Author Archives: carolyn

About carolyn

Carolyn Jewel was born on a moonless night. That darkness was seared into her soul and she became an award winning and USA Today bestselling author of historical and paranormal romance. She has a very dusty car and a Master’s degree in English that proves useful at the oddest times. An avid fan of fine chocolate, finer heroines, Bollywood films, and heroism in all forms, she has two cats and a dog. Also a son. One of the cats is his.

Contest! Two ARCs of Not Proper Enough

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

I have two ARCs of my September historical, Not Proper Enough to give away.

Cover of Not Proper Enough. It’s Wicked Hot.

She’s always hated him. He’s loved her from the moment her first saw her.

The Marquess of Fenris has loved Lady Eugenia from the day he first set eyes on her. Five years ago, pride caused him to earn her enmity. Now she’s widowed, and he’s determined to make amends and win her heart. But with their near explosive attraction, can he resist his desire long enough to court her properly?

After the death of her beloved husband, Lady Eugenia Bryant has come to London to build a new life. Despite the gift of a medallion said to have the power to unite the wearer with her perfect match, Eugenia believes she won’t love again. And yet, amid the social whirl of chaperoning a young friend through her first Season, she finds a second chance at happiness.

Unfortunately, the Marquess of Fenris threatens her newfound peace. Eugenia dislikes the man, but the handsome and wealthy heir to a dukedom is more charming than he has a right to be. Constantly underfoot, the rogue disturbs her heart, alternately delighting and scandalizing her. And when their relationship takes a highly improper turn, Eugenia must decide if the wrong man isn’t the right one after all.

10 Reasons you DESPERATELY Want to Read This Book

You will discover why the cover is NOT anachronistic.
Whenever I got stuck while writing this book I thought up another reason for them to have super hot sex.
There is a magic locket.
There are secret passages
There is a room with mirrors
I actually wrote a subplot! There is a duke in it.
A failed lobster attack
Someone’s valet threatens to quit in outrage
There is a fire and a brief discussion of fire insurance hot omg I’m so sorry you have to live at my house now sex scene
I wrote it, and you love me, right?

How to possibly win a ARC:

Rules: Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Winner picked at random. You must leave a comment as noted below by 6:00 AM Pacific on Thursday June 7, 2012. (So the international folks have a fair shot) If you do not include an email address in your comment you commit to check back to see if you won. International OK.

If you win, you are agreeing to review the book. Please post an honest review someplace where other people will see it. Amazon, Goodreads etc are especially awesome places to leave a review, but your blog is also good.

In your comment finish the following sentence:

The rutabaga is a devious vegetable known to pry its way out of cellars and vegetable bins in the darkest hours of the night whereupon, after securing the butterknife, it steals all the __________.

Go.

Posted in Former Riskies, Giveaways | Tagged ARC, devious vegetables, Not Proper Enough | 22 Replies

Wednesday Madness

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

Things are crazy at work and I’m trying to finish a novella AND it’s summer and the kid is home. I do not have much of a post today. I was going to add a pretty picture but I can’t do that from here.

Did this sort of thing happen in the Regency? Not the computer stuff but running out of time for everything? I would like five minutes where I have no responsibility but to wonder if Lord McHottyPants looks as good out of the coat as he does in it.

If you had those five golden minutes, what would you do? It can’t be work.

Posted in Former Riskies, Frivolity | Tagged five minutes, Lord McHottyPants | 4 Replies

“Mistorical?”

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

I think it was the fine folks over at Dear Author who coined the phrase “Mistorical” to describe historical romances that are, for lack of a better term, light on the accuracy. “Wallpaper Historical” is a similar term. Mistorical, I believe, is intended to describe not just books that are light on the factual accuracy, but books that appear to be set in a world that never existed. It’s a Meta-Regency setting as opposed to an actual-Regency setting.

