My Third Playford Ball

A few weeks ago, I attended my third Playford Ball!

Our local Playford Balls are where those with a lot of experience in English Country Dance get together to dance a lot of very difficult dances, both old and new. Many folks dress up -- and as English Country Dance was popular for a long stretch of time, the costumes come from a variety of eras!

My two favorite parts of the ball were

(1) dancing two particularly tricky dances: "Hortonia" and "Whately Barn" (which were both designated "for those who know," and were therefore not called); and

(2) watching one particular dance from the balcony above: the intricate patterns flowed into each other with such smoothness and beauty and it was a true joy to watch.

So: if you were going to invent a country dance, what would you name it?

Cara
Cara King, who learns country dances by practicing with her stuffed animals

And remember: next Tuesday, we're discussing BRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

Here are some photos I took...

Diane and Barbara's Excellent Adventures, Part 3, or Scandalizing the Ton Is On The Shelves

My oldest friend...er, I should say, my friend for the longest time...came into town and we took a little road trip in Maryland.

Barbara and I knew each other in high school in Alabama. We both lived in Ft. McClellan, then an army post. I showed you photos of my house there and talked about the trip we took to our (censored) year High School Reunion in 2006. That was Excellent Adventure, Part 2

But we also had Excellent Adventure, Part 1 in October of 2005, when my last Diane Perkins book was released.

This Excellent Adventure, Part 3 took Barbara and me to Baltimore and Annapolis where it mostly rained and we mostly wandered from restaurant to restaurant. Seriously, we had Maryland steamed crabs and I'll bet very few of you did that over the weekend. Tie in to Risky Regencies -- we saw the Baltimore Basilica, America's first cathedral, built during the Regency. In Annapolis we stayed at the Robert Johnson House, now a historic inn but during the Regency, a private home.

In Baltimore we stopped by the Barnes & Noble at the Inner Harbor and found Scandalizing the Ton. Here's proof!

The highlight of our trip, however, was our first stop at Edgewood Arsenal, an army post where both Barbara and I lived twice, but never at the exact same time. In those days it was called Army Chemical Center but they changed the name when "Chemical Center" became politically incorrect-or so I suppose.

Army Chemical Center was a beautiful post on the banks of the Gunpowder River. It was a wonderful place to be a kid, with no end of things to do. We could walk to the library, the movie theatre, could ride bikes to the swimming pool and around the post along the river. We played tennis in the evenings, practically in our back yard.


I lived in an old farmhouse with bricks dating back to the 1700s (tie in to Risky Regencies...this house existed during the Regency) There's an historic sign outside it that says Presbury Preaching House. Barbara lived in a house on the river very nearby.








My house (and me):
I found this online and it must refer to the family that owned my house.

Early Methodist usually built a preaching house and school on the same grounds. Private homes were also used to hold meetings. Such meetings were held at the home of James Presbury, father of Joseph Presbury. Joseph Presbury donated land for the Old Brick Church of Gunpowder Neck, December 23, 1772, where the earliest written record of a quarterly conference is still available.

Barbara's house (and Barbara):












The heartbreaking part of this is that my old historic house is a shambles, the wood unpainted, the porch and the grounds full of clutter. At some point it had been turned into offices, but it was not in use now. There is scaffolding on one end so maybe there is some effort to restore it, but no one worked on it while we were there.

Even the residences in use, beautiful houses, probably build in the 1940s, like Barbara's old house, had peeling paint in places.
The whole post was deteriorating, paint peeling, some buildings deserted, very little activity. It was very sad.

But we were ecstatic that we'd found where we'd lived.

Have you traveled back to your childhood homes? Or are you there still?

Have you had any Scandalizing the Ton sightings? The release date is Oct 1 so it should be showing up on the shelves.

I have a new contest on my website. Several chances to win books from my backlist.

And there's still time to donate to Cystic Fibrosis for our Unleash the Story challenge.

London Calling

If it's Saturday, I must be packing to hop on the Eurostar to head to London! What I'm doing there...





Stepping back to the 16th century at the Tower

Watching Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe! (and also wishing I had tickets to the RSC's sold-out Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart)

Visiting Bath for the day (tea at the Pump Room!)

And hopefully taking in museums and eating fish-and-chips in fun pubs

Cheerio, and see you next week!

Politics!

At what age, I wonder, do people get involved with politics? I have had a passing interest for some time, but have never had the fevered intense fascination I'm feeling now before.

Is it 'cause I'm getting older? Wiser? Both?

I dunno; it might be just me. After all, people of any age get political, whether it's protesting a shorter lunchtime at school or anti-apartheid demonstrations that close down college buildings (as happened when I was at Barnard) or the draft.

I guess it's when politics get personal that we get passionate.

So instead of settling in, as I should be at the end of a long week, to a good book (note to sharp-eyed folks: I'm talking a REGENCY book, so I can stay in keeping with our site. Carry on) and a glass of wine, I'll be tuning in to watch the first Presidential Debate. I will have wine, though.

In some ways, this avid passion makes me feel as though I am contributing something to our times, even if it's just opinion from a grumpy mom. Perhaps that is why women--who until recently haven't had much of an opportunity to get involved directly--participate so ferociously, if fired up. For example, the new movie The Duchess will likely touch on Georgiana (because we're on a first-name basis) and her political maneuverings.

Have you been active this campaign season? What are you doing tonight? Do you have suggestions for any good debate drinking games?

Megan

What happens when you search Ebay

...using Regency as a search term.

First, not so much of the real stuff as you'd expect. Quite a few books and some furniture. But also some strange things. Did you know there was a design style called Hollywood Regency? There seems to be a lot of it up for sale, and no wonder.

You are bidding on a Mid Century Hollywood Regency Serving Bar Cart by Aldo Tura in Lacquered Goat Skin! This piece is HOTT! Art Deco influence and STUNNING Hollywood Regency styling! Goat skin finish has a beautiful golden blond color and wonderful grain!

Goat skin finish? Why would you want a goat skin finish on an item used to serve drinks?

This one is even more bizarre.

DOG FOOTSTOOL or OTTOMAN. Just found stored away at a Ca. estate. Not sure what kind of dog he is supposed to be.. possibly a Bulldog? Very nice and clean. Looks like he spent most of the time stored away

Frankly if I owned this I'd keep it stored safely away too.

How about this little monstrosity?

Vintage Mother of Pearl Regency Glam Poodle Pin Brooch. This little guy has got the look! He is studded by nine high sheen thick cicular Mother of Pearl disks. On his head and tail he has a brushed pink enameling with black tips on his paws. The puppy has a single green glass faceted eye with a cute as can be pose.

I'm not convinced it's a poodle. Those are hooves. And it's one-eyed. I think it's a cyclops.

This too is a Hollywood Regency piece that would give me the creeps if I owned it.

This is a hand cast piece.....pottery/plaster over resin..........and each and every finger/thumb look very realistic! This is new, never used, no damage anywhere....there is felt on the bottom to protect your furniture. A truly magnificent piece......sure to please! Don't miss out.......you won't see another one soon!

Just to cleanse the aesthetic palate, however, here's a pic of the rug I've just bought on eBay for my office. Isn't it pretty? Ridiculously cheap, too.

Have you had any good eBay experiences recently?

Or eBay disasters?

Or found any inappropriately named Regency items?

What did they know?

Megan’s post about Ridiculous Teenagers got me thinking about a related aspect of Regency heroines. Along with a trend toward somewhat older heroines, there’s also a trend toward more sexually experienced ones. For instance, I’m noticing more widow and courtesan stories. But even among unmarried heroines, there are fewer of the old-style naïve virgin.

Personally, I find the extremes—either the clueless heroine raised under a rock and the unmarried lady who somehow knows everything and even what it’s called—need some setup to make them believable.

Just because Regency misses were not supposed to know anything about sex doesn’t make me think that was always true. There probably were some who were so closely chaperoned and secluded that they had no opportunity to figure things out. I could buy that in a story, based on the author's setup, and I wouldn't despise a heroine just for being ignorant (we all were once). But I also don't like to equate "ignorant" with "innocent".

I think there were ways a girl might have learned things, intentionally or accidentally. She might have overheard servants’ gossip. Living in the country and observing animals might spark curiosity--though I think it could lead to some funny mistakes, too! Gentlemen often owned some pretty explicit materials: books, pictures, naughty snuffboxes and the like. Though they probably tried to keep these items out of sight of ladies of the house, there could have been the Regency equivalent of stumbling onto an older brother’s Playboy stash. Moreover, if the lady had many sisters, or a large circle of friends, and especially if she went to a girls’ boarding school, I’d bet that at some point she might hear something from someone who heard it from someone else. Of course, the knowledge a heroine gets some of these ways might still be incomplete or incorrect—which could be interesting story fodder!

I could also imagine that if the heroine were raised in an eccentric, bohemian, liberal sort of family, she might know things that most didn’t. We also don’t know what mothers (or older sisters, or married friends) might have told a young bride-to-be. They might have told her to “think of England” but what if the friend or relative was herself the heroine of an earlier romance? What kind of advice might she give?

