Sabrina Jeffries on her Sinful Suitors…

Sabrina Jeffries introduces her Sinful Suitors…

What inspired you to create your irresistible new Sinful Suitors series?

Jeremy Keane did, actually. I wanted to do something other than a family, and Jeremy in How the Scoundrel Seduces got such a big response from readers that I wanted to showcase him – he showed a surprisingly protective side toward his cousin even as he was suspicious of her and her family. Then when Edwin, Jane’s jilted fiancé, turned out to be such a nice guy when he showed up in If the Viscount Falls (I never know how those scenes will turn out until I write them), I wanted to have something where guys were looking after their families. That was what they were supposed to do, after all. Since I never had an older brother (both of mine are four or more years younger than I am), I guess I wanted to explore how comforting AND annoying that can be. I’m close to my brothers, so I like that relationship, but by making it a club, I could explore it in multiple families and situations, so that allows for a great variety of interesting stories.

Can you tell us a little more about these scandalously seductive suitors and what’s in store for them?

Amanda, Jeremy’s sister, has a story in the upcoming Christmas anthology, What Happens Under the Mistletoe, and we get to see more of another prominent member of the club, the Marquess of Knightford, who’s introduced in The Art of Sinning. Then Edwin’s book is the next full novel (The Study of Seduction, coming out in spring of 2016), and he’s been so much fun to write. He doesn’t have much patience for people, so my bubbly heroine is driving him crazy. That’s always entertaining for me.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? What do you love most about your job?

I started writing and making up stories at the age of eight, so yes, I think I always did. What I love most is being in charge…of the story, the characters’ lives, of everything. Writing is the control freak’s perfect job!

Do you have the most fun creating your heroes or your heroines?

It depends on the book. Sometimes it’s one; sometimes it’s the other. I usually most enjoy the irreverent ones.

Do you have a favourite hero or heroine from your books or by any other author?

I absolutely love Jessica Trent from Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels. She’s so smart and funny. And she knows just how to handle the boorish hero (whom I also love).

Who are the authors you read for pleasure?

Loretta Chase, Meljean Brook, Nalini Singh, Judith McNaught, Johanna Lindsey, Rexanne Becnel, Deb Marlowe, Claudia Dain…the list goes on and on.

If you could take only three essentials with you to a desert island what would they be?

A Swiss army knife, a volume of Shakespeare’s complete works, and my glasses (to see with and to start fires with).

Who would be on your dream dinner party guest list, dead or alive?

Jane Austen, definitely. Shakespeare. The Earl of Rochester. Aphra Behn. My husband’s parents (they died before I met him). How many can I have?

What are your guilty pleasures?

Pizza, chocolate, and margaritas. I have no guilty pleasures that are books, because I’m not ashamed of anything I read.

What do you love most about writing romance and historical romance in particular?

I’ve read romance since I was a girl, and the stories always sweep me away. I find it much easier to be swept away into the historical past than into, say, a paranormal or alternate world. And thanks to that, I’ve fallen in love with history. I hated it in school, because it was all wars and politics – essentially the male side of things. But once I discovered social history and the impact so many women had on events, I wanted to know everything about it. Writing historical romance gives me a great excuse to find out more about our foremothers while also writing escapist fiction.

There’s so much interest and excitement around romance fiction right now. What do you think that romance readers are looking for in the romances they read today?

Most of all, they want a compelling story to engage and stimulate them. That’s what everyone wants, right? And for romance readers, that story revolves around relationships. As a girl, I remember being frustrated by the plethora of books written about men doing manly things. I wanted something I could relate to. In romance, we get to have it all – kick-ass heroines, fun adventures, courtly gentlemen, whatever fantasy enthralls us. There’s such a variety that it never gets dull. Romance readers today want fresh, relatable takes on the fantasy and plenty of emotion. They also want plenty of sensuality, because that’s an important part of every romantic relationship.

THE ART OF SINNING, the first sensational novel in the Sinful Suitors series,

is out on the 21st July!

And don’t miss the incredibly sexy Hellions of Halstead Hall series,

available in August!