Risky Read Along - Venetia Chapters 15-21

Yes, I still want to be Venetia when I grow up. Sigh.

If you recall, we left off last week with Venetia making a shocking call on Damerel at his bachelor home without any chaperon.

In chapter 15, Heyer continues with this breach of propriety in the way she shows us the servants' reaction and in her description of the room to which she is shown to wait for Damerel.

The saloon seemed unfriendly, with no fire burning in the hearth, and the furniture primly arranged. They had never sat in it when Aubrey was at the Priory, but always in the library, and it still bore the appearance of a room that was never used. Venetia supposed that Imber must have led her to it either to emphasize his disapproval, or because Damerel had not yet finished his business with his agent.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

Everyone pretend that I saw through that his business with his agent right away.

Uh, no. I did not.

He came back to her, and grasped her wrists. "I told you also we would talk of it when we were cooler: well, my love, the night brings counsel! And the day has brought your uncle-- and there let us leave it, and say nothing more than since there's no help, come let us kiss, and part!

She lifted her face in mute invitation; he kissed her, swiftly and roughly, and almost flung her away. "There! Now go, before I take still worse advantage of your innocence!" He strode over to the door, and wrenched it open, shouting to Imber to send a message to Nidd to bring Miss Lanyon's mare up to the house.

Now there is a man under the grip of strong emotion.

All the clues I had about what Venetia would do to resolve her situation with Damerel were wrong. Wrong!  My best guess was that somehow Damerel would come to his senses after she moved to her own home. My next best guess was she would get herself compromised somehow.

I confess that I kept thinking of the usual things that happen in Historical Romances penned in the 21st century and that did hamper my ability to work my way though to the possible solutions. I had confidence that Venetia would figure something out, but I did think moving to country by herself would some how be it.

What else didn't I see coming?


How about Mom being alive? I thought she must be for a while and then around the middle of the book, I figured that couldn't be, so  I discarded that notion. No, I didn't see that coming either, and I should have. The clues were there.  Way to go, bro's, lying to your sister like that.

What about her step-father? Was he a nice guy or a creep who would have taken advantage of Venetia if she weren't too smart for him? After all, he's already run off with a married woman once, why wouldn't he stoop to running off with Venetia? There was a moment there when I was quite worried about the man's intentions.

I thought the ending was amusing and I loved that way it was so wonderfully anticipated by all the previous times they were interrupted. Poor Damerel, trying so many times to propose to her!

Oh, and wasn't Edward Yardley THE WORST ever? I wanted to bop that man over the head.

In the end, Venetia wins her man by staying true to herself AND to her understanding of Damerel. If she didn't truly know his character and love him, she could never have won him. Damerel would have refused to be caught. But, as we know, he was a goner by page 30 (of my edition.)

So often in historical romance, it's the hero who needs to change. That's not the case with Venetia. We see, instead, the heroine's journey into the kind of love that changed her as a person. Though the book opens with the suggestion that Damerel = the fox and Venetia = the best layer, one could argue that by the end, it's Venetia who plays the role of the fox. Damerel is the ravished best layer. All he can do is capitulate to his superior opponent.

So. What do you guys think? First time readers, or those who recall their first reading, did you anticipate what I did not?

What did you like and not like? Any issues, quibbles or what not? Opine in the comments. Go!]

Don't Forget! Diane's New Blog

Today is the Grand Opening of Diane's Blog.
Click on my pretty graphic and it will take you right there!
(Then come back to discuss Venetia in our Regency Read-Along)

Celebrating Beau Brummell

Today marks the anniversary of the death of legendary fashionista (or should that be fashionisto?) Beau Brummell in 1840. For more information on his life, and his afterlife in pop culture, you can look here or here. Since I have an unexpectedly busy day today (ugh!) I decided to celebrate him with some very, er, decorative images of some favorite costume dramas of recent years. All of these men's costumes seem in one way or another a tribute to the Beau!

Who are some of your favorite "historical" men??

Kate is a winner!

Kate, you have won a free download of Reader, I Married Him. Please contact us at riskies@yahoo.com.

Pleasurably Undone and Other New Things

Wow. What a lot of new announcements for the Riskies in the last week. New books by Janet and Amanda, and our new RITA nominees, Carolyn and Amanda. And it seems like just yesterday that Amanda was announcing her new Laurel McKee release!

Well, I didn't want to be UNDONE by Amanda, Janet and Carolyn. I have my own news!

Remember last year at this time I announced the release of my Undone eStory, The Unlacing of Miss Leigh? I'm announcing it again. The news is, The Unlacing of Miss Leigh is one of the stories available in the new Harlequin Historical anthology, Pleasurably Undone, now available as a mass market paperback in your bookstore. This is the first print anthology of the Harlequin Historical Undone stories.

We've featured my anthology mates before: Louise Allen, Terri Brisbin, and new RITA finalist, Michelle Willingham. (We'll invite Christine soon). These ladies and I recently made an appearance on the Borders True Romance blog. You can read our interview here.

The Unlacing of Miss Leigh is my unabashed homage to The Phantom of the Opera (the Gerard Butler version, of course). Graham Veall, a disfigured and masked Penisular war veteran, advertises for female companionship, and Margaret Leigh, a virginal vicar's daughter, answers the ad. When Margaret agrees to spend two months with Graham, it is not for the money she desperately needs. Will Margaret help heal Graham's wounded spirit? (You have to buy Pleasurably Undone to find out.)