I don't want all heroines to be alike, so for me, as long as the author has set up her background appropriately, I'm willing to believe just about any degree of knowledge.

What about you? What do you think they might have known? What sorts of unmarried Regency heroines do you find believable?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

WORD SWORD

Turns out my local power company is about to turn out my electricity for two hours -- the price of living right next to an electrical substation, I guess!!! (Or is "price" the wrong word? Because isn't a price something you pay in exchange for something that might have worth? Ah, words...)

Anyway, due to prices or costs or random electron-associated proximities, this will be a quick post.

WORD SWORD: a metaphorical sword which one can use to divide the words (and phrases and usages and spellings) which one likes from those one does not.

So...my word sword chops down, and when the dust clears, I see:

ON THE GOOD SIDE...i.e. words and phrases I particularly like today:

iconography
happenstance
altruistic
minimalist
butterfly
miscellany
concatenation
paucity
surfeit
plethora
biscuit tin
And pretty much anything Oscar Wilde ever said.

ON THE BAD SIDE...i.e. words/phrases/spellings that I don't much care for (or hate passionately) today:

atall
alot
alright
walla
impact (as a verb)
Left Coast
all intensive purposes
venerable
ichthyology
executive
chick flick
condominium rentals


So....what does your word sword show today?

All answers welcome!

And remember: the first Tuesday of October, our Jane Austen Movie Club will be discussing BRIDE AND PREJUDICE!

Cara
Cara King, who has a paucity of butterflies and a plethora of biscuit tins in her West Coast home, where ichthyologists dine with her (or come in the evening, at any rate)

Lost in You Winner

The winner of Lost in You by Alix Rickloff is........

CrystalGB!

Congratulations, CrystalGB. Email us at riskies@yahoo.com with your address and the faeries will deliver your book in person! (Well, through the post office, I mean)

Reinventing Time - Vingt-Deux Vendémiaire An CCXVII

This blog is dedicated to Amanda who should be frolicking in Paris at this very moment!

Today, Sept 22, marks the 216th anniversary of the first date on French Republican Calendar, or it does as long as you don't count time the French Revolutionary way.

What egotists these revolutionaries must have been. They decided to count time differently than the rest of the world and what they invented seemed to be a mess. Here's what they did.

The French Republican calendar began on Sept 22, 1792, the day of the French proclamation of the Republic. Of course, they didn't decide this until a year later so Year I (they counted in Roman Numerals, which certainly would have become an issue when computers came along) had already gone by. The new year started with the Autumnal equinox, so it was slightly different each year.

There were twelve months, three months in each of the four seasons. The names of the months all had to do with weather and agriculture. The first month (our Sept-Oct) was called Vendémiaire or "Grape Harvest." No confusion there. Next, around our Oct 22-23 comes Brumaire or "Fog" followed by "Frost." I won't exert myself to name them all, but one of the summer months Thermidore pops up today when we order Lobster Thermidore from our ritzy restaurant menu. There is some sense to dividing the months into seasons (hey, Pope Gregory figured that in the 1500s, giving us our present day calendar) and to naming them for what they are, I grant the Revolutionists that. Of course, these names made no sense to French territories around the world with completely different climates. Even so, it made dates sound very pretty, like "Dix Thermidor An II" - the day Robespierre was executed.

The Revolutionists were quite clever in changing the length of the week from 7 days to 10 days, the 10th day being the day of rest. You have to hand it to these champions of the common citizen; they figured out how to lengthen the work week by three days. Eventually the citizenry caught on that they were working more and the number of days in a week had to change back.

They were very unimaginative in naming the days of the week, however. Translated from the French, a language that sounds beautiful no matter what, the days of the week were called first day, second day, third day, and so on.

This decimal system caught on with these guys. A day lasted 10 hours, an hour 100 minutes, and a minute 100 seconds. Pretty cool if you were paying an hourly wage since the hour was nearly twice as long. This lasted only two years, though, and the only benefit has been to those lucky people who own antique clocks displaying Revolutionary time.

As you can guess, this was a confusing mess and although the Revolutionists declared that their calendar would right the wrongs of the old Gregorian calendar, it instead created an even more confusing system of leap years. In 1806 Napoleon did away with this nonsense and Gregorian time was restored. I can almost visualize him sweeping his hand and saying (in pretty French), "Enough! Back to the old way. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

You have to wonder what the English thought of the French hubris in reinventing time. One imagines a lot of shaking heads and out-loud guffaws.

On the other hand, until 1751 England had refused to use the Gregorian calendar because it was "papist." When they did change, there had to be an adjustment of 11 days, so Sept 2, 1752 was followed by Sept 14. Hogarth painted a picture of the citizenry rioting and shouting, "Give Us Our Eleven Days." Of course there is no evidence that any rioting happened.

If you could change time, what would you do? I'd give myself a couple extra weeks to finish my w-i-p.

I give total credit for this information to Wikipedia

I'm still fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis



Countdown to Scandalizing the Ton release day---Nine!

Debut Author Alix Rickloff Talks About Lost in You

The Riskies welcome debut author Alix Rickloff whose first book came out this August. I've known Alix for several years, beginning when she joined Washington Romance Writers. It has been a great delight to see her travel the path to publication. Ah, Alix, I knew you when....

Alix will give away one signed copy of Lost in You to a lucky commenter who will be chosen at random, so be sure to leave a comment. The winner will be chosen by noon Monday Sept 22 and announced here on the blog.

1. First of all, Alix, tell us about your debut novel, Lost in You. I know it has “something other” than your typical Regency Historical.

Definitely not your typical Regency Historical! With Lost In You—released at the beginning of August—I introduce you to the world of Other, humans bearing the blood of the Fey and Mortal worlds. Living among the Regency bucks and Society dames of Regency England, these men and women have to try and fit into the human everyday world they inhabit while dealing with the shadowy realm of the Fey who tend to make their cunning and sometimes dangerous presence known all too often.
In this book, Conor Bligh is a soldier belonging to a brotherhood bound together to guard and protect the divide between the Faery and Mortal worlds. When a demon is released from the reliquary that serves as his eternal prison, the task of capturing him falls to Conor.
Ellery Reskeen is an army brat who’s just found out she’s the only one with the power to imprison the demon. What she doesn’t realize is that doing it will cost her life. And that the man she thinks is charged with her protection is actually the one sent to sacrifice her.
It’s got magic and action and messy family relationships and even a crazy aunt in the attic. A little “something other” for everyone!
Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

From Publishers Weekly: I like paranormal historical romance, and Lost in You kept me involved to the end. It has strong characters, warm family relationships, and just the right touch of elusive fae magic.- Joysann

2. Tell us how you came up with the idea for Lost in You.

I’d been writing straight Regency Historicals and had completed four manuscripts, the last with a hint of a paranormal twist. But for whatever reason, none had sold. I decided I wanted to try something completely different. Something that would combine the best of the regencies and the paranormals I loved to read. With Lost In You, I created an alternate universe of men and women who bear the blood of two worlds. I called them my Regency super-heroes. And they were such a blast to write, I knew I’d stumbled onto a good thing. I also decided I wanted an inner conflict for my hero that seemed insurmountable. What’s more insurmountable than knowing you either have to kill the woman you’re falling in love with or see the world destroyed? Talk about a tough decision!

From Romantic Times: Rickloff's debut sweeps readers into a dark, dangerous and sensual realm where legend and passion mix to perfection to create a compelling, original love story.

3. This is your debut book! Tell us about your writing journey and about getting “The Call.”

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. My mother still has stories I wrote and illustrated in the fourth grade. And I read voraciously. Mysteries. Sci-fi. Fantasy. Historical fiction. Romance. But the stories I loved best all had that happy ending and the hero and heroine together at the end. It took until after college for me to realize the stories I wrote tended to fall into that same romance genre. And even then, I fought it. It took joining RWA for the light bulb to go off, and I understood that I couldn’t write any other kind of story. That’s when I finally embraced my inner romantic.
By the time I got the “Call” I’d written four Regency manuscripts, the last finalling in the 2007 Golden Heart contest, although sadly not picked up by any editor. Luckily, while I’d been waiting to hear back, I’d finished up the manuscript that would eventually become Lost In You.
Now I’m a complete mess when it comes to explaining a plot so that it makes sense, so when I initially pitched the idea for Lost In You to my agent, she sounded less than convinced. But once we talked it over and she read the story, she was as excited as I was to find it a home. Last September she called to say that Kensington had made an offer to buy the manuscript for their debut author program. Having pitched to Kate Duffy and heard her speak many times, I was thrilled to get an opportunity to be a part of the K family. It’s been a crazy, fun-filled, anxiety-ridden ride since, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

4. What were the research challenges for Lost in You? Did you research faeries or did you make up that world?

It’s funny, but I think I worry more over getting the Regency-era details correct than anything else, and I spend countless hours at the editing stage, trying to double-check those facts. The fantasy aspect of the book is my own soup of Celtic legend and fairy lore. I pull from all kinds of sources and as long as I get the basics right, I feel free to spin out in infinite directions and really create my own magical universe. The trick now that I’m three books into the series is keeping it consistent, so in that regard, I’ve begun trying to catalogue what I’ve done in the past so I don’t contradict myself and pull the reader out of the story with a “huh?” moment.

