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Author Archives: diane

About diane

Diane Gaston is the RITA award-winning author of Historical Romance for Harlequin Historical and Mills and Boon, with books that feature the darker side of the Regency. Formerly a mental health social worker, she is happiest now when deep in the psyches of soldiers, rakes and women who don’t always act like ladies.

Sally MacKenzie and Bedding Lord Ned

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Today our Risky Regencies guest is Sally MacKenzie, here to talk about her latest book, Bedding Lord Ned. Bedding Lord Ned is the first of three books in Sally’s new Duchess in Love series and it has already received a starred review from Publishers Weekly: 

Mackenzie (The Naked King) launches the Duchess of Love Regency trilogy with an engaging tale that balances greed, jealousy, and malice with humor and sweetness….readers will cheer as each villain’s deceit is revealed and both justice and romance are served.

Sally will be giving away a signed copy of Bedding Lord Ned to one lucky commenter, chosen at random.

Welcome back, Sally!

Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by. It’s always fun to spend time with the Riskies!

Tell us about Bedding Lord Ned and your new non-Naked Duchess in Love series!

The first thing to know is the “Duchess of Love” is the ton’s nickname for Venus Valentine, the Duchess of Greycliffe. Venus has been a matchmaker since she was young enough to realize there was a difference between boys and girls, but the matches that most challenge her are those of her three sons. Bedding Lord Ned is the story of her efforts to bring Ned, her second son, together with his childhood friend Ellie Bowman.

When Ellie arrives at the duchess’s annual Valentine house party, she’s decided to give up any hope of marrying Ned. She’s loved him since she was a girl–even before he married her best friend–and she’d hoped, after she helped him through his year of mourning at the death of his wife and son in childbirth, he’d choose her for his second wife. But Cicely died four years ago, and Ned seems no closer to remarrying. Ellie wants children; it’s time for her to move on. This year she’ll put aside her dreams of Ned and find a husband from the other men the duchess has invited. She just needs to convince her heart of that–and to persuade the duchess’s thieving cat to stop stealing her red silk drawers and depositing them under Ned’s bed.

When Ned arrives at the house party, he’s decided to finally cooperate with his mother’s matchmaking efforts. He wants a family; he needs an heir. Ergo, he must consign his past to the past and get a wife–and the woman his mother seems to have selected for him even looks like his lost love. But his old friend Ellie is behaving strangely, and Reggie, Mama’s cat, keeps bringing him a pair of shocking red underwear. This outrageous, alluring scrap of silk couldn’t be good, old Ellie’s, could it? Suddenly his respectable childhood friend is invading his dreams in an utterly scandalous manner.

Admit it. The reason Bedding Lord Ned received a starred review from Publishers Weekly was because of the cat. Tell us about the use of cats as a plot device!

LOL! I’m sure that’s true. The funny thing is, I have no cats–or any pets–of my own. (I have four sons, but that’s a whole different story.) I think I’m inspired by the great Georgette Heyer’s use of pets in her books–loved, loved, loved those.

I’m not one of those writers that comes skipping, full of glee, to start a new book. Frankly, I am not bristling with ideas. I look at the blank screen in horror and get a suffocating feeling of panic when I think about the 400 some pages I have yet to fill. So I’m always scrambling around a bit trying to come up with an opening scene.

Enter Sir Reginald–Reggie–the duchess’s cat–and a pair of red silk drawers. (More on those later.) Reggie was born as a way to get the story going, but then he sort of took over–I guess that’s what cats do? I turns out he’s as much a matchmaker, in his own way, as the duchess.

Another funny thing about Reggie. When my editor showed me the cover for Bedding Lord Ned, there was an animal tugging on the girl’s dress, but it wasn’t a cat–it was a dog! I had a brief–a very brief–thought of transforming Reggie, but quickly realized I’d have to completely rewrite the book to do that. So, voila and hallelujah, the cover was changed.

