Jade Lee, a USA Today bestselling author of more than 80 romances, is publishing two historical romances with Harlequin this year that follow Chinese/British sisters as they travel to Regency London. Book #1, The Duke’s Guide to Fake Courtship, released in February and the second book will arrive in October.
Jade also writes contemporary and paranormal romance as Kathy Lyons and previously wrote for Harlequin Blaze. To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander month, we asked Jade and her editor Rachael Nazarko at Harlequin Historical Romance to talk about romance writing and Jade’s latest books.
Jade, you’ve been writing romance stories most of your life. What still draws you to the genre today?
Romance is the genre of hope. (FYI, I stole that thought from Damon Suede). Every love story finds that special person who is your safe place, your support network, and the soul who will help you climb your mountain—whatever mountain that may be. And then you, as the main character, get to do the same for your love.
That’s a long-winded way of saying, love makes us better. And when we read about love, I think we bring that love into our own lives. It makes us better people.
I’ve enjoyed stories of the young wizard who saves the world, the determined doctor who finds the answer, and the plucky soul who delivers justice. None of them touch me as deeply two people trying to make it through, who find strength with each other. That’s the effect of love, and I can’t imagine writing anything without it.
Rachael, you know your way around romance too. What draws you to Jade’s work?
My work so far has been mostly in contemporary romance, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started working on Regency romance – it’s quite a short time period, so how many stories can there really be? But working with Jade has really opened my eyes! She dives deep into her research and brings fresh, exciting perspectives to Regency romance. I feel like I’m completely absorbed into her world when I’m reading. And the team are always so excited to hear what her new book ideas are!
Jade, tell us about the heroine for Book #1, Grace Nayao Richards. Who is she and how does she navigate the world of “the ton”?
Ever hear of Anne Bonney, Mary Read, and Ching Shih? They were famous pirate women. I’m sure you’ve heard of Mulan, the woman who pretended to be a man and saved China from the Huns. Well, I took inspiration from all those women to create Grace Nayao Richards, a mixed-race woman who sailed as a navigator until her gender was revealed.
Oops.
Through a very fictional situation, she ends up in the Regency as a debutante in search of a husband. Why would a woman like her tie herself down to an Englishman, even if he is a duke? He would have to be a very special man, one who gloried in her strength, was fascinated by her differences, and could match her personal strength of will with his own power.
Which honestly means I’ve written two people who spark off of each other, quickly discover each other’s vulnerabilities, but instead of tearing each other down, end up being fascinated by one another. It’s not love at first sight, but oh the sparks!
Rachael, as an editor, what do you think readers will find most interesting about Grace and this story?
As Jade says, it’s the sparks that draw you in! Grace is a fantastic character – she’s strong, no-nonsense, and happy to live outside of high society’s rigid expectations. But as a practical woman, she knows she has to secure her future – and that’s where strait-laced duke Declan comes in! I adore a fake dating storyline, so the inclusion of this fun trope in a historical setting is so playful and enjoyable – and without spoiling anything, Declan’s speech at the end will have you swooning…
Jade, this story brings a different perspective on the time period through the heroine’s eyes. How did you approach writing this story?
I’m a mixed-race woman, half Chinese, half Indiana Hoosier (Caucasian). I suppose that’s a US joke, but suffice it to say that the only mixed-race children in my life were my sisters. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the Regency period. I read and watch The Bridgertons. I love Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. And I grew up reading every Signet regency I could until I discovered larger historical romances. And oh boy, did I read those!
But none of them featured mixed race children, at least not of Asian background. So of course I wanted to write myself in. Who wouldn’t? I want to meet Prinny, dance at a ball, and marry a duke. I want to live an exciting backstory and then find true love with a handsome man who gets me. And I wanted to write all the things that stood out to me as different between Chinese and English culture, let them clash, and then find a new balance between them.
That was my plan, but then Grace and Declan took over. I didn’t get to explore everything I wanted to, but oh did their relationship heat up fast. (Not sexually, though there is that, too. It’s just the sparks between them surprised me. It’s always great when two characters zero in on each other). Anyway, the good news is that I’ve got Lucy’s book to keep exploring. But in the meantime, yeah for Grace and Declan!
Rachael, you’ve only started working with Jade recently. How are you finding your working relationship so far?
Jade is a dream author – she’s receptive to feedback, hardworking, and best of all, she’s funny! Working with an author who has so many books under her belt means that editing is so straightforward – she puts loads of thought into making her work, and her complex but always likeable characters, shine. And I love our dialogue in the comments on the manuscript – she always makes me laugh!
Jade, it’s the year of the snake in the Chinese calendar. What does this year mean for you as a writer and a person?
The snake is a transformation year. I’ve never written for Harlequin Historicals before and am thrilled by the opportunity to explore Asian characters. If Shonda Rhimes can expand the traditional ethnicities in The Bridgertons, then I can bring the unique perspectives of Asia into the mix. We’re a mixed-race world and every soul wants to see themselves in a love story.
Rachael, what’s coming next for Jade? What can readers expect from Jade’s next book, A Lord in Want of a Wife?
Lucy’s book expands on Grace’s. We get the same main characters with the focus shifted to Lucy and Cedric (Declan’s cousin). In book 1, Cedric isn’t thinking straight. That’s made clear from the beginning. But why he’s focused on Grace when he should be looking at Lucy isn’t explained. It is in book 2. We get to see Lucy and Cedric mature into two people who realize—almost too late—that they need each other. And, oh my, that need turns into a really beautiful love. Jade has done an amazing job of turning the Cedric of book 1 into a hero we can really root for – and for me, book 2 is even better than the first! Lucy and Cedric go through the wringer together, but when they do find their way back to each other, they’ve earned their happy ever after.
And after that? Well, there’s lots of room in this world. And lots of different Asian countries to explore. Anyone up for Jade’s version of Anna and the King of Siam? Watch this space…
The first book in Jade Lee’s Daring Debutantes duet, The Duke’s Guide to Fake Courtship, is available now!
A match destined to end, yet impossible to resist…
Since he inherited a dukedom, all Declan seems to do is put out fires. The latest? Deterring his feckless cousin from chasing a reprehensible woman. Except Grace Nayao Richards is far from reprehensible, and the beguiling, feisty young woman draws Declan closer…
As the illegitimate daughter of an earl, Grace needs an advantageous marriage to protect her and her sister’s futures. The handsome duke’s solution? A fake courtship with him to increase her popularity among the ton. But as he teaches her to navigate London society, it’s her dangerously attractive guide she desires!
Check out The Duke’s Guide to Fake Courtship on Harlequin.com