5. What do you think was risky about your book?

When I sat down to start Lost In You, I pondered the question: what can I do to shake it up? To make this book something completely different? And aside from adding such a wild new element to a genre as cherished as the Regency, my largest concern became the way I interpret that genre.
I’m a get-in and get-out kind of historical writer. I paint my period with broad brushstrokes, giving the reader what he or she needs to know to embrace the time period, but I’m not going to bog down on the lace of her gown or the intricacies of cravat folding. You’ll just have to assume her lace is lacy and he knows exactly how to tie a Mathematical that would make Beau Brummel proud.
I also tend to flex the language of the time period. Etymology is correct, and I edit as best I can for any anachronisms, but I let my characters speak in a more modern tongue that might cause some readers to cringe. I tried fighting this urge, but as the words flowed onto the page, the story began to take a shape of its own making, and I finally gave up trying to shove my characters back into their 19th century-speak and let them have free rein.
Hopefully this doesn’t turn off readers of traditional regencies, but actually lets them see that the genre can be pulled in a lot of different directions without losing what we all love about it.

6. What is next from you?

I continue the series begun in Lost In You with a second book coming out in July 09. Until I Found You centers on Morgan Bligh, Conor’s cousin whom we first met in Lost In You, but who gets a story of her own when she’s paired with ex-assassin and ex-lover Cam Sinclair. And finally this week, I typed “The End” on my latest manuscript. I’m now in the editing process while mulling over ideas for where I want to go from here.
If things work out, there are two characters from Until I Found You that I’d love to showcase in their own book. But I also have some ideas for a new series that would introduce some fresh faces.
So many of them are clamoring for their own stories that—fingers crossed—I hope I’m able to stick with them for a good long while yet.

Thank you so much for inviting me to chat with you all. This has been wonderful!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Come and say hi to Alix and ask her more. Remember, you could win a signed copy of Lost in You

Eloise, er, Amanda in Paris

As you read this, hopefully I am just stepping off the plane in Paris! I'll be gone for the next two weeks, but will be dropping in at Internet cafes to check in on Risky events.

So, what will I be up to this week?

Touristy fun things, like the Eiffel Tower

Shopping for pastries, chocolates, perfume, and cute little soft t-shirts at Petite Bateau (which I may not be able to fit into after the pastries...)


Looking at art at the Louvre, the Orsay, and the Marmottan

Researching new writing projects at Versailles, the Carnavalet, and the Conciergerie

And probably some wandering around in parks eating Nutella crepes.

Au revoir for now, mes amis!

The Ridiculous Teenager

From Barbara Cartland's The Prince And the Pekingese:

You have come!" the Prince exclaimed.
"Yes," said Angelina softly. "I have come." The Prince paused for a moment looking at the beautiful young woman in a way that made her tremble. "You are so lovely and yet ... " There was a throb of pain in his voice that made Angelina long to comfort him. Whatever we feel for each other, "she whispered, "I realize your country must ... come ... first." The Prince looked up sharply. "We feel for each other?" he repeated. "Tell me ... what you feel for me." Angelina shyly lowered her eyes, but his tone was rough and insistent. "Tell me," the Prince said again. And suddenly, as if it came from the very depths of her being, Angelina's clear young voice miraculously cried out: "I ... love you. I love you. I love you!"

Oh. My. God.

I cannot believe I devoured this stuff when I was young. Granted, I was young, but still--

Along those lines, I was thinking lately about how I'm not comfortable writing heroines who are under 20 years old; when I was 18, in age similar to Cartland's ellipsis-talking ladies, I did many foolish things. For example, when my first real boyfriend broke up with me, I wore gray eyeshadow so it'd look like I had been losing sleep and walked around with a copy of Vladimir Nabokov's Despair so he'd know how I was suffering.

And, of course, that's not even mentioning the poor fashion choices I made, or how I cut class to go with my best friend Anthony to watch him play video games (he was good enough to spend a quarter for about an hour's worth of play).

So now that I'm older, and theoretically wiser, I want to read heroines who I believe would make good choices. I don't want to read about high school age girls who are way wise beyond their years, or who behave like real high schoolers do. Either one is unappealing. I like the current trend towards more mature heroines, although that means us authors have to devise new ways of still making them available (poor family, governess, widow) and somewhat inexperienced (spinster, widow whose husband had some potency issues). It makes it harder and sometimes anachronistic, to write and read heroines who fit the high, yet realistic, standards us romance readers demand.

Have you noticed the trend towards older heroines? What type of heroine did you cut your first romance teeth on? Do you still read those books? And what's one of the foolishest thing you did in high school?

Megan

Samuel Johnson, man of letters and cats

It's the 299th birthday of the great Samuel Johnson (1709-1774) who created the first English dictionary, and although I originally intended to write something very erudite (or as erudite as I can get) I became sidetracked, so I'm going to throw out a few oddities I found when I was scrambling around online for images and information on Johnson.

First, if you happen to find yourself near Lichfield, Staffs. this weekend, you can drop by the museum that is Johnson's birthplace. Yes, there will be cake. Lichfield is a mostly harmless city in the Midlands with a cathedral and (many years ago) a great second-hand bookstore, and some rather nice buildings. Johnson, who retained a fondness for his home town all his life, said:

I lately took my friend Boswell and showed him genuine civilised life in an English provincial town. I turned him loose at Lichfield.

Johnson also requested that his heir, his servant
Francis Barber, settle in Lichfield, where his descendants farm nearby today. Barber, originally a slave from Jamaica, was freed by his owner in England, before entering Johnson's service in 1752. He stayed on and off until the end of Johnson's life, apart from brief stints as a pharmacist and as a sailor.

Now to the cats. Johnson liked animals, with his favorite cat in his London house being one Hodge. See, I said this was going to be diversionary. Here's the monument to Hodge (wearing holiday garb), keeping watch over Johnson's house and seated on a copy of the dictionary.

According to Boswell, Johnson was a bit of a sucker for Hodge:

I never shall forget the indulgence with which he treated Hodge, his cat: for whom he himself used to go out and buy oysters, lest the servants having that trouble should take a dislike to the poor creature. I am, unluckily, one of those who have an antipathy to a cat, so that I am uneasy when in the room with one; and I own, I frequently suffered a good deal from the presence of this same Hodge. I recollect him one day scrambling up Dr. Johnson's breast, apparently with much satisfaction, while my friend smiling and half-whistling, rubbed down his back, and pulled him by the tail; and when I observed he was a fine cat, saying, "Why yes, Sir, but I have had cats whom I liked better than this;" and then as if perceiving Hodge to be out of countenance, adding, "but he is a very fine cat, a very fine cat indeed."

As well as going out on oyster buying expeditions, Johnson also went out to buy valerian when Hodge was dying, to make his pet's last moments more comfortable. Here's Boswell, Johnson, and Hodge again:

This reminds me of the ludicrous account which he gave Mr. Langton, of the despicable state of a young Gentleman of good family. "Sir, when I heard of him last, he was running about town shooting cats." And then in a sort of kindly reverie, he bethought himself of his own favourite cat, and said, "But Hodge shan't be shot; no, no, Hodge shall not be shot."

What I love about Boswell's account of Johnson and Hodge is that you can visualize this scene so clearly: Boswell, grumpy and disapproving, rolling his streaming eyes as Johnson coos over his pet and adds cat hair to the fine covering of snuff he habitually wore. Despite his formidable intelligence and his strange tics and behavior (there's a theory that he may have suffered from Tourette's syndrome), Johnson was much beloved by his friends.

Any favorite Johnson sayings, cat stories (literary or otherwise)?

Women and violins

My oldest daughter has grown so much over the summer that she needs a full-size violin and now my youngest says she wants to play too, itching to get her hands on the 3/4 size hand-me-down. Over Labor Day, my oldest tried several instruments in Cleveland and fell in love with one. So yesterday I drove 50 miles to get it from Fedex (long story), took it to my daughter's teacher. She replaced the A-string that had broken in transit and then gave the instrument a proper workout, including excerpts from the Bruch violin concerto, before giving it the thumbs up. Whew!

It's all worth it, even listening to all the fumbling and squawking and buzzing of beginner efforts (and I'm going to go through that all again this year). Because after a time, the hideous sounds give way to music and there are few experiences to beat watching your kid play in an all-county orchestra in a real concert hall (2nd chair, 2nd violin but who's bragging?)