The term mistorical is a bit perjorative in that it implies something that is wrong — hence the Latin prefix mis. There is a suggestion in there that perhaps the author is not aware of any errors. Although I think that’s true for some authors, I’m not sure about that as a blanket statement.

The Meta-Regency

The meta-Regency is, for me, a world that never existed and, moreover, is a world that the author and reader very likely both understand did not exist. The stories are built on a set of Regency signifiers that the savvy reader instantly recognizes and navigates.

It’s a world where a woman’s Empire gown can be removed by unfastening a few hooks, no one goes to Church or is genuinely afraid for their immortal soul, and no one blinks an eye when a woman demands to know why she can’t go to Oxford, as if the unfairness ought to be patently obvious (even though, historically, the “fairness” of that prohibition was so obvious as to not need discussion). Reform is in the air and the hero supports it. There may well be sexy lingerie, even though sexy underwear didn’t exist. There are horses and carriages, slippers and ballrooms, eleven o’clock tea and the use of the word “rather” in place of the modern intensifier of “fucking.” I rather think that’s awesome, my lord instead of Dude. That’s fucking awesome.

A Less Meta-Regency

Then there’s the historicals that exist in a Regency constructed through use of a greater set of known facts. In this sort of historical you are unlikely to find a heroine who decides to dispense with her corset in the name of fashion. This heroine might recognize the unfairness of not being allowed to go to Oxford, but she will also be aware that the weight of public conviction is against a change in the policy.

These books tend to explore the impact and meaning of these very real power legal and cultural imbalances and the ways in which the hero and heroine can both transgress those boundaries.

Tomayto Tomahto?

While I enjoy and tend to prefer historicals that are strong on the history, I also enjoy historicals that appear to be set in this Meta-Regency period. I have read and re-read certain “Wallpaper” historicals multiple times.

I’ve reached the point, however, where I don’t feel these two kinds of books should be lumped together at all. When I’m in the mood for the Meta-Regency, I wish I knew a quick way to find one, other than by author name. And when I want a book that gives me a more historically accurate grounding, I wish I could more easily find them, too.

There’s nothing worse than finding out you’ve just paid money for a Historical romance only to find you have a meta-Regency world instead.

So, where do you stand? Do you have a preference? Do you care? Opine in the comments.

Posted in Former Riskies, Reading, Regency, Writing | Tagged accuracy, Genre, History and Research | 13 Replies

Alter Egos

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

Hi! Risky Kelly here!

I know Carolyn usually blogs on Wednesdays, but something came up on my regular day and she agreed to swap days with me, because, well, Carolyn is awesome that way.

Don’t worry, everyone goes back to their regular blogging schedule next week, and I’ll be my pretty great self on my usual day. Only better.

I wanted to share with you just how great the Riskies are, all of us. Diane, Amanda, Carolyn, Janet, Elena, Megan, and me, Kelly. As you know, of all the Riskies, I’ve been blogging here the longest. 15 years ago seems like only yesterday! And now, at last, I’ve been recognized for all my hard work.

Late last week I got this email. I’ve removed certain information as I don’t want this site to be flooded with so many requests for their services that they can’t get the Risky program in place.

Here it is:

Hello Kelly,

My name is Mxxxxxxx Txxxxxxxxxxxxx, social media manager at xxxxxxxxx.com. We’ve been following your blog at http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com for a while now and your writing style is pretty great! I’m willing to bet PR agencies and Brands might find it appealing as well.

So we selected your site to offer you a revenue share partnership. Let me know if you’d be interested in this opportunity and I’ll follow-up with more details!

Best regards,

Mxxxxxxx Txxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mxxxxxxx @ xxxxxxxxx.com

www. xxxxxxxxx.com

The Real Story

Risky Carolyn here for a sec. Believe it or not, the email is genuine. I can’t tell you how excited I was when Kelly contacted me about her lengthy time blogging for the Riskies and what an amazing job she’s been doing for us all this time.

