I live in Birkenhead, which is on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England. It’s on the opposite side of the River Mersey to Liverpool and the iconic ‘ferry ‘cross the Mersey’ originates here.
How long have you been writing romance?
I’ve written for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I lived in South Africa, and my best friend and I discovered the novels of Kathleen E Woodiwiss when we were thirteen. We used to spend our evenings writing books in the style of ‘The Wolf and the Dove’. I had a big birthday (let’s just say it had a zero at the end) two years ago and my friend gave me an amazing present. She had kept one of the books I wrote when I was fourteen! It’s a medieval romance, written in felt tip pen. I’m very proud of it and it gave me the push I needed to start submitting my work to publishers.
Although I’m very proud of the fact that, my fellow Shivers authors and I were recently described as ‘the reigning Queens of Gothic Romance’ by a reviewer, I also love to write historical romances. I like to think my historical romances are in the style of Georgette Heyer, but rather steamier! My career as a published author began in January 2013 when I had a series of historical romances published with a small company which has now, sadly, gone out of business. When the rights for the books reverted to me in April 2014, I undertook to completely re-write the series. Each book in the series features a smouldering, sexy hero eighteenth century hero. Entitled the Georgian Rebel Series, it currently consists of four books and I am hoping to find them a home with a new publisher soon.
My first Harlequin book, Legacy of Darkness, was published in the January 2014. I now have three Harlequin Shivers titles available, with two others due to be published in the next few months.
What is your favourite sub-genre of romance?
I love gothic romance. Crumbling manor houses, gloomy corridors, ghostly apparitions and eerie secrets. Just a few of the reasons why gothic romance has enthralled readers (myself included) for over two centuries!
Gothic romances are all about setting, uncertainty, and an element of creepiness that makes the romance all the sweeter. The hidden story is as important, perhaps more important, than the explicit. Think ghostly shadows rather than chain-saw wielding serial killers. Fingertips of nervous and sensual excitement are trailed down the spine in equal measure. The dark atmosphere is integral to the suspense, and the most frightening elements are often implied rather than stated outright. Our heroines have a tendency to ignore common sense and explore dark houses or stormy cliff-top castles, but they are also brave, loyal, and determined. The gothic heroine will fight for the man she loves, even if she has a sneaking suspicion he may be trying to kill her. Our brooding heroes are misunderstood by everyone, including the heroine at first (see above).
The gothic style allows us an outlet for our darkest imaginings. From the safety of our armchair, we can accompany the gothic heroine as, clad in a clinging white nightdress, with only a single candle to light her way, she climbs the creaking stairs to discover just what those strange noises in the attic actually are. We’ve all seen those scenes in horror films. We’ve all shouted at the screen “Don’t go into the attic!” and shivered with a combination of pleasure and terror when our heroine ignores us.
Tell us about the Gothic period, what does it involve?
Gothic romances can be set in any time period. They can be historical or contemporary. I suppose they could also be set in the future! They are mysteries, usually tinged with horror and the supernatural. Gothics are often set against dark backgrounds such as medieval ruins, mysterious houses or haunted castles. Traditional gothics had a spirited young heroine, peculiar supporting characters, precocious children and darkly handsome men with mysterious pasts. Authors included Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart and Daphne du Maurier.
Harlequin Shivers, the ‘new’ Gothics, have elements of the unexplained, but they are not paranormal romances. Generally, the heroine and heroine are human beings who may have paranormal experiences. Shivers have high levels of sensuality, but their strong gothic story line makes them much more than an erotic romance.
So what can readers expect from a Jane Godman Shivers?
A dark, gloomy and atmospheric setting.
A feisty heroine who pushes the boundaries of her time.
A hero you fall in love with…
…And a villain you fall in love with (for very different reasons)
Dark secrets, the past comes back to haunt the present.
Erotic tension that builds alongside the story. The shivers in these stories don’t come just from the supernatural elements!
Where can readers find out more about you?
Website: http://www.janegodmanauthor.com/
Twitter: @JaneGodman
Email: janegodman@ymail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jane-Godman-Author/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6923685.Jane_Godman
Find a copy of Echoes Of Darkness here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Find out more about Jane from Stephanie Hurt’s blog and all our Romance writers http://stephanie-hurt.com/
Read the whole interview at Rosie's blog page.