Or comment on this blog! I'll give away one signed copy of Pleasurably Undone to one lucky commenter chosen at random.

Something else new with me!

I'm starting my own personal blog....... Why? you ask.

I really enjoy blogging here at Risky Regencies and I won't give that up! I just thought it would be fun to branch out a little. Try different things and have even more fun. My wonderful webmistresses at Waxcreative have made it so my blog will appear on my website. Isn't that grand?

My blog launches this Wednesday, March 31, at my website. For the month of April I'll be blogging every Wednesday and Friday. And every Wednesday and Friday in April there will be a contest, each time the prize being a book. You'll see more of me and more of my Pleasurably Undone anthology mates.

I also have a special theme planned for the April blogs. Stop by to see!

I am so hoping my Risky friends will visit me at the new blog. Help me build another "community" as lovely as the one we have here. You can test out how to get there by clicking on my pretty little graphic!



What do you like to see in a blog?
What topics are your favorites?
Who are some of your favorites?
I need to know these things!!

Megan and Amanda Dish About Muses

This Sunday, Megan interviews Amanda about her new series, "The Muses of Mayfair"! The first book, To Catch a Rogue, is on shelves next week. Comment here for a chance to win a signed copy....

Megan: Amanda, congrats on your new series! Tell us about the Chase Muses.

Amanda: Well, when I started writing these books I wondered if I was setting myself up for some kind of karmic fail naming the Chase sisters after actual Muses! What if I angered them and they deserted me? But it turned out I loved spending so much time with this family and seeing where their romances took them. Each of the couples was very different from each other, and it intrigued me to see what they would do next!

I never had a sister, just one younger brother, and I always kind of wanted one. Until I got a little older and one of my best friends in high school was the middle of three sisters. I would go to her house after school sometimes to eat potato chips and watch Days of Our Lives, and I would see what happened behind closed doors--screaming fights, hair-pulling, illegal clothes borrowing, phone call eavesdropping. It made me glad I didn't have sister after all! But it did give me a bit of insight into how family dynamics might work with 3 intelligent, strong-willed, very different but also loving sisters. (A lot of the "I can bully my sister as much as I want, but God help anyone else who does!" sort of thing).

I've also had a lifelong love of archaeology and ancient myths, ever since I was a little kid and my parents had a big book full of gorgeous pictures of various sites around the world (Crete, Lascaux, Newgrange, Viking ship burials, stuff like that). I spent hours looking at those photos in fascination. I even became convinced we had Viking treasure buried in our back-yard (why Viking, I have no idea) and dug up some newly laid sod in my own little archaeological dig. I think my dad is still mad about that. I was reminded of all that when I read a book a few years ago called The Medici Conspiracy about modern antiquities theft, which is an enormous problem of great concern for anyone who cares about history. I decided to blend these two loves--antiquities and family dynamics--with my love of the Regency period, which also had a fascination with the classicial world. The 3 Chase sisters--Calliope, Clio, and Thalia--are the daughters of a famous scholar and antiquarian who passed on his love of history to his children.

Megan: And what about this story, To Catch a Rogue?

Amanda: This is Calliope's story! She's the oldest of the Muses, and like the "real" Calliope ("chief of the Muses") she feels like she has to take care of her siblings and keep things in order. She has definite opinions about how things should be! But events are going to turn all that order upside-down for poor Cal. Here is the back cover copy:

When antiquities begin to go missing from London drawing rooms Miss Calliope Chase sets out to restore order. The famous Lily Thief must be a well-connected member of the Ton. And she doesn't need to look much further than Cameron de Vere, Earl of Westwood, for a suspect.

What she doesn't realize is that her determined pursuit of a criminal is beginning to look like a budding romance. Until Cameron kisses her, and her ordered life is thrown into appalling confusion!

So the tale moves from the glittering London ballrooms to Gothic castles and moors in Yorkshire--and Calliope realizes that Cameron, and the Lily Thief, aren't at all what she expected.

Megan: You have written the most delightful heroine in Calliope! Organized, intelligent, studious--only to find herself flummoxed by the Apollo-come-to-life hero, the Earl of Westwood. Knowing you, it's probably a better question to ask what parts of Calliope aren't you?

Amanda: LOL! Well, I wish I was more organized--my desk tends to take on a life of its own and swallow papers and pens whole. And I wish I had her wardrobe and nice, shiny hair. But I did put quite a bit of myself into Calliope (unlike Thalia, who is more what I wish I was). She's stubborn, bookish, protective of people she cares about--and easily flummoxed by a handsome face. :)

Megan: And what was Calliope missing in her life before Cameron?

Amanda: Fun, for one thing! She's always so busy studying and getting her wild family organized she forgets that it's okay to enjoy life once in a while, to be silly and laugh. She's also missing someone who really understands her, as Cameron does. He sees things about her she doesn't even know about herself until it's almost too late. I do enjoy stories where a straitlaced character is forced to loosen up by another who is more fun-loving (like the movie Bringing Up Baby, which I love!), but it turned out Cameron has a dark side, too, and a troubled heart he keeps hidden from the world--until Calliope.

