An interview with Lavinia Kent

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Unlike a lot of authors, I didn’t dream of writing my entire life. While I have been making up stories in my head since my childhood, it was always just a way of passing the time, not some ultimate life goal. It wasn’t until I had small children that I really started writing down some of those stories and realized how much I loved it. Who knew naptime was the perfect opportunity to sit down and write a novel?

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? 
Sometimes, when I get really stuck figuring out the next part of a story, I’ll actually dream about what happens next. When I wake up, I know exactly what to write. I also really love to sit in the backyard and write. I like to go out on the patio with my laptop and simply write the day away. (Until I have to pick up my youngest from school, of course.)

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
When I’m not spending time with my friends, I read pretty constantly. As of right now I have 137 audiobooks in my Audible library, and many, many thousands of books in my Kindle library, and several bookshelves in almost every room in my house. The audiobooks are also perfect for when I go on walks, which I try to do every day. And I do also spend a lot of time thinking about what I’m going to write next.

What does your family think of your writing? 
My family is very supportive, though they aren’t always so sure about “those parts.” I don’t think either of my boys has or will ever read one of my books—but they still support me. My daughter, despite rarely reading them herself, often recommends my books to her friends, and my older son really wants to write a book with me. (Albeit, one slightly less risqué.)

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing Sarah’s Surrender?
I learned how fun it is to turn a minor, not very likeable character into the heroine of her own novel. Sarah was originally a character from one of my earlier books, but as I wrote about her, I found myself wanting to know more. In writing Sarah’s Surrender, I uncovered why Sarah behaves the way she does in Bound By Bliss, the earlier book where she appears.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say? 
I actually hear from my readers a lot, which is a real honor. Fans of my books always want to know whether or not their favorite side characters will be getting their own stories. Sometimes they get whole new ideas spinning in my mind. I wrote my fifth “Real Duchesses” novella because readers kept asking if Georgianna, the heroine, was getting her own story.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Sarah’s Surrender?
I would probably make it longer. When I first started writing it, I was really envisioning a quick novella, but the more I got to know Sarah, the more of her story I wanted to tell. The novella is already longer than I originally planned, but there’s still so much to tell. I probably won’t end up writing another book about her, but you’ll almost definitely see her popping up in other books.

Thank you so much for having me. I always love the chance to talk about writing and books.