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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.

Sexy Voices and Winners!

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I love a man with a sexy voice. There are some actors I probably like as much for their voices as for appearance and acting talent. Although it’s not easy to convey in writing, I’m always thinking about how my heroes sound to my heroines.

Colin Firth’s voice has always been part of his appeal for me. I even thought he was the one male lead in Mamma Mia! who wasn’t painful to listen to.

In singing voices, I especially love a good baritone, whether it’s Jim Morrison of the Doors or a classical baritone like the Welsh Bryn Terfel. Here’s a clip of him singing “Vagabond” by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

I can’t end without mentioning my favorite bald hottie, Patrick Stewart.

My apologies for not having any more recent hotties in this list. When my husband had his stroke three years ago, I literally went into a cave for a while and I’m still slowly crawling out. So please help me out. So who do you think has a sexy voice? If I get enough suggestions, maybe I’ll put together a post for next week.

And congratulations to the following winners of a Kindle or Nook copy of THE WEDDING WAGER. Please send your email address, and if you wish, the email address of a friend who might enjoy a copy, to elena @ elenagreene.com (no spaces). Also, please be sure to let me know if you want Nook or Kindle.

marybelle
pixzlee
Barbara E
Na
G Bell

Elena
www.elenagreene.com
www.facebook.com/ElenaGreene

Posted in Music, TV and Film, Writing | Tagged , , , | 12 Replies

The Cads Duke It Out!!!

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All right — over the past week we decided that, in a fight, Sean Bean’s Richard Sharpe could clobber Russell Crowe’s Jack Aubrey, Ciaran Hinds’s Captain Wentworth, and Ioan Gruffudd’s Horatio Hornblower. (Though there were a few random votes involving Hornblower and a bubble bath — not entirely sure what those meant.)

We voted unanimously that Judi Dench’s Lady Catherine De Bourgh could wipe the floor with Barbara Leigh Hunt’s Lady Catherine, break her in two like a twig, spread her on a crumpet and feed her to the pugs.

Opinions were divided on whether Duck-face Miss Bingley (a.k.a. Anna Chancellor) or Sleeveless Hussy Miss Bingley (a.k.a. Kelly Reilly) would win in a fair fight. Er, make that an unfair fight. Biting, scratching, and all sorts of cheating predicted, particularly from Sleeveless Hussy.

Today, we have a NEW SURVEY!

It’s called WHICH CAD WOULD WIN?,
or, THE CADS DUKE IT OUT

Here we have it: a boxing ring. Or a wrestling match. Or a fight to the death with toothpicks. Whatever takes your fancy.

In one corner we have Greg Wise’s Willoughby, from the Ang Lee Sense and Sensibility — healthy, charming, and able to ride a white horse.

In a second corner, we have Rupert Friend’s innocent-looking Wickham, from last year’s film of Pride and Prejudice. He’s tall, gorgeous, and has a sword. Maybe he knows how to use it!

In the third corner, we have Adrian Lukis’s Wickham, from the 1995 BBC/A&E Pride and Prejudice. He’s a sly fellow, always smiling, and always up to something.

Who would YOU put your money on?

WHICH CAD WILL WIN???

Cara
—
Cara King, www.caraking.com
MY LADY GAMESTER — Holt Medallion and Award of Excellence finalist!

Posted in Frivolity, Jane Austen, TV and Film | Tagged | 8 Replies

Getaways

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It’s been a rough week or so. The kids have been sick. I won’t bore anyone with the gory details, but they were . . . gory. It’s pretty sad when going to the mailbox feels like an outing.

I need a real one now.

I’ve managed to eke out a bit of writing time, but it’s been tough. It’s a bit like having sex—you can deal with a few interruptions, but too many and it’s really, really hard to recapture the mood. Like a couple who need to get away for a weekend, I need to get away with my muse (inner artist child, Girls in the Basement, subconscious mind, whatever you call the place ideas come from) and get her to stop sulking.

The little darlings are both in school today. If all goes well, I don’t get a call from the school nurse, and they continue to do well tomorrow, I’m heading out to the Corning Museum of Glass. I’m going to do a leisurely tour of the galleries (for fun, not research except in the laziest way), have lunch at the café and go make a sun-catcher at the Walk In Studio. Last summer my kids made projects there and as I was helping them I decided I’d like to try my hand at one myself. It’s time.

Whether you’re a writer or not, getting out and doing something fun and creative helps keep the juices flowing for other parts of your life. It’s what Julia Cameron calls an “Artist’s Date”. You go out to the movies, to a concert, bake, paint, take a walk in the woods or anything you think is fun and NOT directly related to your job. Anything that makes you feel like a kid with a brand new 64-count box of Crayolas.

Do any of you (writers or not) do Artist’s Dates (whether you call them that or not)? What do you do to keep your mojo? To get it back when it’s deserted you?

Elena
LADY DEARING’S MASQUERADE, RT Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee
www.elenagreene.com

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | 4 Replies

Carrot or Stick?

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Recently a friend sent me a link to stickk.com. According to the website, StickK is a method for setting and achieving goals developed by Yale economists. You make a commitment contract (for exercise, weight loss, writing, or just about any other goal) and if you don’t meet your goal, you donate a sum of money you designate to a cause of your choice.

It got me thinking about my work-in-progress and the snail’s pace at which it is progressing. In my defense, I’ve been really trying to work for an hour every day. When I miss, it’s usually due to issues related to my disabled husband, the kids or the house. (It is NOT a good thing when you are on a first-name basis with your plumbing and heating guys.) But there are days when I’m tired and the words don’t come.

Although it sounds like StickK works for a lot of people, I’m not sure it would be right for me. I already have a tendency to beat myself up, so maybe I don’t need a program like that to do it to me.

One thing I have learned helps my productivity is seeing my progress visually. When I participated in National Novel Writing Month a few years ago, I loved logging my daily wordcount and watching the graph update. So this week, I decided to look for something similar. Here’s my progress bar from storytoolz.com.

Click to view daily statistics

Unfortunately, life intervened on Wednesday and Thursday and so I haven’t had the fun of updating my wordcount. As for today, a dear friend and I are taking a mental health day and going for what is probably our last hurrah of the season on the ski slopes.

Next week I will be productive. I promise!

How about you? What sort of motivation do you find works best?

Also, Heaven Sent is my working title, but I’m worried that it sounds too much like an inspirational romance. What do you think?

Elena
http://www.elenagreene.com/
www.facebook.com/ElenaGreene

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | 8 Replies
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