Back to Top

Monthly Archives: March 2007

Oh, this is a week of ANTICIPATION for me!

First, I am eagerly awaiting the Risky Regencies very first COVER MODEL Interview!! Coming March 11 and 12

When my The Wagering Widow came out Feb 2006, the publicist for Richard Cerqueira, romance novel cover model, contacted me to let me know Richard’s hand was on the cover–and a much better image on the inside! I did some promotion for Richard at the Romantic Times Convention last year and he almost-almost-joined me for a booksigning on Long Island at Side Street Books in Patchogue (alas, he was out of town that day).

Now he has agreed to be interviewed here at Risky Regencies! He’s going to tell us all about the nitty gritty of doing a romance shoot and he’s also got some exciting news to share about his life….

Richard also will kindly offer us a prize: an autographed photo of him at a Romance Cover Shoot. Wait until you see it!!

But before next Sunday….. the days will finally be counted down and the wait over.

Gerard Butler’s new move 300 will be released this Friday, March 9 and I will have seen it!

The movie is the cinematic recreation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, 300, telling of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. A small force of 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas (Butler) hold back an invasion of the huge Persian army for three days. The brave 300 fight to the death, ultimately losing the battle, but because of them, the Persian army sustained astronomical losses, Greece was never conquered, and Western Civilization was preserved!

The movie, as you can imagine, will be very violent, but the innovative cinematography promises to present the images in a unique form. Like in the movie Sin City, Zack Snyder filmed the actors against a blue screen, computer generating the setting details afterward. To learn more about 300 and to view some amazing movie trailers, go to the 300 internet site

What, besides it being Diane’s latest obsession, connects the movie 300 to the Regency Period?
That is your question of the day, my friends!!!

Ha ha! You think I’m done but there is more anticipation in my beating little heart.

EHarlequin is going to post their Readers Choice Awards on March 14. My A Reputable Rake is up for Favorite Historical and Mistletoe Kisses is up for Favorite Anthology.

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to go to eHarlequin and vote for your favorites. You will have to sign in or register, but that is an easy matter (just look for the little sign-in icon in the upper right corner). Vote HERE.

I’m not done yet.

By now you know that my Innocence and Impropriety is in bookstores this month. (I’ve only told you a million times!) Now I am anxiously awaiting its Reviews.

So far the reviews have been positive. Check out the ones on Amazon.com and Romance Reviews Today.

But more are due any day now…..

I’ll be Blogging about Innocence and Impropriety and the writing life on Romance Vagabonds on Wednesday, March 7. They call themselves “just a ragtag bunch of writers…” Just my kind of folks, I say!!!

And that is ALL I have to look forward to…….except doing taxes, but that is a whole other kind of anticipation!

Question Number 2 of the day: What are you looking forward to?

Cheers!
Diane


Carla Kelly has won two RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America and has published over a dozen Regency novels, contributed to anthologies, and published fiction outside of the genre, in particular a collection of short stories set in the American Frontier titled Here’s To The Ladies.

Beau Crusoe, her newest release, has just been released. Her last fictional foray (she edited On The Upper Missouri: The Journal Of Rudolph Friederich Kurz, 1851-1852) was in the anthology Wedding Belles, published in early 2004, so Kelly fans have been eagerly awaiting this book. She’s got a new publisher and Beau Crusoe, rumor has it, is a bit racier than her earlier traditional Regencies. Risky Regencies sat down for a virtual cup of tea with the amazingly talented Ms. Kelly.

(And remember, comments on this post will be entered into a contest to win one of two signed copies of Beau Crusoe).

Carla, thank you for being here.

Q. Readers frequently list your books as their favorites of all time; what do you think it is about your writing that readers respond to?

A. Gosh, start off with easy questions… I’m probably the wrong person to answer this. I just write the way I write. A friend of mine did tell me once that she liked my books because the main characters are ordinary, and prone to squaring their shoulders and solving their own problems – probably as most of us do in real life. Maybe we see ourselves in these practical people.

Q. How did you think of writing this particular book? Did it start as a character, a setting, or some other element?

A. It started as a setting, and then the “what if” took over. Several years ago, I read Tony Horwitz’s marvelous book, Blue Latitudes: (subtitled – I think – ‘Going boldly where Captain Cook has gone before.’) Horwitz followed Capt. James Cook’s first voyage in the Endeavor, as he went to Tahiti to observe the Transit of Venus. I was fascinated. Years earlier, I had seen an equally excellent mini-series of Cook and his voyages. And Thor Heyedahl’s Kon-Tiki was the first book I read all night, under the covers with a flashlight. And then there is the towering figure of Sir Joseph Banks, a scientist. There’s a theme here.

My current landlocked status in North Dakota in no way reflects my childhood as the daughter of a naval officer, living overseas or on one coast or the other. I love the ocean, and I know how terrible it can be.

