20 Romances, 11 Funerals, 19 Births and so much more

An historical romance is so much more than two people falling in love and living happily ever after. We have dramatic historical settings and events to colour the world of our characters creating, conflict, adversity and adventure.





When I started plotting the latest in the Loveday series, which will be book 12, I needed to ensure there would be no repetitions of plot to keep the series fresh and original. It meant analysing what had been covered in the previous novels involving this dashing, diverse extended family.

The novels have so far covered 19 yrs from 1787 to 1806 starting with two generations of Edward Loveday (a shipbuilder); his two sisters (one married to a London banker and the other a formidable spinster); also his two brothers (a reformed rakehell now a parson and the other a naval captain). Between them they have eight children (a wastrel, a naval officer and government agent, a loveable rogue, a farmer's wife, a pious lay preacher, an illegitimate daughter, and a banker who would be a playwright. This gave me a main character list of 20 family members and there are also their spouses family and backgrounds and most importantly several vengeful protagonists.

This was a broad canvas for the romances, rivalries, conflicts and adventures in the first books, but as the series gained in popularity new themes and escapades were needed to keep the readers captivated. Over the so far published 11 novels there have been 20 romances, 11 weddings, 6 funerals, 2 criminal trials (for a framed murder and highway robbery), 19 births, at least 5 mysterious deaths, 6 infidelities, 2 unrequited loves, 2 bankruptcies, 2 abductions, 4 duels, 4 sea battles, suicide, seduction, attempted bigamy, incest, a wife committed to bedlam, an occasional murder, several scandals and satisfactory reprisals, dark secrets and revelations and these are only some of the dramas...





The exciting world history happening at the time the series is set has been a marvellous backdrop for intrigue and adventures. The main storyline may be set in Cornwall, London, France with their Revolution and war with England, but the plots have also taken the characters to Bath, Virginia, and three of the novels included scenes of transportation and survival to the early penal settlement in New South Wales.

As you can gather the Lovedays wild-blood, both in the women and the men, lead them into dramatic situations, and although the novels chronologically follows the lives of the family with main characters stories interwoven throughout, each book also has to stand on its own. With so many strong characters I have been able to vary the dynamics with different members of the family taking the major role in a particular novel whilst keeping abreast of family fortunes and vendettas.

Working out the psychology and motivation of the lovers, family and adversaries has been an absorbing challenge and in book 9 The Loveday Secrets I introduced a new cousin who the others believed dead. His life had been very different from the privileged wealth and position of his cousins. A former guttersnipe he is bent on destroying his cousins but his triumphs are short lived and to save their own reputations the Lovedays must unite and put aside old rivalries. This stirs up a marvellous hornet's nest of passions and repercussions and a battle of wills which is brought to a head in The Loveday Conspiracy.

But with readers beseeching me to continue the family drama, it was time for the next generation to come of age with their lives bringing new conflicts which again place the family in danger in the forthing The Loveday Vendetta published this year. And so the drama continues with the original cousins far from sedate and settled and new revelations to throw the family into discord and crisis. I can't wait to write the new romances and adventures and opening up a fresh world of research into the continuing war with France and excitement of Regency England.

All the Loveday novels are available and this month The Loveday Trials, The Loveday Scandals and The Loveday Honour have been reprinted to ensure there is no break in continuity for new readers discovering the series.

For more news of the novels and the Loveday family click on my website at the side of the blog page ,where you can also access extracts from all the novels and also the The Loveday Books blog.

Happy Easter to our readers.

Kate Tremayne

In time for Christmas

It is always exciting when a novel comes out in a new format and many Loveday fans enjoy the audio version. Good news for them. The audio version of THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY is out today. It is published by Isis Soundings and would make a great Christmas present for anyone who prefers to listen to stories. If purchased through the Isis Soundings website it is approximately half the price of Amazon. 12 Cassettes boxed set £21.99. CD set £31.99. MP3 CD £31.99. Other titles in the series are also available.
I love the cover presented by Isis.

It is always a thrill hearing from Loveday readers either through email on my Kate Tremayne website or through The Loveday Books blog. These are a few of the questions that readers have asked about the series and my writing. I hope you find them interesting.

Q. For your Loveday characters, do you draw on the nature of your friends or your family?
A. That could be a good way of losing family and friends. But taking the question seriously there must be a subconscious element in my work when this occurs. I think most writers have an in built radar that has the ability to see two sides of a conflict between personalities. We probably also have an extra sense that delves into the psychological makeup of a character, so we know how they would react in a given set of circumstances. Also who of us have not judged a celebrity or person in a news story for their behaviour and how it affected others. This is information we gather all the time and it must leak back into our consciousness when developing character traits.

