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Want to know the Victorian cure for female hysteria? This week’s Steam Scenes guest Tabetha Waite tells us! Here’s a hint: it has to do with the way dildos were invented! Plus Tabetha fills me in on virginity and wife auctions. And I read steamy excerpts from “The Scot’s Bairn.” For more fun facts and loads of steam, listen in!
Connect with Tabetha online:
Grab a copy of The Scot’s Bairn
Or her latest release The Harlot’s Hero
Transcript
Elle
On today’s episode of steam scenes Tabetha Waite is joining us! Tabetha began her writing journey at a young age at nine years old. She was crafting stories of all kinds on an old Underwood typewriter. I’ve got a typewriter story for you. She started reading romance in high school and immediately fell in love with the genre. She gained her first publishing contract with Utopia Press and released her debut novel in July of 2016, Why the Earl is After the Girl. That’s the first book in her Ways of Love historical romance series. Since then, she has become a hybrid author published with both Soulmate and Radish Fiction, as well as transitioning into indie publishing. She has won several awards for her books. She’s a small town Missouri girl who, who continues to make her home in the Midwest with her husband and two wonderful daughters. One of which calls her an internet relic, but we’ll talk about that. When she’s not reading novels filled with adventure and heart, she is either reading or searching for the local antique mall or flea market for the latest interesting find. You can find her on on almost any social media site including tik tok, and she encouraged fans of her work to join her mailing list for updates. Tabetha, thank you so much for being here.
Tabetha
Thanks for having me. Oh, I am excited.
Elle
Um, oh my god, where to start so much. Um, okay. So let’s just go straight to at nine years old typing away. Typing what what were you? What were you writing?
Tabetha
Oh, my gosh, at that time, I was writing just anything that came to my head. Nothing ever got finished. Because I had so many different ideas. I wrote like fantasy stories. I didn’t really write a lot of romance at that age. Right. It was just mostly just like it mostly it was just fantasy stories that I that I wrote are like some kind of mystery ghost story type of thing.
Elle
Do you have any of those?
Tabetha
Oh, yeah. I kept them all.
Elle
So cool. I remember.
Tabetha
Some of them are even written by hand. I even tried to illustrate the cover. And it is terrible. I am not an illustrator at all. I wanted to set the mood for the story.
Elle
that’s excellent. So was it the typewriter because my mom had an old typewriter and I used to just love to hear the keys clack.
Tabetha
Yes, yes, I like to hear it click too. But it you can’t really do conventional typing on those old typewriters. I couldn’t.
Elle
Because it was poke and peck.
Tabetha
It really was my fingers would get so sore because I hit him so hard. And then all the keys would jam up and you get in, you know, from your head and all of your finger it was it was quite the
Elle
credit but it felt like an accomplishment to like, get the story out because there was so physically hard.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah, and if you had a bad day at school, you’re just come home and you just talk about you know, make that you know person at school. Be like I’m gonna make them a villain.
Elle
My mom’s typewriter which I when I cleared out my my childhood home I like meant to grab it before I had like, the like people come in and just clear it out because there was just so much stuff. And there was no way that I could go through it all and I completely forgot to grab it. And I’m like kicking myself that I just like left it because my mom used to tell me that. She was given the type of shoe she left. She let her old boyfriend borrow the typewriter we grew up in. I grew up in New England. And apparently, he was a psychology grad student and he like took it up to Boston and the Boston Strangler supposedly typed out his confession on this typewriter. History that’s actually know if that’s true. It sounded like my that side of the family was sort of like big on the tall tales. So I have no idea if it was true. But I was I was just like, such a great story. And I was like, I need that typewriter and then I’m just kicking myself because I forgot to grab up.
Tabetha
Ah, I don’t know. I don’t I don’t have my oldest typer there either. So don’t feel bad. Of course, I didn’t have the cool connection there. As far as I know. I mean,
Elle
Who knows? I don’t know where it ended up. So your you’re nine you’re writing the stories like when did you discover romance?
Tabetha
Well, that was partly due to my grandma. Actually. My grandma raised me since the time I was two. And well. My fourth grade teacher is the one that like kind of encouraged me to write. She said, I’d like to read my stories. And I found roommates because my grandma was always talking really Bridge to Terabithia after I read that story, and it just tore me up. It was so sad. If you haven’t read it don’t. Seriously, it’s a really good, it’s a really good book, but it will tear your heart out and makes you cry. And they made a movie out of it to adaptation. And after that, I was just like, Oh, I just want something that’s happy. I don’t want to sit there and read all this time. And just, you know, my grandma’s like, well, I used to read these old Gothic romances back in the 60s, you know, they kind of had a little bit of mystery and stuff to them. So I thought, Okay, well, I’ll give that a try. And most of those back, you know, the, those fold school romances, from that time period, I would say, they’re pretty, you know, clean for somebody in like late middle school to high school to read. So I started out with that, and then went and went to Harlequin, and just and then it was just like, Oh, I just couldn’t get enough romance just couldn’t get enough.
Elle
Do you remember the first romance book you read? You remember which one it was?
Tabetha
Um, I don’t, I wish I did. But one of the first ones I remembered was Janet Daley. She had the 50 Americana series. And one of them was Georgia and it was called Night Of the Cotillion and they were planning a party, you know, a cotillion, like a ball? And I thought, Oh, that’s so nice. Anyway, it was a contemporary story. But I thought, Oh, man, that almost sounds like something that could happen in historical times. Right? So then I started looking into historical books.
Elle
So but you haven’t sort of officially been writing for a very low 2016. So that was, what, five years, five years ago? Were you reading sort of, like, private, like, on the side, like, quietly I’m doing this thing, but
Tabetha
Well, I, I’ve always kind of had writing in the back of my head and everything and always kind of, you know, picked away the computer and whatever. But I always focused on raising my girls and they’re 20 and 14 now. So whenever they started to get older, where they didn’t need as much care, you know, when they’re toddlers and everything, then I thought, you know, I’m really going to still want to be a writer after all this time. And I was 39, yeah, when that when that first book was finally published. But that was the third book that I actually finished, right, it finally got somewhere. So I had been typing all that time. But
Elle
That’s so fantastic. I really, I really love that. I mean, I, I published, I published late to, um, you know, I, I started writing an urban fantasy, not romance. But and then and then transitioned to romance even though I still love, love, love urban fantasy, and I will continue that someday, I just kind of like ended up just going down that romance rabbit hole. And here I am.