Seriously, what has it been like to end a popular series, like the Naked series, and embark on something new?

The Naked series was tons of fun–it comprises seven novels and two novellas. I even came to embrace being “the Naked writer.” But all good things must come to an end. For one thing, I’d pretty much run through the peerage. Perhaps I could have wandered into other territory–I must admit The Naked Butler still calls to me–but I also think it was time to try something new.

The Duchess of Love books are planned as a series as opposed to the Naked world which grew haphazardly. Well, “planned” is a relative word–I’m what they call a “pantser” rather than a plotter. There’s a prequel novella and then a trilogy of books–one for each of the duchess’s sons. The books cover a relatively short period of time from February to perhaps November–Bedding Lord Ned happens over a matter of days in February–and intertwine a bit.

All that said, I think the Duchess of Love stories will be the same kind of read as the Naked books. I’m still having fun exploring family relationships with a touch–well, perhaps a generous helping–of humor.

How did you introduce the new series? 

We tried something new with The Duchess of Love series–or at least, new for me and I think my publisher: we kicked it off with an e-novella prequel–titled The Duchess of Love–that released April 24. But don’t worry if you haven’t made the jump to an e-reader–the novella is included in the back of the print version of Bedding Lord Ned.

The Duchess of Love is set thirty years before Bedding Lord Ned and is the story of how the duchess meets her duke. As a little bit of a nod to my Naked world, the duke first sees Venus when she’s skinny dipping in a pond on the property he’s recently inherited and is visiting for the first time. He thinks she’s drowning and rushes in to save her. It’s a mistaken identity, love at almost first sight story which includes a dog and some marauding caterpillars. (The caterpillar scene was based on a real life disaster that spelled the end of my Dwarf Mugo Pines.)

I hadn’t planned to write the novella, actually. In my original synopsis, the duchess was a widow. But when my agent suggested this prequel, I went with it. Of course, once I’d met the duke, I couldn’t kill him off. And since the duke was still alive, that meant the eldest son was “demoted” to heir apparent which changed his story quite a lot. But since I’m a pantser and not a plotter, it was all good.

Did you come across any interesting research when writing Bedding Lord Ned?

The first thing I needed to determine was whether cats do steal things. I did a little googling and came across this mention of a British underwear stealing feline. And in looking for that article while writing this blog, I came across this video:

Also in the interesting video department, I’ve got a scene where Ellie is skating on a pond and the ice cracks. She doesn’t actually fall in, but I wanted to research how Ned should best save her and found this video by a very dedicated Canadian scientist:

Finally, whenever I include objects in a story, I like to have a picture of what the thing might look like. When my husband and I were in London in the fall of 2010, I was fascinated with the decorative details on everyday objects like chairs, candelabra, andirons, and the like. At the silent auction at last year’s Beau Monde mini conference, I won a very heavy, very large paperback book, The Treasure Houses of Britain with the subtitle “Five Hundred Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting.” It is full of photographs, some of which came in very helpful when I was writing the scenes where the house party guests go hunting for paper hearts in the dungeon.

What is risky about Bedding Lord Ned? 

I always say I’m not really a researcher. Some authors come to writing Regencies with a strong historical bent; I came because I’d read scads of Regencies, starting with Georgette Heyer when I was around middle school age. The Regency is a bit of my imaginative playground. I want to get things right–or at least not wrong–but I’m not a historian.

The Beau Monde chapter of RWA is a great place to get lots of–sometimes an overwhelming amount of–good information. And one topic that pops up from time to time is underwear: what did–or didn’t–they wear under those dresses? Some sources seem to say they went commando. (Hilarious print from 1815 I found when checking my terminology, which I got to from this article about a “True Scotsman.”

Ergo, I was very worried about those red silk drawers. Were they going to be like waving a red flag in front of a bull? (Alas, not a period expression.) But, as I say, I’m not a writer who’s bristling with ideas or thrilled with the blank page. I’d actually tried starting the book in an entirely different way–and that had been a complete disaster. So my muse was giving me these red silk drawers; I couldn’t afford to turn up my nose at them.

