With the return of (slightly) cooler weather, the appearance of Halloween items in Target, and lots of writing work to get done by the end of the year, I’ve sadly had to give up most of my slothful summer TV watching. Not that I’ve backed away from the remote control altogether of course–not with 2 of my very favorite shows on! Vampire Diaries had its season premiere last week, and Mad Men is more than halfway through season 4 (now officially Best Season Ever!). And I realized something as I watched Don Draper dragging himself up out of the muck on Sunday–all this TV time is not wasted. I’ve learned a valuable lesson from these 2 shows, one to apply to my own writing.

On the surface, Vampire Diaries and Mad Men are very different shows. “Young” vamps, humans, witches (and whatever Tyler is now) in a (supposedly) Southern town, falling in love, getting into terrible danger, violent events, and wearing cool clothes, and 1960s ad execs in New York falling in and out of love (sort of), getting into danger with internal demons and societal expectations, and wearing cool clothes. But they have one vital characteristic in common–nothing ever turns out like you expect. It’s always better, deeper, darker, more shocking. I don’t often shout at the TV, but I’ve recently done it with both these shows. “OMG, Damon didn’t kiss Elena, it was Katherine!” and “OMG, Betty opened the drawer!” Did not see those coming.

Where Vampire Diaries is very fast-paced, with vital plot twists in every episode and characters killed right and left, and Mad Men is famous for the slow burn (things build and build until we’re stunned by how it all explodes), these unexpected twists always come from the characters themselves. They’re never really out of left field, the actions and events arise from the characters’ flaws and secrets and desires. We’re not knocked over the head with how we’re supposed to think and feel about the characters, we’re allowed to figure things out on our own; no character is ever all good or all bad, but made of shades of gray.

These are also both very character-centered shows, as any romance novel centering on human relationships must be, and I like to think about plots in a Mad Men sort of way (not that Don Draper is any sort of hero!). What’s the unexpected twist, the sudden action, the mystery that arises from all we’ve learned about the characters and decisions they’ve made about themselves and what they want? What would they do when the moment of truth arrives, what is true for them and not a cliche?

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your favorite shows or movies, and what have you learned from them? Do you watch Mad Men or Vampire Diaries, and what do you think of the seasons so far? Is Betty still in love with Don, for secret, and will his reform last? What is Katherine really up to in Mystic Falls?

And on this day in 1812, the Moscow fires broke out. A good time to enjoy the 1812 Overture!

The winner of a copy of Devil’s Highlander is…Kathia! Congratulations! Please send your snail mail address to us at Riskies AT yahoo.com

First of all–I have a new cover!!! I am soooo excited to be able to share this, the third in my “Daughters of Erin” series, Lady of Seduction. This is Caroline Blacknall’s story, and will be out in June 2011. I actually think this is my favorite of the three covers, I love the yellow and green colors and the book in her hand (which actually plays a part in the story…). In the meantime I am slowly pushing my Sisyphean way toward an October deadline and enjoying the cooler weather!

For today’s big news–September 7th marks the 477th birthday of Queen Elizabeth I. My WIP is set in Elizabethan England, and even though the Queen herself doesn’t make an appearance in the story her presence hangs over everything. Sometimes it feels like she hangs over my life, too, since I’m always reading research books concerning her time! 🙂 I’ve also been reading Kate Williams’s book Becoming Queen Victoria, about the lonely childhoods of Princesses Charlotte and Victoria, and between those two and Elizabeth and her half-sister Mary, it’s easy to see that growing up a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Elizabeth Tudor was born between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon at Greenwich Palace on September 7, 1533 to universal disappointment. Everyone had confidently expected a son. Astrologers assured King Henry that his new wife Anne’s baby was a boy (who would tell him otherwise?), and Henry himself felt it was Divine Will that Anne give him a prince. After all, he had turned the whole country upside down to marry Anne Boleyn, and she was actually crowned with St. Edward’s Crown (as no other queen consort was) at Westminster Abbey, she and her pregnant belly in full view of everyone. Then–out comes a squalling red-haired girl. But the birth was relatively easy and it was assumed the queen would soon be pregnant again. “A fine healthy girl this time, a lusty boy will be next.”

Elizabeth was named after both her grandmothers (Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth Howard Boleyn) and given a grand christening at the Church of the Observant Friars with 4 grand godparents (Archbishop Cranmer, the Marquess of Exeter, the Duchess of Norfolk, and the Marchioness of Dorset), and it is said she wore the gown in this photo, now displayed at Sudeley Castle. An eyewitness described the christening: …and the Childe was named Elizabeth, and after that all things were done at the Church doore, the Childe was brought to the font and christned and that was done, Garter chiefe King of Arms cried aloud “God of his infinit goodnesse send prosperous life and long to the high and mightie princesse of England Elizabeth.” She wore a mantle of purple velvet with a long traine furred with ermine and was given such gifts as “a standing cup of golde fretted with pearle,” “three gild boles pounsed, with a cover” and “three standing boles graven, all gilt, with a cover.” At the end they brought the Princeshe to the Queenes chamber doore…that the King thanked them heartily and commanded them to give thankes in his name, and from thence they were had to the seller and dranke, and so went to their barge.”

After this her childhood was much like any other royal child. She was given her own household at the age of 3 months at Hatfield House. She was given a governess, Lady Bryan, who she later called “Muggie,”a chaplain (Matthew Parker, who as Queen she made Archbishop of Canterbury), and her own dressmaker to make sure she was clothed as befitted a princess and the heiress presumptive to the throne. Her mother even made frequent visits to her nursery to coo over her. But one of her ladies-in-waiting was her unhappy half-sister Mary, displaced from her title of princess and separated from her mother Catherine of Aragon. Not surprisingly, she didn’t much like the new baby.

