
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first published novella, The Legacy, was inspired by something my mom told me. My dad was an American soldier who stayed in Japan after the Korean War. She was a secretary in the same office. When they decided to get married, Mom’s relatives investigated Dad’s family and discovered he had ties to a shogun, back in the samurai era. That got me thinking about different artifacts I’d seen in our house when I was a child. What if somewhere in the basement or garage, there was a trunk of treasures from that ancestor?
My first published novella, The Legacy, was inspired by something my mom told me. My dad was an American soldier who stayed in Japan after the Korean War. She was a secretary in the same office. When they decided to get married, Mom’s relatives investigated Dad’s family and discovered he had ties to a shogun, back in the samurai era. That got me thinking about different artifacts I’d seen in our house when I was a child. What if somewhere in the basement or garage, there was a trunk of treasures from that ancestor?
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The Partridge and the Peartree was my very first attempt at writing a regency
romance. I’d read romances set during that era, but I had no idea how
structured the culture was. What a person said and did depended greatly on who
was speaking, and to whom they spoke. I had to do a lot of research, and even
then I got a lot wrong. The first edition was published in 2011 with Clean
Reads (then Astraea Press). I got the rights back later and re-published it
with Eskape Press, at which time I corrected several no-nos pointed out by
reviewers. And then when Eskape closed its doors, Dingbat Publishing gave me
yet another opportunity to improve it.
BLURB:
Phillip
Peartree, Duke of Bartlett, dreamed of a peaceful life with a suitable mate
until a hunting accident left him scarred and nearly deaf. Resigned to spending
the rest of his days alone, Phillip has devoted himself to rebuilding his
family estate. But a chance encounter with a lovely young woman in a dusty
bookstore rekindles his almost-forgotten hopes and dreams.
Lady Amelia Partridge has no time for the frivolity of the London social scene. In addition to her work with the Ladies Literary Society, she has a mission — educating poor children in the city. She also has a secret life, one she fears might drive away the young duke who has become increasingly important to her.
BIOGRAPHY:
During her first career, Patricia Kiyono taught elementary music, computer classes, elementary classrooms, and junior high social studies. She now teaches music education at the university level.
She lives in southwest Michigan with her husband, not far from her children and grandchildren. Current interests, aside from writing, include sewing, crocheting, scrap booking, and music. A love of travel and an interest in faraway people inspires her to create stories about different cultures.
BLURB:

Lady Amelia Partridge has no time for the frivolity of the London social scene. In addition to her work with the Ladies Literary Society, she has a mission — educating poor children in the city. She also has a secret life, one she fears might drive away the young duke who has become increasingly important to her.
BIOGRAPHY:
During her first career, Patricia Kiyono taught elementary music, computer classes, elementary classrooms, and junior high social studies. She now teaches music education at the university level.
She lives in southwest Michigan with her husband, not far from her children and grandchildren. Current interests, aside from writing, include sewing, crocheting, scrap booking, and music. A love of travel and an interest in faraway people inspires her to create stories about different cultures.
Thank you so much for featuring The Partridge and the Peartree! This book inspired a series that has been so much fun to write.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Patty. Thanks for being on my blog. I enjoyed your connection to samurai era. Wow. Best of luck with promotion.
DeleteLove your historical background, Patty!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diana! I've enjoyed researching the samurai era, but I need to save up money to dig into our ancestry. We'd need to hire a translator, since I don't read or speak the language.
DeleteI love being able to go back and fix problems in my stories! I just got the rights back on my first Regency romance and was able to fix things. Congratulations on your series!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, it was a great opportunity to go back. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI love the title of the book! So cute! The story sounds great, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kara. I had a lot of fun with it!
DeleteSuch a cute title! Great cover.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's blessings
PamT
Thanks, Pamela. Elaina Lee with For the Muse Designs is wonderful.
DeleteGreat post. So interesting how you got the idea for the book. Looks like a wonderful read!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alicia! It was originally part of a multi-author series called The Twelve Dukes of Christmas - which made me think of the song, and I decided to take the first day of Christmas. Thanks for visiting.
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