1. I hear you have dogs in your Clifton Hall series. Tell us about the books.

My award-winning debut novel, Always a Princess, was the start of the Clifton Hall series. In the novel, the hero has a little sister he hasn’t seen since he left to fight in France. On his return, he gifts her a spaniel puppy–a naughty one. As her pup does not seem to care for Englishmen, she names it Bony “after the French usurper.” Bony was inspired by my bichon fries Cookie, but as his breed (which is Belgian) wasn’t known in England at the time the book is set (1812), I turned him into spaniel puppy. Much of the novel takes place at Clifton Hall in Lancashire and at least one Lancashire estate was known as a place for breeding Springer spaniels in the Regency era.

The little sister of book one grows up into the heroine of the sequel novel, The King’s Mistress, which released in early 2023. As much of this novel is set in a Romany camp (the hero is an important Romany man among his own people and the English), dogs feature prominently in this book as well. Dogs are important for Romany families. They’re companions and useful hunters–and most importantly, they are fiercely loyal to the Romany camp and protect the boundaries by alerting their owners of strangers approaching.

The Regency era Romany were persecuted as an underclass, so the warning bell of a dog’s bark meant a lot. Valkin is the Romany hero in this book, and he attempts to subdue his powerful attraction to the heroine, so he spends most of the book frustrated and fantasising–while Chore, the largest canine in the camp, is rutting about all over the place producing pups at a prodigious rate. Chore is the Romany word for ‘thief’ and is a bit of a dig at the many false accusations of theft the Romany are forced to face, both in the past and even today.

At one point in the novel, Valkin avoids the woman he wants so desperately to love by hunting alone with Chore, and he calls him ”‘ratfelo fakement,” which is Romany for “precious scoundrel.”

Chore makes another appearance in my most recent release A Holiday Season at Clifton Hall. This novella is a race to wed for Chal (Valkin’s youngest brother) and his betrothed. Chore’s main activity in this shorter story is swallowing mince pies at the Christmas feast, destroying the remains of three roast geese, and herding children away from the burning yule log fire as the very English Cliftons and their Romany friends and family feast outdoors. The novella appears in a holiday duet alongside Heather Hallman’s Edwardian Seduction of Tokyo novella, which is excellent as well–although, unfortunately, there are no dogs in this one.

There is a sneak peek at my final Clifton Hall book (due out in 2024), An Impossible Duchess, and there will be dogs aplenty there! Perhaps even a cat.

I should add that horses also feature strongly in this series of Regency romances.

All Clifton Hall romances’ buy links can be found here: https://boroughspublishinggroup.com/authors/clyve-rose

Amazon links:

Always a Princess: https://books2read.com/u/bajLZ6

The King’s Mistress: https://books2read.com/u/496ONk

A Holiday Season at Clifton Hall: https://books2read.com/u/4XENQL

 

2. Why did you add dogs to this series?

At the time I wrote Always a Princess, we’d just acquired Cookie (or as I call him, the demon in white fur). He wormed his adorably furry way into my heart and my book. It’s set on an English country estate anyway, and dogs are part of the scene there.

In the Romany camp, dogs are essential for recreating this world for the reader. Even these days, Romany are fond of their dogs and hardly go anywhere without them.

In addition, I feel dogs can assist the storyline. They can demonstrate character traits (such as the duke’s cruelty in my Clifton Hall stories–don’t worry, Bony is all right). They can also show up villainy and allow me to showcase kindness in a hero and/or heroine. Dogs also have good instincts, especially if they’ve been trained to guard a camp. One of the reasons the Romany respond kindly to the heroine in The King’s Mistress is because none of their dogs perceive her as a threat. Her circumstances certainly are, but dogs can’t know about propriety. Chore certainly doesn’t!

 

3. What other books have you written?

A Delicate Investigation novella in Summer Secrets of the Soho Club:

At the moment, I have the third instalment of my regency spy-romance series set in and around the Soho Club and based on the historically true events surrounding the failed coronation of the Princess of Wales in 1821.

The story is the third in the series, and any purchase of the collection nets you a link for a free downloads of the previous two mysteries: https://books2read.com/u/mKXPRV

A Delicate Investigation (in Summer Secrets of the Soho Club) blurb:

The Regent’s estranged wife is now the Queen-or is she? Her Highness has enemies and fiercely protective children.

