Welcome to New Faces, where we're pleased to introduce some of the brightest new stars of the romance genre! This time we welcome new Regency author Diane Farr, whose book The Nobody is on the shelves now. Welcome, Diane!

Tell us about yourself.

For as long as I can remember, two muses have whispered in my ear: one urging me to Act, and the other to Write. As the daughter of a Methodist minister, I was not encouraged to heed the Acting muse. Nevertheless, once I was old enough to get myself to auditions, she claimed the majority of my time and I spent many happy years indulging my theater addiction. Now that I have married The Most Wonderful Husband on the Planet, however, who does not share my "artsy" leanings and would rather I not spend every night of my life away from him in rehearsals and performances, I am finally attending to my Writing muse. She claims a great deal of my time, but simultaneously keeps me at home! I find my theatrical training has been a great help to my writing — it turns out the two muses were sisters, after all. The urge to write, and the urge to interpret someone else's writings, both spring from the same love of language, drama, and (let's face it) fantasy.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

In addition to the acting mentioned above, I have usually had to maintain a "day job." But like many people in the arts, I find it immensely important to have a JOB, as opposed to a CAREER. I do not seek "job satisfaction." I seek only to keep a roof over my head and free my mind and soul for the really important stuff! So I don't have a job worth talking about; I have a job I can go to, do, come home and forget.

What led you to write romance?

I have been a lifelong reader, a voracious reader, but I am not a long-time reader of romance novels. I am ashamed to admit it now, but I fear I was something of a snob about that for many years. I actually believed all the "hype" that there was something tawdry, cheap and despicable about romance novels. "Clinch" covers only reinforced my ignorant views! It was only at the urging of my extremely well-educated and literate older sister that I tried romance novels at long last. And loved 'em. Of course there are some romance novels that are ill-conceived, hastily-written and carelessly edited. There are books like that in every genre. But I now believe romance novels are, by and large, the best-written and most entertaining novels out there. The market has become extremely competitive, and I just don't think there is room for a lot of junk.

After resisting romance as a genre for so long, why do I write what I write? That's a tough one. I write novels set during the English Regency because I love that particular period, and because the biggest single influence on my "voice," as they say, has been Georgette Heyer. And long before I discovered what is currently called romantic fiction, I loved tales of romance. My first book is a Cinderella story; my next is more like "Snow White meets Beauty and the Beast."

Tell us about your road to publication.

I owe a great deal to RWA (Romance Writers of America), which I joined when I first began writing THE NOBODY in 1993. The wonderful, encouraging people I met through RWA steered me through a lot of choppy waters. Yes, I did enter contests. When I didn't win, I received valuable feedback. When I did win, my name was brought to the attention of influential people — editors and agents in particular. One of my judges in the very first contest I entered, the New England Chapter's "First Kiss" contest, was award-winning Regency novelist Gail Eastwood. She was kind enough to take an interest in my work, and then mentored me through the entire process of writing THE NOBODY — God bless her! And here I am.

Who are your influences as a writer?

The strongest influences on my writing have probably been Georgette Heyer and Mary Jo Putney. I also enjoy Laura Kinsale, Mary Stewart, and Johanna Lindsey. And, of course, the inimitable Jane Austen. And others far too numerous to mention!

What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst?

So far, their expectations wildly exceed my own! They seem to think I am poised on the brink of wealth and fame. I hope they are not too disappointed when reality kicks in. The odds of winning the Powerball are probably greater than the odds of achieving wealth and fame through writing Regency novels!

Tell us about plans for future books.

Ooh, I've got a goodie coming up. My next Signet Regency is going to be rather different from THE NOBODY. Still laced with humor, but the story itself is a tad darker. My heroine is beautiful, intelligent, well-educated, virtuous; has everything a man could possibly want. Unfortunately, she is also completely and utterly unmarriageable. Clarissa is the illegitimate daughter of one of the most notorious courtesans in Western Europe! Her education has graced her with the outward trappings of gentility, but none of their benefits. She longs for respectability, but the stigma of her birth has placed it forever beyond her reach. Without money, without family, without friends, she must choose between an "easy" life among the Fashionable Impures and a life of toil and poverty. And (of course) her choice is made more difficult by the feelings she begins to have for the man who is tempting her.

The title is FAIR GAME, and Signet will release it in November of 1999.

Diane, best of luck with the next novel! Readers, check out our review of The Nobody.

November 30, 1998