Regan Walker's Best of the Regency with Becca St. John

Regan here with the Best of the Regency. My guest today is Becca St. John, author of eight books including three Medievals. Her Regencies are romance mysteries with a touch of Gothic. She considered writing a tool, not a toy, until a stay in a haunted hotel and a bookcase full of dog-eared romances changed her mind. Hooked, Becca read old romances, new romances, both sexy and sweet, until her own tales begged to be written.

Living in Florida, Becca divides her time between dreaming up stories, diving deep into history, kayaking, and swimming. Her husband gives her the space she needs by fishing in the mangroves and waterways, or watching football (the English sort) with his British buddies. Becca and her hubby break the routine with adventure travel; though, at heart, Becca is a homebody believing there is no greater playground than inside the mind.

Today she shares with us how her characters took over. And she is offering a giveaway... her book Summerton, so comment and leave your email! 

 

Lost in the storytelling: How characters take charge

by Becca St. John

My dirty little secret? Lord Stephen’s Lady by Janette Radcliffe, also known as Janet Louise Roberts, turned me into a Regency junky. Yes, I know, all good Regency authors adore Jane Austin, and I do, but Lord Stephen was the first straight-out romance I ever read. Since that first reading, I have craved the wit, the intrigue and, of course, the intricacies of Regency society.

What I hadn’t expected was the similarity between getting lost in reading a Regency and writing one. As you read, you immerse yourself in another world, solely designed by the author. On the other side of that, one would expect the author dutifully sets about to flush out a story with characters behaving exactly as the author pre-determined in an outline.

Except, characters are dreadfully stubborn. The cheeky devils have wills of their own.

They lure authors down difficult, unanticipated, paths, until the storyteller is as lost in the story as any reader could be. Worse, the characters are always right! It’s humbling.

Lady Eleanor played me like the proverbial fiddle. Stately, imperturbable, she entered the first draft of my Regency romance, Summerton, as a very minor character. With succinct remarks and pithy barbs, she nudged the young couple beyond their differences. What luck! I’d unearthed an elderly aunt with a delightful penchant for matchmaking. She needed to stay in the story.

A quarter of the way into the book, the romance took another unexpected turn: Lady Summerton’s abigail is murdered in her lady’s stead.  Lord Summerton is determined to protect his wife. Lady Summerton is just as determined to defend him. As the take their stances, neither wholly trusting the other, Lady Eleanor unearths the killer.

  

Apparently, she’d been solving crimes for decades. Nobody bothered to tell me this when I set out to write the book.  Characters are sneaky like that. But Lady Eleanor made her point.  She transformed a minor character into a series. A simple Regency romance, Summerton, took on mystery overtones with a female sleuth and created  Summerton - Lady Eleanor Mysteries book 1.

If you haven’t met this formidable woman, think Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie in mid-nineteenth century England. At least, the first two books take place in England. After that the series changes course and … Oh, dear … another twist in the path.

It came about in a short scene in The Gatehouse, book 2 in the series. It’s after dinner in a grand home. The ladies have left the men to their port. French doors are open to the terrace outside. Chandeliers, crystals glittering, illuminate the table, aided by candles in ornate candelabras.

The atmosphere is casual, smoke curling in the air, men leaning back in their chairs having discussed, in this instance, murder.  One gentleman leans over to Lord Bentwood, and asks a question that sets the dominoes toppling.

“What were you speaking to Lady Eleanor about?”

It turns out Lord Bentwood, a character in The Gatehouse, had invited Lady Eleanor on a trip to the Far East. He’s just learned his sister is there and has gone missing. He hoped Lady Eleanor would help him find her. During the exchange we learn that Bentwood loves his wife but believes she has always loved another man. A man she would have married if Bentwood hadn’t interfered. 

In one short scene, without plan, which would pose a problem later, book 3 was born.

Knowing nothing of the “Far East” I headed there, for three months’ worth of research. Total immersion in a world of temples, dynasties and, better yet, historical intrigue. Lower wives murdering those of a higher order, concubines drawing danger by earning too much attention and the ever-faithful eunuchs willing to do anything for the women they protect.

Back home, with piles of notes and even more ideas, that problem mentioned above? It re-emerged. This is 1816. The telegraph hadn’t come into use, the telephone not yet imagined. There were no steamboats or railroads to quicken travel. The missive Lord Bentwood received about his missing sister would have taken a good six months to reach him. Double that time for this trio, Lady Eleanor and Lord and Lady Bentwood, to reach the Far East. The story is unbelievable. Or is it?