Megan: It seems as though Calliope and Cameron fell in love through dialogue. Their conversation is so charged, and you've written great repartee. What's your inspiration?

Amanda: Thank you so much!!! I do love writing dialogue and imagining the characters talking in my head (sometimes I say it all out loud in the car as I drive, trying to figure out what they'll say next). Dialogue seems even more important in a Regency setting like this than in a Renaissance or Elizabethan story. It has to move the characters toward the physical encounter they're aching to have! Like I said, I love old screwball comedies from the 1930s, like The Awful Truth and The Lady Eve, where Irene Dunne and Cary Grant (or Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant, or Barbara Stanwyck and anyone, or Nick and Nora Charles) have the wittiest, crispest dialogue, even in the midst of absurd scenes. And they also have great clothes and fabulous nightclubs. They really have a lot in common with Regencies, if you think about it. I pictured the Chase sisters and their heroes as something like sophisticated, elegant screwball comedy characters who are knocked upside the head by true love.

Also there's the love of Jane Austen and Edith Wharton! There's no better teacher for "falling in love through dialogue" than them.

Megan: Did you find any interesting items when researching these stories?

Amanda: Oodles! I had to read about a wide variety of topics for these books. They're set in very different places (London and Yorkshire, Sicily, and Bath) and involve ancient artworks (especially the alabaster statue of Diana that features in Rogue and the silver altar set that appears in To Deceive a Duke and To Kiss a Count), archaeological methods of the Regency period, clothes, theater, music, geography, history of the Italian freedom movement--all sorts of things. It was lots of fun, but also hard to keep straight at times (I could have used Calliope's organizational help!).

Here at my website I have some more info on the history of the stories, as well as some sources I used (and an excerpt from the book).



Megan: Who did you picture when you were writing Calliope and Cameron?



Amanda: It took me a while to find just the right models for them! It turned out Cameron was something like a young Christian Bale, and Calliope looked a bit like Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries (another guilty pleasure of mine!)--long, straight dark hair, dark eyes, doesn't smile easily. I had a couple of CDs I listened to a lot while working on this book too--The Jane Austen Companion and an interesting piece called Musique de la Grece Antique, a recreation of a rare musical fragment that survives from ancient Rome (which features in a scene of the book).

Megan: What's "risky" about this story?

Amanda: Well, usually my settings are somewhat "risky" but not this time! We're in Regency England, but the milieu of the characters is a bit risky. They're part of an intellectual, artistic crowd, but one that's suddenly faced with crime and violence and they have to learn to deal with that while being true to themselves.

Megan: And which sister is next for you?

Amanda: Clio's story is next, To Deceive a Duke (out in May!). We meet the Duke of Averton, Clio's great adversary, in Rogue, but like so many other things in this world he is not what he appears to be. When they meet again in sunny, mysterious Sicily, they have to learn to work together even as they try not to admit what everyone else can see--that they're totally hot for each other. The prequel story, To Bed a Libertine, where we first meet the Chases, is still available through Harlequin Historical Undone, too!

What were your childhood obsessions? What are some of your favorite aspects of a Regency setting, or some favorite movie couples? Comment for a chance to win a signed copy of To Catch a Rogue!

Awards!

As you just might have heard, this week RWA announced its finalists in the RITA and the Golden Heart awards! (The RWA website says "The purpose of the RITA contest is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published romance novels and novellas." The Golden Heart does the same for unpublished manuscripts). You may also have heard the Riskies and their friends did pretty well (because we've been shouting it out to anyone who will stand still and listen!). We thought these books deserved another look.

Deb Marlowe, whose Annalise and the Scandalous Rake from The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor, is up for Best Novella was not even at home when The Call came. "Actually, I spent the day playing hookey!" she says. "I took the day off from writing and went shopping. My friend and critique partner Sabrina Jeffries needed something snazzy for a photo shoot. Since neither of us makes a move fashion-wise without the incredible savvy advice of Claudia Dain, the three of us spent the day shopping and having lunch. We had a productive and fun day, and as we were leaving we decided this was how we needed to spend every RITA day--instead of sitting and waiting for the phone to ring.

"Then I got home to a firestorm! There was a message from the lovely Trish Milburn--and I started to shake, because I knew what that meant. I called her back and blabbered like a fool. Then I got online to slew of messages. I didn't get to break the news to anybody--everybody already knew! Diane and Amanda were wondering where the heck I was. My mailbox was full of so many lovely congratulatory emails. It was wonderful and truly--I feel like I already won! I was especially happy to see Amanda's name along with mine, and that my other c.p. Liz Carlyle was nominated as well. A truly great day all around."

Annalise and the Scandalous Rake--House party guest Ned Milford can see the inner passion and beauty that Annalise Fitzmanning hides. But how close should they become when his reason for being at Welbourne Manor would prompt a society scandal, not a society wedding!

