I just got back from a day on the slopes. Conditions were good, the weather was glorious (for a change!) and we all got back in one piece. 🙂

Of course, since this is my blog day I had to think about whether skiing as such even existed during the Regency and whether anyone in our stories might have seen or done it. So I did some appallingly brief research into the subject and read an article on the history of skiing at http://www.skiinghistory.org/history.html.

There I learned that there are Stone Age rock carvings around the Artic rim showing “ski-shod hunters in hot pursuit of game”. There are further references and images throughout ancient history, including this picture of a skiing Lappish woman (or goddess–what is the difference?) by Olaus Magnus (1553).

So skiing has been around a long time, although it first began as a practical means of transportation in northern countries. The first skis were of the cross country type, attaching at the toe but allowing the skier to lift his/her heel.

Mountain farmers in the Telemark region of Norway refined cross country skiing, introducing a technique for turning which is known by the same name. I’ve seen Telemark turns performed by expert cross country skiers on regular alpine slopes and it’s quite impressive.

Interestingly, according to the article the British gave the impetus to the development of alpine or downhill skiing. “This idealistic sport of the Norwegians, stressing endurance on snow and fearless flight through the air was wrenched around by British skiers on the Continent to focus on the experience of ski descent on the snow, a form much more appealing to many more people.” This happened around the late 1800s and the popularity of downhill skiing rose when Mathias Zdarsky of Austria popularized the “stem turn” sometimes called the “snowplow” which is still taught to most beginning skiers.

What I have not been able to discover is what British tourists on the Continent might have witnessed during their Grand Tours. I can certainly imagine some hardy young gentleman seeing skiers racing down a slope in the Alps and deciding to emulate them. Anyone read an account of a Grand Tour to confirm this notion?

By the Regency the Little Ice Age (which some theorize is partially responsible for the glorious sound of Stradivari violins) was ending, so I doubt conditions existed in most of the British Isles to really encourage skiing. It’s fun to imagine some hardy Scotsman flying down the Cairngorms, perhaps not in a kilt. An intriguing image, though. 🙂

So do any of you know more about this than I do?

And does anyone else ski?

If you do, are you one of the brave souls who attempt slopes like Outer Limits in Killington, Vermont (pictured above)? I have looked at it from the safety of a lift and freely admit that a 45 degree slope covered with moguls (bumps) the size of VW bugs does not appeal to me. But I have friends who love just that sort of a challenge.

Or are you an intermediate like me? Here’s one of my favorite runs: Alcmene at Greek Peak. Steep enough to be interesting but not too scary.

Or would you prefer to stay in the lodge sipping hot chocolate or crooked coffee, perhaps wearing a fake cast?

Elena 🙂
www.elenagreene.com

Barbara Metzger is a hard act to follow, so what better to do than show a shark.

This is one of my favorite paintings- Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley, painted in 1778, the first of Copley’s “History Paintings.”

One copy of the painting (there are two, I believe) hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. I can remember seeing it when a child and now every time I go to the gallery, I must stop by and look at it.

It is a huge painting, a glorious and fearsome sight! I love the drama and emotion of it. The composition is ideal, making the eye travel from the highest figure with the pole to poor Watson, so bright in his nakedness and the shark, so sinister and murky.

The painting depicts a real event that took place in Havana, Cuba. Brook Watson, a 14 year old orphaned crewman, went for a swim and was attacked by a shark. In the painting, Copley successfully makes us wonder if his shipmates could save Watson. They did, although he lost a leg. Watson went on to become a London merchant and even served as mayor of London in 1796.

John Singleton Copley was an American who was urged to move to London by Joshua Reynolds and another American artist, Benjamin West. He and his family settled in London at the dawn of the American Revolution. Watson and the Shark was the painting that brought Copley his membership in the Royal Academy. By “our period” Copley’s works were no longer receiving critical acclaim, although he continued to live and work in England. He died in 1815.

Watson and the Shark appeared in the first book I ever wrote, an unpublished romantic suspense about a mental health social worker (I followed the advice of “write what you know”) who finds her favorite client dead of apparent suicide. The police detective charged with investigating the death believes her that the death was murder, not suicide. A print of Watson and the Shark hung in her office, as a reminder to clients that no matter how desperate and hopeless life becomes, there is always hope. (And, no, I did not have a print of Watson and the Shark in my office in the mental health center)

My pal Colleen Gleason (remember her book The Rest Falls Away and her interview here) told me about this wonderful website that offers art images free of any copyright restraints. I found the painting’s image there.

http://www.the-athenaeum.org/index.php

Whoo hoo! I expect we can have fun with this site!

Have you any painting or other piece of art that has affected you in some special way? Can you find it on Athenaeum?

