Coming later this week--interview with Colleen Gleason

Meet Colleen Gleason, the author of The Rest Falls Away, the first book in the Gardella series, this Thursday, January 4, 2007. She'll talk about the inspiration for her Regency-set vampire hunter series and you'll have the chance to win a copy of her book!

A promising, enthusiastic beginning to a new paranormal historical series ... Gleason quickly establishes an alluring world all her own. Publishers Weekly

With its vampire lore and Regency graces, this book grabs you and holds you tight to the very last page! R J Ward

Best (or at least favorite) of 2006!

Hope you all had a great holiday! I got my very own chocolate fountain (just what I need after all the holiday eating I've been doing!), plus several Barnes and Noble giftcards, which are already spent, and two new Little Thinker dolls from the Unemployed Philosophers Guild catalog to add to my collection (I now have Shakespeare and Elizabeth I to add to Jane Austen, Monet, Emily Dickinson, Frida Kahlo, and Van Gogh--who comes complete with removable ear). I also got DVDs and the Marie Antoinette soundtrack, and that doesn't count sundry little Hello Kitty items. A great holiday all around!

When it comes to "end of the year reading" lists, I always wish I had kept a log of all the books read. I forget, and probably leave out some stories I really enjoyed. But here are a few that have stuck in my mind:

The Flamenco Academy by Sarah Bird: What I loved about this one was the vivid descriptions of Albuquerque and northern New Mexico (where I grew up), plus the evocation of flamenco culture and artistry. The story centers around Cyndi Rae, a shy girl from a, shall we say, unusual family, her intense high school friendship with fame-seeking Didi, and the man who comes between them--intense, sexy, but (of course) highly unreliable flamenco guitarist Tomas. The story is puntucated by the story of Tomas's aunt Dona Carlotta during the Spanish Civil War (this part really could have been its own book). Obsession, romance, finding oneself--it's all there. (One quibble I had--I've been taking flamenco lessons for a couple of years, and started ballet when I was 3. I don't believe that a girl could take an intro to flamenco class her freshman year of college and become a professional before she graduates. No matter how obsessed).

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl: I tend to be a bit wary of highly hyped books. Sometimes they are great; oftren they are disappointing. But this was one of the great hyped ones. Our heroine Blue Van Meer has spent her young life traveling around the country with her professor father, and lands at the St. Gallway School for her senior year. There she gets involved with a mysterious, charismatic teacher and a group of odd students called The Bluebloods. Coming of age and suspense built around an imaginary syllabus of a Great Works of Literature class. Big, rambling, wonderfully geeky. The New York Times said it is "flashily erudite", and that seems like a good description to me.

The Bronte Project: A Novel of Passion, Desire, and Good PR by Jennifer Vandever: Serious scholar Sarah Frost is looking for lost letters of Charlotte Bronte; glamorous, flamboyant Claire Vigee easily upstages her with her "Diana Studies" (as in Princess). This books hilariously skewers academic pretension and the silliness of pop culture, while introducing us to a plethora of eccentric secondary characters--two New Yorkers who pretend to live in the 19th century, a Hollywood producer who falls for Sarah and also wants to change Charlotte's story into the latest "feel good" romantic comedy.

Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber: I've been doing a lot of reading about 18th century France for research lately, and this was one of my favorites. History as fashion, yay! Each phase of Marie Antoinette's life is detailed by what she chose to wear and how her use of stunning, extreme, unique costumes to project an image of power and influence backfired. Beautiful descriptions.

Invisible Lives by Anjali Banerjee: a sort of "Bollywood chick lit." Lakshmi helps run her mother's Seattle sari shop, and has the magical gift of seeing others' secret dreams and fulfilling them through the right sari. But what are her own dreams--an arranged marriage to the "perfect" man, or American Nick? A fun read, and more fashion!

A few of my "honorable mentions"--Elisabeth de Feydeau's Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette's Perfumer; Ian Kelly's Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Man of Style; Michelle Styles' Gladiator's Honor (a romance set in ancient Rome, which wonderfully evokes the era).

Happy New year! Here's to many good reads in 2007. :)

This Year in Media

In thinking about the best books I've read this year, I realized I had to expand to make it the best media I've experienced this year.

First off, my current obsession of Sean Bean, fueled by watching the Sharpe series on BBC America. I still haven't made it to the last Sharpe, but I've watched maybe 10 of them, all featuring Bernard Cornwell's fantastic anti-hero Richard Sharpe. Sharpe is honorable, in his way, but he also fights dirty, doesn't care whom he offends, and looks down--way down--on the nobility.

I've been reading the Sharpe series, too, and also diving into other Cornwell books, most notably the Holy Grail trilogy, which begins with Vagabond.


I've continued, and continued to love, J.R. Ward's vampire series. Lover Eternal and Lover Awakened were both excellent reads, and I already have Lover Revealed on pre-order. Ward writes the sexiest, most tortured vampires, and you can't help but fall in love with them.


This year also brought two Eloisa James' books: The Taming of the Duke, and Pleasure For Pleasure, both of which I enjoyed. James is fantastic at creating situations and dialogue that seem real, regardless of setting, and her characters behave like people you might actually know: Flawed, selfish, selfless, insecure, smart, and wanting to fall in love.



In music, I've been rediscovering some way-old favorites, particularly The Jam, a British group that drew on the mod influences of the '60s to create their brash, abrasive, politically-charged music. The hero of my next Regency-set historical would be a fan of The Jam, if Regency-set heroes listened to new wave. I've also been listening to some old James Brown, whose funk is unparalleled. RIP, James.