Amanda's Call (for Charlotte and the Wicked Lord from, you guessed it, The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor!) went somewhat differently. I had just stumbled out of bed and was trying to make my morning tea (because I can't really talk until after at least one cup of tea, preferably 2) when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and thought "I don't know anyone in Nashville." Then I remembered--RITA day! I snatched up the phone and babbled something at the poor lady on the other line (Trish Milburn, who I'm sure heard many incoherent people that day!). Then I got off the phone, jumped around while my pets stared at me like I was insane, and plopped down in front of the computer to see who else was a finalist and share the news. The day was pretty much a waste from then on as far as any useful work went, because I was constantly on Twitter and email! This is my 3rd nomination--maybe third is the charm? LOL. Like Deb, it feels like I already won. And now I have to go out and shop for a new dress.

Charlotte and the Wicked Lord--Charlotte may be the youngest Fitzmanning girl, but she knows her own mind--and she wants Lord Andrew Bassington! Drew requires an eminently proper bride, something free-spirited Charlotte has never been. So how can she make him see the beautiful woman she has become...?

(On another note, there are also more Welbourne stories in the future! Amanda has a Christmas novella, Mistletoe and Folly, about Mary Bassington and her old flame Lord Amesby, coming out in October, plus just turned in Nicholas's book! Deb's turned in her book about Stephen, too, so there will be lots more about this family soon...)

Risky Carolyn Jewel has not one but two nominations to her name! Look for Scandal in the Regency Historical category and My Forbidden Desire in Paranormal.

Scandal--The Earl of Banallt is no stranger to scandal. But when he meets Sophie Evans, the young wife of a fellow libertine, even he is shocked by his reaction. This unconventional and intelligent woman proves to be far more than an amusing distraction--she threatens to drive him to distraction. Unlike the women who usually fall at Banallt's feet, and into his bed, Sophie refuses to be seduced. And soon Banallt desires her more than ever--and for more than an illicit affair. Years later, the widowed Sophie is free, and Banallt is determined to win the woman he still loves. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe his declaration of love and chivalrous offer of marriage--her heart has already been broken by her scoundrel of a husband. And yet, Sophie is temped to indulge in the torrid affair she's always fantasized about. Caught between her logical mind and her long denied desire, Sophie must thwart Banallt's seduction--or risk being consumed by the one man she should avoid at all costs...

Carolyn will have to pop in on comments and let us know her call story! :)

My Forbidden Desire--Alexandrine Marit is a witch in mortal danger. An evil mage craves the powerful, mysterious talisman that supplies her magic, and the only person who can keep her safe is a dark and dangerous fiend called Xia. With his fierce animosity toward witches, he's hardly the ideal bodyguard. Yet as days turn into nights, she can't deny the white-hot passion between them. Xia hates witches. They enslave and mercilessly kill his kind. But he's been ordered to protect Alexandrine who to his surprise has a spirit he admires and a body he longs to possess. With the mage and his henchmen closing in, Alexandrine and her protector must trust the passion that unite them--or risk losing everything to the enemies who can destroy them both...

Frequent Riskies visitor and resident Medieval/Victorian expert Michelle Willingham is also a finalist, in the Historical Romance category with Taming Her Irish Warrior! Like Deb, she was not at home at the time the calls were going out. "I knew the phone calls were going out for the RITA finalists, but I couldn't stand the pressure," she says. "Instead I chose to leave the house and go get my car fixed at the dealership. I knew if I were home, I'd start obsessing over it and get no writing done, and well...I've never been a finalist in a romance contest in my life.

"Even so, I used the free wireless at the dealership and worked on my new 'Undone' novella, thinking well, it's not going to happen, so just get over it and get some work done. The names of the finalists started rolling in, and as I saw more and more historical authors listed, I thought--great! I'll have to try those books. But it'll never be me. Then a close friend of mine, Larissa Ione, emailed me with a huge congratulations. She didn't even tell me why, just wrote in all caps, CONGRATULATIONS I KNEW IT! My hands started shaking, and it was a miracle I even managed to type the web address of RWA to see who the latest finalists were. When I saw my name up there, I wanted to start bawling in the dealership. Do you know how hard it was to keep those emotions bottled up??? I wanted to scream at everyone there, "Oh my gosh, I'm a RITA finalist!! Can you believe it?!" Then they would have thrown Styrofoam coffee cups at me, I know it.

"So I emailed my editor and agent in all caps, and I'm not even sure what I typed. Maybe something like Gilbwerious aweroui OMG werepiogh RITA finalist werararar. I don't know. But there were 4 messages on my phone when I got home--2 from the RWA Board and 2 from the person trying to contact me, confirming that yes my wildest dream had indeed come true."

Taming Her Irish Warrior--When did Ewan MacEgan grow to be so overwhelmingly strong and disarmingly sexy? He intends to wed Honora St. Leger's demure sister--but why should that matter to her? Honora would rather wield a sword than a mending needle, and as a widow she knows there is little pleasure in the marriage bed... Ewan MacEgan has set his sights on a wealthy bride, but tantalizingly he finds himself drawn to the forbidden Honora! One touch and he is longing to awaken her sensuality, for he suspects she will be as passionate in bed as she is on the battlefield!

You can see a full list of the finalists (and there are so many great ones!) here at the RWA National site

(I also have to mention a friend of mine, Donnell Epperson, who is a Golden Heart finalist in the Paranormal category with Glorious Misfortune. Donnell sadly passed away last month after a valiant battle with breast cancer, but she never lost her great love for the art and craft of writing romance. I am so proud of her!)

Yay! And TRIP!

