Welcome HTH Member Jane Rosebery!!!
Minerva Spencer: Before we start talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself and what you write.
Jane Rosebery: First of all, thank you for having me. I love reading the member spotlights and I feel lucky that I’m being spotlighted today. I love being a part of this amazing RWA chapter. I’m a bit of a non-traditional historical writer because my romances are set during the Cold War. I write about strong women who navigate a tumultuous and action-packed era. The current series I am working on is set between the 1950s and 1960s in various locations such as Washington, D.C., Berlin, Paris and Moscow.
MS: Do you write full-time or part-time?
JR: I have a full-time job, so for now I write part-time during my evenings and on weekends. However, in a way, my writing is full-time because I do devote many hours to it. I just don’t get paid for it yet.
MS: Who’s your favorite historical figure?
JR: I’m fascinated by Empress Elizabeth of Austria (Sisi). She was the Empress of Austria and wanted for nothing in life. Yet she was extremely unhappy. She wandered from country to country seeking happiness which she never found. She wrote romantic poetry and was more liberal than her husband, Franz Joseph I. She feared that someday the people would not want a monarchy so to protect her future she placed her money in a secret Swiss bank account. Sadly, she was assassinated in Geneva in 1898. As she always feared, the monarchy was abolished shortly after World War I.
MS: If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be?
JR: I’d love to have afternoon tea with Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte. She married Napoleon’s younger brother, Jerome. This really angered Napoleon and he forced a divorce on them. Elizabeth spent the rest of her life trying to fight for their son’s birthright. She divided her time between Europe and Baltimore, Maryland. Oh, if only I could be her confidante.
MS: If you could time travel, what era would you visit?
JR: 19th century Vienna. I would love to be transplanted into a Viennese Ball, wearing a sumptuous gown and a massive diamond tiara. Even my fan would be encrusted with jewels. Someone, please invent a time machine!
MS: Give us a brief rundown of your process. Are you a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere in the middle?
JR: I’m a plotter. To the point where I probably hinder myself with too much research, too much plotting, too much everything…
MS: What’s the hardest part of writing?
JR: The editing part.
MS: What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
JR: Nora Roberts said you should place your butt in the chair. So that’s what I do. I sit down and turn off all distractions and I write.
Thanks so much for joining us, Jane!
Website address: I can be found at JaneRosebery.com.
Thanks for having me, Minerva. 🙂
It was a pleasure to “meet” you!