Check out our interview with Virginia Heath, the author of "Pride Comes Before a Fall."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
I'm a big believer in fairness and justice for all and the inspiration for Pride Comes Before a Fall really reflects that. The initial story idea actually came from a repressive piece of British Legislature ‘The Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act’ of 1819 that seriously curtailed the rights of freedom of speech at a time when only 5% of the British population had the vote and all of them were wealthy, and often titled, men. The law basically stated that publishing anything critical of the government or monarch (and that included writing something on a placard) was punishable by a hefty fine in the 1st instance and 14 years transportation to a penal colony in the 2nd. It made me wonder what would happen to a non-aristocratic heroine who did that. And it felt timely...
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you? This question is all about loving to read, being proud of your stories, being an advocate for diversity.
I'm a romance writer and romance, although the genre that makes publishing the most money, is also the one that is most maligned and least respected. Undoubtedly because it is primarily written and read by women. People are often shamed for reading it by both media establishments and individuals and that really grinds my gears. Worse, there is a worrying trend for some to want to censor what others read and ban certain books, and a great many of those fall within the broad church that is the romance genre. Why is it somehow less acceptable to want to read about healthy human relationships and love and perfectly OK to read about murder and death? Or wars? Or space aliens? However, it makes me proud that young women especially are using social media platforms like BookTook and Bookstagram to shout about the books that they love and they are thriving. And so is the romance genre.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
It is a dangerous game to think that everyone is the same and that one size, path or flavour should fit. There are nearly 9 billion people in the world. A multitude of different races and creeds, beliefs, orientations, lived experiences and challenges. If the books that we write and read don't reflect that, how on earth are we going to progress? Knowledge is power after all and ignorance isn't bliss. Its just ignorance. And that's toxic.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
I wanted to write a story that made people think as well as laugh. I used to be a history teacher and I firmly believe that the lessons of history need to be remembered. Pride Comes Before a Fall, while a Romcom at its heart, is also a cautionary tale to any governments, groups or leaders who seek to curtail the fundamental human freedoms that our ancestors fought hard for. It's about taking a stand against injustice despite the threatened dangers of doing that. The UK barely missed a bloody revolution in the 1800s and the only reason it missed it is because the lawmakers then were forced into listening to the growing will of the people.
What can fans expect from your book?
Laughs. Love. Spice. And a timely history lesson.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
The final book in the Miss Prentice’s Protégées series, Practice Makes Perfect, comes out next Summer and after that who knows where my writing muse will take me next…