This is where the author takes charge, dictates and molds the story to make it work. But let’s not spoil the chance to get lost in the reading. The Journey – Lady Eleanor Mysteries book 3 will be released in the summer of 2018.  There you can find out why Lady Eleanor was willing, even eager, to take such a long arduous journey, how much danger lurks aboard a ship and what the trio will do to sort it out, and experience both the best, and the worst, of Lord and Lady Bentwood.  

From there, the series will carry on with love knotted in impossible tangles, more exotic ports, strange lands and intriguing customs. At some point, Lady Eleanor will find her new home, far from the early days in England.

In the meantime, get acquainted with Lady Eleanor in the first two books of the series; Summerton and The Gatehouse.

Ta for now. I’m off diving into another story, sailing the high seas amid murder, and unrequited love. No telling where this will lead … 

Becca has a question for you: 

The first Regency romance I read was Lord Stephen’s Lady by Janette Radcliffe. What was yours? Let me know for the chance to win a copy of Summerton.

He married for money, she wed by force. Neither considered love part of the bargain.

On the brink of losing everything, the Duke of Summerton marries heiress Caroline Howlett, but at what cost? She wants neither his crumbling estate nor his title, and what is he, as a man, without them? Before he can resolve this dilemma, something more dangerous than doubt threatens their marriage.

When Caroline said she’d rather be dead than married to the duke, she hadn’t meant it literally. Forced into marriage by her guardian, Caroline doesn’t give a fig for the idle life of the aristocracy. She wants to run her father’s enterprises, and she will, once dead bodies stop getting in the way.

Aided by Summerton's widowed aunt, amateur sleuth Lady Eleanor, the duke and his reluctant bride scramble to discover just who is trying to kill them.

Buy on Amazon.

Keep up with Becca on her Website, Facebook, Twitter.

Regan Walker's Best of the Regency with Author Vonnie Hughes

Hello all! Regan here with my guest, Australian author Vonnie Hughes. As with many writers, Vonnie began writing stories during middle childhood. Over time, she won several writing contests, garnering a variety of prizes that included a pony, cash and an overseas trip. When she looks back over her family tree, she can see why the compulsion to write is inherent.

Her employment has usually involved writing in one shape or form e.g. composing resumés, compiling technical books and drafting legal documents. She has accrued an eclectic group of useless qualifications such as a radio announcer’s diploma, a diploma in journalism/creative writing, the major part of a Diploma in Business, part of a Bachelor of Arts degree and an interior decorating diploma.

Vonnie has settled into writing two genres, historicals, primarily Regencies, and contemporary suspense although all her writing includes mysteries of some sort or another. She loves the two-faced restrictive Victorian lifestyle, the intricacies of the social rules of the Regency period and the far-ranging consequences of the Napoleonic Code.

Be sure and comment and leave your email as Vonnie is giving away to one lucky commenter the paperback Two Regency Sisters consisting of three novellas. To be posted anywhere in the world.

 

I asked Vonnie why she writes Regencies and this was her answer:

It was such a short period in Britain’s history, but has given rise to many things such as the development of canals (as trade with its trading partners hotted up with the imprisonment of Napoleon, freeing up trade routes and resulting in large numbers of goods that needed to be transported all over England), the Royal Astronomical Society was founded, the early prototype of the bicycle, the development of the railway system, the Act of Union with Ireland in 1801 etc. All this is from the British point of view. In the USA Whitney came up with the principle of manufacturing interchangeable parts as pertaining to firearms. The statue of the Venus de Milo was discovered in Greece (1820) and so it goes on.

And this is one of the prime reasons I enjoy writing Regencies. In spite of many Regencies persuading you that it was all about Almacks and dukes, the Regency era was actually a time on the cusp of great changes, not just in Britain but all over the world. Minds were opening up, no longer relying on the dogma of the past.

Today, Vonnie is sharing with us an interview with her unconventional heroine in her newest release, Dangerous Homecoming.

They are both scarred by war; she because of the shattered men she nurses; he because of the loss of friends and the horrors he must endure daily.

Then Colwyn Hetherington is given a chance to put it all behind him and return to England.

Juliana Colebrook desperately wants to go to England to seek out her only living relatives.

Col and Juliana take an almighty chance and travel together, setting in train a series of events that neither could have anticipated. With only their love to sustain them, they clash head-on with the reality of England, 1813. 

