Tabetha Waite Samples A Duke, Love, and Sunshine
Katherine Grant: [00:00:00] 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.
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.
All right, so today we are joined by award winning author Tabetha Waite. Tabetha has been writing since she was a young girl, started on a typewriter. And in high school, she discovered romance and immediately fell in love with the genre. And in [00:01:00] 2016, she released her debut novel, Why the Earl is After the Girl.
Since then, she has published
Tabetha Waite: 45
Katherine Grant: books and counting as a hybrid author published with both Soulmate, Wolf Publishing, and Dragonblade, as well as transitioning into indie publishing. Tabetha has won Several awards for her books and has been an Amazon bestseller. Welcome, Tabetha.
Tabetha Waite: Thank you for having me, Katherine.
Katherine Grant: Yeah, I'm so excited. We got to meet in person at a conference a couple years ago, and I'm excited to have the chance to talk more. So you're reading from A Duke, Love and Sunshine tonight, right?
Tabetha Waite: Yes. My first book with Wolf.
Katherine Grant: Okay. And can you tell us about the book and the scene you're going to read?
Tabetha Waite: Actually the scene I'm going to read is just kind of like so she wants to be a landscaped, landscape architect and she is going, she gets a chance to do that for this Duke and, you [00:02:00] know, because back in the day, it was very hard for women to get any kind of recognition for any type of thing other than, you know, you're just supposed to marry and, you know, have your children and that's how it goes.
So yeah, I, and this series is the Seaside Society of Spinsters. So I kind of went out of London a bit. It's in a place called Burnham on sea and it is a real place, which I hope to visit hopefully this year, maybe if all goes well. But it sounded like a very enchanting place. So. I thought, well, that, that would be a good place for somebody to like get a fresh start.
So we have a lodging house there with a couple of ladies that run it and women that kind of, you know, they kind of help these women get on their feet that don't want to, you know, they want to break the convention and kind of do their own thing and make their own mark in the world. So, you know so that's, that's kind of, that's just kind of what it's about.
And it is her name is Iona and it is her [00:03:00] adventure with her Duke. So. Awesome. Well, take it away. Okay. This excerpt here is just they're getting ready. She's getting ready to go on a ride with the, with the Duke. And so it's kind of like, they're going to go look for things to plant at his, his estate.
And so she's just kind of nervous about going on a ride with him. So she's like talking to, you know, one of the ladies at the boarding house. So. If you keep pacing like that, you're bound to wear a path through the floor. Iona stopped and glanced at Miss Stratford, who was sitting in the parlor and working on some needlepoint.
Her faded red hair was pulled back into a tidy bun, her clothes of the highest fashion, but it was those sharp green eyes that seemed to see more than Iona might wish. that were unnerving. She tried not to fidget as she sat on the edge of the settee. I'm sorry, Miss Stratford. I suppose I'm a bit restless.
Naturally, she murmured, you're going to be with a [00:04:00] handsome duke all day. No doubt the butterflies in your stomach are being quite contrary. Iona barely withheld a groan. What if I make a misstep? I'm not concerned about that at all, the lady waved a dismissive hand. You were raised properly in a good household, and Agatha will be acting as your chaperone for the day.
I have no fear that all will be well. Iona exhaled steadily. She wished she might be able to say the same. For some reason, seeing the Duke every day was not nearly as bothersome when she was wearing her plain attire because it reminded her of the difference in their stations. However, wearing a soft light blue gown sparked the memory of a former life, one she would rather leave behind.
Nevertheless, Rosewood was her employer, and if he asked her to accompany him, it was difficult to refuse for fear he would dismiss her completely. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't think about him continuously, if her journal wasn't [00:05:00] starting to fill with several entries about him each night. She had told herself that any sort of fascination she might have held toward him had faded when he'd taken off to London for a few days, but it seemed as if absence had made the heart grow fonder.
She was starting to fear too much intimate time in his company would cause her firm demeanor to falter. She suddenly gave her arm a slight pinch. It was one thing if she was alone with the Duke day in and day out, but this was one afternoon. She was making too much out of something that shouldn't be worrisome at all.
