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Trashy Romance Novel
by Jacqueline E Smith
"It all started with a crush.
How cliché is that? I mean, of all the things to motivate a person to do something, how often does it go back to a silly infatuation? More often than most of us would probably care to admit.
Of course, this wasn’t an ordinary crush on a cute coworker or a charming friend of a friend I hooked up with at a party. No, I’ve never met the man who inspired my books.
But I’m about to."
Delaney Brooks is the author of The Queen’s Surrogate, the “sinfully satisfactory” romance novel that swept readers around the world off their feet and into the fictional embrace of His Majesty, King Malcolm.
When her book is adapted into an eight-part miniseries, Delaney and her best friend Gemma fly to Scotland for what promises to be two months of lush green mountains, historic castles, and hot celebrity co-workers, including the gorgeous Matthew Kent, British playboy Benjamin Wyndham, and Hollywood’s hottest reformed rebel, Colin Ward.
Author's Note: Not Erotica.
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Tell us about Trashy Romance Novel.
Trashy Romance Novel is a guilty pleasure read about a young author who travels to Scotland when her books are adapted into an eight-part miniseries. Throughout her two month visit, she travels the country with her best friend and two of their handsome Hollywood colleagues.
What initially inspired you to write Trashy Romance Novel?
I’ve been told repeatedly that I’d never make money as an author unless I wrote a trashy romance novel. The idea for the novel that Delaney writes in the series came to me one afternoon while I was daydreaming about how Gerard Butler needs to play a King in some sexy historical romance movie. At first, I was tempted to write The Queen’s Surrogate as a full length novel. I had the outline and characters and everything and actually, the first few excerpts from my original manuscript are the same excerpts in Trashy Romance Novel. But as I wrote, I began to think that I wouldn’t be able to do historical fiction justice, even if it was set in a fictional Kingdom.
Tell us little about the characters in Trashy Romance Novel.
Characters are my favorite part of any story and I try my best to make my characters real, likable, and relatable.
Delaney Brooks (aka Lorelei DuBois) is a young woman who, in spite of her success as an author, still struggles with fear and insecurity, though she hates to admit it. She’s a dreamer and she lives for new experiences, but she’ll also do anything to protect her heart and her true identity.
Her best friend, Gemma Price, was a joy to write because she’s loud, free, beautiful, and shameless. She’s the kind of person that anyone would want as a friend, but whose personality is so overwhelming that she can, at times, be intimidating. But she’s fiercely loyal and protective of Delaney and she truly wants what’s best for her.
Benjamin Wyndham is the first real friend that Delaney and Gemma make when they arrive on set. Known as Great Britain’s Greater Playboy, Benjamin is friendly and more than a little flirtatious. But there’s definitely more to him than meets the eye.
Colin Ward is our handsome hero with the troubled past, former Hollywood rebel, reformed bad boy, and who is still, years later, trying to overcome that image.
And Matthew Kent is Delaney’s ultimate celebrity crush, the one who inspired her to write the books in the first place. He’s a bit of an enigma, the quiet observer, the man that never says quite what you want to hear, but you still want to hear it anyway.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
My biggest challenge was in writing what I considered to be a good love scene. I never wanted this book to be graphic. Those aren’t the kind of books I enjoy reading and I wouldn’t feel comfortable writing one. At the same time, I didn’t want those intimate scenes to be overly dramatic or corny. I wanted them to feel like real moments between real people. And I’m actually very happy with how they turned out.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
I honestly just loved writing about Scotland. I was there for two weeks back in 2011 and I still think about it every day. Writing those scenes in Edinburgh and Inverness and Glen Nevis took me right back to those two weeks. I especially loved writing the Glen Nevis scene because my it really is the sort of place that you want to bottle up and keep with you.
What are your future project(s)?
Right now, I’m finishing up the fourth and final book in my young adult series, the Boy Band series. After that, I’m going to finally finish the fourth book in my paranormal series, the Cemetery Tours series. Beyond that, I have at least a dozen other books in my head that need to get written!
All writers have their strengths and weaknesses. Some excel at weaving a series of twists and turns into their stories, keeping their readers on the edge of their seats. Others may may find they have a flare for witty dialogue.
Me? I’m not sure what my strengths are, besides totally and completely objectifying Matthew Kent, but I’m well aware of my weaknesses. Any professional writer or instruction guide will tell aspiring authors, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, make your written world as real as the one we live in.
I don’t think I’m very good at that.
When I was writing for myself, I didn’t really think about it. I didn’t really have to think about it. I could see the country of Edin inside my mind. I knew exactly what Malcolm’s castle was supposed to look like. Writing it all out, describing it for myself on paper wasn’t necessary. But when I began editing and re-writing for actual readers, that’s when things got tricky.
It didn’t matter what I wrote. Nothing was ever good enough. My descriptions paled in comparison to the world I’d so long only been imagining. I tried my best to show my readers fields of gold and purple flowers, trickling streams so clear that even the rocks beneath their waters glistened in the sunlight, mountains that guarded their surrounding forests like watchful deities, powerful and loving. But those words still fell short.
I should have just told them to visit Glen Nevis.
Here in Scotland, I’ve often found myself wondering if what I’m seeing is, in fact, real. The beauty of this country far surpasses anything I could ever imagine, especially the wild and regal splendor of Glen Nevis. There’s something in the air that feels secret, sacred. I wish there was a way to bottle it up and keep it with me.
Jacqueline Smith was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She attended the University of Texas at Dallas, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Art and Performance in 2010. Two years later, she earned her Master's Degree in Humanities.
Along with writing and publishing, Jacqueline loves photography, traveling, and nature.
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