I've also been watching a few (a very few) television shows, especially The Wire, whose plot twists and turns are equal to the most well-plotted suspense novel (no surprise, since authors George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane have worked on the show). The characters of The Wire are equally well-done, and I was very sad to see its season finale.



My seven year-old son has gotten into Top Chef, and dragged his parents along with him, so now I watch with bated breath as a chef gets eliminated--or not--each week.



It's been a fun year, loving old favorites, finding a few new ones, working on my own writing, and learning cool tricks from music, television, and film as well as books.

Have a healthy, happy New Year, and we'll be bringing more Risky behavior in 2007.

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

Great Discoveries of 2006

"Great discoveries, whether of silk or of gravity, are always windfalls. They happen to people loafing under trees."
Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex.

I've read a lot of good books this year, tried bravely with a lot of books that I tried to like and couldn't (but I'm not telling you what they are) and wanted to share with you the following results of my own loafing under trees.

Top of the heap, Kate Atkinson's Case Histories. Its back cover blurb describes it as a literary detective novel, which I suppose it is. The book is about a group of people who you think at first have nothing in common, but as the book progresses, you see how their lives are linked together. Two murders are common threads, but there's a lot more going on; at the end, you know more than the characters do, and it's a pleasure to put the pieces together. Wonderfully written, wry, and funny. A sequel has just been released and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I was a bit nervous of Emma Donoghue's collection of short stories, Touchy Subjects. I loved her first book, Slammerkin, and found myself wondering with her next full-length historical, Life Mask, how such a good writer could make such an interesting setting and group of characters so, well, boring. But I loved these short stories, ranging from the touching and mysterious to the ribaldly funny (hint: gentlemen, do not choose a hotel in Dublin where everyone knows you for an attempt at artifical insemination with your wife's best friend).

Somehow I missed Jeffrey Eugenides's brilliant, erotic, funny Middlesex when it first came out in 2003. We've been passing Middlesex around at work, and we've all been enchanted and thrilled by it. It's hard to describe what this book is about, a huge, rich, rambling chronicle of a Greek-American family, a cross between Greek myth and Tristram Shandy, spanning decades and generations.

Another book I loved this year, because it had the power to take you into another time, was Kate Dolan's Restitution. Set in eighteenth-century Maryland, it tells the story of ordinary people caught up in the tumultuous years before American independence; they're not called upon to perform heroic acts, but they do have to make choices and sacrifices. Restitution blends both fictional and historic characters and paints a wonderfully vivid picture of colonial life.

And, guess what, I actually read some romances this year! And enjoyed them. First, Pam Rosenthal's wonderful The Slightest Provocation--another book that blends fiction and history. This is a complex, challenging, adventurous read; Rosenthal blends the past and present of her characters, and her hero and heroine are annoying, frustrating, human people who don't always behave well, but are completely convincing in their frailty. They have a strong sense of the ordinary about them, of people caught up in extraordinary events and times, and trying to make the best decisions. Read the Riskies interview with Pam here.

That's what I also enjoyed about Eloisa James's The Taming of the Duke--ordinary people (although more caught up in the trappings of the aristocracy than Rosenthal's) dealing with ordinary, stupid, human tragedy. I loved the way James dealt with her Duke's alcoholism--not a hint of modern theory of disease, but a thoroughly believable and moving account of his attempt to remake his life and confront his past. And chock full of literary and theatrical references, a real treat. A perfect romance--why can't they all be this good?

And a couple of contemporaries, both written by smart Englishwomen (well, Julie's from Maine, but she sounds English to me, and lives in my home town). Portia da Costa's Entertaining Mr. Stone is a very funny erotic novel. It's set, mainly, in a labyrinthine local government office where everyone, er, misbehaves. Imagine Kafka in a good mood letting his hair (or pants) down. A great naughty read. Again, ordinary people faced with the extraordinary. Is this a theme, class?

And Julie Cohen's Delicious is, in a word, delicious. He's a superstar chef, she's a teacher--ordinary people again, more or less. It's all about taking risks and allowing yourself to trust--nothing new, but beautifully written, and written from the heart, and with deep sympathy for the adolescent kids, who, in a lesser writer, would have been only wallpaper.

My best re-read of 2006 was Dickens's Our Mutual Friend, which I blogged about a few months ago here.

Happy new year, everyone!
Janet
www.janetmullany.com

Still Faithful

Last year around this time, I joined a book discussion group. I was getting stale reading only romance novels and historical reference books. I figured my life and my writing would both improve from reading outside the genre. So far, the experiment is going well. I found something to enjoy in each of the group's selections and I've enjoyed the socializing, too.

BUT.

If I thought that this year I'd read some literary novel that blew away all my favorite romance authors along with Georgette and Jane and the Brontes, or even came close to the reading pleasure they've given me, it didn't happen. I think the other book group members were also somewhat disappointed in this year's reads. So first I'll describe some that came close but were NOT my favorite reads of 2007.

One was ATONEMENT, by Ian McEwan. Brilliantly written and the characterizations and dense but evocative (slow for some readers) prose appealed to the Anglophile in me. Still, parts seemed too self-consciously clever and I was disappointed to learn of the controversy regarding what certainly appear to be barely modified passages from the autobiography of Lucilla Andrews, an author of hospital romances.

Another beautifully written book was MY SISTER'S KEEPER, by Jodi Picoult. It deals with a difficult and heartwrenching topic and the writing is strong and eloquent, but I was disappointed in the ending. Not because I expected anything but a bittersweet one, but because it felt contrived, as if Picoult had burned out near the end and fell back on deus ex machina. Nevertheless I hope to read more of her books.