I knew I would write another sea story, because I like writing them – such a C.S. Forester fan I am – and I duplicate no other writer when I do it. This matters to me.

Q. How long did it take? Was this an easy or difficult book to write?

A. It took too long. I was moving along on the Beau when Harlequin announced it was dropping its historical line. My agent and I decided it was best to stop, because the terms of my contract didn’t include the subscription-only idea Harlequin hatched. So I quit writing it.

The, when Harlequin announced it was starting the line again and all was forgiven, I was so irritated I didn’t feel like writing. Plus, since I had no prospects after the line was discontinued, I’d taken a job as staff writer for a small, understaffed daily newspaper in our town. This eventually meant I had to ask for two extensions on the deadline because – irony of ironies – I was too busy writing to write. I’m still working for the newspaper, but if Harlequin will agree to my next two proposals, the paper will get an instant two-week notice. I work too hard for too little pay there, but that’s North Dakota.

The story itself wasn’t difficult. I knew what I wanted to say. Yeah, well, it was 100 pages longer than the story you have, so I needed to trim.

Q. Tell me more about your characters. What or who inspired them?

A. The Beau is really an amalgam of naval officers who also were amateur scientists. He was not alone in his interests. The growth of England’s sea power, coupled with the happy era of interest in the natural world, gave the study of natural science a huge push. These amateur scientists fascinate me. I wanted the Beau to be among that august company. And there was Sir Joseph Banks. Oh, my. And Susanna was just trying to make the best of a bad situation, as we often have to do, even now.

Q. Did you run across anything new and unusual while researching this book?

A. I learned a great deal about fiddler crabs! I still have a small drawing of one perched at eye level above my computer. My husband enlarged the drawing, which I plan to frame, as my little gift to me for Beau Crusoe. I also learned more about the Royal Society, which still awards a Copley medal.

Q. What is it about the Regency period that interests you as a writer?

A. In two words: Napoleonic Wars. Beyond that, I’m interested in an era where people knew their place and lived their lives within a narrow sphere. The Industrial Revolution was starting to make itself felt, too, when there would be many wrongs to right, and people wouldn’t know their place anymore.

Q. What do you think is the greatest creative risk you’ve taken in this book? How do you feel about it?

A. It’s sexier than my other books. I’m ambivalent, particularly since Beau’s encounter with Lady Audley is so blatant. I tried to make it ironic and ruefully witty, and hope I succeeded. Don’t think I’m going to send this one to my 85-year-old mum, though.

Q. Is there anything you wanted to include in the book that you (or your CPs or editor) felt was too controversial and left out?

A. Yes, actually. I wrote a “Dear Reader” after the final chapter, which was an epilog, of sorts, bringing the story all the way up to the present. My editor seemed to think this would confuse readers into thinking the novel was a true story, and asked not to include it. I disagreed with her, but went along. Perhaps, unlike her, I know and trust my readers’ intelligence and know they would not be confused.

HOWEVER, if, after reading the book, any readers are interested, I will happily e-mail that “Dear Reader,” and they can attach it to their copy of Beau Crusoe. I will e-mail it only after they have finished the book: ckelly@ daktel.com

Q. In Here’s to the Ladies, you wrote about Frontier America, and also wrote in the first person in at least one of the stories in the collection; what other time periods and/or writing styles have you, or would like to, try?

A. When I finished Beau Crusoe, I sent my editor at Harlequin a detailed outline for a novel set at Fort Laramie during the Great Sioux Wars. It’s a novel I really, really want to write, because I know this subject so well. I also sent a detailed outline for a novel set in 1701 at Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, which I really, really want to write. She could not have been less interested. She also broke the news gently to me that all Harlequin wants are more Regencies from me. Seems a shame. I decided not to write any more, but recently ate my words and sent her one detailed outline for another regency, and a sketch of a second. I’m doing this because a) I really am eager to stop writing for the newspaper b) I have two excellent ideas here. Maybe I’ll toss in a third and we can call it a Portsmouth Trilogy. But each book stands alone. I’m not a fan of spinning on more and more characters that appear everywhere, like Where’s Waldo.

As for other styles, I’m comfortable with the way I write, which I suspect is a little different than some.

Q. What are you working on next?

A. Depending on whether my editor likes my next two ideas, probably a Regency set in the grubby naval town of Portsmouth, during the darkest days of the Blockade brought on by Napoleon’s Berlin and Milan Decrees, and the British answer – Orders in Council. People are hungry, fortunes are few, and times are tough. (Aren’t people always more interesting when times are desperate?)

In the sketchy outline for the 2nd book, there’s nary an aristocrat in sight. I seem to be specializing in dukeless books, which I’m sure suits my readers, because I never seem to get those right, anyway. And if Harlequin isn’t interested in those, I’ll probably just go ahead and finish my Wyoming story set in 1910. Well, I’ll finish that, anyway, and then sell it to a publishing house in Utah, which is interested.

