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Author Archives: megan

Edith Layton

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Most of you have probably already heard of the unfortunate passing of author Edith Layton. Tributes are up at the Word Wenches, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, and from Edith’s daughter, Susie Felber.

Edith Layton was, and remains, one of my favorite Regency authors. Back in 2001, when I got laid off because of effects of 9/11, I decided I would try to write a book like the ones I read and loved when I was young. I went to the library and hunted down any book that had “Regency” on the spine. Naturally, Edith Layton’s books were prime among them, and thank goodness, because I am not certain I would have persevered if I hadn’t read some superb quality books right away. In short succession, I read The Duke’s Wager, The Disdainful Marquis, Lord of Dishonor and The Abandoned Bride.

Later, I was floored by The Devil’s Bargain. The hero in That Subtle Knot, my book being submitted to publishers now, is named Alisdair in homage to The Devil’s Bargain very dark, very tortured hero.

I got to meet Ms. Layton at RWA New York; it was my first conference, and I had persuaded my husband to join me for the Literacy Signing. We wandered the exhibition area, him feeling like a rare piece of meat, since there were two other men in the entire room: One a Brockmann-imported Navy SEAL, and one an indie-paper guy dressed in an Iggy Pop t-shirt. When we got the “L” row, I made a beeline for Edith Layton. She was totally gracious, and eyeballed Scott, telling him he should model for our covers. I got to tell her how much I loved her books.

I am so grateful she turned her enormous writing talent to romance, and very grateful she was so prolific, and was given the chance to share her talent with us.

Thank you, Ms. Layton. You will be missed.

Megan

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Satisfactorily Ever After

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A lot of times, when romance readers talk about why they read romance, they mention the “Happy Ever After,” or “HEA,” as we’ve shorthanded it.

And that is the same reason many of us don’t read literary fiction, because there’s often an UNHappy Ever After, and that is unfulfilling, not to mention depressing.

For me, however, I’ve come to realize that what I require is a Satisfying Ending. I don’t need it to be happy, I just need it to be resolved. And, sometimes, literary fiction doesn’t resolve things, it just shows us that our miserable lives continue on and on past the book.

I like reading genre books because the point of the book is usually reaching some sort of conclusive ending: The murder is solved, the battle is won, the fantastical planet is saved. Something that makes you feel as though you’re not missing anything, like the world will continue as you’ve come to understand it even though the last page has been read and absorbed.

For example, I was thinking of one of my favorite authors, Bernard Cornwell, and his trilogy of the Archer’s Tale; the overall goal of the main character is to find the Holy Grail, but there are just as large goals that are begun, and concluded, in each book. Fabulous, fabulous writing and plotting. Back to romance, Elizabeth Hoyt does a similar thing with her Four Soldiers quartet. Each story has a traditional HEA, with a larger goal drawn out over the course of the four books. Ken Bruen‘s Jack Taylor series reveals more about the main character over the course of the two books I’ve read, and also satisfactorily solves the mystery.

In some ways, a good ending is like a good dessert: It can make up for a lot of faults in the meal. A bad dessert can literally leave a bad taste in your mouth, just as an unsatisfactory ending can ruin all the hard work the author did in the first three-quarters of the book.

I have read one book where an open ending worked for me, and that was Michel Faber‘s The Crimson Petal And The White, a historical fiction book that was just luscious. I had been warned, however, that the ending wasn’t traditional, so I was prepared.

How about you? Do all your endings have to be happy? What book has been ruined for you by the ending? What authors end books particularly well?

Megan

PS: A new Risky is coming to town! Wait for her arrival sometime next week!

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Talk of the Town

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Regency heroes and heroines worry so much about what people will say if they do certain things: Get married, not get married, drive in a carriage alone with a person of the opposite sex, wear an inappropriate garment.

It must’ve been horribly claustrophobic. And yet–I realized the other day that I, too, am living in a fishbowl, and I have to watch what I do and say (although I am continuing to dampen my chemise, thanks very much!). See, I live in a semi-attached house, which means that there are houses rightnext to me on either side. Our neighbors are both lovely couples, thank goodness, and they have kids younger than my son, which means he gets to be all authoritatively older, and he likes that.

But I am on Twitter, as are the two husbands on either side of me. And we follow each other, which is kinda fun. But if I Twitter something–ahem–inappropriate, they know. Like when I talk about things that annoy me about romance novels, like size issues and such. Like that.

Or something that might be construed as too personal: One day, a few weeks ago, I wrote a Tweet that said, “One should not begin a huge fight at 11:45 in the evening.” Being wryly acerbic, as is my wont. The next day, the wife of one of the guys said she’d heard about it, not in a gossipy kind of way, but just in an ‘I’ve been there, too’ way. But it was weird (we fight very quietly, however, so she didn’t know what it was about).

So–what fun facts do you know about your neighbors? Have you ever been surprised by what they know about you? What are you hiding from them? Do you like or dislike social networks because of the scrutiny?

Megan
PS: yes, I have talked about the internet being like the ton before, clearly I am obsessed.

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Tessa Dare on Were-Stags!

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Today, we welcome Tessa Dare, whose Samhain e-novella, The Legend of the Were-Stag, is out now. Tessa will release a full length book in July, The Goddess Of The Hunt, followed by Surrender Of A Siren in August and A Lady Of Persuasion in September.

