The Diary of a Regency Lady

http://storiesfromlindasole.blogspot.com/

This is the url for the whole of The Diary Of A Regency Lady.
I have managed to finish it and put it up at my story blog, where you will find other excerpts and stories and one whole book.

I do hope you will find time to read it and enjoy it, and I am sorry I didn't put it up regularly as I ought.

Best wishes, Anne /Linda

Back at Last!

I am so sorry that I have missed quite a few posts. I keep forgetting the days and even when I tried to schedule the last one it didn't work for me. However, I am going to do it again and hope that it works.

My current Regency with HMB is The Unknown Heir. The next will be The Homeless Heiress, which is out in hardback this month and paperback July. The titles sound similar but the books are not related. I am currently working on a new Regency trilogy but there is another single title later in the year.I have been trying to finish The Diary of A Regency Lady. It is getting there and next time I post I hope to tell you that it is up at my story blog. The best way to get into my blogs is to visit my website and just click on the blog you want.

I am also writing the third in a saga series, part of which takes place in WWII and I've just finished an Anne Herries saga trilogy - which may explain why I forget blog dates and haven't yet finished the diary. I will finish it eventually, but the publishers keep asking for more books and I think that is what my readers truly want - but I will get there!

Love to you all, Anne Herries/Linda Sole

The Savannah!

Today is National Maritime Day in the United States of America and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends and readers in the US a very happy day!

On May 22nd 1819 the steamship The Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia, on the first successful trans-Atlantic voyage partially made under steam propulsion. Although originally she had been laid down as a sailing vessel, The Savannah was also outfitted with a steam engine and paddlewheels. The engine was used sparingly on the voyage - The crossing took a total of 648 hours and all but 85 of those saw the ship using her sails rather than her engines.

However, in the days when such crossings were made exclusively under sail, the appearance of The Savannah off the coast of Ireland caused some consternation. Seen from a distance with smoke pouring from her funnel, she was assumed to be on fire and the revenue vessel Kite was despatched to her rescue. The officers on Kite were astonished at the way The Savannah steamed away from them after they had rushed to assist what they thought was a ship in distress!

The News of the Nation later commented that “Visionary Yankee ingenuity has stolen a march on British Empire sea leadership and at the same time has blazed the way toward a new means of travel between the Eastern and Western hemisphere.” The British weren’t going to give up, however! The first crossing under steam power alone was made in 1838 when two British steamship companies sent rival ships to New York within a few days of each other. These days hopping across "The Pond" is a much quicker business and the world feels a smaller place. It is extraordinary to think, though, that the first partially steam powered trans-Atlantic crossing took place during the Regency period!

Nicola

Mr Darcy's Diary now available as a pdf download

For those people who prefer etexts of their books, Mr Darcy's Diary is now available as a pdf download as well as a paperback. It's available from the Sourcebooks website by clicking here

Captain Wentworth's Diary is now available on Kindle as well as in paperback by clicking here

Mr Knightley's Diary, Lord Deverill's Secret and Harstairs House are also available in various ebook formats, by clicking here

I hope you enjoy them!

Amanda Grange

A Complete Lack of Inspiration

How is it possible to go on holiday to somewhere as lovely and historic as Tuscany and to come away without any romantic ispiration at all?
I've just spent a week near San Gimignano (the one with the towers) on a 'Walking & Wine' holiday. Somehow I managed to forget that Tuscany goes up and down rather a lot and I also managed to find myself with a tour leader who is Danish ex-army and super fit. Madness, but at least, I consoled myself, I would come back with a notebook full of ideas.
But no, not a spark of inspiration. Is the scenery too lovely, the locals too handsome, the wine too strong?
I wimped out of a day's walk - described by our leader as 'a nice hard climb to a ruined castle' as the culmination of a four hour yomp - and settled by the pool with a bottle of local wine, a picnic and the laptop. At least I could make a start on The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst, the last of my Those Scandalous Ravenhursts series. By the time the others staggered back I'd drunk the wine, eaten the picnic, swum in the pool and written all of 200 words.

But I did manage to get on to the set of the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, being filmed in Siena. The scene takes place during the dramatic Palio horse race and you can glimpse the stands through the archway.

Daniel Craig was, sadly, not in evidence, but here is one of the locals who may well, once I get back to the less picturessque surroundings of my study, provide me with some future inspiration.

Louise Allen

Ups and Downs

I felt terrific on Friday as I actually reached the final pages of my current book, Wild Justice Now all that remains is a final edit, which will take me about a week, then off it goes to my agent. The moment I have posted it, everything I could have done differently/better will flutter in my head like demented butterflies until I receive her reaction. But I won't have time to sit and fret, as my next immediate task is to produce a blurb for the book jacket. It's fun but demanding, given the enormous competition, to try and write a paragraph that gives a flavour of the story, catches a browser's attention and persuades them this is a book they really want to read - all in 120 words or less.
After that I put together a package of photos of locations and/or properties that appear in the book, plus a brief physical description of my two main characters. This is for the cover artist. So far so good.
But yesterday at lunchtime I phoned the self-service banking dept of my bank for a balance and realised something was wrong. Further investigation revealed I had become another rising statistic - my card had been cloned and my account almost emptied. As this had happened to my husband nine months ago I knew what to do. I know I'll get the money back, and should receive a new card in about a week, but I'm still furious.
Any weeds in our garden won't know what hit them when I get out there today.

Jane Jackson.

The Joy of a Conference

Last weekend I went to the latest West Country Writers Association Congress in Bristol.