Q. Do you agonize before "killing off" a character?
A. This is never an easy decision especially when it is a member of the family. If I cannot do it in a way that has me reaching for the tissue box then I feel I have failed them. Unfortunately for the series to progress it is sometimes necessary to say goodbye too much loved friends. This enables new conflicts to be introduced and the drama within the family does not stagnate and they become bound by old rivalries. I have filled bin liners full of soggy tissues. Even with old adversaries, although there is a sense of satisfaction in bringing an enemy to justice, I have to decided what is dramatic and right for the series which will keep the story unpredictable and exciting. New protagonists bring in new emotion and drama and I hope the readers look forward to more adventures with Tristan.

Q. Within any given novel, do you know everything that is going to happen to your Loveday characters? Have there been surprises?
A. There are times when I despair of some unexpected escapades a Loveday has become involved in and have to find a way of retrieving them from it. Yet every time this has happened, I forget the sleepless nights, the extra research, and anxious days of resolving some fresh crisis, when I realise how much this event has improved the novel. The most recent of these incidents is in The Loveday Conspiracy when Adam shoots a man and saves Tristan’s life. Adam simply took over the scene. I was aghast. Not only did this make Adam a cold-bloodied murderer but he had saved the life of the cousin he hated as he blamed Tristan for St John’s death. My immediate reaction was to rewrite the scene. Yet knowing Adam so well this was how he would have instinctively reacted to the situation that presented itself. Whatever the rivalry and conflict within the family in times of danger loyalty binds them together.

Q.Your characters have such interesting names. How do you come up with them?
A. A character never comes alive for me until I have the right name. For Adam I wanted something very Alpha male. St John seemed more enigmatic. A name for a man of position who was a victim of the desolutory nature of the men of his times. When I heard the name Japhet I knew he would be the blacksheep of the family and a lovable rogue. It fitted him so well. In contrast his brother was always Pious Peter with his own demons to fight. Edward was a no nonsense name that felt right for their father. Meriel came to me as soon as she was introduced on the page and was exotic for an inn-keeper’s daughter but right for her fortune-huntress scheming. Senara needed to have an earthy ring to it because of her pagan ways. Tamasine was an unexpected arrival in the family and I wanted a name that showed her fighting, unconventional spirit. Recently when it was time to introduce a ne’er-do-well cousin who had clawed his way up from the gutter with a dark past and every reason to hate his family, Tristan sounded intriguing for a guttersnipe who vowed to become lord of the manor. He is the most complex character and I still enjoying exploring deeper aspects of his character.

Q. How much research do you do for each Loveday book?
A. I read everything I can about the Georgian period and apart from rereading several of these to check certain facts usually add another 6-8 new ones for each novel that are relevant to the new twists of the plot.

Q. Are you a disciplined writer?
A. To be published you have to be disciplined it is your work, but when the muse refuses to strike its OK to take some time out. Then I usually read or watch a film and sometimes find that by doing this an answer is given to me.

Q.Are there days when you DO NOT feel like writing? If so, how do you get back on track
A. Writing is a passion if not an obsession with me and no day feels complete if I have not produced some writing. There are however days when the Lovedays do not co-operate which often means I am tackling a scene or conflict from the wrong angle.

Q. Has a Loveday plot or character ever come to you through a dream?
A. Yes but not nearly often enough to make writing easy for me. Most of the prologues in the books have been dreams.

I wish everyone all the joys of the festive season.
Kate Tremayne

The excitement never changes

The paperback of THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY as published by Headline on 29th October. It is the tenth in the Loveday Series and my thirtieth published novel. I still get the same thrill today seeing a novel in print as I did the first time. I could not imagine my world without writing in it and feel very priviledged that so many readers are loyal to me. Even before publication date it reached 8 in the Amazon Top 20 Historical chart. My brain was a whirling Dervish of excitement all week.


Here is an extract from THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY that I hope you will enjoy. For new readers this is the story background in the earlier books of the series - Japhet Loveday was falsely accused of highway robbery by Sir Pettigrew Osgood, found guilty and transported to th enew penal colony at Sydney Cove. He is now back in England and wants revenge. His cousin Adam also wants revenge on the man he blames for his twin’s death.

