EB: Number One London is an exciting new blog! What do you intend to do and share with your newfound readers?

KH: We intend to share everything that’s decent – research articles, bits of British nonsense, film and book recommendations, travel stories, musings, etc.

VH: Wait a minute! I know of some VERY INDECENT Gillray material we might use. But seriously, I adore research and I love to spread it around, whether in a  novel, in a talk or a newsletter article, or on the blog. I like to write about what I love to do: read and write books, see films and  especially travel.  I love Country Houses and their families through the years. And did we mention travel?

EB: I love the Gillray material!  I am going to ask Avon to do one of my covers after a print of his that I think is great fun. Now on to more serious matters, Regency or Victorian? Who is more fun?

KH: What happened to Georgian? Jeez, don’t ask me, I don’t have a preference. I suppose the Regency personalities themselves seem more fun from this distance – Brummell, the Prince of Wales, all those outrageous Lady Patronesses . . . . . . .

VH: For fun, it’s Regency, hands down. But I suspect the Victorians get a bad rap for being serious and prudish.

EB: Why do you think the Regency setting is so popular? And just for the record, the answer: Colin Firth does not count.

VH: People love the lifestyles of the rich and famous of the era. Who doesn’t want to be whisked away in a landau? I love stories in which heroines who basically have nothing going for them – little or no money, perhaps inferior family, no legal status whatsoever – confront and conquer men in tight pants!! Or is that too much like talking about Colin Firth?

KH: I realize this is going to sound very shallow, but I truly believe that the costume of the period infuses the period with a romance that translates well to the screen. Sure, the actual stories have to have merit, but when coupled with the gauzy dresses and satin slippers, the very feminine hair styles, the tight breeches, frock coats and cravats, the story seems lusher and more fairytale-like and Inherently more romantic.

VH: And those red-coat uniforms.  Sigh.

EB: No, I don’t think that’s shallow in the least. I have to agree. I recently saw Young Victoria, which I loved, but the entire time I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, those dresses look so uncomfortable.”  And I have to admit to a weakness for a top coat, tall beaver hat and breeches. Sigh.

Okay, not that I’ve gotten over that little moment, please tell us a little about yourselves and why your lifelong interests in these time periods?

KH: I have no explanation. Any time I’m asked this question I reply that I might as well be asked why I prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla. It’s just a part of me. I always feel somewhat shocked when I realize that “our” period actually existed 200-250 years ago. To my mind, it doesn’t seem that far removed.

VH: I am a Janeite for sure, and I love to teach Pride & Prejudice to high school girls. They think they won’t like it, but as soon as they start hearing about a guy who’d say “She isn’t pretty enough to interest me” they have to know what happens. I do not remember my first Austen experience but someone – probably a teacher – started me off, and once I got over being a horse-crazy pre-teen, I had my nose in a book all the time.

EB: Your upcoming trip to London and Waterloo sounds wonderful. Are you counting the days until June? I know I would be!

VH: I am in the midst of setting up appointments at the Hertfordshire Archives, the V&A Art Library and the British Library. Once those are arranged, I will jump out of my skin any minute.I am trying to read and re-read everything I can get my hands on about Waterloo and Wellington. Of course, Kristine is the expert on the Iron Duke. You should see her beautiful house full of groaning shelves and lots of pictures of the Duke in all his Sir Thomas Lawrence glory.

KH: It had better arrive soon or Victoria and I will drive each other crazy with shared anticipation and additions to the itinerary. Right now, I think we have about fifty-seven things on the schedule for the London portion of the trip alone. We’ve been reduced to seeing which places are open in the evenings, as our days are already full. I know it’s been said before, but we are definitely going to need a vacation from our vacation. As well as a few stiff drinks.

VH/KH: Thanks for  asking us to sound off.  We hope people let us know what their favorite topics are.

EB: My pleasure. You wouldn’t have room for me in your suitcases . . . What? No? Well, then we will all have to go along with you vicariously through your blog! Thanks for dropping by. And everyone, don’t miss, Number One London. I added it to my blog reader immediately.

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Question No. 1: Will you write John, Ginger and Nate’s stories?

This has to be the most popular question that I get. And the answer is “Absolutely.” There seems to be a moment as a character comes to life on a page that as an author, you just know that they will need their own stroy. I knew that immediately with Dash and Clifton as I was writing This Rake of Mine. Especially with Dash! His character kept arriving in my stories, more insistent and more demanding with each book he appeared in. As for Clifton, his story shifted and changed and eluded me for years until I came up with the character Lucy and the idea for How I Met My Countess. And then I knew I had hit on the perfect, ahem, lady, to bring the light back to his broken heart and battered life.

