ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE by Tamara Hughes

Hi everyone,

This is Marie-Claude. Thanks Sylvia for letting me visit your blog again this week.

Hope you all had a good week-end. I spent mine surrounded by 6 years old at a birthday party. Still recovering

But I had time to pick a winner from Thursday’s post and today the winner is …..Cynthia Eden.

Congratulations Cynthia!!!!

This week, we are stepping back in time for a Victorian historical romance set in New York City, ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE and I am please to introduce you to writer Tamara Hughes, former computer programmer and now a stay-at-home mom living in Minnesota.

M-C: Tamara, of course the first thing I want to know is what did you do when you found out you were an American Title V finalist?

TAMARA: First I gaped at my computer screen for a minute. And then I jumped up, grabbed my cell phone, and called my critique partner, Barb, who is also a finalist. Pretty freaky really, that of all the entries submitted from around the world, two critique partners were chosen. Very cool, but very weird. Next I called my husband, who listened while I rattled on and on, talking faster than I ever have in my life. By the end of the day, I had called all of my family, emailed the rest of our critique group, and drank a couple glasses of champagne that my husband had surprised me with at dinner. All in all, a very good day.

M-C: Sounds like it and kind of fun that you and Barbara are in this together. So far how has the final changed your writing life?

TAMARA: I’m still plugging away at my work-in-progress, but I’ll admit it’s been slowed down with all of the preparation required for this contest. I continue to try to get up around 5:30am to write before the kids need to get ready for school, and that time is still devoted to my new novel.

M-C: Wow, you are very organized. Can you give us a glimpse of ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE?

TAMARA: Imagine what you would do if you suspected your soul mate murdered your best friend. Christopher Black struggles with this dilemma. He meets Rebecca Bailey at the Vanderbilt masquerade ball and is captivated by her inner strength and vitality. She’s so different from the pretentious ladies of high society, and from the fiancée that broke his heart. He pursues Rebecca, convinced he’s found the woman of his dreams, and then he spies an emerald comb in her hair – a comb that links her to his friend’s murder.

Rebecca fears her secret will be discovered: she’s a housemaid impersonating an heiress to attract a wealthy suitor. She’s risking it all (her employment, her dignity, and her heart) to save her father, a gambler who owes hundreds of dollars to brutal men. When those men threaten her life, Christopher protects her despite the mounting evidence against her. He must let go of the past and learn to trust his instincts again. While Rebecca isn’t the killer he’s looking for, she is involved in the crime; she just doesn’t realize it yet.

M-C: You really do have all the elements of a great story there. Where did you get your ideas?

TAMARA: I’ve always enjoyed historical romances, particularly those with a Cinderella theme. The idea of someone rising up from despair and conquering whatever obstacles lay in their path is intriguing to me. Add to that my awe of Kathleen Woodiwiss books, where plots are complex and layered, and I couldn’t help myself but add a murder mystery into the mix.

M-C: It certainly sounds like a lot of fun. How would best characterize your writing style or tone?

TAMARA: To keep with the historical period, my writing style for this novel is more eloquent than the contemporary I’m currently working on. The tone is at times humorous, emotional, sexually tense, and suspenseful, with lots of conflict.

M-C: Humor in a historical is always fun. How does this translate in ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE?

TAMARA: The humor in this book comes out in many different ways. In particular, my heroine, Rebecca, is funny without really meaning to be. When she tries to mingle with high society, she finds she makes mistakes – lots of them. In fact, it seems she digs herself a deeper hole with everything she says and does. I also have a secondary character (Christopher’s friend and confidante) who likes to amuse himself anyway he can. He does and says outrageous things throughout the book, including dressing up as Cupid for a Greek God party. He may get a book of his own some day.

M-C: That would be fun. Do you have any idea how your writing turned so humoristic?

TAMARA: I find I really like to write humor. I was always a bit of a comedian as a kid. It’s the thrill of trying to get people to laugh and enjoy themselves.

