Historical romance author Morgan Blake chats with me today about her debut novel, The Cherry Trees of Rosings.
During her virtual book tour, Morgan will be giving away a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly selected participant. To be entered for your chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Morgan Blake writes regency romance novels and Austenesque variations of Pride & Prejudice that are sometimes steamy, sometimes not. Satire is the name of the game and happy ever afters the goal!
Morgan loves exploring themes of personal identity, inner strength, social discourse and hope alongside enduring love in her stories. She also believes that strong heroes and heroines are not enough to make a tale worth telling. They need a supporting cast of good and not-so-good characters that add more punch and vibrancy… and some dramatic ridiculousness!
Morgan is a cat friend, tropical girl who prefers winter clothes, perennial fantasy/historical fiction nerd, and a night owl.
Welcome, Morgan. Please tell us about your current release.
Hello Lisa, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance and kick off my very first book tour right here on your blog! I think it is a fantastic way to begin the new year, and I am happy to share about The Cherry Trees of Rosings with your readers.
For those who do not know me, I write Austenesque Regency romance and The Cherry Trees of Rosings is my debut book. It is set in the world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice… but with a comical and slightly paranormal twist.
The story begins in Hunsford, where Elizabeth Bennet (our heroine) is visiting her newly-married friend, Charlotte, and her ceaselessly verbose husband, Mr. Collins (he of the “boiled potatoes” fame) at their modest parsonage. We know at the start of the plot that the parsonage is attached to the vast estate of Rosings Park, ruled by the iron-willed Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who Mr. Collins name drops in every conversation and decision.
A few days into her holiday—while Elizabeth is on her usual morning walk—she comes across Mr. Darcy on the grounds of Rosings. She decides to avoid him as she does not have a good impression of him from their previous acquaintance in Meryton. But then she sees him again the next day. And the day after that.
It baffles Elizabeth why no one at Rosings, or the parsonage, has brought up Mr. Darcy’s visit at all… until one day she stumbles straight through him as one would an apparition!
Thus, begins the main storyline of The Cherry Trees of Rosings. It’s a mix of comic relief, tearjerking moments, infuriating scenes (featuring Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Collins), and tons of mutual yearning between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy as they try to figure out what happened to him, and if he is truly dead (or not).
I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, but I will say that there are a lot of heart-fluttering moments in the book and a few heart-racing kisses. Enough for clean romance lovers to get their fix of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet!
What inspired you to write this book?
I am a huge fan of Jane Austen’s works with Pride and Prejudice being my absolute favourite. So when I accidentally found out about the global JAFF community for Austenesque fiction, and then got my taste of a few P&P variations, I became utterly obsessed! It was only a matter of time before I wrote my own book in the genre—The Cherry Trees of Rosings being the result.
Excerpt from The Cherry Trees of Rosings:
“You seem distracted, Cousin Elizabeth,” Mr. Collins said, peering at her from his seat at the head of the table.
Elizabeth smiled blandly at him. She was in no mood to have him pry into her life.
“I was simply enjoying the wonderful dinner, Mr. Collins.” She glanced at her plate. There was a cut of beef and seasoned potatoes on it. “The potatoes are… very good.”
Mr. Collins puffed up with pride immediately and nodded.
“Lady Catherine personally recommended Mrs. Potts to me,” he said. “And what a delight she has been to Charlotte and me! Did I tell you about…”
Elizabeth nodded at all the appropriate places as Mr. Collins went into a lengthy monologue about chefs and cooks named after kitchen utensils and ingredients, and how the chef at Rosings was a “Monsieur Barbeau” who was known for his smoked salmon and breakfast kippers. Much like “Mrs. Potts” who was known for her pot roasts. Lady Catherine—as it turned out—was quite fond of having servants with names that echoed the position they held.
But she stopped listening after a while. It was the third time Mr. Collins had told them that particular story about his kitchen staff.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I have a second book coming out in 2026—also a P&P variation. It’s called A Spirited Kiss and is slightly steamier than The Cherry Trees of Rosings. The release date for that hasn’t been set yet, but I am hoping to announce it in the second half of the year.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Oh my gosh, I don’t think I actually considered myself a writer until I was in my early 20s. But I have been typing away something or another for pretty much most of my life, ever since I learnt to use a computer keyboard.
It would be silly stories with rabbits and pixies at first, around when I was around 9 or 10. But then I watched The Mummy Returns on TV (when I was 12) and for some reason typed out an entire novel that was full of cringey teenage stuff and rage. Thankfully, my cringe days are behind me now.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
At this time, yes. I am a full-time writer. But I’d rather not tell anyone what my workday looks like.
Let’s just say that waking up at odd hours in the night, or pulling open the laptop in the middle of the day and the middle of doing something else is my routine. It’s a bit all over the place.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I am a seat-of-the-pants writer. So there are a lot of shenanigans that pop up in the course of such things. Daydreaming included. I am not entirely sure how to answer this question. But I try to stay true to the characters, though they do pull me into odd places sometimes!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I actually wanted to be an author when I was young, but my parents wanted me to be a doctor. So I did that for a while before I found my way back to my original love. I’d say the pandemic (as scary as it was) sped things up in that direction!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’d love for everyone to try The Cherry Trees of Rosings if they are fans of Austenesque romance and have always wanted more of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth after finishing the original. The book is available to read on Kindle Unlimited.
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