Cornwall 1802.
Japhet dismounted and flung the reins at a young groom. Gwendolyn came out of the house and waited for him. There was a look on her lovely face that warned him she had seen through his ruse. He should have known that nothing missed his wife’s concerned eye.
‘Another dawn ride, husband. The fifth in three weeks.’
‘I could not sleep. The horses need their exercise.’ He dragged his fingers through his black hair that lapped over his collar; unfashionably long, it added to his roguish features and his hazel eyes could melt a woman’s heart by their smouldering intensity.
‘With a sword strapped to your saddle?’ Her colour was high as she voiced her anger. Her features were striking rather than beautiful, but Japhet had known many beautiful women who had left his heart cold. Gwen had won his love by her courage and faith that the character of a rogue and reprobate he showed to the world but masked more noble sentiments beneath. That faith had saved him in his darkest hours and given him the strength to prove that she was right. Though there were times when he wished his wife did not know him so well. There was resignation in her eyes when she continued. ‘Are these meetings with Adam? I can guess their purpose.’
He shrugged and gave a reassuring grin. ‘Adam and I always practised our swordplay in the old days. It is a sport we both enjoy.’
‘And I doubt either of you are doing this for old times’ sake. You promised me you would not pursue Osgood.’ She was trembling in her distress.
Japhet took his wife into his arms. ‘I would not break my word to you, Gwen.’
She pulled back from him, her eyes accusing, and her skin pale against the rich chestnut of her hair. ‘But this swordplay is not innocent. Adam is capable of calling out Tristan. And you…. You will not let Osgood escape your justice, will you? But we have been home for just a few months.’ Her voice rose in alarm.
‘A gentleman should never neglect his fencing skills.’ Japhet was deliberately flippant.
She struck his chest with her fist. ‘Do not humour me. I know what you plan. If not this week, this month, this year, or the foreseeable future, but you will not let this matter rest. Forget Osgood. He is a cowardly knave.’
‘I am not the only one of our family whom Osgood planned to ruin. Adam said that Osgood’s lecherous eye also singled out my cousin’s half-sister, Tamasine, during a visit she had made to London. When she refused his advances Osgood had tried to abduct her. Fortunately, Tamasine had been rescued by Maximillian Deverell – the man she later married.’
‘But that was years ago when you were still on ship to the penal colony.’ She breathed heavily in her exasperation. ‘Tamasine had been staying in London with cousin Thomas. He called Osgood out. Family honour is satisfied. He even scarred the knave’s face in the duel. Since then little had been heard of the baronet. He retired to his country seat to hide his disfigurement.’
‘And he was there until last year.’ Japhet announced. ‘He has since disappeared – rumoured to have gone abroad. So you see your fears are in vain. He is out of reach.’
Her stare searched his and showed no sign of being reassured. ‘Promise me that you will not seek him out.’
He took her into his arms and his voice was husky and seductive. ‘Have I not promised that I will live quietly and concentrate on establishing a racing stables and stud? That is my intention.’ Hi s hand stroked her cheek and his gaze lingered upon her lips before capturing them with his own. There was the briefest resistance before she surrendered to his kiss and he felt her body melt against him. Then with a sigh she pulled away. ‘I will not be sidetracked by sweet words and caresses, my love. Say you will not go after Osgood?’ When he did not immediately answer, she gripped the front of his greatcoat, her eyes beseeching. ‘Promise me, Japhet.’
He cupped her lovely face gently in his hands. ‘I certainly have no intention of going off on a wild goose chase hunting him down. But I will make you no false promises, Gwen. If Osgood crosses my path then that is a different matter. But he is not likely to search me out. He has proved himself too craven for that.’
He kissed her until he felt her anger melt and the tension leave her body. ‘Do you think that I would risk all that we have for that knave? I am no longer the hothead, the reckless rakehell. You and our sons and this stud farm are what is important.’ His arms held her tight but over the top of her head, his stare was uncompromising.
When the time was right Osgood would face his retribution and pay for his treachery.

Kate Tremayne

Publication of THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY

This is an abridged extract from the Prologue of THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY which foreshadows events to come that again engage Adam and Japhet Loveday in political intrigue. Amid such derring do there is not one but two strong romances woven through the story.