Tabetha
Easy to drag you in,
Elle
But I kind of love the like, I just feel this affinity towards you. Because, you know, I had all also always written when I was young and went when I went to college, I thought I was going to be a playwright. And then it was like life got in the way. And I ended up getting a job that was like, super intense and like, and I just never, like, I just kind of like had that dream and put it away. But then, you know, when I hit that sort of like late 30s into the 40s, I was like, Well, wait, what? Like, what are you doing? You know, and it’s time to sort of like, you know, dig, Polish this, take this out, take this out of the closet and and go do it. And you know, see what happens.
Tabetha
Exactly. And it always been kind of like a hobby. And then I thought well, maybe what if it could get to be more than a hobby, you know, but my problem was the confidence to get it out there. I was always scared to be like, you know, well, my fourth grade teacher liked it. But that don’t mean everybody’s gonna like it. Right? And then, but everybody still doesn’t like it because, you know, you’ll find that nobody likes the same thing. So yeah, it’s always gonna have Yes, exactly. You’re always gonna have different opinions. But I mean, for the most part. I mean it’s I think it’s it’s doing good.
Elle
Yeah, I got a recent review. How do I hate me? Let me count the ways. I was like, yeah, that’s gonna be a good one. Oh, well, I’ll just I’ll read this review with a glass of wine. I was just like, I was just like, You are not my people. You are not my people you’re not.
Tabetha
You really have to have a stiff backbone. You can’t let it get to you. You just got to take it with a grain of salt and just say, Okay, well, this is why they didn’t like it and why instead of just oh, I just didn’t like it. Okay, well, tell me why. Yeah,
Elle
yeah, I guess I guess it’s also I mean, I don’t know. It’s like, it’s the tones can sort of be like, this was all Yeah, ever and nobody should read it. Sometimes they’re brutal. They’re brutal. And I’m like, the person with the dream. I know, there’s somebody on the other side of that, that has this dream and it’s just no hurts because it is so much. There’s so much that goes into it. You know, I admire writers who can just be like a bad review. Who cares? You know, it’s I don’t know, it’s hard for me. It’s so hard for me.
Tabetha
It is, and I don’t I don’t always read all my reviews. Just because I just, I just don’t want to have that. You know, feeling just come over me just like well, I suck my soul. Just throw in the towel.
Elle
it definitely gets easier. Like, I know, like, bad reviews would put me out for days. Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to write I would just be like, you know, like, in a manner you know, at least that doesn’t happen often. It’s gonna happen but it’s not the wit not the way it used to depending on
Tabetha
you learn from it as you go, you know, okay, well, they’re gonna be out there and they’re just gonna be some people are just mean and some people just don’t have a problem voicing their opinion in their own form.
Elle
So you were reading the, the Gothic romances and which, by the way, I love those old 60s 70s Gothic romances. At what point did you read like your first steamy because you do not close the door you write very steamy, it is all out there.
Tabetha
It was so funny, too, because I gotta tell you real quick, like, whenever I got published, everybody just assumed because normally I’m kind of quiet and reserved, sometimes depends on if, you know, you get to know me, but everybody was like, Oh, they they just assumed I was going to write children’s books or something like that. know a little bit further more adult than that. Yeah, I think everybody’s there’s two people that were like pretty surprised, like, wow, yours are kind of wet. One of my relatives read one of my books. This is kind of racy. I’m like, Yeah, Yeah, probably. Yeah, yeah. Now, um, when I was in upper High School, probably because Grandma, you know, my grandma was pretty strict, you know? And she monitored whatever I read. But then when I got older, and then it was like I could, when I could drive especially there’s this nice little use book stories to go to and I could hide stuff. And I would go and I would, I always looked I found out that the thicker books have a little bit more juice to them, then the little Harlequins? Ah, yes. So and zebra was one of my favorite brands at the time, I always look for that little hologram on the cover. And I knew when I found that little hologram it was gonna be a really good one. Yep, and one of my favorite books to this day I I’ve said it 100 times, in different places, but it’s Midnight Bride by Kathleen Driving is one of my all time favorites. It. He’s a is definitely an old school romance because he’s like this dashing. It takes place in America, but it kind of is one of my bridges over to to like in English history is he was a British Lord helping out during the Revolutionary War. So he was a British Lord, that kind of act. He kind of had a Scarlet Pimpernel type thing going on where he was, like this dandy this far, you know, and everybody thought he was just kind of ridiculous. But he was also the dashing Falcon, you know, and helped out the us with their fight against Britain. So he was kind of he was working for the America but he was a British Lord, and I thought, I love this mystery. You know, that’s where some of that, you know, mystery came in. And that was probably one of my favorite love scenes in that too because he ended up marrying the heroine in the story. And she thought she didn’t know he was this the same guy, this secret Falcon, and went on their wedding night. She’s thinking, Oh, well, he’s gonna be ridiculous, you know, and everything and then she, she then he shows his real identity to her. And then she’s like, oh, exactly. I love the twist is, I mean, she wrote it so good. It was just like, you know, just like her jaw dropped to the floor, just like oh, well, hello. Oh, that’s great.
Elle
So do you have Have you always written historical or do you? Or have you written contemporary or you’re just you just really love historical?
Tabetha
Um, I love historical the most. I have written a couple contemporary short stories. And I’m actually working on a new adult fantasy right now. That’s what I have through Radish. It’s different. It’s every week. Yeah, the Kingdoms of Kiernan. That was something that had just wouldn’t leave me alone. So I had and I even wrote a gothic, not a gothica. Well, I guess it’d be kind of Gothic too, I guess. But a paranormal historical. Yeah. Very cool. Yeah. It was the secrets of shadows. And that was the book that was published your soulmate. And it is. There’s a Filipino folklore. It’s a creature. It’s called an as Wang and most people are like, what in the heck is that? But if you look it up, it actually is a thing. And that is what the creature in that story. That’s what he was cursed as a Wang.
Elle
Oh, very cool. I want to jump back for a minute. How do you like writing for Radish? Because you’re writing various serialized bits. So how do you enjoy that?
