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Never lacking for something to say, Elizabeth shares everything from All My Children to Writing and all the life that's in-between . . .

What to Read

June 7, 2010 – 6:51 am

I have been absent, and my apologies. I am deep into writing right now and settling down to write more just isn’t on the agenda right now. But I took the weekend off to go to my aunt’s memorial service in Idaho, so I feel ready to type again and thought I would put something, anything up here quick before the glow wore off.

MBO Regency Romance coverI blogged last time about looking for something to read, and not long after that, lo and behold, you would never believe what came in the mail. Yes, something cool to read. Finished copies of The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance. Cool, huh? If you have never read one of these Mammoth volumes, they are a collection of short, short stories by authors in a specific genre, such as Regency romances.

And yes, I have a story inside. Yes, a story for this summer when you thought you would have to wait until the end of September. My little summer time gift to you.

When I was invited to do this, I already had a story in mind that I wanted to write for an anthology–a little twist on a familiar fairy tale, which you will find inside as, Cynders and Ashe. My version of Cinderella is a little more, shall we say, romantic and risque, and she leaves behind more than her shoe. Actually, she leaves her wings. You thought I was going to say something else, didn’t you? Mind. Out. Of. The. Gutter. Besides, I only had 50 pages.

But let me say that telling a romance in 30-50 pages is challenging–but in a fun way. What helped was the simple fact that I’d had over a year to plan the story. During that time, I’d been putting ideas, tidbits and thoughts for the story in a file. So when it came time to write, I pulled out all those little scribbled bits of inspiration, shuffled them around on a storyboard, came up with all the characters’s names/descriptions/motivations beforehand (something I never do) and had everything all mapped out and pinned up around my desk before I sat down to write a single line.

When I did, the story flew out and I wrote it in this creative burst of energy. I didn’t even write the scenes in order, which is another thing I never do. Sometimes just getting out of the usual can bring new energy to the process. And I hope you like the results.

Now for the delicious part of this volume: there are stories from some of my favorite authors inside. Loads of them. Candice Hern, Anna Campbell, Barbara Metzger and Lorraine Heath, just to name a few. As I’ve been dipping my toes between the pages, so to say, it turns out that these Mammoth books are a great way to find new authors or if you have just a little bit of time and really need a story, there is one inside just for you.

The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance publishes in the UK on June 24th, and in the US and Canada on July 27th. If you cannot wait until July, I will give you a little hint: Order it from Amazon.co.uk. Just saying.

Have you ever read a Mammoth volume? What did you like about it?

By Elizabeth | Posted in Reading, Regency, Romance Novels, Writing | Comments (2)

Spring Reading

May 20, 2010 – 6:01 pm

Ever since I went to the PLA (Public Library Association) conference in Portland, I’ve been back to my old habit of reading like a madwoman. It isn’t that I wasn’t reading before I went, but after several days spent talking books with librarians–and believe me, there is no one who loves books more passionately than a librarian–I came home with a suitcase of new treasures and have been digging in like a woman starved.

And I really didn’t notice this change in habits (I mean, I’ve been putting down my knitting to read more) until I was on the Historical Panel at the Romance Extravaganza and my fellow panelist and friend, Julia Quinn chided me for not mentioning more romance authors when I was asked who I like to read.

Because I’d gone down the list of books I’d been reading over the last few months, at least the ones that stood out, including William Deitrich’s Napoleon’s Pyramids, Georgette Heyer’s Black Sheep, Phillipa Gregory’s The Virgin’s Lover, Margaret Frazier’s The Widow’s Tale, and Anne Perry’s The Cater Street Hangman. A mix of old and new stories, but all good reads nonetheless.

That doesn’t even include the non-fiction books I’ve been reading–including the wonderful and beautiful The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Yummy. And less yummy but really interesting, The Time Traveler’s Guide Medieval England.

And I realized I wasn’t reading any romance. Well, the Heyer is romance, but not any romance published in the last year or so. So help me out. The TBR is getting down (Okay, I still have the Betsy-Tacy books I snagged at PLA and I’ve been dying to read The Mysterious Benedict Society) but what then?