Nevertheless, when the Duke was announced, she jumped slightly. Ms. Stratford raised her eyebrows at her reaction, but said nothing as she turned her attention back to her task. I'll see you later this evening, iona noted. The lady glanced up with a smile. Have a nice time. Iona was certain that she was about to be sick, but rather than greet Rosewood with a grimace, she forced a smile on her face as she met him in the foyer.[00:06:00]
He was looking at a random picture, and when she approached, he turned to her with a smile. Ah, Miss Richards, it's nice to see you are punctual at all times, not just when it comes to my gardens. The easy greeting soothed some of her apprehension. Keep your focus on flowers and nothing more, she reminded herself.
I have always prided myself on being prompt. He inclined his head and then offered her his arm. She hesitated, wondering if she should accept, but since she didn't wish to be rude, she threaded her arm through his as he escorted her outside. Agatha will be joining us. She added, she's the housemaid. Capital.
He inclined his head. By the time Iona was comfortably seated in the familiar vehicle. She saw Agatha exit the house. The Duke spoke a few words to her and she nodded and climbed up next to the driver as Rosewood joined Iona. She could feel the blood recede from her face. Isn't she riding [00:07:00] inside? I told her that a chaperone wasn't necessary since we aren't courting, and she mentioned how she appreciates the fresh air.
He winked at her as he shut the door, and the carriage jerked into motion. He settled himself across from her, without a care to be had. Iona wanted to point out that, courting or not, her reputation could be taken into question since they were alone together in the interior. But she decided it was best not to press the issue.
She certainly didn't want to sound like a prude, and it wasn't as though the Duke was about to ravish her. Unfortunately, the very image of him doing just that had her cheeks heating by degrees. Are you well? Iona's focus jerked to him. What? He smiled in an easy manner. I asked if you were well. Your cheeks are slightly red.
She lifted her hands and pressed them against her face. Er, no, I suppose I'm just a little warm. You should take off your bonnet, he suggested. There's no need to stand on ceremony at the moment. You need to be comfortable. [00:08:00] That's impossible with you so close, she thought to herself, but she decided she would do as he advised and remove the offending straw.
She reached up to take out the hat pin, but when she attempted to pull the bonnet free, it caught on a stray strand of her hair. It came off with a painful pull that caused a few of the pins that were holding her hair back to break free and ping to the floor of the carriage. As a result, the long length of her hair came tumbling about her shoulders.
Oh. Her hand immediately went to her head as her cheeks went from warm to scalding. She reached out her arm and tried to gather the pins that were rolling just about just out of her reach at her feet in a desperate attempt to salvage the embarrassing situation. Could it possibly get any worse? Allow me.
The duke easily gathered the pins in his grasp. She exhaled in relief, but when she glanced up, she found his face just inches from her own. Time instantly stood still as her lips [00:09:00] parted in an unconscious invitation. And that is it.
Katherine Grant: All right. Oh, that's such a spicy little, it's not spicy in terms of spicy,
Tabetha Waite: but not yet. Yeah. I think that's actually later. So it was just like a little.
Katherine Grant: Yeah, it's got that fun feeling of like a Jane Austen. movie where you see his hand fisting in
Tabetha Waite: this. Yes, exactly. Yeah, just that little nervous, you know, just like, oh, awareness.
Yeah.
Katherine Grant: Well, I've got lots of questions for you, but before we get to them, let's take a quick break for our sponsors.
Annie R McEwen: [musical [00:10:00] interlude].
Katherine Grant: 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. [00:11:00] Just download your free ebook to your ereader.
Alright, well let's get back to this week's episode.
So we are back with Tabetha Waite, award winning historical romance author who just read a sample of A Duke, Love and Sunshine, which is a great title. Thank you. There were a couple of things that stood out to me in that scene.
One of them was the role of Mrs. Stratford, and you explained how the whole series is around the society of spinsters. And so I'm curious about the theme of female bonds and sisterhood, and
what
about that appeals to you, and what are you exploring in that theme?
Tabetha Waite: Oh I feel like not to put it in modern.
Well, I guess kind of if you want to put it in modern terms, it kind of feels like a sorority house, but maybe without like a bunch to party in kind of thing. I mean, of course, I mean, they have a good time. They, they, everybody goes and does stuff together, but everybody is there for each other. They try to support each other.
