Author Archives: Diane Gaston

About Diane Gaston

Diane Gaston is the RITA award-winning author of Historical Romance for Harlequin Historical and Mills and Boon, with books that feature the darker side of the Regency. Formerly a mental health social worker, she is happiest now when deep in the psyches of soldiers, rakes and women who don’t always act like ladies.

Regency Heroes by Diane Gaston Perkins

Updated on February 25, 2013 by Diane Gaston

Let’s face it. I’m in this business for the heroes.

What could be better than spending your days with some hunky gentleman in pantaloons, Hessians, and a coat by Weston, who says things like, “You’ve bewitched me, body and soul.”

Sigh!

The Regency gives us such wonderful heroes. Wealthy marquesses and dukes. disreputable Rakes (as opposed to my Reputable Rake, on sale in May, shameless self-promotion here), corinthians, gamblers, impoverished vicars, and my favorite–

The soldier.

I’m with Mrs. Bennett when, in Pride & Prejudice, she says, “I remember the time when I liked a red coat myself very well—and, indeed, so I do still at my heart.”

That’s me. Show me a man in his regimentals and I’ll show you a potential hero.

Take a look at these fellows:

Sigh!

Maybe I love military heroes because my father was an Army colonel. I grew up with that whole military mind-set of duty and honor and country. Woke up to reveille. Went to sleep hearing taps. Or maybe it was listening to all those Chivers audiotapes of the Sharpe series, hearing William Gaminara read, “Sharpe swore.”

Writing a soldier for a hero gives so much dramatic potential. The hero faced hardship, faced death, experienced scenes we would find horrific. He’s honed his body to be strong. When he returns to England from war, he must look on the society to which he returns in a whole new light. I think it makes for lots of interesting possibilities.

I have a brazillion books on the Napoleonic war. Three of my favorites are:

Waterloo: Day of Battle by David Armine Howarth. It tells the story of Waterloo from the soldiers point of view.

Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket by Richard Holmes, This book covers everything about being a soldier during that time period.

Galloping at Everything: The British Cavalry in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo, 1808-15 by Ian Fletcher. This covers all the major operations engaging the cavalry and discusses some of the controversy around them.

I have another book that makes me sad: Intelligence Officer in the Peninsula, Julia Page, editor. These are the letters and diaries of Major the Hon. Edward Charles Cocks, a man who loved soldiering with a passion that makes the journals occasionally boring. It makes me sad because the war takes his life. Even Wellington grieves his loss.

I’d love to write a series of Napoleonic war love stories, sort of Bernard Cornwell-style but with a really satisfying romance. A lofty dream.

Okay, let’s face it. I just want to spend my days with some hunky officer in regimentals.

Diane

Okay. It’s not Regency but it is Gerard Butler as Spartan King Leonides at the Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC. Hey, he’s a soldier, too, right?

Posted in Reading, Regency, Research, TV and Film, Writing | Tagged gorgeous men, Heroes, military heroes | 7 Replies

Cato Street Conspiracy

Updated on February 25, 2013 by Diane Gaston

Argo won Best Picture at the Academy Awards last night, a movie about government intelligence and secrets and cunning and daring. I was holding out for Les Miserables, but, oh well.

193 years ago, on Feb 23, 1820, government intelligence of the domestic sort and an almost revolution of the French sort played a crucial role in an event that became known as the Cato Street Conspiracy.

The times were unsettled. The end of the Napoleonic Wars and the shift from the rural agricultural society to an Industrial one set off economic hardships. Events such as the Spa Field Riots in 1816 and the Peterloo Massacre the previous August showed the social unrest and the call for parliamentary reform. The government’s response to the unrest were The Six Acts, repressive measures which were aimed at limiting the freedom of the press, preventing large meetings, and otherwise attempting to prevent the possibility of an armed insurrection.

When King George III died in January, 1820, a revolutionary organization called the Spencean Philanthropists saw an opportunity. They hatched a plan to barge in on a dinner to be held by Lord Harrowby and slaughter the entire British cabinet and the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool. The man who suggested the plan was George Edwards, second-in-command to the leader, Arthur Thistlewood. The killing of the cabinet ministers would be the first act an overthrow of the government and would spark a revolution similar to the French Revolution. Or that was the plan.

