Hello, Risky Readers! I’m back from my travels, and ready to get back to writing and blog-reading (after finishing the laundry, anyway). It was a wonderful trip, and in the next few weeks I’m sure I’m going to be using my research in lots of posts. It’s hard to narrow down what I liked best (chocolate eclairs, maybe?), but these were some favorites:

Versailles: I especially loved walking around the gardens (the weather was beautiful), and exploring the Domaine de Marie Antoinette (the Petit Trianon and the too-cute-for-words Hameau)

Artists’ walk in Montmartre: I saw where Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Picasso, and many others lived and worked (plus Amelie’s cafe!)

Bath: This was just a quick day trip, but I got to have tea with the lovely Nicola Cornick at the Pump Room! Also explored museums and walked along the Circus and the Royal Crescent (there was an exhbit of costumes from Miss Austen Regrets at the Jane Austen Centre)

The Globe: I went to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe; Shakespeare as it was originally seen! (Sort of–it was an evening show, with artifical lights. But still magical)

Lunch with the Harlequin editors: That’s Linda Fildew and Joanne Carr with my mother and me, at an adorable French restaurant near their offices in Richmond! They have promised to visit Risky Regencies very soon, so stay tuned.

All in all, a fabulous visit, despite the exchange rate. What have you all been up to in my absence?? I see I missed dancing, books coming out, and Isaac Mizrahi interviews!

And, just in case you’re in the Christmas spirit (and who isn’t on October 4??), A Homespun Regency Christmas is on shelves now. It features my novella Upon a Midnight Clear (one of my favorite things I wrote for Signet Regencies), along with stories by Sandra Heath, Carla Kelly, and Emma Jensen.

A bientot! Happy Saturday, everyone.

(Today at Risky Regencies we’ve invited Andrea Pickens to be a guest blogger, and tell us about her newest release The Scarlet Spy! Comment for a chance to win an autographed copy…)

“Deftly blending an expertly realized historical setting and a deliciously subtle sense of wit, Pickens gives the popular espionage-tinged Regency plot a refreshing new twist as she brings the Spy trilogy to a spellbinding conclusion”–Booklist

Hi everyone! Amanda has invited me back to the Riskies to talk about my new book, which hit stores October 1. First of all, it’s so great to be back here among such a fun community of readers. I love stopping by and seeing all the smart, savvy discussions–and I never cease to be amazed by all the great things I learn here. It’s–well, it’s humbling. And inspiring, for I feel a knowledgeable, discerning audience challenges an author to try to create something really special.

Now back to the book! The Scarlet Spy is the third in my Regency-set “Spy” trilogy. The series revolves around the idea of a secret school for female spies. The students are orphans from the rough slums of London, who are trained in the art of swordplay and seduction. They’re tough, courageous, and smart (not to mention sexy!). Yet they also have an inner vulnerability.

For me, this was the foremost challenge–to create strong heroines who had very complex, and at times opposing, facets to their characters and use those conflicts to make them interesting and appealing to present-day readers. And I liked the idea of turning tradition on its ear by making women the kick-ass agents. After all, the Regency was really the beginning of the “modern” world, when so many old assumptions and attitudes were being questioned in art, politics, science, and society in general. The wars raging throughout the Continent reflected this clash of old and new. Women, in particular, were rebelling against the constrictions of the past. Many weren’t content with traditional roles and dared to explore their passions.

I’ve tried to make each of the three heroines very different individuals, and place them in different settings. Siena, from The Spy Wore Silk, is a brooding, introspective agent whose assignment involves attending an art auction at a rambling manor house in the wilds of Dartmoor. Shannon, whose explosive temper gets her in trouble, is the star of Seduced By A Spy. She sees action in Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland, where she teams with a rakish Russian spy to defeat a French assassin.

Sofia, who is featured in The Scarlet Spy, is the most ladylike of the three. Unlike her roomates, she has a natural grace and regal bearing. So it seemed right to put her in the heart of London, with a mission that calls for her to be introduced into the ton in order to learn who is running a ring of corruption operating in the highest circles of government. Not only does she spin through the glittering ballrooms of Mayfair, she also must explore the seedier parts of the city, where drugs and high-stakes gambling are just a few of the vices that abound.

I was very careful to base my plot on the realities of the time. For instance, smoking opium attracted a number of rich aristocrats who were drawn to “living on the edge.” One of the things that excites me about writing historical fiction is trying to make history come alive for those who might now know much about a particular era. For some odd reason, I’ve always been fascinated by the past–maybe because there are so many parallels to the present. I love trying to conjure up the taste, the smells, the feel of an era, so that it becomes richly textured, relevant, and real to readers.

That said, some readers have complained that my books aren’t “traditional Regency stories.” In other words, they are Risky! I take that as a huge compliment. Those who think the Regency just a polite world of formal tea parties and balls, governed by rigid rules of decorum that no one ever dared to defy have obviously never read the posts here. As all the Riskies have often pointed out, beneath the silks and satins was a darker side to Regency life. Sex, gambling, drugs, gossip, corruption–these forces were just as much in play in the 19th century as they are now. After all, human nature is human nature! So, while I may push the boundaries a bit, I take pains to be precise with historical details. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction!

