Back to Top

Monthly Archives: December 2015

Yesterday was National Tea Day, and it of course got me looking at period tea resources.

tea set

Still Life: Tea Set, ca. 1781–83, painting by Jean-Étienne Liotard

One of the things I found was a small pamphlet from 1785 called The Tea Purchaser’s Guide; or the Lady and Gentleman’s Tea Table and Useful Companion in the Knowledge and Choice of Teas (seriously, they loved long titles in the eighteenth century). It was written by one G. Kearsley of No. 46, Fleet Street, formally of the East India company’s Service “particularly in the Tea Department” (price one shilling).

It has sections on types of tea, judging tea quality, and the making to tea, all of which is great fodder for scenes in books where you need someone to be doing something nonconsequential while events unfold. So while the hero might expound upon snuff, the heroine (or indeed the hero, as men like tea, too!) can talk about tea, or have a calamity where the housekeeper has purchased adulterated tea, or talk about the blending of tea (of which he also gives advice).

I found his opinions about black verses green tea interesting as well. Black tea, he maintains, is injurious to those with coughs, asthma, or other issues with their lungs. In particular, he believes bohea (the lowest quality black tea) will particularly add to your suffering if drunk while ill with any such issues. Green tea on the other hand he says is “of great disadvantage to shattered constitutions, and those that are worn down by long and continued fever.”

What I find most interesting though is his lumping tea in with drugs and warning people not to consume too much of it.

tea 1

So happy tea drinking! Is there any tidbit of tea history you’d like to share? Please let us know what your favorite obscure tea fact is in the comments. Or just talk about your favorite kind. Mine is Numi’s Basil Mint Pu-Erh, which they have  sadly discontinued. I went a little nutty when they did and bought 20 (100 tea bag) cases. It will be a sad, sad day at my house when those bags are gone…

The topic on my mind today is excerpts. The reason? A new FREE sampler just released –A Taste of Traditional Regencies— put together by four of my Bluestocking League sisters and me. We’ve made it available in all e-formats through all the major ebook outlets, so we hope you’ll accept this gift from us! ‘Tis the season, and all that…. Maybe you’ll discover a new author to love. (I’ll put the links at the end of this post.) Don’t forget that even if you don’t have an e-reader, you can download Kindle for PC for free from Amazon and read on your computer!Cover-A Tatse of Traditonal Regency Romances

The five of us range from “oldies but goodies” to fairly new authors –even if you’ve already read my updated version of The Captain’s Dilemma, I bet there’s at least one of us you haven’t tried. The “theme” of this collection is first books in a series, or of connected books.

The excerpts in the sampler are extended multi-chapter segments. Mine goes into the start of Chapter 6. We figured if we were giving readers a “taste”, we wanted them to really get a taste! But I would love to know –what do you think about excerpts, in general? Does it frustrate you to get that far and have to buy the book to finish the story? Would you rather get a “whiff” instead of a really good taste –i.e. just a short excerpt, a page or less? A few paragraphs? Or do you prefer to get deeply into the story?

Then I wonder, do excerpts really lead you to purchase books? Has reading an excerpt led you to discover a new author you loved? And then, what makes a good excerpt? For short ones, is it a scene that crackles with great sexual tension? A glimpse of an intriguing character? A cliffhanger incident? Or…?? What do you think?

This is a shorter post than I usually write –I’m pressed for time this week, and wouldn’t be surprised if you are, too, with the holidays approaching! But could you take a moment to respond to some of these questions? The feedback would be wonderful! And don’t forget to grab your free sampler.

Also, I want to remind you that we Riskies put together a sampler a while bariskycover-200x300ck, and it is still available to you, right here on our website. Look up there in the bar across the top. See where it says “Sampler”?   We didn’t make it available on the regular ebook outlets, as “A Taste” is, but there it is, with eight of us offering samples of our work for free.  Maybe this month you don’t have time to read whole novels, anyway? Stories are more lasting than chocolates, right? Try a sampler and maybe add something new to your wish list.