The problem was, it was a set-up. George Edwards was an agent provocateur, a government spy. While the conspirators gathered at a house on Cato Street to launch their attack, a Bow Street Magistrate and twelve of his Bow Street Runners were waiting across the street. At 7:30 pm they apprehended the conspirators. In the ensuing brawl, Thistlewood killed one policeman. All the conspirators were apprehended at the scene or later.

Four of them, including Thistlewood, were hanged and beheaded. Others were transported.

The government used this event to justify the Six Acts but in the House of Commons, Matthew Wood MP argued out that the government had used entrapment to smear the campaign for parliamentary reform. Had the government merely set the whole thing up or had their clandestine activities prevented a collapse of the government?

That could be the difference between the endings of Les Miserables and Argo!

What movies did you want to win at the Oscars? Which movie stars? (I was glad Ann Hathaway won)

Posted in Regency, Research, TV and Film | Tagged Academy Awards, Cato Street Conspiracy | 4 Replies

My First Time by Diane Gaston Perkins

Updated on February 23, 2013 by Diane Gaston

(My first time blogging to Risky Regencies, that is. What were you thinking?)

Julia Ross is a hard act to follow but I’ll try. I thank Janet Mullany for my interview of last week. It gives a good idea of my writing life, my split personality, and the books I have out (and my A Reputable Rake coming in May!)

One thing Janet did not ask was why I chose to write in the Regency time period. I suspect my fellow Riskies have discussed this before. I have not searched all the previous blog entries, so I don’t know for certain. I may belabour this topic over the next few weeks, so this is just an overview, adapted from my Author! Author! article on the Warner website.

First of all, the Regency was a beautiful time period. The lovely Classical architecture and decor of the Georgian age became more varied and colorful, but avoided the excesses of the Victorians. The Regency was a time of great wealth, of beautiful Country houses and gardens, of lovely, elegant fashions. Gone were powdered hair, white wigs, and heavy make-up of the Georgian age. Regency women wore beautifully draping empire-waist silks and muslins, dresses that would still be considered lovely today. Men’s clothing also became more like our modern clothing, the bright-colored brocades and laces of the 1700s giving way to the simplicity, cleanliness, and perfect tailoring Beau Brummell insisted upon. Men and women rode though Hyde Park in fine carriages drawn by perfectly matched horses. The titled elite gathered in exclusive places like Almack’s and White’s. Men sported at Gentleman Jackson’s Boxing Saloon or Tattersal’s. Ladies made “morning calls” in the afternoon, and made their curtsey to the Queen in opulent gowns.

Exciting people lived during the Regency. My favorite is the truly great but imperfect Duke of Wellington, the man who defeated the Emperor Napoleon, but there is also the Prince Regent (“Prinny”), Lord Byron, Beau Brummell, Jane Austen, Caroline Lamb, Harriette Wilson (who Amanda wrote about in her April 15 blog about courtesans), and so many more fascinating people.

The Regency time period echoes our World War II era in my mind, a time of great courage, honor, and drama, and one that eventually led into great social change. The drama of the long war with Napoleon, culminating in Waterloo, a battle still discussed, written about and fictionalized today. Also occurring at this time was the War of 1812, less victorious for the British, events in India, and the humming of impending social change, the beginning of the decline of the upper classes and the growth of wealth from industry and trade, social unrest nipping at the heels of the class system.

The Regency is a transitional period between the decadence of the 18th century and the repression of the Victorian Age. As such there are elements of both, providing rich opportunities for dramatic conflict. For example, it is an age when the idea of marrying for love came to the fore, and yet, marriages of convenience still took place. Women–married women, that is–were still allowed to enjoy a sexual relationship, although more discreetly than did their Georgian mothers. Their poor Victorian daughters were not so lucky. Roles and behavior were more fluid in the Regency, less defined than the eras before or after, allowing the novelist great license to explore.