What could persuade me to leave my lovely Pennine home and travel over two hundred miles to a Conference? Of course it is always good to come home to the West Country and the speakers are invariably interesting but the Congress is more than that – it is meeting up with old friends - like novelists Helen McCabe, Jean Saunders and Fay Sampson - making new ones and the interaction between so many different types of writers, journalists, poets, novelists, translators, writers of non-fiction – we are all wordsmiths, but the diversity of styles makes for a most interesting weekend.

This year at Bristol there was even more interaction in the form of a workshop (the WCWA Congress takes the form of a country house party, so workshops are not the norm). We were split into groups, each group was given the same set of characters but a different genre, ranging from chick-lit to war, and we were set the task of putting together a plot in just an hour!

This proved a wonderful ice-breaker, and even those who declared they were not writers entered into the spirit of the session – the biggest challenge was to stick to the task and not digress into creating full life-stories for each of the characters! Our group was given the genre of the supernatural, and we were soon engrossed in discussions of ghosts, monsters and possessed children. Jonathan’s knowledge of war and military campaigns helped us with our setting (a fishing village in the Channel Islands), Fay set to work producing a lovely first paragraph, Barbara desperately wanted to work a giant squid into the story and Jo pounced on the idea of a teddy bear creating a spooky link with past generations. At the end of the session each group read out their efforts, and what superbly different efforts they were! Never has an hour passed so quickly – even the deafening roar of a tropical storm beating on the roof of our conference room could not dampen our spirits: the conference was off to a very lively start!

You can find more information on the West Country Writers Assocation at http://westcountrywriters.com

Melinda Hammond
A Rational Romance – pub Robert Hale Ltd



Sarah Mallory
More Than a Governess – pub Harlequin Historicals

Murder your darlings!

Murder your darlings!

This is one of the first and hardest lessons we have to learn if we want our work published. Usually it refers to editing techniques of cutting out purple prose, scenes that do not forward the plot or show something new about a character, or hysterical use of flowery adjectives. It can also mean that in the need to maintain conflict, which is the governing force behind any unputdownable novel, sometimes we literally do have to murder our darlings (a major character in the book).

Book 9 of the Loveday family drama series THE LOVEDAY SECRETS was published on 1st May in hardback by Headline. And this was the dilemma I had to face to keep the plot fresh and the conflict and tension high. A Loveday had to be sacrificed. In other books in the series it was always satisfying dealing with an adversary who has caused chaos and destruction to others’ lives. Most memorable was the evil smuggler Harry Sawle in The Loveday Revenge who had been the terror of the local community from book one. I had great fun devising suitable ends for the bad guys but whenever it came to a member of the family who I have anguished over throughout the nine books, it was not so easy. But I have done it before.

First there was Captain William Loveday (who drowned himself after discovering his wife’s incestuous relationship with her brother and killing them). Then the tissue box came out when Edward, the twin’s father died from wounds cowardly administered by an old enemy. And now for the sake of an unpredictable and exciting plot I steeled myself to kill off another Loveday, armed with two boxes of tissues this time and a demise that tugs at the heartstrings with catastrophic consequences for the family. And who is the Loveday who dies… ah that is a secret revealed only to the readers.

And it is not the only secret revealed. It is time of reunion for the family: joyful in the return of Japhet and his family to England, and suspicious when a long lost cousin the ne’er-do-well Tristan Loveday returns to stir up shameful echoes from the past that threaten the reputations of more than one Loveday. And also a marriage is in crisis… will love and loyalty prevail or will pride and honour be its downfall?As always the passions of the Lovedays run high and woven through the drama of their lives are new romances, intrigue, emotional intensity and a wild-blooded lust for life.

All newsletter readers there is still time to enter this months competition. I am giving away two paperback copies of Loveday novels of your choice.

Kate Tremayne

A New Cover for Lydia Bennet's Story

This is the new cover for Lydia Bennet's Story which is being published in October by Sourcebooks - I hope you like it. I am absolutely thrilled with it; I think the designers have done a wonderful job. The illustration is by Brock and shows Lydia and Kitty being introduced to Mr Wickham.

The following extract is from Lydia's journal when Lydia learns that her favourites are about to leave for Brighton.

Saturday, May 8th

My world as I know it has ended! I have received such dreadful news today that I do not think I shall ever recover! I met with Mr Wickham (who looked as handsome as ever in his scarlet coat) in the High Street in Meryton this morning, and he informed me that the regiment is leaving to be encamped at Brighton for the summer! I could not believe it, nor disguise my disappointment, and asked him what on earth we shall all do without the society of all the officers we have come to know so well. His replies were gentlemanly and thoughtful, yet he seems keen to be gone and spoke of little regret. I daresay he is anxious to take his disappointed hopes away with him, though it has to be said, his excitement for the Brighton venture was plainly evident, especially when he spoke of an appointment he must keep at his tailor. New clothes for the seaside would be absolutely vital, he explained. It could not be said that the militia did not know how to dress, and the entertainments would be such that he would be letting the Colonel down if he was not turned out just right. Oh, if only I could go to Brighton and sample its delights! Lord! Life is so unfair!!!

I do wonder what Mr Wickham will feel when he sees my sister Lizzy again—what will she have to say on the matter? Her hopes of marriage may yet be doomed with the man she so clearly admires. I could not help but watch his progress down the street as he left me—oh, how many times will I have that pleasure left?
I hastened on to Harriet’s, hoping that by some small chance, the report might have been a false one, only to have it confirmed and find my dear friend in a state betwixt excitement at the prospect of spending several weeks in Brighton and distress at leaving all her friends behind. She had the most wonderful idea to persuade papa to take a house for the summer and, although my mother and I have petitioned him with the details, he is adamant in his renouncement of any such plan. If only Jane and Lizzy were here, I am sure they could persuade him of the benefits to the entire household.