A flame snaked across the cracked flagstones and as it sizzled along the fuse to the top of the powder keg, the Captain and four of his crew covered their faces with their arms. Each gulped a lungful of air, their bodies braced. There was a blast of heat. Then orange flames momentarily lit the dungeon. The impact of the explosion flung the men back against the wall, scalding the breath from their bodies. A shower of debris and dust billowed around them, stinging their throats and nostrils. With hearts pounding louder than a blacksmith’s anvil, they waited, peering through the clearing smoke. The thick oak door hung crookedly on its hinges. Behind it in the black pit that was the prisoner’s cell cries of terror and coughing was silenced by a shout.
‘We are friends. You have been freed. There is little time to get away before the garrison will be called out. Follow us!’
Men with their features hidden beneath matted beards and sores staggered out. Most wore some degree of naval attire, which had been reduced to rags. Despite the cold all had been stripped of their jackets and boots, the officers as dishevelled as the deck hands. A few civilians also staggered out with their silk or fine cambric shirts in tatters around bruised and whip lashed bodies; the colour of their torn breeches indistinguishable after months of laying on filthy straw and rats’ droppings. They were a motley group weakened by dysentery and starvation rations.
‘There is no time to loose.’ The captain ordered. He was shocked at their condition. Some seemed barely able to walk. He could not tell if any were wounded or incapacitated by infirmity or age. There were more prisoners than he expected and it was his duty to save not only the English prisoners of war, but also any Frenchman who faced the guillotine because of his birth. From his hasty inspection some could barely stand and were unlikely to make the short dash through the port to the long boat.
‘God praise you!’ Voices greeted them.
‘Save your breath for what lies ahead.’ the captain warned, ‘The greatest danger is still to be faced before you are aboard my ship.’
The strongest had pushed their way to the front and these were given the spare daggers and cudgels the Captain’s men had been able to carry.
‘Help each the wounded where you can, but once the fighting starts it will be every man for himself.’ It was not a decision the Captain wanted to make but too much depended on them getting quickly away or he could lose his ship and many more lives would be in peril.
Two of his men helped support the wound. The Captain seeing the terrified face of a youth not much older than is eldest son, who was clinging to the wall for support, hooked the lad over his shoulder. With his sword raised, he stepped over the two bodies of the guards, each with their throats cut. Their greatest danger was the steps to the entrance of the lockup. If the sentries came hurtling down them both prisoners and rescuers would be trapped. They could all die.
The Captain breathed easier that no alarm had so far been raised, but the explosion would have alerted the guards on the city walls. They would have only a few minutes to escape unless his accomplice Monsieur Grande had created a diversion in the town.
Halfway up the steps he smelt the first taint of smoke in the air. As he flung open the door to the courtyard an orange glow lit the sky behind the quay. The thud of running men and shouts raised in panic were headed away from them. The fire that had been set was next to the grain store and if that burnt town, the citizens would endure a winter facing starvation.
‘Keep to the shadows!’ The captain warned the prisoners. He stood at the doorway urging those lagging behind to catch up with the others. He also glanced anxiously along the quay. Lord Grande must not be far behind them. There were only two long boats to row out to their brigantine and he could not afford to wait long for his accomplice to board. Yet without him the rescue would have failed.
‘Hurry my friend,’ he groaned as he sped after the prisoners.
The outcry and frenzy in the town had drawn many of the sailors from the quayside taverns, but there would still be some placed on watch on each vessel. In times of war every furtive move was regarded as suspicious.
‘Halt. Who goes there?’ A command was barked out in French. ‘Halt or I shoot!’
Up ahead there was the sound of a scuffle and of a shot being fired. The Captain could just make out the first of the prisoners climbing down the stone quay steps to a long boat. Others were fighting.
This could be disastrous. The Captain felt his blood freeze. From out of a tavern a dozen soldiers appeared, half of them carrying muskets. Their officer had raised his sword aloft and was rallying more to his side.
The Captain drew his own pistol and fired at the officer, who went down, shot through an eye socket.
‘At them men! For England and King George!’ The Captain shouted. He was now in the thick of the skirmish and laying about him with his sword. He was slowed by the weight of the youth who also hampered his movements.
A volley of musket fire brought down more prisoners but then it would take the soldiers over a minute to reload and some prisoners charged them wielding cudgels against muskets now used as clubs.
There was little moonlight but the glow from the fire not only lit up the sky it was reflected in the water of the harbour. Only fifty yards separated them from the long boat.
‘Give me the boy.’ A white-haired prisoner took the youth from the captain.
No longer restricted he was now able to defend the backs of the stragglers. The fight was frantic and those left on the quay were outnumbered. Desperation reignited their failing energy when the stamp of booted feet from the direction of the town meant reinforcements. But for which side? Had Lord Grande made it to the quay, or was it more French?…

…There was a deathly hush.
‘And did they escape?’ A young voice demanded.
‘Of course they did, numbskull,’ Nathan Loveday taunted. ‘Otherwise Papa would not be alive to tell the story.’

THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY is published in hardback by Headline and available now.

Maypoles, morris men and mayhem or the joys of a butterfly mind

Throughout the ages May Day has been a time of celebration, ritual and supposedly for blossoming creativity as it is the herald of nature bursting forth, fruit trees being pollinated, the fields are full of lambs and young livestock and birds are frantically feeding their newly hatched chicks.

