About the Book:

And you’ve come here today to read me a lecture in all my deplorable habits?’

‘No…’ she stalled, wracking her brain for inspiration and failing, ‘I’ve come here to ask you to marry me!’

After three disastrous seasons, bookish Josephine Fairfax believes that she is long past the age of finding her perfect fictional hero. But when her brother’s loathsome Monstrous Marriage Masterplan results in her youngest sister Matilda’s engagement to the vastly unsuitable Lord Huntingly, even she must draw the line.

Josephine may be the bluestocking sister, but she is still a Fairfax who will sacrifice anything for family, even proposing marriage to a man who may be the most dangerous gentleman in the ton…

Find this book on Goodreads. Find on Bookshop.org UK (affiliate link).

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About the Author:

Michelle Kenney is a self-confessed scribbleaholic. She can usually be found daydreaming about mystical fantasy worlds, and doctors say she’s pretty incurable.

When not scribbling, she can be found enjoying wintry beaches, trying to play Bluegrass and indulging a secret addition to marmite.

Michelle is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Writing for Children Novel Course 2015.

She holds a LLB (Hons) Degree, an APD in Public Relations, and is currently an Accredited Practitioner with the CIPR, with whom she has won several national awards for her Magazine & Media/PR related work.

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Interview:

Pitch your book in 10 words: 

Gothic moorland mystery with a bookish bluestocking at its heart

THE PROPOSITION OF THE SEASON has a mystery at its heart as Josephine seeks the truth of a duel that happened six years ago. What was the process like, balancing the mystery story and the romantic one?

Balancing a layered mystery with a slow-burn romance is a big challenge, and especially when there’s also an existing network of family relationships. However, I try to plan every book quite tightly to ensure I hit certain plot points and map the intervening action in a fair amount of detail to help keep things on course too. For PROPOSITION, I mapped out two story arcs which proved to be invaluable! 

As the whole series is intended to be character-driven, slice of large family life with all of its complex relationships, romances, dramas and cosy moments, it made sense to give bookish Josephine a mystery to solve, and to let the romance with Lord Huntingly develop naturally as it unfolded. 

Josephine’s strength of character is quieter – but no less fierce – than many heroines. Why do you think it’s important we showcase the many types of strength?

Josephine is the asthmatic, bookworm sister who has spent her childhood watching her siblings run through the grounds of Knightswood Manor. As a result, she has been a spectator in many of their childhood adventures and doesn’t quite feel an equal player. In truth, however, she is no less a Fairfax, and when she finally realises this she is able to stand up to her brother, and use her wit and intelligence to solve the mystery of Huntingly. I really wanted Josephine to shine as the quiet, intelligent heroine because this type of strength is so easy to overlook in today’s very loud world, when it can often be just as noble and effective. 

What was your favourite moment to write between Josephine and Huntingly?

It would have to be the ballroom scene towards the end of the novel because it is the type of ‘real-life fictional hero’ declaration Josephine has dreamed of her whole life but least expects from notorious Lord Huntingly…

This is a romance, but it’s also a story about sisters supporting each other in their different ways. Do you have a favourite moment between Fairfax sisters?

I could not love writing the Fairfax sisters more! I have three sisters and four brothers myself, so all the chaos and drama feel like relatable echoes of the past to me. However, the parasol-sword-fight scene in the modiste in Bath in THE MISMATCH OF THE SEASON* will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first time I gave myself permission to be entirely true to my characters, and their sense of sibling fun.

You post regularly about your research for this series, particularly clothing. Is there something you discovered while writing this book that you didn’t get to include?

I do love researching historical details, partly to bolster my knowledge and root my writing as much as possible, but also because I genuinely enjoy it. My love of Georgette Heyer started my interest in all things regency, and her knowledge and detail continues to inspire me, so I do try and use as much period phrasing and terminology as feels appropriate to each book – but there is a lot to learn!

For example, while researching clothing recently I discovered ‘drab’ was an actual period colour, and not just an adjective. It looked like a soft greyish beige and was fashionable for both gentlemen’s breeches and ladies cloaks/dresses long before the brighter colours prevailed towards the mid1920s. I really wanted to include a piece of ‘drab clothing’ (☺) in Josephine’s story, but didn’t quite manage it, so will hopefully get to do so in the next book.

The Carlisle ladies have, across the series, acted as antagonist forces to the Fairfax girls because the society has tied their worth to the attention they get from men – in a manner reminiscent of Cressida Cowper in Bridgerton. How do you approach making sure Aurelia and Amelia Carlisle come across as multi-faceted characters who we have empathy for despite their role in the story as antagonists?

Aurelia and Amelia are key antagonists throughout the Fairfax series, and often help to hold up a mirror to the rules and social customs of the time. With such a large central cast, antagonists play an even more important role, and of course they need to present as characters with sufficient backstory and context to make them multi-faceted. This is an ongoing challenge throughout the series, but I find character notes with key strengths, weaknesses, attributes and events really helpful when it comes to fleshing out characters with motive and agency.

This series focuses on the romantic (mis)adventures of a different Fairfax sister each book. What are some of the advantages and challenges of writing a series like this? Would you ever consider writing about the Fairfax brothers’ love lives?

An obvious advantage of writing a series such as this is that the world and its main players are already set so I’m not starting from scratch with each successive novel. However, this also creates a challenge as each book needs to both stand alone (and fit within) the Fairfax world. Equally, it feels really important to do justice to each distinct character in a series, allowing room for character growth and natural maturing as the years move on. Above all, I’m determined to ensure all the Fairfaxes remain believable as a traditional, close-knit family with lots of feisty modern heart – and as for the boys… let’s just say watch this space!

The next book in this series is coming soon. Can you give us a teaser of what to expect?

I love Matilda and can’t wait to write her fiery, spirited adventure but #SecretBook4 might not be her story just yet … and that’s all I can say right now ☺

Please recommend a UKYA read you think readers will also love.

BLACK HEAT* by Bex Hogan – a fiercely feminist, heart-breaking fantasy that celebrates sisterhood and the bonds between women. I defy anyone to put it down.

Thank you, Michelle!

*Affiliate links