THE MERMAID CHAIR, by Sue Monk Kidd, author of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, was a bigger disappointment. Her writing is truly lovely but characterization and plotting fell short for me. It was also galling to read a B&N reviewer's statement that it read like a cheap romance novel.

Anyway, my point, FWIW, is that pretty wordsmanship is not enough for me. (Neither is it the exclusive hallmark of literary fiction any more than cliches are necessary in romance.) To love a book, I have to love its bones too, regardless of genre.

Based on recommendations from friends whose taste is similar to mine, I expect I'll love THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES and THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, previous book group selections I have high on my TBR list. But I haven't gotten to them yet, so my two favorite reads for 2007 are romances.

Having loved MISS WONDERFUL, I was eager to read Loretta Chase's MR. IMPOSSIBLE and I wasn't disappointed. It's Loretta Chase at her witty, heartwarming best. The setting is different--Regency Egypt, and the characters are delightful and different. I love that she has been writing heroes who are younger sons--although I look forward to catching up on the story of the oldest brother in this series, LORD PERFECT.

My other favorite read of 2006 is THE PROPOSITION by Judith Ivory (aka Judy Cuevas). It's her RITA-winning Victorian historical featuring a hero that's a rat-catcher and the lady who undertakes, a la Professor Higgins, to transform him into a gentleman. It's warm, funny, sexy, and in places just brilliant. I'm slowly trying to catch up on Ivory's backlist while hoping for many more.

For 2007, I look forward to reading more book club selections and catching up on the books I mentioned before. But along with those, I'm also going to continue savoring the works of favorite romance authors.

For Christmas I received this hardcover copy of SEIZE THE FIRE, by Laura Kinsale. It's definitive proof that bad covers happen to wonderful authors. It also goes a long way toward explaining why some members of my book discussion group would never pick up a romance. But based on how I feel about Kinsale's other books, I'm pretty confident I'll love what's inside. :)

OK, without spoilers, has anyone read any of the books I mentioned and what did you think of them? What genres do you regularly read besides romance? What are you looking forward to reading in 2007?

Elena
LADY DEARING'S MASQUERADE, RT Reviewers' Choice, Best Regency Romance of 2005
www.elenagreene.com

Cara's 2006 Favorites

This week, we're talking about our favorites of 2006. Of course, that raises the question... Our favorite whats? For the sake of argument, or, rather, lack thereof, I will limit it to favorite books/movies/plays that I can at least pretend have something to do with the Regency or Regency Romance.

BOOKS

1. I had great fun with Naomi Novik's imaginative Regency dragon book, HIS MAJESTY'S DRAGON (known as TEMERAIRE in the UK). It was the Regency background we know, crossed with Anne McCaffrey, with some Patrick O'Brian thrown in. Great fun!

2. I just loved Jennie Klassel's THE LADY DOTH PROTEST. It's a romantic romp set during the Middle Ages -- no, I'd never heard of such a thing either! It's broad and hilarious and bizarre, and I'd never read anything like it. And it's link to the Regency is....that there once upon a time were a lot of Regency romps out there. (Yeah, I know, it's a stretch.)

3. I really loved the science fiction novel SPIN by Robert Charles Wilson. Todd and I both voted for it to win the Hugo Award this year, and then it won, convincing us we were invincible. And the link to Regency Romance is...um.... Well, there's a love story in it...

4. I loved the FIREBIRDS anthology of fantasy stories, and its follow-up, FIREBIRDS RISING. Fantastic authors. And the link to Regency romance is...um...well, I really liked it, and I like Regencies too.


MOVIES

1. Okay, here's something that has a real Regency link! TRISTRAM SHANDY. Bizarre and massive book. Massively bizarre movie, though not quite as random as the book. Very funny. Very weird. Has a childbirth scene in for Elena! Go rent it. (Released in Britain as "A Cock and Bull Story.")

2. Other movies that I either really liked this year, or that I liked better than I expected, included: MUNICH, THROUGH A SCANNER DARKLY, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, THE PRESTIGE, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, THE QUEEN, MARIE ANTOINETTE, and THE FOUNTAIN. (And by now you've all seen through my ruse of pretending this have any link to the Regency, so I won't keep on with it. Well, except I guess that MARIE ANTOINETTE does actually have some relation. Or maybe THE QUEEN.)

PLAYS

1. I saw the RSC put on all three of Shakespeare's Henry VI plays in one day, at their cool new theatre in Stratford. That was really exciting, fascinating, and fun (believe it or not).


Well, those were my favorites, as I remember them! If you read/saw any of these, what did you think?

Cara
Cara King, author of MY LADY GAMESTER -- which is also one of my favorite novels, albeit in a rather different manner

Ring Out, Wild Bells

A Poem for Christmas Day. No matter what holiday you celebrate (or have celebrated) at this time of year, I hope it is/was a wonderful one. This poem by Tennyson, although a little later than "our" time, brings my wishes for all of us.
Cheers,
Diane



RING OUT, WILD BELLS
Christmas Poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Twas Two Days Before Christmas

This past week I've been off work (yay!) and trying to get ready for the holiday. Here's what I've been doing:

