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WORK TITLE: Everything but the Earl
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.willaramsey.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES: N/A
PERSONAL
Married; children.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Novelist, administrative assistant, web writer, and city planner.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Before becoming a historical romance writer, Will Ramsey was an administrative assistant, web writer, and city planner. She says that all her previous experience has taught her skills necessary for writing Regency London romance for her “Wayward & Willful” series. The first book in the series is the 2018 Everything but the Earl told from the alternative points of view of its two protagonists. Caroline “Caro” Crispin in the daughter of the prominent royal architect and not one to adhere to society’s restrictive expectations for women. She’s appalled when two noblemen bet on which one will be her lover and thus ruin her reputation. To counter these cads, Caro looks to the gentle giant of Adam Wexley, the quiet Earl of Ryland, who also wants to buck tradition. Instead of continuing to practice the manly sport of boxing like his father, he would rather just get married and tend his garden so he can live a quiet life. What started as scheme to protect Caro from vicious gossip turns into romance.
In an interview with Joyce Lamb online at Happy Ever After, Ramsey described her book as a comedic revenge story that is timely for today’s #MeToo movement of women’s fight against sexual harassment. In addition, Ramsey said: “I love writing about female friendships and cheeky, tight-knit families, so Earl also ended up being a celebration of all kinds of relationships—not just the romantic love that simmers between my protagonists.” Ramsey added that in the upcoming series of novels, “I can write the stories of our heroine’s—Caro’s—friends, as they take their futures into their own hands.”
A writer in Publishers Weekly called the debut inconsistent, adding that the characterizations were not very credible and the romance developed too quickly. Nevertheless, the writer admitted that Ramsey wrote with smooth prose and witty dialogue and “this series opener has enough substance to keep readers hopeful for improvement in the next installment.” Other critics had a favorable view. According to A Writer’s Notepad reviewer: “This nuanced and layered novel examines social constructs while also succeeding as a love story with some wonderful sexy scenes.” A Bookish Connoisseur website writer reported: “I loved that the main character was feminist” and that Caro fought for other women’s rights as well as her own. Praising Caro for being smart, sassy, and ahead of her time, a Girl Well Read website reviewer reported: “Ramsey sprinkles humour and wit throughout. She has an incredible ear for dialogue which translates very well on the page.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, May 21, 2018, review of Everything but the Earl, p. 57.
ONLINE
Bookish Connoisseur, https://bookishconnoisseur.com/ (July 4, 2018), review of Everything but the Earl.
Girl Well Read, http://girlwellread.blogspot.com/ (September 4, 2018), review of Everything but the Earl.
Happy Ever After, https://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/ (July 17, 2018), Joyce Lamb, author interview.
Writer’s Notepad, https://mfantaliswrites.wordpress.com/ (July 9, 2018), review of Everything but the Earl.
Who is this Willa?
Image by Kate Kelly Photography
Image by Kate Kelly Photography
Before becoming an author, I wrote meeting minutes.
And web copy.
And planning reports.
I don’t miss those jobs, but I do appreciate how much they taught me: Transcribing all those conversations? Gave me an ear for dialogue. Web writing? Taught me pith. Years of city planning? Helped me bring a fresh perspective to Regency London.
So my road to becoming a novelist was full of wrong-turns and unexpected pitstops. But it turns out, those were just what I didn’t know I needed.
Now I write historical romance that's being hailed as "witty" and "delightful," and I hope my books make you laugh, cry, and feel a little tingly. Maybe even all at the same time.
City Owl Press published my debut novel EVERYTHING BUT THE EARL this past July, the first in my Wayward & Willful series. I'm working on the next in that series right now.
I’ve lived in Delaware, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and the Pacific Northwest. I enjoy reading and writing about defiant women, bantering couples, and cheeky, tight-knit families.
Interview: Willa Ramsey, author of ‘Everything But the Earl’
By: Joyce Lamb | July 17, 2018 12:01 am
Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Willa! Please tell us a bit about your new release, Everything But the Earl.
Willa Ramsey
Willa: Everything But the Earl is a Regency romance at heart, but it’s also a comedic revenge story — one that winks in solidarity at the modern #MeToo movement.
I love writing about female friendships and cheeky, tight-knit families, so Earl also ended up being a celebration of all kinds of relationships — not just the romantic love that simmers between my protagonists. That’s why I’m glad Earl is part of a series, so that I can write the stories of our heroine’s — Caro’s — friends, as they take their futures into their own hands and find their own HEAs.
