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Monthly Archives: May 2014

Interview and Giveaway – Sandy Schwab

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Interview with Sandy Schwab — With Book Giveaway!

The Riskies are thrilled to interview Sandy Schwab at the blog today. She helped fill in for Ammanda while she was out, so I’m sure you recall her wonderful posts here. Sandy and I are friends, and you-all know my friends are awesome. After some time away from writing while she was finishing up her PhD, she’s now back with some wonderful new books for us to read. She’ll be giving away a copy of The Bride Prize to one lucky commenter so be sure to check the rules and enter!

Q: Tell us about yourself, Sandy! In 3rd person, please.

Sandy Schwab

Sandy Schwab

Sandra Schwab started writing her first novel when she was seven years old. Thirty-odd years later, telling stories is still her greatest passion, even though by now she has exchanged her pink fountain pen of old for a black computer keyboard. Since the release of her debut novel in 2005, she has enchanted readers worldwide with her unusual historical romances.

She lives in Frankfurt am Main / Germany with a sketchbook, a sewing machine, and an ever-expanding library.

THE BRIDE PRIZE: ALLAN’S MISCELLANY 1839

Cover of The Bride Prize by Sandy Schwab

Cover of The Bride Prize by Sandy Schwab

It’s 1839, and Lord Eglinton’s tournament in Scotland is the most anticipated event of the year: he and some of his noble friends will don medieval armor and joust like knights of old.

Does this mean a revival of true chivalry? Miss Florence Marsh thinks it might.

Or is the tournament mere tomfoolery and the greatest folly of the century? Mr. Robert Beaton thinks it is.

But when Flo and Robbie meet at Eglinton Park, they’ll soon learn that a dash of romance can make the greatest differences look rather small and that true love might find you in the most unlikely place.

Read an Excerpt

Click here to read an excerpt

The Interview

1. Tell us more about your book.

THE BRIDE PRIZE is the start of a new series set in early Victorian England. In recent years much of my academic research focused on Victorian periodicals, and I thought it would be fun to use this research for my creative work as well. So the heroes in the new series are all artists and writers working for ALLAN’S MISCELLANY, a (fictional) magazine.

In the first story ALLAN is is only a few months old, and the staff consists of a grand total of two people: William MacNeil, editor and writer, and Robert Beaton, writer and chief — well, only — artist. Robbie knows that they need a big break if the magazine is to survive, and so he drags Mac to what must have been one of the strangest (and quirkiest!!!) events of the period: the Eglinton Tournament of 1839.


2. You probably get this question all the time but I’m going to ask it anyway. English is not your first language and you are German and living in Germany. What made you decide to write in English?

I’ve written stories since — well, since forever, and I’ve always wanted to become a published author. When I was 19, I started to seriously pursue publication, and for years and years and years, I tried to find a publisher. Many submissions and many rejections later, I finally realized that I didn’t write the kind of books that a German publisher would buy from a German author.

But I wasn’t quite prepared yet to give up on my dream, so I decided to try switching languages, and English was the only other language I could speak sufficiently well to make this work. This was 14 years ago, and it was the best decision of my life!

3. How is the above an advantage or disadvantage, or is it completely neutral?

Writing in English is a big advantage: it gave me access to this wonderful community of fellow authors. Over the years, I’ve met so many great people and have made so many friends I would have never met if I had continued to write in German. Moreover, I can now reach readers all around the world, and my stories travel to far away places I will never see myself.

Last but not least, love scenes are so much better in English than in German!

4. Why Romance?

When I switched languages, I also switched genres (I had been writing fantasy fiction). At the time, I loved the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and I was dreaming of going to Scotland on a student exchange program (didn’t work out; I went to Galway, Ireland instead). So I started to write this lovely contemporary romance about a young German student (who looked uncannily like myself…) who goes to Scotland (the Highlands, of course!!!) as a teaching assistant and meets this tall, gorgeous (but rather annoying!) vet called Rory MacDonald. There’s much drama, several misunderstandings, a lot of rain, a small owl who can’t fly, and a teddy bear called Hermann Bear. And kilts. Because, SCOTLAND!

I had a lot of fun writing this, yet I also realised that writing contemporary romance presented challenges to my English that I probably wouldn’t be able to fully overcome. Given my love for history, it was only natural that I eventually turned to historicals.

What I love about romance as a genre is its inherent optimism. I’ve always loved historical novels, but I was turned off straight historical fiction by the high number of main characters dying in horrid ways, by exploding wax babies, and ghastly sex scenes (I hit rock bottom with a historical novel that included goat sex scenes — there was more than one goat and more than one such scene — waaaaaargh!!!!! *runs away and hides*).