Get Dangerous Homecoming on Amazon and Smashwords. And keep up with Vonnie on her Website and on Facebook.

 

Unconventional Heroine Interview

 

1.     Introducing myself: Good day. I’m Juliana Carlotta Ervedosa Colebrook. As you can tell, my Mama was Portuguese and my father was an Englishman. You will find me in the book Dangerous Homecoming. Of course, the English would never get their tongues around ‘Ervedosa’ so I only use my full name when signing documents.

2.     Do you consider yourself to be unconventional? No. In no way do I consider myself unconventional; at least I didn’t while I lived and worked in Portugal, but since coming to England I have discovered that I am unconventional because I am loosely classed as a ‘lady’ yet I work for a living. I am a nurse with experience in tending very sick soldiers. Then again, I am a murderess twice over and one must suppose that could be called ‘unconventional.’ They were murders of necessity, I must hasten to add. I did not set out to murder anyone, but in each case I had no choice. Life is not easy for women in the nineteenth century.

3.     Do you embrace your uniqueness? I don’t think I embrace my uniqueness. I never thought about being unique when I was in Portugal, but once I arrived in England I did my best to fit in. The English can be very cold to those who do not fit in. And I did not want to upset my relatives whom I had not met for many, many years. So, yes, it was a struggle to fit in. In Portugal, since I was raised in a convent that specialized in training young women to nurse the sick or teach the children of the wealthy folk their basic reading and Latin, I was not at all unusual.

4.     Who is your role model? My role model? Well, I’m not sure. I cannot think of any woman I admire—stop! Of course, I have a role model. My role model is the Marchioness of Trewbridge. What an amazing woman. Unlike most women of her class she is industrious, holds her family together with kindness and talks a great deal of sense. Yes, I’d like to be like the Marchioness.

5.     If you could do anything without concern for the consequences, what would it be? Marry Colly Hetherington of course. But my background would bring him down, so I must drop that daydream.

6.     Is your ideal man unconventional? Not really. Colly is what he is. I cannot think of other men when I think about Colly. Other men cease to exist. He is kind and so very honourable. Screamingly so. Ah, what a man.

7.     Any juicy details to share? Hah! Read the book.

Best of the Regency with Author Ann Lethbridge

Regan here with another “Best of the Regency” author… Ann Lethbridge. Ann is an Army brat born in England. She lived all over the UK growing up and fell in love with the history of Britain and, more particularly, the Regency. Eventually, she married and moved to Canada with her husband and had two beautiful daughters. 

Now an empty nester, she spends her days creating Regency romances and has won several awards over the years including the Daphne DuMaurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She loves writing about the Georgian era and more particularly the Regency and she adores happy endings.

Be sure and comment and leave your email as Ann is giving away a copy of her book... a paperback! And now to the interview:

How often do you get lost in a story?

I would have to own up to more than once a day. While this may seem a bit extreme, I have always been an avid reader. It is an important part of my life. Not only do I get lost in my own stories when I am writing them, but I always have a story “on the go”, something I am reading in the evenings or on lunch breaks. I love losing myself in another world of interesting characters no matter who wrote the book.

What made you decide to write Regencies?

I have always loved the Regency era.  I grew up in Britain, though I now live in Canada, and was introduced to the books of Georgette Heyer at a young age by my father.  A military man, my father loved to read, and he loved Miss Heyer’s books. He and I used to fight over who would get to read them first when he brought them home from the library.  Later, I was thrilled to discover a whole genre of Regency romances and read everything I could get my hands on. It seemed only natural, when I had this odd urge to write a book, to start with the genre I knew in depth and that I loved.

If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why?

Since I write historical romance, I always wonder how close I come to achieving the correct flavor of the time period of the Regency. It would be wonderful to visit and see for myself. There were so many interesting people and events during that period, it is difficult to choose, but I would love to meet Jane Austen. I would be “fan girl” to the nth degree, but I would also want to tell her about how things would change in the future, how beloved her books would become and how many novels would be written in her genre about her era. I think women writers had a difficult time back then, and while it is not necessarily easy these days, it is better. Some of that improvement is due to her stories and her journey as a writer. Hopefully while I am there I could sneak a peek at all kinds of other stuff that fascinates me and in particular, the gentlemen’s clubs given that is the location for my most recent book, An Innocent Maid for the Duke.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

Relaxing with a book is a given, but I also love embroidery and other handwork such as knitting or crochet. I have been doing needlework of one sort or another since the age of five and always have something to work on when watching television or chatting with friends. I do love the feeling of accomplishment when the item is finished, whether it is something to hang on the wall, or an item of clothing to be given as a gift. Regency ladies adorned their homes with their handwork, from the Queen down to the lowliest housewife and I enjoy the idea that I am following in their footsteps.