I cannot live with the idea of Meryton devoid of all its dear redcoats. How I shall miss darling Denny, Pratt, and Chamberlayne. I will never dance with Mr Wickham again. I think I shall die!

I am going to Bath today to attend the Jane Austen Centre's Regency World Awards. I love going to Bath and I'm really looking forward to spending an evening with other Janeite friends - hope to see you there!

Historical Romance in E-books.

As many of you know, I write for small publishers who produce work in electronic format first, before the print copy comes out.
Without a doubt the e-book market is more developed in the US than anywhere else, with readers like the Kindle and Ebookwise only available in that country, but with the new mini-laptops like the Asus eee, more sophisticated cell phones and the ready availability of the pda, more and more people are turning to e-books for their fiction fix.
So what has that to do with the historical novel?
The publishing business in the US is in a state of flux and editors are chasing books that will hit the market hard and bring them money fast. At the moment, the erotic romance rules. Tomorrow it could be Inspirational, or Western, or anything as long as it catches on. A few years ago, the historical romance, primarily the Regency romance, ruled supreme. Then came a spectacular fall when many writers of historical romance tried new genres, and sales plummetted. The reasons for the fall are still being debated. Now historical romance is making a cautious comeback.
All this time the historical romance flourished in ebook format and the one casualty of the collapse in the market - the traditional Regency romance (think Georgette Heyer, where the books are as much comedies of manners as romances) has found a foothold. Even Harlequin/Mills and Boon has revised its expectations, and now historicals are as likely to contain scenes of intimacy as anything else on the market and writers who prefer not to enter the bedroom have been phased out or persuaded to try their hand at a bedroom scene or two.
Several publishers, like Belgrave House, who publishes reprints of old romances in electronic form, Awe-Struck books which has a long-established imprint of Regencies called Phaeton and now Ellora's Cave which has brought out some excellent Regencies in its Cotillion imprint with its mainstream branch, Cerridwen, have stayed true and the books have been a modest success.
My historicals come out with Samhain, and while I do write the occasional hot and heavy scene, I do try to keep the history right, and use accurate and involving plots.
The return of the historical in the print market has mainly been for the sexy, heavy on the romance book by big name authors. A few new authors have emerged, but in the same type of book. The growth of the erotic has been influential in all genres (says the erotic romance author!)
Don't get me wrong - I prefer my reading to have a heavy dose of sex. I love reading about it, I enjoy writing it, but a diet of one thing alone leads to satiation and ennui. So I'm delighted to see certain publishers still believing in, and publishing, the traditional romance.
If you've never tried the electronic historical romance, give it a go! You'll discover new treasures and re-acquaint yourself with authors you used to love and who have now turned to e-publishers for their books.

Belgrave House:
http://www.belgravehouse.com/

Samhain Historical Romance
http://www.samhainpublishing.com/category/historical-romance

Cerridwen Cotillion
http://www.cerridwenpress.com/BookList_cotillion.asp?Category=RomReg
Awe-struck Phaeton line:
http://www.awe-struck.net/COVER_GENRE/regency_R.html

Lynne Connolly
http://www.lynneconnolly.com


Now out in print!

Etiquette Regency Style

Manners might not always be in evidence in today's society but two hundred years ago it was a very different story. In Daniel Pool's excellent book, 'What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew' the following is an example of just some of the rules a well brought up young lady was required to abide by.

1. If unmarried and under thirty, she is never to be in the company of a man without a chaperone. Except for a walk to church or a park in the early morning, she may not walk alone but should always be accompanied by another lady, a man, or a servant. An even more restrictive view is that 'if she cannot walk with her younger sisters and their governess, or the maid cannot be spared to walk with her, she had better stay at home or confine herself to the square garden.'

2. Under no circumstances may a lady call on a gentleman alone unless she is consulting that gentleman on a professional or business matter.

3. A lady does not wear pearls or diamonds in the morning.

4. A lady never dances more than three dances with the same partner.

5. A lady should never 'cut' someone, that is to say, fail to acknowledge their presence after encountering them socially, unless it is absolutely necessary. By the same token, only a lady is ever truly justified in cutting someone: 'a cut is only excusable when men persist in bowing whose acquaintance a lady does not wish to keep up'. Upon the approach of the offender, a simple stare of silent iciness should suffice; followed, if necessary, by a 'cold bow, which discourages familiarity without offering insult.'

On heavens, it's only eleven in the morning. Excuse me whilst I dash off and ditch the pearls!

Wendy Soliman

Venice — La Serenissima

Venice may be La Serenissima, queen of the Adriatic, but my short visit there last month was anything but serene. I was desperately trying to catch up on research for my current book, His Reluctant Mistress, the second part of The Aikenhead Honours Trilogy. Most of the story takes place in Austria, but part of it takes place in Venice, where my heroine has lived for years.

I had roughly a day and a half to see and record everything I needed. With hindsight, I realise that wasn’t long enough, even though I had worked out a schedule for myself so that I could visit all the key places for my story. Apart from some of the normal tourist venues, I needed to visit the Maritime Museum and the opera house, La Fenice.

You may remember that La Fenice was burnt down just a few years ago as a result of arson, though it has now, at last, been rebuilt. Now you can even get there by gondola. Very romantic. But I really wanted to see inside it so, having spent the first morning dodging the rain in the Doge’s Palace and the Museo Correr, I was going to spend the afternoon at La Fenice. Or so I thought.

