What (Not) To Wear, Part 2

What (Not!) To Wear, Part 2:

This Tuesday, Amanda shared some of her thoughts on Dressing For the RWA National Conference. Today I'd like to talk about some of what I saw a few weeks ago in Washington, DC. It was not pretty.

1. Monochrome outfits--head-to-toe (including hat!)--in the same color make you look like a weirdo, not interesting or creative or anything but 'stay the hell away from me' bad.

2. Mom jeans are not a good idea unless you plan on doing some gardening. Which I don't believe was an option during National.

3. White shoes?!?

4. No, I don't want to see your rack. Or any part of you that isn't normally on view. Unless your day job is being wrapped around a pole. Thanks.

5. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN GET IT ON DOESN'T MEAN IT FITS.

5a. If your usual size seems snug, there is no shame in going up another size. No-one will know you've got on a size 12 instead of a 10. We will all, however, be grateful for your discretion.

6. Just because it DOES fit doesn't mean it's age-appropriate. Here's a tip: If you're over 21, don't shop at Forever 21, Mandee's or Hot Topic.

7. Wear comfy shoes. And if you don't wear comfy shoes, don't complain loudly about your pained feet. Honestly? We don't care.

8. Random zippers were okay back in the '80s. Not so much now.

9. All kidding aside, most of these observations were limited to a few people. I just like to snark (like you didn't know that?)

10. What are your fashion pet peeves?

Megan

Wuthering Heights and a mess on the floor

This is what a finished book looks like.
Last night I finished Improper Relations, my next Little Black Dress book, and this is the entire manuscript dropped on the floor as I went through it page by page after a hard copy edit.

Whew! I'm still catching up from Nationals and then a Mullany expedition to the beach last week where I thought I'd have internet but didn't. Here's a pic of my mother in law Rosie Mullany to whom I dedicated A Most Lamentable Comedy.

But today is the birthday of Emily Bronte (1818-1848) so I thought we should talk about Wuthering Heights. I consider it an odd, difficult novel, full of shifts in time and narration. Where Jane Eyre (by sister Charlotte) has a clear legacy in popular fiction (plain, poor, virtuous heroine--check; brooding dark hero--check; brooding dark house--check; unspeakable secrets--check), what influence has Wuthering Heights had?

It's almost as though Wuthering Heights stands alone, the odd cousin who smells of elderberries and talks to herself in a corner at the family gathering. We know she's there, we know she's part of the family, but she doesn't quite fit in. Somehow she takes things to extremes--Heathcliffe is dark and brooding yet psychopathic; the heroine dies; the bleak landscape is the star of the show.



And what about the movie versions? Do you think any of them crack the Wuthering Heights code? There's the 1939 classic with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon (left); the 1992 version with Juliette Binoche (whom I love, but why??) and Ralph Fiennes with bad hair.

The most recent is the 2009 PBS adaptation with Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy (both of whom look far too clean in this pic and yet another bad Heathcliffe wig). And according to this article Keira Knightley and Lindsay Lohan are battling it out for the role of Cathy in yet another remake.

But to me, the most brilliant adaptation is this one by Monty Python (it starts about a minute in after some silly stuff with a policeman but this was the only one I could find without Spanish subtitles):



What do you think? Is there a movie version you like? A book you feel that is particularly influenced by Wuthering Heights?

My blog tour continues tomorrow with a visit to the Word Wenches and more next week--visit my website for the whole schedule (and enter the contest, which is ending soon, while you're there).

A winner

Kate Diamond, you've won the signed copy of A Most Lamentable Comedy. Send your snailmail to riskies@yahoo.com.

Turn up the Volume!

A novel requires some measure of structure to hold it together, a plot tends to work nicely for this. To deconstruct a bit, traditionally, a novel is divided into chapters and at one time was even commonly divided into physically separate volumes. Over time, the result of the separate volumes has been the unhappy event of missing volumes. If I had only volumes 1 and 2 of the original Pride and Prejudice I think I would be very sad. (I don't have any, by the way.) But I do have single volumes of other very old books.

