etiquette of the le bon ton and the romantic aspect of couples engaging in courtship at balls make for great conflict and plot lines.
Why do you write?
Stories and creative writing have been my form of escape. When my children were young, I entertained myself while pushing them on the swings by coming up with various plot lines. I’d jot the scene ideas down in a notebook, and once my boys were no longer of an age when they were a constant danger to themselves, I sat down at my computer and started writing. It’s probably for the best that I didn’t entirely understand how hard the industry was to break into. Once I’d finished typing one book, I figured that since I’d made it this far, I should keep going. The author bug had bitten me. So I wrote two more books before heading to my first writing conference, which only strengthened my resolve. By then, writing had become such a joy and a creative outlet for me that I would have kept writing, whether published or not. Ten published books later, writing is still my favorite pastime.
Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?
Katherine Ainsley Jenkins is the heroine of Revealing the Truth. Katherine means pure, or sometimes interpreted as pure leader, which fits Katherine’s character. She and I share many of the same firstborn traits. We desire to nurture people, but we also feel responsible, as if we have to be perfect and have it all together, which makes it a struggle to ask for help. Kate, derived from Katherine, was also a convenient nickname while she pretended to have amnesia, because it was similar to her original name, to avoid reader confusion.
What is the hardest part of being an author?
Not owning a time machine to go back to the Regency era makes it a struggle to understand every aspect of the culture. I’m dependent upon what I’m able to find through my research, which turned out to be a challenge for a spy series. I’ve always been a fan of James Bond and the 007 movies, but MI6, as Britain’s secret service, wasn’t formed until 1912. Before that time, little information on spying is accounted for. In her book Regency Spies, Sue Wilkes says, “The idea of state-employed spies and informers affronted the British sense of fair play. Spying on one’s friends and neighbours was something the French did—it was thoroughly un-English.” There is evidence of the use of spies during the Regency Era. The War Department even opened a Foreign Letter Office, which later became the Alien Office and was the unofficial headquarters for intelligence. Still, most records from the Alien Office have disappeared. This could be because the agents of the Alien Office were very good at their jobs. However, it made researching British spies very challenging.
What’s the best part of your author’s life?
I get to play pretend as a grown adult, and no one thinks it’s odd. I love daydreaming up different scenarios to challenge and grow my characters. God often will use my plotting time to reveal just how high, wide, long, and deep His love is for us. While developing the scenes for my recent release, Revealing the Truth, God opened my heart to letting go and trusting Him. Trust is not only a theme that runs through Revealing the Truth, but is also an area where God has been growing me. Teaching teenagers how to drive tests your ability to trust in God. This phase of my life has required a lot of praying on my knees. I used to read these precious boys bedtime stories and rock them to sleep, and now I have to let them out of the nest to fly on their own, which was harder than I anticipated. My youngest graduates from high school next spring, so God continues to work on me.
What’s one thing your readers should know about you?
I love to hear from them. I’ve gotten to know people through my writing from across the U.S. and internationally, from the Netherlands (even though I don’t speak Dutch, so we have to use translation apps) to Australia.
How have you changed or grown as a writer?
One thing about writing is that you never stop learning. If it’s not by honing the craft, then it’s through researching different cultures, eras, and lands. I initially thought that after I learned about the Regency era, my research time would lessen, but that was not the case. Thankfully, I enjoy learning history and have become a scholar in random areas of expertise.
For Revealing the Truth, I dug into the underground world of horse thieving. Horse stealing in Regency England was a lucrative venture. In some instances, a sale would bring in the equivalent of a quarter of a year’s income. If caught, however, horse thievery held a high price—capital punishment, typically by hanging. Criminals were a varied group, ranging from child pranksters stealing their neighbor’s workhorse for a joy ride to professional horse-thieving rings that transported their contraband a considerable distance, over 31 miles (or 50 kilometers) and sometimes internationally. They traveled to avoid buyers who’d recognize stolen property
What is your favorite pastime?
Writing is usually my answer to what I do for fun, but if I can’t be at my computer, then I enjoy reading. When on vacation, I can crush almost a novel a day and be loving life. I was once stopped by a TSA agent who laughed at me when he discovered I was carrying a whole backpack full of books.
Do you have other books? We’d love to know.
Revealing the Truth is book one in a four-book Agents of Espionage Series.
Book two, also just released on audiobook, is Reclaiming the Spy. Nicholas Emerson went missing during the Napoleonic Wars and was believed dead, but he must reveal he’s alive to save his wife’s life. Thinking he’s no longer worthy of her, he fights a war in his mind and heart, but Abby’s love proves to be more tenacious than Napoleon himself.
Book three, Redeeming the Rake, was released on audiobook in August. Vicar’s daughter, Emily Thompson, must protect her heart from the charming silver-tongued rake whose life she rescues from the gunpoint of a vengeful husband. Jacob’s job as a spy has gotten him into precarious situations, but this mission is personal and more perilous than either of them is prepared to face.
I also have a six-book Leeward Island Series, where The Duke’s Refuge is the first book. Each book allows readers to island-hop around the splendor of the Caribbean, enjoying the romantic tropical paradise of crystal blue waters and white sand beaches while also experiencing the swift and unexpected hardships that island life can also bring.
What are you working on now?
I’m excited to be writing a new series. The Danforth Theatre Series will follow the lives of four siblings, starting with the oldest, Grant Atherton, who inherits a theatre and forms a bargain with a prima ballerina to protect herself and her innocent ballet students from the dark side of the opera-ballet theatre industry.
Website: lorridudley.com
Link to book: https://rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/9798895946817/
Social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Lorri-Dudley/100063777469647/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dudleylorri/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lorri-dudley
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=lorri+dudley&qid=h7mL9Jrmrn
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