1) Reading the new Phillipa Gregory book
2) Working on the "Muses" WIP (122 pages so far!)
3) Researching two future projects. This is confusing the heck out of me, because one is set at the court of Henry VIII and one in eighteenth century France! So, I've been switching back and forth from Regency England, 1528 England, and 1780s France.
4) Making Christmas candy. I'm not much of a cook, but there are a couple of things I like to make at this time of year. Maybe it's that winter "hibernate and pack on pounds" instinct. Maybe childhood memories--I also like to read Eloise at Christmastime, because I remember my mother reading it to me when I was a kid (see the photo!). Boy, was my mom sorry when I took Eloise as my role model. One of my favorite holiday treats are my grandmother's Christmas bonbons. They're super-easy to make and very yummy. See the recipe at the end of this post.
5) And, on evenings when no one is having a party, I've made popcorn, put on my flannel pajamas, and watched some favorite non-Christmas, romantic movies. Like these:

Amelie--if Eloise grew up French, she might turn out to be a bit like Amelie. I love her schemes, her self-made rocky road to love, the characters she works with at the cafe, and the silly touches like talking photos! Tres French.
Strictly Ballroom--lots of dancing, a hunky hero who (eventually) falls for the plain but spunky heroine, Australian accents, outrageous costumes. This, along with Dancing With the Stars, has inspired me to sign up for a samba class after the holidays. Hopefully I can dance away those bonbons!
The Cutting Edge--one of my top guilty-pleasure movies since high school! Shrewish prima donna ice skater and oafish ex-hockey player forced to team up (as if that would happen!). Arguments ("Toe pick!"), kisses, and Olympic medals. This makes a great double bill with Strictly Ballroom!
Cold Comfort Farm--the romance in this is minimal (it does feature Rufus Sewell, but not as the love interest), but it's an adorable movie. Kate Beckinsale (before she decided to morph into Posh Spice) sets a passle of grimy relatives to rights. Great costumes, stellar cast, hilarious!
Shakespeare in Love--admittedly, I've seen this one so many times I speak the dialogue along with the actors, but I love it every time. Perfect holiday escape. It also makes a great Valentine's Day film, along with Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet.

Tomorrow, I'm off to my parents' house for presents (yippee!) and my dad's "famous" margaritas (double yippee!). However you spend the holiday, I hope it's great, and that you have a "Risky" New Year! Let us know your best holiday "escapes"...

Christmas Bonbons
1 stick butter
2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1 can Angel Flake coconut
Tsp vanilla Chopped pecans
Chopped maraschino cherries

Mix these up, refrigerate until chilled. Then form into little balls.

1/4 pound paraffin
Large package chocolate chips (I use dark!)

Melt in double broiler, and dip coconut balls in. Let them harden, and you're done! (The pecans and cherries are optional--you can really use anything that sounds yummy to you)

Yule Blog

As the Big Day approaches, it's easy to get swept up in the Holiday Madness: Did I mail out all the cards, is the house relatively clean, watch out for that ornament!, I thought YOU were going to pick up the Christmas Blend coffee, why am I awake at 12:30am?

But the most important thing about this time of year, no matter what your Big Day is like (or what religion or not you prefer), is to remember the Important Things. Family, even if they drive you nuts. Your friends, who are there when you have panic attacks (ahem.), your significant other, whether it's your spouse or your nicest cat. The rituals of the season, from Secret Santa with your best pals, or taking a detour on the way home so you can view the crazily-decorated tree.

And what does this have to do with being Risky, or writing in the Regency? Nothing--and everything. Because the books we love are our significant others sometimes, too, because the authors create worlds with love, family, friendship, rituals, and Big Day stress.

Over at my own blog, I've declared it Delurking Week (thanks to Meljean Brook, who had the idea first), and I encourage all you Risky visitors to say hi and maybe relate a special holiday tradition you cherish, or just what you do to get away from it all. Maybe talk about what book you're looking forward to opening after you've opened all the presents. Or just pipe up and tell us just what's on your mind right now.

To all my fellow Riskies, Happy Holidays! May the New Year bring New Contracts, Friendly Booksellers, and Loads of Devoted Fans. To the Risky Regencies Visitors, thanks for coming by and becoming a part of the Risky community.

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

Title Trauma

No, this isn't the cover of my next book. It's a splendid rendition by writer Delle Jacobs, wearing her designer hat, based on an etching by Fragonard called L'Armoire (the closet) after I've been tearing my hair out over a new title for my regency chicklit. Delle pointed out the interesting phenomenon of the hat held in place without benefit of hands.

The marketing department at Avon decided that The Chronicles of Miss Wellesley-Clegg with the Occasional Scribbles of Mr. Inigo Linsley was a bit of a mouthful and might confuse booksellers. Furthermore, it's no longer a romance/regency chicklit. I have been promoted to the status of a historical writer, and it will be released as a HarperCollins historical--ironic, since I consider this the most romance-y thing I've written. And my editor invited--or summoned--me to come up with a new title.

My first round of titles, including the brilliant Running with Rakes (suggested by my agent), were rejected as sounding too much like a romance. I suggested Mr. Darcy's Trousers, which frankly I think says it all about why we like the Regency period. Nope, there's nothing about Darcy in the book otherwise. My next batch included the immortal Gentlemen in Tight Trousers. Other (rejected) attempts were: The Smallest Room, Tart Rejoinders, Tart and Sweet, Present Imperfections, Tea and Scandal, The Happiest Delineations, and One Polish'd Horde (the last three after an evening with the Oxford Book of Quotations).

My additional challenge here is that the title has to indicate the book is funny, since this line seem to be quite serious, although very nice-looking with fine art and pretty squiggly things. I have yet to suggest Not Another Austen Knock-Off, but I'm keeping it in reserve.

So what makes a title? What makes a title specifically romance-y--is it random use of specific words like passion, scandal, savage, sweet, secret? And what makes a title specifically a historical title? Any thoughts? Or, more important, what makes a title work?

