Brass Tabby received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Rowan Helaine.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Brass Tabby was published on December 21st, 2021
What’s the book’s first line?
Grant Harcourt lived in darkness.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Brass Tabby is dark, although the banter adds an unexpected humorous undertone which propels it into the “Dark Comedy Romance” category. It’s a slow burn, but with a very satisfying and steamy surrender when it happens. These are two flawed individuals with complicated pasts, so they have a little work to do first, before they’re ready for the love they’ve discovered in each other. The story doesn’t fall back on the usual “pushmepullyous” that so often seem to damage the trust between two characters before they even get together. There are no love triangles, no silly contrived excuses, and no toxic mind games.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I’m a happily childfree woman who loves romance novels, but always struggled to find narratives I could identify with. Sometimes it felt like very single one of them ended with a big white wedding and a blissful pregnancy in the epilogue. Marriage and babies have long been presented as the only pathway to happiness in women’s fiction, and I knew I couldn’t be the only person out there who was tired of feeling disenfranchised. I was so tired of stopping reading halfway through a book because I couldn’t identify with the main characters, so I decided to write the book I wanted to read.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
One of the comments I keep getting back from readers is that Brass Tabby defied their expectations in the best way. So if you think you hate romance because it feels too formulaic and predictable, you should give this book a chance to change your mind.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Both of my characters are working through their personal traumas in very different ways. Enola experienced long term, sustained abuse. She’s been hardened by her past, but she’s not just a “dude with boobs.” She’s still vulnerable and empathetic, and she now knows exactly what she’s willing to do to survive. She is composed of pure, undiluted zero fucks given. Conversely, I liken Grant’s trauma to a meteor strike. He used to enjoy huge amounts of privilege, and then he lost himself in a single moment. He woke up in a broken body, without the tools to cope, and that experience has shaken his self image to its core. He’s been forced to dig down to the center of his being and decide what parts of himself he wants to drag out of the smoking crater that is his life. With such deeply flawed people, you get a sense that if they’re going to work, they’re going to have to love each other warts and all.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I usually spend several hours a day writing, although sometimes I have to take a forced hiatus when I start to get burned out. Usually that means a few days to a week of reading other things and recharging my creative juices.