The Regency is an accessible period: Distant enough to provide an escape from every day life into a world of beauty and conflict, but familiar enough to be able to imagine ourselves living in it.

I love going into the world of Regency England every time I sit down to write. It often becomes as real to me as if I truly lived there. I aspire to bring the Regency vividly alive in my books so readers might love it as much as I do.

It is great to be among this wonderful group of authors who feel that same love of the Regency and that same desire to explore it in new, exciting, and “risky” ways.

Cheers! Diane

Posted in Regency, Research | Tagged Diane Gaston, Diane Perkins | 9 Replies

Happy Presidents Day

Updated on February 22, 2013 by Diane Gaston

This is the day (third Monday in February) that we in the US celebrate our two greatest Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, with a Federal holiday. The holiday used to take place on February 22, which was Washington’s birthday, but in 1971, it was combined with Lincoln’s birthday, Feb 12. Lincoln’s birthday used to be noted, especially in school lessons, but we didn’t get off work.

By combining the celebration of the two birthdays into one Monday holiday, we got a three day weekend and a perfect time for stores to offer great sales. We also improved the opportunities to hold formal celebrations of the Presidents themselves.

One wonders what people in the Regency thought of George Washington, who by then was a memory, having died in 1799. The British people had two close examples of populous rebellion, the American and French Revolutions, and both were still coloring their lives with the Napoleonic war and the War of 1812.

Napoleon and George Washington had two different takes on leadership.

Napoleon seized power whenever and wherever he could, declaring himself Emperor and invading other European countries. There was no doubt in the people’s minds that Napoleon wanted to conquer Great Britain, too.

Washington, on the other hand, provided a model of refusing power. Even though he had promised to resign his commission as Commander of the Continental Army at the war’s end, there were several of his generals who had pleaded with him to seize civilian power and declare himself king. He discouraged the Newburgh Conspirators from attempting a coup de tat. He refused a third term as President.

Mason Locke Weems, the first biographer of Washington, wrote of why Washington was greater than George III or Napoleon or other leaders. His The Life of George Washington was the best-selling book in the USA for 100 years, second only to the bible. Of course, several of the incidents related in Weems’s book are known to be fabrications even though some achieved the status of legend, like the story of the cherry tree in which the boy George tells his father, “I cannot tell a lie. I cut down the cherry tree.”

When hearing that Washington intended to resign his commission after the war instead of seizing control of the new nation, George III said to artist Benjamin West, “If he (Washington) does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

Napoleon seemed to agree, although in a characteristically competitive way. He said, “Posterity will talk of Washington as the founder of a great empire, when my name shall be lost in the vortex of revolution.”

Lord Byron contrasts Napoleon and Washington in his Ode To Napoleon, written after Napoleon’s defeat.

Of Napoleon he begins:

‘Tis done—but yesterday a King!And armed with Kings to strive—And now thou art a nameless thing

Near the end of the poem, he mentions Washington:

Where may the wearied eye reposeWhen gazing on the Great;Where neither guilty glory glows,Nor despicable state?Yes—One—the first—the last—the best—The Cincinnatus of the West,Whom Envy dared not hate,Bequeathed the name of Washington,To make man blush there was but one!

Happy Presidents Day!
Do you have a favorite quote or story about Washington? What are you doing this Presidents Day?

Posted in Research | Tagged George Washington | 6 Replies

Guest Author Manda Collins and How To Dance With A Duke

Updated on February 22, 2013 by Diane Gaston

I’m delighted to introduce our guest today, debut author Manda Collins whose How To Dance With A Duke is getting some nice buzz!

When I first met Manda, she was a reader and a reviewer who was wonderful enough to say nice things about my books. Now I’m thrilled that she is here as our guest author and is receiving some of the same.

“Collins’ debut delivers a fast-paced, adventurous love story that will enthrall readers. Her dynamic characters, a murder and passion combine with the perfect amount of lively repartee.” RT Book Reviews

“With sparkling Regency wit, a dash of mystery, and just the right amount of steam, How to Dance with a Duke is an enchanting debut, sure to sweep readers off their feet!” —Tessa Dare

Manda is giving away a signed copy of How To Dance With A Duke to one lucky commenter chosen at random.

