March kicks off a very exciting (and busy!) spring for me with the release of 2 stories! One is Scandalous Brides, a re-release of two of my Signet Regencies (my first two books, Scandal in Venice and The Spanish Bride), with a beautiful new cover! And the other is a Harlequin Historical Undone short story, To Bed a Libertine, which launches my “Muses of Mayfair” series in the US (To Catch a Rogue, April 2010; To Deceive a Duke, May; To Kiss a Count, June).

In celebration, I’ll give away a copy of Brides and a free download of Libertine to two commenters on today’s post!

As every writer knows, the Muses are 9 goddesses who inspire artistic creation (when they feel like it! They often seem quite fickle to me, even when I try to lock them up in my office and make them help me…). According to the Theogony of Hesiod (7th century BC) they’re the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory.

Although in some traditions there are only 3 or 4 Muses, in traditional stories of Hellenistic times there are 9. Calliope (chief of the Muses and in charge of epic poetry); Euterpe (lyric song); Clio (history); Erato (poetic poetry); Melpomene (tragedy); Polyhymnia (sacred song); Terpsichore (dance); Thalia (comedy/bucolic poetry); and Urania (astronomy). In ancient Greece they were usually evoked at the beginning of a poem or song, asking for their help or giving them credit. (Maybe I should try that sometime…) Even later poets utilized this tradition, such as Dante (“O Muses, o high genius, aid me now!”) and Shakespeare (“O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention”).

In my “Muses of Mayfair” trilogy, the 3 Chase sisters (Calliope, Clio, and Thalia) are mortal women of the Regency era with the misfortune of having classical scholars for parents who saddle them with these names (though they each have elements of their namesakes!). In To Bed a Libertine we meet a real Muse, Erato, Muse of erotic poetry. She and her sisters have taken on the Chase heroines as a special project since their births, and when she checks in on them in her magic reflecting pool on Mount Olympus she sees Calliope is in danger of losing her true love Lord Westwood.

So Erato takes herself off to Regency London to help reverse this catastrophe–only to find herself falling passionately in love (for the first time in her very long life!) with Lord Tristan Carlyle, a handsome, rakish artist in need of her brand of inspiration…

I had so much fun writing To Bed a Libertine, and all the Muse books! (And I confess, I fell a little in love with Tristan myself! Plus I’m thinking of growing my hair long and dying it red after getting this cover). I got to combine 2 great loves, Regency England and ancient Greek myths, plus meet 4 hunky Regency heroes. It was also a blast to imagine what a Greek goddess might think of the London ton (naturally the first thing she does is go shopping for some fabulous clothes and a bright yellow phaeton!).

What would your own personal Muse look like? Do you use any good luck charms to get your creativity flowing? (on my desk I have a little jeweled elephant, a Hello Kitty figurine, a Jane Austen action figure, and a little Dorothy doll. They must all be in their correct places before I get started)

And be sure and check out my website, which has updates for all these upcoming stories, plus another contest! (enter to win all 3 Muse books, plus a Calliope pendant from Tartx)

Sorry I’m so behind in my winner-picking duties! The winners from Tuesday’s March Madness post are:

Virginia C–one copy of Scandalous Brides
Kim in Hawaii–a free download of To Bed a Libertine

Please send us your contact info at Riskies AT yahoo.com!

The Riskies are happy to welcome Cara Elliott (aka Andrea Pickens) to the blog to talk about her “debut” series! Comment for a chance to win a copy of To Sin With a Scoundrel…

An enjoyable romance peopled with charming characters that demonstrate her strong storytelling gift! –RT Book Reviews

Riskies: Welcome back, Andrea! Tell us about To Sin With a Scoundrel and your new series as Cara Elliott!

Cara: The Circle of Sin trilogy, which marks my debut as Cara Elliott, centers around a small group of female scholars who meet each week to share their knowledge–and their friendship. The 3 heroines of the trilogy, Ciara, Alessandra, and Kate, are beautiful and brainy. And they each have a scandalous secret…

The 3 stories are all about past deceptions, dark secrets, and hidden passions. Each of the heroines must draw on her own cleverness and courage–as well as help from a sinfully sexy rogue–when a past sin stirs up a mix of deadly intrigue and dangerous desires.

To Sin With a Scoundrel, the first book in the series, features Lady Ciara Sheffield, a reclusive widow. Because of her expertise in chemistry, she’s been shadowed by rumors that she poisoned her late husband. When his relatives try to gain custody of her young son and his inheritance, her friends decide she needs a rich and influential fiance to help quell any scandal. The rakish Earl of Hadley doesn’t seem to be an ideal choice. A fun-loving, hell-raising devil he is her exact opposite–but in science there’s the old adage “opposites attract”…

Riskies: What was the inspiration for the stories, and what kind of research did you do? Did you base your scientific circle on real women of the Regency era?

Cara: The inspiration for the series came a few years ago when I saw a couple of exhbits on women of the Romantic era. They showcased a wonderful array of real-life females, from scientists and writers to artists and explorers. Their stories and accomplishments were truly amazing, and it brought home to me how much courage and conviction these women had to dare to defy the conventions of their time in order to pursue their passions.

