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FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Ramona Elmes Samples The Questionable Acts of an American Gentleman

[00:00:00] Katherine Grant: Welcome to the Historical Romance Sampler Podcast. The place for you to find new historical romance books and authors to fan over. I'm award winning historical romance author Katherine Grant, and each week I'm inviting fellow authors to come on and share a little bit of their work and themselves.

[00:00:21] They'll read a sample of one of their books, and then I'm going to ask them a bunch of questions. By the end of the episode, you'll have a sense of what they write and who they are. Hopefully, you and I both will have something new to read. So what are we waiting for? Let's get into this week's episode.

[00:00:41] All right, so today we are here joined by Ramona Elmes. Ramona has always loved historical romance novels, and in 2019, inspired by all of the writers she has read, she started writing her own tales of love that take place in the early Victorian era. She just completed her first series, the Nouveau Riche, in September 2023 and is excited to be working on a new seven book series called The Brazen Curators.

[00:01:10] Over the next few months, she will be sharing more, but you can expect lots of angst and adventure by a group of misfit ladies trying to one up a long existing stuffy men's only club. Sounds really exciting. Besides writing Ramona also loves to travel. She has traveled all over the U S Europe and Central America.

[00:01:30] And next on her bucket list are Petra in Jordan, Tikal in Guatemala and anywhere in Scotland. Welcome Ramona. I'm so glad to have you here.

[00:01:41] Ramona Elmes: Thank you. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. Yeah.

[00:01:45] Katherine Grant: So today you're reading an excerpt from The Questionable Acts of an American Gentleman, which sets up a lot of fun tension in the title alone because we've got American Gentleman coming in.

[00:01:58] So I'm just going to read the blurb for readers to set up the book. Lady Mercy never imagined an early morning chance encounter in Hyde Park with Jack Kincaid would tempt her to betray her betrothed. The mysterious American ignites a passion in Mercy that leads her to question the practical arrangements she made with her dear childhood friend, the Duke of Payton.

[00:02:21] Would she really give it all up for Jack? What she doesn't know is Jack has a shocking secret, and their chance encounter is really the first. first step in his ruthless plan of revenge against the Duke. Jack is so close to getting his revenge. Still, he can't deny his immediate connection with Mercy, or his unexpected feelings for her that grow deeper as they continue to spend time together.

[00:02:47] The more time they spend together, the more Jack questions his ruthless choices, and how Mercy will see them when his secrets are revealed. Is he capable of being a better man? Can he walk away from his desire for revenge? As he questions his choices, his explosive secret is revealed, devastating mercy and shocking all of London.

[00:03:10] So that's a very exciting book setup. Ramona, would you like to tell us a little bit about the scene you're going to read?

[00:03:17] Ramona Elmes: Yeah, sure. So I'm going to read a scene that takes place between Jack Kincaid and his siblings. They're headed over to England on a ship and they're talking about their plans and the actual Mercy will come up in that scene as well.

[00:03:32] So that's what I'm going to read. Awesome. So go ahead and get started. Thanks. All right. Jack Kincaid spun the glass of amber liquid between his fingers as he sat with his siblings in the saloon on the SS Delphin. They were more than halfway through their journey to England. He started to say something to his siblings when a man dashed by covering his mouth.

[00:03:53] His lips twitched in disdain at the man's weak stomach. Ocean travel wasn't for everyone. He thought to himself, they were seated in the back corner of the room and Jack ordered the staff to make sure they were left undisturbed. Normally, his brother Sam, spent the evening charming passengers, but Jack wasn't up for it tonight.

[00:04:12] He could only tolerate so much of the mingling, and he was at his limit. The mother and her daughter started making their way over to them, and Jack fixed his cool blue eyes on them. The mother quickly turned her daughter in the opposite direction. "You know being less frightening wouldn't hurt," Sam said dryly.

[00:04:30] Jack shrugged. "You won't be so nonchalant when you scare away all of our customers," Sophia, his youngest sibling piped up. He raised an eyebrow at her, but she just smiled back at him. He hated the pomp that went with traveling on one of their past trips. On the Atlantic Ocean, and as their success grew, his dislike for their elite passengers grew.