Tabetha
Yeah, it’s not too bad. I mean, it’s definitely a little bit different. Because I want each chapter or episode is what they call them. Because it’s like a TV program. You want it to end on like a cliffhanger. And so it, but it’s been different. But But I’m a pantser all the way I don’t. Yeah, for the Panthers, yeah, my character. I mean, I might have a general outline of how I want to write a story. But man, it could go in a completely different direction. It’s just like, my characters come in, and they just take over and tell me their story. And I’m like, Okay, I’m just the person writing it down. You’re telling me everything. And that’s kind of, so it works out with kidding, because it’s kind of the way it’s gone with that too.
Elle
But, but for so I mean, I’m trying to sort of understand the whole serialization thing. Are they because they are called episodes? Or is it almost like a TV episode where it’s a self contained sort of like a shorter story, but then there is kind of like a larger hole? Do you know what I mean?
Tabetha
Yeah, well, I think I’ll tell you kind of how the process works with, with Radish. Anyway, I know there’s other serialized apps out there. But I’m on Radish, each episode has to be like 2000 words or less. So somebody can go in and just like read it real quick on their lunch hour, you know, let’s say you have like 5, 10 minutes or, you know, if you’re in college in between classes, you can read something real quick, you know. So that’s, I think that’s kind of the whole object of it was just, if you’re short on time, you can still get some reading done. And then you set it up where you have so many episodes released a week, you can do like one episode a week, two episodes a week for me, I do three. Okay, I have three new chapters that I upload each week.
Elle
Okay, and do you tend to do tend to write week by week? Or do you have this all planned out, and then you just worry about releasing up.
Tabetha
Um, I write every week and I try to get in at least 2000 words a day, write 10,000 words a week. And then if I write a full length novel, I shoot for 80,000 words. So usually takes me two months to write a book.
Elle
Yeah, that’s kind of that’s kind of where I am. I actually like to have my word count because I was just so petrified that I’d never hit the goal.
Tabetha
Right, I know, I know. I would. And when you you know you have life in like, I’ve got a day job and stuff too. So it’s, it’s cut into my reading quite a bit. But yes, yes. I don’t get to sit and read as much as I would like anymore, but I did when I can. Same, same.
Elle
Yeah. So I mean, your favorite so you’re saying like your favorite is your historicals and I’m curious to you like what makes them sexy? What is it about them that makes it sexy to you?
Tabetha
I don’t know. I guess it’s just maybe The fact that you know, she’s wearing her skirts in his hand is slowly going up. And, you know, it’s just, there’s, you know, I don’t know, it’s just and this the course it just slowly and lacing something, you know? Yeah, yeah, I just I just love all that it’s just, it’s just so much better than Oh, let me unbuckle my jeans. For me, at least for me, I mean, I could be nice to I’m sure, but it’s just I like all the petticoats and all that.
Elle
Okay, so let me jump back for a second. So your very first did? Did you just go for it when you were when you very first started writing like you just wrote steamy all the way? Or did it take your time to kind of like build to that?
Tabetha
It did take me a little time, like my first book didn’t have that much steam in it that I actually finished and wrote, which I’m actually in the processing of process of totally revamping and rewriting, because I like the actual premise of it. But I thought after I went back and looked at it, I was like, Yes, he’s smart kids nice. You know, you just you just know, you can tell that from your earlier work. But by this second novel, and especially the third one, then it was like, let’s get some more action going on.
Elle
When you finally sat down and wrote that action, like what was it? What was it like the very first What was it like your first time?
Tabetha
Oh I guess I guess you just kind of want to in a way you kind of just draw on your own fantasies, I guess. And or just like shows that you’ve watched and you’re thinking, Oh, that’s kind of nice. And how would it be if they did this instead? Or, you know, one of my cousin’s like to tease my husband would be like, oh, I’ll never look at you the same way again.
Elle
Pretty funny.
Tabetha
I tell him like, you gotta be walking around all proud. Because my heroes always make it work. People have asked me if he is my inspiration. I’m like well to a degree, I guess. But I’m not gonna sit there go into detail about our, you know, love life on my book.
Elle
Oh, my God, I forgot who it was. I think it might have been Kate. KC Baker, Kate Baker, who was on the podcast. And she said that because we were talking about that. And she said something like, Well, nobody ever asks thriller writers. Where do you hide the body? You know, like, nobody’s sort of like, Oh, so tell me about that murder you committed so that you could write about it? You know? There seems to be this sort of assumption that we’re all here having, like the best sex ever, and putting it in a box.
Tabetha
Yeah, exactly. And it’s really, it’s, it’s not that way not to impugn my, you know, husband there, but it’s just, yeah, I don’t know. It’s just like, like I said, it kind of goes back to my characters tell me their story. And I just feel like sometimes it just comes about, and that is just how they connect.
Elle
Right?
Tabetha
It’s hard to explain, I guess, unless you’re another author, and then you get it. But to somebody that doesn’t write, you know, it’s kind of like, so you have these voices in your head and like, yeah, yeah, it’s, it’s a sickness. That’s why we have to write it down. Because if not, it’s just gonna take over and yeah, you know,
Elle
it’s funny, because it’s, I mean, it kind of happens. I mean, it does happen to me throughout that I’ll be at the grocery store and be like, Oh, that’s a fun idea. You know, or it’s just like, Oh, I like that. And, you know, either down or Yeah, just total random, like, like thoughts pop in your head. But actually, you know,
I do sort of I plants. I kind of plan but I mostly pants and, and I don’t really get it completely until I sit down at the computer. And that really starts to kind of come out. So you know, like, I’m just like, had this great writing moment this morning, actually, where I was like, thinking I was gonna write the scene one way and all of a sudden, like the lake I was just like, oh, wait a minute. No, she’s not going to stand down. She’s gonna fight and she’s gonna Yeah, all these great things. And I was like, Oh, this is fun. Now, this just got 10 times more exciting. Yeah, just sort of like was able to build this like bigger picture of the character that I don’t think I would have gotten if I sat down to actually like, outline it.
Tabetha
Right now. Okay, so then I have a question. Do you do you believe in writer’s block or like, what do you do to help with that?