Now it is your turn to chide me. What romances have you read in the last month that you think, no, insist I read?

By Elizabeth | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (11)

A Fabio-lus Romance Extravaganza

May 3, 2010 – 3:43 am

What a fun day! The wonderful folks at the King County Library system have this annual event and it is so much fun–readers from all over and always some fun surprises. This year was no exception. They had us in the main foyer of the Covington Library which is right next to the children’s section and Cherry Adair was the opening speaker trying to tell her camel sex story and at the same time keep in G-rated for the kiddos right next to us. I’ve never seen anyone come up with clean synonyms faster than Cherry did. She had the entire room laughing!

Julia Quinn and I shared a historical panel with Margaret Mallory and as always, Julia and I were trading stories and not agreeing on any of the facts. I maintain that we met at a workshop at the Anaheim RWA conference and I was pregnant at the time. Julia swears I was on crutches. Truly, I wasn’t that pregnant. What was great fun were the questions from the audience about what we like to read, what a typical day is for a writer and questions about research. A big thank you to everyone who came out and made this event such a success.

Of course, the real star of the panel was my weekend companion, Crocheted Fabio. Yes, I have in my possession at the moment, Fabio! We spent Friday getting ready for our big outing, Fabio insisting on a manicure:

A blowout:

And then hogged my signing table:

Then made all the women in the audience beg for his attentions:

Truly, he’s sort of annoying with all his demands, and I can’t even tell you what he did to a Barbie in Alabama, but here is the picture:

I think this is why he made a rushed trip in a Priority Mail box to the West coast. This crocheted version of Fabio was made by a very talented, Nancy T., who also has a version of Mad Jack Sparrow that is hilarious and perfect in every detail. This Fabio is a knitter’s version of Flat Stanley and was only with me for the weekend and now is off to Forks, Washington to battle vampires.

I think they will find him a bit of stuffed shirt.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

A Bit Absent

April 13, 2010 – 3:23 pm

I know I’ve been a bit absent lately, and for that I apologize. Usually it is because I have a book due and I am overrun with a deadline. But this time it was family–my dear and beloved Aunt Susie passed away very suddenly.

Mom, Aunt Dar, Aunt Susie

This picture was taken last summer when all of us got together. The day was so much fun, telling family stories, laughing over past follies, sharing handcrafts, and having one of Aunt Dar’s fabulous luncheons.

Aunt Sue was such a special part of my life and it has broken my heart, as well as leaving her sisters (my mom and my other auntie) completely bereft to lose her so quickly. Some of you might remember that I’ve included my aunt in my blog before, posting pictures of her house when it was buried in snow. Beneath all that snow is the most glorious flower garden you could ever imagine. She lived for her flowers and I will always remember that house surrounded by all those beautiful and carefully tended flowers.

I also devoted Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress to her, writing in the dedication:


To my Aunt Susie,
You never stop amazing me with your resiliency and wry humor. Our family’s other storyteller, please continue to make us all laugh, for there isn’t a day when that isn’t needed.
All my love,
Lizzie


She was resilient to the end, waiting patiently for her big sisters to get over to Idaho so the three of them could be together one last time. And an hour after mom and Auntie Dar left, Susie passed away, on her own terms and in her own stubborn way, leaving behind a lifetime of memories and a zest for a tall tale that will never be forgotten.

Bless you, I miss you, Aunt Susie.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (4)

Number One London

March 24, 2010 – 6:59 am

I recently found an invitation in my inbox to come visit a new blog written by Kristine Hughes and Victoria Hinshaw, two of my favorite Regency and Victorian enthusiasts and researchers. Of course I dropped by immediately and found a delightful treasure trove of information. My next thought was to make sure all of you discovered their blog, Number One London, as well. So just to introduce you, here are Kristine Hughes and Victoria Hinshaw:

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.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Friends, History, Interviews, Jane Austen, Regency, Research, blogging | Comments (3)