I've heard only anecdotally that the reason for separate volumes stemmed from the convenience of being able to pass on volume 1 to the next reader while proceeding with volume 2. I've never come across this as any more than speculation. Personally, I suspect the volume decision was a financial one and/or a limitation of the materials at hand, and the fact that the separate volumes could be passed on so that readers didn't have to wait for someone to finish the entire book was simply fortuitous for the customer. Perhaps in my copious spare time I'll try to track that down.

The historical practice of physically separate volumes has gone by the wayside, thank goodness, because imagine the horror of your TBR pile if your favorite historical romance (let's say it's Scandal by yours truly) came in three volumes and now that you finally have time to read this lovely book, you discover you're missing volume two. Or the book eating cat (we have one of those) has managed to drag volume three under the bed for a nice snack of the opening chapters. Or that you picked up all three volumes on your way to the airport but only when you're at 40,000 feet do you discover you have the volume one of some other book.

If books today still came in separate volumes, would each volume have different cover art? This, of course, was not an issue back in the day. You either went cheap and kept your books in their original boards (what would the neighbors think of that?) or you bound them yourself, probably in Morocco leather. And since Carolyn Jewel of 1815 would surely have been Lady Readerham (married to the dashing and wholly reformed rake the earl of Readerham--- I assure you, we had quite the tumultuous courtship and that the story about how he got that scar is completely false. There were never any crocodiles in the moat.) At any rate, I would have a nice little coronet to have embossed on the covers of the books in my library.

But that was then. (Would have been then?) What about today? Would bookstores today even allow you to buy single volumes of a multi-volume work? Or would there soon be a healthy after-market source for orphaned volumes? Maybe there'd be special deals, Buy Volumes 1 and 2, get Volume 3 for half off!

What do you think? And if you lived in 1815, who would you be and what would be in your library? Sorry, Lord Readerham is taken.

Conference What (Not) To Wear!

Today's post is the beginning of a two-parter. Watch for part two from Megan on Friday! The two of us sat together at the RITA awards at RWA (and probably drove our neighbors crazy with the whispering--sorry, neighbors!). We sat behind the giant screen in the middle of the room, and had a fabulous time watching the parade of fashions go by. Here are a few tips we came up with to remember when packing for conference:



A little leopard print can be great! Shoes are always good...

Scarves are good (just ask Emma Hamilton! But you can leave the leopard head at home)


But it can be easy to go a little overboard...
All-white can be fresh, summery, and youthful! A good choice in the steamy cities of RWA


But too much can say "Demented Bride"!
Nice walking shorts with cute shoes--Yes!
Sloppy cut-offs--maybe not. And be sure you can sit in your skirt!!!

Dress-over-jeans--Yes or No?

In a room of 3000 women, a nice pair of shoes will get you noticed faster than anything! (Just be sure you can walk in them...)





Abigail Adams knew the power of nice shoes
So did Martha Washington!
Make sure your clothes fit...
Bring shawls for air-conditioned workshop rooms
Most of all, be comfortable and have fun!!!

What are some of your favorite "do's" for conference?

Romance in High Places

To have one’s novel noticed by a person of great power and influence must be a wonderful thing. Certainly Ronald Reagan’s public mention of The Hunt for Red October as "un-put-downable" contributed to Tom Clancy’s successful writing career. Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club*, of course, shot many a book to the best seller list. For Romance, of course, there was Kelly Ripa’s book club selection of The Bachelor by Carly Phillips.



Jane Austen had her own brush with the powerful and influential. In 1815 she was in London visiting her brother Henry who became ill and was seen by the Prince Regent’s physician. After that contact, the royal librarian, James Stanier Clarke, called upon her and invited her to Carlton House where he told her His Royal Highness had given his permission to dedicate her next work (Emma) to him. In that era, what bigger honor could there be?



What would be comparable today? If our popular president took notice of a romance novel, perhaps?