[Carolyn: Boggles]

When I discovered historical romance, it was a revelation: neither hero nor heroine die at the end of the novel; the sex scenes are fun; there are no exploding wax babies; and most importantly: NO GOAT SEX SCENES!!!! And there’s a happy ending! What’s not to love?

5. Dragons. Who’s your favorite? Pictures if you have one.

Dragon!

Dragon!

I adore the work of Richard Doyle, who worked for the satirical magazine PUNCH in the 1840s, and I love the dragons and dragonslayers that appear in several of his initial letters.

As to literary dragons, I think I might have to go with an old childhood favorite: Fuchur, the luck-dragon from Michael Ende’s NEVERENDING STORY (the book is a million times better than the films, btw!)

6. I love your artwork. Love it. What’s up with all the talent? Links? Pictures? Do you ever take requests?

Awww. Thank you! 🙂 I started to sketch again in early 2012, and took my sketchbook (instead of my camera) on several trips I made that year. The trips to Berlin and to Potsdam in particular were a revelation: So many people would just stop and talk to me while I was sketching.

Potsdam Collage

Potsdam Collage

And it’s not just people: when I visited the Berlin Zoo last year, I was doing a quick drawing of a small armadillo, when I suddenly became aware that somebody was watching me. I looked up and found those two small monkeys staring at me in utter amazement. That was the sweetest thing.

Sandy's Sketch of the Berlin Zoo

Sandy’s Sketch of the Berlin Zoo

 

[Carolyn: gets all teary] That is so CUTE!!!

A selection of my drawings can be found on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scribblingsandy/

[Carolyn: You should visit her flicker stream. So pretty!!!!!]

As to requests: Nobody has ever made any. 🙂

[Carolyn: Expect to hear from me]

7. If you were forced to reveal who you think is the most handsome man on the planet, who would you name?

Richard Armitage. It’s not just that he is good-looking, but he also appears to be a rather wonderful man. And that voice!!!! *swoons*

8. Favorite shoes?

I’ve got these really cute, red El Naturalista shoes that look fantastic together with jeans.

9. When you come to the US, do you get as confused as Americans about Celsius and Fahrenheit? Is 20 C cold or hot? I literally have no idea.

It’s horrible, isn’t it? I just tend to guess when I’m in the US. (20 C is 68 F, so it’s just warm enough to ditch the cardigan.)

10. What’s next for you?

In the course of the next three months I will release three more novellas in the ALLAN’S MISCELLANY series. I’m having so much fun with this series, with exploring the fate of my fictional magazine, with diving into real period magazines in order to find bits of real news to include in my stories (= excellent excuse for getting more period periodicals!)

Next up is FALLING FOR A SCOUNDREL, in which hard, cynical Jack Fletcher travels to the north of England in order to report on the murder of a gamekeeper. Sophy, the heroine, is the polar opposite of him: she has led a very sheltered, privileged life. She only realizes how very limited this life has been when she meets Jack and he makes her question everything she has ever known.

Where to buy the book!

Plain edition:
Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kobo
B&N will follow soon

Enhanced edition:
Kindle US | Kindle UK
Kobo and B&N will follow soon

Where to find Sandy

Website: www.sandraschwab.com
Facebook: SandraSchwab.Author
Twitter: @scribblingSandy

Giveaway!

Rules: Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Winner chosen at random from among qualifying entries. The Riskies, relatives of the Riskies, Sandy and her relatives are not eligible to enter.

To enter, answer one, two,  or all of the following questions, and/or compliment Sandy in the comments no later than 11:59:59 PM on Friday, May 16th, 2014 according to the time at this blog– which is in the EASTERN time zone.

1. What was your reaction to the goat sex book revelation?

2. If you had a dragon, what color would it be?

Go.

Posted in Former Riskies, Giveaways, Guest, Interviews | Tagged , , , |

The Post Of Awesome — Just for You!

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The last few days I’ve run across some totally awesome things and I am going to share them with you.

Awesome thing number 1:

A Linguist Explains What Old School British Accents Sounded Like

As a matter of fact, there are actually very good reasons to think that neither Shakespeare nor Ichabod should be speaking with what we currently think of as a “British” accent at all. What? Yes, really. Let me explain.

The recitation of the sonnet in the first video. Oh. My.

Awesome thing number 2:


The Hidden Wardrobe – a costume collection explored From The National Trust. Go there. Look around.

Awesome thing number 3:

“Nuns Can’t Paint”: Sexism, Medieval Art, and Dudes on Mopeds

A reminder of just how deeply “isms” are embedded in our culture, in this case, sexism.