My next post will be on New Year’s Day, so I want to take a moment now to give you my very best wishes for the holiday season, no matter what you celebrate! I love sharing the blog with you –it always feels like sitting down to tea with a group of great friends. May your holidays be blessed with family, friends, and the warmth of loving hearts. Sending out hugs to you all!

Links for the Free Sampler: A Taste of Traditional Regency Romances, excerpts from Regina Scott, April Kihlstrom, Gail Eastwood, Camille Elliot, and Vanessa Riley.

Amazon: http://tiny.cc/073t6x

B&N: http://tiny.cc/3s4t6x

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/594638

iBooks: http://tiny.cc/6u4t6x

Kobo: http://tiny.cc/804t6x

 

I’ll bet if I say “Robert Adam” most readers and writers of Regency romance will know that he was a famous architect who greatly influenced architecture, interior design, and furniture design of the times–mostly Georgian times, but I imagine my Regency  characters in houses designed by Adam all the time.

On my England trip last year, though, I learned of another architect of the same period, even more prolific than Adam–John Carr.

John Carr designed Basildon Park, one of the houses we visited on the Duke of Wellington Tour and one I blogged about here shortly after. He, too, was a neoclassicist like Adam.
IMG_0713

If you saw this, would you guess it was by Robert Adam?
IMG_0716

It’s an interior of Basildon Park by John Carr.

Carr was born in Yorkshire and decided to remain there rather than settle in London, thinking there was plenty of wealth in the area to support his business. He lived into his eighties and produced an incredible number of projects.

Tabley House is another house designed by John Carr similar to Basildon Park.
1024px-Tabley_Hall_4

One characteristic of both these houses is that you have to go up stairs to reach the front entrance which is on the first floor, not the ground floor.  I thought that was rather grand when we visited Basildon Park.

In my current work in progress, Genna’s story in the Scandalous Summerfields series, I used Basildon Park as my model for Summerfield House. It was especially helpful to find floor plans online.
300px-Baspianonobile

There was one famous house that both John Carr and Robert Adam designed–Harewood House near Leeds.
Harewood_House

Carr designed the building and Robert Adam, the interiors. Adam also slightly altered Carr’s exterior, including internal courtyards.

Who is up for visiting all these houses? Don’t you sometimes wish we really had a Transporter like in Star Trek?

Limited Time Sale

Cover of Dancing in The Duke's Arms, an anthology. A couple is dancing outside. He gazes fondly at her, she is perhaps a little shy. They are outside because it is summer and who doesn't want to dance outside with handsome duke?

Dancing Dukes!

For a limited time — even more limited by the time you read this, Dancing in the Duke’s Arms is on sale for $0.99 (or the currency equivalent, less VAT). So, if you don’t have this yet, now would be the time to check out four original stories, including An Unsuitable Duchess, by Yours Truly. . . with Dukes. <grin>

Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Google Play | Kobo | All Romance

Other News

I have been frantically trying to finish My Demon Warlord, Book 7 in the My Immmortals Series. It’s in final stages and I’m hoping to get it to the copy-editor next week sometime. I hope.

That means I have had my head in demons and witches and not historicals except for when Risky Rose Lerner forced me to buy the soundtrack for Hamilton and OMG. Just… so so so wonderful. I want to fly to NY and see it. OK, so Rose didn’t actually force me but I blame her anyway.

Interestingly, in the shower this morning I ended up washing my hair and plotting Book 3 in the Sinclair Sisters Series (for fans, that’s Emily and Devon’s story). It’s my next project and it is a historical.

Holiday Wishes

I believe my next post will be in 2016 so I wish all of you the very happiest of holidays and a wonderful New Year.

Follow
Get every new post delivered to your inbox
Join millions of other followers
Powered By WPFruits.com