Elle
Oh I do and I don’t, I believe in planting my ass in my chair and doing my words. You just have to make yourself right. Yeah. You know, because honestly, like sometimes it can I am such a great procrastinator, I will find 1000 reasons not to do something. Yeah. So I will kind of there is that part of it, but there are definitely times where I’m like, I’m just not feeling this. And, and it’s, and I’m really forcing it. And it takes me an inordinate amount of time to get those words out. Right. So I’ve been trying to do a little bit of prep, whether it’s the night before or the morning before I sit down and start writing again, that is just kind of like, Okay, this is the scene that I’m going to write. Or this is the chapter because the chapters are usually around 2000, maybe a little bit more. And I do my 2000. And this is the scene I’m going to write, and this is how I think it’s going to go and what is the purpose of this scene? So I’ve been really trying to do that, to kind of help get over that. That hump, because there are some days where it’s just like, the words aren’t coming.
Tabetha
Yeah, well, yeah, that’s the same thing. You know, because sometimes you’re like, I just, I’m kind of stuck. I don’t know, my characters, they’re like off on holiday or something. They’re not wanting to talk to me today, or, but you just have to sit down. And sometimes if I go back and read over what I would have what I’ve already written, then it’s like, either it will just come to me, or maybe I’ll just have to, like, do something and come back to it. But usually it doesn’t. It doesn’t take me long to come back here. I usually get my word count in whether I’m always not sometimes, you know, it might take me longer to get 2000 words in sometimes, you know, I could do it like an hour, you know, the word is flying. And sometimes it’s like, oh, my take me all day.
Elle
This morning, I think my I think I did my 2000 and like, an hour and a half, two hours, you know, not the fastest writer, you know, I don’t know how people can write 10,000 words a day. And I’m just like, Oh my God. That would be and I know, people are like, Well, I do dictation. And I’m like, I don’t know how people can write like that. I can’t I can’t talk my stories. You know, I can’t do it. You know, sometimes my husband will be like, tell me a story. I’m like, No, I can’t. And he thinks I’m like being coy. And I’m like, no, really. I can’t tell you a story off the top of my head.
Unknown Speaker
Yes, yes. Like if you want me to type you out a story? Sure.
Elle
I was typing a story. It’ll take me a few days, but I’ll type it. Exactly. I just can’t like boom, here’s the story. Like, I just can’t I can’t do that.
Tabetha
Mm hmm.
Elle
It doesn’t work that way. Yes. So did we what is your approach for the steamy bets? I mean, I know like, you’d be forced ourselves to sit down and write the damn thing. But like, like, I know, for me, like, if I’m going to have a sex scene, it is going to take me a very long time to write it. Like I know it’s gonna take more time than it normally would. For some reason, I just slow way down. And I’m wondering like, do you have a process? What’s your approach to it?
Tabetha
Oh, well, it’s just kind of like, if I’m stuck with something, I just sit down and I just write it and it doesn’t seem like it takes me that long. Like, I don’t I don’t find them difficult. Like some people say that they find it difficult to write a love scene for me. I just, I feel like that’s like the ultimate connection between the main characters. And you know, by that point, you kind of know their personalities and everything. Because it’s not like it’s going to happen. Normally, it’s not going to happen at the beginning. You know, it’s going to take a while to progress to that point. So, yeah,
Elle
yeah. So for you, it’s just like, it’s just like any other day in the writing chair.
Tabetha
Yeah. Yeah, really? I know, it doesn’t always seem that way. Like I said, For for some, they’ve, they found it to be a challenge. But sometimes the whole writing process in itself is the challenge. So yeah, that’s just another part of it. That is true.
Elle
So, okay, so historicals there are rules. There are lots of rules. I mean, romance has a lot of rules. We have rules, but I feel like there are more rules and historical which is why I won’t go near it.
Tabetha
Right. Yeah. People that are sticklers it. pletely accurate. Yes.
Elle
And so it’s not only as the writer of like, the accuracy and all of that, but you know, also for the characters. There were certain manners back then there were certain mores there were certain, you know, there were just ways and so I’m wondering, do you find the rules help you or hinder your ability to steam things up?
Tabetha
Um, I like the rules because then it makes it because you get past it’s coming. Like the forbidden fruit? No, yeah, yeah. It’s kind of like that. I, I’m trying to think of the way I put it. See, I gotta type out the words. Don’t want to come out of my mouth. Yeah. But basically, that’s what it is, is just like the forbidden fruit. Right? Right. Right, the historicals. You know, because you’re supposed to be so proper and supposed to act a certain way and supposed to, you know, be like, the good girl or, and then you decide, you know, I don’t want to be that way. I might be like this. This is what I write.
Elle
Right? This is this is the way that the character is going to behave whatever way that might be, which is a little bit sexy, or whatever. I guess to the time period I have actually, this kind of blew my mind. Like, it was kind of like, well, people just really did have sex back then. And I was like, I mean, I’m naive. But I was like, Whoa, tell me more.
Tabetha
Like, why? How did these people have like 8, 9, 10 kids, if you know, they didn’t just appear? You know, the stork really didn’t just bring him. I mean, it happened back then. And the stuff you find in history, it’s not, especially in the Victorian era, you’ll find that a lot of stuff just was not near as proper as you might think.
Elle
Yeah, yeah. And there was actually a lot of sex before marriage going on. At this point, and I was just kind of like, Whoa, Mind blown. I kind of had no idea. I mean, like, why would you? But I guess also why wouldn’t they? You know, but I guess yeah. Also, just this I mean, you know, I guess for me, I was like, Well, if you got knocked up as the woman like your life was over?
Tabetha
Yeah. Because you had to be discreet, you could do whatever you want it you could have all these affairs and everything else, as long as you were discreet about it.
Elle
Right, right, which I just didn’t like, Oh, my God, and how do you even like, research that like, what are you typing into Google? They’re like this. Like, really? Like, what do you what are you throwing into the old search engine?
Tabetha
Um, well, I guess just kind of what and you look at other books, too. Like, I have books on, you know, manners and everything. And I can’t remember the name of the book manners and something in Victorian England and what Jane Austen ate and Charles Dickens knew. I mean, I have all these different. So, I mean, you have all these research books. And but I don’t know I sometimes I’ll just come across something just scrolling through social media. I there’s just one Facebook group I really like it’s called vintage weird. And sometimes they’ll have some really interesting things in there that it’s like, I’ve never heard of him before. And so, I mean, it just I find different things. You know, I don’t, I don’t really just say, Okay, what is sex? Like in the Regency era? I don’t really.
