Angela Bell joins KyLee and Darcy for a chat about her favorite characters in historical fiction, her dream to be a prima ballerina, The Nutcracker, and her latest release A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventures. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book! 

Angela Bell is a twenty-first-century lady with nineteenth-century sensibilities. She resides in Texas with her charming pup, Mr. Bingley Crosby. One might categorize her books as historical romance, but Angela likes to describe them as “a cuppa Victorian whimsy” because it sounds so much more poetical.

Whenever you need a respite from the modern-day hustle, you’re welcome to visit her parlor at AuthorAngelaBell.com, where she can be found waiting with a pot of tea and a great book.

Angela, welcome to the Historical Bookworm Show.

Some of you might not know, but even though this is Angela’s debut novel, she had been on the show before. That’s right. Angela is part of our Historical Bookworm Team, the only member who comes on the show to record her reviews!

1. Your bio describes you as a “twenty-first-century lady with nineteenth-century sensibilities.” Are there any traditionally historic practices or traditions that you enjoy on a regular basis?
   
2. If you could step onto any book and visit with the characters for 30 minutes, which book and why?
   
3. As a debut author, what advice can you give aspiring writers?
   
4. Is there anything especially interesting that you haven’t covered in other interviews that you could share with us or perhaps there is something God has laid on your heart that you would like to share with your readers? 
   

When Clara Marie Stanton’s ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it’s all Clara can do to protect them from his desperate schemes and society’s prejudice. Her family may be eccentric, yes, but they certainly aren’t insane. Then Clara’s Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing. 

Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond skilled in repairing clocks, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara’s dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer’s trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself–at any cost.

Book questions

1. What drew you to write about Clara from The Nutcracker?
   
2. When Drosselmeyer disappears, Clara must follow a scavenger hunt to find him. What inspired you to use a scavenger hunt?
   
3. Theodore Kingsley is described as a vagabond, clock repairman who is running from a wealthy past. Can you tell us more about Theodore Kingsley?
   
4. What’s next for your writing?
   

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