BookEnds Talks to Julia Templeton

Julia Templeton
Book: The Bargain
Publisher: Berkley
Pub date: November 2006
Agent: Kim Lionetti


Julia Templeton has loved romance novels since reading her first historical romance over twenty years ago. She says it’s such a thrill for her to see her books on the shelf. She loves research, and when she's not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband of over twenty years and their grown children.

Author Web site: www.juliatempleton.com

Awards:The Bargain won First Place, Spicy category, of the Smoky Writers Sweet, Spicy, Spooky Contest, 2004; Masquerade (Ellora’s Cave) was the winner of the Ecataromance Reviewers choice award for best Ebook 2006; and Now & Forever (Ellora’s Cave) was among Romance Reviews Today "PERFECT 10" in 2003.

BookEnds: Describe your book in 50 words or less.
Julia: Saxon princess Aleysia Cawdor will do whatever she has to in order to save her twin brother after he is taken prisoner by the merciless Norman knight Renaud de Wulf. Aleysia enters into a sensual bargain with the wickedly handsome Norman, offering her body in return for her brother’s safety.

BookEnds: What is your favorite thing about this book?
Julia: My favorite thing about The Bargain is the transformation my hero, Renaud de Wulf, goes through. Renaud is a tough, ruthless warrior who has worked his entire life to gain the impressive fief of Braemere. And yet after he achieves this success, he learns that it’s not about what you have or the riches you gain, but rather who we love and how empty our lives would be without that one person in it. He kept surprising me with each page.

BookEnds: What other authors do you find inspiration from?
Julia: I’ve always admired Virginia Henley and Brenda Joyce for writing such wonderful sensual historical romance. They’re both brilliant at prolonging sexual tension. I also admire Karen Marie Moning and Susan Johnson for their wonderfully wicked alpha male heroes, and Angela Knight and Emma Holly for writing such fabulous sex scenes.

BookEnds: What is your writing process like?
Julia: I usually start with a character and start asking a lot of questions. I’m a fan of the character sheet, which means I interview my characters until I get a good idea of who they are. From there I research the setting and time period. A lot of authors dislike research, but I love it. I have an entire bookcase devoted to research books, and each shelf is broken down by time period and geographic location. Next I start writing a rough outline and then start writing the book.

BookEnds: Why have you chosen to write in the genre in which you write?
Julia: I love historical romance. In fact, I’ve always felt like I was born in the wrong time. After reading Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Shanna, I was hooked, so when I started writing, historical romance was my natural choice.

BookEnds: Has being published changed you or your writing?
Julia: It’s changed my writing. I’ve realized along the way that I have to write from an outline. That’s not to say I don’t stray from that outline, but it keeps me focused on the main points of the story. I have a certain amount of time to finish a manuscript, so I need to stay focused, and sticking to the outline helps me do that.


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