It didn’t work out that way. There are tours of La Fenice, but only between 1.30 and 2.30 in the afternoon, on certain days of the week. I had arrived, totally soaked by the pouring rain, at 2.45 p.m., and I was leaving the following morning. I got as far as the foyer of the opera house and stood there, dripping, and gnashing my teeth. It was some consolation that they were able to sell me a DVD of the restoration project, which included quite a lot of historical material about how La Fenice used to look. But I was still disappointed.

It’s difficult to try to probe the history of Venice under Napoleon. Almost all the books and histories stop in 1797, the year when the Venetian Republic fell and French rule began, and then start again after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Venetians say they still hate the very idea of Napoleon. Perhaps that’s why there is so little visible information about the seventeen years after the Republic ended?

I was told that, very recently, the local council bought a statue of Napoleon which had stood in Venice at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The council thought it would be proper to restore it to its original place, since it was part of the city’s history. Venetians disagreed, vehemently. There was a huge outcry that such a thing had been bought by the city.

It seems the council compromised. The statue is now in the Museo Correr, but tucked away under the stairs so that it can’t really be seen. I think it’s the Venetian version of “out of sight, out of mind.”

Joanna

www.joannamaitland.com

Underpinnings!

It's strange to think that beneath the elegant, high waisted gowns women still wore corsets. The dresses hang straight so one wonders why did they need these underpinnings?
The red effort is modern, but is a replica of the garments worn by Regency ladies.
Of course the female servants, and working women, would not have worn anything so restricting - but then they didn't wear the high-waisted style, they tended to have the waist in it's proper place.
If you have a yen to make one for yourself then you can obtain a pattern like this one from various on line stores. Even if I was dressing in a Regency gown, I wouldn't try and squash myself into one of those instruments of torture!!
Fenella Miller
www.fenellajanemiller.co.uk
A Debt of Honour out now - from Amazon UK & USA also www.regencyreads.com, as an e-book.

UK National Year of Reading

This year is the UK's National Year of Reading, a country-wide campaign to encourage people to join libraries and to read for pleasure or personal advancement. The slogan is 'Reading - Anytime, Anything, Anywhere'. UK Regency authors Louise Allen and Nicola Cornick have been appointed as Writers in Residence for Hertfordshire and Wiltshire respectively, and will be getting out into the community to promote the joys of reading, offering talks and workshops and an insight into a writer’s life and a Regency author’s life in particular.

Harlequin Mills and Boon said of their involvement in the programme: `We are thrilled to be part of the National Year of Reading during our centenary year, because if anyone knows the value of a good book, it's our fantastic Mills and Boon authors!' We look forward to going out and talking about reading, writing and the Regency!

Captain Wentworth's Diary is out today!

The paperback of Captain Wentworth's Diary is out today!

It's available from bookshops in the US and elsewhere in the world it's available from online sellers such as Amazon UK

I loved writing this book. I've always wondered what happened when Anne and Wentworth first met in 1806 and this book gave me a chance to write my version of what might have happened.


Although Jane Austen doesn't give us much information about this time in their lives, she says that Wentworth was young, handsome and brilliant, a bold and confident young man who was sure he would soon win promotion.

Anne was pretty, and because she suffered a loss of spirits when she and Wentworth parted, we know she must have been more spirited than the young woman we see in Persuasion.

And so I started the book when Wentworth, newly promoted, goes to spend his shore leave with his brother and falls in love with the young Anne Elliot. They become engaged, but are then separated by Lady Russell.

One of my favourite parts of the book is the moment when I allow Wentworth and Lady Russell to meet, just after Anne has told him they can't be married. He's very angry and berates her for her meddling. Then he goes back to sea.

The second part of the book carries on through the events of Persusaion, showing them all through Wentworth's eyes.

I hope you like it!

You can find reviews and extracts on my website at www.amandagrange.com


Amanda Grange

Costume exhibition in Bath

The Jane Austen Centre in Bath is housing an exhibition of costumes from some of the recent Austen films,including Miss Austen Regrets.

For anyone who's never been to the centre, it's well worth a visit at any time.

It houses a permanent exhibition which tells the story of Jane's experience in the city between 1801 and 1806 and the effect that living here had on her and her writing.

For this year only, the exhibition includes 'Costumes from ITV's Persuasion' featuring the dresses worn by Sally Hawins as Ann Elliot. The stunning costumes are the work of BAFTA award winner Andrea Galer.

'We are completely changing the feel of a large part of the exhibition,' said Centre Director David Baldock,' new lighting and props, sound effects and colourways will give our visitors an exhilarating experience. We are all looking forward to the transformation.'

The exhibition looks wonderful, so if you're anywhere near Bath, pay it a call!

Why Write Historicals?

Watching this programme - which I thought superbly written and acted - made me realise why I love writing historical fiction, and why I have set my recent books in the late C18th. A few years ago I read that as writers we all have favourite themes which we explore in various ways through our books. Often these themes are rooted in our own life experience, but so buried that we aren't even aware of them. Looking back over my own books I saw immediately that this is certainly true for me. My theme is women's autonomy, or lack of it. Many of today's young women have no idea how circumscribed life was in the past. Women exchanged a father's protection for ownership by a husband in marriage arrangements that frequently involved property. For all women marriage conferred status. The stupidest woman, provided she had a husband, could consider herself superior to her far more intelligent sister who, either through accident or design, remained unmarried. And society colluded. Men ran the world (so the theory went) women supervised the home and raised children. Tough luck on women who wanted more, women who had talent and a driving need to express it. Writing or painting as a hobby was acceptable, provided it didn't take up too much time or interfere with wifely duties. Fathers, husbands and brothers might mismanage or gamble away family security, but a woman wanting to earn money from her talent? What was the world coming to?
Miss Austen Regrets... perfectly expressed the choice Jane felt she had been forced to make and what it had cost her.

