Watch for Deb’s debut Regency-set novel, Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss on shelves now! Deb will also appear with Diane and Amanda in an as-yet unnamed anthology in 2009…

Hello, Deb! Tell us about your new book.

First, let me thank you Risky Ladies for having me here! Your books may be risky, but you have created a safe and welcoming corner of cyberspace for lovers of historical romance. You’ve built a lovely community here, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Thank you!

Now, to answer your question…

Charles Alden, Viscount Dayle, is a rake who has already reformed. The days of his misspent youth ended with the deaths of his brother and father. He has worked hard in pursuit of a political career, but someone seems determined to hold his former life against him. He decides that the only way to live down the wickedness of his past is to secure the dullness of his future and take a properly respectable bride.

Miss Sophia Westby is not the sort of woman he had in mind. His childhood friend is as spirited and unconventional as ever. She’s come to London determined to do something with her skills in design. Reunited with Charles after years of separation, she scorns his new demeanor and longs for the rake’s return.

I know this is a debut book! What was your “path to publication” like?

A long and winding road? Hee hee! Truthfully, being a writer was always a dream, and I always knew if I had the chance, I would want to write Romance. Books and history were my youthful passions, but circumstances required a more practical career path. I reached a crossroads when my son was born with multiple health problems. Once we got him all straightened out and my younger child headed to preschool, all my family and friends expected me to go back to my career. All I wanted was to write! It was my chance to chase my dream. My husband was amazingly supportive, so that’s when I really started to concentrate on my writing. I love Romance. I love the message that it sends out to the world. I couldn’t be happier to be beginning a career as a historical romance novelist.

We couldn’t be happier, either!

Were there any challenges you encountered in researching for this book? Any new or surprising historical information you discovered?

I don’t know that it was new or surprising, but I did thoroughly enjoy learning about Regency design. Advancements in technology began to make interior decorating accessible to many different sorts of homeowners. And I thought it was so interesting to see the famous people and events of the time show up in furniture and decor.

Poor Charles is bedeviled by the press in this book, and made the topic of caricatures and broadsheets. I enjoyed learning about that aspect of the Regency, as well.

Did the Splendors of the Regency tour a few years ago (where Diane and Amanda first met Deb!) help you in any way?

In so many ways! Not the least of which was meeting Diane and Amanda. 🙂 It was a little daunting to go alone on a trip like that, but nothing beats first-hand experience of the places we write about. Even better was experiencing it with a group who shares the same obsession. I will never forget the crowd of us, scribbling like mad in our notebooks and peppering the docents with question after detailed question. I think they adored us for being so interested!

Tell us what’s “risky” about your book?

Hmmmm. I suppose that Sophie’s interest in design could be considered Risky for a Regency miss. There will always be someone who might dispute that if something “didn’t” happen it “wouldn’t” happen. But I say they never met a determined force like Sophie!

I’ve also been told a time or two that you need to write a rake to sell a Regency. Having a hero determined NOT to give in to his old ways might be risky.

Totally off-topic, but tell us about your sons’ fun Harry Potter appearances last year!

Oh, they were determined to go to the Harry Potter Party at the bookstore, celebrating the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! The oldest had been to one in the past, and the younger knew this was his last chance to get there. They dressed up, one was a Dementor and the other Harry, and we had a great time participating in all the festivities! They had live owl demonstrations, Magic Potions shows, fortune telling, the Sorting Hat, etc. They really liked the massive scroll everyone signed to thank JK Rowling for so many hours of reading pleasure. While we were there, a local magazine took our picture and we ended up in the publication. My youngest was especially pleased because he had been telling his elementary class that his mom was a famous author, and now he had his 15 minutes of fame!

Maybe new authors in the making???

What’s next for you?

In March comes the UK release of my second book, An Improper Aristocrat. This one is a rollicking story with plenty of action and intrigue. A deathbed pledge brings the adventurous Earl of Treyford back to England. Instead of the aging spinster he expects to find, Chione Latimer is a beautiful half-Egyptian girl caught in chaotic circumstances. Before long, Trey finds himself where he never wished to be: stuck in parson’s mousetrap, up to his armpits in eccentrics and in the midst of a villainous plot to recover an ancient Egyptian artifact.

