#Interview with Rachel Brimble, author of The Mistress of Pennington’s with #Giveaway

Which character was your favorite to write?

Ooh, this is a tough question because I loved writing the hero and heroine, Elizabeth Pennington and Joseph Carter…but also had so much fun writing Elizabeth’s despicable father, Edward. He was fabulous to write and to see how Elizabeth and Joseph react to the absurdities Edward says and does.

The entire book was a joy to write from beginning to end!

Will we see these characters again?

Absolutely! The Mistress of Pennington’s is the first book in an ongoing series. Each new book will introduce new characters as well as keeping tabs on characters who have appeared in previous books. I’d love to create a series that readers follow from the start and are desperate to know how the characters are going along, alone, and with each other.

I will ensure each book can be read stand-alone so readers can pick up the series at any point, but it’s important to me that it follows as an ongoing story, too.

How do you make yourself stand out in this genre?

Very early on in the planning of this book, I knew I wanted it to be a series and the series theme to be ‘female empowerment’. I think this is a subject as close to most women’s hearts today and it was so satisfying to research and celebrate the breakthroughs and the women who made them happen before us. The topics I cover in these books will be controversial and, I hope, discussed…and that, in turn, will make the Pennington’s Department Series stand out as I’ve hoped from the beginning.

Tell us about your other published works.

I write contemporary mainstream romance, romantic suspense and historical romance. My most popular series to date is my Templeton Cove Series (Harlequin) which is set in a fictional UK seaside town and a mix of mainstream romance and romantic suspense novels. I also have four Victorian romances published with eKensington as well as various other contemporary and historical romances with small presses such as The Wild Rose Press.

When not writing, what can we find you doing?

If I’m not working (which is as often as it should be!), you’ll find me reading, knitting (my obsession next to writing), socializing with friends and family or walking the beautiful English countryside with my beloved Lab, Tyler. Oh, and I also watch FAR too much TV!

Let’s say I’m coming for a visit to your area. What are some must-see places?

Well, I’m lucky enough to live just a short thirty-minute drive from the famous city of Bath so that’s the first must-see. Bath is an amazing, Georgian and Regency city and absolutely steeped in history and wonderful architecture.

I also live close to the beautiful villages and hamlets in the Cotswolds which are just too quintessentially English to be missed. One of my favorite places in the world is Bourton-On-The Water – just fabulous!

What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?

I haven’t had my hair professionally cut since my wedding day in 1998 – it’s so ridiculously curly, I can get away with my husband or one of my two daughters giving it a quick trim. I love thinking how much money I’ve saved over the years, lol!

Oh, I was also rescued by helicopter from a clubhouse roof during the 2010 French floods…

The Mistress of Pennington’s

Elizabeth Pennington should be the rightful heir of Bath’s premier department store through her enterprising schemes and dogged hard work. Her father, Edward Pennington, believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire and is resolute a man will succeed him.

Determined to break from her father’s iron-clad hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting the store, Elizabeth forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. United they forge forward to bring Pennington’s into a new decade, embracing woman’s equality and progression whilst trying not to mix business and pleasure.

Can this dream team thwart Edward Pennington’s plans for the store? Or will Edward prove himself an unshakeable force who will ultimately ruin both Elizabeth and Joseph?

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Read an excerpt from The Mistress of Pennington’s:

He moved to walk away, and she reached for his arm before she could think just how dangerous such contact could be. He halted, and even when he looked at her fingers clutched on his forearm, she did not remove them. It suddenly felt important she touch him; that he understood she had care for what he said or asked her.

Even though the physical contact set her heart racing, she held her grasp. ‘Why do you ask me about your family?’

He closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest.

Disquiet whispered through her. What had caused such uncharacteristic hesitation in him?

‘Joseph…’ She slid her hand from his arm, ignoring the pang of loss that the break of contact brought. ‘If there’s something bothering you, please, share it with me.’

He slowly raised his head, his blue eyes full of irritation once more. ‘I will, but not here. Not on the street. I’d prefer to come to your office tomorrow.’

How was she supposed to wait until tomorrow? Her curiosity was rife. It was clear something had changed between them. Something, it seemed, of which she was the cause.

She nodded. ‘I’ll send a message to you first thing in the morning.’

‘Thank you. Until then, I bid you good day.’

He walked away, leaving Elizabeth with questions and words flailing on her tongue. She stared after him, fearful of the pull deep in her chest that Joseph’s concerns had somehow become hers. No good could come of such caring. Her only goal should be proving her worth and capability in Pennington’s and beyond. She could not allow one man, any man, to have such an effect on her.

She inhaled a long breath and walked towards Pennington’s doors.