There's two ladies that run the lodging house and they're both spinsters. They [00:12:00] have, they do have a benefactor that kind of helps to get everything going for them and they all have a good name, good reputation, and they are just wanting to, you know, that was their dream was to get together and start this lodging house for, you know, women that like Iona is.
You know, of good quality, but she's like, I don't even I don't really care about that. I just want to do my own thing. So yeah, everybody is definitely supportive of each other. And as the books there's three books in this series. Now, the, the last one comes out. In March, March 14th, and they all have their, their own stories, their own dreams to fulfill.
Katherine Grant: That's awesome. And it sounds like there's a little bit of reclaiming the idea of spinster, which sometimes, at least in books, can be
Tabetha Waite: kind of a bad word.
Oh, oh yeah, definitely, definitely a bad word. But they, these are women that start out, they want to be spinsters. They don't, they don't care about anything like that.
They're just like, I want to live my dream, [00:13:00] so.
Katherine Grant: Yeah, that's awesome. I also there were a couple of sartorial details that really stood out to me like when she was reflecting on how the quality of the dress that she was wearing impacted how she felt about the Duke, and then obviously the hat pins, which are kind of pivotal in that scene.
So I'm curious, do you have any favorite research resources for period dresses or period costumes.
Tabetha Waite: Of course, I cannot think of. Any of the websites right now. There are some Jane Austen's world is a really good blog. I like to, to go to that one because there's some good resources there. But man, I, I cannot even but
Katherine Grant: do you, do you find yourself drawn to that type of detail in your
research?
I
Tabetha Waite: don't want to like oversaturate and be like, okay, she wore you know, X amount of petticoats to, you know, but I do like, you know, someone to get into the. So, you know, that she is dressing, she comes from a better family, but yet she [00:14:00] doesn't mind that she is dressing more common, like someone that works, obviously not too good for that, even with her, you know, maybe she had a better up bringing.
So
Katherine Grant: yeah, no, I love it when that kind of details in a book, because at least for me personally. I have a relationship with different clothes and so when I get to put my sweatshirt on I have a reaction as opposed to when I have to put on a blazer. And so it's nice to see Regency characters have similar types of attitudes towards their outfits.
Tabetha Waite: Oh, for sure. I mean, even some of my characters have been like, Oh, kick their shoes off, you know, after going dancing at a ball. Cause you're just like, Oh, my feet are killing me. You know, we've all been there, you know, kicking our heels off. And if we still wear heels anymore, I know sometimes I don't really do that much anymore, but that's definitely one of the first things to come off.
Yeah, absolutely.
Katherine Grant: So when you were setting up the series, you mentioned that the seaside town is a real seaside town. How did you [00:15:00] discover it? And then how have you kind of taken reality and made it into your imagination?
Tabetha Waite: Well I believe it is this first one here. Okay, yes, the, the Duke, Love and Sunshine, I actually dedicated to A guy that actually told me about Burnham On Sea where he goes on holiday, which yes.
And so it is over. It's over close to Wales. So like if you go across the channel there, you'll get to Cardiff and Wales. So it's like in that area, but over by Bristol. So that's, that's a kind of a little bit bigger town, but he had went there on a trip and sent me back some pictures and it just looked so wonderful and so quaint and I'm just I'm like, I have got to write a story about this because just this cute little coastal town.
You know, everybody always talks about Brighton and how it was like a very, you know, wonderful seaside town. And actually [00:16:00] they tried and of course, see, I was really inspired by Sanditon after watching that on PBS. And I was like, Oh, I love the idea of a seaside town. And Of course. And this, this was another one that they had been trying to get going.
And I believe it is still a vacationing, nice vacation spot.
Katherine Grant: That's awesome. I can't wait for you to go and share it with
Tabetha Waite: everyone.
All the pictures. I take tons of pictures. It's going to be all over everywhere.
Katherine Grant: So, Kind of stepping back from this work a little bit, I noticed on your very cool website that.
You write Regency, Victorian, Paranormal, and Fantasy.
Tabetha Waite: Oh yeah, I kind of skip around a little bit. Yeah, I know I should stick with one, but I just, I like to challenge myself, so.
Katherine Grant: Yeah, so how do you, is it you Are kind of going to a genre thinking, Oh, I really want to try this out. Or do you have stories coming to you [00:17:00] that say, Oh, no, hello.