This glittering childhood didn’t last very long. Her mother suffered two miscarriages and fell from favor with her husband. On May 19, 1536 she was executed at the Tower and Henry married the first of Elizabeth’s many stepmother’s Jane Seymour, who soon gave him the desired prince before dying herself. Elizabeth wasn’t even 3 years old yet when she lost her mother and her secure position and was demoted from Princess to mere Lady. Lady Bryan had to write begging letters for money to buy the little girl clothes when she outgrew her old ones, declaring Elizabeth “hath neither gown, nor kirtle nor petticoat.” As the years went on, her fortunes rose and fell generally depending on her stepmother. She got a new governess, Kat Ashley, who would stay with her until Kat’s death, and tutors who encouraged her great intelligence and love of learning. Until her coronation at the age of 25, it was an uncertain, dangerous, and not very prosperous life, but her reign proved that her father’s immense striving for a son, and the lives he wrecked in the quest, was one of the great ironies of history. He already had an unsurpassable heir–it just happened to be a woman. I find her resilience and self-confidence in the face of danger and obstacles very inspiring.

Who do you find inspiring? Whose royal christening (or wedding, which of course Elizabeth never had!) would you have liked to attend??

“Their passion flames off the page and delivers the best first kiss scene I’ve read in years…” –The Season Reviews

“Wolff writes a story that will grab you from the first word and not let go” –Night Owl Reviews

Riskies: Welcome to the blog, Veronica! Tell us about your August release, Devil’s Highlander…

Veronica: Hello everyone! It’s the first in my new “Clan MacAlpin” series, following a family of orphans in the 1680s, after the Civil Wars have ravaged Scotland. These devilish Highlanders run wild, without parents or other family, steeped in secrets and tragedy, claiming castle ruins as their home. Think “Party of Five” with claymores. :))

Devil’s Highlander is Cormac MacAlpin’s story. He and Marjorie were ten–the best of friends and only just beginning to wonder at the fascination each felt for the other–when, because of a childish prank, Cormac’s twin Aidan was kidnapped. Blaming themselves, their friendship was shattered.

Years later, another boy is taken, and Marjorie begs help from the only man she knows who’ll understand: Cormac. Now a war hero, Cormac treasures his solitude and wants nothing to do with an incident that can only bring fresh pain. But he and Marjorie find they are still drawn to each other, only this time they’re adults, with needs too powerful to deny.

Riskies: What was the inspiration behind this book? Did you come across any interesting research tidbits??

Veronica: Years ago, I stumbled across a mention of chimney sweeps, and the dreadful fates of many of these “climbing boys.” Many were simply stolen, transported to faraway lands where they became forced laborers. This won’t be news to longtime historical readers, but it was to me at the time! Particularly the fact that many people argued that working in the fresh air and fields was healthier for the boys anyhow.

It stuck in my craw for years, and was the kernel from which this latest series grew. I couldn’t stop thinking about these imaginary kids. What would come of a child stolen from his homeland? Who would he be as a man? What of the family left behind? Interestingly it was the brother, Cormac, who was the first character in my mind. The rest barreled quickly on his heels.

Riskies: What were the challenges in moving from your previous time-travel stories to straight historical?

Veronica: I’ve been loving the shift! I’m not saying I’ll never write a time-travel again, but for now I’m enjoying not having to worry about the fantasy elements of the story–how the character travels, what their experience is, how she comes to terms with the past, etc. It’s been a pleasure to plunge in, dealing purely with the story of a man and woman in the 17th century.

And, ironically, this new series has me doing less of the intense “in the weeds” research than I did for my time travels, as it marks a shift away from the real heroes and battles that were the crux of my first series, wherein each modern heroine was transported back in time to meet a famous hero from Scottish history. Instead, my MacAlpin books find me focusing much more on domestic scenes, amping up the internal conflict and spending less time on recreating real historical events and battles than I have in previous books.

Riskies: You also have a YA series coming out soon! Can you tell us about those books?

Veronica: Yes–I am SO excited about it! The series is called “The Watchers.” Girls who are outcasts from society (like gang girls, runaways, and so on) are seduced onto a bleak and faraway island where they undergo rigorous training, studying everything from languages, to computer hacking, to the tidiest way to kill an armed attacker. Only the best survive to become Watchers, an elite group acting as emissaries, guards, agents, and sometimes assassins for an ancient coven of vampires.

Each book will be told in the point of view of a very kick-ass, very smart young woman named Annelise Drew. The first installment, Isle of Night, hits the shelves in Fall 2011 and I can’t wait. I’m practically bursting at the seams to see the cover they’ll come up with!

Riskies: And what is “risky” about this book?

Veronica: The risks are all personal: my shift away from time-travel, away from the characters based on real historical figures and plots inspired by real events and battles, pose new challenges to me as a writer. If my past books had more external conflict than internal, my MacAlpin books flip that equation.

I cut my teeth on ’70s television and all those wonderful epic dramas (who didn’t love Richard Chamberlain??) and this latest series is my way to explore, over several books, the relationships in a big family, gradually uncovering family secrets, dark pasts, bitter regrets, hidden enemies–all that juicy stuff. Like I said–risky!

Riskies: And what is next for you?

Veronica: I’m really excited about what next year will bring. Devil’s Own, the next installment in the series, hits shelves in March, with my teen vampires and Isle of Night following in the fall. In the short term, though, all I can think about is September 19th when I’ll be leaving for a trip to Scotland! Can’t wait!

(Veronica is off doing Important Research at the Highland Games today, but will be dropping by later this afternoon to answer questions and comments! Be sure and comment for a chance to win a copy of Devil’s Highlander…)

The winner of a copy of Libertine’s Kiss is…LibraryPat! Please send us your snail mail address at Riskies AT yahoo.com and congrats