And then when my husband and I were in England, we visited the Sir John Soane’s Museum. I bought The Soanes at Home, and in it I discovered Mrs. Soane, who died in 1815, had a pair of long cotton drawers! If Mrs. Soane had drawers, I decided Ellie could, too. And once I felt somewhat confident about that, I was willing to finesse the red silk part. And it’s a good thing, because what began as a way to start the story, ended up–like Reggie–taking over much more of the book than I’d intended.

What is next?

I’m finishing up Jack’s–the third son’s–book (where you’ll find a dog named Shakespeare). And I’ll be starting Ash’s book as soon as I catch my breath. No firm release dates yet on Jack’s and Ash’s stories. Oh, and our third son is getting married in August, so that will take some of my attention, too!

Now I have a question for all of you. Dog or cat? Are there really dog people and cat people? And what do you think of pets in books?

So far, including the Naked books, I’ve had cats, dogs, a talking parrot, and a mischievous monkey. And maybe some others I’ve forgotten. Ash’s book will have a pet, too, but I haven’t yet decided what it will be. Any suggestions? It has to be something that will look fetching on the cover.

Answer Sally’s questions or make a comment or ask a question of your own for a chance to win a signed copy of Bedding Lord Ned. We’ll pick a winner Monday June 3 around midnight. 

Posted in Giveaways, Interviews | Tagged , | 30 Replies

Games of Chance

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Who doesn’t like to win a game of chance? Goodness! How many of us buy lottery tickets and dream of wealth? That dream of winning by chance fueled many a gambling addiction of the Georgian and Regency periods. Think of the ruin of Brummell and the terrible debt of the Duchess of Devonshire.

As I told you a couple of weeks ago, I’m writing a Gaming Hell story where games of chance play a prominent part. My hero hopes to make a lot of money, because he will be running the games of chance, like Hazard or Faro, and the odds always favor the house.

Games of chance never really favor the player. The odds of winning the lottery are infinitesimal, but I have a nice giveaway to tell you about where the odds of winning are a whole lot better!

The Harlequin Historical authors are offering a Beach Bag Giveaway to kick off the summer vacation season. We have a June vacation calendar in which there are author giveaways at least four days out of each week. On the contest days, all you have to do is click on the author’s bookcover and follow the instructions. Each author is giving away a daily prize, but every time you enter, you gain a chance to win the grand prize–a Kindle Fire!!
(If you miss a day, you might miss the author’s daily prize, but you can still catch up and be eligible for the Grand Prize)

Click here for all the details.

The giveaway starts today!

My day to play is the very last day, June 28. I’ll be giving away a signed copy of A Not So Respectable Gentleman — or an ebook copy–to one lucky entrant. Details will be on my website.

Amanda’s day is June 14.

The Grand Prize winner will be selected on June 29.

So take a chance! Enter the giveaway. If you don’t win you won’t have to sneak away to escape your debtors!

What’s your favorite game of chance?

Posted in Giveaways, Regency, Research | Tagged , | 3 Replies

Regency Football

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This past Sunday, like millions of other people, I watched the Superbowl. Ordinarily I am not inclined to watch sports, but we were visiting my in-laws and they wanted to watch the game and I certainly didn’t mind. It could not have been a more exciting game. I had a stake in it, considering that the Baltimore Ravens are practically on our doorstep.

I got to wondering….Did they play “football” (meaning soccer and rugby or any ball games played on a field) in the Regency? The only Regency competitive sports I’ve ever read about were boxing, horse racing or carriage racing, but not team sports. Still, it stood to reason that team sports were played, at least in schools and at village fairs. After all, there is a famous quote that Wellington never said: The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.

Football_gravure_1750Games using a ball and involving kicking have been around since ancient times and have existed in diverse cultures. In Medieval times games were played on Shrovetide, Easter or Christmas and often consisted on one mob of fellows from one village playing against a mob from another. The ball might have been an inflated animal bladder and the point of a game to bring it to one end of the field.

