Today I have Eleanor Webster on the blog with a guest post about her newest historical romance, A DEBUTANTE IN DISGUISE. Oh, and did I mention there's a giveaway at the end?
A Debutante in Disguise + PTSD
I have a dual personality: psychologist and romance author. My fourth book, A Debutante in Disguise, perhaps illustrates this more than any of my other Harlequin Historicals.
The one great constant throughout history is that of human personality. Protagonists may vary greatly from a gladiator in Roman times to the hero of our contemporary world. However, the frailties, strengths and motivations of the human psyche remain remarkably similar.
As a psychologist I work frequently with individuals who have experienced trauma and this got me thinking – the impact of trauma cannot be a modern phenomenon. It cannot even be a 20th Century condition. Indeed, it must have existed before the shell shocked veterans that we see staring at us from creased black and white images from World War I.
This led to fascinating research and the discovery that cases of chronic mental illness after battle were indeed recorded in early times. Indeed, in 440 B.C., Herodus wrote a remarkable account of mental suffering after the battle of Marathon.
More pertinent to my book, A Debutante in Disguise, were the writings of army physicians during the French Revolutionary wars (1792-1800) and the Napoleonic wars (1800-1815). They described the “vent du boulet” syndrome, where subjects were frightened by the wind of passage of a cannonball.
This information led to the development of a central aspect in my hero’s character and the book’s internal conflict. Lord Anthony goes to the Battle of Waterloo with his brother and best friend. He returns alone, physically and emotionally scarred.
As an author, I find I am either so in-love with my characters that I am loathe to dismiss them at the end of the manuscript or else so sick of them I long to banish them to perdition with all dispatch. Anthony fell in the former category. As a veteran of Waterloo and a man still reeling from grief, he demonstrates that wonderful combination of strength and vulnerability.
I have come to appreciate my dual personality. As a psychologist, writing romance gives me a break from reality. It gives me a sense of control and the ability to engineer a happy ending which can sometimes escape us in real life.
As a writer, psychology gives me insight into the motivations, strengths and vulnerabilities of the human condition.
~ Eleanor Webster
Publisher: Harlequin Historical; Original edition (June 1, 2019)
Genre: Historical Romance
A society lady
…with a secret!
Determined to help people, Letty Barton has a double life—she’s a trained doctor! No one must know “Dr. Hatfield” is actually a woman. Called to an emergency, she comes face-to-face with her patient’s brother, Lord Anthony Ashcroft… They’d once shared a spark-filled flirtation—now he’s a brooding, scarred war hero. But how long will it be before he recognizes her beneath her disguise and the sparks begin to fly once more?
Where to Buy*:
More Info:
Eleanor Webster has a passion for many things, the most ardent likely being shoes.
But she’s also passionate about a story well told. With the help of some debutantes and viscounts and a twist of the unknown, Eleanor’s stories weave a tale of enchantment, hope, and most importantly, love.
When not writing, you’ll find Eleanor dreaming of being a world traveler, reading, running, reading, hiking in the wilds of British Columbia, where she makes her home with her husband and two daughters, and – did we mention reading?
Where to Find Author:
Giveaway info:
- 1 signed paperback of A Debutante in Disguise (US only)
- 1 ecopy of A Debutante in Disguise (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Enjoy!
Until Next Time,
No comments :
Post a Comment