Welcome to New Faces, where we are pleased to introduce some of the newest authors on the romance scene. This week we're delighted to welcome Julia London, whose historical romance The Devil's Love is on shelves now.

Welcome, Julia! Tell us about yourself.

My roots go back several generations in West Texas, where I was raised on a ranch. I am the third of four children - two older sisters and a younger brother. I finally escaped to college when I was eighteen, grinning all the way! As a teenager, I was very much convinced that I had the most deprived childhood - living out in the middle of nowhere, too many sisters, too much sunshine, yada, yada, yada. It took a few years for me to realize how much I had and how much I actually missed that life, but alas, I went off and got degrees in government from the University of Texas - not terribly marketable in the panhandle of Texas, if you know what I mean. I spent several years in Washington, but I have been in Austin for five years now - and I don't think I'll ever leave Texas again.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

Fortunately, you cannot see the painful grimace. As this is my first book, I am still working. I am the county manager over justice and public safety, which means I have responsibility for services under the direct purview of the Commissioners Court, including the medical examiner, juvenile public defender, and emergency services to name a few of them. It is a very demanding job, and one I am quite convinced is going to kill me someday. Unless, of course, everyone reading this interview rushes out to buy my book and tells all their friends!

What led you to write romance?

I have not been writing very long at all, but I have been reading romances for years and years. I started writing in late 1996 when I ran out of material to read. I thought I could do it, and decided to try. The first book I wrote has never seen the light outside my office. It was too long, had some horrid flaws in it, but at least I proved to myself I could do it, and learned a lot about writing in the process. So I made myself try again, the result being The Devil's Love.

Tell us about your road to publication.

In the first half of 1997, I wrote my first publication, The Devil's Love. I finished it in about six months, but kept polishing it. One of my annoying sisters accused me of being (ahem) a very big chicken, then very haughtily predicted I would "polish" the thing for the rest of my life. Well, naturally, I had to do something after that, so I bit the bullet and sent it to four agents. I had absolutely nothing to lose, and if they rejected me, so what? - I had to keep repeating that last part to myself. Well, I had calls from two agents by the end of the week! The agent I selected sold it rather quickly to Dell, and they contracted for two books. My next book, Wicked Angel, will be released in May 1999, and is about Alex Christian, a secondary character in The Devil's Love.

What kind of research was involved for your first book?

Both finished books are set in early 19th century England - just after the regency period. I have always loved history, and when I am not reading romances, I am reading history. When I started writing, I already had a pretty good knowledge base of the period, but on top of that, I have been fortunate enough to travel to England on several occasions. While I was there, I was able to learn more about places and customs of the 19th century. I don't think travel is absolutely necessary to writing a good historical romance, but I would say nothing is better at giving one a feel for a time period as traipsing through big Georgian mansions on the vast estates of the old aristocracy.

Who are your influences as a writer?

Certainly, the first inspiration would be my parents. They were very supportive of all their kids, and from an early age, told us we could be whatever we wanted to be if we put our minds to it. The second inspiration would be great writers who make me wish I lived in another place and time. I particularly like Judith McNaught and Mary Balogh. I think their ability to tell a good story is outstanding. I also enjoy the historical novels of Sharon Kay Penman and Margaret George. As for the craft of writing, I must admit I am inspired by Charles Dickens. I know, I know, he's very hard to read, but his characterizations of people could be so funny!

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

Well. Excuse me a moment while I think how to put this delicately. There was some initial shock that I had written a book that was to be published. Then there was the stunned silence when I said it was an historical romance novel. And then, my father asked what a romance novel was, yet another annoying sister asked what I knew about romance -- hysterical romances in particular -- and my brother-in-laws began arguing about which one of them ought to be on the cover. Hahahahaha.

After that initial shock? My entire extended family is proud, proud, proud. And I have even converted a few of the more stubborn ones. Neither one of my sisters had read romance novels before I wrote one, and now they are hooked! I think all of my family had a perception that romance novels are boddice-ripping, heaving chest, and creamy white thigh-things. But they have discovered that romances, like mysteries or mainstream, are really just very good stories! They have gone from making jokes to handing out bookmarks wherever they go, proclaiming to everyone in bookstores (whether they want to hear it or not) that their sister/daughter/niece wrote a book, and making (yes, making) all their friends buy a copy. I guess the biggest indication that they have changed their thinking is that they are all rather put out that the next book won't be out until May.

Tell us about your plans for future books.

I have completed my first contract, and I am now working with my editor to develop a series set in the same time period as my first two books. I really enjoy writing about 19th century England, but at some point, I would like to try my hand at a contemporary. I think a story about a heroine overcoming the constant, free advice of two older sisters to find true happiness would be good, don't you? Okay, okay, maybe only my family would find that story riveting, but I really would like to use Texas as a backdrop to a contemporary. There are some real characters in this part of the country - who are not even related to me - who I think could make a romance story larger than life.

How can readers get in touch with you?

The easiest way is to email me at julia@julialondon.com. I hope everyone will take a moment to drop by my website! If computers are not your cup of tea, then please write to me c/o Dell Publications, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York, 10036. I would very much appreciate an SASE for a reply. And if a reader should contact me, I am dying to know everyone thinks of The Devil's Love!

Thank you, Julia, and best of luck with your next book! Readers, check out our review of The Devil's Love.

December 30, 1998