This is my first novel, and I’m so thrilled to hear award-winning authors like Elizabeth Essex say that it has “enough witty repartee to fill readers with delight.” Others have used words like “delightful,” “sparkling” and “fun.” I’ve even heard “wacky,” “outrageous” and “wicked” — all of which I love!
Joyce: Do you have any particular rituals that help you get into the writing frame of mind?
Willa: I listen to audiobooks by Jane Austen and other authors from her era, to get the rhythms and patterns of Regency speech into my head. I also rewatch one of the movie adaptations of Austen’s books when I’m getting ready to start a story. Hearing her sparkling dialogue performed by talented actors is about as close as I can get to actually hearing the voices of Regency Brits.
Joyce: Do you write by the seat of your pants, or do you carefully plot your stories?
Willa: Boy, do I ever plot. I am a plotting FIEND. Before I draft anything, I spend many days outlining my story and when I start to think I’m done, I make a point to stay in my chair and outline some more. I need to see the backbone of the book before I can put any sentences down. Also the ribs, shoulders and collarbone. (And the pelvis, of course, since we’re talking about romance.)
Joyce: HA! Do you have a pet that hangs out with you while you’re working?
Bruce Wayne, a pooch of mystery.
Willa: We adopted this 11-pound mutt a couple years ago. His name is Bruce Wayne, and as you can see from the picture, he’s every bit as elegant and debonair as his namesake. Possibly more so. He seems to have terrier, chihuahua, beagle and Italian greyhound in him, but we’ll never know. He’s a man of mystery.
Joyce: Who are three romance authors who turn you into a fangirl?
Willa: The amount of fangirling I’ve done over Beverly Jenkins is enough for three authors, I think! A couple years ago, I went up to her table at a book-signing event and some kind of happy gibberish came gushing out of my mouth. I couldn’t stop it, it was like a flash flood. But she was gracious. I have a feeling she’s had a lot of practice with that sort of thing.
Joyce: What distracts you the most when you’re trying to write?
Willa: It’s nice having a furry little lap warmer while I write, but it’s pretty distracting when Bruce Wayne hears a noise and jumps up and tries to protect me, all snarly and barky and such. It’s usually just the icemaker in our fridge (which to be fair, does make some weird groans and hisses). It’s my own fault for naming him after a superhero.
Joyce: Do you listen to music while you write? What are some tunes on your playlist?
Willa: Any music with English-language lyrics is too distracting for me, so I cycle between instrumental hip-hop, folk and jazz, as well as classical music, opera and electronica. Last holiday season, I went through a brief Gregorian chant phase. I’ve dallied in bagpipes, too.
Also, some movie soundtracks make for great writing! They’re telling a story, too, with all their sudden crescendos, drawn-out tensions and quiet moments. I like to think they subtly reinforce, and maybe even influence, my own storytelling.
Joyce: What’s your ideal scenery while you’re writing?
Where the magic happens for Willa.
Willa: I’m so easily distracted that I have to face a wall when I write! I save the pretty scenery of my porch and neighborhood for the daydreaming I do in between writing sessions. And often, those fanciful, supposedly “idle” moments are just as fruitful for devising a story as the time I spend banging away at my keyboard.
Joyce: What are three romance novels on your to-be-read list?
Willa: Maryanne Fantalis is working on the next book in her Shakespeare’s Women Speak series, and I’m very excited for that! I want to read some Victoria Dahl books that have been on my list for a while. And I can’t decide if I should continue Alyssa Cole’s Civil War-era series with A Hope Divided, or squeeze in one of the contemporaries from her Reluctant Royals series first.
Joyce: What are you working on now?
Willa: Right now, I’m writing the book that comes after Everything But the Earl in my Wayward & Willful series. This one tells the story of Edie — or Lady Edith Wexley — a popular character from Earl. (She’s Caro’s BFF and Adam’s sister.) We’ll get explanations for some of Edie’s odd behaviors, and she’ll go on adventures of her own, en route to achieving her dreams and finding her HEA. But don’t worry — she’ll still make time to provoke and antagonize her brother, just like in Earl.
Joyce: Thanks, Willa!
About Everything But the Earl:
Miss Caroline Crispin is on top of the world. But she’s about to take a painful fall.
As the daughter of London’s most in-demand architect, Caro has laughed and danced and pursued her interests with gusto—free from Society’s censure. So when she overhears two lords calling her a whore and wagering on whose lover she’ll become, she’s shocked and stung—and determined to teach them a lesson. Though it pains her to ask for help from another brutish lord…
Lord Ryland isn’t the man his father wanted him to be. But he’s about to make an excellent catch.
