Who is this mysterious Dr. Blackmore? Well, he’s the hero of my next Regency-set historical romance, My Favorite Countess. Like many writers, I often take inspiration for my characters from the movies or TV – in this case Hugh Jackman provided a whole lot of inspiration! My hero is a crusading slum doctor, an accoucheur, or, as he would have been referred to in the Regency period, a man-midwife. In other words, John is an obstetrician.
John is also a handsome and sophisticated man, and who better to model him on than good old Hugh? Just look at that picture – could you imagine the kind of bedside manner you’d get from a guy like that? Rowr!
I also found inspiration for my Regency doctor in the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, in the form of Dr. Derek Shepherd, as played by Patrick Dempsey. Like Derek, my hero is driven and dedicated, with more than a few personal demons to challenge him. It was really fun to create this character – I like dukes and earls as much as the next gal, but it was fascinating to delve into the world of a dedicated Regency physician, and also imagine what would happen when he was matched up with a strong-willed aristocratic heroine.
My Favorite Countess will be released on May 3rd. Over the next couple of months I’ll be blogging about some of my reading on 19th Century medicine, particularly obstetrics. It’s a fascinating if occasionally hair-raising topic, which left me with a great deal of sympathy for the women of the time. Stay tuned!