Janet
(hoping the title fairy as well as santa will visit soon)

P.S. Here's an excerpt from the book from my website, www.janetmullany.com. And check out my Christmas recipe for Cranberry Nut Tart, too, while you're there.

Indulgences

Well, I'm finally over my stupid sinus infection and getting back into the holiday swing.

Last night we went to my daughter's 5th grade chorus concert where she sang a short solo in "Masters of this Hall." One cannot pay for entertainment like that! :) It is one of my favorite holiday tunes, too. Here's a version from the Christmas Revels Collection: Six Centuries of European & American Christmas Music.

Besides music my other holiday preoccupation is baking. When asked to help out with church or school activities, I always volunteer to do cookies. For one thing, it's a great way to avoid having to run games with 20 odd sugared up kids. But frankly, I love getting my fingers into squishy dough, I love the smell of cookies baking, and of course, I love eating them.

Last year I blogged about my experiment at Banbury Cakes. They were not especially accurate but good. This year I'll inflict another recipe on you. This one's really easy and the results are melting.

VANILLA CRESCENTS

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, whatever you like best)
Additional confectioners sugar for dusting

1. Cream butter, gradually add in sugar, then vanilla.
2. Sift flour and salt together; add gradually to butter/sugar mixture. Add nuts.
3. Let chill for an hour or so.
4. Roll into balls about 1 inch diameter, then form into crescents.
5. Bake at 350 deg on lightly buttered cookie sheet for about 15 minutes. Cookies will not change color much but they are done when they get just a bit golden around the bottom edges. While still hot, roll in more confectioners sugar.

Another holiday favorite is Grasshopper Squares, a recipe I found in Gourmet magazine. If you like the combination of mint and chocolate and have some time for fussing and assembling, it's well worth the effort and calories.

I figure by the end of the holidays I may resemble this lady from Gillray's satire on Following the Fashion (1794). Right now I don't care. :)

So what are your favorite holiday tunes? Cookie recipes? Eating strategies?

Elena Greene
LADY DEARING'S MASQUERADE, RT Reviewers' Choice, Best Regency Romance of 2005
www.elenagreene.com

Bertie Reviews MISTLETOE KISSES

Greetings, O Adoring Public! Welcome to the debut of Bertram St. James, Exquisite, in the guise of Critic. I shall now proceed to review the "Regency Christmas Anthology" entitled Mistletoe Kisses.

(First, an aside: why has my beautiful era been named for the eminently less-than-beautiful Prince George? I hereby suggest that we all begin calling it not "The Regency Period", but "The Bertie Epoch.")

The first story in Mistletoe Kisses is "A Soldier's Tale," by Milady Elizabeth Rolls. This is the touching tale of a young nobleman, who was very handsome and admired, and an officer to boot. (I love those uniforms! I would have bought myself a commission -- nearly did, in fact -- but it turns out if you do so, you may be sent off to fight, perhaps even getting blood on those lovely uniforms! "Not I," quoth Bertie. And he didn't.)

This debonair young officer unfortunately became injured, and lost his looks. What tragedy! I never understood why Hamlet was wailing on about having a dead father -- happens to us all, don't you know? -- but when I learned that handsome young Dominic Alderley had lost an eye, become frightfully scarred, and even had his hand damaged, I cried tears of sympathy into my silk handkerchief.

Poor Alderley is filled with shame at his dreadful looks, and hides away in his rooms in London, seeing no one except his faithful man, and -- well...certain, er...persons...of a sort... whom he, er...pays...for their...for their...scintillating company. (Pardon my red face.)

Luckily, the story ends happily. It turns out that Alderley is not ugly after all, but piratically dashing. Once he realizes this, all is well in the world, and I cried tears of happiness into my silk handkerchief.

Oh, yes. There is also a romance in the story, but it is obviously a subplot to the much more important saga of Alderley's manly beauty. In fact, the true meaning of "A Soldier's Tale" is revealed by the inclusion of a play of "Beauty and the Beast," clearly showing that the core story here is of Alderley's beauty, his transition to thinking he looks like a beast, and then his triumphant realization that he has beauty still.

The second story in Mistletoe Kisses is "A Winter Night's Tale" by Milady Deborah Hale.

The heroine of this story is named Christabel. This put me in mind, of course, of that ghastly poem thing by Mr. Coleridge.
Never could figure out why anyone thought his verses worth reading! I ask you, who could be remotely impressed by a rhyme like:

"O weary lady, Geraldine,
I pray you, drink this cordial wine!
It is a wine of virtuous powers;
My mother made it of wild flowers."

Even I could do better. That is, had I the leisure. However, being decorative takes so very much time! (As does my slavish devotion to the TeleVision Device. I do love the show "Heroes." It has so many beautiful people in it. As, indeed, does "Lost." But in the "Lost," the beautiful people are so dirty!)

The most heart-warming moment in this tale is when the hero manages to circumvent propriety, and make the impoverished heroine a gift of an elegant ball gown, a lace bandeau for her hair, evening gloves, silk stockings, and fine kid slippers. True love at its purest! And, I might mention, if any of you wished to give me silk stockings for Christmas (or Chanukah, or the Winter Solstice, or indeed any other occasion), I would not think it at all improper.

The third story in Mistletoe Kisses is "A Twelfth Night Tale" by Milady Diane Gaston.