Woo-hoo! Have you heard? Our own Riskies, Carolyn and Amanda, have each been nominated for the RITA award. It's the annual award bestowed on the year's best published books, and the winner is announced during RWA's Annual Conference.

SO PROUD OF THEM!

(even though the only pic I have of all of us makes me look dim-witted. I'm the dopey-looking one on the left).

Amanda was nominated for her novella, "Charlotte And The Wicked Lord" in the anthology the Diamonds of Welbourne Manor, while Carolyn was nominated twice; once for her Regency, Scandal, and once for her paranormal, My Forbidden Desire. All the nominees are listed here.

I couldn't say for sure, but I think I yelped almost as loud as the actual nominees did when I saw the news. It's really exciting to have such talented, and such good, friends. Another reason why I just can't quit being a writer. Not yet, at least.

I haven't been writing fiction this week, but I have an actual good reason: I am heading to Portland, Oregon, to visit my best friend. When she moved out there--what, nearly ten years ago?--I didn't know what I'd do. But we maintained our friendship, and visit each other when we can (her family is here, so she makes the trip more often than I do) and whenever we see each other, it's like five minutes has passed.

One of the funnest things about going on a trip is deciding what books to bring. OF COURSE I am bringing Venetia, since I've finally finished the 'cannot put it down' book, Brent Weeks' Beyond The Shadows (the third book in his Night Angel trilogy). I will likely bring Jeaniene Frost's One Foot In The Grave, since the library wants it back, and I want to read it. I do have the Kindle for iPhone, so even if I read everything I brought, I would be okay. Oh, and my friend? Works at Powell's Books, so I'm pretty sure I could pick something up in an emergency.

BUT. There's no replacement for that hour or so of book choosing, prior to travel. Especially since I stay up later than my friend, and am staying in a hotel room because of her cats (lovely creatures, but I don't like sleeping at the hospital--I'm allergic). So that means plenty of Megan-time, which means LOADS of reading.

Other options include:
Scarlet Pimpernel, 'cause I've never read it.
Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti -- it's steampunky, and was highly recced by someone whose opinion I respect.
Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks (another RITA nom, not for this book). This was recced by Carina Press's Angela James.
What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris--recced by Cara Elliott. But it's a hardcover, and I don't like traveling with hardcovers.
And, oh, loads of others down in the room where we store the books. You know, the one with stacks of books (and shelves of CDs?) everywhere?

How many books do you pack for a trip? What's your favorite part about staying away from home?

An Author In Search of a Character

I've recently jumped in at the deep end of book 3 of my "Daughters of Ireland" series (Lady of Seduction, Caroline's story, out in June 2011!), and I'm finding my way to really knowing the characters. Some authors have great success with character outlines and things like that, but the only way I can do this is to actually sit down and start writing the book. After about 50 or so pages (about where I'm at now) I have a clearer vision of them and what they're all about, what motivates them and what they really want, and their flaws too. I live with them and they start to be my friends (or my enemies, depending on how stubborn they're being!). Of course, they also sometimes surprise me by insisting on taking the plot in a new direction or doing something out of left field...

How does my vision of them start to take shape? Well, it starts with names. They have to be just right, which can sometimes be a challenge. Especially in historical stories, where there is often a limited range of plausible names. (I'm also plotting out an Elizabethan-set story right now, and for women in this period it's an endless parade of Katherines, Marys, and Janes and Williams, Edwards, and Roberts!). I like to find a "period" name that sounds right and isn't jarring to readers. Sometimes there were unusual names, to be sure--also in the Elizabethan era, the Devereaux family had a tradition of naming daughters "Essex", and Jane Grey's husband Guildford Dudley was named after his mother's family.

I'm not sure there were as many men in the Georgian/Regency period whose names could be shortened easily to Sin, Devil, or Hawk as we romance writers seem to think! :) But the important thing is 1) it fits the character, and 2) if it is unusual, explain it and have a good reason for it. I start by flipping through baby name books, old primary resources of the period, Internet sites, etc, until I find the right one. Once they're names, it's on to...

How do they look??? Now this is the fun part! I scan websites and magazines for photos of hunky actors (tough, but a diligent author must make sacrifices for the art...) and actresses in beautiful gowns to get an idea of my characters' appearance. Then I work on...

Putting them into their setting. Setting is huge part of Lady of Seduction. Our hero was a villain in book 2, Duchess of Sin. After a terrible fire at the end of Duchess, he retreats to a crumbling medieval castle on an isolated Irish island, very stormy and Gothic and spooky. There are ruins, secret passages, and locked tower rooms, all sorts of great stuff like that. The setting has to become its own character in a way, so I researched islands like Inishturk and Caher to devise the ruined monastery and envision the harbor and coast as well as the castle.

I put inspirational pictures on the cork board by my desk so I can keep all this in mind as I work! It helps me fall into their world and I can really embark on the adventure of a new book.

What is your process for finding characters? And were you a big fan of Gothics like I was? (I gobbled up Victoria Holt stories when I was a kid!)

Celeste Bradley Winner!

The winner of a copy of Rogue in My Arms is...Alison! Congrats! Please send your snail mail info to us at riskies AT yahoo.com

Risky Read Along - Venetia Chapters 8 -14

Well. How's everyone doing? I still want to be Venetia when I grow up.

