Amanda, Megan, Janet and I are bound for the RWA Conference this week, not exactly a “day at the beach,” but a lot of fun in its own way. Still, it did get us thinking about vacations, especially beach vacations. Instead of proceeding through our hectic lives or the hectic conference, we imagined going to the beach and sitting under a beach umbrella, listening to the waves and READING!
What books, we asked ourselves, would we pack?
In each of our blogs this week, we are going to tell you!
Starting with me.
Traveling to Atlanta today, Monday July 24, I will worry only about what book to take on the airplane. (That’s not all I’ll worry about. At the conference I’ll discover if The Mysterious Miss M wins Best Regency in The Bookseller’s Best or The National Reader’s Choice Awards. And if A Reputable Rake wins the RITA for Best Regency. Yipes!)On my return flight, I’ll likely pick one book among the many freebies we’re bound to receive.
But if I were going to the beach? I scoured my To-Be-Read piles and selected the books I’d most want to read if I could spend this week sitting under a beach umbrella. My choices are confined to friends’ books. I don’t even dare to consider widening the book pool to include all the possibilities.
Regency Books:
Lady Midnight by Amanda McCabe – “our” Amanda. I’ve had the book for ages and it is on the top of my pile and is a Booksellers Best finalist for Best Historical.
The Naked Marquis by Sally MacKenzie – I enjoyed her Naked Duke and want more!
Love is in the Heir by Kathryn Caskie – her conclusion to the Featherton sister series
To Love a Thief by Julie Ann Long – her RITA finalist for Short Historical
Others: (these are all by my pals in the Wet Noodle Posse, who are way too prolific for me to keep up)
A Rogue in a Kilt by Sandy Blair – I loved her debut, A Man in a Kilt
Run for the Money by Stephanie Feagan – Again, I loved Show Her the Money, up for Best First Book in the RITAs.
Learning Curve by Terry McLaughlin – a Harlequin Superromance I peeked into and can’t wait to finish
The Runaway Daughter by Anna DeStefano – ditto
The Mancini Marriage Bargain by Trish Morey – one of those delicious Harlequin Presents
Oh, there are so many more I could list! I could not possibly get through all of these on my beach week, but these are the ones I would pack.
(speaking of packing……did I remember everything?)
Cheers!
Diane
I’ve been enjoying my research into India during the Regency for Wolfe’s story (Wolfe of the Ternion in The Marriage Bargain). The story will begin in India, assuming Warner’s approval of my next idea, but will mostly take place in England.
I’ve discovered some interesting things about the English in India. In the early years of the East India Company it was not uncommon for the English company men to adopt a native lifestyle, native dress, taking Indian wives. Such men were tolerated in the early years and not much was made about them, but later, closer to our time period, adopting native habits was beginning to be frowned upon or looked upon with suspicion. Typically, by the Victorian age, it was not tolerated at all, given the certain belief that the British were superior in all ways.
I’m reading White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth Century India by William Dalrymple, which tells the story of James Achilles Kirkpatrick, a Colonel and an Ambassador, who married Khairunnissa, the daughter of an Indian noble family. Kirkpatrick converted to Islam to marry her and—according to a web article—spied for the Nizam against the British. The marriage was a happy but brief one, lasting only four years. The couple produced two children who were sent to England. Shortly after, Kirkpatrick unexpectedly died. It was 1805. Their mother never saw them again. She was soon seduced by Kirkpatrick’s assistant and kept as his mistress until she died a few years later at age 27.
At the time of Kirkpatrick’s marriage, one of the British who expressed concern over Kirkpatrick’s allegiance to Britain was Colonel Arthur Wellesley, in India after vanquishing the Tipu Sultan.
In the book Original Letters from India by Eliza Fay there are interesting details about life in India, but also a great amount of detail about her travel to India. Across the Suez, her caravan was attacked. And later, finally in India, the ship was boarded by the local Indian governor’s soldiers and Eliza, her husband, and the other passengers and crew were taken prisoner. She hid their watches and other small treasures in her hair.