Cheers!
Diane

Countdown to release of Innocence and Impropriety – 9 days
Countdown to Gerard Butler in 300 – 18 days

The Riskies are thrilled to have beloved Regency author Barbara Metzger with us today. She has won RWA’s RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Madcap Award for romantic comedy and two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times. You can learn more about Barbara and her books at http://www.barbarametzger.com/.

Her latest novel, THE HOURGLASS, garnered 4 ½ stars and a Top Pick from Romantic Times. Leave a relevant and original comment or question on this post for the chance to win an autographed copy!

Praise for Barbara Metzger and THE HOURGLASS

“One of the genre’s wittiest pens, Barbara Metzger deliciously mixes love and laughter.”

“After reading Metzger’s marvelous new book, readers will know why she’s considered a grand mistress of the Regency. A smart, emotionally intense, three-hanky novel…”

—Romantic Times

The Interview

You’re well-known with romance readers for your unique voice. Did you set out to have your own comic prose, or was it something that emerged naturally as you wrote your novels?

I never set out to be a writer, much less have a voice. I never knew I had one until a reviewer mentioned it. The humor developed on its own too, although it is less prevalent in the latest books. My editor wants deeper, darker, books (I worry she wants a different author!) with less alliteration, less Regency cant, less “rompish” plots. Sigh.

What of your writing process did you have to change when you started writing the longer romances?

With the longer length I had to add more complex plots, more characters, and more dialogue. I still struggle to make the word count, and still miss the novellas and shorter traditional Regencies. And see 1, above. The longer books seem to require more depth, less sight-gags, one-liners, and puns. Sigh.

Speaking of changes–your new book is a paranormal! Where did you get the inspiration for this story?

I have never had a clue where my ideas come from. The Idea Fairy, maybe. But I have used paranormal elements many times in the past, with talking dogs, talking paintings, talking mice, ghosts, fairies, and angels. When my editor suggested something “different” I was ready with ideas I was never able to use before. After more than 3 dozen novels and a dozen novellas, I was delighted to play with new imaginary worlds.

Tell us about the new release, and books you have coming up in the future!

THE HOURGLASS is set in Regency times, after a stop in Hell, where the hero gambles with Satan for another chance at life. He’s been assigned to the Grim Reaper as Ar Death, one of the Dead Letter Carriers. He has to find his hourglass, his humanity, his soul, his heart. Which is where the heroine comes in, naturally. Signet gave it a gorgeous cover, the best I have ever had. RT loved the book, making it a Top Pick with 4 1/2 stars, and putting the hero on the KISS list. My next book is TRULY YOURS, for Sept. 2007. Its cover is by the same artist. It’s also a Regency-set paranormal, but altogether different. In this one, the heroine is accused of murdering her step-father, and the only one who can save her is a disgraced lord who has the unique, secret talent of being able to discern truth from lie. What a good time I had playing with that!

What were some of the challenges researching for these new projects?

Well, I have never been to Hell or met the Grim Reaper, and I have no idea how lie detectors work, so Imagination was Rampant. The challenge in both books was keeping the premises consistent.

What is it about the Regency era that first drew you to it?

It was not the Regency era that drew me so much as the Regency Romance, the comedy of manners, the wit, the repartee, lords and ladies, the notions of honor and True Love.

Are there any authors who inspired your own writing?

Georgette Heyer, of course, and Claire Darcy after her. But also Barbara Cartland in her era, for making the Regencies sweet, short— and popular.

We pride ourselves on writing “Risky Regencies”. Tell us what is “risky” about your books, including the new one!

Well, if writing about Death isn’t risky, I don’t know what is! Maybe the Trilogy (ACE OF HEARTS, JACK OF CLUBS, QUEEN OF DIAMONDS) that was far more connected than most, or putting a serial killer in Regency London (A PERFECT GENTLEMAN.) For that matter I once put Elvis in a short story, “Love and Tenderness” in VALENTINES. And I wrote a whole Regency romance about Yankee baseball that few people realized. So you could say I often push the envelope. That gives way more avenues for plots and characters, and keeps the writing fresh for me, and for the reader, I hope.

Writing is a risky business from the start. Will the book sell? Will people like it? Will I still like it after months of work or will I be bored with the characters and plot? Above all, writing is hard work. The rewards can be great though: seeing your books on the shelf; having a small book store owner in Florida say “Hi, Mom,” when your mother walks in; the joy that comes from creating, imagining, making something out of nothing; and knowing that other people like what you are fortunate enough to do. I love to hear from readers— instant reassurance and encouragement. Anyone can write to me through my web site, http://www.barbarametzger.com/.

What are some new risks you’d like to take in the future?

I wrote one contemporary (LOVE, LOUISA) and I’d love to write more, maybe paranormal, maybe not.

Will you be making any appearances or booksignings in the near future?

Not if I can help it. I’d rather be writing a new book instead! I did my best promoting THE HOURGLASS by getting that color ad in RT so people could see the beautiful cover.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!