I'm a fantasy.
Tabetha Waite: Yes. Yeah. Well, that kind of happened with the paranormal that I had the secret to shadows. And I was like, Oh my goodness, there's a story that is just keeps it. It won't go away. It's just in there. And it just, and I was like, okay, fine, fine. We're just going to write it. We're just going to do it.
And the visions from dreams, I actually wrote it. Last year I was going to Salem, Massachusetts. And so I was like, I gotta write a story about witches. So that's kind of how that one came about. The Kingdoms of Kiernan is the, it's a young adult fantasy. And it's going to be a trilogy. I still have to write the, the third book, which I hope to do this year.
But I, my daughter just turned 17. So at the time I wanted to write something that was more appropriate for her to read. Yeah. Yeah. Cause all my books are pretty steamy. So yeah. And I, and I just, I don't know, it was, it was really fun just to try, try something new and fantasy, you know, there really isn't a lot of research that can go with it.
You can just kind of do [00:18:00] whatever you want because you're making your own world.
Katherine Grant: Yeah. And so when you're writing, whether it's, you know, Regency or fantasy, I'm curious.
Is there any element that comes to you first like characters versus setting versus I don't know if that's maybe like theme or plot.
Tabetha Waite: Sometimes I might have an idea of like a plot like if I'm, if I'm going to be like in a shared world like my book with dragons blade Lyons or it was part of this shared world so we already kind of had like a generic idea we kind of were writing off of that.
I, as far as I usually kind of get the names first, and then I'm like, okay, well, what do I, The names of the characters? Yes. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And then I'm like, okay, well, what do I kind of want him to look like? And I'm, I'm, I like to have a visual. Some people are like, oh, well, I pictured Henry Cavill is like my hero.
And so I don't really, I don't really do that. They kind of, as I'm writing them, they kind of shape into that person.
Katherine Grant: So it's very character [00:19:00] driven in how you how you access it. It's almost like you're playing the Sims or something. And first, you have to get the character.
Tabetha Waite: Yes, exactly. Yes, that that kind of thing.
And then as far as as plot and stuff, I always say, My characters tell me their story. So I'm just sitting there. I'm, or in writing terms, I guess, a total pantser. So like, I don't have anything like some people I, I think probably have like a storyboard and it's like all kinds of mapped out.
Yeah. I, I wish I was that organized, but now I just, I just kind of sit down and just start writing and, you know, and the. I might have an idea. Oh, I kind of like it to go this way. And they're like, no, no, no, no, that's not, that's not how we want our story to go. You're going to go this way. And I'm like, okay, fine.
You know,
Katherine Grant: I feel you. I've had that happen to me. So I mentioned in your bio, I saw this on your website, you have 45 books as of 2023. Under your belt. Yeah. So I'm curious two things about that. One, how has your writing changed? And then [00:20:00] also how has your attitude towards writing or your mentality towards writing
changed?
I
Tabetha Waite: definitely still love it. I love it. There's aspects of it that like I I'm not a big marketing person. And I know that, I mean, because it is a business, it is a job, but I try not to look at it that way. I try to look at it as, you know, this is just a childhood dream that I had that I wanted to fulfill, you know, and you know, I, I, I work a full time job too, and then I come home and I, my goal is to write 2000 words a night, so 10, 000 words every week.
So then, and. You know, I, I do have those kind of goals and like 80, 000 words for a novel, 25, 000 for a novella, you know, and sometimes it could be different circumstances depending like a, there's a rake review book coming out in October. And it was, it had to be at least around 50, 000 words. So I mean it does vary sometimes but for the most part that is, and I try to stay focused sometimes I'm tired or like, I just like I just [00:21:00] want to sit down and watch more The Crown, you know, right now but I do try to, to stick with with that every, every night, and, yeah.
And eventually, it might be a slow start sometimes, but then it's like, Oh, okay. Oh, my characters are back, so let's, let's go.
Katherine Grant: Yeah, yeah, that's great. Good for you for doing that.
Tabetha Waite: And I feel like I write all the time, like, literally, I don't watch much TV, you know, like, except for The Crown here lately, but Yeah, yeah.
Katherine Grant: Who are some of the authors who influenced you most?