Jane Jackson.

Devil's Prize Robert Hale. Jan 2008

A Favourite Room

Posts about working spaces and desks got me thinking about how important it is to have a comfortable room in which to work.In Mansfield Park there is a description of Fanny Price’s favourite room.
The aspect was so favourable that even without a fire it was habitable in many an early spring and late autumn morning to such a willing mind as Fanny’s; and while there was a gleam of sunshine she hoped not to be driven from it entirely, even when winter came. The comfort of it in her hours of leisure was extreme. She could go there after anything unpleasant below, and find immediate consolation in some pursuit, or some train of thought at hand. Her plants, her books— of which she had been a collector from the first hour of her commanding a shilling—her writing–desk, and her works of charity and ingenuity, were all within her reach; or if indisposed for employment, if nothing but musing would do, she could scarcely see an object in that room which had not an interesting remembrance connected with it. Everything was a friend, or bore her thoughts to a friend;….. The room was most dear to her, and she would not have changed its furniture for the handsomest in the house…
I wonder if Jane Austen herself felt similarly about her own special room. Cassandra and Jane shared a bedroom so that they could enjoy the comforts of a separate dressing room, a place to entertain their friends or take their leisure at Steventon Rectory.

Jane’s neice Anna Lefroy wrote, ‘I remember the common-looking
carpet with its chocolate ground, and painted press with shelves above
for books, and Jane’s piano, and an oval looking-glass that hung between
the windows; but the charm of the room with its scanty furniture and
cheaply painted walls must have been, for those old enough to understand
it, the flow of native wit, with all the fun and nonsense of a large and
clever family.’
Perhaps Cassandra kept her drawing materials here and it is probable that in this room Jane composed ‘Elinor and Marianne’, later to become ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘First Impressions’, which was the first draft of what was to become ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Jane’s father gave her a handsome writing desk on which to write. I wonder if Jane derived the same pleasure as Fanny by escaping upstairs to her room to write?

The painting at the top of the page is of Cassandra and Jane. I based this painting on two silhouettes said to be of the sisters.

Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels Blogspot

Miss Austen Regrets

I wasn't sure what I was going to make of Miss Austen Regrets, which has just been broadcast in the UK, having been disappointed by biopics of Austen's life in the past, but Miss Austen Regrets was a film to savour.

Olivia Williams was brilliant as Jane Austen, portraying her as an intelligent, witty woman with a clear view on her world, a portrayal which owed as much to the scriptwriter, Gwyneth Hughes, as the actress, of course. Together they brought a realistic version of Austen to life.

According to The Times, "Hughes insists that hers rather than the soft-focus, romantic heroine imagined by her readers is the truer portrait".

I think that most of Austen's readers can tell from her books that there wasn't anything soft focus about her. Some of her wit is savage, all of it is acute. No one escapes, not clergymen nor handsome young men nor elderly women nor the rich and titled. Everyone falls under her brilliant, satirical spotlight.



“To this day, it’s difficult for the cleverest girl in the room to pull a boyfriend and I think that explains Jane’s real problem: she was just too clever and too challenging," says Hughes.
I've always thought that this portait of her displays this idea perfectly. I can just imagine her saying, "Bored now." Which begs the question, how do you entertain the cleverest woman in the room?

Perhaps the only way to do it is to hand her a pen and a piece of paper.

Amanda Grange

A Bittersweet Proposal

My latest Regency romance, A Bittersweet Proposal, will be published by Robert Hale in June. Marc Rothwell was quite content with his life the way it was and had no wish to become the new Earl of Bracknell, a position which ought to have been his cousin's by rights and for whose death Marc feels responsible. Perhaps that's why, when we first make Marc's acquaintance we find that he has already earned himself a reputation for being taciturn. Here's a little taster.