Harlequin author, Geri Krotow, recently moved from Annapolis, MD, to Moscow, where her Naval Officer husband is posted with the American Embassy. Geri, a graduate of the Naval Academy and a former Naval Officer herself, had barely unpacked when the opportunity came to see President and Mrs. Obama at the Embassy during their visit to Moscow. Geri wanted to give something to Michelle Obama in thanks for her support for military families. She decided to give Mrs. Obama a book, her first, A Rendezvous to Remember (Harlequin Everlasting Love, 2007), the only book that wasn’t still packed.




Read what happened HERE

Geri’s (and my) web designer, Emily Cotler of Waxcreative Design, picked up on this exciting news and got an article about it published in the Huffington Post, the online newspaper.

I’ll let you know if Geri receives any word from Michelle Obama, who hopefully will read the book. Think of it, though. We have proof that a romance novel is in the White House!

Was Jane Austen as excited as Geri about coming to the notice of the Prince Regent?
All indications are she was less than thrilled. Austen had no admiration for the Regent’s profligate lifestyle, especially his treatment of his wife. Her question to Mr. Clarke was if it was “incumbent” on her to accept this honor. It was.

Here is her dedication, delicately worded, perhaps satirical, and mentioning nothing of gratitude:

To His Royal Highness, The Prince Regent, This work is, by His Royal Highness’s permission, most respectfully dedicated by His Royal Highness’s most dutiful and obedient humble servant, The Author

I suspect Geri would word a dedication to the Obamas a bit more exuberantly. Me? I’m thrilled for her! I think the moral of her story is, we should never be apologetic about writing romance, no matter who we speak to, even the President of the United States!

What romance novel would you like to put in the hands of which powerful and influential person, if you could?

NOTE: Official White House photo showing the President and Mrs. Obama in the receiving line. Geri is the blonde head behind the woman touching her cheek. You can see Geri's book in Obama's hand.


*One of Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club Selections was A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, which was debunked by The Smoking Gun as being partially fabricated. The Smoking Gun discovered the fabrication because my daughter's friend emailed them to find and print Frey’s mug shot. His name appears in the acknowledgements of Smoking Gun’s book, The Dog Dialed 911.

Check my website! I have a new contest.

Domestiques Rule!

The past few weeks, I've been watching the Tour de France, marveling at the cyclists' athletic ability and intensity. It's a joke between me and my husband that we'll be watching a sports event, and I'll say something like, "Remind me never to be a linebacker," or "a catcher," or anything, honestly, that requires that kind of Herculean effort.

But there is one athletic job I wouldn't mind, and I think it can relate to the books I like to read, too: That of a domestique, a "a road bicycle racer who works for the benefit of his and leader. The French domestique translates as 'servant'."

Yeah, a servant. Which is likely why the quiet governess who's suddenly thrust into the romantic spotlight is so appealing to me as well; after all, I myself shun the spotlight, instead preferring to observe and comment--usually snarkily--on the sidelines. My other favorite heroines are the plainer sisters of Diamonds of the First Water, who attract the attention of the Luscious Rake.

A domestique doesn't have the pressure of having to win, just having to work hard for someone else (see: Megan and her spotlighting husband). But a domestique can have their own story, such as my favorite cyclist George Hincapie, who's finishing the Tour this year with an allegedly broken collarbone. Allegedly because he says he's fine, and won't let doctors look at him until after the Tour. Now THAT is a hero! (Plus he's 6'4". Swoon).

Are you following the Tour? Do you find your allegiances remain consistent, whether it's in sports or in books? What kind of athlete would you like to be?

Janet Mullany Interview!

Today Janet cedes her usual place in the Thursday spotlight to Megan, who interviews . . . Janet!

Janet's latest book, A Most Lamentable Comedy, is out in the UK now, and Janet answers some questions all about it.

Tell us about this book; what was its inspiration?
It’s a sequel (sort-of) to The Rules of Gentility (2007), and and an attempt to prove to my editor at HarperCollins that Rules wasn’t a one-off book. Although she didn’t bite, Little Black Dress (UK), who’d bought and published their own edition of Rules, offered me a three-book contract. This is the first of the three. I chose Caroline as heroine because I wanted to write about a bad girl. Philomena, the heroine of Rules, was quite well-behaved, as was Inigo, more or less. Caroline isn’t and I had to create an equally disreputable hero to match her. I based the premise of the book on a couple of minor characters from Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend, con artists who find out after they marry that neither has any money, which I found quite fascinating.

