Debut author Maggie Weston’s Widows of West End trilogy will launch with One Night with a Duchess, releasing in October 2024. Maggie is an enthusiast of all things Regency and Victorian. Though she grew up voraciously consuming classical literature, she stumbled upon her first romance novel at age eleven and never looked back. When she’s not writing or researching all the weird and marvelous things our predecessors did, she can be found reading, committing to home improvement and craft projects that she thinks she can handle (but can’t), and watching period dramas with her (begrudgingly) compliant family. Maggie lives with her husband, two dogs, and innumerable houseplants in California’s Central Valley.
Harlequin: Tell us about yourself. Our readers want to know!
Maggie Weston: I was raised in Zimbabwe during a very turbulent time in the country’s heartbreaking history and, while it was seldom an easy childhood, my love for reading provided me with the necessary escape—and made me the writer I am today!
H: Why did you want to become a romance writer?
MW: I’ve always been a stress cadet. If there is anyone lying awake, worrying where they put their passport for that trip they’re taking in six months’ time…it’s me. So, reading stories that were guaranteed to have happy endings has always been my primary coping mechanism. But when I started writing fiction after years of academic writing, I actually gravitated towards high-concept, literary sagas—and hated it. After about a year of throwing strung out metaphors at the wall, I realized: Why am I trying to write this thousand-word drama when ninety-nine percent of what I read is romance? The next day I started writing my first romance novel. And I haven’t looked back since…
H: What were the big steps in your journey to becoming a published author?
MW: Completing my first terrible novel > pure joy > querying my first terrible novel > rejection > realizing my first novel was, indeed, quite terrible. Rinse and repeat several times. I wish I were kidding. Getting here has taken me a long time and I’ve spent many hours either side of a corporate job writing and wondering if there was any point. But, like most writers, the stories in my head don’t sleep. And I’m actually not a very nice person if I don’t have some time alone every day to write. So, when it comes to being rejected, I’ve learned to cry, have a cocktail, put my big-girl pants back on, and start on the next story. This somewhat cyclical approach has allowed me to not only become a much better writer but has also allowed me to publish some of my more niched stories independently, prior to securing a traditional deal.
H: What advice would you offer aspiring writers?
- Eradicate the noise and focus on becoming the best writer that you can be. And there is only one way to do that: Write! It doesn’t matter if you’re publishing independently or traditionally, if you’re writing good books your readership will grow. Don’t ask your mom what she thought of your book unless you need an ego boost. She’s an unreliable source. Don’t ask your non-fiction-reading husband what he thought of your novel. It causes marital strife. Do not ever let your father read your sex scenes. Neither of you will move on from it.
- When you’re done with a manuscript, leave it alone for three to six months and then go back and re-read it. At some point, whether it’s on book two or book ten, you’ll know that it’s time to start releasing your writing into the world.
- Always—ALWAYS—read your entire manuscript aloud. You’d be surprised by what you can pick up by simply engaging another sense in your writing.
- The most heartening advice I ever got as it pertains to traditional publishing (and I wish I remembered who from) is this: Keep calm; you only need one person, the right person, to believe in your story and take a gamble on you.
- Always be proud of what you have accomplished. It doesn’t matter if you gross one dollar or a million. You wrote an entire freakin’ book! Do you know how many people say they’re going to do that and never do?
H: What did you do when you got the call from Harlequin?
When Flo Nicoll first asked if we could schedule a call, I freaked out a little. I ran through every possible reason she would want to speak to me (and, yes, irrespective of how absurd, there were many) before finally letting my husband convince me that it could only be good news. I was already waiting to hear back from another publisher regarding the same story, but after speaking with Flo I knew that Harlequin Historical was the right choice for this story. As soon as we hung up, I—naturally—called all of my relatives and told them the exciting news!
Now let’s hear from the editor, Flo!
From the first second I started reading Maggie’s three-chapter submission, I knew I’d struck gold – and she’s proven me right a million times over since then! Her beautiful characterization leapt off the page, as did her flair for setting up and delivering a dramatic, compelling and effortlessly entertaining opening scene. I couldn’t put it down and was so thrilled to discover the full manuscript already existed – I was so impatient to keep reading! Her writing makes me laugh, cry, and I defy anyone not to fall madly in love with her heroes. I’ve adored every second of working with her, and I can’t wait to share all Maggie’s amazing stories with the world!