As for John–I think it is obvious he needs to discover his heart (and his Dashwell tendencies) with that scamp Molly. She’ll lead him on a merry chase. As for Nate–he needs to fall and fall hard–just like his father did. As for Ginger, while she is currently married to a fuddy-duddy lord in Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress, things can change. Thankfully, I have no morals when it comes to killing off inconvenient husbands.

Question No. 2: Are you going to finish the Marlowe series?

Oh, I hate this question. Not because I don’t love the Marlowe series–His Mistress by Morning and Tempted by the Night–which I do, more than you can know– but because the answer is so difficult to write. The further I get from that series, the nearly impossible it will be to get it approved and finished. Every time I broach it with Avon, I get this sort of dead air sound over the phone–like “did she just mention that again?” The problem being that some readers just love Paranormal and others just love their Historicals, but put the two together and it is about appealing as strawberry jam and licorice mixed together.

And there is a very small but vocal number of readers who just HATE combining the two. Hate it with big capital letters and long loud emails to New York complaining about it, while with their other hand they are typing rabid posts on Amazon. The squeaky wheel syndrome. I have tried to wage my own counter campaign–because I do get a lot of supportive emails about the series (much more than the negative) and I pass them alone to my editor and agent as proof that the series (which BTW, sold well, thank you very much) would be beloved if it was allowed to continue. I won’t give up fighting for you lovers of magic and true love, and I have yet to give up.

Question No. 3: What happened to your Footnotes that you used to have with each book?

I got this question for the first time about three months ago and since have gotten it about three more times. Surprising, because I discontinued doing the Footnotes several books back. (See this example from Love Letters from a Duke.) Honestly? I quit doing them because no one was reading them. If you don’t know what they are and you didn’t miss them, you aren’t alone.

After studying my web stats over a period of time, I realized they were getting hardly any visits. And since they took a lot of time, money and effort to put together and have the pages built, I just couldn’t justify all that if no one was reading them. They are fun and interesting, but I would rather put my time into writing pages people will actually want to read–like the ones in my next book. What two pages are the most popular on my website? The Bookshelf and Coming Soon. Which is another question I get frequently: What’s next?

Any other questions?

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

So you’ll want to stop over at Romantic Crush Junkies and Book Talk with J & J if you want to be part of the action.

So now, I am off to bake a cake for someone’s birthday. I baked one for a funeral yesterday, so today I think I need to make one to celebrate another year of living. And thank you to all of you for making it so very heartwarmingly worthwhile to get up each day and do the one thing I’ve always wanted–write. As for me, I am taking today off. Twenty years ago today I met my husband. He was the best birthday present I ever got. So we are shipping the kids off to school and make a day of it. I tried to talk him into dueling manicures/pedicures, but he nixed that idea.

So, what would you do if you and your DH/SI/Partner-in-Crime had an entire day to go out and play hooky? And that’s hooky, not nooky. Gads, I can’t turn my back on you people for a second!

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The rules are as follows: Thank the blogger who awarded you, and then list 10 honest things about yourself. Choose 7 other blogs to receive the award, and inform the bloggers that you’ve chosen them. I am going to just put it out there that if you want to do this, go ahead!

1. I loathe these sort of things. Because I hate being honest about my faults. Oh, I have them, but being honest about them? Phooey! I’d rather go to the dentist.

2. I actually don’t mind going to the dentist. So I guess that makes my previous statement rather meaningless.

3. I hate Chapters 4 and 7 in every book. I will do just about anything, including laundry, cleaning the baseboards, or mucking out beneath the kitchen sink than write them. But don’t go bother look in any of my books for those chapters, because the Chapters 4 and 7 in my drafts never turn into the actual Chapters 4 and 7.

4. Every once in a while, I wish I had a daughter. But I wouldn’t trade either of my heroes-in-training for one.

5. I don’t suffer fools very well. I need to learn some patience, but every time I try, it never turns out well.

6. I love working by myself. My husband says there is a reason why I work alone. I never got along well in offices, and hated all the behind kissing that seemed to go along with it. See #5 for a better understanding.

7. I can’t think of any place I’d rather live than in the current house we own. It isn’t big, it isn’t fancy, but I feel complete inside these walls. My husband would love a big house, but I don’t like them. I love being all tossed together.

8. I’ve never taken to email all that much. I much prefer a phone call and will dial friends all the time to chat. I think it is a dying art.

9. I do like texting. But then again, I loved passing notes in school. It always impresses the teenage babysitters that I “text.” Apparently, they don’t know anyone else my age who does.