It’s told in first person present tense—how did you decide to write it that way (since it is an unusual style)?
Rules was written that way, my UK editor loved it, and I find I have a lot of fun with it. Essentially it is all about my entertainment.

What would be your response if people say they can’t sympathize with your heroine, who is on the run from creditors and has not always led a pristine life?
Read another book?! She gets more likeable as the book goes on; she is a fiercely proud, loyal woman and you see that side of her emerge, although she remains a troublemaker who can’t resist opportunities to behave badly.

Do you plan to write more on any of these characters?
Not at the moment. They may turn up elsewhere, but they haven’t so far!

You’re a “risky” writer in terms of sex, yet this book has hardly any actual sex in it; what made you write it that way (although it does have plenty of sexual overtones)?
For this style it’s all in the subtext, and so there’s very little explicit language, which makes sense given who the characters are. Also during sexual encounters most of us are not taking notes or having a blow by blow (if you’ll pardon the expression) narrative in our heads.

What kind of research did you do for the book?
Embarrassingly little. I researched card games, bears, and sheep online, and wrote to the Folger Shakespeare Library about prompt books. As usual I dredged up items from the large trivia collection in my mind.

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken here?
I think having characters who don’t reform. Nick and Caroline remain essentially who they are, but what redeems them is that they open themselves up to friendship and community and responsibility. I may also have offended every writer who’s written about Dukes and courtesans, and every reader who likes that particular trope.

What’s up with the animals that pop up in your books: The pig who eats buttons, the dancing bear, etc.?
Oh, I like animals. The pig is based on a bit of family lore and there’s a photograph to prove it (which my brother, ahem, is supposed to be finding and scanning so I can put it on my website). When my brother was two he had a traumatic experience in a Dutch petting zoo with a pig that ate a button off his coat. As for the bear, Elena Greene blogged at the Riskies last year about dancing bears and I found them very appealing. I needed a way for the hero to meet up again with another character who’d disappeared, and I thought of a circus. As one does.

Do you think this book has an HEA?
Definitely. I can’t write the long, drawn-out apologies, explanations, declarations and six babies later type endings. To me it’s always an act of faith, the leap into the unknown territory of marriage.

What is your writing process? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a pantser by nature which is a bit of a problem for selling on proposal. So my rule of thumb is that if an idea doesn’t come together in a week to can it. My synopses are always extremely vague (the phrase “after many exciting adventures” is very useful) and once I start writing, the plot twists and secondary characters emerge.

What's next for you?
Lots! I have a two-book contract with HarperCollins for a paranormal-speculative history series, Immortal Jane Austen. The first one is about Austen and vampires fighting a French invasion in Bath and should be out next summer. I wanted to call it Blood Bath; my brother, with whom I brainstormed the idea, suggested Austen Powers. I’m just finishing up my next Little Black Dress book, Improper Relations, and I have no idea what the third one will be, although I have a very appealing title knocking around in my mind (Mr. Bishop and the Actress). I also have a two-book contract with Harlequin Spice, writing erotic contemporaries as Liz Diamond, and the first of those will come out in early 2011. I’m very lucky; I’m enjoying the glow of having all these exciting projects to work on, and then remembering that yes, I do actually have to write them.

Thanks for letting me pretend to be a guest here today, Megan! Today I’m also over at History Hoydens and guest blogging at Romance Buy the Book about writing a historical bad girl. There’s a complete blog tour on my site (and a contest!)

A Most Lamentable Comedy doesn’t have US distribution but you can buy it with free shipping worldwide from bookdepository.co.uk.

Thanks, Janet!

http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/2008/06/bears.html
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/browse/book/isbn/9780755347797/ref/janetmullany.aff
http://historyhoydens.blogspot.com/
http://www.romancebuythebook.com
http://www.janetmullany.com

The Link-o-Matic Machine Debuts!