Q. Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you or your books?

A. I do so much more than write Regencies. I’m sure that’s true of all writers.

Thank you, Carla!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 41 Replies

I admit it–I have nothing today. Nothing Regency, anyway. I haven’t been reading any Regency research books. I haven’t seen the movie Amazing Grace, with my #3 boyfriend Horatio Hornblower, er Ioan Gruffyd as an extremely idealized William Wilberforce. (Have any of you? What did you think? Should I check it out?). Haven’t read any Regency-set romances, though I have several on my TBR piles. I have been doing quite a bit of research, but all for my Marie Antoinette and Henry VIII projects (I call them that, even though MA and Henry are very minor characters, and never appear together, unless I try to write after a glass of wine!). I’m not sure that info is right for Risky Regencies. But I’ll be happy to share if anyone is interested!

This is the time of year when the late winter doldrums hit me. Spring is close–some days are so warm I can almost taste it! Then we’re hit with more freezing rain and the sweaters come back out. I want flip flops and sundresses, darn it! So, I went out today and bought some pale pink nail polish (OPI’s Let Them Eat Rice Cake), and got my hair cut even shorter. I was hoping for ‘chic Frenchwoman’ a la Audrey Tautou but I fear it turned out more as if Sweeney Todd took a job at my salon. At least hair grows back, right?

This is a good time to keep busy. My dance class this week covered the basics of tango, which I loved. Must find a way to put it in a book! And my Oscar party went off well. I served chocolate desserts and pomegranate martinis, so no one cared much when the broadcast went on absurdly long, and I didn’t feel too bad when I lost the Oscar pool. I totally missed Best Supporting Actor (who didn’t??) and Best Picture. But I did call Marie Antoinette for Best Costumes! Some of my favorite gowns–Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Penelope Cruz (though I would look like a demented tea cozy if I tried something like that!). Least favorite–Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst, Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep (I know she hadn’t a chance of winning, but did she have to wear whatever was on top of the laundry basket??), and Jennifer Hudson (though I did like the gold lace Cavalli she wore later, just hated that dull brown dress and weird Star Trek-ish bolero jacket). You can see all these and more at Go Fug Yourself!

To recap–Have you seen Amazing Grace? Read anything good lately? Want to hear more about 1780s France and 1520s England? Seen any nice spring nail polish colors? And what were your favorite Oscar looks?

Be sure and join us tomorrow, when the Riskies welcome Carla Kelly! Her book Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand is one of the best Regencies ever (IMHO), so I’m very excited!


Romance novels obviously draw inspiration for their plot lines from children’s fairy tales—Cinderella, where the poor scullery-maid gets outfitted in a fabulous gown and meets a handsome prince, Beauty And The Beast, where a woman meets a man whose rough exterior hides a sensitive soul, and stories where the woman must sacrifice herself to an evil being to save her family (sound familiar?), and the evil being ends up being a handsome prince.

Cara’s post about children’s books reminded me of my all-time favorite fairy story collection, which Elena also mentioned: Andrew Lang’s Colored Fairy Books, 13 in all, which gather tales from around the world, including Japan, Romania, Iceland, Africa, and India, as well as the ubiquitous European sources.

(For more information and complete texts (!) of Andrew Lang’s stories, click here. And if you ever get the chance to read one of these books for yourself, pay attention to H.J. Ford’s magnificent illustrations, which aren’t done justice recreated here on the web.)

I’m right in the middle of writing a road/marriage of convenience story, but am already beginning to think about the next book; what are your favorite fairy stories, and how would you translate them into a Regency setting?

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 14 Replies

That’s one of the traditional sayings in England (and a lot of other places too) for the first day of the month. I have no idea why or what it means. Another tradition is to sidle up to someone and say, with appropriate gestures, A pinch and a punch for the first of the month–very popular among children–and then run before they can retaliate with A pinch and a kick for being so quick. Again, other than the opportunity for random violence, I have no idea of the origins.

Today, March 1, is also the feast day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales–and here’s the Regency connection–he was responsible for creating the warm springs of Bath! Apparently he also liked dancing with large rams while wearing an eyepatch.

March 1 is also the day on which William Caxton, a former wool merchant, began his translation into English of The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye for Margaret of Burgundy, sister of the King of England. Caxton set up a printing press in Bruges and printed his translation, the first book in the English language, in 1475. He moved his printing business to London, where his books included two editions of The Canterbury Tales.

And in other literary news, the first edition of The Spectator was published on March 1, 1711.

Do you have any first of the month rituals? Do you have any particular goals for this month, writing or personal, you’d like to share? Mine are to finish revisions on one book, update my website, and, oh, all the usual stuff about not eating so much etc.

Janet, Noodler of the Month at www.wetnoodleposse.com