My post is a bit late, but not untimely. The Risky Regency ladies are in Washington DC for the RWA National Conference.
We were excited to be interviewed by Kim Alexander, the host of Fiction Nation on XM Satellite Radio. We had a wonderful talk about Romance, our books, romance books in general, the Regency era and why it’s so popular. We should have a link to an audio file for you in just a few days. Fiction Nation will be doing several more interviews on, at and about the RWA conference, so you should give them a listen. We’re hoping Kim and her show hook up with Janet Mullany (who was unable to be there due to a prior engagement) to get the low down on the pebbled nub.
After our interview, your Risky ladies had lunch at the Supreme Court. We did not see any judges but we did see a beautiful spiral staircase.
The Literacy Signing is tonight, July 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Wardman Marriot in Washington DC. If you’re in the area, please stop by and say hi to the Riskies, visit your other favorite authors (besides us, of course!) and support a great cause.
When I started writing my October historical release, Indiscreet, I didn’t intend for the story to be set anywhere but in England. But my heroine, Sabine, had been so terribly wronged, she and her uncle (and guardian) had to leave the country. Well. Where would they go? Europe smack in the middle of the Napoleonic wars would be a bit dicey.
For some reason my brain brought up the Ottoman Empire, as mentioned in previous posts here. Syria happened to be a province at the time and Aleppo, one of its most famous cities, had a crucial location and role in the period. This city was a main stop for caravans going to the Orient or back toward the port city of Iskenderun. But Aleppo (Haleb, as it is more accurately spelled today) isn’t the only fascinating place in Syria.
The Roman city of Serjilla is one place I’d love to visit. Picture courtesy of traveladventures.org
Then there’s the castle of Bagras, of which Wikipedia has this to say:
Bagras or Baghras is the name of a town and nearby castle in present-day Turkey, in the Amanus Mountains.
The castle, properly known as Gastun (or Gaston, Guascon, Gastim) provided a base for a force to cover the Syrian Gates, the passes between İskenderun and Antioch. It was built in two levels around a knoll, the fortification resembling Armenian work, and with water supplied by aqueducts.[1]
It was built about 1153 by the Knights Templars[1] and held by them or by the Principality of Antioch until it was forced to capitulate to Saladin on 26 August 1189. It was retaken in 1191 by the Armenians (under Leo II),[1] and their possession of it became a major point of contention between them and the Antiochenes and Templars.
After much negotiation, it was finally returned to the Templars in 1216. According to the Armenian chronicles, it withstood a siege by the forces of Aleppo at about this time.[2] After the fall of Antioch to Baibars in 1268, the garrison lost heart, and one of the brothers deserted and presented the keys of the castle to him. The remaining defenders decided to destroy what they could and surrender the castle. Despite the loss of the castle, Hethum II of Armenia and Leo IV of Armenia soundly defeated a Mamluk raiding force in the nearby pass in 1305.
In America, we tend to think of England has having some real but the UK has nothing on a country like Syria (Some very interesting information at that link). And with vistas like this:
There’s also the water wheels in the Syrian city of Hama. When Syria talks about history, don’t be surprised if they’re talking about the Iron Age. Here’s a great link to a website that had pictures of traditional costumes You probably won’t be surprised if I tell that I wasn’t very far into my research before I wanted to visit Syria.
What (Not!) To Wear, Part 2: This Tuesday, Amanda shared some of her thoughts on Dressing For the RWA National Conference. Today I’d like to talk about some of what I saw a few weeks ago in Washington, DC. It was not pretty.
1. Monochrome outfits–head-to-toe (including hat!)–in the same color make you look like a weirdo, not interesting or creative or anything but ‘stay the hell away from me’ bad. 2. Mom jeans are not a good idea unless you plan on doing some gardening. Which I don’t believe was an option during National.
3. White shoes?!?
4. No, I don’t want to see your rack. Or any part of you that isn’t normally on view. Unless your day job is being wrapped around a pole. Thanks. 5. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN GET IT ON DOESN’T MEAN IT FITS.
5a. If your usual size seems snug, there is no shame in going up another size. No-one will know you’ve got on a size 12 instead of a 10. We will all, however, be grateful for your discretion.
6. Just because it DOES fit doesn’t mean it’s age-appropriate. Here’s a tip: If you’re over 21, don’t shop at Forever 21, Mandee’s or Hot Topic. 7. Wear comfy shoes. And if you don’t wear comfy shoes, don’t complain loudly about your pained feet. Honestly? We don’t care.
8. Random zippers were okay back in the ’80s. Not so much now.
9. All kidding aside, most of these observations were limited to a few people. I just like to snark (like you didn’t know that?)
This is what a finished book looks like. Last night I finished Improper Relations, my next Little Black Dress book, and this is the entire manuscript dropped on the floor as I went through it page by page after a hard copy edit.
Whew! I’m still catching up from Nationals and then a Mullany expedition to the beach last week where I thought I’d have internet but didn’t. Here’s a pic of my mother in law Rosie Mullany to whom I dedicated A Most Lamentable Comedy.
But today is the birthday of Emily Bronte (1818-1848) so I thought we should talk about Wuthering Heights. I consider it an odd, difficult novel, full of shifts in time and narration. Where Jane Eyre (by sister Charlotte) has a clear legacy in popular fiction (plain, poor, virtuous heroine–check; brooding dark hero–check; brooding dark house–check; unspeakable secrets–check), what influence has Wuthering Heights had?
It’s almost as though Wuthering Heights stands alone, the odd cousin who smells of elderberries and talks to herself in a corner at the family gathering. We know she’s there, we know she’s part of the family, but she doesn’t quite fit in. Somehow she takes things to extremes–Heathcliffe is dark and brooding yet psychopathic; the heroine dies; the bleak landscape is the star of the show.
And what about the movie versions? Do you think any of them crack the Wuthering Heights code? There’s the 1939 classic with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon (left); the 1992 version with Juliette Binoche (whom I love, but why??) and Ralph Fiennes with bad hair.
The most recent is the 2009 PBS adaptation with Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy (both of whom look far too clean in this pic and yet another bad Heathcliffe wig). And according to this article Keira Knightley and Lindsay Lohan are battling it out for the role of Cathy in yet another remake.
But to me, the most brilliant adaptation is this one by Monty Python (it starts about a minute in after some silly stuff with a policeman but this was the only one I could find without Spanish subtitles):
What do you think? Is there a movie version you like? A book you feel that is particularly influenced by Wuthering Heights?
My blog tour continues tomorrow with a visit to the Word Wenches and more next week–visit my website for the whole schedule (and enter the contest, which is ending soon, while you’re there).