You know, a lot of it. Like I said, it’s still fantasy. You’re like a fiction fantasy type thing? Yeah. And, yeah,
Elle
yeah, I know that those Victorians were pretty damn Randy. I mean, they had there’s Victorian porn. And they had those weird, naked lady playing cards. And like they were, they were pretty racy bunch, like, I guess like it just never it never like, I don’t know, I never put it together that I was like, Oh, wait a minute.
Tabetha
Yeah. Yeah. And the big. The big thing back then was if women had they had a medical, they always called it like a medical condition. They had hysteria. Yeah. So I don’t know if you read about that. But the doctors basically, they massage their their genitals basically gave them an orgasm, and that was their treatment.
Elle
I actually did not know that.
Tabetha
There’s actually a movie. I can’t remember the name of the movie now. But it’s got Maggie Gyllenhaal in it. But yeah, it’s, you should watch that. It’s very informative. And it really was a things.
Elle
I mean, is that I mean, but was that? Or was that like, I’m trying?
Tabetha
Because, because, because back then it was all about insanity. You know, you could get it put an insane asylum for anything. Right? So if you’re if your husband just didn’t want to be around you anymore, and it was easier to throw an asylum than it was a good divorce. I mean, it could be for anything because women had no say so. Right. And so with that kind of thing. That is actually kind of the start of how dildos were invented. Oh, yes. The doctors fascinating because the doctors had problems, you know. with their hands and stuff, when you know they would start having issues with their hands and everything, so they had to come up with a new way. Yeah, I’m serious it that is actual truth. That is, that’s historical.
Elle
This is like a research rabbit hole that I just wouldn’t be like not coming on. Oh, this is fascinating.
Tabetha
That’s, that’s this the kind of historical stuff I stumbled upon. And I’m just like, what?
Elle
I didn’t learn that in school. I know.
Tabetha
Yeah. And they actually, instead of getting a divorce, sometimes they would have Wi Fi options. And what
Elle
They would have to swap, they would just be like, I don’t want my wife anymore. Give me yours. Like,
Tabetha
no, no, they wouldn’t swap they would have an option and they would put them up on like, they would sell them. This sounds actually horrific. That sounds terrible. That that yes, that that took place and one of the one of my favorite books, A Frozen Winter by Kathleen Lewis. She in the beginning of that story, there’s, there’s well to adopt, it’s the daughter that is auctioned off. But believe it or not, they did have wife auctions and they had I have a novella coming out in the end of May, The Harlots Hero, and that story, she is the daughter of a quarter Xi’an. And it was kind of it was based off of another show I watched that I thought was fascinating called Harlots. The name was the show
Elle
It was on Hulu.
Tabetha
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And somebody was like, is, was the virginity auction really true. And I’m like, yeah, cuz this was like the Georgian era. So this was a little bit before the what we consider the Regency, but there was a lot of venereal diseases around that time syphilis and that kind of stuff. So people would men would pay big money to lay with the virgin because they you know, they were clean and free. They knew they were free of disease. Wow. But they will. Yeah, I said it’s dark history back there. You know, even further back you go. There was a an England there is a club is called the Hellfire Club.
Elle
Yeah. And private hellfire.
Tabetha
Yes. And they did some really crazy things there too. They did sacrifices and all kinds of stuff. And it was all kind of hush hush, because it was another one of those things. You basically could do whatever you want, as long as you were discreet.
Elle
Wow. Wow. So this is why I love talking historical stuff.
Tabetha
That’s just stuff I found and sometimes, like, my jaw dropped, cuz I’m like, Really? You know?
Elle
Yeah, y’all are so much fun at cocktail party is like, I just want to party with all my historical writer friends, and just invite my like, non writer friends so that they can all just be wowed. Because you guys just have like the best information and the best knowledge. It’s It’s so cool.
Tabetha
It’s just, it’s just you just you don’t even know what to say sometimes you’re new, come across this kind of stuff. You’re just like, this really happened. But I thought everybody was so proper back then. That is just all facade Really? Like, this is what we’re supposed to look like on the outside but truthfully.
Elle
Wow. Holy shit. This is awesome. All right. I want to dig into your stance, your steamy scene, your steamy bits because it is very steamy. The Scots the Scots, but I knew I’m gonna bear a bear and or like, as the Scottish would say, burn the sky. Yeah, that sounds good. I like that. Okay. Let’s go with that. Now, is this from a series or is this a standalone?
Tabetha
No, that was a standalone. It was part of an anthology that I had done it. The anthology was called Lords ladies and babies so we just wanted to have stories where there was a baby involved because it was not long after Harry and Megan had Archie. So we thought Oh, this that’s so cool. Let’s write about some babies you know because everybody was on the baby kick then because we’re all excited and so that that’s what I came up with cuz I had been watching Outlander fired to write about hot Scott.
Elle
So okay, so this is a so tell tell us a little bit about the story set the scene up for us so that we know what’s happening.
Tabetha
Okay, so um, Damaris is an English girl, and she’s supposed, you know, she’s supposed to be doing what her parents want her to do course. And you’re gonna set her up with this guide, and she’s supposed to be engaged this guy, and she just really does not want to be she’s like, I’m gonna ruin myself just so I don’t have to be married to this guy. So she ends up going to this kind of sketchy party when time and just decides, okay, well, I’m gonna meet some guy, and he’s gonna be the one. And then so she meets the hero, Callum. And he’s, he’s, he’s in England, just kind of like on business, but he’s a Highland layered. And he’s not looking for anything, you know. He’s not really looking for anything. He’s just there to do some business and just to move on, and head back home to take care of his responsibilities. And he encounters Maris, they have a pretty wild night there and then come to find out that night led to certain consequences. And she ends up pregnant.