I have been working this week on checking the printer's proofs of The Loveday Conspiracy and they were put in the post yesterday. My blog post being the first of the month completely sneaked up on me unawares and I awoke to a sense of panic and a blank mind on a subject to write. The dawn chorus of blackbirds, robins and the delightful calls of over thirty goldfinches who sing to me every morning was instantly calming. This is often my favourite time of day and I allow my mind to drift upon a scene or character I will be writing about that day. I have had some wonderful inspiration in this semi-dreamlike or dozy state. The idea to blog about finding our own inspirational time came to mind.

The melody of the blackbirds and robins can instantly transport me to a nostalic Cornish scene or a tender moment of romance. However when this moment was rudely interrupted by squawkinbg seagulls and argumentative crows which did not fill me with feelings of love and blessings upon the world, I was less than enchanted with this idea and gave the pillow a hard punch for good measure. As I huffed and puffed and tried to bury myself under the duvet for another hours sleep, I realised that this more raucous awakening had often given me ideas for more turbulent scenes of conflict. So perhaps the idea for the blog was not lost at all.

So with great enthusiasm I sat at my computer which informs me the date is 1st May. I have always loved researching ancient festivals and my head was filled with maypoles, morris men and Jack of the green and then on to all things Celtic. A photo of morris men seemed a good idea to illustrate the blog. Two hours later I realise I have become totally absorbed in the ancient rituals and folklore and how the Lovedays would celebrate this day - which so far I have not used in the novels, and I always need fresh images and ideas. Then I am panicking that most of the morning has disappeared, no blog is written and this was the day I was supposed to be checking research for the first chapters of the next Loveday book.

Thank goodness that as women we have butterfly minds which when allowed to roam free can come to our rescue. I now have all the information I need for my novel and hopefully you have found these chaotic ramblings an insight into the mind of a writer who is always open to receiving inspiration when it is least expected. Happy May day and inspiration and creativity to you all.
Kate Tremayne

Do we lead our characters or do they lead us?

This is the fabulous new cover for The Loveday Conspiracy. It was a constant inspiration to make the story as dramatic and emotive as possible. It will be published in hardback in June and paperback in October.

I have just delivered THE LOVEDAY CONSPIRACY to my editor and it has been my most challenging novel in the series. Throughout the books the themes have been multi-faceted and there was more than one conspiracy the family were involved in. One male thought he could outwit the women’s moral outrage at his conduct only to find that when they band together they are formidable opponents. Both Adam and Japhet Loveday have their own plots to bring an enemy to heel, and when they work together to serve their country in a conspiracy to bring a traitor to justice, they discover their own lives are in danger.

As with all intricate plots the drama must be kept tense and the high action plausible at all times. The unfolding of the story is carefully choreographed and the characters given their motivation to act out the events on the page. Yet in the heat of the plot with emotions from the characters running high, do we strictly adhere to the storyline we have created, or do we allow our characters to dictate their next move. I believe that if you know your characters as well as you know your best friends they follow the necessary plan mapped out for them. However, like even best friends, there can be a hidden agenda they had not previously shown to us, or a side of their nature they had kept firmly in check until circumstances bring it bursting forth.

With the wild blood governing the emotions of the Loveday men, the unexpected is always possible. The dramatic conclusion of the final conspiracy in this novel was fast paced and action packed. Then suddenly without warning the characters are no longer acting out the scenes as I had intended. They interceded to mould the events in their own irrepressible fashion. All the time I tried valiantly to keep them on track, the scenes did not work to my satisfaction, and with the deadline looming this was very stressful. One morning they just took over. For most of the last three chapters I had to sit back at the end of my writing day dominated by the shock of how they had reacted, yet knowing that this was the only course that they would have taken. What emerged was an even more suspenseful and a greater page-turner. The price I paid for this was I was left each evening in a state of semi-panic thinking ‘how do I get them out of that scenario?’ and also keep everything plausible and achieve a satisfactory and inevitable conclusion for the reader. The Lovedays had literally dictated how they would have reacted to the danger they faced, which was far more emotive that all my careful plotting and I knew I had to follow their lead.

That is the joy of our writing and the challenge. It was also amazing how after several sleepless nights how little I had to edit previous chapters for the resolution to be exactly right for an exciting and unexpected ending.

I believe most of our writing is done on a deeply subconscious level, the depths of which even we as the writer are not always aware.

I also announce that following our exciting invitation to contribute to the Risky Regencies blog that the winner of my competition was Pamela Bolton-Holifield.

Kate Tremayne