A collective groan echoed round the card table as Marcus Rothwell laid calim to yet another winning hand.
'By all that's holy, Marc, you have the very luck of the devil!' complained Giles Merrow, throwing down his cards with an amiable grin that belied his malcontent.
An uneasy silence ensued as all eyes turned towards Marc: not just to gauge his reaction to an extraordinarily large win - brought about by daring or, some might argue, reckless play - but to his friend's taunt as well. No one anticipated that his lordship would display the least sign of pleasure at the turn events had taken and indeed were not to be disappointed in that respect. Few people had ever known the new Earl of Bracknell to go to the trouble of revealing an agreeable visage: many privately doubting that he possessed one, even if they did not have the courage to actually speculate upon the matter in the earl's hearing. A formidable Corinthian with a reputation that, even allowing for exaggeration, bordered on the legendary, no one wished to make such a powerful and dangerous enemy. Referring to the darker side of his character, even in jest, was not for the fainthearted.
'Luck had little to do with it, Giles,' responded Marc smoothly, rising from the table and scooping up a handful of banknotes, interspersed with a healthy smattering of vowels. 'Fortune has a tendency to favour the brave. Gentlemen, I bid you adieu.'
Giles collected his own, more modest, winnings and followed his friend from the room, accepting his outer garments from the porter at the door to Brook's Club.
'Where are we going?' asked Giles, donning his hat and striding along at Marc's side.
'I do not know about you, but I am for Lady Charington's ball.'
'Good God, whatever for?'
'To dance, of course.'
'Yes, I had ascertained that much, and I suppose now that you are no longer in full mourning for your uncle there is no reason why you shouldn't do so.' Giles appeared perplexed. 'But, Marc, why ever would you wish to?'
'Because the Earl of Bracknell is in need of a wife: or so my aunt would have it.'
'Yea gods, I wouldn't be you, Marc, not for all your fortune. But if you are seriously contemplating matrimony would you not do better to postpone matters for a few months more? The season is almost at an end and all this year's chits that are worth looking at, or who have dowries that are up to scratch, must already have been snapped up.'
Marc appeared perfectly unruffled at the prospect of picking over the season's wallflowers. 'I have no use for a handsome wife,' he responded indifferently. 'Such a creature would most likely spend all her time preening herself, waste my money on fripperies and require pretty words from me to keep her faithful. I have no need to add to my fortune through matrimony either. All I require is a lady of good breeding and refined manners: preferably one not given to giggling or fits of the vapours, and one in possession of a modicum of common sense: if one such exists, which I grant you is asking a lot. Most importantly, though, my choice will be based on the likelihood of the lady in question being able to bear my children without creating an almighty fuss over the matter. Presumably there are still one or two hardy specimens of that ilk not spoken for?'
'I dare say,' agreed Giles equitably. 'But does not the countess favour Miss Gibbons as your consort?'
'Which is precisely why I do not intend to spare that particular lady the time of day,' said Marc, his already ferocious expression darking further at the mention of his interfering aunt.
'Perhaps an older lady might better suit your purpose, then?' suggested Giles helpfully; keen to coax his friend back into a more congenial frame of mind. 'One who has been out for several seasons but who has not taken.'
'Good point! If she considers that she is being passed over then she will likely be more receptive to my proposition and save me the tedium of an overlong courtship.' Marc inclined his head. 'Thank you, Giles; that is an excellent suggestion. All ladies, in my experience, dread the prospect of being left on the shelf. In any event, I have yet to meet one who is averse to the idea of matrimony.'

This conversation takes them to Lady Charington's residence. Will Marc really set about finding a wife in such a cold and calculating manner and, if so, will she be in that ballroom? Find out by ordering a copy of A Bittersweet Proposal from your local library.

Wendy Soliman

A COUNTRY MOUSE and REGENCY EVENING

I have just received author's copies of my second Linford Romance, A Country Mouse; this came out last year with My Weekly Pocket Books with the title, A Journey To Love. I have no idea why the title was changed and was relieved that Linford Romance agreed to use the original.
I love the cover, so much better than the first one. I think having a great cover does influence a reader in the library to pick it up. What do you think?

This looks really interesting -- and even better, it's free! I shall be going, and so will others from this group. Maybe we'll see you there?

Pleasures and Pursuits: Regency Evening

Day Dress, 1819-20. Museum no. T.55-1934
Friday 13 June 2008
18.30-21.30
Throughout the V&A
Free (except talk £8.00, concessions available)
An evening of Regency period dance and music, live duelling, and parlour games. Test your knowledge in the Jane Austen Quiz, and listen to the renowned historian and broadcaster Dan Cruickshank discuss the delights and dangers of Regency London.

Many thanks to the British Fencing Association, The Royal Armouries and Leon Paul.

18.30 - 19.15, 19.30 - 20.15, 20.30 - 21.15, Raphael Gallery
Regency dance and music. Find a partner, learn the steps and join the dance. (Pick up a dance card for one session)

18.30 - 21.30, Norfolk House Music Room
Parlour games
Play Hazard, Loo and Teetotum with our Regency Master of Ceremonies

18.30 - 19.00, 19.30 - 20.00, 20.30 - 21.00, Meet in the Grand Entrance
Regency Tours
Wenches, cads, society ladies and gentlemen will lead tours throughout the British galleries

19.00 - 19.30, John Madejski Garden
Duelling
Fencers from the Royal Armouries demonstrate and narrate a scripted Regency duel


Three presentation swords (details of hilts), 1798-99, 1813-14 & 1781-82. Museum nos. M.39:1-1960, 274:1-1869, M.50-1963 (click image for larger version)
19.50 - 20.20, John Madejski Garden
The 'Sherridan Duel'
Fencers from the Royal Armouries re-enact a famous Regency duel

19.00 - 20.00, Lecture Theatre
Dan Cruickshank - Life in Regency London
A leading expert on architecture and historic buildings and a regular presenter on the BBC, Dan Cruickshank is best known for his popular series Britain's Best Buildings. He has published extensively on many aspects of Georgian and Regency history. This talk reviews the delights and dangers of living in Regency London.
£8, concessions available

19.30 - 21.30, John Madejski Garden
Fencing Tournament with the British Fencing Association. Two teams will fence against each other, battling to be the winning team

20.30 - 21.15, V&A Restaurant
Jane Austen Quiz
Enter the quiz to be crowned a Jane Austen aficionado
(up to 6 people per group)

Don't forget to borrow my books from your local library, UK only unfortunately, and if my latest, A Debt of Honour, isn't on the shelves ask them to get it for you. You can buy it from www.halebooks.com at a reduced price and postage free, and also from Amazon and other online retailers and good bookshops. Both The Return of Lord Rivenhall, A Country Mouse, and A Debt of Honour, can also be downloaded from www.regencyreads.com
www.fenellajanemiller.co.uk
Fenella Miller

Research books - part 1 of an occasional series

One of the best parts of writing Regency novels is the research. Romantics and Revolutionaries: Regency Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery London is a fascinating book.

Not only does it have full page reproductions of portraits of all the notable figures of the Regency, but it has useful and interesting biographical material about the sitters as well.

With women ranging from Lady Hamilton to Hannah More and men ranging from Byron to Wellington, it's a reminder of how varied life was in the Regency period.