This story truly resonated with me. To begin with, the characters in it are all extremely careful about being clean and elegant! Indeed, in one scene, in which a -- er -- how shall I put this -- a new life comes into the world...yes, that will do!
Anyway, in this particular scene, even amidst all the hubbub, the women are all calling for clean linen, and clean clothing. Such admirable attention paid to sartorial aesthetics! This is truly what elevates homo sapiens above the mere animal.

Speaking of the mere animal, there is a dreadful creature in this story, and she is called Lady Wansford. I shuddered each time she was mentioned as she is the exact replica in prose of my much-loathed and feared Aunt Gorgon. Oh, do beg your pardon, I mean my Aunt Gordon, of course. Frightful thing. Always after me to marry her repellent daughter Harriet. The very thought sends me into a paroxysm of hysterical laughter. (By the way, why doesn't "laughter" rhyme with "daughter"? I will never understand such things.)

Sorry -- where was I? Oh, yes. The dreaded daughter. The chit giggled. And slouched. And wore ruffles! "Not I," quoth Bertie. And he didn't.

The daughter in this story is just as repellant as my Aunt Gorgon's daughter, and the mother every bit as bad. Luckily, our hero, the Earl of Bolting, is a handsome young lord, and very wealthy, and our heroine has much beauty and fashion sense herself, so all comes out right in the end, and the gorgons are sent packing (quite literally!)

I highly recommend Mistletoe Kisses. All the talk of greenery and Yule logs carried me back to my childhood, and brought an elegant tear to my eye. Oh, for mince pies and brandy! I must tell my hostess to find me some for Christmas.

If any of you delightful folk have read any of these stories too, do share your impressions of them! I await eagerly your reaction to this, my first foray as Critic.

Yours in clove-scented elegance,

Bertram St. James, Exquisite

Why Do Heroes and Heroines Fall in Love?

My Christmas "gifts" came early this year - two requests for revisions for Diane Gaston's newest Harlequin Mills & Boon, The Vanishing Viscountess, and Diane Perkins' latest Warner Forever, Desire in His Eyes.

After an author turns in a completed manuscript, the next step in the publishing process is for the editor to read through it and write a revision letter with things the editor thinks should be changed. It was my luck that my HMB revisions came incredibly fast and my Warner revisions came sorta late and that they both came at Christmas time.

The author has some say so in whether she actually makes the changes that the editors request, but my experience has been that my editors make the books better and I'm happy to take their advice.

Imagine my surprise, however, when both editors asked me to "show" why my heroes and heroines fell in love with each other. In both these books, my heroes and heroines are, shall we say, put in very intimate situations with each other. I could not stop them! My heroes and heroines ganged up on me and demanded a more "sensual" book, but apparently they forgot to remind me to show why they were so "attracted" to each other. Why did they fall in love?



I've no doubt I can fix this little problem. The present I'm giving to myself is to not even look at these two manuscripts until after Christmas, but in the meantime, it got me thinking. How do readers like the author to show how the hero and heroine in a romance fall in love?







That's my question for you today. How do you like your heroes and heroines to show they are falling in love?

Cheers,
Diane

Happy Birthday, Jane!

Today is Jane Austen's 213th birthday! It's also the birthday of Ford Madox Ford, Noel Coward, Beethoven, and my mother. And, since I still need to go shopping for her present before her party tonight (my mom, not Jane Austen), I'm going to borrow from the Jane Austen Centre's newsletter for today's post. This month's quiz concerns parties from Austen novels. Test your knowledge (I missed 2!), and the answers are at the end. But no peeking! Let us know how you did, and which Austen party you would most enjoy attending. I think I would be partial to the Netherfield ball.

1) At the Phillips' card party what sort of card game does Mr. Collins play?
a) Whist
b) Speculation
c) Loo

2) On what date is the Netherfield ball held?
a) 1st of November
b) 15th of November
c) 26th of November

3) When Fanny is invited to her first dinner at the parsonage with the Grants, what is the main course?
a) Mutton
b) Venison
c) Turkey

4) Fanny receives what from Miss Crawford to wear to the ball at Mansfield?
a) A chain
b) A necklace
c) A cross

5) The party at the Westons' when Mr. Elton proposes is what sort of party?
a) A ball
b) A birthday party
c) A Christmas party

6) Mrs. Elton is shocked at the lack of what at Highbury card parties?
a) Ice
b) Wine
c) Music

7) Anne talks with Captain Wentworth and thinks he might still love her at what event?
a) A play
b) A concert
c) An opera

8) The Elliotts have what kind of party in Bath?
a) An evening party
b) A dinner party
c) An engagement party

9) Mary Musgrove complains about their going out to dinner at the Pooles' for what reason?
a) The food was not elegant enough
b) The children were present
c) She was squashed in the carriage

10) In Northanger Abbey, where does Catherine meet Henry Tilney?
a) A play at the theatre
b) A ball in the Lower Rooms
c) A concert in the concert hall

A
N
S
W
E
R
S

1) a
2) c
3) c
4) b
5) c
6) a
7) b
8) a
9) c
10) b

Interview With Jenna Petersen!

Jenna Petersen writes Regency-set historicals for Avon, and erotic romance under the name Jess Michaels. In addition to writing, Jenna runs the Passionate Pen website, an amazing resource for romance authors. She's recently joined the writers' blog the Jaunty Quills. Desire Never Dies, the second book in her Lady Spies series, comes out December 26. Leave a pertinent comment on today's post, and your name will be entered to win a copy of Jenna's latest book (mailed out when Jenna gets her author copies).



Welcome to the Riskies, Jenna. Thanks for joining us.

