In real life, I’m an oldest child - or in other words, the one traditionally expected, in most families, to be “the responsible one”. I’ve always been fairly quiet, polite, and a compulsive rules-follower in an awful lot of ways.
So maybe that explains why it is so incredibly freeing for me to write from the perspective of incorrigible Kat Stephenson: youngest sibling, rule-breaker, magic-user, and mischief-maker extraordinaire.
Kat’s never afraid to break any rule that doesn’t make sense to her - or to punch someone if needs be! She throws herself into reckless adventure and danger, whether it’s leaping onto a highwayman’s horse or racing down the ancient stairs of a secret passageway leading to a smuggler’s cave.
Most telling of all, in her version of early-nineteenth-century Regency society, where girls are expected to be quiet and obedient and magic is the greatest scandal of all, Kat turns out to be a magical Guardian, with a secret mission to fight against malevolent magic-users. She’s anything but a proper young lady!
A refined young lady in Regency England might decide to pack extra handkerchiefs when taking a trip to a house party full of snobs ready to sneer down at her and her family. Instead, here’s how Kat handles her own journey (from the opening of Stolen Magic):
Despite what either of my sisters may say, I actually possess a great deal of common sense. That was why I waited until nearly midnight on the last night of our journey into Devon before I climbed out of my bedroom window.
Luckily, my family was staying on the first floor of the inn, so the rope I’d brought along in case of emergencies was more than long enough. Luckier yet, I knew a useful secret: it’s much easier to sneak out in the middle of the night when you can make yourself invisible…
Maybe I’ll never be a true Kat myself. But I secretly wish I could be.
Stephanie Burgis grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, but fell in love with Regency England when she discovered the novels of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. The author of Kat, Incorrigible; Renegade Magic; and Stolen Magic; she decided to be a writer when she was seven and sold her first short story when she was fifteen. Stephanie lives with her husband, fellow writer Patrick Samphire, their son, and their dog in Wales. Visit her online at http://www.stephanieburgis.com.