The main question I get asked nowadays is, “when can I expect more books from you?” The short answer is I don’t have any set release dates right now. But it does mean that I’ve had to adjust my schedule, and it’s been hard to find time for writing. I am hoping to return to writing soon, but currently, I am on sabbatical. My husband and I have adopted a truly wonderful daughter, so a large part of my time is spent being a mom–the job I’ve always longed for! This post is up to date as of December 2024.
I am extremely grateful to my readers, and I love you all.
1. Where can I find your books?
My books are available at all online retailers (currently Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play, Smashwords–see my Books page). While you will not find my titles on the physical shelves in your brick-and-mortar stores, each of my titles has an ISBN. You can take this ISBN to your bookstore, and they should be able to order my print books. You can also order my paperbacks, which are printed on demand and printed by Amazon. All of my titles will be available in e-book and paperback, and audiobook when the word count permits (my short story The Governess of Northridge is too small to bind properly, and hence e-book only. But it’s free, so you can download it and read it on your computer/phone/tablet/whatever when you subscribe to my newsletter). You can purchase signed copies of my books here.
Please note that I am currently on a sabbatical from writing, so I do not have a release date set for any upcoming books.
2. What genres do you write? What can I expect when reading a book from you?
At present, I write historical romantic suspense. My books are dark, emotional, and gritty. There is usually sex or at least sexual tension. The balance in my full-length books so far is usually 60% romance and 40% suspense. As I write romance, there will always be a happily ever after (HEA) in my novels. The only exception to this is the short story The Governess of Northridge, which was intended as a companion piece for my newsletter subscribers–it’s just something fun I worked up in the Gothic genre.
I wrote The Rookery Rogues (pre-Victorian era working class romance) and Gothic Brides (Regency Gothics) series. I Spy a Duke was intended as the first in the Covert Heiresses series, but as so much time has passed, I am not sure if I will write more books in that series and feel that it sits better as a standalone. While each series deals with different parts of 19th century England, each book falls within the umbrella of a dark, suspenseful book. If you pick up an Erica Monroe book, you know that it’s going to have a lot of angst, probably some gruesome details (I do write suspense, after all, LOL), and a lot of grit. There may be some dry humor, but no romping. You’ll get strong women and heroic men and a conflict that often has life or death stakes but ends in that happily ever after. 😉
3. Why do you write romance?
Because I believe in the power of love. I’ve dated my now-husband since high school. I can say absolutely that he’s the best part of my life. He’s supported me through the best of times and worst of times. How can I not incorporate that life-changing love into my books? I also hate surprises and sad endings, so the implied promise of a HEA in romance suits me just fine.
I’m often asked why I write such dark romance. The subject matter of my books is often intense, and I touch on a lot of social issues. It has always been my belief that history shows us how to interpret today’s problems and that for all the apparent changes in our society and laws, human nature still remains largely the same. It’s the parallels and controversies that intrigue me. Yes, there’s a lot of “dark stuff” in my books, and I know that isn’t for everyone (no judgment here!).
But for me, I both like to write and read books about people who are struggling to become something better than what they’ve been before. Through either their own mistakes or circumstances they couldn’t control, they’ve faced some sort of trauma in their past. They’re thrown into dangerous situations, and they have to survive by their wits. I write these books about survivors because I want people to know that there IS a bright spot at the end. I want people in tough situations to be able to look at my hero and heroine and feel encouraged by their spirit and their journey. For me, I think love is about a lot more than just the butterflies and happy moments. It’s fighting for what you want and working hard to build that life with someone you love. Life isn’t easy, but in the end, I believe that the love between two people is worth risking it all.