And a bit about Tessa:

Tessa Dare is a part-time librarian, full-time mommy and swing-shift writer living in Southern California.

Tessa lived a rather nomadic childhood in the Midwest. As a girl, she discovered that no matter how many times she moved, two kinds of friends traveled with her: the friends in books, and the friends in her head. She still converses with both sets daily.

Tessa writes fresh and flirty historical romance, a blog, and the stray magazine article. To the chagrin of her family, Tessa does not write grocery lists, Christmas cards, or timely checks to utility companies. She shares a tiny bungalow with her husband, their two children, a dog, and many dust bunnies.

Tessa enjoys a good book, a good laugh, a good long walk in the woods, a good movie, a good meal, a glass of good wine, and the company of good people.


Please welcome Tessa to the Risky Regencies!

***

The Care and Feeding of Werestags: Writing the ruminant shifter historical hero

Last week, my first e-novella, The Legend of the Werestag, was released into the wild! As I believe it may be the first Regency-set historical romance novella to feature a were-ruminant, I thought I might offer a few words of advice to any historical authors looking to explore this new, exciting sub-subgenre.

Habitat:

Forget Bath and Brighton. For the fashionable Regency gent with ruminant-shifter propensities, the ideal holiday locale is a well-appointed manor house (turret optional), conveniently situated near a dark, misty, cursed forest. As you see from my cover, Swinford Manor fits the bill perfectly.

Attire:

Take a look at the cover for TLOTW, and note carefully the attire of the hero. Not his bare chest, mind, but his attire. You may think that this depicts an anachronistic button-down shirt, since it is open to the waist. In actuality, an open-front shirt is a wardrobe necessity for a were-ruminant hero in any historic era. Why, you may ask? One word: Antlers.

Feeding habits:

As everyone knows, werestags are herbivores and must be provided ample fodder for rumination. The gracious host will provide a cold buffet of vegetables, leafy salads, and whole grains, but in a pinch, bread will do:

Ignoring Brooke’s grumbling objection, Luke swiped a roll from his neighbor’s plate and chewed it moodily.

(Note that in human form, the werestag hero is inclined to not only obsessive mastication, but obsessive brooding. “Chewing moodily,” or ruminating in multiple senses of the term simultaneously, is the mark of a male were-ruminant in his prime.)

Respect the man and his inner beast:

Feeling a little bit silly–and why should she, she talked to horses and dogs all the time–she addressed him. “Can you understand me? My speech, I mean?” When he gave no response, she added, “If you can understand me, nod your head twice. Or tap your hoof, perhaps.”

His neck lengthened a fraction, so that his regal crown of antlers struck an even more impressive silhouette. I am not one of your horses or dogs, his proud bearing told her. I do not nod or tap on command.

The wise heroine (and her authoress) remembers that her werestag hero is a wild creature by nature. The goal is never to subdue his inner beast, but to embrace it.

I’m sure it’s obvious by now, but of course I’m joking. 🙂 My novella is not truly a paranormal shifter story, but rather a straight historical romance. All werestags in The Legend of the Werestag remain just that: the stuff of legends. TLOTW (available as an e-book from Samhain Publishing) was my chance to take my favorite paranormal conventions and play with them within the confines of historical romance. A gothic setting, hair-raising action in a darkened forest, and raw, animal passion, to start. A tortured hero just returned from war, who’s not quite sure he’s fully human anymore, and the heroine determined to prove she’s strong enough to embrace his inner beast. Werestag is also loosely linked to my forthcoming print debut, Goddess of the Hunt (Ballantine, July 28th). You can find excerpts of both books at my website, TessaDare.com.

Thank you so much for inviting me today! It’s an honor.

What sort of shifter hero are you desperate to see in Regency-set romance? A were-hound ranging the moors of Devon? A were-badger paddling the Severn? A were-hedgehog, perhaps? 😉

A lucky commenter will win a free download of The Legend of the Werestag and a signed coverflat of Goddess of the Hunt!

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Always And Forever

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Okay, sorry to be all harsh reality today, but I found out a dear, dear friend is getting a divorce after close to 20 years together. And although it’s devastating to her and her children, I got to thinking about how vital it must have been for the women–girls, usually–in our period to make the right choice when it came to marriage.

Can you imagine? You are courted by someone who waltzes with you a few times, escorts you to supper, gets you a glass of orgeat, and boom! you’re married. You barely know the guy, and now he has control over you, whatever fortune you might have, and whatever offspring the two of you have together.

Just thinking of it frightens me. It’s a very real aspect of women’s lives at that time that it is hard for a modern woman to comprehend. I know I always wonder why Jane Austen accepted an offer only to change her mind 24 hours later, but if Jane was as remarkable a person and a thinker as we all believe, it’s no wonder she didn’t want to leave her fate in some guy’s hands.

Making the importance of that decision resonate–and not seem like some woman’s unrealistic desire to be madly in love, even though that wasn’t the norm–is crucial to Regency authors, and something I struggle with as a modern woman. We’ve discussed birth control here before, and doubtless have talked about marriage and what it means, but my friend’s situation brought it all home again to me.

So what aspect of your life would you never wish to relinquish control of? Do you or your husband handle finances (in my family, it’s me)? Which of your former boyfriends’ habits were dealbreakers for long-term commitment?

Megan

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