Forgive me if I start this post out on something totally Off Topic (as I often do!), but I had to share the link to these Pirates of the Caribbean dolls which someone sent me this week! They are so wonderfully funny and–weird. I’d like to at least have the Orlando doll to keep on my desk, but what I would really love is to have a whole set. Then I could act out scenes from the movie. Maybe the next time I have a few hundred dollars to spare…

And now onto the topic of the week!

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing some volunteer work at a political campaign office, getting ready for the Super Tuesday primary on February 5. It’s mostly answering phones, stuffing envelopes, handing out bumper stickers and yard signs–not hugely glamorous. But it’s made me think about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and her Whig friends in the 18th century. And about how political campaigns have–and haven’t–changed in 200+ years.

“Ladies who interest themselves so much in the case of elections, are perhaps too ignorant to know that they meddle with what does not concern them” –The Morning Post, March 1784.

Georgiana first met Charles James Fox in 1777, when he visited Chatsworth. At 28, he was already marked out as the future leader of the Whigs. Until then his political career had veered between success and failure, and Georgiana spent her time flitting around, partying and racking up debts. But they both wanted, and were capable, of much more. They spent that visit discussing ideas. Fox instilled in Georgiana a devotion to the Whigs, who by the 1770s stood for opposition to the King, mistrust of powers of the crown, and vigilance over civil liberties.

“One day last week, her Grace the Duchess of Devonshire appeared on the hustings at Covent Garden. She immediately saluted her favorite candidate, the Hon. Charles James Fox” –The Morning Post, September 25, 1780

Georgiana began following the debates in Parliament and perfecting her skills as a political hostess. She became the leader of an elite group of political females that included her sister Harriet Ponsonby, the Duchess of Portland, Lady Jersey, Lady Carlisle, Mrs. Bouverie, and the Waldegraves, yet none ever outshown her, or came in for the extent of criticism she did.

In 1780, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (playwright, politician, and lover of Georgiana’s sister Harriet) asked for Georgiana’s help. She arranged for him to stand in the Spencer-dominated borough of Stafford (he was elected, natch). A week later, on Sept. 25, Fox asked her to accompany him as he contested the borough of Westminster. In this case, she only stood on the platform for a few minutes, but the press was Shocked.

“The Duchess of Devonshire’s attendance at Covent Garden, perhaps, will not secure Mr. Fox’s election; but it will at least establish her pre-eminence above all other beauties of that place, and make her a standing toast in all the ale-houses and gin-shops of Westminster” –Morning Post, April 8, 1784

In 1782, the Whigs came to power with Fox as Foreign Secretary. Under Parliamentary rules, MPs selected for office had to re-offer themselves to their constituents, and Fox again asked Georgiana to help him out. He wanted her to lead a women’s delegation, and on April 3 she performed her first official duty for the party. She and the other ladies, wearing Whig colors of buff and blue, spoke under large banners reading ‘Freedom and Independence’ and ‘The Man of the People.’ She was a sensation. Fans bearing her portrait sold in the hundreds.

Her involvement in politics only grew after the birth of her first child (Little G) in 1784. The Duc de Chartres and his French delegation treated her as their official hostess; her influence with the Prince of Wales was well-known. But also in 1784, the Whigs were low in public opinion as they formed a Coalition against Prime Minister Pitt and the King. In March, Pitt called a general election, setting off a storm of campaigning.

On March 17, Georgiana appeared at the opera, to much cheering–and booing and hissing. The Duchess of Rutland, a Tory hostess, stood up in her box and shouted, “Damn Fox!” In reply, Lady Maria Waldegrave leaped up and retorted, “Damn Pitt!” This must have been highly entertaining! The most noise I’ve ever heard at the opera was once when the guy sitting behind me fell asleep and started snoring.

