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Author Archives: megan

Today it’s time to clean some stuff up, out of my mind, if not my house.

Monday is Blog Action Day; so far there are over 11,000 blogs participating, and on October 15, every blogger will be talking about the environment. Maybe your blog (speak for yourself, Megan! I am!) doesn’t have the hugest amount of visitors, but if every little voice joins together, we’ll create a magnificent din.

Last weekend was the New Jersey RWA Conference; it featured really excellent panels, not horrific food, and the chance to hang out with fellow writers. Janet Mullany and I (along with two of my writing friends) had dinner Friday night, and I saw Diane Gaston inbetween her socializing, not enough, for sure, but at least I got a hug. So HALF of the Risky Regencies were represented in Jersey, which was cool. (side note: If you are in the New York area, and are free next Thursday evening, Jane Lockwood and Collette Gale will be reading from their respective naughty books at the Happy Endings Lounge. I’ll be there, too).

In addition to taking action for the environment (see the first item), I also encourage you, if you are a writer, to take action for your fellow authors–I can’t tell you how great it is to critique someone else’s work, to help them and be helped in return. Sure, I can ask my husband, who does have his degree in writing, to look at my stuff, but he doesn’t read romance. But fellow authors? Yup, they’ll know it’s okay that I spend a whole page describing how she walks towards him (although I am not Judith Ivory). I just did a critique for someone, and it is exciting to see someone else’s talent. I can’t do this a lot, but when I do, and the person is responsive to the critique, I feel as if I’ve given something back to all the writers who help me.

My son–dramatic eight year-old that he is–told me he would die if he didn’t do something nice for someone at least once a week. He also said he’s “rare,” because he does a lot of nice things, unlike other kids his age. Good thing he’s not full of himself. But it’s a good thought–what good things have you done lately? What are in your plans for the future?

Megan

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Today I head off to New Jersey, land of tomatoes, peaches, and Springsteen for the New Jersey Romance Writers’ Conference.

Conferences are great motivators; not only do you get to meet and talk with other women who do what you do and like what you like, but man, you’ve spent the registration fee, so darn it, you better do something besides sit on your butt and whine about not writing.

Which means, of course, that it is–let’s see–6:39am in the morning and I have to think of something to post here before I go.

[sudden switch of topic, I will bring it back around, just wait]

Another great thing about writing is that, contrary to what we whine about a lot, it is not a solitary endeavor; your comrades-in-arms (or keyboards) understand what you are going through and can commiserate. For example, I am heading to New Jersey with my friends KJ and EKM, who posts as the Lady Novelist.

A few days ago, EKM tagged me for a book meme. Which I now present here. Please comment and share your answers, too, so we can be a big community of obsessed book people!

Total number of books?

Oh, lord, I’m a reader, not a math person; I estimate about 2,000. My husband and I were both English majors, plus there’s the obsessive reader thing–maybe more, I dunno.

Last book read?

Traveling With The Dead by Barbara Hambly, a vampire story set in the 1920s. I am currently reading J.R. Ward‘s Lover Unbound. And next up in the queue is Deborah Simmon’s Tempting Kate, a Regency historical.

Last book bought?

Lover Unbound and The Devil’s Right Hand by Lilith Saintcrow (but honestly, I’m not ALL about vampires and demons, it just happened to be that way right now).

Five meaningful books?

Andrew Lang‘s The Colored Fairy Books: amazingly diverse tales that all usually have a happy ending.

C.S. Lewis‘s Narnia Chronicles: Kids surviving on their own, using their own innate good sense and morality, something I found myself doing when I was growing up.

Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice: Romance, a seemingly irresolvable conflict, strong characters, plus that Mr. Darcy is soooo alpha-sexy. Le sigh.

Barbara Cartland‘s The Wicked Marquis: Ellipses and all, I read and re-read this book when I was nine or ten. And spent all my allowance money on more Cartlands. Eventually, I discovered the Heyers lurking in my parents’ library, but Dame Barbara was responsible for my introduction to romance.