It’s one thing to argue that nuns make bad art because they’re not trained artists; because they’re hyper-emotional; because they’re women. It’s another to imply that at the moment they take their vows, the moment these women simultaneously renounced and calcified their femininity, medieval nuns lost all aesthetic taste.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Posted in Former Riskies, History, Research | Tagged , , , , | 1 Reply

The LoveLetter Convention 2014

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I’m back! Carolyn has kindly invited me to do a guest post at the Riskies every other Wednesday, so here I am. 🙂

Last week it was time again to pack my bags and to take the train to Berlin for the LoveLetter Convention 2014. The LLC is RT’s smaller German sister —minus the costume parties and the cover models. It is organised by the only German romance magazine, the LoveLetter, and is attended by both German and international authors, by people from the publishing industry, and by readers. Lots and lots and lots of readers! Indeed, this year the convention has grown from 500 visitors to 700 visitors, and the conference office nearly overflowed with the umpteen boxes full of conference bags.

LoveLetter Convention 2014As always, readers could decide to attend workshops or games or meet & greet events or one of the panel discussions (moderated by yours truly). My favorite panel this year was “New German Authors,” which introduced authors who attended the conference for the very first time to the audience. There was also a book signing on Sunday afternoon, which brought back fond memories of the RWA signings I attended in the past.  🙂

In contrast to 2011 and 2012 when the conference took place in one of the suburbs of Berlin, this year we were at the Prenzlauer Berg, right smack in the middle of the city. It’s such a wonderful, quirky quarter, with many small cafés, restaurants, and small shops. And did I mention the ice cream? In Berlin you’re never far from an ice cream vendor —and they all have fantastic ice cream!!!

Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

As in the years before I took my sketchbook. Thanks to the fact that I’m normally moderating all the panel discussions, I don’t have much time for sketching during the conference, but I always manage to squeeze in a few leisurely walks around the neighborhood beforehand. This time I even managed to dash into the Pergamon Museum, which has truly breathtaking exhibits from classical antiquity, Babylon, and Assyria.

Sandy's Berlin Sketchbook

I spent four hours sketching various different exhibits and managed to miss about half of the museum. But to make up for that I was asked twice whether I sell my sketches. (Wow!) If you’d like to see more of my Berlin sketches: in the next few days I’ll add all of them to this album on Flickr.

Posted in Former Riskies, Guest | Tagged , | 8 Replies

Jane Austen’s Plan of a Novel

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After Jane Austen’s dealings with James Stanier Clarke, secretary to the Prince Regent, she wrote The Plan of a Novel, which I will include in its entirety right here.

greenjane90SCENE to be in the Country, Heroine the Daughter of a Clergyman, one who after having lived much in the World had retired from it and settled in a Curacy, with a very small fortune of his own. — He, the most excellent Man that can be imagined, perfect in Character, Temper, and Manners — without the smallest drawback or peculiarity to prevent his being the most delightful companion to his Daughter from one year’s end to the other. — Heroine a faultless Character herself, — perfectly good, with much tenderness and sentiment, and not the least Wit — very highly accomplished, understanding modern Languages and (generally speaking) everything that the most accomplished young Women learn, but particularly excelling in Music — her favourite pursuit — and playing equally well on the PianoForte and Harp — and singing in the first stile. Her Person quite beautiful — dark eyes and plump cheeks. — Book to open with the description of Father and Daughter — who are to converse in long speeches, elegant Language — and a tone of high serious sentiment. — The Father to be induced, at his Daughter’s earnest request, to relate to her the past events of his Life. This Narrative will reach through the greatest part of the first volume — as besides all the circumstances of his attachment to her Mother and their Marriage, it will comprehend his going to sea as Chaplain to a distinguished naval character about the Court, his going afterwards to Court himself, which introduced him to a great variety of Characters and involved him in many interesting situations, concluding with his opinions on the Benefits to result from Tithes being done away, and his having buried his own Mother (Heroine’s lamented Grandmother) in consequence of the High Priest of the Parish in which she died refusing to pay her Remains the respect due to them. The Father to be of a very literary turn, an Enthusiast in Literature, nobody’s Enemy but his own (this is a quote from J. S. Clarke’s letter of Nov. 16, 1815) — at the same time most zealous in discharge of his Pastoral Duties, the model of an exemplary Parish Priest. — The heroine’s friendship to be sought after by a young woman in the same Neighbourhood, of Talents and Shrewdness, with light eyes and a fair skin, but having a considerable degree of Wit, Heroine shall shrink from the acquaintance.