[00:04:56] Whenever he or his siblings were on the vessels, passengers wanted to spend all of their time with them. He found insincerity in anyone in the plane and long ago stopped participating in such conversations. Not all his siblings were so unfriendly, he thought, glancing at both Sam and Sophia. They were all so different, even Annie, who was his only true blood relation.

[00:05:21] Sam and Sophia came along later, but he would do anything for them. Yes, he may be cold, but the people who mattered most in his life always knew that he would move heaven and earth to protect them. He contemplated both his sisters sitting across from him. They were both dressed in the finest evening wear, but so drastically different from each other.

[00:05:40] Annie, his practical sister, was slender with his same ebony hair and deep blue eyes, while Sophia, the dreamer, was petite with red wavy hair. And Sam, well, he was something else altogether. He didn't know a lady who wasn't easily charmed by his lazy smile, blonde hair, and strapping frame. Jack rolled his eyes as his brother smiled at a lady sitting across the room.

[00:06:03] Yes, Jack could admit to himself he was the least friendly of their makeshift family. "Are we all prepared to go forward with the plan?" Annie asked them. They were on the verge of setting their plan in motion. The voyage over to England was only the beginning. The next steps were to ruin his uncle's family, who had taken everything from them and reclaimed their inheritance.

[00:06:23] Jack felt the rage within him simmer, but he kept it under control, refusing to show any emotion. He learned a long time ago, thanks to Mrs. Seawald, that it didn't benefit him to show his anger. "I'm bored with this question, Annie," he said. "We are almost to England. I think we are all in agreement." She nodded, satisfied

[00:06:42] with his answer. They waited 22 years for revenge. Without thinking, Jack touched his father's ring where it laid in his jacket, where it laid hidden in his jacket. He and Annie had been through so much since the day they were abandoned at the orphanage. He would always agree that those years brought Sam to life.

[00:07:00] Sam, unlike them, was born on the streets of Philadelphia and had acquired a bevy of skills from an early age that helped him survive. Without him, Annie and he wouldn't have survived in the orphanage. Jack wasn't an emotional man, but one night after Sam and he were well into their cups, he had confessed as much.

[00:07:18] He could still remember Sam's shocked expression and his adamant declaration that it was Annie and he who saved him. After plenty of arguing and more drinking, they agreed they saved each other. He shivered, remembering how grueling it was to survive within the orphanage, a hellhole that pitted children against each other to obtain the smallest scraps of food.

[00:07:39] They all had lasting scars from their time in the orphanage. For Jack and Sam, no visible scars, but that couldn't be said for Annie. He looked at her sitting across from him. She was lovely in her dark blue evening dress that cinched at her waist with an elaborate skirt that flowed around her. The dress was made of the finest fabric and lace.

[00:07:58] Still, it differed in a few ways from the cap sleeves and scoop necklines that all the ladies were wearing. The sleeves pinched at the wrist and the neckline sat high above her collarbone. He would love to say she wore her dress differently to stand out, but in truth, all her dresses were designed to hide the lasting effects of Miss Seawald's care.

[00:08:19] He clenched his jaw. Revenge and justice couldn't come soon enough. Ultimately, the Paytons were the cause of all that had happened to them. "Are we sure they knew you and Annie survived the illness?" Sophia asked in her light voice. Of the four of them, she was the youngest and most sheltered. Sophia didn't come into their lives until after they left the orphanage when the Kincaids adopted him, Annie, and Sam.

[00:08:43] If any of them questioned their tactics, of course it would be Sophia. Jack, Sam, and Annie often worried their sister was too kind hearted. "They knew," Annie said quietly. "What do we gain from ruining them? Your cousin and aunt are still your kin," Sophia said. They meant nothing to him. He had pushed away any loving memories of his aunt and cousin long ago.

[00:09:04] What drove him? He thought about it for a moment. He wished he could tell Sophia it was justice or righting a wrong, but it was revenge that drove him. It was all he thought about as they lived in squalor, knowing that his uncle and his family lived to excess on his title. From what he learned, his cousin wasn't much different from his uncle.