10. You know why I love my knitting so much? Both my grandmothers knit and every time I pick up needles, I feel closer to them. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of one of them. Best of all, I love the continuity of hand crafts–one generation to the next. Since I have sons and no daughters, (see #4) I hope to gain fiber loving daughters-in-law. Or granddaughters. Though on that note, I have loads of patience. I can wait.

Got 10 things you want to be honest about? Go ahead and blog about them. Or just share a few here in the comments.

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

In the meantime, I did run across this blog, What’s Your Legacy by Mary-Frances Makichen and thought it was a wonderful piece. So I am sharing it with you and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And if you want, post your own list and we’ll compare Legacies.

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’ve had to yield my spot on the couch, and put on my Nurse Mom hat. And worse, I am off to Orlando on Wednesday for a librarian’s conference and then the booksigning in Clearwater, FL on Saturday, so I will have to pass the hat to the DH. At least he’s got experience with this, he was my hero last week. But still, the mom-guilt is there.

I did get my contest packs together for the April contest and the winners are:

•  Gladys P. of Houston, TX
• Monicke B. of Baton Rouge, LA
• Cynthia P. of Mooresville, IN
• Sandy M. of Logansport, IN
• Lori P. of Hamlet, NC
• Naomi C. of Yuma, AZ
• Luisa D. of Staten Island, NY
• Jane S. of Wasola, MO
• Lois M. of Perth Amboy, NJ
• Laurie T. of Burleson, TX

If you are a winner, watch your mail.  If not, enter for this month’s pack over on my Contest page.

Sorry if you’ve written me and I haven’t written back-who would have thought that Pippin and Dash’s story would generate so much email and chatter! Boy, folks are really passionate about this story. Do write me if you have something to say, but remember, I’m a little behind right now . . . in many ways.

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

So in case you need to plug a few things into your social calendar, so you can get on this crazy merry go round as well, here is the Cliff Note version of what is coming up:

• Two Internet radio interviews
• Two booksignings (Seattle and Clearwater, Fl)
• A librarian’s conference
• Lead the discussion group over at Avon Romance’s Facebook page
• A book deadline

If you want more details, want a chance to chat with me live, curse at me for leaving Pippin stranded, or drop by and meet me at one of the booksignings, click over to my Events page and get all the details.

I know, not much of a blog, but it’s deadline time and I’ve got an earl to marry off. Some jobs are a real bitch.

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Elizabeth tells me a lot of her readers here are movie buffs. Well, I am, too. Good movies are like good books; you come back to them again and again because they strike a chord every single time. With that in mind, we thought it would be fun if I shared some of my favorite romantic movies. First off, though, let’s get one out of the way. I won’t list Pride & Prejudice since that’s probably on just about everyone’s list. So here they are, not in any particular order, though I’m (he-he) going to save my very FAVE for last.

Runaway Bride. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere have great chemistry together. They showed it in Pretty Woman and they proved it again in Runaway Bride. Remember what Maggie (Julia) says about snakes when they have car trouble? That scene, with Richard Gere hopping through the field hits my funny bone every time. So does Granny’s line about the one-eyed snake. And Julia’s little speech at the end, when she turns around his proposal to her – the one that starts  with “I guarantee there’ll be tough times . . .” I get all choked up and teary-eyed every time I watch it.

Jerry Maguire. I didn’t expect to like this movie. I’m just not a Tom Cruise fan (sorry, all of you TC fans). But everything in this movie just clicked. Renee Zellwegger is so darn cute. The little guy that played her son is just as cute. Watching Jerry’s about-face is charming and heartwarming, hence it’s place on my list.

Kate and Leopold.  I always like Meg Ryan’s movies. But Hugh Jackman playing a Duke in boots and tight breeches . . . Need I say more?

Unconquered. I’m treading back quite a few years here. I’ve always been a fan of Gary Cooper. Since it’s an older movie, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the plot. GC plays hero Christopher Holden, who buys the freedom of heroine Abby, an indentured servant, from a villainous gunrunner. Said gunrunner then steals her away and sets out into the frontier to sell his guns. GC sets out after her. Abby ends up being captured by Indians, and our hero GC rescues her. See? I was a romantic even then.

Last of the Mohicans.  This is it! Ever and always, my fave romantic movie. Backtracking again, though. Did you know it was a TV series back in the—ahem—the 50s? Lon Chaney, Jr. played Chingachgook. I watched it then, too. But back to the movie with Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe (Nathaniel and Cora) Talk about on-screen chemistry! Wow. There’s the scene where Nathaniel catches Cora’s hand and pulls her around and they’re standing face-to-face. Guns and cannons are exploding all around. They’re close and you can just feel the hunger racing between them. Neither says a word, but you feel their hunger. Then finally – FINALLY – they kiss. Then he’s lifting her up against him. Cora’s breathing, harder and harder.