What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

My favorite tradition goes back long before my childhood and before my mother’s childhood. It relates to Christmas, one of the highlights of the year in our family.  Each November on what is known as stir up Sunday we make our traditional Christmas pudding. Everyone at home on that day helps with the preparation and weighing and measuring of the ingredients. Once the pudding is ready to be steamed, each person will stir the pudding and make a wish that they keep to themselves. The pudding is then cooked and put away until Christmas Day to be eaten as dessert. Somehow Christmas pudding always tastes better when you have had a hand in the mixing. Since I am the matriarch of our family, I still make the pudding, but each daughter has been given the recipe and I hope they will continue the tradition into the future.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

I do read the reviews, sometimes with trepidation, I must admit. However, if a reader took the trouble to write a review, then they deserve the respect of having their opinions read. Everyone has seen the movies about the cast of a play reading their reviews in the paper the next day, and how they are cast down or excited by what is said. I go through the same emotions, though in the case of negative comments, I do remind myself that not everyone likes the same kind of book, or we would only have one book or one genre, or one kind of story. If a reader makes a point that resonates with me, about the plot, or the characters, then it might well influence my writing. After all, I am writing to give others the chance to get lost in my story and if something pulls them out of my world, it is well worth thinking about.

What’s your favorite kid joke?

Why do elephants paint their toenails different colors? So they can hide in a box of Smarties or a package of M&M’s

What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

My biggest dream, apart from being published—which was a huge dream in itself— has been the ability to travel.  Not only have I travelled to undertake research in various parts of the world, such as Spain, Portugal, France, and Britain, I have also travelled to other far off places to meet with readers, take part in conferences and meet other writers, including Poland, the US, Australia. None of this would have been possible had I not become a writer. Naturally there are a great many other places in the world I would like to visit but I feel blessed to have been afforded the wonderful opportunity to see so much of the world and meet so many lovely people, both readers and other writers.

For the readers: When reading a Regency, do you love the descriptions of the clothes and the settings, or do you feel they interfere with the story?  Would you like more description, less or about the same

His lady in red…

Jacob, Duke of Westmoor, is feeling the weight of his recently inherited title when a stolen kiss with a beautiful woman in his gentlemen’s club breathes life back into him. Until he discovers she’s a maid!

Unable to let the beautiful innocent go, he arranges for Rose Nightingale to become his grandmother’s companion. But living under the same roof, their attraction becomes impossible to resist!

The hour is late and the stakes are high

Buy on Amazon or B&N

And read an excerpt:

Staring at the Duke, Rose felt horror roll through her in a sickening tide. Another half-hour and she would have been hidden away in the kitchens for the rest of the day.

He was staring at her as if he expected her to say something. She dropped the rag, wiped her hands on her apron and pushed to her feet.

She bobbed a curtsy, keeping her head respectfully lowered, her gaze on the floor, wishing he’d walk away. Or that the floor would crack open and swallow her up. ‘Your Grace.’

All she could see were his feet planted squarely on the patch of marble she’d scrubbed clean. She waited for him to move on. She didn’t dare look at his face, at the disgust she’d see in his expression.

Or the anger.

‘Well?’ he said softly, menacingly. ‘Are you going to explain?’

‘Explain what?’ She winced. She hadn’t intended to speak out loud. A glance upwards at his implacable expression sent a shiver down her spine. It was far worse than a show of anger. He looked merely curious. Almost cold.

‘Explain why you never told me that you work here.’ He looked down his ducal nose. ‘You do work here? Have been working here for some time?’

And was unlikely to be working here much longer. She nodded miserably. ‘As a scullery maid.’

He folded his arms across his chest. ‘So what were you doing in the Green Room the other evening?’

She shrugged. ‘I had been mending the gown. I tried it on to see…’ Dash it, if she was going to be let go, it might as well be for the true reason. ‘I wanted to see what I would look like in such a lovely gown.’

His frown deepened.

She held her breath, waiting for the full force of his wrath.

‘You made me think you were gently bred. A lady.’ Not angry, disappointed.

