RITA GERLACH

You describes yourself as an author of romantic historical fiction.  Do you feel there's a difference between "romantic historical" and "historical romance?"

Yes. First, let me describe what I believe is historical romance. These novels are formula fiction. There are strict guidelines the authors must follow. The ones I have read in the past had modern characters dressed in historical clothing. There is more focus on sexual encounters, which I feel overshadow the stories.

The romantic historical involves the fictionalized recreation of historical events. The reader vicariously escapes to another time and place where they experience the elements of romantic love, courage, commitment, and sacrifice.

 When I think of romantic historical fiction, I think of books like Gone With the Wind and Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen certainly sent the standard. They are powerful stories set in a time long ago, with characters that are not only true to the time period in manners and customs, but stories that are true to the life of that time. Romantic historical fiction breaks out of the box of limitations set by the historical romance genre. The writing is creative, not formalized. The stories are not predictable, and they have historical integrity.

 In your opinion, what makes an effective romance?

When a reader tells me they could not put my book down, that they fell in love with my characters, changed the way they perceived the time period, and cried, then I know my novels are effective.

First, the characters are the primary source of the romance. The male lead must be strong and heroic. He must be a man who will lay his life down for the woman he loves. The writer must portray him as a true human being, not a cookie-cutter character. He must be the way most men would react in the true life of that period. He must bled when wounded, feel pain when there is loss; agonize over a difficult choice, express anger over injustice. He must be willing to make sacrifices, and what he feels for this woman is truly love, and not simply lust. The romance is founded on love and friendship. He is not seeking to conquer her. He seeks to win her, and to prove his love for her, that he is a man worth having.

The female character must reflect her time period as well. She can in her mind overstep the rules for her sex, but never overstep them outwardly. This brings an air of allure to the male character. She enhances the romantic element by being a mystery to him. In our modern minds, it is hard for us to conceive how difficult life was in the colonial period. Women were resourceful and wise. They were the glue that held the family together. In my historicals, I portray my female characters as virtuous women, strong, loyal, and unselfish.

What makes a Rita Gerlach book special?

 I make the plots my own. What I mean by this is I make every attempt to write something unique historical. I have had readers tell me that at certain points in the stories they were so drawn in they shouted at the characters, 'No, don't do that'! Readers have told me they cannot put the books down until they have finished. What really touches my heart is when readers tell me they cried while reading my novels. My novels are emotionally charged, and pull the reader back in time.

 If we were to drop you off on a deserted island, with one fiction book, one nonfiction book, one CD, one movie, and one blank notebook, what titles would you choose?  What would we find in the notebook when we picked you up?  Where would your island be?

The fiction book would be Sense and Sensibility. The nonfiction book, The Bible. (I would need solace being abandoned on a desert island.) The CD would have to be a collection of the best classical music, which would include Bach, Vivaldi, and Pachelbel. The movie would be the newer version of Pride and Prejudice.

As for the notebook, you would find a day-to-day journal, and a novel that I would have or have not finished depending on how long you left me there. I cannot decide between an island in the south Pacific, or an island off the coast of England. Would you drop me off with food and water, a pen, and a CD player so I can listen to my CD and write? Otherwise, I would starve while reading some great literature, and read the 23rd Psalm as I slip away. Oh, that sounds so dramatic and a little depressing! But I am a writer, and a drama princess at times.

 What do you feel is the perfect blend of history to romance? How do the two elements complement each other?

       The perfect blend is when the story is flowing, the characters are real, and the plot holds the reader's attention. I take tremendous care with facts. They cannot overshadow the story and the romance. I blend them into the narrative and dialogue as the action is unfolding. I have a rule in writing. I want my readers to see what my characters see, hear what they hear, feel what they feel, smell what they smell, and taste what they taste. Blending in history is a part of this process. It builds the flavor of the period.

 What do you read for pleasure?  Do you remember the first romance you ever read?

For pleasure, I read historical novels, especially old ones, and the Bible. But I must also confess, from time to time when I need to read for pleasure and have a good chuckle along with it, I will look at my son's Far Side books. The first romance I ever read was Jane Eyre.

What is one thing you can promise your readers will always find in your books?  What dirty trick will you never, ever pull on them?

One thing I will never do is write hokey, predictable plot lines. No time travel, no magic, nothing that falls into the paranormal. It just isn't my thing, and although it is true that novels are escapism for the most part, going too far with these elements can disappoint readers. I will never promise a sequel and not write one.

Did Rhett and Scarlett ever get back together?

Well, we kind of saw that scenario played out in the novel Scarlett. Personally, writing a sequel to Gone With the Wind is a daunting thought. Margaret Michelle's book is so superb, that a sequel would have to equal it as a literary masterpiece.

In my imagination, Rhett and Scarlett do not get back together. Rhett meant what he said when he walked out on Scarlett, and has had enough of Scarlett's selfishness. Instead, he ends up finding Belle Watling, the prostitute. During the war, Belle nursed wounded soldiers, and it changed her life. She experienced a kind of conversion. She always loved Rhett, and when they meet again and he discovers she has denounced her tainted profession, he marries Belle. Scarlett is furious when she finds out, and ends up marrying a wealthy older man. And so, it goes on.  .  .  .

FINAL WORD:

I want to write stories until I am too old to hold a pen and too blind to read. That is a very long time from now, but time does fly.