There are many instances, real and fictional, of Regency ladies playing the pianoforte or harp, but I've never read about one who played the violin. I vaguely recall once hearing that it was considered ungraceful. In contrast, playing the pianoforte could show off good posture and provide opportunities for flirtation (the helpful beaux turning the pages, singing along, etc...) and playing the harp would be a good way to show off pretty arms.

As I checked into this further, I found a review of several studies on the emergence of professional women musicians. I'd love to read the actual studies sometime, but the review itself listed some more interesting reasons for the unwritten ban on lady violinists:

As Gillett notes, the early nineteenth century public found female violin playing "inappropriate, improper, and aesthetically jarring." Violins were compared to the feminine body, "most fittingly performed on by a worshipful 'master'." Moreover, male virtuoso violinists played with great expression and body movement, which was considered inappropriate for women. Further, violins had a long literary association with sin, death, and the devil, making them dangerous for the weaker sex.

Heavy stuff! But not surprising. I’d already learned that there was a similar prohibition against ladies playing Beethoven on the pianoforte. I deliberately had the rebellious heroine of The Incorrigible Lady Catherine play a Beethoven sonata…and got one of the highest compliments ever from a CP, who thought Catherine should have smoked a cigarette afterwards! ;) Maybe sometime I’ll write a Regency heroine who plays the violin, but only if it it’s in character and important for her to do so.

While the tension between personal creativity and cultural restrictions can make for interesting stories, but I’m glad we’ve moved beyond that. Although I haven’t had much opportunity to hear women soloists recently, some of my favorite violin recordings were performed by women.

I love this collection of music by Vaughn Williams, featuring Iona Brown (1941-2004) who not only performed on the violin but also directed the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. If you click on the link, you can listen to excerpts including "The Lark Ascending" which I think is truly sublime.

Another favorite female violinist is Tasmin Little, whom I saw play the Sibelius violin concerto while I lived in England. I had to get my hands on the recording. The Brahms is good but the Sibelius is wonderful, intense and passionate. Unfortunately this recording is now hard to find but she has made many others. If you're not familiar with her playing, listen to the free downloads in the "Naked Violin" section of her website.

Finally I will leave you with a video that would have proper Regency folk reeling:



Why did I not even know about this series? Did it ever appear on BBC America?

Do you enjoy reading about musical heroes or heroines in Regencies? Do you have favorite violin pieces, composers, performers? Links to share?

Elena Greene
www.elenagreene.com

The Extended Director's Cut of THE RIME OF THE VULCAN MARINER

And now...by popular demand...and against the express wishes of my cat...I bring you the almost complete
Part the First
of
THE RIME OF THE VULCAN MARINER:

(N.B: the beginning of this appeared in an earlier post.)

It is a space-age mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
"By thy verdant skin and too-sharp ears,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?

The star bar's doors are opened wide,
And I'm expected in;
My skirt is small, my hair is tall,
And Kirk will buy me gin."

He holds her with his skinny hand,
"The Enterprise--" quoth he.
"Hold off! unhand me, blue-shirt loon!"
But Spock cannot agree.

He holds her with his mental meld--
The busty babe stood still,
And listens like a three years' child:
The Vulcan hath her will.

With Captain Kirk forgotten now,
She listens full of fear;
And thus spake on with logic cool,
The man with pointy ear.

"The ship was cleared, no Klingon feared,
Steadily did we warp
Beyond the Earth, beyond the moon,
Beyond Tau Ceti Four.

"The ship that's trapp'd in solar heft
Is quite a sight to see.
It shines so bright, that time's not right
And muons all go free.

"Higher and higher every day,
Till every moment's noon--"
The leggy babe then missed the rest,
For she heard a tribble croon.

"Jim Kirk hath paced into the bar,
Yellow his tunic's sheen;
Quaffing a glass of Scotty's best --
I know not, but it's green."

The guest-star fair, she tore her hair,
Yet she cannot choose but hear;
And thus spake that half-Vulcan man,
The space-age Mariner.

"And now the Klingons came, and they
Were tyrannous and strong:
They struck us from their ships with wings,
Which to Romulans once belonged.

With failing shields and flagging warp,
As who pursued with phasers sharp
Beholds the bridge dissolve to quarks
With wormholes straight ahead,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
Into the sun we fled.

And now there came the photon blow,
And it did wondrous hurt:
And tongues of fire made us a pyre
As red as Scotty's shirt.

And while we stewed, the Klingon crew
Did fire unending blows:
They knocked out Rand and Sulu too--
And singed the captain's clothes.

They hit us here, they hit us there,
Till only pain we felt:
Off chairs we fell, for, truth to tell,
We have not one seat belt.


to be continued...

And be sure to stop in on the first Tuesday of October, when our Jane Austen Movie Club discusses BRIDE AND PREJUDICE!

And thanks to Trusty Todd for the Scotty's Best stanza...

Cara
Cara King, who has never met a cross albatross

The Name Game - Regency Style

One of the challenges of writing in the Regency era is getting the titles correct, or more specifically the terms of address. What were people called in the early nineteenth century? It is so confusing. When is our hero Lord Lastname and when is he Lord Firstname? When would he be simply called by his first name? What about his wife? His children? And what are the differences with what we are used to today?

Here is a website that tells it all: Correct Forms of Address

Bookmark this site, because it really has all the answers to any question you might have about titles and names.

The problem is, do readers, especially North American readers, understand or care about titles? Or is being correct just be too darn confusing?

Consider my hero in Scandalizing the Ton. His given name is Adrian Pomroy and in Innocence & Impropriety and The Vanishing Viscountess, Tanner, his friend from childhood, calls him "Pomroy." In Scandalizing the Ton, however, Adrian's father has just inherited a title from an uncle and becomes the Earl of Varcourt. Adrian is given his father's lesser title, Viscount Cavanley, but it is a courtesy title, meaning he's not really a viscount; he can't sit in the House of Lords like a viscount. The real title still belongs to his father as well as his father's new title.

Aren't all these names confusing? Adrian Pomroy is Viscount Cavanley by courtesy and his father is Earl of Varcourt. Adrian. Pomroy. Cavanley. Varcourt. Four names connected to one person.

Wait, though, there is more to confuse.

When his father was merely a viscount, Adrian would have been called Mr. Pomroy, but when his father becomes an earl, Adrian is now Lord Cavanley. The friends who called him Pomroy will now call him Cavanley. (Except Tanner. Tanner still calls him Pomroy).

In the Regency, though, no one probably would have called him Adrian. First names were rarely used except by close family or school friends. Even spouses typically did not use first names.

In Scandalizing the Ton, my heroine, Lydia, does use Adrian's first name soon after their meeting. Why would I deliberately choose to be incorrect?

I wanted to signal an intimacy between Lydia and Adrian and I used the terms of address to do that. It will make sense to North American readers, I think, but it really is not the way it would have been.

So my question is, what do you prefer? Accuracy or something that feels more familiar?

In the Historicals you've read, have you spotted mistakes in titles that bother you? Have you found the use of titles confusing? Does any of this matter to you?

This is one of those issues that I really don't know if it matters to anyone but me!

Hey, I have a book video! Check it out on my website. Scandalizing the Ton is available now from eHarlequin and will be in bookstores in October.

I'm still working on the Unleash Your Story challenge to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. Please consider making a small donation here.

Meet Marsha Altman

Today we welcome Marsha Altman, whose book The Darcys and the Bingleys: A Tale of Two Gentlemen's Marriages to Two Most Devoted Sisters was released this month.

Marsha, big congrats on the book and thanks for coming to visit today! Marsha is offering a signed copy of the book to a lucky winner--your comment or question enters you in the drawing.

We've seen a lot of Austen sequels lately. What makes yours stand out?

Every author has their niche, the story they want to tell within the niche of Pride and Prejudice sequels. Some people want to speculate on the sex lives of the married Darcys – all well and good of it’s done well – some want to focus on marrying off the remaining cast, and one person writes cozy mysteries. I value uniqueness very much, which is why I’m attracted to the stories that haven’t been told yet. Georgiana’s gotten married in numerous sequels, Elizabeth and Darcy have a great marriage life but the kid is slow in coming – I wanted to do something about the Bingleys, and about the friendship of Darcy and Bingley.

Also my book has some fight scenes. I like swords. Also guns, wooden legs of chairs, candlesticks – whatever works.



How did you come to write this book?


It started as a short story meant to be between Darcy and Bingley about their pre-wedding jitters and expanded from there. Some people take offense to the idea that Darcy would be experienced upon entering his marriage, which is historically improbable (he is roughly 29 when he marries, depending on when his birthday occurs, which is never mentioned in the book). But Bingley, who’s more sweet and innocent, could be a virgin. So he goes to his best pal for awkward advice. I found the notion amusing. Everything that came after that was just more ideas I had. I told myself I would stop writing when I ran out of things to do with the characters or they died, and I haven’t had it in me to kill any of them yet.


How did you feel about taking on Jane Austen?