I really love her post about that thing. It’s my favorite post of hers. Do you remember? So insightful. But, then, she’s insightful for us every week. I know she and Diane are besties, so don’t be surprised if Diane shares some favorite recollections, too. One time Kelly gave Megan a framed picture of Clive Owen so, yeah. I think we all teared up when that happened. One time she saved Amanda from a runaway train, and most of you probably remember when she built that rumpus room for Elena a few years back. Most imaginative use of egg cartons EVER! And who can forget the time she performed an emergency appendectomy on Janet? I know!

We all love Kelly and are so grateful that she’s been blogging with us for so many years. And now this. Gosh. Bringing us the opportunity for additional revenue streams.

The Real Kelly

Wow. I didn’t realize I had even more alter egos! Let me tell you, it’s hard enough with the one alter ego I’ve got. Why even have an alter ego? There are many reasons out there. In my specific case, I’ve got two sisters-in-law who share my first name and took our family name. They both work in schools. I write erotic fiction. I think you can do the math.

However, in the last year or so, the line between my two identities has been blurring. In my day life, I work as a librarian. I’ve started becoming known as one of the “go to” people in the field who can be considered a reasonable expert in erotic fiction. Part of that is because people are finding out I’m also a writer of the stuff.

Even with my routinely being “outed”, I still do my best to separate my names. I never deny what I write, and give this name when asked. But, I still don’t want to link my two names. Again, it’s because of my sisters-in-law. To me, this is a basic courtesy to them. I’m not afraid to be known for what I do, but with the Internet these days, I don’t want anyone to make trouble for them due to an incomplete investigation as to which of us this alter ego belongs.

The next question that I’m usually asked is how I handle the two identities online. Frankly? I suck at it. I’m your classic example of how not to manage your identity or brand as an author. Seriously. Use me as a case study. My blog is dead. I can’t even remember if I put up an “On Indefinite Hiatus” post. I have a Twitter account that I periodically post to, and when I do, it’s because I forgot to check which account I was posting from and it had defaulted to this ID. I have a Facebook page, but I hate that no matter which identity I’m using. I’m in the process of revamping my website, so that should hopefully be updated soon! Why, if I know this is all poor web management, do I not do better? Well, I’m usually busy posting in these places as my real life identity. I’ve been on Twitter as myself for over five years, and have built up a following of nearly 4000 people. Darn keeping these identities separate! If I were to tell you my real name/web ID, you’d probably all go “I know who she is!!” Wish I could tell you. I really wish I do. However, to give you a few clues:

1. remember what I said my day profession is,
2. I’ve been at the profession for nearly ten years, but chronologically I’m still well below the average age,
3. my first initial for both of my names is the same,
4. I frequently refer to my “alter ego” (Kelly) when talking about writing under my real name. If you figure out who my day identity is, please don’t post it in the comments!

A final bit of trivia about me. I’ve been asked how I came up with my name since neither Kelly nor Maher are in my legal name. My undergrad degree is in anthropology partially because I’ve been a fan of Indiana Jones almost my whole life. Like Indy, I’m named after the dog. Seriously! We had Kelly for fourteen years, and during that time, I got very used to my mom calling me Kelly, and answering to it!, because our names sounded so similar. Maher is a family name, specifically my one great-grandmother’s maiden name. The stories my grandma would tell me of her mom showed me what a strong and progressive woman my great-grandma was. I’ve told my grandma that I’ve taken her mother’s maiden name for my writing name, and she was very proud. I even told her what I write. However, Grandma’s on the elderly side of things (even if she calls ladies 10-15 years her junior “those old ladies”), and is a wee bit forgetful. Mom and I figured she wouldn’t be too shocked for long 😀

So that’s my story of alter egos! You can find me on Twitter as @kmmaher (I was a bit slow on signing up over there) and you can do a search for me on Facebook as Kelly Maher. [NB: Probably NSFW – Not Safe For Work due to slightly racy images.) My real face is on the page! Look for reddish hair and a purple swath of fabric. Oh! I should probably mention that I’ve got a new release this fall, shouldn’t I? See, case study for bad marketer! I’m very pleased to share that my story “Homecoming” will be in the upcoming “Duty and Desire: Military Erotic Romance” anthology from Cleis Press. Kristina Wright is the collection editor and there is a great group of authors in the anthology!