Between 1300 and 1600 games of football were banned in several parts of the British Isles. In 1349 Edward III banned games of football because it distracted men from practicing archery (and being prepared for war). In 1608 football was banned in Manchester because it created “greate disorder in our towne of Manchester…and glasse windowes broken yearlye and spoyled by a companie of lewd and disordered persons….” Sounds like some things don’t change much!

Harrow_School_Footer_FieldExcept for holidays, the average man had no leisure time to play sports so the places where football flourished were the English public (meaning private) schools, like Eton, Winchester and Rugby. The English public schools were the first to codify football games, although the rules were often different with each school.

The first known sets of rules were those of Eton in 1815 (the year of the battle of Waterloo). And THAT did happen during the Regency!

Did you watch the game? What did you think of it?
Do you root for a favorite team?
Do you know anything more about team sports during the Regency?

Posted in Regency, Research | Tagged , , | 6 Replies

Secret Betrothals

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I received the author copies of A Not So Reputable Gentleman? last Friday, and there is nothing like seeing the book in its tangible form. Even ebook-Kindle-loving me savors holding the book in my hands and flipping through its pages.

I’ll do an “official” introduction to the book near its release date of July 24, but revisiting the book after several months reminded me of some of the essential elements of the story.

My hero and heroine were secretly betrothed before the book begins. Secret betrothals, while favored in fiction (e.g. Edward Ferrars and Lucy Steele in Sense and Sensibility; Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax in Emma), were frowned upon in the real Regency world. In fact, it was considered a serious moral lapse.

Unmarried men and women in society were not permitted to be alone together and were expected to meet only in carefully chaperoned circumstances, like balls and other society parties.

Before a betrothal, young men and women were forbidden to use each other’s Christian names. They could not correspond by letters. They could not exchange gifts. They could not touch in any kind of intimate way and certainly could not kiss.

My hero and heroine had broken nearly all these taboos, although they, of course, considered themselves betrothed. In public, however, any show of particular attention or lapse of correct behavior would have given them away. Society was quick to assume a serious attachment on any sign of particular attention between a couple.

A secret engagement typically meant that there were reasons parents would not approve of the match. During the Regency a parent’s approval was expected if the child was under 21 years of age. Parents naturally wished for socially and financially secure marriages for their children. At the time of my book’s beginning, my hero was neither financially secure or socially acceptable.

By the 1800s a betrothal became more of a gentleman’s word than a contract between families. Even though suing for breach of contract was no longer the norm, a gentleman was expected to keep his word if he asked a woman to marry. A gentleman was disgraced if he broke an engagement and his fiancee was considered damaged goods. The lady was the only one who could “cry off” but then she was considered a jilt.

This, of course, makes great fodder for Regency Romance Novels. In reality, it is what led Wellington to marry Kitty Pakenham. When Kitty had been young and vivacious Wellington had courted her, but his suit was not accepted by her family. When he returned from India, Kitty had become pale and sickly, but Wellington realized that she had considered them betrothed all that time. He felt duty-bound to marry her as a result.

A secret betrothal held no such protections for the couple. By its secrecy, words–and hearts–could be broken without any social cost, although the emotional cost could be enormous.

In matters of marriage, the Regency was, like in so many areas, a time of change. In the 17th and 18th century society marriages were arranged by the parents and were secured for financial gain or rise in social status. By the Regency, couples wished to marry for love. Some blamed this foolish notion on the reading of novels.

Do you like secret betrothals in Regency romances? What about arranged marriages?

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Not So Reputable Gentleman?, enter my part of the Harlequin Historical Authors Summer Beach Bag Giveaway. For more chances at other prizes and the grand prize of a Kindle Fire, enter daily. See details here.

Posted in Regency, Research, Risky Book Talk | Tagged , , , | 10 Replies