I think I could take her. I’m probably taller than her, and I have martial arts experience. On the other hand she was a good dancer and got plenty of exercise, and we’re both pretty sickly, so it might be an even match. I wouldn’t underestimate her.

Now for the serious answer, in terms of “taking on” the length and breadth of her work by attempting to continue it, I don’t worry about it because it simply can’t be done. I’m not one of the foremost novelists in the British language and I wouldn’t be even if I changed my citizenship. I’m trying to have fun with her characters. As to whether she would mine, Miss Austen has posthumously endured her nephew and extended family publishing all of her unfinished writing and personal letters for profit, numerous sequels and adaptations, books analyzing her personal life, and even movies about her starring actresses wearing heavy lipstick. So, if she’s been spinning in her grave, she’s probably tired by now and may well have gotten over it. That or she understands imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, if that phrase existed in the Regency period.


What sort of research did you do, and did you discover anything 
surprising?


I’m a historian by nature. It was my undergraduate degree and I almost went for a PhD in it but got fed up with graduate academia. Therefore I had some initial trouble navigating the Regency fiction waters. This a culture you’re far more familiar with than I am, as I’ve not read much Regency romance outside of Jane Austen and Austen fanfic, but the world as it is portrayed in Regency fiction and Regency romance in conventional, modern publishing seems to be a world contrived from actual history and some assumptions about history based on writers from the period, Austen being the main one. Some people don’t realize that Jane Austen wrote contemporary fiction; I’m writing historical fiction. They’re two different things. I can’t write the story I think she would have written. I can only write a story set in that period of history using characters that resemble hers. I decided to rely on historical accuracy over Regency writing traditions. While certainly not true of everything (especially “Risky” Regencies!), the Regency period is presented in fiction as this very sanitized, rule-bound world. This is the world Jane Austen wrote about. It doesn’t mean it was the world that actually existed during the Regency period.

Roger Sales wrote a very interesting book, Jane Austen and Representations of Regency England. In the 1995 edition he included a postscript about the BBC adaptation and what was altered to match people’s perceptions of what the Regency period was over what it actually was. Earlier in the book, he comments that when Jane Austen’s letters were first published, it was during the Victorian period, and they were edited. Not that there was anything scandalous in there, but references to mundane things like bedbugs and illness were removed for a Victorian audience, that wanted to see Jane Austen in the sanitized world of her fiction.

To do the things I really wanted to do in the story, especially the later half where there’s more drama and violence, I decided to take a more historical route, which means people getting shot and having gruesome surgeries and some people dying. I saw no reason to focus on the mechanics of sex – plenty of more competent romance writers have done that – but I didn’t feel a need to leave out some of the other un-polite parts of Polite Society. It was too limiting to do otherwise. The characters still act appropriately (most of the time), but they encounter the gritty parts of their world whether they like it or not. It’s not very “Austen-esque” but it was a decision on my part and I’ve stuck with it ever since.


You tell the story of two characters who aren't wholly sympathetic-- 
Bingley himself and his sister Caroline. How did your perceptions of 
them change?

First off, Bingley. Despite the fact that he was inspired by Simon Wood’s portrayal of him in the 2005 movie, where his lines were a bit dumber than the lines given to the BBC Bingley (Crispin Bonham-Carter), I had to give Bingley some intelligence, just not in the realm of social intercourse.

Bingley is a foil to Darcy. He’s comfortable in social situations but not a great wit; Darcy is uncomfortable before strangers but always has something intelligent to say. They make a great pair in terms of dialogue, and you could see how one would rely on the other for their perceived deficiencies. Eventually it becomes a very brotherly rivalry, and Bingley actually bests Darcy a few times, though largely at things beyond his control. His father was a brilliant businessman, so I gave Bingley a head for numbers and languages, which plays a bigger role in future books. But he remains lovable and affectionate Bingley, which is key to the Caroline story.

I wanted to work with Miss Bingley because it’s territory very few people have done and I don’t think in any published work. There’s a few scattered fanfics I can name, but mostly in sequels she’s either not there, still scheming, or outright psychotic. While all of Austen’s writing on her would lend itself to that, it was more challenging to do the opposite. Besides, why would she pursue Darcy after he married? She’s too calculating for that. What would she do with her time? She makes some bad decisions, but Bingley is good enough to know she’s in trouble and Darcy is good enough to know he should help. Portraying the Bingley siblings affectionately, after they’ve lived their whole lives together even after the marriage of the eldest sister, has been something I’ve enjoyed doing. I want to make people love these characters. I want to give them a chance to be redeemed.



How did your perceptions of Elizabeth and Darcy change? Are they 
still the ultimate, perfectly matched couple?


It’s a difficult act to make Darcy and Elizabeth partners in every sense of the word without betraying their essential characters. Elizabeth is too self-assured, Darcy is too distant and uneven. Their love transcends it, and they learn the lessons of Pride and Prejudice and don’t repeat them, but upon their marriage they have to learn to lean on each other when both are used to being very independent. I had no interest in writing a story where they fight for any extended period of time, but there are still subtle battles for dominance and understanding in the relationship. Most of it is expressed quickly or unexpressed but still present. In a marriage, as two couples move towards each other physically and emotionally, it’s a bit like a battle even if it isn’t one – there are advances and there are concessions, however minor, that cause the forming of a stable and lasting relationship. The foundation is there but it still takes work to build on it, and even when caught up in other plotlines, Darcy and Elizabeth are still working towards the ultimate companionship a true marriage can bring.


What's next for you?


Several books in this series. They get increasingly dramatic – there are only so may wedding one-liners you can do – but I hope to maintain the undercurrent of humor to ease the burden of the challenges the characters face. There’s more on the Darcy family history that takes awhile to be fully revealed, the other characters get a bit caught up in some of the political things going on around them without being political themselves, and of course there’s kids. Lots of kids. I really need a good genealogy chart.

Also I write sci-fi, so I’ll probably get back to that when I’m done with the series.

How do you intend to end the series?

They all get eaten by dinosaurs.

News--And Happy Birthday, Clara Schumann

Some good news for those of us who enjoy the shorter "traditional" Regencies! Signet/NAL is going to start re-releasing some older titles next year, in the form of of two-stories-in-one-volume omnibuses. Coming in Fall 2009 (just in time for Halloween!) you can find my two "ghost Regencies" One Touch of Magic and A Loving Spirit. In the meantime, look for the holiday anthology A Regency Homespun Christmas in October!


"Composing gives me great pleasure...there is nothing that surpasses the joy of creation, if only because through it one wins hours of self-forgetfulness, when one lives in a world of sound" --Clara Schumann



And today is the 189th birthday of composer and pianist Clara Wieck Schumann, who was born September 13, 1819 in Leipzig. Her father (a rather, er, difficult man who was eventually divorced from her mother, a singer) was a renowned piano teacher. Early on he saw his daughter's talent, and Clara gave her first concert at the age of 7 playing duets with him. She gave her first solo concert at the age of 11 before going on tour. She was known for playing her own compositions as well as Chopin, Mendelssohn, Scarlatti, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. (She performed for Goethe, and gained in him a new fan. He presented her with a medal inscribed "For the gifted artist Clara Wieck")

In 1830, her father had a new pupil, the former law student Robert Schumann. By 1837, Clara's career was blossoming (her Soirees musicales Opus 6 was particularly popular), and so was her romance with Robert. Her father did everything in his power to prevent their marriage, forcing the lovers to take him to court. They finally married on December 12, 1840. Clara went on composing and performing, despite having 8 children and taking charge of their household finances and duties due to her husband's mental instability.

Following Robert's death in 1856, she continued performing and teaching, and in 1876 was appointed teacher of the piano at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt am Main, a post she held until 1892. She played her last concert in 1891, and died in 1896

A couple of good sources on her extraordinary life are Nancy B. Reich's Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman and Monica Steegman's Clara Schumann.

Who are some of your favorite composers? Or some of your favorite Regency romances? Have a great Saturday, Riskies!

Shut Up And Drink Your Gin*

From Hogarth's Gin Lane:

Drunk for a penny
Dead drunk for twopence
Clean straw for nothing

This weekend, my husband and assorted friends and I will be trotting onto a ferry to Block Island (off the coast of Rhode Island). The Ready For A Party Spouse suggested we bring cocktails onto the ferry, and since I am feeling slightly wistful about the end of summer, I suggested the most summeriest of cocktails, gin and Fresca (also one of the most white trashiest cocktails, I think, but that's not why I asked for it).

Gin has a rich and storied history in the Regency; known as 'blue ruin,' gin became popular in England when the government allowed unlicensed gin production along with insisting on a heavy duty for imported spirits. According to Wikipedia, "by 1740 the production of gin had increased to six times that of beer, and because of its cheapness it became popular with the poor." Eventually, of course, the British government realized they could be making more money, and enacted the Gin Act of 1736, resulting in riots, massive illicit distilling and the cynical marketing of "medicinal" spirits with such fanciful names as Cuckold's Comfort and My Lady's Eye Water. Because of its ease of production, gin was often mixed with even worse ingredients, and might have caused higher death rates.

