A Girl Thing with Mary Jo Putney

This is Heyer Today, a podcast exploring the life and work of Regency romance nonpareil, Georgette Heyer. Many of you will be familiar with this week’s guest; Mary Jo Putney, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland in the US. Host Sara-Mae has been dying to chat to her as, like Georgette, she’s also a best-selling author of Regency romances. Join us, as we pick her brains about the art of building a believable regency world. What are the pitfalls? Unlike Georgette, whom she loves, her work explores alcoholism, death, and domestic abuse as themes. A regular on the best seller lists, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly, she’s well versed in the art of writing to deadline, just like Georgette. She’s also been showered in awards like the Romance Writers of America (RITAs), two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. In 2013 she was awarded the Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Phew! Her mantelpiece must be groaning! Also covered in our conversation: Arabella, The Unknown Ajax, Venetia, False Colours and the use of twins in romance. “Romance is a girl thing, which means it never gets as much respect. Mystery is pretty respectable, people get killed, that’s respectable. But something that’s by and for women largely, is never going to get the same kind of respect.” - Mary Jo