“The Duchess made no scruple of visiting some of the humblest of electors, dazzling and enchanting them by the fascination of her manner, the power of her beauty, and the influence of her high rank” –Horace Walpole

But Georgiana also suffered threats and abuse as she went about her campaigning. By the end of her first week, she was exhausted and hoarse, with blistered feet. Fox was still behind in the polls. Georgiana wrote to her mother Lady Spencer, “I gave the Election quite up, and must lament all that has happened.” The Pittite papers, like the Morning Herald, reported that she exchanged kisses for votes, and scurrilous cartoons appeared. (She sent deputies out to buy up the most offensive of them as soon as they appeared!). Fox did eventually score a victory, and Carlton House saw nights of celebratory balls and dinners.

Until the next election…

Have you ever done any work in politics? And where can I get one of those blue suits Keira Knightley has on in the film still? I LOVE that costume!

So, in the news this week–the Oscar nominations! The nods for Best Costume Design are:

Atonement

La Vie en Rose

Across the Universe

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Sweeney Todd
The only one that really surprised me was Across the Universe. I might have guessed Becoming Jane or maybe Pirates of the Caribbean 3. My personal pick might be Elizabeth, but my crystal ball says Sweeney Todd. As for the other noms–too close to call. 🙂

In entertainment news in 1790, there was the premier of Mozart’s Cos fan tutte.

According to Henry W. Simon’s book Festival of Opera, CFT “has been sung under more names than any other opera in history.” For example, the Metropolitan has called it Women Are Like That (the translation I’ve heard the most often). In England, it was once called Tit for Tat. In Denmark, Flight From the Convent, in France The Chinese Laborer (funny–I don’t recall convents or Chinese laborers in the story at all!). And in Germany, lots of different things, such as The Girls’ Revenge and The Guerillas.

Under whatever name, it had its premier at Vienna’s Burgtheater January 26, 1790, with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte and music by Mozart (the two had also collaborated on Le nozze di Figaro, my personal favorite Mozart opera, and on Don Giovanni.) The source of the story is not known, though there is a (probably apocryphal) tale that it was suggested by Emperor Joseph II based on a high society scandal of the day. Whatever the inspiration, the Emperor did commission the work, requesting a comedy. Mozart was paid 450 guldens for it, and it was nearly his last opera (only La clemenza di Tito and Magic Flute, both 1791, are later).

During the 19th century, the plot was considered rather risque and the opera was rarely performed. It’s an ostensibly lighthearted look at the twists and turns of romantic love. It begins in a Naples cafe, where two young men, Ferrando and Guglielmo, argue with Don Alfonso that their fiancees, the sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi, would never betray them. Aided by Despina, the sisters’ saucy maid, the men hatch an elaborate plot to test the womens’ loyalty. They disguise themselves as Turkish soldiers and woo each other’s girlfriends, eventually winning over the at-first reluctant sisters. In the end, the disguises are revealed, and all is forgiven–though just how happy such marriages can be is anyone’s guess.

At the premier, Adriana Ferrarese and Luisa Villeneuve played the sisters; Francesco Bennuci and Vincenzo Calvesi their lovers; Dorotea Bussani was Despina; and Francesco Bussani Don Alfonso.

So, we have News in Entertainment 2008 and 1790! Which movie do you call for Best Costumes (or any other nominee)? Do you have a favorite opera? And Happy Saturday! (I always do love Saturday…)

I don’t watch many reality TV shows. I’ve never gotten sucked into Survivor or American Idol or The Bachelor, but when I do find one I like I tend to get a wee bit obsessed. And the two I love are Dancing With the Stars (sadly not on right now!) and Project Runway. Last week’s episode was wondrously fabulous! It involved making prom dresses for picky 17 year olds! Woo hoo!

I didn’t agree with the winner or the loser of that challenge, but that was beside the point (though I have to say, honestly Christian, what were you thinking??). The point was designing a beautiful dress that was also age-appropriate, and also pleasing and flattering to the client (even if the client was a bit of a looney). It made me think of my own prom dress, and the terrible angst involved in shopping for it, and finding the right shoes and jewelry and hairdo. And the great joy of talking it over with all my friends every day for a month before the Big Night! (The talking and shopping were actually more fun than the actual prom itself, but that’s another story…)

It made me wonder what was out there for today’s Prom Girl, so I did a Google search for ‘prom dresses.’ Here are a few I found, along with various historical figures who might have worn them.