Elle
Ah, see now, and I’m very curious how that’s being handled on historicals. Because I know often, a lot of that sort of plot twist is that it’s actually they’re actually having sex with the person that they are botros to one way or the right. And in this case, that is not the case. So how do you how do you balance that? Like, how do you because it real realistically, would she have been able to go off and have her happily ever after? is this? Or, you know, and if not, is giving it to her something that historical writers pick apart? Or no, they really are there for the happily ever after. And they don’t care if that’s a little bit. You know, it’s,
Tabetha
it kind of it kind of goes both ways. Most people just like the happily ever after. But in this case, and I believe it, you know, it’s something that would satisfy historical, you know, gurus to or whatever you want to call them. But Damaris was sent away, and just under the pretense, and I can’t remember now, it’s been so long since I’ve wrote that. It’s been a few weeks ago. I don’t even remember what I write half the time sometimes, but she is sent to live with her aunt. So basically, whenever before she started showing it was just going to be well, she’s going to go visit her aunt for a while, have the baby and come back and act like nothing was wrong. That’s that’s how the story was going to go. And she wouldn’t get to get to keep her baby. And then she decided I’m gonna keep my baby because it’s mine. And I, you know, I don’t care if I fit back into society again.
Elle
Right, right. But then she gets her happily ever after anyway, so yeah, totally like so. She meets back up with Kalam believe that I mean, amazing. And and at that point, does she have the baby? She’s had the baby. Now she has a kid in tow, and all of a sudden, he’s got like, this Insta family or
Tabetha
no, no, no. She’s pregnant through most of the book. Then when they get to, you know, they kind of have their little interaction back and forth. And he’s always just kind of he never knew her true identity. She hid her identity. It was like this masquerade party, right? And so he didn’t know who she was. And then he finally encountered her again, he’s like, Oh, well, he was just fascinated with her. So he didn’t want to let her go. And he just decides that, you know, because this, he’s, he’s Ireland layered. So this would be the heir to his, you know, castle is whatever. And so they head up to the highlands. And then on their journey, she just decides that she likes him too. And she’s in the middle of, you know, spoiler alert here, but she’s in the middle of giving birth in the they have the preacher come in and marry him. Then everything will be good. Sure.
Elle
Okay. So this scene, this scene happens quite early on in the story. Yes, this particular scene. I’m curious, why did you pick this one out of all your books? What was it about this one that you were like? Yeah,
Tabetha
I think it was because she was clueless. She had no idea what she was doing. She didn’t really even care what she was doing with who at the time. And, and it was, and just the fact he was kind of clueless, too. He didn’t really know what was going on. He just knew this woman was seducing him and he thought he was getting together with someone that was experienced and he was quite surprised whenever he found out she was not and so it just kind of threw him for a loop and threw her for loop and I think that’s why I chose that one. Amazing. I love it wasn’t, you know, because most of my stories are just you know, after a time, then you know, ever their feelings overcome each other, and then they end up making love and everything but this one, this one was a little different. They each didn’t know what was going on.
Elle
I actually really loved her, he left her agency with the whole thing. You know, she’s like, I have a arranged marriage, essentially, and I don’t want it so I’m going to ruin myself so I can get out of it. And then I get pregnant, but I’m gonna keep this baby and like, it’s like, you know, she’s just like, given a giant, like a middle finger over and over again.
Tabetha
And they probably wouldn’t have actually happened, you know, at the time, honestly, she would have probably just had to deal with it. And, you know, and end up marrying who her parents wanted her to. But that’s that’s the beauty of historical romance. Because it’s fiction. It doesn’t have to be exactly like it was then, you know, let’s, you know, let’s make a happy ending when there might not have been at the time. We can change their fates about. Exactly, exactly.
Elle
Okay, gonna read the full about, here we go. Okay, they’re ready. Okay. After a long drugging, kiss his cock already, his cock already fully erect column lowered his mouth to her collarbone. Her skin was cream and soft as silk and as he trailed a path to the top of her body as he took down a portion of her gown and create one of her breasts. When he began to lay her nipple. She clutched his shoulders and arched her back. He grinned for her responses were just as passionate as it hoped they would be. Do you like that lady chemistry he heard? Yes, she nearly counted. Do you want more? This time she nodded. So he returned his attention to her breasts, sucking and meeting them until their legs were trembling. In one smooth motion, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the city and laid her down. He quickly divested himself of his shirt as he began to lift her skirts. Her eyes widened slightly the brilliant blue of her gaze mesmerizing. Are you going to take me now? she asked. I loved this part. I love this a little bit. It was like watching a movie. Yeah, I said, You’re like, yeah, like, like, it’s an audio book. Every moment as I was reading it, it was like, in my head, like, I could see everything happening. Like it was just so clear in my mind. And it was like, you know, like watching like a really great period movie where they’re having like this really intense love scene. Yeah. Anyway, so I was just like, oh, wow, I really love this, you know, and there is something even though this is kind of like, they’re having set, like, it’s just sort of like, their sex has a purpose that has nothing to do with love or romance. There is actually nothing very romantic about this moment between them. Mm hmm.
Tabetha
Yeah. Yeah. Because it’s just, it’s kind of mysterious. And it’s just sensual. And, yeah, yeah.
Elle
Yeah. Cuz kinda like the setup to the story kind of feels like it could be a little bit like, okay, we’re gonna do this thing. Because like, this are the sex in this book has a purpose. Like, you know what I mean? And it does, obviously, what’s going to drive the story forward? But But you were, but instead of writing it like that, there, it does have this layer of of chemistry and romance between them. That also gives you that sort of, I guess, that the yearning for them to get together that’s going to take them through the book, which I think is really
Tabetha
right. Yeah, right. Exactly. That was my that was my, you know, point. And what I hope to convey to the reader at least
Elle
Okay, got another little bit to take us through here. Okay, um, okay, so she had just said, How are you gonna? You know, are you going to take me now that’s where we ended up. We’re gonna keep going. No, my sweet angel his hand began to trail a prologue not until I tasty first. With that he bent his head and placed his mouth on the center between her legs. her hips instantly bucked upward but when he inserted a finger into her wet passage, she melted into his touch. It wasn’t long until he felt the quivers of her orgasm take hold. He lifted his head and looked up into her face and saw that her exposed skin was damp and flushed, her eyes closed and delirious abandon. Her hair made of spun gold was starting to escape from its pins and curl around her exposed brass. Columns breath caught, for she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. It was going to be a true pleasure to bed this mysterious lady chemistry. Unfortunately, it would, it would likely be sometime before she faded from his memory. Without a word, he lifted his kilt and create his aching manhood. He positioned himself at her entrance and started to push forward. perspiration began to line his forehead for she was so tight, almost as if she was untried. But then he quickly shook an image from his thoughts. If she was inexperienced, she wouldn’t be something Like this, would she convincing himself that he was only imagining things he thrust forward and ripped through the barrier for Maidenhead? Where he immediately stopped his eyes widening What the? When he would have pulled away from her. She halted him with a hand on his arm. Please, don’t stop. Kalin was fighting a battle between lust and honor. But in the end, his urges one four, she moved her hips just so damn lossy that you’ll be the death of me. Oh, hey, I think that was the first sex. I think that was the first. No, it wasn’t the first take my virginity scene that I’ve ever read. Maybe out loud, but I don’t think it’s the first time I’ve seen like ever, ever I’ve read. But I mean, that one was so good.