1. You’ve been writing for a long time. What were your first books like? How did they differ from the ones you’ve published with Avon (as Jenna Petersen) and as an erotic author (as Jess Michaels)? What is the one piece of advice you would give an aspiring author?Do you plan on revisiting any of those earlier unpublished books and trying to get them published?

Hi Megan! Thanks for having me, Riskies! I’m excited to be here. I visit the blog every day. Yes, I started writing seriously in 1999, though I technically finished my first book in 1996. So coming up on 8 years seriously, I guess. I’ve always written historical romance. My first couple of books were quite dreadful, though (I sold my 10th historical manuscript). Clichéd and poorly plotted and no sense of place. Hopefully that has changed over the years. If no, just put me out of my misery now! There are a couple books in my ‘unsold backlist’, though, that I wouldn’t rule out revisiting. Though I’m having so much fun with new work now, that I’m not sure when or if that would happen. As for advice, most of my best advice is on my site for writers, The Passionate Pen, http://www.passionatepen.com

2. Which of your books is your favorite?

Of my own books? Mean question, Megan!! That’s like choosing which of your kids you like best. Um, I really love Desire Never Dies, and not just because it’s the book that’s out on December 26 and I want you all to buy it. I really loved watching my heroine’s (Anastasia) character grow and blossom. She starts out so unsure of herself and trapped in her own grief, and then she’s thrown into a strange situation with a tempting man and her life is irrevocably changed by love. Which is pretty cool.

3. Desire Never Dies is the second book in your Lady Spies series. What was the spark that inspired the series? Did it start with a character, a setting, or some other element? How many books do you have planned for the Lady Spies?

I actually started working on my Lady Spies series before I sold my first book, Scandalous, to Avon in 2004. A friend and I were batting around ‘what ifs’, looking for some high concept spins for me to give to my agent. She said, Charlie’s Angels. I said, “In Regency? Yeah, right.” But by the next day, that was all I could think about. So it was the concept that came first, then I built my ‘girls’ and the kinds of stories they would have (investigating the one you love, From London With Love; male and female spy working together, Desire Never Dies; Spy v. Spy, Seduction Is Forever). There are three books in the series, but I’ve left the door open for more books in their world, so you just never know…



4. How much research do you do?

It really depends on the book and the situation. Some stories are going to be more character driven, like Scandalous, where I just needed a basic grasp of the period and the setting. Others might be more in-depth and I might need more specific information. Like in From London With Love, I had some research on Regency art houses. I didn’t need it for more than a chapter, but I wanted to make sure what I was describing was possible, at least.

5. You write very quickly. Can you describe a typical writing day?

There is no real ‘typical’ here, but when I’m fully in writing mode, I put out no less than ten pages a day. Generally more like 12-15. I make a weekly/daily page goal and try to put butt in chair until I’ve hit it. So some days I’m up and out by noon. And some days it is 10:30pm and I’m still sitting.

That means I can write a book in about 6-8 weeks, plus two week to a month for revision before I turn it in. Outside career stuff also gets done every day. Website updates, blogging, and I’m very active on the AvonAuthors.com message board.

6. What are you working on now?

Actually, I just finished revisions on Seduction Is Forever, which is the last Lady Spy book (for now) and will be out October 2007. After the new year, I’ll be back working on my new historical called The Promise of Pleasure, which is an ‘estranged husband and wife reunion’ storyline. Very sexy.

7. In your writing, do you feel as if you are taking risks? How?

I think writing in general is a risk! Just doing it and pushing through the times when I’d rather just watch CourtTV or mop the floor. But I think I’m pushing the boundaries with my heroines. Charlie’s Angels female spies? How fun is that? And in my next book, the heroine is posing as a courtesan to save her friend’s life (and it doesn’t hurt that it pisses off her estranged husband). It’s always an interesting balance to write such strong heroines, but try to keep them befitting to their time, as well. They’re constantly walking a tight rope, and so am I.



8. Did you run across anything new and unusual while researching the Ladyu Spies series?
I was really surprised by how little information I could find about female spies during the period in general. Most of the information about women undercover comes from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars in America. That was frustrating in some ways since I would have loved to add a little more depth with some real facts, but it was also freeing since I could create my own world. In the end, I just tried to do what I felt like made sense. And hopefully it does.

9. Is there anything you wanted to include in the book that you (or your CPs or editor) felt was too controversial and left out?

Actually, I just took out a subplot from my last Lady Spy with a stolen artifact. It was really fun, but it detracted from the romance and the end of the book was SO BUSY. My editor and I agreed the story would be better if it went away, so it did. Honestly, I’ve never had my editor ask for anything yet that really made me flinch. She’s spot on with her comments, so I’m lucky in that way. We mesh well.

As for controversy, nothing. Yet…

10. You’ve just joined the Jaunty Quills as an official blogger, but have been online for years, long before you were published. How has the internet helped or hindered your career?

Oh, gosh, the internet is totally my friend. When I stared Passionate Pen almost 8 years ago, I never thought I’d reach so many people, or that they would begin to care about me. At some point, I looked at the stats for the site and thought, hey these people might actually buy a book of mine if it came out.

And then they did! I completely credit my Passionate Pen platform with why I hit Waldenbooks Mass Market with my debut. Hopefully, they liked the book enough to keep buying me. But it was definitely, and continues to be, my best promotional tool (even though it was accidental). I really enjoy the activities I do online. Like blogging or message boards or chats or my author sites. And I love how it connects our writer and reader communities. The moment I’m feeling completely depressed, I can hit Tess Gerritsen’s blog and read that she’s having some of the same experiences. And she survived, so there you go.

Of course, it can be a naughty way to procrastinate, but I’ll just pretend that isn’t true.