Cheers,
Diane
I am back from New York City, city of terrorist plots to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel and where subway employees get attacked with chain saws. You’d never know it from my experience. My sister-in-law, Rose, and my friend Katie and I had a great time! We saw my daughter, which is the best thing, and we did typically New York tourist things like visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art 
and walk through Central Park. 
We went to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and my high school classmate’s sister, Mary Stahl, who has been in POTO from the beginning of its Broadway run 18 years ago, gave us a backstage tour, so we got to see how all the special effects are done. The backstage of a Broadway theater is not glamorous, but it is fascinating. We had tea at the Ritz, which was glamorous. 
Rose and I visited the World Trade Center site, which now looks like a place of rebirth rather than the devastation I saw when I paid homage there in 2002.
And, as I mentioned in my previous post, we went to see Beowulf & Grendel, the Gerard Butler movie that is experiencing a limited release in the US. Its NY opening at a little theater in SoHo, The Quad Cinema, was an event. First we gathered with other GB fans for dinner at Stouts, a restaurant near Penn Station. Who should I see when I first walk in, but fellow Harlequin Historical author, Terri Brisbin!
We had no idea the other would attend. In appreciation for the GB fans’ support of his film, the director, Sturla Gunnarsson, came to the restaurant and the theater. This whole event was a unique experience.
Let me tell you, there are Gerard Butler fans who are even more dedicated and enthusiastic than I am! And they are all nice, normal people. GB gave a great performance in the movie and the scenery (Iceland) was spectacular. It is well worth seeing if your city is one of the lucky ones. If not, the DVD will be out in August, I think.
So all that had nothing to do with the writing life, but I thought you would like to know…I also had my meeting with my editor at Warner, Melanie, and my agent, Emily, both lovely people whom I enjoy seeing. Melanie had not finished reading Blake’s story, so I still don’t know if it will need big revisions or minor ones. She didn’t like the synopsis of Wolfe’s story–not enough conflict between the hero and heroine, their backgrounds were too similar, and the plot revolved around secrets–other than that it was okay (g) So all that agonizing over an Indian heroine was for naught. No Indian heroine needing rescue from sati by Wolfe in Warner book #4, but I already have another even better idea. I’m not going to tell though. This one is a secret.
I am not upset with the rejection of my synopsis, by the way, because I agree with Melanie’s criticisms of it. Besides, rejection is all part of the writing life, no matter if you are published or not, and in this case it is a good thing. I want to write a great book, not a mediocre one, and it is Melanie’s job to see that I do!
We also talked business, about things like release dates (Blake’s story will probably be released Sept 2007) and covers (We’re looking for a sexier design) and titles. Or lack of titles, really. We still don’t have a title for Blake’s story.
I have not heard back from Mills & Boon about Mallory Pickerloy’s (g) story, but I should hear this week. Waiting is also part of the writing life.
Have a great week, everyone!
I’m at that exciting scary time of starting a new book. The possibilities are endless. That is the exciting part AND the scary part. I need a way to focus, to narrow it down.
So, I’m thinking of those popular Romance and Regency themes.
I’ve written several marriage of convenience plots (The Mysterious Miss M, The Wagering Widow, Scandalizing the Ton), forbidden love (Innocence and Impropriety, Gallant Officer, Forbidden Lady, Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Lady, Born to Scandal), and road stories (The Vanishing Viscountess, The Liberation of Miss Finch). I’ve done a reforming the rake plot (A Reputable Rake), love at first sight (Innocence and Impropriety,Valiant Soldier, Beautiful Enemy) and reunion stories (A Twelfth Night Tale, A Not So Respectable Gentleman?).
Here’s a great list of Classic Romance Plots, by the way.
I could categorize the next book, A Reputation for Notoriety, but it doesn’t fit neatly into one category. It has elements of a few – forbidden love, opposites attract, boss/employee…and another that would be a spoiler!
My challenge for this to-be-written book is to take one of these classic romance plots, twist it in some interesting way, and devise a story that hopefully readers will love.
Do story ideas come easily to you? What are your favorite romance plots? Are there any Regency plots that you want to see? Any that you think have been overdone?
