Romance Writer Virginia Henley Answers Questions
Advice on Writing Historical Romances, Getting a Literary Agent
Mar 20, 2009
Historical romance novelist Virginia Henley answered questions about her writing life in an interview with Suite101 writer Jennifer Jensen.
In this second part of the interview, she shares thoughts on finding and getting a literary agent, and some of the challenges and joys of writing historical romances. (Read about her writing methods and schedule, the story of getting her first book published, and her advice for new writers in Interview - Romance Writer Virginia Henley.)
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. She is a Canadian living in Florida with her husband, Arthur.
Is a Literary Agent Necessary?
I don't think an agent is necessary for the first couple of books. For one thing, agents are loath to take on someone who has never been published, and you can probably get the same advance for a first book as an agent could get you. However, if you want to make a career out of writing, an agent is an absolute necessity. A writer could never negotiate a big money contract without a top New York agent.
What Were You Looking for in a Literary Agent, and How Did You Find Yours?
I wanted an agent who represented bestselling romance authors. I met such an agent at a publishing party in New York. He represented some of the top romance writers, so I phoned and asked if he would take me on as a client. He gave me to his assistant and they sold me to Dell Books. I had a good editor who advised me to lengthen my sex scenes and make them hotter. My third Dell book jumped onto Waldenbooks' Bestselling List, and suddenly the agent noticed me! [laugh] He took me away from his assistant and decided he would negotiate my contracts from then on.
How Can a New Writer Find the Right Literary Agent?
These days there is a great network for romance authors called RWA. Romance Writers of America has a chapter in every city in the U.S. and Canada. I belong to the Tampa chapter. The published authors pass along their hard earned knowledge to the members who haven't yet been published. Not only do we have workshops on how to improve your writing skills, but how to get an agent, how to submit your work to an editor, which publishers are buying, information about writing contests, what genres are selling, etc. RWA has a list of accredited agents on their website.
Describe the Challenges of Writing Historical Romance Novels.
I believe that to write a great historical romance, you have to love history. The most enjoyable part of my work is researching history. Some writers focus on just one historical period, but I set my books in different periods such as Medieval, Elizabethan, Tudor, Charles ll, Georgian, Regency and Victorian. History is my passion, so I take a piece of meticulously researched history and blend it with a sensual love story. It's like a one-two punch--the reader gets the history and the romance.
Do You Start with a Character or a Plot? Why?
My stories are all character driven. My plots are real history. In a historical romance, I strongly believe that the hero and heroine are the most important part of the story, because the reader must identify with them to enjoy the book. (Probably in murder mysteries or thrillers the plot is more important.)
I often write about real people in history. But even in my books with fictitious heroes and heroines, I set them against a royal court of actual kings, queens, and nobility.
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