What right did he have to be disappointed? ‘If you’d thought me a lady, you would not have met me in private or kissed me without permission.’ She winced at her scolding tone. What was the point of feeling embarrassed? She was what she was and she cared nothing for his opinion, good or bad.

Only she did. Heat rushed to her face and she let her gaze fall away. ‘I apologise, Your Grace. I—I did not set out to trick you. It simply happened. I should never have met you in the garden, however. For that I am sorry.’ Heartsick, she waited for him to tell her she was dismissed from her position.

Keep up with Ann via her Website, Facebook & Twitter (@annlethbridge).

Regan Walker's Best of the Regency with Kristi Ann Hunter

Welcome to the Best of the Regency! It’s Regan here and my guest today is Kristi Ann Hunter. Kristi is the RITA award-winning author of sweet Regency romances with elements of faith. When she is not writing or interacting with her readers, Kristi spends time with her family and her church. A born lover of stories she is also an avid reader. From her youth, she dreamed of sharing her own stories with others and she can't quite believe that dream actually came true.

Today she is sharing with us How England’s Parliament Worked in the Regency Era.   Kristi is also giving away a copy of her book. A US winner can choose between paper and ebook; an international winner will get the ebook.

 

One of the fascinating things about any culture is looking at how they govern themselves and what process goes in to making their laws. When I wrote An Inconvenient Beauty, I knew I wanted my duke doing more than going to balls and clubs, so I spent some time researching how Parliament worked.

When a law-making body is centuries old, with roots dating back to the Roman senate, things can be very complicated and very interesting. The voting traditions of Parliament were founded before electronic buttons, before notebooks could be had for a pittance, even before the creation of the ink pen. Without these tools of easy record keeping, they developed another way to vote on major issues.

No, they don't raise their hands or cast some sort of secret ballot.

Instead, when it came time to vote, those men in favor of the bill in question would actually get up and leave the room. They would be counted in the lobby outside the meeting room while those who remained seated inside were considered votes against the bill.

This meant that the default vote was no. If a member of parliament didn't care about a bill enough to be bothered with rising from his bench and joining the others voting for a bill, it was assumed he agreed with the status quo.

The vote by body count was called a division and was used for the votes that were too close to call by verbal assent or were highly controversial.

Today, they still vote by the movement of bodies but now everyone has to move. When the building was rebuilt after the devastating fire of 1834, two lobbies were built on either side of the House of Lords meeting room. The lobbies are labeled as content and not content though they align with voting for or against a bill instead of for or against the status quo.

The House of Commons has lobbies as well, though they are labeled Aye and Nay.

Before a division occurs, a bell is rung so that people not currently in the meeting room know to come participate. They have eight minutes from the time the bell is rung to be in the meeting room or they will be locked out. The lobbies are cleared of people - particularly of any aides or other visitors who don't have a vote - and then the division occurs.

If this sounds complicated, it's nothing compared to the back and forth motions a bill can go through trying to be approved by both houses. In An Inconvenient Beauty one such bill, fraught with changes and debate, causes a great deal of problems for the heroine's uncle, and by extension the heroine herself. But since women weren't allowed to sit on the esteemed red benches of the House of Lords (or even the less pedigreed green benches of the House of Commons) it is up to the Duke of Riverton to do what is necessary to make the division go the way they need it to. And to win the heart of the fair maiden in the process.

Over the years, the procedure of Parliamentary voting has evolved to include a roster of names instead of notches on the side of a reed, but the heritage is still represented in a way that full modernization to something such as electronic or roll call voting wouldn't maintain. It is a testament to the depth of history the United Kingdom possesses. And it’s a history that lures readers back again and again, no matter how complicated it may sometimes seem.

Kristi wants to know if you find the inner workings of England's government to be of interest. Comment for a chance to win her book! 

An Inconvenient Beauty:

Griffith, Duke of Riverton, likes order, logic, and control, and he naturally applies this rational approach to his search for a bride. He's certain Miss Frederica St. Claire is the perfect wife for him, but while Frederica is strangely elusive, he can't seem to stop running into her stunningly beautiful cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge.

Isabella should be enjoying her society debut, but with her family in difficult circumstances, her uncle will only help them if she'll use her beauty to assist him in his political aims. Already uncomfortable with this agreement, the more she comes to know Griffith, the more she wishes to be free of her unfortunate obligation.

Will Griffith and Isabella be able to set aside their pride and face their fears in time to find their own happily-ever-after?

To see the book, check out Kristi's Website.  And keep up with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.