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Category: Jane Austen

Meeting Mary Jo Putney

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Today I’m going to the Library of Congress to hear Mary Jo Putney speak to the Library of Congress Professional Association’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum about her new YA series featuring a group of young mage’s from an alternate Regency world. I gushed about the first book in this series, Dark Mirror, here last May. The second in the series, Dark Passage, is out this month.

Mary Jo has been an important influence in my own writing. Years ago, my friend Helen (who happens to be the present Coordinator of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum) insisted I read The Rake and The Reformer, the book I credit with sparking my love of Regency Romance.

The Rake and the Reformer, 1989, (Re-written and released as The Rake in 1998) still appears on readers’ Favorite Regencies lists, as it would on mine. I loved the strong characters and emotions in that book, as well as the treatment of the very contemporary issue of alcoholism.

After reading the Rake and the Reformer, I promptly searched for, and eventually found, Mary Jo’s first Regency, The Diabolical Baron, and discovered Reggie, the hero of The Rake and the Reformer as the villain. (I used that device myself in The Wagering Widow and my own “Rake” book,A Reputable Rake.)

I went on to read every Mary Jo Putney book I could get my hands on. I loved her complex characters and her creative inclusion of things, like blood transfusion in Shattered Rainbows and opium addiction in The Bargain.

Another early influence from Mary Jo was her essay in Dangerous Men, Adventurous Women, “Welcome To The Dark Side.” This whole book was a revelation to me and I loved Mary Jo’s scholarly take on the appeal of a dark hero.

I admire Mary Jo for her willingness to try new things, to switch from her very popular Regencies to Contemporaries and Fantasy and now her YA fantasies. What’s even better, she’s returned to the Regency again with her Lost Lords series, as creative as ever.

Once early on in my writing life, Mary Jo spoke at the Library of Congress Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum about world building and I attended. I was so honored to be included when the Library employees took her to lunch—I had an “in” then, too. My husband was friends with the woman who was then the coordinator.

I’m expecting to go to lunch this time, too, and, I promise you, I’m equally as thrilled!

Which Mary Jo Putney book is your favorite?

Posted in Jane Austen | Tagged , | 8 Replies

Meeting Mary Jo Putney

Updated on by

Today I’m going to the Library of Congress to hear Mary Jo Putney speak to the Library of Congress Professional Association’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum about her new YA series featuring a group of young mage’s from an alternate Regency world. I gushed about the first book in this series, Dark Mirror, here last May. The second in the series, Dark Passage, is out this month.

Mary Jo has been an important influence in my own writing. Years ago, my friend Helen (who happens to be the present Coordinator of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum) insisted I read The Rake and The Reformer, the book I credit with sparking my love of Regency Romance.

The Rake and the Reformer, 1989, (Re-written and released as The Rake in 1998) still appears on readers’ Favorite Regencies lists, as it would on mine. I loved the strong characters and emotions in that book, as well as the treatment of the very contemporary issue of alcoholism.

After reading the Rake and the Reformer, I promptly searched for, and eventually found, Mary Jo’s first Regency, The Diabolical Baron, and discovered Reggie, the hero of The Rake and the Reformer as the villain. (I used that device myself in The Wagering Widow and my own “Rake” book,A Reputable Rake.)

I went on to read every Mary Jo Putney book I could get my hands on. I loved her complex characters and her creative inclusion of things, like blood transfusion in Shattered Rainbows and opium addiction in The Bargain.

Another early influence from Mary Jo was her essay in Dangerous Men, Adventurous Women, “Welcome To The Dark Side.” This whole book was a revelation to me and I loved Mary Jo’s scholarly take on the appeal of a dark hero.

I admire Mary Jo for her willingness to try new things, to switch from her very popular Regencies to Contemporaries and Fantasy and now her YA fantasies. What’s even better, she’s returned to the Regency again with her Lost Lords series, as creative as ever.

Once early on in my writing life, Mary Jo spoke at the Library of Congress Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum about world building and I attended. I was so honored to be included when the Library employees took her to lunch—I had an “in” then, too. My husband was friends with the woman who was then the coordinator.

I’m expecting to go to lunch this time, too, and, I promise you, I’m equally as thrilled!

Which Mary Jo Putney book is your favorite?

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Healthy Escapes

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My children started school on Sept 7th. That morning, they waited for the bus in the pouring rain. The bus was late. I brought out an umbrella. When the bus finally came, the umbrella wouldn’t close, so I took it, sure that it wouldn’t still be raining when the kids returned. I was wrong. It continued to rain throughout the day and into the night. I woke up at some point, realizing the power had gone off. And it was still raining. I couldn’t fall back asleep. I remembered the flood of 2006, supposedly a “hundred year flood”. But this time, I felt the uneasy sense that something more terrible was happening.