Desks and books

Jane's post about untidy desks struck a chord with me as my desk is always in a terrible state. There are piles of reference books, which topple over occasionally; piles of print outs of my current work in progress; assorted pens, pencils, markers, paper clips and other similar items; as well as a cup of tea and biscuits.

When the Manchester Evening News were writing an article about me I knew they were going to send a photographer round and so I tidied my desk ruthlessly, leaving only my computer on the desk. When the photographer arrived and saw my desk he was dismayed.

'It's too tidy,' he said.

It turned out they like to photograph authors at their desks because they like the mess and chaos, so I had to litter my lovely tidy desk with anything I could get my hands on - which wasn't too difficult, as I'd run out of time when tidying up and so I'd simply lifted the last few piles of clutter into a handy cupboard!

Out it came, the photographer got his shots, and I learned an important lesson: never tidy your desk for the press!

Amanda Grange

Good News and Progress

I'm at that stage in my current book - Wild Justice- where it's threequarters finished and I'm galloping down the home stretch. That part is really exciting. But though I want to reach the end and for the crises to be resolved, when I get there I have to say goodbye to characters I've lived with and cared about for almost a year. That will be really hard. It's also the reason that as soon as I've cleared out my office, which looks like a cross between a burglary and an explosion, and sorted out the research material I'll need, I shall start the next book.

Meanwhile, I'm delighted to announce that Magna Large Print have offered for Devil's Prize and this edition should be available in the autumn.

Some additional and really pleasing news is that Chivers and Thorndike have just taken the last two of my 14 Mills & Boon novels written under the name of Dana James for Large Print here and in the US. As these were written in the 1980s and early 90s, to have them re-issued for a new readership is a great thrill. As I don't yet have a cover for the large print edition of Devil's Prize to show you, I thought you might like to see one of the LP Dana James jackets.

Jane Jackson

Not Quite Gardener's World - getting distracted amongst the Brussel Sprouts

I was checking the proofs for A Mistletoe Masquerade, my contribution to the Mills & Boon Christmas anthology for 2008, yesterday and was reminded of my search for the Regency Brussel Sprout.

Did they grow them, did they like them? That was the question. There was no sign of them in Thomas Mawe's Every Man His Own Gardener. My copy is the 14th edition - 1794 - and I didn't think veg growing would have changed that much in twenty years. Then I thought of checking in Grandfather's copy of The Cottage Gardeners Dictionary (1852, but then Grandpa was not given to the new-fangled and this had probably been his grandfather's copy.) And there it was - Brussels Borecole or Sprouts. Back to Mawe and sure enough - both Brown and Green Borecole "...greatly esteemed, for their being so hardy as to resist the severest cold; and they eat extremely sweet, but especially the sprouts which arise from the sides of the stalks."

I should have gone back to my proofs at that point, having checked the spelling and made sure the gardener's boy was doing the right thing with them, but any distraction is welcome when there are proofs to be read. What about recipes? I have four original cookery books for the early 19th century and not one has anything for Brussels Sprouts, Borecole or Cole. Perhaps the traditional method of boiling them until dead dates back to then, or perhaps it was just too simple to require spelling out.

OK, definitely time to get back to the proofs... But then I found myself looking for images of Regency gardens. While the professional gardeners were toiling in the vegetable garden it seems the gentry were indulging in a little recreational gardening themselves. I collect Regency bat-printed china (nothing to do with flying mammals, it has black and white printed images created by pressing a specially coated 'bat' onto the cup or plate) and many of those feature garden scenes.



The handsome gent presenting his lady with a rose isn't, when you look at it carefully, doing anything so romantic. What he is holding is a cutting - no wonder she looks decidedly underwhelmed.

And even ladies were gardening. How much they actually did outside, other than dead heading the roses, I'm not sure, but here is an earnest young woman tending her pot plants. Her outfit, illustrated in Ackermann's Repository (September 1820) is apparently "Cottage Dress" - a nice simple affair for getting amongst the weeds in!
And now, definitely time to get back to those proofs!


Louise Allen

HISTORY IN YORK

Last weekend I spent a very enjoyable time in York attending the Historical Novel Society Conference. The conference was held at the National Rail Museum, so our breakout area had awonderful view of the museum exhibits: steam and diesel locomotives, huge monsters in iron and steel – a fitting backdrop for Andrew Martin, author of a series of books featuring murder and mysteries based around the Edwardian railways.

As well as Andrew, we had writers as diverse as Susannah Dunn (Queen of Subtleties - Elizabethan), Jude Morgan (An Accomplished Woman - Regency) and Elizabeth Chadwick (The Greatest Knight - Medieval), plus two discussion panels. I took part in a discussion with Jude Morgan and Mary Sharratt on whether women have been written out of history and how we should be redressing the balance (the conclusion was that we are now doing just that, with more and more novels placing women centre stage). There was also a discussion on the future of historical fiction (conclusion there – that no one can predict what is going to happen!)

It was a wonderful day and I met many old friends and made many new ones – always a pleasure at such conferences.

We followed up on Sunday morning with a guided walk around the city. Despite the rain we had a wonderful time looking at the old Roman walls, the remains of a Norman house and the medieval fortifications and buildings that abound in York – we didn’t even get to the Regency period! It was a fascinating tour and has convinced me that a much longer stay in York is necessary to explore its wonderful history. I am already planning my trip!

Melinda Hammond (Sarah Mallory)

The challenge of writing a series

Writing a series such as the Loveday novels can be exhilarating and also daunting. When I was given a contract for books 10 and 11 in the series by Headline I had no problem coming up with the main theme of the novels. There were still issues to resolve within the family and adventures in history I wanted to place them in. I also wanted to know what would happen next.


