Author Archives: Elena Greene

About Elena Greene

Elena Greene grew up reading anything she could lay her hands on, including her mother's Georgette Heyer novels. She also enjoyed writing but decided to pursue a more practical career in software engineering. Fate intervened when she was sent on a three year international assignment to England, where she was inspired to start writing romances set in the Regency. Her books have won the National Readers' Choice Award, the Desert Rose Golden Quill and the Colorado Romance Writers' Award of Excellence. Her Super Regency, LADY DEARING'S MASQUERADE, won RT Book Club's award for Best Regency Romance of 2005 and made the Kindle Top 100 list in 2011. When not writing, Elena enjoys swimming, cooking, meditation, playing the piano, volunteer work and craft projects. She lives in upstate New York with her two daughters and more yarn, wire and beads than she would like to admit.

The dog ate my homework and other excuses

Updated on May 9, 2014 by Elena Greene

I was meaning to do a giveaway of the paperback version of Lord Langdon’s Kiss today, but well, for that, I’d have to have the paperback ready.

I am grateful for the patience of my fans who prefer paperback, because I had originally advertised a date of April 20th. That was madness, considering I was visiting in-laws over spring break. Since getting back, I’ve been trying to catch up with household stuff, college financial aid paperwork (my oldest made her choice about a week before the May 1st deadline) and church lady (minus the hairnet) activities. Plus, I volunteered to help judge the Royal Ascot, a contest run by the Beau Monde, RWA’s Regency special interest chapter.

Nonetheless, I was on track to proofread this week…un LLK_Page_Proof til my two year old printer died, amid screams from daughters needing to print homework. This is the second printer I have bought and installed in the past four years. How come the 25 year old TV that used to be in my apartment when I was single is still working, but printers last 2 years or less? I know, it’s planned obsolescence (not even talking about the highway robbery that is involved in the selling of replacement print cartridges). Anyway, I have splashed out a little more money on a laser printer this time, in the hope that reports are true and it will last longer and need less frequent toner cartridge replacements. Because I’d rather be writing!

Anyway, I finished proofing yesterday, but it hasn’t gone live yet, so the giveaway will happen in a few weeks.

So how do you feel about gadgets and appliances? Are you like those people in the commercials who throw their old stuff out the window so they can get shiny new stuff with added features? Or are you a curmudgeon like me who wants things to just keep doing what they’re doing and gets grumpy when they don’t?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

Posted in Anything but writing | 10 Replies

Escape! (I mean writer’s retreat)

Updated on April 24, 2014 by Elena Greene

I’ve been having the craziest month and it is my own fault. I probably shouldn’t have planned to travel for spring break, negotiate financial aid with colleges, plan a major church event and publish two titles in one month. My bad.

I did it all (not without some wear and tear) and I am here now, with four wonderful writing friends, loads of delicious food, chocolate and wine. In fact, I’m enjoying a nice Cabernet/Shiraz blend as I’m writing this.

I do have a serious goal for the weekend: to brainstorm new stories. I can write in short sessions, which is what I can mostly manage at home, but the extra time on retreat is helpful for characterization and plotting.

What is everyone else doing this weekend?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

Winners of Lord Langdon’s Kiss!

Updated on April 18, 2014 by Elena Greene

Congratulations to the following winners of Lord Langdon’s Kiss in ebook format!

bn100
Judy
Satu
Rhonda
Lesley

I’ll be contacting you each, but if you don’t get an email from me, feel free to email me at elena @ elenagreene.com (no spaces).
Thanks for visiting the Riskies!

Elena

Posted in Risky Regencies | Leave a reply

Gail’s Winners and Lord Langdon’s Kiss Giveaway!

Updated on April 11, 2014 by Elena Greene

First of all, Gail would like to thank everyone who participated in the fantastic discussion of epilogues last week. She also asked me to announce the winners of her giveaway. Congratulations to Beth Elliott and Linda, who have won Kindle or Nook versions of The Captain’s Dilemma, the Regency romance which Gail has recently reissued with a lovely new epilogue.

This week I’m celebrating the reissue of my Regency, Lord Langdon’s Kiss, which unlike The Captain’s Dilemma, needed a lot more work than the addition of an epilogue. Lord Langdon’s Kiss was my first book, and although I’m proud that it sold, I’ve learned a lot in the fifteen years that have passed since I wrote it. In this version, I tackled an issue I’d shied away from the first time around and found that it helped me torture the hero a little more. That’s always a good thing. I also pruned out a lot of redundant introspection, cutting about 17,000 words. Maybe I can make a novella out of the chopped bits.

Anyway, I feel very happy about the revisions and I’m pretty sure I kept everything that people enjoyed about it the first time around. I’m hoping my favorite review is still true.

“Lord Langdon’s Kiss is a fine Regency romp that will satisfy lovers of the genre like ice-cold lemonade on a hot afternoon. This is what Regency romance is all about.” (Four hearts) — The Romance Reader

I think the digital revolution has been a wonderful boon to the traditional Regency genre. It’s helped make many previously published Regencies available to new readers, and also opened up a market for new traditional Regencies, filling the void left when the major publishers ended their Regency lines.

Have you discovered or rediscovered any good traditional Regencies lately? Please share, for the chance to win a copy of Lord Langdon’s Kiss on Nook or Kindle.

Elena

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Posted in Giveaways, Risky Book Talk, Winners announced | Tagged Elena Greene, Gail Eastwood, LORD LANGDON'S KISS, The Captain's Dilemma | 12 Replies

Romance Series and Giveaway!

Updated on March 27, 2014 by Elena Greene

While my critique partners and beta readers have been reviewing Lord Langdon’s Kiss, I’ve been working on another project: reuniting my “Three Disgraces” Regency series in an ebook bundle.

Comment on this post for the chance to win one of 5 copies on either Kindle or Nook. (Apple and Kobo are still in the works.)

The Three Disgraces includes reissues of The Incorrigible Lady Catherine, The Redwyck Charm, and Saving Lord Verwood. Although many Regency ladies were educated by governesses at hom, my three heroines met at one of those select schools for girls we sometimes read about. Although they’re very different in terms of birth, interests and temperament, none of them quite fit in for various reasons. And so they developed a warm friendship while defending themselves against the catty set at the school.

I had so much fun writing this trilogy. I didn’t really plot ahead, other than coming up with the issues each heroine would have to deal with and what sort of hero would challenge her the most. Somehow it all came together. I’ve mostly written standalone books, but I have to admit it’s also a lot of fun to spend some time with characters you loved in a previous book, and help beloved secondary characters get their own stories.

Now I’m contemplating another series. This one involves more characters over a longer period of time, so I’m thinking I should maybe plan a little. Luckily, I have a writers’ retreat coming up which will be a perfect time to brainstorm.

Do you enjoy series? Why or why not? And for my fellow authors, how much planning do you do up front for your series? Any tips and tricks?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

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