Sadly, my gut was right. It was another “hundred year flood” but this time it was much worse. My family and I are among the lucky ones. Our hillside neighborhood became an island as the main road below us flooded. We lost power for five days (which is why I wasn’t around last Saturday) and are still having to boil our water, but our house is fine. Meanwhile, entire neighborhoods have been ravaged. We know many people whose homes have been seriously damaged and some who lost them entirely.

I strongly believe in facing reality. For many in our area, this means doing the work it takes to recover. For lucky ones like me, it means helping. Yesterday I joined a church group to help a member clean up. It felt good to be with my friends and it felt good to be useful.

But sometimes the reality just gets too overwhelming. There are times when one has to escape, at least for short time.

During the first days of the crisis, my family and I were safe and dry, but isolated, with only the radio to keep us informed of the unfolding tragedy. I tried to keep things as normal and cheerful as possible. We spent a lot of time reading, writing and crocheting. I figured out how to grill things I’d never grilled before (scalloped potatoes au gratin, even). We played Scrabble by candlelight.

Now that we’re past the crisis and into the long recovery, my friends and I are still feeling very anxious. One of us recently posted a reminder on Facebook that we all need to take breaks to have a cup of tea, do a puzzle, listen to music or escape into a good book. It’s one of the reasons I write. Creativity is healing. We all need art, songs and stories to sustain us.

When life becomes too sad and scary, what are your healthy escapes?

Elena

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Fall Kindle-ing

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First solipsistic things first*:

I hope soon to be able to post some good news about writing and all, but I can’t just yet. So a discreet yay! from me will have to suffice.

In other news, fall has hit the East Coast hard, necessitating long sleeves and closed-toe shoes (can I just say how much I hate wearing socks? No clue why, I just do).

Meanwhile, I’ve finished the behemoth that is the fifth book in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga (if you watch HBO, you know it as Game of Thrones). This book is the sole reason I finally agreed to go digital, and got a Kindle for my birthday last month. And I do not regret it! Instead of making my shoulder ache by schlepping around a 1000+ page book, I got to carry a slim electronic device. Which, when I finished the book, also had other books I could immediately access.

I’ve lent it to the spouse for his subway reading, and have returned to print books, but I miss that sucker already (The Kindle, not the spouse. Him I don’t miss so much, seeing him every day and all).

It’s really exciting to see how many Regency-era novels are available in Kindle that were previously only a) crazy pricey or b) tattered and falling apart on the keeper shelf. Including our own Elena Greene’s Lady Dearing’s Masquerade!

So while I prepare to launch back into writing, I’m having some fun perusing what I can get for my new friend. I am guessing most of you have already made the digital leap; what do you like best about e-reading?

Megan

*This pic is of Idris Elba, who is up for an Emmy this Sunday for his performance in Luther, the second season of which starts airing on BBC America Sept. 28th. A good actor, and easy on the eyes.

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What is a Regency?

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First of all, I noticed that there are several Georgette Heyer ebooks under $2.00 at Amazon Kindle: Venetia, The Black Moth, Fredericka, These Old Shades, The Quiet Gentleman…and more!

This past week on the Beau Monde loop we’ve been having a discussion about what makes a book a Regency. Likely this is a topic that only matters to writers, but I thought I would toss it out to the Risky Regencies community anyway.

I said that a book is a Regency if it is set in the “Regency World.” To me, the Regency world encompasses the British places, people, and events from roughly 1790 to 1830. The books are written from a British/Regency perspective even if the setting is not in Regency London or Brighton or Bath or a country house. The story could be set in British India, Europe (Napoleonic War settings – my Three Soldiers Series), or even America (War of 1812, for example), but it involves the British perspective, about British characters and involved in British social, political or economic concerns. Mostly the stories take place in Great Britain and are about the social world of the privileged, although some of my Regencies have been about characters who are not of the aristocracy, but whose lives are more peripherally involved.

There’s not just one kind of Regency book.

There used to be traditional Regency romances, such as the Signet and Zebra lines. These books were heavy on the social Regency, the manners of the time period. The Regency setting was paramount in the traditional Regencies. There are still traditional Regencies being published. Harlequin Historical publishes some, but, alas, those Regency lines are gone.

Then there are Regency Historicals or Regency-set Historicals, those other romances set in the Regency. These can be light and quirky or deeply emotional. They can have paranormal elements. They can be adventures or mysteries or relationship books.

Should we call other types of books Regencies? Historicals (non-romances) set in the Regency, usually trade paperback or hardback sized? Books like Patrick O’Brian‘s? Just how far should our definition of Regency fiction go?

What do you think? Does it matter to you?

To read my thoughts about 9-11 see Diane’s Blog. We’ll never forget.

Posted in Jane Austen, Regency | Tagged , | 4 Replies