Author Spotlight: Guest post by Hazel Statham

Today I welcome author Hazel Statham, author of the historical romance The Portrait, to the blog.  A review of the book will be posted later today.

About three years ago, Regency Romance went into decline and many publishers dropped the line altogether.  However, the good news for readers of the genre is that it is making a strong comeback and publishing houses are now opening up new lines.  Several are offering to take previously published books to enable their readers to find out of print works.

Despite the temporary downturn, I resisted the pressure to write in other genres and remained true to the period I know and love.  I love the romance and elegance of the Georgian and Regency eras and wish nothing more than to re-create them in my work.

My books remain ‘sweet’ and the bedroom door is firmly closed, but this does not mean they lack in romance.  On the contrary.  Remaining true to the period when innocence was prized, my heroines remain pure and my heroes strong.  There is chemistry between the two and despite all that fate may throw in their way, they are destined to be together.  There is often humor and pathos in their lives, but throughout it all, remains love.  Sometimes they do not realize that their fate is to be together and they often fight the thought but, nonetheless, the fact remains irrefutable.  Add to this the elegance of a bygone era and you have the perfect mix for a romance.

Although many readers will not admit to reading romance novels, they nevertheless remain one of the most popular genres with very respectable sales figures.  Where else can you find the recipe for a happy life than between the covers of a good romantic book?  You live the highs and lows of the characters’ lives and rejoice with them at the book’s conclusion.

 As with everything else, reading trends run in cycles.  Fortunately, romance in one form or another, remains throughout.

Hazel Statham lives in England and has been writing on and off since she was fifteen. Initially she was influenced by Austen, the Brontës, and Sabatini but when she turned seventeen, Georgette Heyer opened up the romance and elegance of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She immediately knew she had found her eras and wanted nothing more than to re-create them in her work.

Her latest book is the Regency romance novel, The Portrait, released by Avalon Books in August 2010.

Hazel lives with her husband, Terry, and a beautiful Labrador named Mollie. Apart from writing, her other ruling passion is animals, and until recently she acted as treasurer for an organization that raised money for animal charities.

You can visit her online at www.hazel-statham.co.uk and her blog at http://hazelstatham.blogspot.com/