A Match to Fool Society by Laura Martin has been selected by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York as her March Historical Book Club pick!
A Match to Fool Society is a friends-to-lovers romance set at the height of Regency society. We caught up with Laura Martin to find out more about her story and writing journey…
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You write for the Mills and Boon Historical series, which allows readers to escape into a world of intense passion, lavish settings and romance that burns brightly through the ages. What’s your favourite thing about writing Historical romances?
I love the rules, and in particular breaking them. My books are mainly set in the Regency period when there was a complex set of rules for all members of society. Everyone knew what they should wear, how they should address their peers and superiors, even what order they should sit around the dining table. It is so much fun to have these rules and then imagine the reactions when your characters break them. Wonderful chaos ensues that can lead to such fun storylines.
When did you first realise you wanted to be an author?
From a young age I loved writing stories, but it wasn’t until I was in my early twenties and sent out on rural placements at university that the idea of being an author really took hold. I was away from home for three to six weeks at a time, often with people I didn’t know well. It was the first period of my life I had time and space to really write, to explore the sort of stories I wanted to tell.
What’s your favourite part of writing and researching the Regency era?
I love all the otherwise useless but absolutely fascinating facts you pick up whilst researching. Did you know exotic fruits like pineapples were displayed as symbols of wealth and status, even if they were rotting? Or that leeching, the practice of applying leeches to a patient’s skin to draw blood, was such a common practice in Regency era medicine that doctors were also often referred to as leeches?
If you could give an aspiring author three pieces of advice, what would they be?
- To make time to write. It can be difficult with all the demands of life, but the only way you are going to be successful is if you invest the time in your writing.
- Write what you enjoy and what makes you happy. I estimate each book I write I spend between one hundred and two hundred hours on. That is a long time to engage with something if you do not love the subject matter.
- Have a strong sense of your characters before you start. Knowing how they react to everything you throw their way makes it so much easier to write their story.
Do you have a favourite romance trope?
I love the friends to lovers trope. There is something that makes me feel all cosy and warm when I read a story about two friends slowly working out they mean more to each other than they previously realised.
Your new book, A Match to Fool Society is out now, can you tell us a little bit about it?
A Match to Fool Society is the third and final book in the Matchmade Marriages trilogy, three interconnected books that tell the story of a group of penniless debutantes invited to London for the season by a wealthy sponsor. In A Match to Fool Society Jane dreams of becoming an author but dares not tell anyone of her ambition. Instead she plays the dutiful debutante whilst always looking for an opportunity to sneak off and seek out a publisher for her book. She finds an unlikely ally in Tom who has just found out he is guardian to his nephew, a responsibility he never expected or wanted. They propose a pretend courtship to fool society and allow them both to pursue their own agendas, but the time they spend together makes them start to question their resolve to remain single.
Can you tell us more about your hero, Tom? (Who at the beginning of the novel is determined to remain a bachelor…)
Tom was gravely injured when he was thrown from his horse in battle and trampled by the rest of his regiment. It took him two years to rebuild his strength and the near-death experience made him determined to live a life of pleasure. At the beginning of the story he discovers he has a nephew, and that his beloved but long absent sister has passed away. He gets thrust into the role of guardian and it is at odds with his determination to think only of short term gratification.
Your heroine, Jane, dreams of being an author. Did your journey to becoming a published author help shape her character?
My favourite characteristic of Jane’s is her determination. She has to overcome such odds to even make it to London, taking on a role she would much rather avoid, but she does it anyway to give herself the best possible chance of becoming an author. That determination is certainly something I identify with and I think most authors would agree when you are getting started determination is one of the most important traits to have.
Last question, chocolate or flowers?
Flowers. Roses are my favourite.
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Read along with the Duchess of York and join her later this month on her social channels for her review!
A Match to Fool Society by Laura Martin
Jane Ashworth dreams of being an author, yet Society insists she becomes a debutante – so play the game she must! Jane finds an unlikely ally in notorious rake Tom Stewart. As a new guardian to his nephew, Tom is out of his depth and intent on remaining a bachelor. They agree to fool society with their pretend courtship, but both are unprepared when the lines of their agreement start to become blurred…