The gin they drank back then--at least the gin that started it all--tasted different from the Gordons, Bombay, Tanqueray etc. East Coast elitists sip with their tonic on the golf course. The original gin was Genever, or Holland gin, is "Richer, maltier, and with a greater depth of flavor" than today's gin, and from some accounts, gin elitists (not the same as E.C. elitists) mourn the loss of the earlier type of gin.

But then I saw that Amsterdam-based spirits company Lucas Bols is doing a global relaunch of Bols Genever, which is made from a recipe the company was using in 1820. New York liquor stores will start stocking Bols Genever at the end of this month, with stores in San Francisco and London to follow shortly.

Having read of the devastation gin caused in our period, now I'm not so sure I want to be drinking the stuff this afternoon, but I am interested in tasting Bols Genever, just to see if I can detect a difference in the flavor.

Do you have a favorite cocktail, either for summer or fall? Are you interested in the shadier aspects of Regency life? Do you like to try period-authentic flavors?

Megan

PS: Apologies again for not coming back to comment, I will be on the road most of today.
*Fagin to Oliver in Oliver Twist

Memories and friendship

My apologies for this late post. This is my first "writing day" or, if you like, my first goofing off day in my new schedule. And you'll see why I'm posting late when I tell you what I did today--meeting with friends and going to an art museum

As you all know, it's the anniversary of 9/11 and at first it almost seemed wrong to have such a hedonistic day. I find myself looking for omens on the anniversary: is the weather similar? No, today was warm and cloudy. 2001 was a perfect fall day, crisp and cool, with more orange and yellow in the trees, and the season more advanced. When I heard the first announcement on NPR at about 8:48 am I was just turning into the parking lot at work (and I can't remember why I decided to drive into work that day, but I was glad I did, because I wouldn't have been able to get home). I was driving at that time today, too. I was listening to the radio with some degree of anxiety.

But also with some degree of anticipation because I was about to meet up with my friend Christie Kelley, who gave me one of her brand new cover flats (we laughed about the chandelier with light bulbs and the hero's huge phallic thumb). We talked about what we were writing or not writing and a whole lot of other things.

Then this afternoon I went into Washington DC to meet Celia May Hart and talked about--yes, what we were writing or not writing and a whole lot of other things. We met up at the National Portrait Gallery and looked at some pix of men with beards (e.g., Walt Whitman) as well as a special exhibit on Katherine Hepburn.

And then home to blog and to continue the slum clearance and renovation of what will eventually become my office.

Altogether, a good day, and a good day to celebrate friendship and community.

Party Games

I'm back in party planning mode, now for my youngest's 9th birthday. We've decided to do an acting/improv theme, having kids use whatever props and costumes we have around the house (and they are many and varied!) doing skits and playing games similar to those on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" Games like Superheroes and Party Quirks, the one in which "guests" are given slips of paper with descriptions of what they are to act out and the "host" must guess what they are supposed to be.

It's actually not unlike some party/parlor games played during the Regency. Amateur theatricals such as in Mansfield Park, glees and charades were typical house party entertainment. While googling around, I also found evidence for a number of games, some familiar, like "Blind Man's Buff", and some that were new to me. Such as this one:

I was surprised to hear that you did not know what a Bullet Pudding is, but as you don't I will endeavour to describe it as follows: You must have a large
pewter dish filled with flour which you must pile up into a sort of pudding with a peek at top. You must then lay a bullet at top and everybody cuts a slice of it, and the person that is cutting it when it falls must poke about with their noses and chins till they find it and then take it out with their mouths of which makes them strange figures all covered with flour but the worst is that you must not laugh for fear of the flour getting up your nose and mouth and choking you: You must not use your hands in taking the Bullet out. " --Fanny Austen to a friend, January 17, 1804

As I don't have servants to clean up, I doubt I'll do this one at our party!

The Jane Austen Center lists quite a few games played during the Regency and even by Jane Austen and her family. They include games like "Snapdragon" (which sounds dangerous to me!), Bouts-rimees, and "Rhymed with rose". Here's what Jane herself came up with:

Happy the lab'rer in his Sunday clothes!
In light-drab coat, smart waistcoat, well-darn'd hose,
And hat upon his head, to church he goes;
As oft, with conscious pride, he downward throws
A glance upon the ample cabbage rose
That, stuck in button-hole, regales his nose,
He envies not the gayest London beaux.
In church he takes his seat among the rows,
Pays to the place the reverence he owes,
Likes best the prayers whose meaning least he knows,
Lists to the sermon in a softening doze,
And rouses joyous at the welcome close.

How about you? Do you enjoy theatricals? Parlor games? Which games would you most like to see at a Risky Retreat? Here's one I think we could play if we invited the right guests: say Colin, Orlando, Sean and Gerard?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

Winners of THE DANGEROUS DUKE!

Congratulations to the winners of THE DANGEROUS DUKE by Christine Wells: M. and Keira Soleore!

Please email riskies@yahoo.com
to claim your prizes!

Jane Austen's "Batman"

Risky Regencies now presents...

a Cara King gone mad production... of

Jane Austen's "BATMAN."

When Batman and the Joker were alone, the former, who had been cautious in his threats to the arch-villain before, expressed just how very much he was in opposition to him.

"You are just what a young man should not be," said Batman, "nonsensical, bad-humoured, lively; and I never saw such intemperate manners!--so much ease, with such perfect bad breeding!"

"I am also handsome," replied the Joker, "which a young villain ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. My character is thereby complete."

"I was very much angered the other day by your asking me to choose who was to live, and who to die. I did not expect such an insult."

"Did not you? And yet it nonetheless occurred. But that is one great difference between us. Chaos always take YOU by surprise, and ME never. What could be more natural than me asking you to compromise your principles, your integrity, your commitment to never varying your facial expression? I could not help seeing that you were about five times as self-righteous as every other man in Gotham City. No thanks to my perspicacity for that. Well, you certainly are very noticeable, and I give you leave to wear your unbending suit of petroleum derivatives as much as you please. You could have worn many a stupider costume."

"I do not understand you!"

"Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to expect people to think as you do. You always see a fault in anybody who enjoys mayhem. All the world should be good and orderly in your eyes. I never heard you showing tolerance to actual human nature in your life."

"I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always confront those I judge criminal."

"I know you do; and it is THAT which makes the wonder. With YOUR keen intelligence, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of law and order! Affectation of honesty is common enough--one meets with it everywhere. But to be a crusader full of ostentation and design--to take the bad of everybody's character and make it cause for action, and monotone muttering--belongs to you alone. And so you dislike the way in which I conduct myself, do you? My manners are not equal to Harvey Dent's?"

"Certainly not--at first. He is a very pleasing man when you converse with him. But Miss Dawes has a wish to live with Mr. Dent, and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if I shall not find him a less charming man if she does."


Cara
Cara King, who could use an Alfred to look after her books

Dare I Disagree with Eric Maisel?

In the September issue of The Romance Writers Report, the monthly magazine of The Romance Writers of America) there is an article by Eric Maisel about Beating the Writer's Blues.

Eric Maisel is a renowned author of 30 books, most about creativity and writing. He's a psychotherapist, who now confines his practice to creativity coaching. He has an impressive resume and I liked a lot of what he said about dealing with the depressive feelings that often plague writers.

Maisel is careful to advise a medical evaluation for depression that continues or seems severe, and that is good. He acknowledges the existence of depression that his biologically based and the efficacy of antidepressant medication.

Before I became a romance author, I was a mental health therapist in a County mental health program for senior adults. Statistics show that nearly 25 per cent of people over age 60 experience some sort of depression, so I had quite a bit of exposure to depression and its treatment. I am certainly not putting myself forward as an expert on depression but I did have enough experience to develop my own point of view on the subject.

Maisel says: "(Creative people) experience depression simply because we are caught up in a struggle to make life meaningful to us. People for whom meaning is no problem are less likely to experience depression." Maisel suggests that creative people--writers--are different; their depressions are rooted in "meaning" problems. I just don't agree with this. I don't think that writers are "special." I think we have special skills, the skill of story-telling, but so do mechanics have special skills. I don't think that only creative people search for the meaning of life.

How can I say that a mechanic does not have problems with the meaning of his life? Why would a mechanic not have a journey similar to the example Maisel gives of an author whose crisis of meaning tumbles him into depression? I'll bet I could come up with a scenario for a mechanic that would mirror that example. Or a salesclerk. Or a factory worker.

I'm not fond of hearing authors (mostly literary) speak as if their creativity somehow makes them different from the rest of the world. I see that tone a lot in the daily literary quotes that show up on my Google page. On the other hand, I understand this feeling, this need to be special, and to value the skills that are perhaps only shared by a minority of mankind. It's just that I believe that there are many ways to be special and writing is only one of them. If I were a mechanic, I would hope to feel very proud of my mechanical skills.