Charlotte Bronte‘s Jane Eyre: First person, not a traditional heroine, a dark, tortured hero, melodrama, she turns down that prig St. John, thank goodness, and yet it’s got an HEA.

What about you? Share your obsession!

Megan

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Hello! And . . .Welcome to the Risky Regencies Second Anniversary Celebration!

As usual (see below), I am pressed for time–laundry calls!–but I had too much fun wandering through the past two years’ archive. Boy, at the risk of sounding even more solipsistic (see below, part two), we are a fun group of gals. On to the details . . .

Leave a comment on this post anytime before the end of this week saying which of my [meandering, solipsistic, unhistorical] posts you like the best, and you’ll be entered to win today’s prize!


My prize is a copy of my book, A Singular Lady, and a DVD of The Lady And The Highwayman, a Barbara Cartland adaptation starring Hugh Grant, and one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I should include a shot or two to help get you through it; I’ll work on that part. There might be more prizes, depending on what I unearth (ooh! I thought of something else I can include!), but that’s the gist of it.

In reviewing the past two years of my posts, I have realized two things:
1) I talk about being tired and not having any idea what to post a lot. I mean a lot

and

2) My fellow Riskies are way more interesting and less self-absorbed than I.

So since all that is true, and I need more coffee, let’s get to it!

One of my most fun posts was actually last weeks, where I appended “…in the Regency!” to all sorts of pop culture. We dished about mantitty here, did Regency haikus over here, I wrote a heartfelt Mother’s Day card to my Dad right here (sniff!), and talked about romance conversion kits here.

I think the next two years I will strive not to talk about myself, sleep deprivation, coffee, scatteredbrainness, and slogging through writing as much. I will not promise not to write about Clive Owen, Sean Bean, plot inspiration, books I love, authors I love, music that resonates, and fairy tales nearly as often.

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.

And don’t forget to sign up for our Risky newsletter, if you haven’t done so yet–All subscribers at the end of this week will have a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate! (To subscribe, send an e-mail to riskies@yahoo.com with NEWSLETTER in the subject line.)

Megan

During the summer, as I was mulling over ideas for future projects, I realized what a lot of authors already know: To make a fabulous story idea, add “in the Regency” to the end of it.

This is like the Chinese fortune cookie game where you add “in bed” to your fortune. Hilarity ensues. In this case, however, you might come up with some really useful ideas.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the Regency? Colleen Gleason‘s Gardella Vampire Chronicles.
Sex And The City in the Regency? A gazillion different authors, most notably Eloisa James.
Desperate Housewives in the Georgian? Eloisa James, again.
Charlie’s Angels in the Regency? Jenna Petersen.

What other examples can you think of?

Now every time I’m watching TV I pin “in the Regency” to the end. Unfortunately, since most of the TV I watch is due to my son, I’m left with Spongebob Squarepants in the Regency, or Scooby-Doo in the Regency (although Shaggy could be the Prince of Wales, couldn’t he?)


What piece of pop culture would you like to see “in the Regency?”

Megan

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Like Elena’s kids, my son is back in school. Hopefully unlike hers, mine is already hating it. I don’t think he’ll like school until college, and maybe not even then. Anyway. This has been an exhausting week, and I am completely uninspired.

But I do have pictures!

Our summer started out in Minnesota, where my son went to sailing school (my mom is from there, my whole family–except me–sails). That first picture is from the sailing school island, out on Lake Minnetonka.

Then it was Birthday time.Then we went to Cape Cod, to visit my dad. I forgot to bring my camera. Then to the Jersey Shore, where we frolicked on the beach and ate lots and lots of ice cream. The son made me go on one amusement park ride, to try to scare me, and although I wasn’t scared, I did get nauseated. Ah, the price of motherhood.

The beach was fantastic.

What did everyone else love this summer?

Megan
*I edited some pix from before.

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