I'm pretty sure I'm still not completely coherent after my return from RWA Nationals so what the heck, here's some links to interesting stuff.

• Which side of the road do they drive on? This only SOUNDS boring. There's some fantastic material here discussing this going back to Roman times and beyond. The Romans, it seems, drove on the left. Discusses driving and walking habits through the ages.


• History of wedding rings Not sure how accurate this is. Does anybody know?


• World Digital Library swoon From the website: The World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world


• Learn to Navigate by the Night Sky


• Looking to learn stuff? Then check out Open Courseware Consortium


• Cornwall Online Census Project Census data going back to 1841. Never be stumped for a Cornish name again.


• VADS: The online resource for visual arts. Ohh, so pretty!


• Pigments Through the Ages How many different kinds of green are there? Lots.


• Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library Electronic Texts in the History of Medicine From the website: several popular medical texts from the 15th through 18th centuries. Culpeper's famous reference is here.


• They Fight Crime Oh, go on. Just go look. Then write a novel about it. Srsly. Heh.


• News Map Kind of overwhelming, but take a look.


• British Genealogy.com Because we're Risky Regencies and we're odd that way.


• Calculate Me Confused about Celsius vs. Fahrenheit? Roman numerals make you XX-eyed? What about butter, meters to feet, Time or maybe you need to calculate the area of a circle. CalculateMe can help.


• Phil Factor's Phrenetic Phoughts Don't freak when you see this is a SQL Server site. The article is a very readable discussion of the history of cryptopgraphy. Augusta, Countess of Lovelace is mentioned in the first sentence.

RWA '09

I'm back! I got home yesterday evening from RWA, and am still a bit stunned and zombie-fied, so I'm afraid this won't be a very in-depth post. :) (Look for more info next week!). This was a very fun, upbeat conference--I would rate the Marriott Wardman Park above average for conference hotels (especially for its nice neighborhood with such a plethora of good restaurants!), and the conference attendees get a gold star for fun conversation and the best parties EVER. A few highlights:

The Beau Monde Soiree! (The costumes were gorgeous, and I enjoyed the dancing--watching, anyway. My hoops were too heavy and my shoes too pointy-toed to participate. In these pics I'm with Megan, and Keira Soleore and Michelle Willingham, who looked gorgeous in her Josephine-style gown. And our own Louisa won the Royal Ascot!!)


The Harlequin Party (of course! In these pics I'm with a bunch of people--Andrea Pickens, Diane, Deb Marlowe, Michelle W. and Elizabeth Mahon of the Scandalous Women blog, and with my Grand Central Publishing editor Alex Logan, who gave a thumbs-up to the dessert selection. The third pic is Michelle W. and her husband, who were totally The Cuteness Couple at the party...)



The post-awards ceremony! (The disgustingly tall woman is my Harlequin editor Joanne Grant, and of course you know Megan by her lovely vintage gown. One day she will wake up and find I've snuck into her house and stolen those dresses away since she once made the mistake of showing me where she keeps them)



And I even got to play tourist for a day, which I usually don't at conference! On Sunday I hit the Mall with Keira, Regina Scott, and Marissa Doyle. I saw the American History museum (including these gowns once worn by Martha Washington and Dolley Madison) and briefly ran through the American Indian building, which was gorgeous (I'm determined to go back there next time). We had a fabulous dinner, too, handmade pasta, calamari, and tiramisu, yum!





I have to admit, though, the highlight of the conference was doughnuts, cocktails, and True Blood. Megan and Carolyn, you are superlative hostesses and I hope the neighbors didn't call the front desk on you. (I even got to catch the new episode on Sunday as I packed, and there was a bit more Eric than usual, yay! We even glimpsed his Viking days...)









And major congrats to Pam Rosenthal on your much, much deserved RITA win! If you haven't yet read this fun, literate, sexy book, run out and get it right now.

In short, it was a fabulous time. It's always hard to get to the end of RWA, say good-bye to everyone, and find myself back here doing laundry, trying to get my Pug to take her eardrops, and actually writing rather than just talking about writing. There will be more info later--just as soon as I take a nap...