Tabetha Waite: Oh well I think Lisa Kleypas is one of those given that I think everybody pretty much loves her writing. I have a ton of Sabrina Jeffries books. I absolutely adore her. I got, I actually got to meet her in person and I was like, I had tears go to my eyes.
I was like, Oh, that's so exciting.
Katherine Grant: So What do you think it is about her books that speak to you so much?
Tabetha Waite: Oh, they, they were just very well, well written. I mean, there was good families. There was, you know, like everybody was [00:22:00] I just, I liked all of the characters she had. It was good plot, good pacing, and just, I don't know, I just, they were all really good.
Andrea Kane was another one that I really liked. Okay. She's, she wrote historical, and I have like a ton of her books too, so yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Awesome. Well, I think it's time to move into our fun segment.
Katherine Grant: Are you a romantic?
Which do you trust more your heart, your gut or your brain?
Tabetha Waite: Probably my heart, I should probably listen to my brain more or my gut, but more than likely it's my heart, you know, it's like, you know, I, I'll just see like, you know, I could be scrolling through social media or something, just see a cute little puppy or something like, oh, you know, so it's like immediately my heart is out there or I'll see somebody got engaged and I'm like, oh, you know, so yeah, definitely, I would definitely say heart.
Yeah. All right. Do you believe in love at first [00:23:00] sight? Oh, man. Love at first sight. I don't know. Okay. I feel like sometimes maybe lust at first sight. Like you see someone and there's an immediate attraction. You just have, oh my goodness, you're kind of flustered and all that. I don't know that I could call it love so much because I feel like that has to be something a little bit deeper.
Yeah. Fair. Do you believe in soulmates? Oh man, I don't know. Sometimes I'm going to celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary this year. So if, if anybody had a soulmate, maybe, maybe that just somebody that really, but I don't, so it may, maybe so because it's just somebody that gets you and then just, you just.
seem to be really compatible. Yeah. Yeah. Good. Good. Okay. Do you believe in true love? True love. Oh, for somebody that watched the princess [00:24:00] bride over and over and over, I have to say yes. Yes, I do. I believe it can be lasting. And I mean it, but you, you do have to be a team. You have to, to do stuff together and yeah.
Katherine Grant: All right. And why is romantic love important?
Tabetha Waite: Oh my gosh. I mean. Literally, it's what makes the world go round. I mean, I think that that's why we were for whatever reason put on this planet, just to, to have these wonderful emotions, you know, and how great does it feel whenever you do, whenever you're, you feel that flutter in your stomach, whenever you are just like the shiver and just, oh my gosh, you know, you're just, you see the, the, the guy that you like walk in or, you know, it's just, it's just amazing feelings.
Katherine Grant: Yeah, I like that. Tabetha, I'm going to call you a romantic.
Tabetha Waite: Yeah, guilty as charged.
Katherine Grant: Well, listen, I really [00:25:00] appreciate you taking the time for this podcast episode. Before we finish, where can our listeners find you and your books?
Tabetha Waite: Well, I am all over social media. I have a website author Tabethawaite.
wix. com slash romance. I know it's kind of long, but you know, it is what it is. And you, you know, you're at the right place and you see all the roses. Cause I'm a big beauty and the beast fan. So, yeah, you can usually find that kind of stuff around all of my things, but yeah. Anywhere, anywhere on social media, I'm on all of it.
Katherine Grant: That's awesome. And do you have any new releases coming out this spring?
Tabetha Waite: I have Drawing Hearts in the Sand, which is the last, or the third book in the Seaside Society of Spinsters. I also have The High Women's Heroine. It comes out in May. And I have a couple other Books in October, The Wallflower's Retribution, and The Hunt for Mr.
October, which
Katherine Grant: Oh my gosh! Yes. [00:26:00] That is for the Rake Review, right? A
Tabetha Waite: little play on words, and I hope nobody scares me for that one, because he's actually an Earl, but I'm like, I called him Mr. October, but it sounded fun, so I'm like, I'm gonna Yeah. What were you gonna say, Lord October? Yeah, no, that doesn't have the right ring.
Yeah.
Katherine Grant: Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Tabetha. I really
appreciate your time.
Tabetha Waite: Yes. Thank you for having me.
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.