Conveniently Married To A Laird
By Jeanine Englert
Interview/Q&A conducted by Louise (Lou) Bookmarks and Stages blog

Today I have the great pleasure to share with you, an interview with the author of Conveniently Married To A Laird – Jeanine Englert, published by Harlequin, Mills & Boon as part of the blog tour by Rachel Random Tours. Discover more about Jeanine Englert’s inspiration and more as I probe into the darker themes, history and characters within Conveniently Wed to the Laird. Find out why book she is reading, one is which I reviewed and enjoyed… First, take a look the romance oozing from the cover. Discover if all will be as it seems in the eye-catching blurb (no spoilers though). Then, you’ll be all ready for the fascinating interview I have conducted and have ready to present to you, just after the short blurb.

Conveniently Wed to the Laird

The laird’s bridal bid…

Is love too high a price to pay?

When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

Without further ado, onto the interview.

    1.  Who or what inspired you to write?

I have been writing since I was 8 years old. It was mostly poetry until I went to get my master’s degree in writing that I expanded into short stories and later novels. My first novel took me 11 years to complete and will never see the light of day, as it is horrendous. To quote Karina Gioertz: “I write because in the end it’s the only thing I don’t know how not to do.”

2. What inspired you to write Historical Romance and set it in Scotland, showing not only a bit of the class system, but also the selling of people, in this case, a wife in the Grassmarket, whom you have Ewan Stewart coming across and how and where did you research this?

I have always loved reading historical romance. Some of my early favourite historical romance authors were Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, and Judith McNaught.

I fell in love with Scotland when I studied abroad in England for a semester when I was in college. One weekend in late November, we took a train to Inverness and stayed the weekend. It was a magical experience that I often draw upon when I write my books set in the Highlands.

Much of my research is done from reading books, finding historical articles or letters online, exploring maps, as well as watching modern day videos on YouTube of the places my books are set in since I can’t visit. Having digital access to so many historical documents online has really helped my process.

3. Conveniently Wed to A Laird is darker than the title suggests, with flashbacks of losing a loved one and references to abuse from a previous husband and foster parent, how did that feel writing about such deep, dark topics and did you do anything after writing them to be in the next moment of your life outside writing?

I think I am naturally drawn to write about these topics based on my original desire and hope to be a social worker and the experiences I had during internships working with survivors of abuse. I suppose I don’t even think of them as dark or deep, but merely part of our society.

I also tend to write in the early hours of the morning before I go to work, so it is quite easy to jump back into my day. As a teacher, I am always busy, on the move, and in the moment when I am at school.

4. The characters Ewan Stewart and Catriona marry out of convenience to save the Stewart clan, before their romance evolves. Do you think this was commonplace and what inspired you to take this particular angle?

Marriage of convenience is such a uniquely historical trope that I am often drawn to it. The idea of marrying someone out of necessity or convenience rather than love has always interested me. And while I don’t think such marriages were entirely commonplace at the time, I do believe they were at times necessary for both parties involved. I also believe it served Ewan and Catriona’s characters well as they were both disappointed by their past experiences with love and reluctant to the idea of marriage.

5. What’s next for you, in terms of writing?

I’m currently editing book 1 in The Secrets of Clan Cameron series for Harlequin/Mills & Boon which is titled A Laird without a Past. It will be out in late July of 2023. I am also starting to draft book 2 in that same series.

6. Are you reading anything at the moment and if so, what?

I just finished Lenora Worth’s Deadly Holiday Reunion as I always love a good suspense, and I’ll be starting The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston next.