M-C: Since your story is a historical, I assume the setting plays an important role.

TAMARA: The setting is New York City in 1883, and it plays a huge role. New York during this time period had class distinctions similar to London but with a twist. With the flood of immigrants into the city, the wealthy lived within blocks of the poor, and the mentality amongst the working class was starting to lean toward the idea that the rich were no better than them. Meanwhile, high society was divided into two camps – the aristocrats with rich bloodlines and the bouncers, those who became newly rich and were looked down upon. In 1883, even that was changing as more and more bouncers were becoming accepted into the fold. In the story, Rebecca, a working-class maid, attempts to enter high society and sees firsthand the odd interactions between all of these classes, and how they’re slowly changing.

M-C: Rebecca looks like interesting heroine. Can you tell us more about her and how she relates to the hero?

TAMARA: Rebecca is a caring, sensible person who has spent the last ten years supporting her grieving father at the expense of her own happiness. Once she’s forced to take a chance and experience life, we see her true self shine through – she’s a quick thinking, feisty woman who can laugh at herself.

Christopher is the strong, reliable man she needs in her life – someone to care for her for a change. Her problems escalate when it seems like he might soon remember her from her job as a maid. She feels drawn to him, but knows she has to resist her desire to be with him if she wants to save her father.

M-C: Would you say Christopher is an alpha or beta type hero?

TAMARA: Christopher is both alpha and beta. He’s a self-made shipping magnate who used to captain his own ship. So, he’s a man who’s used to being in command. When a good friend is murdered, he’s determined to find the killer. He’s intelligent and extremely observant, which makes him curious about Rebecca from the start due to her odd behavior. When he discovers she’s involved in the crime, he’s torn between his loyalty to his friend and his growing attraction to Rebecca.

M-C: That dilemma certainly brings some interesting twists. What do you think readers will get out of ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE? Is there a theme or a message that your story brings forward?

TAMARA: I think the theme of the story is “letting go.” For Rebecca, this means coming to the understanding that she isn’t the one who can change her father back into the man he once was – that’s a choice only he can make. She needs to stop sacrificing herself for him, and live her own life. For Christopher, it means forgiving the fiancée that didn’t love him enough to defy her aristocratic parents, and looking deep within himself to decide whether to trust Rebecca. As for what I hope readers will take away…I believe, at times, this story will get you thinking, make you laugh, and stick with you for a while after you put the book down.

M-C: Do you have any more projects in the works beside ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE?

TAMARA: I had planned to write another historical (a pirate tale), but a different type of story hit me up side the head, and I had to go with it. It’s an urban fantasy romance inspired by a variety of music, especially Evanescence songs. I thought this story would be much darker than anything I’ve ever written, but it turns out my heroine has a wry wit that pops up all over the place.

M-C: Evanescence is one of my favorite band. I’m looking forward to see how your new story turns out. Now which character will you interview on Thursday?

TAMARA: I chose to interview Rebecca because I wanted to highlight her personality. She’s a sensible, down-to-earth woman who is in an impossible situation that requires her to take risks she wouldn’t ordinarily take. She’s also imperfect in many ways, and that’s what I like so much about her. Sometimes she’s clumsy; she’s an incompetent liar; and when she tries to seduce Christopher, she makes a total fool of herself. Throughout the book, I find her quite funny in a naïve, endearing sort of way.

Well, everyone. I do love a good historical romance and this story is one I certainly don’t want to miss. Tamara has worked some great characters in a wonderful rich setting. I am looking forward to her interview of ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE’s heroine, Rebecca, on Thursday.

Is you want to know more about Tamara and her writing, you can find her on the web at:

www,tamarahughes.com

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1477831876

See you all back on Thursday and don’t forget to leave a comment. First, we just love to hear from you and also you have a chance to win!!!!

Marie-Claude
www.mcbourque.com

Tags: american title, contest, dorchester, romantic times

(2,313 views)