Grace J. Croy is a US based writer of contemporary and regency romance, and I recently finished her magical retelling of Mansfield Park, Bronwyn. More about that later! But first, let’s find out a bit more about Grace.
Grace, welcome! You’ve published a number of books, so can you share a little bit of your journey with writing? Is it something you’ve always done?
Thanks for having me, Sophie!
I have not always been a writer. Growing up, I’d get good grades on creative writing assignments and I would make stories up in my head before going to bed, but I didn’t start writing anything down seriously until I was in my mid-twenties. When I started, I focused on teen paranormal and fantasy novels. I had a habit of starting stories and abandoning them for new ideas, so I only have one completed novel from that decade. It wasn’t until about seven years ago that I switched my focus to clean & wholesome adult romance. I didn’t publish my first book until 2020, a few days before my fortieth birthday.
I saw that your day job is being a librarian—that sounds awesome! What is your ratio of book-borrowing to book-buying?
Being a librarian is awesome! It’s a great place to spend eight hours a day. I try to only buy books I love, which means I check them out from the library first. I’m a heavy Libby user! Books that I know I will reread are the ones I buy. I do have a few auto-buy authors and I buy friends’ books, so probably 90% I borrow, and 10% I buy. I already have very full bookshelves, so I have to be selective!
Now tell us about the Magical Regency series. You’ve adapted Mansfield Park and Persuasion to write Bronwyn and Intuition respectively. What was the inspiration behind the series? What was the process like of adapting Jane Austen?
There are four authors who participated in the Magical Regency series. We were in a writing group together for twelve years and near the end of that time we decided to collaborate on a series together. We landed on Jane Austen and magic. Jae Wiley and I decided to adapt two of Jane Austen’s books so that we covered all six of her published novels. It took us about eight months from when we first had the idea to when we started publishing them. We had a lot of Zoom calls as we hammered out the magic and the world and discussed ways that the characters from different books could cross over.
I love Austen’s stories and have always wanted to write an adaptation of one of her novels. It wasn’t easy! My group talked a lot about how much of the original should we keep and how much should we change. I decided to follow the plot more closely than some of the other authors, but put a lot of thought into how magic would change the story and characters. Except in Bronwyn, I did take creative license with the end. There are a lot of Austen fans out there and I was nervous they wouldn’t like the changes I made. Overall, the feedback has been positive.
I personally loved the changes you made to Mansfield Park, which can be difficult for modern readers to relate to. What, for you, are the most important qualities for a male lead character?
Like Rion in Bronwyn, I love novels where the male character changes because of the love of a good woman. I’m not sure how realistic that is in real life, but in books it’s swoony. In all of my books the male characters are amazing listeners and supportive of the female character. Also swoony.
I saw that you’re a Harry Potter fan. How do you feel about Hermione ending up with Ron? I feel she could have done better!
I have two friends who mentally rewrite the endings they dislike in books. I can’t do that! I usually accept what the author writes as the final word. As I read the HP books for the first time, I was completely invested in their love story, such as it was. Best friends make the best couple, right?
What are your main priorities as a romance writer, that you always aim to deliver to your readers?
I want to give my readers relatable, realistic, fully-developed characters and a compelling story while making them laugh. The highest compliment a reader can pay me is if they reread my book because when I reread, those are the stories and characters I don’t want to let go of.
Which authors inspire you? Do you have a favourite book you return to?
I am inspired by successful indie authors of clean and closed door romance in general. I love seeing so many books in this niche released that are loved by so many readers.
I love a good redemption arc, and Becky Wade’s Meant To Be Mine has one of the best. I’ve reread that book a dozen times. Two YA fantasy books I return to are The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Both of these books have amazing audio versions and I love listening to them when I’m commuting to work.
What are you excited for this year?
I’m excited to finish a Christmas series I started three years ago and publish the next installment in my It Must Be Love series. The stories have lived in my head for years, and it’s exciting to get them out. I am also traveling to Egypt this year and can’t wait!
You can follow Grace on Instagram @authorgracejcroy. The Magical Regency series and It Must Be Love series are out now!
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Sophie Toovey 