That’s the sexiest movie scene EVER!!! OMG, it just makes me melt. I have to fan myself every time I watch it. I’m fanning myself right just thinking about it!

These are some of my faves, and I hope you’ll share yours!

EB: Thanks, Samantha for dropping in this week.  Everyone, a big round of applause, will you? And don’t forget to post a comment on this blog and you are entered in this week’s contest. Want a second entry?  Send a friend over to comment. A third chance? Use the social links on the comments page and link this blog to your Facebook, MySpace, or wherever you hang out. Then you’ll be entered three times. A fourth entry? Post on Monday’s blog right below. Send a friend. Use the social links to increase your odds. In all, you can earn six entries into the contest.

And the winner? You’ll get an autographed advance reader’s copy of Bride of a Wicked Scotsman and movie tickets to Regal Cinemas. But don’t forget to get your entries in before midnight Sunday. I’ll be drawing the winner early Monday morning and announcing the lucky reader on Monday’s blog.

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

But this past weekend, I realized I only have a few weeks before the books “drop,” which is the publishing phrase for, “well, finally about time I can get my hands on a copy.” So here are the days you don’t want to miss around here:

February 12th – Right before Valentine’s Day you’ll get a double treat:  the excerpt for Confessions of a Little Black Gown goes up and you’ll find a sneak peek inside Memoirs of a Scandal Red Dress right here on the blog.

March 31st – Confessions of a Little Black Gown goes on sale and you’ll find a full sized excerpt from Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress posted.

Oh, and somewhere in between there, I’ll be giving away an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Confessions of a Little Black Gown. Oh, yeah, it comes with bragging rights, but you’ll have to swear in blood not to spoil the totally unbelievable thing that happens near the end of the book . . . because that would just be wrong. You may however taunt, blow raspberries, or upload pictures of all the hankies you used. You cannot call me, as my friend Jessica did, and complain loudly (mostly shouted at me as I grinned into the receiver) and also there was sniffling and some crying involved. And then she hung up on me so she could go finish it. So please remember, if you win, no spoilage, no phone calls.

BTW, before there are howls of protest over Jessica getting her copy early, she got hers because the book is dedicated to her. One of the perks. The line starts to the right.

Now next week, (Monday and Thursday) you all have to be on your best behavoir, make sure to tell all your friends and COMMENT, because superstar historical romance author Samantha James will in the house. Or rather on the blog. She’s going to give us the inside scoop on her upcoming book, Bride of a Wicked Scotsman and be giving away an Advanced Reader’s Copy. Yeah, you read that right. A chance to get Wicked before the rest of us.  And if that isn’t enough, she’s also tossed in some movie tickets so you can have a night out with your hero. Or your favorite gal pal. Or take yourself twice.

See I told you you’d want to read this carefully. Anything I missed?

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Can I confess something else?  I have always wanted to win a blogging award.  It is right there on my list between being interviewed by People magazine and being on Oprah. So really Sarita, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am, because not only do I get to proudly wear my award in my sidebar, but I also get to cross “winning a blog award” off my goal list. Of course, if anyone else wants to offer me another award, I am always willing to drag out the hair dryer and accept another one. There is no reason why a goal can’t have two or three lines through it.

But onto Sarita’s kind award, and the formalities. Because this award comes with a couple of rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog

So in no particular order, I award this honor to the following:

1) The (Mis)Adventures of a Single City Chick.  Christina’s blog always has great giveaways and she has a better social life than I do.

2) Melissa’s Diary. Harlequin author Melissa McClone let’s us peek into her daily life.  Like every day–sharing the great songs and pictures she finds along the way.

3) Channeling Erma. Erma Bombeck was probably the original great blogger–the grandmother of us all, and these authors make their own wry observations about life and families in much the same way.  They make me smile all the time.

4) Posy Gets Cozy. The musings of Alicia Paulson, a Portland area blogger always leaves me ready to cook, craft and enjoy life.  Her wonderful pics and lovely style always inspires.

5)  Maya Rodale. I love it when she does her “The Same Six Questions.” Too funny and lots of fun. You got to like someone who wants to know what super powers you secretly covet. My answers can be found here.

6) The Goddess Blogs. These gals crack me up.  Suzanne Enoch, Rachel Gibson, and Sabrina Jeffries especially, but there isn’t a one of them that doesn’t have a very funny (as in hilarious) way of looking at the world.

7)  History Hoydens. Because I am a total history wonk and a hoyden at heart.

There they are! What blogs would give an award to? And if you blog, please tell us all about your blog–you can never have too many blogs to read. Hook me on reading your blog, and next time (assuming there is a next time) I can send an award your way!

©2010 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.