Adam, Earl Ryland, just wants to get married and tend his country garden, away from the bucks, fops, and gossips who pester him to box like his late father. When this gentle giant meets his sister’s friend Caro—who parries his flirtations with double entendre that would make a barman blush—he’s smitten. But there’s a problem: she’s looking to him for a different sort of partnership. And it’s a risky one…
About Willa
Before becoming a novelist, Willa Ramsey wrote meeting minutes. And Web copy. And planning reports. She doesn’t exactly miss those jobs, but she does appreciate what they taught her: Transcribing all those conversations? Developed her ear for dialogue. Web writing? Taught her pith. Years of city planning? Gave her a fresh take on Regency London.
So her road to becoming an author was full of wrong turns and unexpected stops. But sometimes, those are just what you didn’t know you needed!
Willa’s road has also taken her from Delaware to North Carolina to Massachusetts to the Pacific Northwest. She lives with her husband, kids and a dog named Bruce Wayne.
Author Spotlight with Willa Ramsey
July 14, 2018
Reader and Writer Friends!
Today, we’ll be spotlighting the super talented Willa Ramsey and discussing her debut novel Everything but the Earl, which released this July with City Owl Press! I’m excited to take a closer look at this clever Regency romance with a comical twist! Read on to learn more about Willa’s new book and the amazing author behind the words!
ABOUT THE NOVEL:
thumbnail_Everything DIGITAL_Highest Res Available.jpg
Miss Caroline Crispin is on top of the world. But she’s about to take a painful fall.
As the daughter of London’s most in-demand architect, Caro has laughed and danced and pursued her interests with gusto—free from Society’s censure. So when she overhears two lords calling her vulgar names and wagering on whose lover she’ll become, she’s shocked and stung—and determined to teach them a lesson. Though it pains her to ask for help from another brutish lord.
Lord Ryland isn’t the man his father wanted him to be. But he’s about to make an excellent catch.
Adam, Earl Ryland, just wants to get married and tend his country garden, away from the bucks, fops, and gossips who pester him to box like his late father. When this gentle giant meets his sister’s friend Caro—who parries his flirtations with double entendre that would make a barman blush—he’s smitten. But there’s a problem: she’s looking to him for a different sort of partnership. And it’s a risky one…
ABOUT WILLA:
thumbnail_OfficialHeadShot_KateKellyA31_sized
Willa Ramsey was in a Safeway the first time she picked up a romance novel. Unemployed in a rainy new city, far from family and friends, she sprung for a Jo Beverly novel—hoping the Georgian tale of hidden identities and new beginnings would lift her spirits.
And boy, did it ever. It introduced her to a genre that spotlights women’s abilities and ambitions and what’s more, seemed a terrific match for her own interests and writing style.
So today she writes her own heroines, and they are wry and feminist and full of delightful banter. They struggle against society’s constraints, go after what they want, and love who they love—damn the consequences.
She still lives in that rainy city, but now with a warm dog on her lap and a supportive family around her, and hopes that her books do for others even a smidgen of what Ms. Beverly’s did for her.
Print Marked Items
Everything but the Earl
Publishers Weekly.
265.21 (May 21, 2018): p57.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Everything but the Earl
Willa Ramsey. City Owl, $3.99 e-book (328p) ISBN 978-1-944728-89-2
Ramsey launches the Wayward & Willful Regency romance series with this charming but inconsistent
debut. Miss Caroline Crispin, daughter to England's royal architect, speaks boldly and flirts audaciously,
almost anachronistically, eschewing marriage for independence and flouting the strictures of high society.
Adam Wexley, the reclusive Earl of Ryland, battles equally unsuitable expectations, preferring peaceful
gardening to the brutal pugilism enjoyed by his peers. When two lecherous lords wager on who will ensnare
Caroline and ruin her, she realizes there are downsides to her shameless reputation, abruptly shifting from
headstrong to dithery. She turns to Lord Ryland for aid in undermining the wager, and he leads her to
reconsider her preconceived notions about marriage and love. Though Ramsey's smooth prose and witty
dialogue make for enjoyable reading, much of the characterization stretches credibility, and the breakneck
pace of the plot is matched by the too-quick development of the romance. Despite its flaws, this series
opener has enough substance to keep readers hopeful for improvement in the next installment. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Everything but the Earl." Publishers Weekly, 21 May 2018, p. 57. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A541012629/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=51f8e0eb.
Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A541012629
Review: Everything But the Earl by Willa Ramsey
Posted on July 9, 2018 by Maryanne (mfantaliswrites)
I have called this book delightful, charming, and smart. It is all of these and more. I apologize in advance for how long this review is, but I feel very strongly about this book. Here (at last) is my full review of Willa Ramsey’s debut novel Everything But the Earl.*
EBTE 2
The story kicks off with a bet between two typical Regency era ne’er-do-wells, rich, lazy losers with nothing better to do. The bet is vicious: the scoundrels bet that one of them will seduce and ruin our heroine, Miss Caroline Crispin, by the end of the season. Caro, a decidedly unconventional young woman, overhears their plan and decides she’ll get her revenge on them first. To do so, Caro enlists the help of her friend’s brother Adam, Earl Ryland, whose fame as a brawler is overstated; all he really wants to do is live quietly in the country and tend his garden. He agrees to help her in her plot to protect her reputation and prevent the losers from ever harming any other young ladies, and in the process… well, hijinks and love ensue.
Sounds like fun, right? It is, and that’s the first thing you’ll notice about this wonderful book: how much fun it is. If you are a fan of smart, witty romance — books by authors like Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Tessa Dare, Sarah Maclean — you will love this book.
The Heroine
Caroline is smart, and not shy about letting you know it. She is more interested in science and industry than in parties and dresses, and when she does host a party, she makes the guests bring gifts — books, food, candles — that she can donate to charity. She had an unconventional education at Mrs. Helkirk’s, “where strange notions were taught and where it was expected that, one day, the lives of women would be different.” Undoubtedly she was exposed to such revolutionary texts as Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Though the concept and word “feminism” had not been coined yet, Caro is clearly a budding feminist.
When readers or reviewers criticize a historical novel (as one of Ms. Ramsey’s reviewers did) by saying her heroine is anachronistic or too modern, such a position troubles me. Such criticism suggests a belief that “modern” ideas and behaviors — such as outspokenness, or sexual activity outside of marriage, or a woman having ambitions beyond marriage and children — did not exist prior to the modern feminist movement. But that’s simply not true.
One only has to look at the historical record to find outspoken, rebellious women and, also, the mechanisms that were set in place to curb “inappropriate” or “unacceptable” behavior. A woman like Kate in my novel Finding Kate is labeled a shrew, scorned by the people of her village and deemed unmarriageable. In other times and places, nonconforming women have been subjected to tortures such as the “scold’s bridle” or even burned as witches. But the fact remains that if women in earlier eras were not unconventional, there would be no need for punishment for unconventional women.
Do most people conform to the social mores of their time? Yes. Do we want to read novels about those people? Not typically, no. We prefer stories about outliers, rule-breakers, interesting and fascinating people, not people who do everything the way they’re supposed to.
And that reader’s discomfort, I believe, betrays the double-standard of our admiration of rule-breakers. We want our boys to break rules and question authority, but we want our girls to obey.
Caro is not a rule-follower, as good girls should be. Therefore, she is an easy target for the two idiots out to destroy her reputation. Because she’s already on shaky ground socially. Because she’s different.
A trope of historical romance is “the rake”: the hero who breaks the rules and defies convention. He’s wicked, he’s devilish, he’s desirable and sexy. It’s daring to be near him, and it sets the heroine’s heart racing wondering what he’ll do or say next. Everyone loves a bad boy. Just check out the titles of many romance novels and series, and see how many include words like rake, wicked, daring (or dare), sinful, danger, seduce, or even (god help us) cocky… Lord Byron may have been famously “mad, bad, and dangerous to know” but that didn’t destroy his reputation; it enhanced it.
But an unconventional woman? Society has a few choice words for her, and they’re not good ones (you can think of them with no help from me). She’s not desirable or fun to be with; she’s a scandal, a social nightmare. Spend time with her and her stain spreads to you, therefore, she must be avoided. In the Regency period, she would receive the “cut direct” if she dared to show her face at a social event, meaning no one would speak to her; in fact, they’d deliberately turn their backs.
In Ms. Ramsey’s story, people would believe that Caro could be seduced because she was already dancing on the edge of propriety. Never mind the fact that her seducer would also be having sex outside of marriage — who the hell cares? He’s a man. The double standard will make you seethe, and Caro’s taking of her reputation — and her very self-worth — into her own hands will make you root for her.
But it’s still the Regency, and she can’t do it alone. She needs the help of a man. A very good man.
The Hero
One of the most important things, for me at least, in a romance, is an engaging, believable hero. I am not a fan of the rock-hard, giant hero who is (somehow) also an arrogant, sneering, entitled lord who has never done a day’s work in his life (whence then the muscles, one might inquire?). Every sentence is spoken in a lazy drawl because he is just. so. superior.
Why would I admire this guy?