In 1946 Viktor Frankl, one of the early thinkers in existential psychology, wrote Man's Search for Meaning, a work that came from his experiences in a Concentration Camp. Frankl observed that all people search for meaning in their lives, and that even in that hellish, hopeless environment, people still had choices. They could still choose their attitude, how they thought about what they experienced, the meaning they attributed to their life. He quotes Nietzsche's words, "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how."

So I'm with Frankl. We all search for meaning in our lives.

Nor do I believe that being a creative person, like a writer, means that one is more prone to depression than the general population. I went looking on the internet to see what the current thinking is on this and especially to see what research has found. Apparently some studies link creativity and bipolar illness (manic-depressive illness; one of the depressive illnesses), but there appears to be no clear link between other forms of depression and creativity.

I do suspect that the creative writer is better able--and more likely--to describe his or her experience.

One thing was clear in the articles I read. Treatment enhanced creativity in depressed creative persons. I think it would be a treat to have a creativity coach like Maisel, but, really, a good psychotherapist should be able to help.

I promise I won't "talk psychology" a lot on this blog but this was a topic I could not resist.

So....what do you think? Do you think that creative persons' depressions are a crisis of meaning that is different than what other people experience? (Or dare you disagree with Diane???) Do you have any theories or beliefs about depression?

Remember to check out my website which has been updated for September.

And please visit my Unleash Your Story homepage and make a small donation for Cystic Fibrosis. Every little bit will help!

Christine Wells and the Dangerous Duke!

Riskies: Hello, Christine! Welcome back to Risky Regencies. Tell us about your new book, The Dangeroue Duke. Where did the inspiration for this story come from?

Christine: First of all, let me say how delighted I am to be with you all here at Risky Regencies today. I read this blog often. You're all so knowledgeable and often in surprising ways! Thank you for inviting me.

And here's the blurb for The Dangerous Duke:

When Lady Kate Fairchild threatens to publish a tell-all politcal diary if her brother isn;t released from jail, she meets a formidable adversary in Max, the Duke of Lyle. Max believes Kate's brother knows the whereabouts of the rebels who burned his family home. Stealing the diary, he spirits Kate off to a country estate, ransoming her for her brother's cooperation. But the wrong diary has ended up in Max's hands--a sizzling account of Kate's affair with a fantasy lover. And when Max discovers Kate's sensual desires, he can't resist exploting them in every way...

I'm talking about this a bit more on our historical author chat on the Berkley/Jove Bulletin Board, but most of the inspiration for this book came from snippets I've learned in the course of my research. I wanted to explore the way a woman might wield power in the Regency era. As in any era, there were a lot of women who were heavily involved in politics, even though they couldn't vote. They filled that 'woman behind the man' role, and it's not stretching the imagination to assume that some of these women were far more intelligent and politically astute than the men they supported.

Lady Kate, my heroine, is comfortable in that politcal arena and her family has influence, which is why her late husband, an aspiring politician, married her. But when Kate is widowed, she's left without that figurehead. She has to step out and wield that power she has in her own right to save her brother from unjust imprisonment.

As for many historical writers, the story of courtesan Harriette Wilson demanding payment from her former clients to keep their names out of her tell-all memoirs captured my imagination.

So I ended up with a politcal diary full of secrets Kate uses to threaten the government (having exhausted all legal avenues, of course!) and an erotic diary, which was her solace during a loveless marriage.

Lyle desperately wants that political diary. But the two volumes get mixed up with, um, interesting results!

You can read Kate's diary (edited by Lyle) here.

Riskies: And the hero sounds wonderfully tormented! Tell us a little more about him. Is this your favorite "hero type"?

Christine: Lyle doesn't think he's tormented at all, LOL! Others might disagree, however. He's a man who entered the secret service through neccesity, not out of the thrill of it or even from a desire to save his country, though that is part of what keeps him there. He does what has to be done and his mantra has always been 'the end justifies the means.'

And then a fire at a family gathering kills the heirs who stand between him and the dukedom. His last case is to find the perpetrators, and then he is going to retire to assume the many duties of his office. But now he has to learn to be a civilian, and it isn't easy. The last thing he wants is to fall in love with a troublesome woman who has made herself his enemy! But the driving need to earn Kate's love is what forces him to change.

I do seem to be gravitating toward big alpha men at the moment, but it's not a conscious decision. It depends on what the story demands. Lyle is incredibly tough, except when it comes to kate wrapping him around her finger!

Riskies: What was the research like for this book?



Christine: It was quite eclectic--from the political and social climate surrounding the first inklings of the Industrial Revolution, and the little we know or surmise about agents, to female boxing in the Regency. I wrote a small article for the Regency Reader about women's boxing, and I will put it on my website. Or if anyone is interested I can email them more information.


Riskies: What's next for you?

Christine: I am so excited about my next project, Wicked Little Game! I won't talk about it too much yet, but it has a wonderfully tortured, big, dark hero and a heroine who is one of the most interesting and difficult women I've written. There's a teaser in the back of The Dangerous Duke under it's working title Indecent Proposal.

Riskies: And now for something else! Some fun questions I found in designer interviews in "Elle" magazine. :)

What's your favorite color?
Christine: Red!
Riskies: What's your favorite junk food?
Christine: I have to name just one?? Chocolate chip cookies
Riskies: Who are your favorite fantasy dinner-party guests?
Christine: Dorothy Parker, Georgette Heyer, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and Richard Armitage (well, you did say fantasy, right? LOL)
Riskies: At age 7, you wanted to be...
Christine: A brain surgeon! What was I thinking?
Riskies: Whose diary would you most like to read?
Christine: My grandmother's. I regret not asking her more about her youth before she died.
Riskies: If you weren't writing historical romance, what would you like to write?
Christine: I'm not sure. Maybe romantic comedy or romantic suspense. I don't think I'm likely to make the switch, though. I love writing historicals!


Thank you for having me here, Riskies! It's been a pleasure. And to all your readers--do you like your historical heroes dangerous? What about your heroines? Do you like the idea of a woman finding her own power in the Regency era, even if she might not be as physically strong as her mal counterparts?

And I'll be giving away two signed copies of The Dangerous Duke to lucky commenters!

Virgin Territory

So, last week was the season premier of Gossip Girl, IMO the second greatest show on TV right now (behind only the sublime Mad Men. When Pushing Daisies comes back on, it may drop to third. We'll see). The premier was great. Hamptons summer fabulosity, complete with beaches, tea on the lawn, croquet, and a big snooty party! Serena and Dan back together! Nate having a torrid affair with an older married woman! Lots of Blair and Chuck bickering (my favorite)!

Best of all, Blair's new flame is a British lord. Oh, at first he tried to pretend to be a "normal American guy" from Princeton (or Georgetown), until Chuck's PI (of course he has a PI on speed dial--he's Chuck Bass) put an end to that deception. I am really looking forward to seeing where this storyline goes, though the preview of next week's episode doesn't give me confidence in their proper title usage.

There are, of course, no virgins on GG (not since Blair lost hers to Chuck in that limo). None on Mad Men, either, now that I think about it. But I did run across this article on the Guardian's book blog about Top Ten Literary Virgins. Yes, authors who did not squander their energies in the back of limos or on futons under fake snowstorms. No, they used them for Art. Or whatever.

The list includes: Jane Austen (natch), Emily Dickinson (double natch), Queen Elizabeth I (who wrote poetry as well as, y'know, running England), Henry James (I did not know that; interesting), Gerard Manley Hopkins, Yeats, Shaw, Christina Rosetti, and Anne Widdicombe (MP and novelist).

The article says about Austen, "Despite the 'quite a bit of sex' smeared on her life and work by the biopic Becoming Jane and virtually all the recent screen adaptations (notably the obnoxious Mansfield Park), the author of Pride and Prejudice...died intacta. All 6 of her major heroines are as virginal on the last page as they were on the first. Does the fact that Austen 'never had it' make her a greater, or lesser, writer? Is chastity the enemy of genius?"

Huh. I dunno. Not in the case of Austen, for sure. What do you think?

Who are some of your favorite 'literary virgins'? And what TV shows are you looking forward to this Fall?

Be sure and join us tomorrow when we welcome back Christine Wells! She will dish about her latest book, The Dangerous Duke, and give away TWO copies to lucky commenters...

Aagh!

Friday! First week of school for the Nine Year-Old! A friend visiting unexpectedly!

A brand new pedicure!

No, wait--back to explaining why I am barely posting today . . . I did some insanity with flip-flops, an overlarge bedspread and my knee, so I am hobbling around and things are taking longer than usual. Including posting (how this has anything to do with my computer and my hands is MY SECRET).

Anyway. I am off to the free hours at the Museum of Modern Art, and I leave you with plenty of excuses and no substance.

Do you have a favorite modern artist? Do you like modern art at all? Do you hate flip-flops with the same passion I do now?