It was not until I began to plot book 10 and was researching not only new plotlines but the history and changes brought about by historical events in Cornwall (which is the main setting) England, London and Paris, that I had something of a shock to discover that so far I had written over 1,250,000 words about the family. The challenge is not only to keep the plot fresh and also the motivation of the characters but neither must the settings or the manner of their conflict become repetitious or they will lose their appeal. Fortunately Cornwall is such an atmospheric place where the moors and coves change dramatically with the seasons and the weather that these are tools to ring the changes.

Fortunately human nature makes us all many facetted as our ideals and emotions change over the years. Since the novels have now covered fifteen years in time the central characters have changed and developed through their experiences and both their good and darker sides have been allowed to emerge. Historical events were fast changing and turbulent starting with the French Revolution and leading into the Napoleonic wars. Smuggling, privateering, gambling hells, highwayway robbery, hedonism and direst poverty are but a few of the diverse situations found themselves in.

As each book ends with a tense and dramatic scene this has so far been the springboard for changes that take place within the family structure and adventures to come. Research is not only knowing your subject well but peeling back the superficial layers to reveal the hidden depths within.

Kate Tremayne

Eloping with Mr Wickham

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, we learn that Lydia Bennet runs away with Mr Wickham. I always wondered how Mr Wickham and Lydia finally came to be together in Brighton and how he persuaded her that it was a good idea to elope. I don't want to spoil their story by revealing all, but here is an extract from a scene prior to their elopement. I used the Lydia letter that Jane Austen wrote but we see the scene through Lydia's eyes as she is writing to her friend Harriet. She is excited and so in love with her 'angel' that all she can think about is how they can be together at last.

Lydia ran to her room, retrieved her bundle and was about to go, when she was taken by the idea that she could not disappear without leaving Harriet with a hint of where she had gone. She sat down at the desk in front of the window to compose her letter. As she reached for her pen and dipped the quill in the black ink, she was overwhelmed by a desire for mirth. She tried to steady her nerves, breathing the salt tang coming in off the sea, but her laughter rose inside her to erupt into the silence of the room. The muslin at the bow window, caught by a sudden gust, snapped and flapped back, rattling the curtain rings, shaking the blinds. Lydia paused to look out through the glass at the grey clouds massing over the sea and heard the sound made by the waves as they crashed and churned; water sucking up the stones and dashing them down again on the beach below. A summer storm was brewing, but did nothing to dampen her excitement. She could hardly believe that the time to depart had arrived.

She started to write:

Dear Harriet,
You will laugh when you know where I am gone and I cannot help laughing myself at your surprise tomorrow morning, as soon as I am missed…

She hesitated as a resounding clap like a cracking whip tore across the heavens, lighting up the sky in sulphurous tones, before a roll of thunder crashed overhead. At once the rain began, blowing large, fat droplets across her missive, smudging and dissolving the ink, extinguishing the candle she had lit to provide more light against the dim evening. She stood up and lowered the window, taking in the scene below as figures dashed for cover from the tumultuous downpour. Carriages were arriving, bringing their pretty passengers to dance at the Assembly Rooms below. A girl, shivering in sheer muslin, alighted from a phaeton with her beau and was buffeted along by the wind, which whipped at her legs and threatened to snatch her bonnet. Some high-spirited young men leered enthusiastically at a trio of females who left them in no doubt of their mutual interest as they passed by. Coachmen turned up their collars, pulling down their hats and fastening close their carriage hoods against the unseasonable squall. Satin slippers were soaked through in seconds and shawls clutched tightly in an effort to stay dry, as another coach-load of ladies ran from the streaming gutters, shrieking and hopping through the puddles.

“Lord, what fun! What delights have been mine whilst here,” mused Lydia. “I will never forget my time in this pleasure haven. I could never have imagined, when I begged mama to let me go dancing with my sisters all those months ago, that my life would change so much, that I would not only be in love, but with the dearest and most handsome man in the whole world.” She felt another wave of sheer joy, mixed with the hope that her dreams were at last to be realised, and she laughed again to relieve the feelings bubbling inside.
But there was no time to stand and ponder, especially when her eye caught sight of a certain young Captain she wished to avoid running out across the road. She quickly drew back behind the curtain, returning to the desk to resume her letter.

I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess with who I shall think you a simpleton, for there is but one man in the world I love, and he is an angel, I should never be happy without him, so think it no harm to be off. You need not send them word at Longbourn of my going, if you do not like it, for it will make the surprise the greater when I write to them, and sign my name Lydia Wickham. What a good joke it will be! I can hardly write for laughing. Pray make my excuses to Pratt for not keeping my engagement and dancing with him tonight. Tell him I hope he will excuse me when he knows all, and tell him when we next meet at a ball I will dance with him with great pleasure. I shall send for my clothes when I get to Longbourn; but I wish you would tell Sally to mend a great slit in my worked muslin gown before they are packed up. Goodbye. Give my love to Colonel Forster. I hope you will drink to our good journey.

Your affectionate friend,
Lydia Bennet

Extract from Lydia Bennet's Story

Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels blog

Romantic Times Convention

On Tuesday I fly across the pond for the Romantic Times Convention at Pittsburgh. On my own.

I've discovered the joys of solitary travel recently, and they are joys. Only myself to answer to, I can listen to my music, read my books, go to the shops in the airport or just sit and stare into space. And write!

For this journey, around 10 hours in all, I'm planning to plan. Plot and try to work out some book plans for the next few efforts. Such a nice thing, al