Thankfully, the great thing about romance — and perhaps its best kept secret — is that it offers a million options. There are heroes of every type, and Adam, the hero of Everything But the Earl, is no rock-hard sneering jerk. In his youth, he trained in boxing (hence, muscles; he comes by them honestly), but he never liked fighting. He did it to please his father. Oh yes, our man has daddy issues that he is endeavoring fervently to work out. His reputation in society is as a brawler, but he doesn’t want that to be who he is — but if that’s not who he is, who is he? Is his manhood tied up in his fists? Or can he be a man if he stays at home cultivating his gardens? The issues for Adam are as complex and as rooted in gender expectations as the issues Caro struggles with.
I have gone on for far too long, but the story earned that passion from me. This nuanced and layered novel examines social constructs while also succeeding as a love story with some wonderful sexy scenes. Minor characters have their intrigues that I look forward to reading more about in future novels: What’s the story behind the dashing and mysterious Lord Quillen? What secret lies in the past of the “lady scientist” Lady Mariah? This story, and these characters, will stay with you long after you are finished reading.
Everything But the Earl is available now from City Owl Press, and the Kindle version is 99 cents for a short time during its debut: amzn.to/2MaYGrj
You can find Willa Ramsey on Facebook and Twitter. She is very cool, I promise.
*Everything But the Earl was published by City Owl Press, the same publisher that published Finding Kate.
Review: Everything But The Earl
JULY 4, 2018 / BOOKISHCONNOISSEUR
Synopsis: Miss Caroline Crispin is on top of the world. But she’s about to take a painful fall.
As the daughter of London’s most in-demand architect, Caro has laughed and danced and pursued her interests with gusto—free from Society’s censure. So when she overhears two lords calling her vulgar names and wagering on whose lover she’ll become, she’s shocked and stung—and determined to teach them a lesson. Though it pains her to ask for help from another brutish lord…
Lord Ryland isn’t the man his father wanted him to be. But he’s about to make an excellent catch.
Adam, Earl Ryland, just wants to get married and tend his country garden, away from the bucks, fops, and gossips who pester him to box like his late father. When this gentle giant meets his sister’s friend Caro—who parries his flirtations with double entendre that would make a barman blush—he’s smitten. But there’s a problem: she’s looking to him for a different sort of partnership. And it’s a risky one.
Review: This is my first regency romance book and it was so much fun! I’m actually reading it along side two other books which both happen to be pretty dark subject matter, so I wish I had drawn my reading out a bit longer to help get me through the darkness. But, because the story kept me interested, I just kept reading!
It was just a truly fun read! I loved that the main character was feminist in a time where it wasn’t exactly popular to be and she fought not only for herself and her own freedoms, but those of other women as well. It was adorable and I loved the romantic relationship!
I see that this is set up to be a series and I’m looking forward to more from Willa Ramsey!
Thank you so much again to the author for sending a copy for review!
IMG_8350-Elizabeth
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Posted by GirlWellRead at 7:05:00 AM
Everything but the Earl by Willa Ramsey
A special thank you to the author, Willa Ramsey, for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Caroline Crispin is the daughter of London's most in-demand architect. While at a party, she overhears two men calling her vulgar names and making a bet over which one of them would bed her before the end of the season. She is shattered, these men were supposed to be her friends. Sure, she flirts a little, and may be on the boisterous side, but she is simply not what they are alluding to.
Lord Adam Ryland also has a reputation—his father was a boxer and Adam appears to have inherited his skill. The only problem is that Adam is after a more simple life, to get married and live in the country, not in the shadow of his late father.
After her shock subsides, Caro decides she will not be played and decides to teach them a lesson. She employs the help of Adam—he's a little on the shy side, but he'll do. Although Adam is wanting to settle down, Caro is looking to him for a different kind of partnership that what he is after. What follows is a romp through London, love, and friendship.
Caroline is a fab heroine who is smart, sassy, and determined, not unlike her mother. She is also no shrinking violet and simply ahead of her time. Caro is refreshing, cheeky, and just the type of character deserving of Ramsey's humour.
Told from both Caroline and Adam's perspectives, the alternating viewpoints bode well to not only further the narrative, but to juxtapose Caro and Adam's personalities. Although the characters are modern in their ideas and traits, the historical setting gave this story more depth and added an interesting layer.
This book is pure joy. It is lighthearted and playful, the perfect way for me to end the summer. Ramsey sprinkles humour and wit throughout. She has an incredible ear for dialogue which translates very well on the page—she has accomplished in her first novel what it takes many authors several books to achieve.
Charming, witty, and above all, a fun read. Willa, congratulations on this book and I would love to review the next instalment in the series.