Back to Top

Author Archives: megan

Regency Haikus

Updated on by

Each year, the romance review website All About Romance runs a Purple Prose Parody where readers are invited to submit entries mocking, I mean, paying tribute to their favorite romance authors. I entered this past year, a time travel Regency where Tony Soprano traveled back and ended up in the body of a Regency debutante, all told in the style of Carla Kelly (My favorite part was the title, Mr. Soprano Takes A Trip). High-concept, not always as funny execution.

But it got me to thinking about our books, and how they could be distilled into, say, 17 words or so.

Haikus.

Therefore, without further ado, I present some of my modest Regency haikus, and invite you to add more.

Can We Talk?*
Debutante meets Lord
A big misunderstanding
It will all work out
*contributed by my husband

A Truth Universally Acknowledged
A poor young beauty
Meets a wealthy, handsome duke
Inevitable.

Mea Culpa
I am a writer!
Historically accurate?
Um, no, not so much.

Regency Oxymoron*
A virgin widow
How the hell does that happen?
Incongruity.
*Also my husband’s.

It’s Party Time!
Pelisse, reticule
Invitation to the ball
Say he will be there.

This one is R-rated–put your cursor over the white space to reveal the words.
Accessibility
My regency cock
Yearns to enter her–soft, wet
Yay! No underwear.

Time Of The Season
Spring is here at last!
It’s time to make my debut
Married in the fall.

Regency Buck
Pluck to the backbone
A devil with the ladies
Must be married soon.

This exercise, I must say, is loads of fun to do on the subway. Time for you to post your haikus–And thanks for playing!

Megan

Posted in Frivolity, Regency | Tagged | 9 Replies

Dishy Non Sequitur

Updated on by

It’s Sunday, I’ve only had one cup of coffee, I’m sitting here in my jack-o-lantern jammies while my son eats cocoa pebbles. . . In other words, uninspired. So I thought I’d post one of my favorite things: Chris Cornell. He was the lead singer of Soundgarden, one of those ’90s grunge bands, had his own record, and is now the singer for Audioslave, which is the band Rage Against The Machine with a new singer (him). Way more than you wanted to know, but my gosh–look at that chest! And he usually performs shirtless! Do you blame him?

I’m feeling more inspired now.

Megan

Posted in Frivolity | Tagged | 2 Replies

Book Report Day!

Updated on by

No, I am not reviewing one of my fellow Risky Regency bloggers’ books–that wouldn’t be risky, would it?
Instead, I thought I’d write about a book I received from my dad, the Enthusiastic Bibliophile, as a birthday gift (note: my birthday was in August, but my dad just sent this. A Timely Enthusiastic Bibliophile he is not).
Anyway. For anyone who’s gotten interested in the Regency period because of the clothing (Amanda? Cara? And I bet the rest of us, too), this is a find. The book is titled Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20 Century, and it is drool-worthy.

Before even opening the book, let’s talk about the presentation. Taschen, a company that’s produced many coolly chic coffee table books, produced this version of the book which costs a lot less than it did in previous editions–follow the link here to get the details. The book is compiled and collected by the Kyoto Costume Institute, which takes its show on the road to museums near you.

The volumes are soft-cover, but are contained within their own little holder, and the cover is just gorgeous. You can see it above, but to see it live is much more impressive.

Then open the book. Volume 1, which is the volume relevant to us: 18th and 19th Century Fashion. Ohmyword. The pictures are huge, clear, and have succinct descriptions, with dates, to give you a clue about what you’re seeing. And you really SEE the clothes here, not just a little tiny picture pulled from some period magazine that doesn’t give you the FEEL of the clothes.

There are men’s and women’s fashions here, and you can track the gradual changes in fashion through the ages. The pictures I’ve posted here are primarily from 1810, although the reticule is 1815. The black outfit is a riding habit–imagine a heroine wearing that as she’s trying to beat the hero in a neck-or-nothing race. The red coat is a redingote, an outer garment that would doubtless keep the heroine (and her muslin gown) free of drafts when she was outside.And in case you thought the current trend for short shrugs was just this century, take a look at the white jacket above–that is as short as anything I’ve seen in Mandee’s lately.
I haven’t spent a lot of time with this fabulous two-volume set yet, but I will be (thanks, Dad!), as much because I am a fan of fashion as I am of the Regency period. Just like our own books (you knew I’d get back there eventually, right?), the Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century books make the period come alive.

Something to look at when I’m wondering just which pair of jeans to don. What was your favorite period for women’s clothing? And is it because your figure is more suited to that style, or for more altruistic aesthetics?

Megan

Posted in Regency, Research | Tagged , , , | 11 Replies

You’ve Got the Look

Updated on by

I am certain I have mentioned it before, but it’s been weighing on my mind lately, so I thought I’d share my mind weight with you all.

You’re welcome.

I cannot write without having an image in my head of both the hero and the heroine–real people, always actors, and with some of what I perceive to be their characteristics.

Fine. Good. For Hero of My Heart (Loveswept, 4/13), the actors were Clive Owen and Maggie Gyllenhaal (in certain photos; at other times, not so much). For The Hero’s Return, I originally pictured Sean Bean (as Sharpe) and Rachel Weisz. I was even able to find a picture of them together, although of course Sean is a bit longer in the tooth than Rachel.

But through the course of writing the book, the way I’ve pictured him in my head is changing–now he looks more like Richard Armitage in MI-5. Yes. Another dark-haired Brit, like Clive. At least Richard has blue eyes, not green.

So I feel like a heel, tossing Sean like an old shoe because someone dishier (to me) comes along. But the hero just isn’t acting like Sean anymore (like I know what he’s like and everything!), and he is rather than Lucas North from MI-5 (at least the episodes I watched).

It’s a silly writer problem, but I won’t be able to continue forward on the book until I figure it out absolutely, and stick with my choice.

I’m at 50,000 words now, easing up to 85K, I think.

Do you picture people as you are reading or writing?

Megan

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | 6 Replies

Anachronism vs. Anomaly

Updated on by

Balogh_Famous_Heroine

I am currently writing a fluffy historical, sometimes called a wallpaper historical–this is the kind of book where the period is there for mere decoration (hence the wallpaper comment), and period experts will rightly say, “That could never happen in the Regency!”

And usually, I cock an eyebrow when a heroine of any time decides to have sex without considering protection, or the consequences, no matter what time period it is.

But in this book, my hero and heroine will not be going all the way until I’ve figured out how to make it work, in any context (not so much the act itself; I do know how that works).

But my heroine will be doing some heavy petting, so to speak, prior to making a commitment to the hero. I don’t think this is anachronistic behavior; I do believe that human beings of any time did things they perhaps should not. I prefer to think of it that my heroine is extraordinary in any time, although in this period she is an anomaly, particularly as a young aristocrat. Young ladies generally did not do such things. But my heroine, in specific, is.

Perhaps it’s justifying what I’m writing, perhaps it’s just looking at the time through my 21st century eyes, but I am okay with it. The characters are having fun figuring themselves, and each other out, and that shouldn’t be anomalous, no matter when it happens.

Meanwhile, I am glad I have something warm to write when it is so cold outside! Hope everyone is bundled up, sitting at home with a good book and a great cup of tea.

Megan

Posted in Regency, Writing | Tagged | 12 Replies