[00:09:22] Everything continued to be squandered since he became the duke. Jack felt no sympathy for him. He drank the brandy in his glass in one gulp, enjoying the way it almost numbed the rage within him. "Revenge or justice, choose the one you feel most comfortable with," Jack bit out. Sophia scrunched up her nose and looked questioningly at Annie and Sam.

[00:09:42] Annie nodded in agreement. "I'm fine with revenge. I want that family to pay. When we reclaim the title for Jack, I want them left with nothing." Sam walked over to Annie and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm with them, Soph." Sophia let out an exasperated sigh, clasped her hand, and clasped her hands together.

[00:10:00] Jack knew the thought of revenge did not sit well with her. She struggled with it. Her kind heart made it difficult to support destroying anyone. "Do you really think my parents, your adoptive parents, would want this for you? Yes, I think they would want you to reclaim what belongs to you, but ruining people and sending them to debtor's prison.

[00:10:19] I can't imagine you would do this if they were still alive," she said, her voice breaking slightly. And she was right. They would hate their plan. Still, his adoptive father, Joseph, knew about his desire for revenge. He knew it drove him. Jack pushed away the nibble of emotion that tried to pull him back from his plan.

[00:10:36] "We all agree to this or we don't do it," Jack stated. The siblings were all quiet, waiting on Sophia's response. She sighed and said, "I will always be with you. There is no one, there's no one I love more in this world than the three of you. I just worry it will end up causing us more harm." Her chin quivered and she pursed her lips.

[00:10:56] She looked down and studied the intricate flower design on her dress. Jack shifted in his chair, uncomfortable. She was upset with them. Annie, not one for nonsense, rolled her eyes and said, "Out with it, Sophia." Sophia's emerald eyes flashed. She may be the nicest of them, but she never let Annie intimidate her.

[00:11:12] "What of the girl?" Her question startled Jack. The girl was the farthest thing from his mind. They recently learned his cousin had become betrothed, and they plan to use her for their plan. "What of her?" "She will get hurt." Annie snorted and seemed amused by Sophia's concern over a lady of the peerage. "What does it matter, Soph?

[00:11:31] They marry for money and status. She will be a duchess." Sophia frowned at her, clearly unhappy with Annie's response. Of course it would be Sophia who thought about the lady's concerns. "Yes, but she will still be ruined. Again, I'm with you, but, but promise me that you will do your best to protect her." Jack often wondered what Sophia honestly thought of him.

[00:11:51] Yes, he needed to ruin the lady in question, and there would be a scandal, but he would take care of her, and as Annie mentioned, she would still be a duchess. "Sophia, I'm not a monster. As my duchess, the lady will be under my care. She will have my protection," he said. "What about love? What if she wants children?

[00:12:08] Marriage is forever," Sophia said, causing Sam and Annie to snicker. He glared at both of them. He didn't want to have this conversation with Sophia. His sister had a library full of novels focused on love. She didn't, she more than any of them dreamed of love and fairy tales. Jack himself didn't require that.

[00:12:25] He didn't want her getting any crazy ideas. So he callously retorted, "I imagine I will have to bed her and get her with an heir. And after that she can do as she do what she likes." Sam and Annie doubled over in laughter, causing the people in the saloon to stare at them. Jack glared back at them until they were until they awkwardly turned away when he turned back.

[00:12:46] Sophia's face was almost the shade of her hair. She stared back at him. Her lips pinched together with tears forming in her eyes. Jack instantly felt bad. He crossed the line with his remark. "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me. I promise you she will be cherished and cared for." Annie snorted and he glared at her.

[00:13:03] "I'm not a monster." Annie smiled mischievously at him. For a moment, he saw the young, bubbly girl she used to be. He loved it when she smiled. Sam was shaking his head and Jack looked at him questioningly. "Perhaps if you're going to try to woo this lady, maybe not look so harsh. Even in Philadelphia, most innocent young ladies were terrified of you," Sam joked.