For example, there was Mary Shelley, who eloped to Europe at 16 with married poet Percy Shelley–and then went on to become a famous writer of her own. And then there was Augusta Ada Byron, Countess Lovelace, daughter of Byron, who was a mathematical genius. She survived an abusive childhood and went on to work with Charles Babbage, helping to develop the precursor to the modern computer.

So I knew right then that I wanted to write a series that celebrated the spirit of these smart, brave women.

But even though my heroines are smart, they don’t live in an ivory tower! There are some pretty steamy scenes in Scoundrel, but they certainly weren’t difficult to write. I just call in Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom for a little rehearsal, and then it’s no problem at all! (Sometimes I have to settle for Daniel Craig, but what’s a girl to do?)

Riskies: What is “risky” about the book?

Cara: Well, I tend to write offbeat, unconventional heroines, maybe because I tended to be a tomboy as a child and was often chided to “act more like a normal young lady!” (To her credit, my mother was not one of those voices. She always encouraged my enthusiasms, whether they involved cutting out cardboard swords and crowns, or making bows and arrows, for which I am profoundly grateful). In any case, none of my heroines are demure, dainty demoiselles swathed in layers of satin and silk. They’re more the sort of women who don’t mind rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty, both physically and metaphorically. I enjoy creating characters who are both strong and vulnerable. To me, that dichotomy adds depth and texture to a story.

Riskies: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Cara: Oh, I always had stories bubbling around in my brain! I wrote my first book at age 5, a cowboy story with brightly colored drawings of horses and gunslingers. (Since I now write Regencies, I must have a thing for Men In Boots!). My other childhood memory of storytelling was a 5th grade English class. I had a wonderful teacher who gave us really interesting projects. One day he walked in with a sheaf of pictures cut out of magazines, and handed one to each of us. The assignment was to spend the next half-hour writing a short story based on the picture. Then we all had to show our picture and read our stories aloud. After class, as we were filing out to math or some other odious subject, he took me aside and said that he had been sitting in the back of the room, half listening to everyone as he corrected papers, but when I started to read he put his pen down. “You have a real talent for this,” he said with a pat on my shoulder.

So I’ve always had a vivid imagination…so much so that I think at times it worried my parents that I was so happy in my own little world, drawing, reading, playing with toy soldiers. My teachers would tell you that I was the class history geek, even in grade school. In high school, my interest in art sort of took over and steered me away from writing. I remained a voracious reader, and as a history minor in college I wrote reams of non-fiction essays, but storytelling got put on the back burner.

Then about 12 years ago the Muse started whispering in my ear again. I sharpened my pencil and opened a blank notebook–and despite the craziness of the publishing world I can’t imagine my life without writing!
Riskies: What’s next for you?

Cara: I’m working on a new trilogy for Grand Central, and I also have some historical mystery ideas taking shape….

And in June look for the second “Circle of Sin Book” To Surrender to a Rogue!
Riskies: You’re currently teaching a seminar on Regency romance at Yale! What’s that been like? What’s the reaction of your students to romance fiction? Has it had an effect on your own writing?

Cara: Teaching the seminar with Lauren Willig has been an amazing experience! Our students come to class each wekk with such interesting reactions to the book assignments. Their comments have been fresh, witty, unexpected, amusing, and it’s made me look at my own views from a whole new perspective. The dialogue and debate are exciting and inspiring.

We’ve been tracing the development of the Regency romance from Austen to the modern American practicioners, and we talk about such things as what makes a compelling hero and heroine, as well as plot tropes and the nature of love and romance. So in drafting the lesson plans for each week I’ve had to read (or re-read) the books not just for enjoyment but with a critical eye, looking at language, structure and characterization. I’ve learned a lot about writing, and I hope the students have too. I’ve really enjoyed every minute–but I have to say, I had forgotten how much work school is!

For more information on Cara’s books, and the syllabus and reading list of the class, you can visit her website! Comment for a chance to win a copy of To Sin With a Scoundrel

One of my recent library booksale finds was a book by Maureen Waller, Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father’s Crown about Queen Mary II and Queen Anne. It’s a wonderfully fascinating story, and it struck me as I read it that I know so little about this period! Somehow after the shenanigans and drama of the Restoration period, my interest peters out until the mid-18th century. I knew the basics of the Glorious Revolution and how it led to the Hanoverian succession, but most of what I knew of Queen Anne came from the old BBC costume drama The First Churchills. I’m not sure why, as it seems this period has tons of drama of its own! It also seems a good topic to begin Women’s History Month…

And yesterday, March 8, marked the anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Anne in 1702. (For a great account of her reign I pulled out another booksale find from a few years ago, another book by Waller called Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England).