Venetia and Damerel have met and he is, of course, doomed. My goodness, but those two are really suited to each other. Sigh.

Chapter 8 pits Damerel and another of Venetia's admirers, young Mr. Denny. The VERY young Mr. Oswald Denny. I couldn't help admiring Oswald's passion even while I was laughing at his complete mistake of everything with respect to Venetia's feelings for him. Such a teenage boy.  Venetia, I do think, could have handled Oswald better. In this, I think, she was quite naive (see question posed at the end).

How much of himself does Damerel see in Oswald? Do you think the comparison is apt? And yet, as Heyer notes, Oswald sees more clearly than Edward Yardley.  Is Heyer saying something about youth or making a sideways stab at Yardley being more or less a pompous @ss. After all, if Oswald can see that Venetia and Damerel are head over heels, why doesn't Edward Yardley? (Because he is  P.A., that's why.)

 In this week's chapters, Damerel and Venetia seem pretty solidly in love, though they don't quite fess up to each other or themselves, and there's way too much of the book left for them to just go on like this. I thought the brother would show up, but in these chapters, that doesn't happen.

Instead, disaster strikes in the form of the unexpected arrival of the absent brother's wife (!!) and her horrible mother. There is no better foil for Venetia's goodness and nobility than this awful woman.

And what is the result of placing Venetia in the clutches of this woman? Well, it becomes absolutely positively plain that Venetia must do something. Anything would be better than staying. Heck, marrying Edward Yardley would be better than staying at Undershaw.


One of the results is some of my favorite bits of this book. Damerel, in the grip of very strong emotion;

You remained, and always will, a beautiful, desirable creature. Only my intentions were changed. I resolved to do you no hurt, but leave you I could not!

And then just a little later:

 When you smile at me like this, it's all holiday with me! O God, I love you to the edge of madness, Venetia, but I'm not mad yet-- not so mad that I don't know how disastrous it might be to you-- to us both! You don't realize what an advantage I should be taking of your innocence.

Holy Mackerel!! Or, as I like to say, ::swoon::

At the conclusion of Chapter 8, Venetia is about to do the unthinkable: go to Damerel's house alone. She is aware of the impropriety, but she trusts him and needs his advice. And you, know, there really isn't anyone else for her to turn to. No one in her circle of acquaintances is suitable to hear her tell the truth about her situation and the choices she sees open to her. Only Damerel will do. And she's right.

What did you-all think? Favorite scenes? Observations? Spill.

On Twitter, some of us were debating whether Venetia is naive. I would agree that naive is perhaps not quite the right word. So what is?

Opine in the comments.

Janet talks about Reader, I Married Him

What if it was Mr. Rochester chained up in the attic?

It's Tuesday, but I'm not Amanda! We've swapped days this week so I can celebrate the release date of my novella Reader, I Married Him, published by Loose-Id today. AND I'm offering a download as a prize to one lucky person who makes a comment or asks a question.

First off, big thanks to editor Treva Harte at Loose-Id for making me an offer on this novella five (gulp) years ago and making me another offer last year, and to fabulous cover artist Christine M. Griffin who obligingly made Rochester look a bit more grubby at my suggestion. And although the flying critters may be bats elsewhere, they're crows, I'm telling you. Crows. This is Bronte country.

This novella has been in the works a long, long time. I blogged about it here in a post on Jane Eyre in 2005, which was around the same time a NY editor sent me a wounded rejection that included the phrase I don't want Jane to be a slut. I still think that's one of the most fabulous rejections I have ever received. It's also interesting how things have changed in five years. Re-reading the novella in preparation for editing and sending in to Loose-Id, I was struck at how tame most of the dirty stuff is. All fairly ho-hum (oh, go wash your mouth out with soap) vanilla stuff.

So why did I take that great icon of romance, Jane Eyre, and subvert her? I guess I'm just a troublemaker. Also, Jane isn't the heroine, although she does behave, er, sluttishly (but no more and no less than anyone else in the book). I wrote it because Jane Eyre fascinates and impresses me and lures me in to read it again and again; and also because I admire Bronte's marvelous, spare, sinewy prose. I wanted to include quotes within the novella, and I'll be really interested to see if readers recognize them--some, the title for instance, are obvious. I'm particularly proud of the way the last line falls into place. You'll see why.

It's a bit of a departure for me but I'm writing under my own name; I have no innocence or innocents to protect. And I'm very proud of this novella.

I'd love everyone to rush off and buy it and I will be picking a winner here on Wednesday at noon EST. But--WARNING--do not buy this e-novella if you have strong feelings about Jane Eyre as the iconic great grandmother of romance.

So, let's talk about Jane Eyre. Why is the novel important to YOU?

New Ideas

Our Risky Regencies Read Along of Venetia, spearheaded by Carolyn, is turning out to be a great fun. It was a new idea and I've been enjoying it immensely.

There are a couple more new ideas that have also captured my interest in the last week.


The first is a new blog started by friends of mine, Kristine Hughes and Victoria Hinshaw. For those of you who write in the Regency and Victorian time periods, you probably have Kristine's book, Writers Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England. (If not, she's selling that and more on CD-just follow that link). Victoria Hinshaw is the author of several traditional regencies.