Welcome, Manda! Tell us about How To Dance With A Duke.

This is my debut novel, and it’s the first in a trilogy about three wallflower cousins who must do battle with a Regency mean girl, solve mysteries, and find true love–all in the space of a season. In this story, Miss Cecily Hurston, an Egyptologist, must join forces with the newly minted Duke of Winterson to find her father’s travel diaries and Winterson’s missing brother. Think Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen. Or old school Amanda Quick.

We love a debut author! Tell us a little about your journey to publication and what it was like to get “The Call.”

I’ve been writing since my teen years, but didn’t do so with a serious eye toward publication until 2007 or so. I wrote one novel, a Victorian set in country house, that landed me an agent, but alas, did not sell. So I regrouped, licked my wounds, and decided to return to my first love–Regency romance. Since I’ve been reading Regency in one form or other since I was a pre-teen, it was like going home. I wrote How to Dance with a Duke, my agent loved it, and it sold five months later.

I got the call one morning while I was brushing my teeth. But because I am suspicious and didn’t want to tempt fate, I hadn’t programmed my agent’s number into my phone, so I thought it was a wrong number and let it go to voicemail. On the way to work though something kept niggling me about that call. So as soon as I go to the office I checked my email, and sure enough there was a message from my agent, Holly Root, telling me to call her. And when I looked through the rest of my email, I saw that Holly Blanck, the editor at St. Martin’s who was reading my MS, had followed me on Twtitter. I knew then that the news was good. I called Agent Holly back, she told me that Holly Blanck had offered me a three book contract and I’ve been grinning like a crazy person ever since.

You’ve been active in the Romance Writing community for a long time. What was it like to move from reader and reviewer to author?

It’s been kind of strange at times. I have never had a shortage of opinions on various issues in the community, so there have been some moments since I made the transition from reader to author when I’ve had to forcibly remind myself to just keep quiet. It’s not that I don’t think authors should have a place at the table–I actually get twitchy when it feels like the blogosphere would rather we just shut up and write–but there are times when as an author it’s just common sense not to get involved. If someone doesn’t like my book and writes a review about it, there’s just no good way–with a few rare exceptions–for an author to join that conversation and have it end well. On the other hand, I feel like getting published has given me insider knowledge that I can use to help other writers who are just starting on the road to publication, so it’s not all a matter of biting my tongue. And I still review every now and then. I’ve always been one of those “only if I have something good to say about it” reviewers anyway so that hasn’t really changed. Though I don’t really have as much time for it as I used to.

Why did you decide to write a Regency Historical?

As I said earlier, I’ve been reading Regency, both trad and historicals, since I was in middle school, so I was Regency before it was the hottest thing going. Which I sometimes feel like I have to defend since there seems to be a backlash in some quarters against the period. But I adore it. The social customs, the witty banter, the sense that society is kicking up a dust before the coming strictures of the Victorian period. Plus, as some of you may know, I am a sucker for a dandy and sadly there were very few of them in the latter part of the century.

What is risky about the book?

Believe it or not, the mystery element. Again and again while I was on submission I got rejections from editors who loved the story but were unsure of how to sell it because it felt like neither fish nor fowl. Fortunately Editor Holly has a fondness for mystery mixed with romance so when it landed on her desk she snapped it up. Or that’s how I imagine it. She might very well have carefully lifted it.

What is next for you?

Next up is the next book in the trilogy, How to Romance a Rake, which comes out this summer in late July. And just last week I accepted another three book contract from St. Martin’s Press for a trilogy with the tagline I Know What You Did Last Season. So I have plenty to keep me occupied writing-wise for the next few years or so.

And now I have a question for you. Do you like a bit of mystery mixed with your romance? What are some of your favorite examples?

Comment for a chance to win a signed copy of How To Dance With A Duke.

Posted in Giveaways, Interviews | Tagged How to Dance with a Duke, Manda Collins | 34 Replies