11. Is there anything else you’d like the Risky Regencies readers to know about you?

Well, Desire Never Dies hits shelves on December 26, of course. And even though it’s part of a series, it can be read on its own, so if you didn’t get From London With Love, you won’t be lost. And also just that I enjoy reading this blog and I’m so flattered you’d ask me. I’ll be around today if anyone has any questions!

Thank you!

Thank you, Jenna!

Heavenly voices

At this time of year, it's natural for one's thoughts to turn to...castrati. (Isn't it?)
The castrati craze peaked in Italy in the eighteenth century, when a distressingly large number of musical lads from ambitious families had unfortunate encounters with pigs. (Castration, even of your nearest and dearest, was illegal.) Castrati were never very popular in England, where their existence was naturally equated with foreign, Papist nastiness. Only the superstar of the castrati, Farinelli (real name Carol Broschi), was wholeheartedly accepted and applauded.

So what did a castrato sound like? We don't really know. There's a recording of Alessandro Moreschi, The Last Castrato, made very early in the twentieth century when he was old and past his (debatable) prime. What we do know is that the singers were tall, with huge lung capacity and physical stamina, and with a vocal range of three and a half octaves and superb technique

Check out this excerpt from the movie Farinelli (and isn't he a handsome young...thing). He's singing a Handel aria. Is it a real voice? Yes and no. The voices of countertenor Derek Lee Ragin and coloratura Ewa Godlewska were digitally blended to create this astonishing sound. More info here for you techies here. Great movie, by the way, even if it tinkers massively with the truth--sex, drugs and arias. More about it here.

Consequently, very few singers today can handle the castrato repertoire, with one notable exception--mezzo-sopranoVivica Genaux. Here she is performing an aria by Farinelli's brother, Qual guerriero in campo armato.
(Isn't youtube great!)

So, in response, tell me if you've seen Farinelli, or about your other favorite musical movie, or what sort of Christmas cookies you're making.

Janet

Bah humbug!

I'm still fighting this stupid sinus infection and feeling very holiday-challenged. All I really want to do right now is curl up under the covers.

When I feel this way I crave Comfort TV, less caloric than comfort food and possibly a bit healthier. My Comfort TV consists of makeover, decorating and cooking shows, and a smattering of comedy. Some of my favorites are What Not to Wear, (both the American and British versions), Changing Rooms (crazy decor, cute designers and all the different British accents--what's not to love?), Emeril and Whose Line is it Anyway?.

The one drawback to Comfort TV at this season is the commercials, which bring out my inner Scrooge like nothing else. Tops on my Most Egregious Commercials List:

• Singing greeting cards held by mute human beings swaying to the tinny electronic tunes. Blech.


• The one that says it's not your clothes (music, favorite color, neighborhood, etc...) that say the most about you, it's your watch. Blech again. (Did they not think to include the books you read? Philistines.)


• Electronic learning toy commercials that imply your child will not get into college if you don't buy them. (How about buying them books instead? How about actually reading with them?)

The good thing is one can escape to commercial-free Comfort Reading. My favorite providers are Georgette Heyer and Loretta Chase. When I'm done with this post I'm slinking back to bed with LORD PERFECT.

Do you indulge in Comfort TV or Comfort Reading? What are your favorites?

And which holiday commercials bug you the most?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

P.S. The picture is of Bill Gorman playing Scrooge at the Cider Mill Playhouse in Endicott, NY and looking a good bit better than I do at the moment!

Northactionfigure Abbey

Announcement! Next Tuesday, our own delightful Regency time-traveler, Bertram St. James (a.k.a. Bertie the Beau), will join us to blog about his thoughts on the Regency Christmas anthology Mistletoe Kisses. (He promises to read it by then.) So do join us!

Now, on with today's very important, very serious debate, in which YOU will decide the fate of..... (Drumroll please).... JANE AUSTEN!!!

Okay, not really. But you will really decide the fate of.... THE JANE AUSTEN ACTION FIGURE!!! (Pictured here. Genius sold separately.)

Just answer the following questions, and the majority will determine her future! (After all, ActionFigureLand is a democracy. Hmm.... Now that I think of it, if it is, it must be one in which the actual action figures don't get a vote. Not sure that's fair. Then again, I'm not an action figure, so who cares!)

QUESTION ONE: If the Jane Austen action figure sits down one day and reads all of her own novels -- oh, and lets throw in some Heyer for good measure, surely Austen would have read her given the chance -- so, she reads all of Austen and Heyer, feels very romantic, and decides to find her true love.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, perhaps), she finds she has only three choices. So.... WHO DOES SHE PICK?

Does she pick the Sherlock Holmes Action Figure?

Or the Casanova Action Figure?


Or does she go for Herr Beethoven's Action Figure?

And which of the three would give her the most talented offspring???


Now... for QUESTION TWO!!!!!! This one has two parts.

A. If the Jane Austen Action Figure gets into a fight with Barbie, who wins?

Keep in mind that Barbie may be more physically active... But Jane probably knows how to gouge with her quill (as well as her wit). Who's the victor? To whom the spoils? (If Jane wins, she gets all Barbie's shoes.)

B. If the Jane Austen Action Figure had a knock-down, drag-out fight with the Marie Antoinette Action Figure, who would triumph, and who would be guillotined???

Ooh, I so love this doll. Ejector head!!!

(Amanda, if you don't have this one already, you need it!!! Hello Kitty wants to play with it!!!)

Cara
Cara King, author of MY LADY GAMESTER
Starring the Atalanta James Action Figure