4. Hey, what happened to the rest of the Covert Heiresses series? Are you still planning on writing these books?
Here is where I owe my readers an apology because I know that I’ve promised to write these books. For several years (as I Spy a Duke was published back in 2015), I have tried to write Elinor, Korianna, and Arden’s stories. While I do have basic ideas for each book, it has been hard for me to find the time to flesh these ideas out fully, and I have struggled with the characters and plots. Since I no longer write as my main career, I have decided to write what I am most inspired by, and this series has been challenging for me to develop beyond the first book. Because so much time has gone by, if I do write these books, I will most likely release them as their own series as my writing has changed since the release of the first book.
As of September 2022, I have now accepted that these books are on the back burner for me and that I Spy a Duke is a standalone novel. I am currently on sabbatical from writing.
5. Why did you decide to publish independently?
For a lot, and I really do mean a lot, of reasons. Primarily, I am a control freak. I also am ridiculously impatient and a bit of a misanthrope (my husband is now coughing frantically in the background). I wanted the ability to choose my production team (ie, my editors, my cover artists, my formatter, and on and on). I also knew that my first series, the Rookery Rogues, was the very definition of niche: crossing two genres (historical romance and romantic suspense) and featuring an entirely nontitled cast, it’s different than anything else out in stores today. I wanted to be able to market it my way. I also wanted to be able to write the difficult, controversial themes I had in mind with reference to historical accuracy and also without compromising my vision.
I also needed to be able to set my deadlines as I have autoimmune diseases that require rest during flare-ups. Now, as a stay-at-home mom, independent publishing makes sense to me because I move at a much slower pace and writing is no longer my main career.
Please know that my decision is mine alone and by no means indicates a stance on publishing. While indie publishing is good for me, it’s not the end all be all. The beauty of publishing nowadays is that there are so, so many options.
6. I am a book reviewer, and I really want to review one of your books. What should I do?
This answer also applies to people who post reviews on Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Goodreads etc, not just blogs. You can e-mail me at ericamonroewrites AT gmail DOT com, and my assistant will add you to my list of reviewers who receive advanced copies of my books in exchange for their honest review.
7. I want to know about your new releases! What should I do?
You can sign up for my newsletter below. I solemnly swear never to sell your information, spam mail you, or come to your house and dance on your lawn with a pineapple on my head (unless you’re into that sort of thing, in which case, let me find a pineapple). I only send out newsletters when I have a sale going, a new release, or a cover reveal. On very rare occasions, you may receive a newsletter twice a month; the far more likely possibility is that they are bimonthly.
Note that since I am on sabbatical from writing, I won’t have any new releases for some time.
8. Do you intend to pursue traditional publishing?
I have always wanted to be a hybrid author (traditional and indie publishing) eventually. At the moment, I am not pursuing this goal, but who can predict the future? Despite my desire to plan for every single event (I have a plan in the event of my death, in the event of a zombie invasion, in the event sharks become land-based species…), I sadly do not have a crystal ball. If you find one, please e-mail me at ericamonroewrites AT gmail DOT com.
9. I have a blog/event/Facebook party/book signing/my kid’s soccer game/alien species gala that I’d like you to visit. What should I do?
You can e-mail me at ericamonroewrites AT gmail DOT com. While I have Goodreads (regencyerica), I never read the messages, so this is not a good way to contact me. I am no longer on Twitter, and it takes me absolutely forever to check Facebook/Instagram/Bluesky DMs, so e-mail is always the best way to contact me.
Once you’ve contacted me, I will check my schedule. My acceptance depends on the time involved, prior time commitments, and the cost to me. If you have a blog you want me to visit, please feel assured I don’t judge blogs by a certain number of visits/whatever metric that looks vaguely important. I like to talk to readers everywhere because I am a weird ambivert author. So go ahead, drop me a line! I promise my bark is worse than my bite. (But seriously, if you have an aliens species gala, I will come because I have watched seven seasons of the X-Files and all of Futurama, so I AM PREPARED FOR THIS.)