What Kristine and Vicky have in common is a love of research, especially researching Georgian/Regency/Victorian England. They also have a great sense of fun, so when they told me they were starting a blog, I knew I'd love it.

The blog is called Number One London. It launched on March 20 and here's what they had the very first day:
Curiosity Corner - a recurring feature, this time a portrait and the task is to guess who it is.
Announcement of a Writer in Residence program - you could be awarded a stipend to spend two month to a year in Stratford on Avon! (have I got your attention now?)
Sharpe in India
All you ever wanted to know about franking a letter
Waterloo Bridge
Archive CD books online (you know I was excited about that one!!)

So check it out! I'm betting it will be almost as fun and educational as Risky Regencies.

Next new thing is from YouTube via ABC Nightly News.
Remember the remake of We Are The World debuted during the Superbowl? I was watching ABC news and Diane Sawyer did a story of another version of We Are The World done by ordinary people from all over the world. It was the idea of Lisa Lavie, a singer, who chose 57 other singers from YouTube and asked each of them to tape themselves singing We Are the World. Then she spliced them all together.

Here is the result:




These everyday people, from all over the world, were simply fantastic.

(for an interview with Lisa Lavie with Diane Sawyer, look Here.

Next Monday I'll have something new to announce! A new book (well, an anthology) and a book giveaway. And more!

What's new with you? Any new experiences? Tell us!

The Riskies Welcome Celeste Bradley!

The Riskies are happy to welcome to the blog for the first time Celeste Bradley! Leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of Rogue in My Arms...

"There's passion, adventure, non-stop action, and secrets that make the pages fly by" --RT Book Reviews

Celeste: Hi Risky Regencies! So nice to be here!

Riskies: Welcome! Tell us about Rogue in My Arms and the whole "Runaway Brides" series...

Celeste: This has been so much fun to write! All daddies, all the time. The Runaway Brides trilogy had the working title of "Three Lords and a Baby." One day a tiny girl, Melody, is dropped off on the steps of Brown's Club for Distinguished Gentlemen with nothing but a note claiming that her father is a member of the club. Since most of the club's members are long past the sowing of their oats, the finger seems to point to the youngest three members, Lord Aidan de Quincy, Sir Colin Lambert, and Lord Jack Redgrave.

In the first novel, Devil in My Bed, Aidan forces himself to face his past and find the woman who broke his heart more than three years past. Madeleine Chandler is running from her own past so fast that she runs right back into Aidan's arms, at least long enough to get his help in leaving the country. One small lie about having Aidan's baby doesn't seem too high a price to pay for temporary sanctuary, until the love she thought was lost returns tenfold. Now with so much more to lose, how can Madeleine confess the truth?

In the second book, Rogue in My Arms, Sir Colin Lambert is searching for the stunning actress Chantal, who rejected him so soundly that he has never looked at another woman since. If he can offer her his new title and wealth, and make their child legitimate, surely she will wed him now? But Chantal has disappeared and Colin must hire saucy theater seamstress Prudence Filby to help him in his search. However, plain and common Pru is really a lady in hiding, protecting her young brother from greedy relations who would steal the inheritance he will receive when he comes of age. Now out of work and broke because Chantal fled town without paying her, Pru and her brother join the search for the flighty actress.

The journey takes them from London to Brighton to Bath, a mad race to catch up with Chantal before she weds another. On the way they encounter scoundrels, players and bandits, along with a string of other lovelorn men hell-bent to find Chantal! When Pru realizes that Colin is a man she could truly love, she can't bear that he still adores the selfish Chantal. When Colin realizes that Pru is so much more than he first believed, he realizes that he must make a choice. Wed the woman he loves and doom his child to permanent illegitimacy, or try to make a family with the mother of his child?

Rogue in My Arms will be released March 30th! And the third novel, Scoundrel in My Dreams is in progress at the moment. It will tell the poignant story of Lord John "Jack" Redgrave and his journey back from the trauma of war and the discovery of a love he never knew waited for him at home. It will be released in Fall 2010...

Riskies: And what was the inspiration behind this series?

Celeste: I was pondering fatherhood, actually! What makes a man a father? Is it blood? Is it simply a protective instinct? Motherhood is simple and biological--we must love our children. What if any man could learn to be a father, whether the child was his or not? These three men each suspect that Melody is theirs. Yet when they eventually learn the truth, should that change the love that has grown in them? Can letting one little girl into a man's heart expand it enough to heal old wounds and allow him to love again?

Riskies: Did you come across any interesting or surprising research for these stories?

Celeste: Always! I loved learning about Bath, England. So much fascinating history, dating from Roman times. The story didn't lend itself to including all the great facts I discovered. I had to be careful it didn't become "Colin and Pru Go To Bath" because it really could have! I'm going to have to set an entire novel there someday.

In Devil in My Bed I think I enjoyed learning about dumbwaiters the most. I found a lot of 1800 news articles about tragic accidents involving people climbing into dumbwaiters. They would try to use them to get into locked rooms, or to spy on their neighbors, or to escape a bill-collector at the apartment door. Doesn't that inspire a string of stories in your head??

Riskies: What's "risky" about this book?

