In this abridged extract from her article in the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2023, Katy Moran shares her recommended reading and insights for aspiring romantic novelists.
Writing the book of your heart without regard to genre and then seeing it published is only one way into Regency romance. Since Georgette Heyer published Regency Buck in 1935, the genre has evolved with spectacular invention. As a first port of call, I’d advise anyone interested in writing Regency romance to read it widely – including books published recently. Read Regency romances first published in the States, too, where the market is not only larger but different. UK-based authors Emily Royal, Emily Windsor and Virginia Heath have found great success across the pond with their joy-filled romances and romcoms. Vanessa Riley is from the US and writes award-winning examples of the genre with sparkling heroines, shining a light on the hidden histories of women of colour. Here in the UK, Audrey Harrison, Penny Hampson and Fenella Miller all successfully self-publish in this category. Sophie Irwin is an exciting new voice in UK Regency romcom with A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting (HarperCollins 2022), and Jane Lark writes passionate Regency romance.
KJ Charles writes in a variety of periods including the Regency, and her witty, escapist, subversive and sexy m/m romances have a huge and devoted worldwide following of fans, as do those of well-loved romance author Alexis Hall, who writes sparkling and witty queer Regency romance. Jenni Fletcher’s How to Lose an Earl in Ten Weeks (Penguin 2021) was published for the YA market but has also found a wider readership – which is no surprise given the appeal of the Regency genre, and Fletcher’s uplifting take on it.
So … read! Read as much in the genre as you can, and in doing so you’ll understand who your own ideal readers will be. As a reader, do you enjoy on-page sex or do you find it off-putting? As a writer, do you relish exploring human chemistry to that extent or might you prefer to show the heat of attraction between your characters in smaller gestures, leaving sex behind closed doors? The more we read, the sooner we understand what we‘re best placed to create. Over the years I’ve been developing as a writer, a particular piece of wisdom from Alan Garner has come to take on deeper meaning for me: ‘If the other fellow can do it, let him.’ Is there a special niche within Regency romance that you can explore like no one else?
This is an abridged version of an article taken from the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2023, available to order now from Bloomsbury.com
After a career in publishing, Katy Moran began writing books for young adults. Two of her six children’s books have been Carnegie nominated: Bloodline (2008) and Spirit Hunter (2010), both published by Walker Books. She is the author of the Regency romance trilogy for adults, published by Head of Zeus: Game of Hearts (2017), Wicked by Design (2022) and Scandalous Alchemy (2022).Visit Katy's website and follow her on Twitter.
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