Anne Stuart was born on February 6, 1665 at St. James’s Palace in London, the second daughter of James, Duke of York and his wife Anne Hyde (she and her older sister Mary were the couple’s only children to survive to adulthood). She spent part of her childhood in France after being sent there for medical treatment for an eye condition, living first with her grandmother Queen Henrietta Maria and then with her aunt Henriette, Duchess of Orleans. She returned to England after her aunt’s death in 1670.

In 1673, she met the woman who would be her best friend (and eventually worst enemy) Sarah Jennings, who later married John Churchill. Also in that year her father’s conversion to Catholicism became public knowledge, though Anne and her sister were raised as Protestants. On July 28, 1683 she married the Protestant Prince George of Denmark, her second cousin, a union that proved to be domestically happy if unpopular in the country. Anne set up her own household, with Sarah Churchill as her Lady of the Bedchamber (the two took to calling each other Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freedman).

Charles II died in 1685 and Anne’s father became James II, who was not well-received by a populace prejudiced against Catholics. The alarm increased when his second wife, the Catholic Queen Mary of Modena, gave birth to a son in 1688 after nearly 15 years of marriage. There were rumors the child had been smuggled into the birth chamber in a warming pan and wasn’t royal at all. Anne, who had gone to Bath for treatment for her gout before the birth, wrote to her sister “I shall never now be satisfied whether the child be true or false. It may be it is our brother, but God only knows…one cannot help having a thousand fears and melancholy thoughts, but whatever changes may happen you shall ever find me firm to my religion and faithfully yours.”

Her sister Mary and her husband, William or Orange, soon invaded England to dethrone James in the Glorious Revolution. In November, Anne was put under house arrest with Sarah Churchill at Whitehall, but they escaped in the middle of the night via a back staircase. When she returned to London on December 19, she was immediately visited by her brother-in-law and pledged her support to him. In 1689 a Convention Parliament was assembled to declare that James had abdicated the throne when he fled to France, and the crown was offered to Mary and accepted jointly by Mary and William, who ruled as the only joint monarchs in British history. Princess Anne and her descendants were to be in line of succession, followed by any descendants of William by future marriages.

Soon after they took the throne, William and Mary granted Churchill the Earldom of Marlborough, but afterwards they were not so congenial. In 1692, suspecting Churchill was a Jacobite, Mary dismissed him from his offices and his wife was removed from the Royal Household. Princess Anne was furious, and left her royal apartments to reside at Syon House, home of the Duke of Northumberland. She was then stripped of her guard of honor, and the guards at the royal palaces were forbidden to salute her husband, increasing the acrimony between the siblings.

Mary died of smallpox in 1694 leaving William to reign alone with Anne as the heir apparent since William and Mary were childless. William, seeking to improve his popularity (always much less than that of his wife), he restored Anne’s honors and allowed her to live at St. James’s Palace. He also restored Marlborough to his offices, and in return Anne gave her support to his government. Also in this period, Anne suffered an immense personal loss. By 1700, she had been pregnant at least 18 times, 13 times miscarrying or giving birth to a stillborn child. Of the remaining 5, 4 died before the age of 2, and only one son, William, Duke of Gloucester, survived. He died at the age of 11 on July 29, 1700, prompting a succession crisis. The line could not be left open for James II or his son, James Francis Edward Stuart, to return. Parliament enacted the Act of Settlement in September 1701 which stated the crown (in the absence of any more children from Anne) would go to Sophia, Electress of Hanover (descended from James I through his daughter Elizabeth, the famous “Winter Queen”) and her descendants, putting in place the Hanoverian succession.

William died on March 8, 1702 and Anne was crowned on April 23, 1702. Her reign began by becoming embroiled in the War of the Spanish Succession, which would dominate policy until the last years of Anne’s reign. Anne appointed her husband Lord High Admiral, in control of the Royal Navy, and Lord Marlborough was made Captain-General of the Army (and a duke), while Sarah became Mistress of the Robes. Another notable mark of the reign was the development of the 2-party system (Anne preferred the Tories and only “endured” the Whigs. The Churchills’ support of the Whigs led to the souring of their friendship). For more information on the twisty politics of Anne’s reign you can look here or here.

Anne’s husband died in October 1708 and Anne was stunned with grief, which led to an upheaval in her government. She herself died on August 1, 1714 after years of ill health. It was said her body was so swollen and large a special immense, square coffin had to be ordered for the funeral at Westminster Abbey. (Her wax funeral effigy can still be seen at the Abbey). Her heir, Electress Sophia of Hanover, had died a couple months earlier, and her son George became King of England (George I).

A useful biography is Queen Anne by Edward Gregg, but the Waller books are more fun. 🙂

Do you know very much about this period? Who is your favorite of “the six reigning queens of England”? (According to Sovereign Ladies, they are Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II). What’s a historical period you’d like to learn more about?

And for fun, I have a post on Oscar fashions at my own blog today! Go and vote for your favorites (I liked Anna Kendrick, Penelope Cruz, and Rachel McAdams a lot…)

The winner of Cara Elliott’s To Sin With a Scoundrel is….Cheripye! Please send us your snail mail address at Riskies AT yahoo.com