An Interview with…Trisha Ashley
One of the most popular writers of romantic comedy, Trisha Ashley, talks to Single Titles about her books, her love of history and how she manages to make her readers laugh out loud!
1) What initially drew you to writing?
I think it was probably due to being a very, very early reader – it’s such a short step to wanting to create your own world with words. I was writing stories and poetry from a very young age (first poem in a local paper at eleven – it was terrible!) and soon began to attempt to write a novel, though I didn’t actually finish one until I was eighteen. I always knew I wanted to be a writer and painter – and I still paint, too, when I have time.
2) You have written six highly successful contemporary romantic comedies. What is it about this sub-genre that you enjoy so much?
I suppose we romantic comedy novelists are the Jane Austens of our age (if it isn’t sacrilege to say so!) writing about the world we inhabit. Our two inches of ivory may be the back of a plastic credit card, but we are describing aspects of life as we know it. There are differences – modern heroines tend to get about a bit, and in place of the close-knit family circles of earlier times, I write about the supporting strength of friendship – and that is something my heroines will have to forge with the hero, too, before they can love each other. I have always found a dark sense of humour to be an asset on life’s journey, and I am happy to say that there seem to be a lot of readers out there who share that, too.
3) What are the challenges of writing contemporary romantic comedy?
I like to write in first person for the contemporaries, which means I have to become another person, someone who doesn’t think, act or react in the way I would. That’s fascinating – I suppose it’s a bit like acting.
Something interesting I’ve noticed is that, while some other authors put a contemporary twist on the plot of classics like Pride and Prejudice, I tend to put a contemporary twist on the lives of the authors – like the Bronte family in Every Woman for Herself and Cassandra and Jane Austen in Singled Out.
4) Your seventh release is a bit of a departure for you as Lord Rayven’s Revenge is a historical romance. What made you decide to write a historical romance? And will you be writing more historicals in the future?
I wanted to take a typical Trisha heroine – quietly strong-willed, intelligent and opinionated – but, by setting her in the Regency era, constrain her by her class, the society she moves in, the social mores of the time and, above all, the fear of poverty. The challenge I set myself was to find a way that she could forge a new and better life for herself, which eventually she does through the Gothic novels she writes. I don’t plan to write any more Regency novels at present – but then, I wouldn’t rule it out if there was a large enough gap in my writing schedule. I do have one or two ideas…
5) Tell us something about your latest release, Lord Rayven’s Revenge.
My heroine, Alys, is writing her way out of poverty. Along the way she has a disillusioning encounter in Harrogate with the rakish Lord Rayven and, though he comes off worst, it rather puts her off the idea of marriage. Years later, when she meets him again in London, he makes it clear he hasn’t forgotten her. In fact, he seems to be dogging her footsteps, though whether for revenge or some other reason remains unsure right up tot he point where her very life could hang on the answer.
6) How hard was it for you to write a historical after spending so many years writing contemporaries?
Actually, my first two published novels, way back in the mists of time, were Regencies and I still had all my research books, notes, and collection of original copies of newspapers from that time. I’m a perfectionist: I don’t want to read books about the Regency, I want to immerse myself in the fiction, biographies, plays and newspapers that the people of the time actually read. If you don’t understand the social mores of the world in which your characters live and breathe, then you are just writing contemporary novels in costume, and I don’t see the point of that.
7) You’ve created many memorable heroes and heroines, but who are your particular favourites?
And which are your favourite children? Well, that’s a hard one, I have to fall in love with all my heroes, or it doesn’t work. And I become my heroine for the duration of each book…or maybe they become me? But I do particularly like Cass, heroine of Singled Out, and all the sisters in Every Woman for Herself, but especially Em, who finds love with the vicar despite her rather Black Arts leanings… My heroines tend to have a core of steely inner strength, often derived from their creative side – whether it is painting, gardening, cooking, writing or some other art. In the interests of preserving their marriages they may sometimes bend a bit in the breeze like bamboo, but they always snap right back to where they were before, once the pressure’s off.
Are there any other fictional characters that you wish you had created?
No, I don’t envy other writers their characters, I’m just happy to step into the worlds they have created for a while.
9) Who are your favourite authors?
That’s another tricky one. I read very widely, and tend to re-read old favourites over and over again while I’m writing, from Isaac Asimov to Agatha Christie. I tend to read new novels in-between writing my own books, but I do love everything Katie Fforde writes (favourite: Highland Fling), to the point where I have to read her new books the minute I get my hands on them. I have every novel written by Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels (favourite: Naked Once More), and I thought Leah Fleming’s recent historical novel for Avon, HarperCollins, The Girl From World’s End, was brilliant, and want to read more by this author.
10) What’s next for Trisha Ashley?
I am so looking forward to 2008! First, in March, a new version of my novel, THE GENEROUS GARDENER, will be published in paperback by Avon, HarperCollins, under the title SOWING SECRETS.
Then in May, Severn House will publish HAPPY ENDINGS in hardback. Readers of my newsletter will already be familiar with the heroine, Tina Devino, and her roller-coaster ride through love, life and her writing career on the edge of Literary London, and I’m delighted that her adventures will now be available in book form.
Finally, in September, comes the brand new novel MIXED BLESSINGS, from Avon, HarperCollins (paperback). I have returned to the rural West Lancashire countryside of SWEET NOTHINGS where Sophy, having unexpectedly inherited Blessings Manor, begins to put down roots for the first time in her life. Her handsome cousin Jack seems to have designs both on her and the estate, while her stubborn head gardener, Seth Greenwood, would prefer that she let the house fall down rather than divert any money away from his cherished scheme to restore the Elizabethan knot gardens to their former glory.
Thank you for chatting to us, Trisha! If you want to read more about Trisha’s books, then visit her website at: http://www.geocities.com/trisha_ashley2002/
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margaret james said:
A fascinating interview with a talented and very versatile author, whose novels get better and better all the time.
margaret james said:
admin said:
Margaret, do you have a favorite Trisha Ashley book?
margaret james said:
It’s hard to choose – I loved Lord Rayven’s Revenge, which is a lovely, original take on the traditional Regency romance, but I also identify completely with the slightly older heroines in Trisha’s contemporary novels. It’s a bit like being asked to choose between a dark chocolate truffle and a strawberry cream – I always want both!