g-novelFrom this outset, the Story will proceed, and contain a striking variety of adventures. Heroine and her Father never above a fortnight together in one place, he being driven from his Curacy by the vile arts of some totally unprincipled and heart-less young Man, desperately in love with the Heroine, and pursuing her with unrelenting passion. — No sooner settled in one Country of Europe than they are necessitated to quit it and retire to another — always making new acquaintance, and always obliged to leave them. — This will of course exhibit a wide variety of Characters — but there will be no mixture; the scene will be for ever shifting from one Set of People to another — but All the Good will be unexceptionable in every respect — and there will be no foibles or weaknesses but with the Wicked, who will be completely depraved and infamous, hardly a resemblance of humanity left in them. — Early in her career, in the progress of her first removals, Heroine must meet with the Hero — all perfection of course — and only prevented from paying his addresses to her by some excess of refinement. — Wherever she goes, somebody falls in love with her, and she receives repeated offers of Marriage — which she refers wholly to her Father, exceedingly angry that he should not be first applied to. — Often carried away by the anti-hero, but rescued either by her Father or by the Hero — often reduced to support herself and her Father by her Talents and work for her Bread; continually cheated and defrauded of her hire, worn down to a Skeleton, and now and then starved to death. — At last, hunted out of civilized Society, denied the poor Shelter of the humblest Cottage, they are compelled to retreat into Kamschatka (a peninsula in eastern Russia)  where the poor Father, quite worn down, finding his end approaching, throws himself on the Ground, and after 4 or 5 hours of tender advice and parental Admonition to his miserable Child, expires in a fine burst of Literary Enthusiasm, intermingled with Invectives against holders of Tithes. — Heroine inconsolable for some time — but afterwards crawls back towards her former Country — having at least 20 narrow escapes from falling into the hands of the Anti-hero — and at last in the very nick of time, turning a corner to avoid him, runs into the arms of the Hero himself, who having just shaken off the scruples which fetter’d him before, was at the very moment setting off in pursuit of her. — The Tenderest and completest Eclaircissement takes place, and they are happily united. — Throughout the whole work, Heroine to be in the most elegant Society and living in high style. The name of the work not to be Emma, but of the same sort as S. & S. and P. & P.

I love this plan, not only because it is Jane Austen returning to the broad parody of her youth, but because it looks so darned familiar. Surely we all have read this plot in one form or another. Perhaps not all of the (repeated) twists and turns related here, but parts of it can be found wherever we read:

  • Mary Jane: Jane Austen has given us not only the perfect heroine but an equally perfect father and, without a doubt, a perfect hero.  (All the Good will be unexceptionable in every respect — and there will be no foibles or weaknesses) Unfortunately, the heroine is also is TSTL. (Heroine a faultless Character herself, — perfectly good, with much tenderness and sentiment, and not the least Wit.)
  • Back story: It looks like the first third of this novel will be devoted to the father’s life as, of course, we all need to know this before we get to the actual tale.
  • Ruthless and irredeemable villains: As bad as the hero and heroine (not to mention her father) are good, so are the multitude of villains bad. (the Wicked, who will be completely depraved and infamous, hardly a resemblance of humanity left in them)
  • Lots of action: This father/daughter duo will have landed in most of the European countries and finished off in the easternmost part of Russia, all the while being hounded by the numerous villains. Hannah Howell characterizes the middle of all her synopses as “Then they fight their way across France.” I think that would apply very well to this plan.
  • The irresistible heroine: Not only is our heroine, all goodness and perfection, she’s so lovely men can’t stay away from her. (Wherever she goes, somebody falls in love with her, and she receives repeated offers of Marriage). 
  • Heroine in peril: Lots of kidnapping, endangerment and, apparently starvation. (Often carried away by the anti-hero, but rescued either by her Father or by the Hero — often reduced to support herself and her Father by her Talents and work for her Bread; continually cheated and defrauded of her hire, worn down to a Skeleton, and now and then starved to death. — At last, hunted out of civilized Society, denied the poor Shelter of the humblest Cottage) 
  • Deathbed explanation and blessing:  We have to get rid of the father, otherwise our heroine will be carting him around Europe for the rest of her life. (the poor Father, quite worn down, finding his end approaching, throws himself on the Ground, and after 4 or 5 hours of tender advice and parental Admonition to his miserable Child, expires in a fine burst of Literary Enthusiasm, intermingled with Invectives against holders of Tithes.) 
  • Felicitous and unexpected appearance of the hero in the nick of time: Of course. How are we going to get our HEA if the hero doesn’t get over himself and come looking for the heroine. (and at last in the very nick of time, turning a corner to avoid him, runs into the arms of the Hero himself, who having just shaken off the scruples which fetter’d him before, was at the very moment setting off in pursuit of her.)

How little has changed in the writing of novels, and particularly romance, that we see satirized here.

Doesn’t it make you want to go out and try it for yourself?

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