Tabetha
Make me if you’re gonna. I mean, that would have been the way I would have liked to have got rid of it. I like callin peeps, quick man.
Elle
No kidding. Oh my god, like what a great What an amazing hero. You know, which is I think, I guess you actually had to you needed to do that because he is just like, kind of like, looking for a good time. Right. Like, and, and that’s usually like a strike for the heroes when we’re writing. You know, those sort of like random heroes that just Are you know, looking at it right?
Tabetha
He’s he wasn’t really looking for that. It’s just there was this you know, mysterious woman that was kind of coerce and m&e thought, Well, I’m here Why not? You know, just kind of, he wasn’t just like, Yeah, he wasn’t like you guys were. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Just like some kind of libertine that was just like wanted to get with every everything that he saw.
Elle
Right? Because because that can be hard, because we need to have in, in my, in one of my books, um, well, the first book and my rock star series. I’m the man the hero is kind of an ass through half the book. And he’s a cat. He’s a rock star. And he likes groupies. And he, you know, and I never let him cheat. There was never a Joe, there was never an actual sexual cheat. But there were moments that you were like, Hey, dude, buddy, you know, what are you? What are you doing? You know, and you’d be a little bit of a deck, you know? But they weren’t, but they weren’t even together either. So it was like, it wasn’t even like he was cheating on her. But there was, you know, so anyway, but most readers were okay with it. But there were some that were like he’s true. It’s like, Well, actually, No, he’s not. And
Tabetha
yeah, yeah, I mean, I think it Well, I think what you call an alpha hole? Like that, like, yeah, totally being an ass. Oh, I like this. I like those characters, too. And some of my characters are like that. But, um, and and I think the whole thing is, yeah, you definitely do want them to cheat because, and they just and they can’t be with anybody else after they’re with the heroine. Because you know, that’s the one that’s changed them and everything. And that just seems like to be the rule of thumb. Honestly, I mean, you they can be a jerk, but they have to put that life behind them.
Elle
Right, right. Right. And Oracle’s anyway. Right. And so I know that I know, I was pushing the envelope with that. I think at that point in the story, the the hero and the heroine had not had sex. They had fooled around a little bit, but there was, at that point in the story, there definitely wasn’t any sex.
So I kind of felt like there was a freedom there where I could, you know, a little bit different with that, it seems like historicals it’s like, once they meet the heroine, it’s like, no, we’re not going to be able to. I got, you know, a little bit more leeway. Although that one reviewer who was so angry about it, you know, you’re gonna have those. Oh, angry and I was like, oh, but okay.
We can write something to and somebody will read it. It’s complete. You know, they could read it in a different way. Yeah, they do read it a completely different way. And so I mean, I guess that’s why I pay attention to reviews because sometimes I’m like, Oh, did I really not? Was it really not clear at that point? If it’s like an outlier review, I’ll just be like, okay, they just didn’t did it. It didn’t resonate with them. They didn’t read it, right, whatever it was, that just didn’t land for them. But it’s not something that came through in the writing, which is like,
Tabetha
sometimes, I mean, that is a definite challenges is writing and that’s with any genre is you have to, you have this picture in your mind is so vivid, at least, you know, a lot of times when I’m reading it, I mean, it’s so vivid, and you have to try to convey that to the reader by you know, show them Don’t tell that my editor tells me that a lot too. And it’s difficult to do that. It’s like, Okay, I gotta put my you just really have to be your character and put yourself in their shoes.
Elle
Yeah, yeah. And I’m guessing you right? Do it was this? Because this was an anthology? I’m guessing was this a shorter book? Or was it an 80,000? Word?
Tabetha
It was a novella.
Elle
So did you do do a point of view on this novella, or was it straight up from him? Like, cuz this is kind of No idea. You didn’t do all
Tabetha
I like to go back and forth between there? between them? Yeah, right. Right. I haven’t ever written a story where it’s just one point of view.
Elle
Because I’ve only written one. And I’m kind of wondering like, does your word count go up when you write too?
Tabetha
I really don’t think so it just helps to move the story along, because you you kind of want to know what’s going on there in their head to or at least I do.
Elle
Yeah, see, I have a hard time writing male point of view. I just really do. I did. I mean, you know, spoiler alert, I’m in my fourth book that’s coming out. I there is a there is a bonus epilogue for people to my email list that is going to be written It’s my first time writing from a male point of view, at least in public, and not counting the ones I’ve written and thrown away. Right? Because I think I finally kind of got it. But it’s hard. It’s hard.
Tabetha
Yeah, it can be daunting, because you know, just like, not all women are the same. Not all guys are the same. So you just have to think, Well, you know, what kind of person is this character? Just coming from there.
Elle
Yeah. But also sort of, like, how would a guy see thing? See, you know, like, would he know, you know, with this, would he would this word make sense for him? Would he? Would he actually be looking at somebody’s shoes or, you know, like, they’re like, moments, you know, that I think, you know, reading from a woman’s point of view. I know, okay, this character has no idea what she’s wearing. She just knows she’s wearing a pair of jeans, but this person knows that she’s wearing a seven for all mankind flared, but like, you know,
Tabetha
Exactly. We know all the detail. And that and that, really, that’s the truth. I mean, guys might notice some things, but most of them review. Like, I’ll ask my husband something like, you know, your guy, you know, what would you What would you say to this? You know, I asked him sometimes and he’s like, I don’t know, like, Well, you know, I can’t write I don’t know.