Catherine the Great

Emma Hamilton

Isabella of Spain

Marie Antoinette

Caroline Lamb

Elizabeth I

This one I’m not sure about–who do you think would wear it?

What was your prom like? Did you get your dream dress/date? What would you wear if you were going to prom now???

1) Tell us about Her Warrior King!

Her Warrior King was technically the first book in the MacEgan Brothers series. When I first wrote it, the book had some serious flaws and didn’t sell. I put it aside and wrote Her Irish Warrior which did sell. I had also written The Warrior’s Touch in the meantime, and with both of those books coming out, I wanted to resurrect Her Warrior King.

I polished the first three chapters, dumped the rest of the book, and started over. It was truly a hard book to write because I had to let go of my previous version and start fresh.

The hero, Patrick MacEgan, is a king struggling to rebuild his Irish tribe after they were defeated by Normans. The price of their lives was an alliance with a Norman bride. Patrick agrees to wed Isabel de Godred, but he refuses to let his bride play any part in their lives. But what he doesn’t count on is Isabel’s idealism and desire to be a true wife. She’s stubborn, spunky, and is not about to let her Irish husband isolate her upon an island. She does everything she can to help their tribe, trying desperately to fit in. But the tribe won’t have anything to do with her. Patrick begins to sympathize with her efforts, and slowly Isabel conquers his heart. Then Patrick is faced with having to choose between his people and the wife he has come to love.

I loved these characters, and Isabel kept surprising me with things she did to make her place among the tribe.

I think the most startling scene, for me, was when she couldn’t find a boat to escape the island and she swam across the channel!

2) How does this fit with your previous releases?

It’s being released as a prequel, and it’s technically book 1 in the series. I would have liked to have the books come out in chronological order, but the original version had too many flaws to be published first. It’s not necessary to read the books in any particular order, but I’m glad that all three stories will be told. For readers who wanted to hear about the story of Patrick and Isabel, they finally can learn what happened.

3) Did you come across anything interesting in your research for Her Warrior King?

At first, I had made Patrick’s rank a chieftain, but after consulting with an Irish archaeologist, he pointed out that Patrick commanded too many people to be a chief or chieftain. Instead, he recommended that I make him into a petty king. I was startled to learn how many kings there were in Ireland–hundreds at one point!

Most readers’ impression of a king is one person governing a country, but in Ireland, they would elect a High King from all of the provincial kings. Being king wasn’t necessarily a birthright, either, although often the previous king’s sons were the strongest candidates.

Patrick is a fictional provincial king from an imaginary kingdom not far from Waterford. This was where the Norman invasion took place in real life.

4) Your settings are so well-drawn! What is it about medieval Ireland that makes you want to set your books there?

Anyone who has ever visited Ireland knows that the country has a mystical sense of folklore and romance. When I visited some of the ancient ruins, I could imagine sexy Irish warriors riding through the grounds.

Scottish heroes are always popular, and I wanted to put my own spin on Celtic heroes. Medieval Ireland seemed to be an untapped wellspring, and then I had a great excuse to return to the country last year, to continue the research.

5) I know you have three kids AND a teaching job! I think I speak for all writers when I ask–what are your time management secrets???

Early bedtimes! My children aren’t aware that other kids don’t go to bed at 7:00 p.m. Shh! Don’t tell them! I use the night hours to write, but that’s been more challenging lately with the birth of my son this November. But I do try to write, edit, or revise every day to keep my head in the story. I love what I do, and it’s not truly “work” to me.

6) What’s next for you?

I am finishing a book that’s set in 1101 AD, tentatively titled SLAVE TO HER DESIRES. It’s about a slave who comes to love the woman betrothed to his master. Kieran is a woodworker, and there is a connection to the MacEgans…but readers will have to wait and find out what that is!

Thanks so much, Michelle, for visiting with us again (while your kids are asleep, LOL).

For a chance to win a signed copy of Her Warrior King, comment on this post and watch for tomorrow’s announcement of the winner.

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