Release Date for ROGUE Announced!

     I am thrilled that The Wild Rose Press will be releasing HOW TO MARRY A ROGUE on May 4, instead of late summer. To celebrate, I will post about the Regency period until the big day. Look for sneak peeks, character interviews, fun facts, and the background to this story.
     Let's begin, shall we?
     The Regency period is specific to England, as it encompassed the "regency" of Prince George, later to become King George IV, from the years 1811-1820. This basically means he ruled on behalf of his father, the "mad" King George III, known to Americans for being the tyrant Thomas Jefferson railed about in the Declaration of Independence.

     It's a popular time period for authors and movie makers, since Jane Austen was a central figure during this period. If you love a good novel or a classic movie, read or watch any of her stories. My favorite is Pride & Prejudice, which you probably already know if you've read my blog. I think of it as a classic "Beauty and the Beast" story, because Mr. Darcy is transformed by the end.

     The way of life, clothes, manners, and customs are unique to this period. The "empire" waist gown (the bodice ended at the lower part of the bosom instead of the waist) changed the female form, although the disfiguring corset was years ahead into the future. Men also changed from fancy silk coats and pantaloons to breeches made of buckskin, and riding boots became the daytime height of fashion.
     The country life grew in popularity, with outdoor sports, hunting, picnics, etc., becoming the "in thing" for the rich folk. It's fun to write books during this period, because the characters have a variety of things to do. Country balls (called Assembly balls because they were in a common building called an Assembly Hall), garden parties, picnics, riding, archery, and other games and diversions were great entertainment. I can have a heroine be an accomplished rider or talented pianist. A hero can look dashing seated on his horse during a hunt (no foxes are ever harmed in my books!), or elegant in his cream-colored silk cravat and embroidered waistcoat at an elegant salon in London.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek at the Regency! Next blog will be an interview with the heroine of the story, Georgiana Lockewood. She's beautiful, smart, and a little too stubborn about getting what she wants. Lucky for her, our hero is in the right place at the right time!

Take an Art Tour with Jane Austen!

I found this wonderful site from the University of Austin in Texas that takes you on a guided web-tour of an art exhibit that Jane Austen actually saw on May 24, 1816. Click on the link below, and go through the exhibit in a leisurely fashion. Leave the children with their nanny or governess, and tea and cakes will be waiting at the end. I'll be sure to have a barouche waiting outside the door to whisk you to Grosvenor Square, where a supper party awaits!

Jane Austen Art Show

Happy Birthday, Jane Austen! 236 years young!

I hope my readers and fellow authors adore the incomparable Jane as much as I do. Her novels (along with the Bronte sisters' Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre) sparked the romance genre that we all know and love today. If you haven't read Emma or Pride and Prejudice yet, do your heart a favor and start reading! The movies of the books are all wonderful, but my favorite is the Keira Knightley version.

My current "work in progress" is a Pride and Prejudice-based novel, and in honor of Miss Austen as well as begging her pardon, I'm giving you a sneak peek at one of the scenes. Hope you enjoy it!

     She closed her eyes, exhaling on the window so that her breath bounced back into her mouth, as warm as his had been. Confusion swirled through her, igniting all variety of emotion. She’d sensed a connection between them. Somehow, beyond the difference in their ages and stations, not to mention life experiences, she’d felt a kinship. As if she’d known him all her life.

     Nonsensical dreaming was all it was. Girlish fantasy and listening to Lucinda’s romantic nonsense. That was the source behind her confusing thoughts. She suddenly did something she had never done before in her life.

     “Frederick,” she whispered. Her lips relished the shape of his name, the way they parted on the consonants, as if preparing for a kiss. Her tongue pressed the back of her teeth on the d. Her breath misted the glass as she spoke his name, and she stared at it until it evaporated.

     Though she wasn’t the least bit sleepy, she climbed into bed beside Lucinda, pulling the quilt up to her chin. Colonel Parker had offered her a solitary room at the start of her visit, but she, who had always shared a room with her younger sisters, found the large, drafty house a little frightening at night. She scooted close to Lucinda, taking some comfort in her friend’s sleepy warmth.

     Lucinda mumbled in her sleep. The sweet tones of the pianoforte filtered through the closed door and the layers of carpeted floors and walls. It was a variation of his symphony. She wondered if he thought of his former love as he played.

     It was too much to think that a man such as he would ever consider playing for a simple country girl like herself.