Elle
Like, there was something there was something that I wrote that was like, for some reason, I was like, it was really important to me that he sort of like, say something about this outfit. And I was like, how do I convey that this is a, like, certain designer, you know, outfit and it was sort of like, well, I’m no fashionista and I was it was flagged, and it was like, what a guy say fashionista. I’m like, I have no fucking idea what I would say. Yeah, they’re probably like, I don’t know, you say, I don’t know, for me. But I need to convey that he’s like, I would never notice this. But I just got a hot tuxedo on, you know what I mean? So I’m like, Oh, my God, this is really, really hard to get that right. So you know, and I’m like, a challenge. Yeah, yeah. Really? Yeah. And so that kind of have to balance like, male point of view, all the historical stuff. I don’t know, hats off to you to historical writers. I really don’t know how well,
Tabetha
oh, and a lot of times, too, I just, I watched a lot of period dramas, I just just watch, you know, just different TV. I read other books. And, you know, I just, you just kind of, I don’t know, I guess after a while you just kind of
Elle
does it bother you when they get wrong?
Tabetha
well, I don’t know. I mean, my, my main goal is to entertain the reader, right? I do try to make it is it as accurate as possible. But you know, like, I’m not going to have a cell phone in a carriage or something like that, you know? But, you know, I’m, I’m not gonna, am I gonna lose any sleep over it? if, you know, something isn’t completely accurate,
Elle
right? Because I mean, at the end of it, it has to be in service to the story, correct? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So
Tabetha
I’m not I’m not one of those big sticklers. I mean, I, I want it to be I want it to be correct as much as I can, as much as my research has allowed me to find but yeah, but it’s, it’s all going to be about the couple and their remains.
Elle
So you’ve got a few things. You just just were part of an anthology that came out April 6, the young and the ruined and then you’ve got the harlots. Coming up at the end of May you’ve been busy. How many books a year do you get out? This is kind of wild. Um,
Tabetha
I don’t know. But I think I’ve got like 24 books out right now. It’s a mix of novels and novellas. That’s so I don’t really have a certain amount every year. It just depends on what I get done. Like right now I’m kind of busy because I’m redoing that. The very first book I ever wrote, you know, I told you about that they did some heavy edits. So I’m working on that. And I’m doing my fantasy at the same time. So it’s been kind of crazy doing two at once. But I should have Kiernan story finished. Maybe at the end of this month, if not, sometime in May. So then I’ll go back to just writing one for a while. And wait till the next year to get put another book out there. Kiernan?
Elle
Are you doubling up your word count down? So you’re doing 4000? Are you still on the 2000 words a day?
Tabetha
I’m still doing 2000 Yeah, because the other book it’s already written. I’m just going through mixing up taking this like taking the skeleton of the story and then adding Yeah, then gotcha.
Elle
So it’s more of a bigger it’s more of an editing process than right. Let’s get like a full like rewrite.
Tabetha
Yes, I’ve got some word count in there that you know, I can still salvage God. Eventually, yeah, I have to go back through it again. And probably two or three times just to make sure it’s it’s how I want it and then I’ll send it to my editor. So God
Elle
Okay, so you’re all over the internet. where’s the best place to find you? Where are you the most?
Tabetha
I’m probably Facebook. Okay, like I am the most they’re I but I am on Instagram too. I’m on Twitter. Tick Tock that’s where I became an internet fossil according to my daughter.
Elle
Now how many are you actually post because I’m on tik tok with one video not posting a thing. Are you actually uh you know other than that one video heart because I’m kind of horrified by it. Are you doing stuff on it? Like what are you doing like what do you do on Tick Tock?
Tabetha
I know it’s kind of intimidating. Well, I tried to make like a BookTok video for my first series for the boys love and then Gosh, I don’t I don’t even know I made a couple videos about our dogs we get to me and my oldest daughter. We have a couple Courtney’s Oh, yeah, they’re crazy. They’re crazy little but they’re so cute. And so let’s see a tic tac on my phone and see because I don’t even remember like oh, I made something.
Elle
What do you do on Tick Tock? I don’t know like I guess I’m like, you know, I’m like okay, this weekend I’m gonna wake a tick tock and then I’m like, No, I’m not I’m gonna clean the toilet that’s more fun.
Tabetha
I’m an addict I have like 21 videos on there. Some people have a lot more and it’s not just about books like I got a car so I put that on there and like I said, My corgis and then I just did one where I just walking down the road is really about in the country. So you know, just different things.
Elle
I’m going to go stalk you I’m like stalking all authors on tik tok cuz I’m like, What are you doing? Because I know some Yeah,
Tabetha
Again. I’m boring. I’m I don’t have any cool handle it just Tabitha Waite.
Elle
I know. Some people are like making like, How To Videos, how to write books, you know, which I’m like, Oh, that’s kind of interesting. I don’t know that I really be able to tell somebody.
Tabetha
You know, I don’t either. Some people ask me that. Some people ask me that too. Like, how do you how do you write? How do you become an author? I’m like, I don’t know. You just do a book. Yeah, you’re just right. Right. Like you just like, yeah, and like with independent, you know, like, when you’re doing indie writing, you know, like I upload to draft a digital. So it goes to like Kobo and Apple books and Barnes and Noble and then I upload to Amazon. So every just like, oh, how do you do that? It’s like, you push a button? I don’t know. I mean, it’s, I mean, that part I can I can kind of wrap my head head around, you know, as long as it’s formatted in APA format, or that puts it in the right file. And so, and I have cover artists because I definitely couldn’t I you know, I said, You know, I talk about some of my older books that I have kept and tried to illustrate and yeah, you definitely don’t want that kind of cover. You want a nice professional
Elle
You don’t want to be out there drawn it yourself new stick figure. Yeah, promise that you don’t you don’t. Exactly.
Well I’m gonna have all of the internet places where you are in the shownotes including your TikTok links. So listeners you can you can find those there if you want to go stalk her on Tick Tock like I will be doing. Thank you so much for doing this. This was super fun.
Tabetha
Oh, yes, this is great. Thanks for thanks so much for having me. Find it. enlightening.
Unknown Speaker
Come back anytime.