[00:13:24] Jack scowled at him before throwing his head back and laughing, surprising everyone. Sam was right. He glanced at Sophia, who was still watching him with a serious frown. He sighed and said, "So if I promise she'll want for nothing." She gathered herself and smiled mischievously at him. "I hope you fall madly in love with her."

[00:13:42] He shook his head and rolled his eyes but remained silent. He didn't want to, he didn't want to crush Sophia's fantasies by telling her that he had seen too much to believe in fairy tales the way she did. There you go. The end.

[00:13:57] Katherine Grant: Awesome. Thank you so much. That was a really great excerpt and I'm looking forward to asking you some questions about it.

[00:14:04] Right now we're going to take a break for our sponsors.

[00:14:06] Hey samplers! It's Katherine Grant. I am interrupting this episode to tell you how to get a free book, the Viscount Without Virtue. First, go to bit.ly/hrs fan, go through the checkout process. This is where you add the promo code, HR SFAN as your last step. Just download your free ebook to your ereader.

[00:14:33] Alright, well let's get back to this week's episode.

[00:14:36] Okay, well we are back with Ramona Elmes, who just read an awesome excerpt from The Questionable Act of an American Gentleman.

[00:14:43] So, It was a really interesting scene that was setting up a lot of dynamics and very focused on these four siblings who are clearly super bonded to each other. So I'm curious, as you were writing this series, how much did you develop those characters before you even started writing so that you could

[00:15:05] Ramona Elmes: I knew that I wanted to have this really strong makeshift family bond and when I started, I did do a lot of planning in the beginning that I was going to have four siblings. They were all going to be slightly different from each other. They weren't necessarily blood relatives, but they had these experiences that tightly bonded them together.

[00:15:27] So that was actually all kind of formed in my head and really messily written down on paper before I actually started any of the stories. But I did start with book one with Jack, but I will say I spent a lot of time thinking through that.

[00:15:43] Katherine Grant: Yeah, it's, they're all very clearly defined, even in this one scene.

[00:15:47] So I can imagine that throughout the series, it becomes a very rewarding payoff to see all the different siblings having their, their storylines.

[00:15:57] Ramona Elmes: That's the goal.

[00:16:00] Katherine Grant: So, I'm curious, you chose to write this series. There are a couple of choices I'm curious about. One is America versus Britain. What inspired you to write some American heroes?

[00:16:12] Ramona Elmes: So I think it's going to be a little bit more interesting to see what the audience thinks and heroines coming to Britain. So it'll come more out in the book, but I needed Jack to be away from England for a significant part of his life. So that'll be explained further on in the book. So there are a lot of different options with that, but I liked the idea of.

[00:16:33] growing up on the east coast in the United States. I didn't want it to be New York. And then I kind of stumbled, stumbled across actually an old map of Philadelphia and just kind of fell in love with that. And more of their upbringing will be about more of their upbringing in the other book will be explained in the other books.

[00:16:53] But Philadelphia was just a place I happened to come across that I really thought this is the place for them to grow up. So. And there's great maps of Philadelphia in 1840, by the way.

[00:17:05] Katherine Grant: Yeah, and so what made you choose the early Victorian period?

[00:17:11] Ramona Elmes: I love this time period for a variety of reasons, but I think a lot of the world is really on the cusp of some major changes.

[00:17:20] You talk about the changes in ships the invention of the railroad is kind of in the very beginning stages, not the beginning, but closer to the beginning. In book four, I talk about the invention of the telegraph. It's just a time when there's so much change going on. It's really fun to kind of weave that into the stories.

[00:17:40] Katherine Grant: Yeah, that makes sense. And clearly you do do a lot of research. How do you approach research versus writing? Do, do they, does one come before the other or is it kind of

[00:17:51] interwoven?

[00:17:53] Ramona Elmes: I thought it would be before I started writing, but that's not necessarily the case. I tend to research as I go. Like, I knew that I wanted them to own a passenger vessel company, so as I was actually writing the first couple chapters, and even the one I read I was doing a lot of research on what the inside of a ship looked like during that time period.

