Interview with Lord Geoffrey Austen OF ONCE UPON A DUKE

Hello Readers and Writers: My story ONCE UPON A DUKE, has been ruminating since 2007. It is soon to be published by The Wild Rose Press in summer 2015. I am in love with the Regency period. To me, it is a Classic Romantic Elegant era with dashing Alpha heroes and strong, fiery, smart women, and clothing to die for.

Setting: Regency England 1817, Geoffrey Austen, Duke of Sutton--a handsome rake with raven black hair and piercing grotto blue eyes is betrayed by a false fiancé and is suspect of all women. He is an Alpha male, age thirty-four, tall, has a scar on his face and a tortured soul. He resolves never to marry for any reason. He does not expect his heart will become captive and his world turned upside down by the lovely Serena.

He meets the beautiful widow Lady Serena, an artist, who holds a sad secret, and has learned what a man can do in malice. She hides what she considers her inadequacies by flirting with Lord Geoffrey, daring him to fall in love with her. She doesn't expect the rake to accept her challenge nor for his kisses to make her eager to face his fears.
Sandra Masters, Author
http://www.sandramastersauthor.com

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS from the author to Lord Geoffrey:

Interviewer: What is your main fear, my lord Duke?
Answer: Getting leg shackled by a woman. I fear commitment and what love can do to a man. My interaction with Lady Serena started out as just another notch on my bedpost, but somehow it grew into something profound when she kissed my scar with tenderness and genuine concern. Even as I now speak, I can feel her nurturing lips. Later, quite by accident, I discovered Serena's story. My heart melted and I found a need to show her the gentleness of a man with a woman who share a real relationship. In a caring gesture, I gifted her a puppy, who she named Adonis, after me and the mythical God of Love.

Interviewer: What is the main conflict?
Answer: Serena wants a commitment of marriage. As a child, I did not see any love from my mother to my father. He adored her and she dismissed him. I have offered the position of mistress. She refused. I left without saying Goodbye. It was not a manly thing to do.

Interviewer: What has messed up your life?
Answer: When I arrived in sooty air defiled London, I found everything a bore. My thoughts were consumed with Serena whom I left behind. I did return and visited her surreptitiously one night at the lakeside manor and it was...comfortable. Her maid prepared a warm meal for me. Adonis, the pup I gave her, wagged his tail merrily and tried to bite my shoe as usual. Serena said, "WE missed you." I wondered how along the way I had acquired a family: woman, a maid and a puppy. Our lovemaking was unbelievable and this time I woke Sleepy Head up before I left.

Interviewer: If everything was so good, why didn't you propose?
Answer: I thought I had time to consider everything. Ours was a tempestuous relationship. Truthfully, I was frightened of what love could do. When I returned to London, all I could do was to think of her. The concept of a future serious relationship started to intrigue me. I returned to visit her the next week, but she was gone. I met with her brother and he informed me she was engaged to another man and she only toyed with me to make him jealous enough to propose marriage. He did. She accepted. Her brother approved. They were to be married in three weeks. Her brother also informed me she ordered the puppy drowned and my portrait burned because it only reminded her of her foolishness with me.

Interviewer: How did you react?
Answer: You can imagine hos outraged I was. I did not care about the portrait she burned, but to order Adonis killed--how could I have misjudged her? I drank myself into a stupor with a good friend and while I tried to find any woman who might east the pain of her loss, they all were found lacking.

Interviewer: Then what happened?
Answer: And just when I thought there was no other choice than to forget her, all she said, all she did and all she represented to me, visitors came to my London townhouse. It was Serena's maid and the groomsmen who returned the puppy to me unharmed. Her maid handed me a personal letter written hastily by her mistress. Serena advised she was held prisoner in an armed fortress and that the marriage was forced upon her, without her knowledge or consent. She reaffirmed her love for me and indicated she would throw herself from a parapet into the ocean rather than marry the monster of a man to whom she was betrothed.

Interviewer: Were you now convinced of her love for you?
Answer. Yes. When I was shown a sketch she had drawn of the three of us, as a family--Serena, myself and the pup, that her brother lied to me--about everything. To add o this, the maid brought the portrait she had painted of me, the one that was purportedly burned, that I knew her brother was guilty of lies for his own selfish purposes.

Serena's letter ended with the words that she would love me forever, in this world or the next. What else could I do but reply that the maid should return to her mistress and tell her that I loved her with all my heart, and that she would either attend our wedding--or my funeral.

I leave you to draw your conclusion how my author charted the ending of the novel.

Interviewer: Is there a working title to this novel."
Answer. Yes, it is ONCE UPON A DUKE, (That's me,) by Sandra Masters. She's the author and my friend. You can visit her website where there is an excerpt at sandramastersauthor.com and you are invited to leave a comment on the Guest page.

The Author: Your Grace, I have created you out of the figment of my imagination. Did I do you justice?
Answer: It is a difficult question and I can only say that you and I have been in each other's heart and soul for a long time. I've enjoyed the fantasy trips we have taken as I created the love scenes with Serena. I do believe readers should enjoy our fairy tale romance. After all, you showed me what love can do to redeem a man.

COMMENT FROM THE AUTHOR:
Interviewer: When do you think the book will be published, Madame Masters?"
Answer: The Wild Rose Press has contracted with me to publish this magnificent story. While release dates are not etched in stone, it does appear it will be published in summer of 2015.l Lord Geoffrey has waited a long time to connect with readers.

Update: Once Upon a Duke is available for Pre-Order now on Amazon.com, KoboBooks.com, Itunes, Nook.com, AllRomanceEbooks.com and Bookstrand.com. Available everywhere on July  24th!