To celebrate the release of The Scoundrel of Drury Lane, I sat down with author Lauren Smith. Read on for the classic novel that inspired her story, plus a hilarious blast from her theater past!
Tell us more about the main characters of The Scoundrel of Drury Lane. What inspired you to write them?
Christopher has been a character I’ve longed to write for years. He is a hardened man who’s endured betrayal and loss and I love that he gets the sweet, gentle English nickname of Kit which is a great contrast to his rough personality. But in the end, he shows such a softness and sweetness for those he loves.
Suzannah was a heroine that I identified with as a fellow artist. She believes in painting the truth and painting the beauty of life as she sees it. She is brave enough to love someone who can growl a bit and she won’t give up on those she cares about.
This story really became a fun Count of Monte Cristo retellings which was one of my favorite novels when I was growing up. I wanted to write the story of a man who had everything taken away and how he returns to a changed world and fights to find his place in it again.
What is your approach for writing novels? Do you like to begin with a trope, characters, a setting, or something else for inspiration?
I love beginning with the characters first. I usually visualize the first scene, that moment that shows me at least one of the characters as they encounter something in their life that sets them on the path toward adventure. With this story, it began with a scene of Kit at 19 on a convict ship being transported to Australia for a crime he didn’t commit. His suffering was so real to me that this scene began the entire story and I knew I had to find out what would happen to him.
The Scandals and Scoundrels of Drury Lane are all based around a Regency theater. Do you like to go to the theater? What are some of your favorite productions?
I love plays and musicals. I think my favorite play is Twelve Angry Men, which is the story of a group of jurors in a crowded room debating on a hot day with no air conditioning, the fate of a man being tried for a crime. In the beginning only one man believes in the defendant’s innocence, and he wins over each juror 1 by 1 until they all agree to acquit the condemned man. It’s a beautiful story.
Have you ever been involved in the theater as a performer or backstage?
Not really. I performed Chicken Little (in the role of Chicken little) as a child. And I was a mouse in the Tulsa Ballet Nutcracker one year but I never performed anything after that.
Which of your characters outside of The Scoundrel of Drury Lane would be most likely to see this new production at the Drury Lane Theatre? What would they think of it?
I know my heroes from my League of Rogues series would definitely attend the Drury Lane plays because they happen to be business acquaintances with Kit the hero from my book and their wives would want to support Kit’s wife, Susannah.
After reading The scoundrel of Drury Lane, which book of yours should readers pick up next?
Definitely pick up Wicked Designs, the first book in my League of Rogues series. It has a great cast of hero friendships that involve adventure and the readers have the pleasure of watching these roguish bachelors fall in love one by one.
The Scoundrel of Drury Lane
He was falsely accused and sentenced to die...
At nineteen, Christopher "Kit" Hollingsworth is spared the noose but sentenced to serve seven years in Australia as a convict. The men who betrayed him have plans to make sure he never returns to England. But Kit's strong will and thirst for vengeance ensure his survival.
Seven long years later, he returns to London but he's forever changed. Gone is the innocent, handsome young lad he'd been. Now Kit is a towering, muscular man of twenty-six with scars inside and out. He wants England to see the new him, the man who lost his soul, and he wants the three men who destroyed his life to forfeit theirs. The only light in his dark night is a beautiful, innocent young woman who paints the sets at the Drury Lane theater. There's just one problem...she's the daughter of one of the men who sent him to prison.
Get the Book
Amazon - Apple - B&N - Kobo
About LAUREN SMITH
USA Today Bestselling Author Lauren Smith is an Oklahoma attorney by day, author by night who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She knew she was destined to be a romance writer when she attempted to re-write the entire Titanic movie just to save Jack from drowning. Connecting with readers by writing emotionally moving, realistic and sexy romances no matter what time period is her passion. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including: New England Reader’s Choice Awards, Greater Detroit BookSeller’s Best Awards, and a Semi-Finalist award for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. She was a 2018 RITA ® Finalist in the Romance Writers of America Contest. To connect with Lauren, visit her at www.laurensmithbooks.com
Don’t forget the rest of The Scandals and Scoundrels of Drury Lane!
Janna’s is one out of eight books in our series behind the scenes of the theater on Drury Lane.