Celeste: Well, I always take risks. I'm notorious for being far-fetched and "history-lite." I love the Regency era but I can't resist playing with the facts. I once wrote a book about the Prince Regent clambering through the storm drains with my hero and heroines, but since he would have been close to 80 at the time, I blithely snipped 20 years off his age and went for it. In Rogue, I think the riskiest thing I did was to dispense with a lot of overwrought conflict about class distinctions. As accurate as that might have been to the time, it would have made my characters seems shallow to a modern reader. Besides, money and rank cancels a lot of social errors, even now!

And my love scenes are pretty risky! Of course I have included, as always, my most beloved moment--a bathing scene!--and my favorite device--kidnapping! A Regency novel without a kidnapping is like Star Trek without the Enterprise.

Riskies: LOL! And what's coming up next for you?

Celeste: I'm very excited about the release of Rogue in a couple of weeks, of course! I'm currently finishing up the third novel, Scoundrel in My Dreams, for publication this fall. I'll be at the Romantic Times Convention in Columbus in April, and at RomCon in Denver in July. Details are here at my website.

And as I write this I'm on a plane to New York to meet with my agent and publisher about something really new and exciting! Something I can't tell anyone about yet! It's killing me to keep quiet, but updates will be on my website very soon.

I'd also like to add a note about my favorite cause, which is Literacy. I believe that most of the evils of the world could be cured with education and the empowerment and tolerance that comes with being well-read. This is a women's issue as well, since two-thirds of the world's under-educated are women. A clearinghouse of literacy projects exists at ProLiteracy.org. If you'd like more information, visit this website and join the effort to prevent ignorance and intolerance worldwide!

Hear Here!

Yesterday, I got word that I got a job writing back cover copy for--yes--romance novels! How awesomely cool is that?

And then I felt mildly okay about myself that I was such a punster, because that kind of wordplay will come in handy when writing those big font lines that entice the reader.

Like:

He Was Mad . . .

Lord McCrazypants has been shut in his castle alone for nearly ten years. Distraught after the death of his beloved pet snake--a rarity in his native Ireland--Feargal slithers around his castle, looking menacing, fiercely handsome and muscular, despite not doing anything but the aforementioned slithering. And then he discovers his inner snake . . .

. . . But She Was Crazy For Him

Miss Uprightly British detests Ireland. The only good thing? No snakes. So when Miss Brit gets accidentally sent to a castle inhabited by an insane lord with a passion for the no-footed reptiles, Miss Brit hisses. But when she finds the lord is handsome and muscular and has a way of making her blood run cold, she knows he will slither his way into her heart. And she will shed her prissy skin.

Heh. I have, unfortunately for him, passed on my love of puns and wordsmithery to my son; he's ten, and his class did a long study of the War Between the States. His essay on it was titled "This War Is Anything But Civil." My poor husband just sighed, remembering how I'd told him I'd written a paper on Hamlet titled "Hamlet: A Not So Great Dane."

So anyway, not much else to add; I've been writing every day, adding a new freelance job to the already busy mix (see above), and enjoying Spring. More on the new job, the writing and all that kind of stuff in future Fridays. Meanwhile, wanna take a stab at writing some back cover copy yourself?

Megan

Remembering Bath

Since we've just started our Venetia read this week I wanted to tell you a bit more about my aunts Phyl and Nell who introduced me to Heyer.

They were both born about a century ago in London, with my father (now 99!) as the baby of the family. Their parents were of Irish descent, their mother (my g-grandmother) was in service according to the 1901 census and their father a maker of brass musical instruments. Neither of my aunts married. They shared houses and when I was a child we visited them in their wonderful house in Bath, on Lansdown Place West. This may be their house, I can't read the house number.

Lansdown Place West is the continuation of Lansdown Crescent, one of the most beautiful pieces of Georgian architecture in the city, constructed between 1789 and 1793 and designed by architect John Palmer. It's higher than the more famous Royal Crescent, with an amazing view of the city.

In front of Lansdown Crescent is a field still used for grazing, one of the original design features of the Royal Crescent (and possibly other places too)--the idea being that you'd have the pleasures of the town with the healthful idyll of country life.


The only (so far as I know) famous, or infamous, occupant of Lansdown Crescent was William Beckford who lived at number 19 and 20 (the ones with the imposing frontage). The houses have four floors, servants' quarters in the basement, and mews behind the Crescent.

My aunts showed me the city of Bath. They took me to tea at the Pump Room and Sally Lunn's, boat rides on the river, tours of the Roman Baths, and walks around the city. There was a shop, now moved to a different location in the Guildhall, Gillards of Bath, which was very little changed from Victorian times. Loose tea, stored in massive metal containers, was measured on scales, tipped onto a sheet of brown paper, and folded into a miraculous neat cube, tied with string.

My aunts loved Heyer, Austen and Georgian/Regency architecture, fashions, and furniture long before they became popular, and picked up antiques for a song at jumble sales. They taught me it's possible to fall in love with a place and I certainly fell in love with Bath, thanks to them. They even suggested I write, although at the time I thought it was a weird idea.

Their house on Lansdown Place West became too much for them--all those stairs and continual maintenance, so they moved to an early eighteenth-century house in Batheaston (lots of stairs and continual maintenance) a few miles east of the city. Again, this may or may not be their house but it's very close!

I'm so grateful for what they gave me.

Who were your mentors for writing or any other passion?