[00:18:15] What did a dining saloon look like and those types of things.

[00:18:20] Katherine Grant: Yeah, that's really interesting. I know I was reading about your next series that's coming out that's going to be focusing on women with their relics. You talked about how it's going to be informed by relics. So I'm curious how are you researching that?

[00:18:35] Like, are there specific relics you had in mind? Or are you, do you get to spend afternoons looking through museums looking for appropriate relics?

[00:18:45] Ramona Elmes: I would say yes, but it's, it'll be my second series. So I've learned a lot. And what I've done is kind of done more of an outline of what things will look like across, there'll be seven books in this one across all the books, but I know it, for instance, in book two, that The leads of that book will be in Damascus for a period of time and they'll be looking at like ancient writing and stuff like that.

[00:19:10] So I spent some time researching. So I've got the basic plot points down. So for that one specifically, I've done a lot more research up front. I actually came up with a lot of that idea because I was able to go to London last year and very much enjoyed my time in some of the museums over there. And that's kind of where the first thoughts of that sprang up.

[00:19:32] Katherine Grant: Yeah, that's really cool.

[00:19:34] Did you study history or was history at all part of your life before you started writing historical romance?

[00:19:40] Ramona Elmes: Yeah, I have a degree in history, but up until, like, writing I've really been more focused on the data, in the data field and things like that, but I've always loved history. My actual bachelor's is in history, so research and things like that are things that I happen to enjoy.

[00:19:58] I'm definitely one of those people that goes down the, Research rabbit hole and wakes up or comes out of it four hours later. So but definitely love that part.

[00:20:08] Katherine Grant: Yeah. Have you been on any interesting rabbit holes recently?

[00:20:13] Ramona Elmes: I think the most interesting one I've been on most recently is, like I said this series talks a little bit about ship travel, but what I, my first book in the Brazen Curator Series the leads of that are actually going to go on one of the first leisure cruises that ever existed, which is drastically different than how we see cruising today, you know, The luxuries we have now just didn't exist then.

[00:20:38] So I've been on a lot of rabbit holes of like scoping out different ships and things like that. I now have lots of old ships I would like to visit, which before I started this, I would have never ever wanted to do that. But now I would love it. But yeah, I would say that's the most recent one.

[00:20:59] Katherine Grant: I can relate to that.

[00:21:00] I've been writing a sailor hero. So I've been trying to learn more about like naval ships and british Regency. And when I first started and I was like, you know, they're like frigate, brig, all these terms. I was like, I don't know what that means. I'm so bored. And then as I was doing more research, I began to learn it.

[00:21:18] And then I found, I happened to be in San Diego for a different reason. And I was like, Wait a second. There's a tall ship. I have to go on. And then I was so excited. I was like, who am I? All of a sudden, I care about ships. Yeah.

[00:21:32] Ramona Elmes: Yeah. The weird things you get excited about.

[00:21:36] Katherine Grant: Exactly. Yeah. So I'm curious, you know, in your bio, you talked about how you're very inspired by writers before you decided to start writing for yourself.

[00:21:46] Are there any in particular that you consider your biggest influences?

[00:21:51] Ramona Elmes: Yeah, I would say probably when I was much younger Judith McNaught, which I think a lot of people have read her and then today I would say probably Lorraine Heath, she is by far one of my favorites I could devour her books, and then I think Sarah MacLean is another one as well but yeah, those are some of the ones that I really enjoy reading.

[00:22:14] Katherine Grant: Yeah, that's awesome. Do you feel that your stories come to you as a premise? Do you get the characters first? Do you have dialogue in your head? How does, how does the story, how do you get hooked into it as a writer?

[00:22:29] Ramona Elmes: I think for me, it always starts with more of a theme. So I knew in my first series that it was going to be centered around this bond of family and revenge and things like that.

[00:22:42] For this new series, the Brazen Curator series, I want it to be centered around this group of misfit ladies who would normally never be friends, except they've decided they want to one up this establishment. So I think it's this theme, and then it grows out from there for instance, for the second series, I wasn't sure how many ladies I would have, so I had to actually kind of start writing down what are these stories going to look like, and how does it all get woven together.