Megan

Home Sweet Home

Do you see a theme here recently? I do. We're returning to our homes after the excitement and excursions of the summer and normal life is picking up again.

Despite starting at a new job this week, this is pretty much how I feel. For the first time I'm about to get an office, and have been engaged in a slum clearance project on my daughter's room. Yes, she moved out. Yes, a large amount of stuff was left behind. I plucked out books and useful stuff from the debris and started to spackle. And spackle some more. And sand. Looked at it in the morning light (it faces east and south) and discovered some more holes in the wall I missed, but unfortunately at that point I was putting on primer.

My husband peered through the doorway after I was done for the day and pointed out places I'd missed. He's so helpful like that.

And the end result? Probably not like this. I just find this a wee bit pretentious, as much as I like Wedgwood, and my room is much, much smaller. I also doubt whether I'll have the time or patience to become a master plasterer and this does look rather chilly and formal.

Rather, the room will be painted a luscious cream--the color is actually called creative thought, which I hope is what will happen when I've moved the computer, the desk, lots of books and other stuff currently cluttering up the house, and have no excuse but to write. The woodwork will be a glossy white. Eventually the carpet will be cleaned. Maybe by that time I'll have learned how to use the digital camera--I did take a couple of pix of the room during the clean out--and show you the finished project.

I also wanted to boast about the creative work done by my inlaws at Mullany Art Studios. This is a mural they did for Argia's Restaurant in Falls Church, VA. Isn't it amazing? Yes, they accept commissions for murals and will include your pets if you like.

Do you have your own space in your house where you can read and/or write? Are you bitten by the decorating bug or engaged in any home renovation projects? And how messy do you get when you paint?

Elena's Travels

I feel as if I’ve hardly been here in August—and looking at the calendar, that isn’t far from the truth! Of course, while traveling I still have the eye and mind of a Regency author. I couldn’t help noticing some recurring themes that resonated with the Regency: excess and elegance.

The cruise was much as my husband and I expected: fun, relaxing, a bit tacky at times but the ship was big enough that we could avoid most of the silliness. No belly flop contests for us, thanks! Nor did we pig out at the buffets or overindulge on umbrella drinks; we were interested in only one sort of excess. :) But many of our fellow passengers were less restrained; it makes one think of those Regency dinner parties with umpteen courses or gentlemen’s gatherings where multiple bottles of wine were consumed per person. Although I think we looked quite nice on the formal night, the greatest elegance was provided by the gorgeous sea life we saw on our snorkel trips.

Once we’d retrieved the kids from the grandparents, we toured several attractions with friends and relatives in North Carolina. Our first visit was the Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, NC. Though the area holds a profusion of kitschy-looking gift shops, the village, a recreation of a nearby village circa 1750 or so, is well worth visiting. The setting is lovely, a beautifully shaded hillside and there were demonstrations of beadwork (I would have loved to take lessons), shooting a blowgun, basket weaving, mask carving and more. I was particularly struck by the simple and eerily beautiful animal imagery of the carvings.

The following day we went from rustic simplicity to civilized excess at Biltmore House, the Vanderbilts’ 250 room “family home” in Asheville. The tour was interesting and very long. Areas used by the family and guests are sumptuously decorated, sometimes overdone to my taste; the servants’ areas were also interesting and appeared to be more comfortable than in most stately homes I've visited. My favorite room was the library, one place where excess is never a bad thing. :)

Our next major stop was Monticello, a place that offers less pomp but far more real elegance along with a vivid sense of Thomas Jefferson, his personality, his family, his conflicted position regarding slavery, his many interests both scientific and artistic. My children were impressed that he said he “could not live without books”. Perhaps my favorite part within the house was the dining room, with its French style chairs and fireplace with Wedgwood medallions. The garden tour revealed a number of plants I wasn’t familiar with, including the lovely caracalla bean plant pictured here. In 1792, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Benjamin Hawkins about the Caracalla Bean saying it was the “most beautiful bean in the world.” I have to agree.

Now we are back, my children are (hopefully!) enjoying their first day of school and I’m trying to return to Normal Life. If I can remember what that is!

If you’ve visited any of these places, what was your most or least favorite part? If you traveled this summer, did you see anything you thought excessive, or elegant, or even excessively elegant?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB: Master and Commander

Welcome to the September meeting of the Risky Regencies Jane Austen Movie Club!

(And I apologize for our last-minute cancellation last month -- I'll blame it on my cat, as soon as I think how.)

Today, we're discussing the feature film MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD.

Have you seen it?

If so, what did you think?

For those of you who've read some or all of the O'Brian books, did the movie satisfy you? Annoy you? How?

For those who aren't familiar with the Aubrey/Maturin books, how did the movie work for you? Did it make sense?

To aid the discussion, the major credits follow, with some "you may have seen this actor before in this" in italics...


DIRECTOR: Peter Weir

SCREENPLAY: Peter Weir and John Collee

Based on the novels of Patrick O'Brian


CAST:

Russell Crowe: Capt. Jack Aubrey

Paul Bettany: Dr. Stephen Maturin, Surgeon

Bettany will play Lord Melbourne in the upcoming THE YOUNG VICTORIA. He was also Prince William of Orange in SHARPE'S WATERLOO.

James D'Arcy: 1st Lt. Tom Pullings

Does the handsome first lieutenant look familiar? James D'Arcy played Tom Bertram in the most recent MANSFIELD PARK adaptation, and Nicholas Nickleby for television in 2001.

Edward Woodall: 2nd Lt. William Mowett

Woodall played Robert Martin in the Gwyneth Paltrow EMMA.

Chris Larkin: Capt. Howard, Royal Marines

Max Pirkis: Blakeney, Midshipman

Jack Randall: Boyle, Midshipman

Max Benitz: Calamy, Midshipman

Lee Ingleby: Hollom, Midshipman

Richard Pates: Williamson, Midshipman

Robert Pugh: Mr. Allen, Master

Richard McCabe: Mr. Higgins, Surgeon's Mate

McCabe also played a naval man in the Root/Hinds PERSUASION -- he was Captain Benwick. He was also Mr. Brocklehurst in the 2006 JANE EYRE, and will appear as Sir James Hare in the upcoming THE DUCHESS.

Ian Mercer: Mr. Hollar, Boatswain

Tony Dolan: Mr. Lamb, Carpenter

David Threlfall: Preserved Killick, Captain's Steward

Billy Boyd: Barrett Bonden, Coxswain

Boyd, of course, was Pippin in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies.

Bryan Dick: Joseph Nagle, Carpenter's Mate

Joseph Morgan: William Warley, Cpt. of Mizzentop

Morgan was William Price in the recent MANSFIELD PARK.

George Innes: Joe Plaice, Able Seaman

William Mannering: Faster Doudle, Able Seaman

Patrick Gallagher: Awkward Davies, Able Seaman

Alex Palmer: Nehemiah Slade, Able Seaman

Mark Lewis Jones: Mr. Hogg, Whaler

John DeSantis: Padeen, Loblolly Boy

Ousmane Thiam: Black Bill, Killick's Mate

Thierry Segall: French Captain


So . . . what did you think???

All answers welcome!


Cara
Cara King, who isn't even master and commander of her cat

Woe is the Child

This month I'm participating in the Unleash Your Story Challenge. Unleash Your Story is an effort by the authors of Romance Unleashed to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This is a writing challenge. I've pledged to write at least 20,000 words this month of September and to raise $150. But I can't do this alone. I need your help. If you think you can donate even a small amount, just click on this icon and click on the donation button.



Support my efforts!

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. It affects about 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. and 70,000 worldwide. A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. The disease was defined in the 1930s but elements of the disease were known even in the 1700s.

There was an 18th century German saying that associated the salt loss in CF with a child's early death: "Woe is the child kissed on the brow who tastes salty, for he is cursed and soon must die."

A Regency child would have died in infancy.

Medical knowledge was limited during the Regency. Louis Pasteur had yet to discover pasteurization. There was no knowledge of germs or anticeptic. Nitrous Oxide as anesthetic was just first used. Vaccination was a new concept; the vaccination of smallpox using puss from cowpox had just been introduced by Edward Jenner (Although Lady Mary Wortley Montequ brought a version of smallpox vaccine from Turkey in 1721). The stethescope was just invented in 1816, and the first blood transfusion was accomplished in 1818.

In the first part of the nineteenth century life expectancy in the UK was age 37 compared to 80 today. For a child with Cystic Fibrosis the life expectancy was only age 4 in the 1960s. Today it is 40 years.

On January 4, 2007 the Riskies interviewed Wet Noodle Posse member Colleen Gleason, author of the Gardella Vampire series (Colleen's 4th Gardella book, When Twilight Burns, was released August 2008). Colleen's ten year old son has Cystic Fibrosis. So this challenge isn't only important, it's personal.






Help if you can!

Share your knowledge of Regency medicine. What surprises you most of what they did or did not know about illness or the human body?

Come to see what is new on my website, to be updated tomorrow!