Interview – Romance Writer Virginia Henley

NY Times Bestselling Author Talks About Writing Historical Romances

Mar 20, 2009

Author Virginia Henley shares her writing life, getting published, and advice on writing best-selling historical romances.

In an interview with Suite101 writer Jennifer Jensen, historical romance novelist Virginia Henley shared her writing schedule, getting her first novel accepted for publication, and tips for aspiring writers.

About Virginia Henley

Virginia Henley is the best-selling author of 26 historical romance novels, including Unmasked and A Year and a Day. Her most recent books are The Decadent Duke and an anthology, Lords of Desire, with three other authors. She is a Canadian living in Florida with her husband, Arthur.

Tell Us About Your First Published Novel:

My first novel, The Irish Gypsy, was published in 1982 by Avon Books. I was a Toronto housewife and had no writing background whatsoever. I had always been a voracious reader, however. Around 1978 I read a historical romance by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss and I immediately knew that I too could write one. I submitted my first manuscript to an editor at Avon Books and told her a little about myself and a little about the book. She asked me to pop it in the mail, and when she read it, she bought it.

How Many Drafts Does a Finished Book Usually Take?

I don't do a draft. I am a seat-of-the-pants writer. After I've researched the period meticulously, and the characters and story have bubbled about in my head for a while. I sit down and begin to write. The first thing I do every day is rewrite and polish what I wrote yesterday. I do this every single day. When I get to the end, I'm finished. The only thing that has changed is that it takes me longer than it used to because I write slower these days. I used to be able to write ten pages a day, but now I can only write about four.

Please Describe Your Daily Writing Schedule.

I write every day. After I have coffee and read the newspaper, I start writing about 9 and stop around 2 in the afternoon. There is a lot of other business to attend to, after I finish writing, so I am in my office until supper time. If I get behind in my pages, I work the weekend.

What Do You Wish You’d Known When You Started Writing?

You have to sacrifice a lot to have a successful career. Everything takes a back seat to the writing. You don't have much of a social life because once you sign a contract, you have to meet that deadline. Also, I suppose I thought that it would get easier with each book. But the opposite is true. Each book gets harder. Readers have high expectations for a Virginia Henley book, and I never want to disappoint my readers.

Any Advice for Aspiring Romance Writers?

Read, read, read. Join a chapter of RWA [Romance Writers of America]. Don't just write a couple of chapters--always finish the book.

Every time you read or write, you are learning and improving your craft. Get rid of the idea that you aren't good enough to get published. If I can do it, anyone can do it!

The copyright of the article Interview – Romance Writer Virginia Henley in Writing Genre Fiction is owned by Jennifer Jensen. Permission to republish Interview – Romance Writer Virginia Henley in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.