[00:23:12] So the Brazen Curator series will actually end at the great exhibit in London in 1851. So all these stories are reaching that point and the last book will be around that time period when that starts. So I would say a theme. That's a long way to say a theme. Sorry.

[00:23:31] Katherine Grant: No, that's really interesting. I think there are a lot of historical romance readers who are familiar with specific time periods and happily read those periods. And then I think 1840 to 1850, I'm trying to think of examples of books I've read and I know I have read some books in early Victorian period, but I think a lot of times it's not super specific telling me that it's early Victorian period like the author knows that but it's not doing a lot of world building in terms of what specifically was happening.

[00:24:03] But it sounds like with your book, in particular the one that's going to end with the 1851 exhibition that it is very informed by actually what was going on. So, my question is, how do you think about world building for readers who don't know what Much about the early Victorian period?

[00:24:21] Ramona Elmes: I try to throw in little facts But I also am aware that not everybody loves to know the little details of history, right?

[00:24:29] So I don't ever want the historical facts to overwhelm the love story but I do try to throw in little tidbits and you know, for instance and actually The Questionable Acts of an American Gentleman, there's a section in there about Queen Victoria's dress, wedding dress, and all the rage and things like that.

[00:24:49] So it's kind of trying to show this is kind of where we are in this world, this time period, those types of things. With my hope being that if you don't love all those historical details, at least you still like the story. And I've not bogged you down with all the things I like, like, you know, the little parts of the wooden pieces of the ships and things like that.

[00:25:13] Katherine Grant: And do you feel like there are specific tropes that you're drawn to? Or do you kind of write different tropes for each book?

[00:25:21] Ramona Elmes: Oh, I, I am a diehard enemies to lovers trope fan. I love that one. I think I recently started to love friends to lovers. So I think those are kind of my two favorites, but enemies to lovers is my favorite.

[00:25:37] I love a couple that at the beginning of the book is not getting along, but yeah, those would be my favorite.

[00:25:44] Katherine Grant: All right. Well, I'm going to move us into our fun segment.

[00:25:47] Are you a romantic?

[00:25:53] Which do you trust more, your heart, your gut, or your

[00:25:55] Ramona Elmes: brain? I'm gonna go with my gut. I wish it was my brain, but it's definitely my gut.

[00:26:03] Katherine Grant: Do you believe in love at first sight?

[00:26:07] Ramona Elmes: I believe you can have a connection with someone, but I don't, I don't think I would call that love at first sight.

[00:26:14] Katherine Grant: Do you believe in soulmates or true love, and are they the same?

[00:26:20] Ramona Elmes: I believe in soulmates, but I believe you can have more than one soulmate, and sometimes it's not just romantic love.

[00:26:27] Katherine Grant: All right. What makes an apology meaningful?

[00:26:32] Ramona Elmes: The follow through. An apology is wonderful if the actions followed are, you know, follow, work with the apology.

[00:26:44] Katherine Grant: Why is romantic love important?

[00:26:48] Ramona Elmes: I just, I mean, it's such a profound emotion. I think, you know, on a philosophical level, I think, you know, it has made, caused major changes in the world. And then I think on a personal level, it's just an amazing thing to be able to have a partnership with someone.

[00:27:07] Katherine Grant: Yeah, I like that.

[00:27:08] Great

[00:27:09] answers. I'm going to call you a pragmatic romantic.

[00:27:14] Thank you so much for doing this interview with me. Where can our readers find you or find your books?

[00:27:21] Ramona Elmes: Yeah, they can find my books on Amazon. They're also available through Kindle Unlimited on there as well. And then they can find me on Facebook and on Instagram and then my website Ramona Elmes dot com.

[00:27:35] Katherine Grant: Awesome. Well, thank you again. I really appreciate it.

[00:27:39] Ramona Elmes: Thank you.

[00:27:40] Katherine Grant: That's it for this week. Check out the show notes where I put links for my guests, myself, and the podcast. Until next week, happy reading.