Thanks so much for having me, Carolyn and the fellow Riskies! I hope I’ve kept up my great tradition of posts here.

More about Kelly

Carolyn here again. Thank you, Kelly, for sharing that email and for agreeing to post here!

You can find Kelly on the web at kellymaher.com

here’s a list of her 10 plus titles for Ellora’s Cave, Black Lace Books and other publishers.

Feel free to share your favorite Kelly moments in the comments!

Posted in Former Riskies, Frivolity, Writing | Tagged Fun with Spammers, Guest Post, Kelly Maher, Mystery Risky | 8 Replies

Book Review: The Last Duel

Updated on November 17, 2022 by carolyn

First some News

I just turned in my story for Midnight Scandals, a historical romance anthology with Courtney Milan and Sherry Thomas. I immediately started work on Book 5 of the My Immortals series. Now that Free Fall, my My Immortals novella is out of Kindle Select, I’ve also worked on getting it published to all other vendors. It should start showing up shortly.

Naturally with all this writing to do, I’ve been reading a lot because I can tell myself it’s practically work and almost writing! Writers need to read!

One of the many books I’ve read recently is Eric Jager’s The Last Duel. I’m really surprised I never heard about this book when it first came out in 2004. It’s exactly the sort of book I would have bought right away.

The gripping, atmospheric true story of the “duel to end all duels” in medieval France: a trial by combat pitting a knight against a squire accused of violating the knight’s beautiful young wife.

I loved this book. It’s everything I adore about history books and more. While I read the Kindle version– more about that later –I bought it in hardback for my dad, who I think will like it a lot, too and will also get my mom a Kindle copy. I’ve been pimping it to everyone. Even you. Especially YOU!

Based on extensive research in Normandy and Paris, The Last Duel brings to life a colorful, turbulent age and three unforgettable characters caught in a fatal triangle of crime, scandal, and revenge. It is at once a moving human drama, a captivating detective story, and an engrossing work of historical intrigue.

The quote sounds like it’s overblown, but you know what? It’s not. I finished this book nearly 10 days ago, and I read it steadily until I was done. I’m STILL thinking about it. At times I forgot I was reading about something that really happened. And then I remember that lives were truly at stake.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was the meticulous research. The duel and the circumstances surrounding it were sensational at the time and for centuries afterward. There is, therefore, an unusual amount of surviving documentation.

I fell in love a little with LeCog, the attorney for the defendant in the matter. It was plain that he was a meticulous man and quite insightful. I changed my mind once or twice about the two men, by the way. When the duel took place, I was glued to my chair, because not only did I have to know what happened, I was very much aware there was no guarantee that the outcome would be the one I hoped for.

The Kindle version was, in the main, very well put together. The footnotes actually worked, for example, in that I ended up at the right footnote and that footnote took me back to my place.

My Gripes

I have two gripes and one of them is a big one. At normal size, the images in the text were crisp and clear, but too small to read. Once I expanded them to examine maps and artwork in more detail, the images were blurry. Text in the images was unreadable.

My other gripe is that the images were in black and white. I was reading on my iPad 3, by the way, so this mattered to me a lot. Unlike print, color in an ebook does not cost a cent.

Let me say that again: color in an eBook does not cost a cent.

Those source images, many of them contemporary artwork, are in color in real life and my guess is that the original photographs were probably submitted in color, too. The image IN COLOR on the cover is also in the book. In black and white.

I would have paid extra for an eBook with those images in color and in high-resolution.

If you have any interest in the Medieval period, this is a great book to have.