I’ve been accused of being far-fetched in making women sword-wielding spies. But I like to point out that my research turned up a number of fascinating facts that show the era was anything but strait-laced. I wonder how many people know that there were actually women fighting onboard British ships at the Battle of the Nile, one of Nelson’s great victories. There are stories of females enlisted in the navy disguised as men, but Naval records confirm that Ann Hopping, who later remarried and was known as Ann Perriam, served as a powder monkey during the Napoleonic Wars.

And there’s the story of the cross-dressing Cound d’Eon, who disguised himself as a woman to spy in Russia–or was ‘he’ a ‘she’ who disguised herself as a man to spy in England? Wagers abound in the betting books of London regarding the true sex of the expert duelist. (An autopsy proved once and for all that d’Eon was indeed a man).

Research is always a fun part of writing a book. The Scarlet Spy is set in London, one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’ve been lucky enough to visit there a number of times over the years. So I’ve had a chance to walk through the parks and streets, studying the architecture and little details like door handles and window shapes. One of my favorite afternoons was accidentally stumbling upon St. George’s, Hanover Square, where many aristocratic weddings were held!

And of course the museums and galleries offer a wealth of inspiration. The Victoria and Albert is a treasure trove of fashion and everyday items, from keys and dinner plates to tea tables and wallpaper designs. (I think the guards thought I was a little weird getting down on my hands and knees to study a carpet pattern…) The world class art galleries, especially the National Portrait Gallery, also show a fascinating array of people and scenes of everyday life from the era.

Closer to home, I’m very lucky to live near a fabulous resource of original material from the Regency. The Center for British Art at Yale has a wonderful study room, where visitors can peruse the collection of prints and watercolors. I’ve spent hours looking at prints by Rowlandson and Gilray. I’ve also been able to go through boxes of Turner watercolor sketches (yes, actually touch them!). That’s been such an inspiring experience I’ve made the hero of my current WIP a gentleman artist.

In case you’re wondering what’s next after the spies of Mrs. Merlin’s Academy, I’m working on a new trilogy for Grand Central Publishing, which revolved around a small circle of intellectual females. The new trio of heroines are beautiful, brainy ladies with an expertise in science–and each has a dark secret in her past that comes back to haunt her. They’re scheduled for release in 3 consecutive months, but they won’t hit the shelves until early 2010. I hope to be back sometime in the future to tell you more about it! In the meantime, please check out my website for chapter excerpts, arcane trivia, and the chance to win autographed books from me and other GCP authors.

Congratulations, Louisa Cornell! You have won a signed copy of The Scarlet Spy. Email your address to us at riskies@yahoo.com to claim your prize

So, I did promise lots of posts using the research I accumulated on my European adventure! (like that annoying relative with all their vacation slides, the ones that go on for hours and hours…).

Today I’ll talk a bit about my visit to Versailles, especially the Petit Trianon and the adorable Hameau (called on the rather confusing directional signs “Domaine de Marie Antoinette.” Hint: when you come to the fork in the pathways and it points left, go right). The Trianon just completed a year-long, $7 million renovation, meant to look as if the Queen and her friends had just stepped away for a moment. I was lucky to have a beautiful warm, sunny day, the perfect time to wander the gardens and daydream about going back in time about 230 years.

The Petit Trianon was built between 1762 and 1768, originally meant for Madame de Pompador, though she died before she could make use of it. It was then used a bit by Madame du Barry, but did not come into its own until 1774, when it was gifted to Marie Antoinette as her little retreat from the suffocating etiquette of Versailles (if you look at pics contrasting her bedrooms in the chateau and in the Trianon, you can see why she might need a break! Sorry about the fuzzy quality of the Trianon pic–I was in a hurry)

According to the booklets I bought, it’s a fine example of the transition from Roccoco style to the refined Neoclassical. The exterior is simple and elegant, essentially a big cube with four facades that reflect the part of the estate they face. The gardens around the house reflect the Queen’s interest in the more natural, “English” style of garden espoused by Rousseau, and features meandering paths, streams, and a little Temple of Love as well as a grotto. Inside, the rooms are airy and intimate, the perfect place to hang out with friends, play some music, have a little play in the cute little theater–get into some amorous trouble!

A short walk from the house (follow the little stream past the Temple and turn left, through the trees) there is the Hameau, the rustic retreat meant to look like a miniature (and cleaned-up) Norman peasant village. It comes complete with a dairy, mill, and farmhouse, and this is where the Queen and her friends would wear their simple little white muslin dresses and straw hats and chase sheep around. (On display was one of her milk buckets, porcelain from Sevres, fashioned to look like wood and decorated with the entwined MA monogram). The little gardens were in full autumn bloom, with pumpkins and apples, though the buildings can only be peeked at through doors and windows.

It was here, while sheltering from the rain in the grotto, that the Queen learned an angry mob was on its way from Paris. She returned at once to the chateau, and never saw the Petit Trianon again.

I had the most wonderful afternoon wandering around here, picturing what it all must have been like! I wished I had a muslin gown and little lamb to make it all complete. (Though I’m sure the other tourists around thought I was crazy enough already, the way I ran about exclaiming over everything…)

What would be your favorite part of Versailles? Or of any historical site? Do you go a little crazy there, like I do??

And next week we will move across the channel (and back even further in time) to the Tower of London…