10. Outside of writing, how would you describe yourself?
A friend once called me an “Avenue Q Muppet,” and that’s about the best summary I can think of: I am a short, foul-mouthed, very loud, fiery feminist. My voice is high-pitched, so I often sound like Minnie Mouse if you wound her up really tightly and gave her the vocabulary of a Shakespeare-loving sailor. I believe coffee and wine are my life coaches, and I collect Monster High/Ever After High/various fashion dolls. I am devoted to my rescue pets, and I am a new mom of a seriously awesome elementary school-aged kid. On the Myers-Briggs scale, I am an ENFP.
11. How do you write books?
My process is not very sensible, so I don’t recommend following it. I am a slow drafter who is way too meticulous. I am also a plotter. I will write up a comprehensive outline that I change throughout the book. I do a lot of preparatory work before I start writing–usually about 2 weeks of research and character development, depending on the project. I heavily use Pinterest when planning stories (check out my storyboards here). Because of my suspense plots and my equally spastic memory, I edit as I go, which isn’t exactly the best way to draft but there you have it. My drafts are usually somewhat clean, and then I get to edit for a month or two happily. I love editing. I seriously loathe drafting and will procrastinate until I am at the point where I am so pressed for time I have no choice but to go for it. (As I said, it’s a horrible process, don’t do it.) I draft in Scrivener and edit in Word. Using two different programs helps me to approach each step differently.
12. How long does it take you to write a book?
There’s no easy answer to this. Every book is different. Full-length novels obviously take longer, especially with my Rookery Rogues series, as there’s an extensive amount of research for each one. It also depends on the time of the year. During the winter, I am much slower due to flare-ups and the holidays. Currently, I am on a writing sabbatical, so I am not working on any books.
13. Do you still edit books?
I used to run Quillfire Author Services and I had many wonderful clients that I copyedited or did line edits for–it was magnificent to get to work with so many talented authors. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of their book journeys. But I retired from editing in June 2024 and shuttered my business so that I could focus more on being a stay-at-home mom. Someday, I may return to copyediting, as I truly loved this job. But for now, I am enjoying setting my own calendar with only my family’s needs to consider.
14. Do you write to music?
Absolutely. Silence is very unnerving to me. While drafting books 1 and 2 of the Rookery Rogues, I listened to Gaslight Anthem, Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding, Anberlin, Augustana, Band of Horses, Metric, Johnnyswim, Lana del Ray, Florence and the Machine and Adele, to name a few. I cannot write to instrumental music. I need lyrics. You can check out my book playlists here.
15. Do you have advice for writing a book?
My writing background is a little weird. While I did go to college for writing and earn a Bachelor of Arts in writing with an English minor, my focus was more on sci-fi writing, lit fiction, and business writing (an odd mix). I hadn’t found romance novels yet. But I had a passion for British lit, particularly of the 19th century, and took a lot of classes on that.
It was writing with a good friend who loved historical romances that got me into writing it, and I found I loved to research the period and that my voice was well-suited for it. If your interest isn’t in romance, then look for organizations in the genre you’re looking to write, or look for local writers’ groups. I did a lot of blogging before I committed to writing novels. I read a metric crapton of craft books. I wrote a lot of awful drafts and projects I never finished. I read a lot, still, in all genres. And I talked to other writers–for me, social media was huge, as it connected me to a bunch of writers in North Carolina, and then I ended up moving there! Nowadays, I use social media much more sparingly because I simply don’t have a lot of free time as a mom, but it was helpful then.
I recommend all of those things. But mostly, I just recommend that you write and then write some more.
For basic craft books, I recommend: Elements of Fiction Writing: Beginnings, Middles, and Ends; Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Save the Cat (plotting help), Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View, The Emotion Thesaurus
For craft books on suspense, I recommend: Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict and Suspense, Conflict, Action, and Suspense, Body Trauma: A Writer’s Guide to Injuries; Scene of the Crime: A Writer’s Guide to Crime Scene Investigation.
16. I want to meet you! Are you doing any events this year?
As I am on sabbatical from writing, I am no longer doing appearances.