James Lovedale, brother to the Prime Minister’s secretary, finds himself transported from debtor’s prison to The Soho Club, where the proprietress has work for him. The work? A “simple burglary”-that’s too well-compensated not to be suspicious. His one aim is to complete his work, collect his booty, and leave England for good. Until he’s persuaded to take tea with the alluring Miss Ward.

Miss Edwinna (Eadie) Ward, the queen’s foster-daughter, will do anything to protect her family. When her brother’s accused of theft, she turns to Ada Jenkisnon (nee Ryan), whose connection to her found family is closer than she guessed. Together, they attempt to discover the true thief-but there’s problem…can you guess what it is?

The Christmas Salon

This shorter novel (or longer novella–whichever you like–at 50,000 words), features a brief cameo from the hero from Always a Princess from his Cambridge days, but spins off to take a closer look at the Congress of Vienna and the fortunes of a mysterious, reclusive artist living in Paris in 1814.

The Christmas Salon buy link: https://books2read.com/u/bQgEJE

The Christmas Salon blurb:

1814: Napoleon languishes in his Elbe island prison.

Meanwhile, Major Henry Musgrave uses his time at The Congress of Vienna to learn all he can regarding the whereabouts of his oldest friend, Miss Louisa Beresford. She seems to have disappeared.

A series of paintings draws Henry to the first Salon de Noël (Christmas Salon) in Paris since the wars ended. Could the model in the paintings be Louisa?

As rumours swirl that France is not yet safe, Henry grows more determined to find the only woman he’s ever loved and give her a Christmas to remember.

The Christmas Salon is a Regency reunion novella. Again, there are no dogs, but there is a baby, a baron, and my version of Madame Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Marie Antoinette’s favourite portrait artist.

Love Unbroken appears in Love for Maui (a charity anthology)

This is a short, sweet Regency romance about childhood crushes reuniting after ten years despite–or perhaps because of-class differences, and the changes to them both wrought by war and circumstance. It’s inspired by Austen’s Persuasion, and the foot-shuffling, non-proposing fellow is based on a man I no longer date.

Love for Maui buy link: https://books2read.com/u/bW8yrW

Love Unbroken (in Love for Maui) blurb:

Lionel Eversfield is impressed into the navy on the very day he vows to support his dearest friend, Lady Annette (Annie) Ryehurst, on the hardest day of her life-her father’s funeral. Nevertheless, he manages to get a letter to her and explain why he left her to bear it alone. He daren’t write again. Annie’s the late earl’s daughter after all, and Lionel is merely a clergyman’s nephew.

Annie moves on from her father’s death, but her life gets harder while her childhood friend is away at sea. The debts from her mother’s addictions find her eking out a miserable, solitary existence as she waits for her cousin (the new earl) to propose. She waits…and waits…meanwhile the earldom runs to ruin, and Lionel returns to England, but he’s not the same young man from all those years ago…

All proceeds from the sale of this Love for Maui anthology (50 authors and 48 novellas) go to the UHF [University of Hawai’i Foundation] to assist in rebuilding after the devastation wrought by wildfire in August 2023.

 

4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.

I’m pretty excited to have released 4 novellas and one full length novel this year.

I’m also chuffed to receive my first 5-star review for my holiday duet, which is a recent release so hopefully lots of reviews are still incoming.

Always a Princess is a 2020 Bookfest Gold Medal Winner.

The Christmas Salon won Romantic Novella of the Year in 2021.

I am entering The King’s Mistress in its first content, so cross something for me.

 

5. How do you promote your books?

Via my blog and other invitationals like this one. J Thank you.

On social media and podcasts. I will meet with any book club and writing group, any time you like. Virtual or in person, I’m just happy to talk books, characters, and words.

 

6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?

My website: www.ClyveRose.com You’ll find my blog there and my newsletter signup.

I’m also on:

Tiktok: @authorclyverose
X: @clyverose
Facebook: Clyve Rose (Author)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clyverose/

I’m also on Goodreads and Bookbub.

I’m new to Threads too, and looking into BlueSky, but a girl only has so much time…

GET CLYVE’S BONUS NOVELLA!!

Tagging me in any reviews of my work gets you a free novella.

Commenting on this page ALSO nets you a free novella.

 

MARCIA: Thank you, Clyve, for being my January interviewee and for offering your novella to all those who comment on your blog interview! I really enjoy historical romances and look forward to reading yours!

MONTHLY BLOG EBOOK CONTEST! Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks!

Each month, I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win. To leave a comment and/or a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!