It is my distinct honor and pleasure to be a guest blogger here! The Risky Regencies are the blog of my heart, the blog that along with Squawk Radio introduced me to the romance community and fired up my desire to write.

I started reading RR in June of 2006. In those early days I couldn’t muster up the courage to comment on any of the posts. However, when Gerard Butler as Beowulf graced the pages of RR, I couldn’t stop myself!

That first comment emboldened me to visit daily, leave more comments, then comment on the comments by others. (Note from Risky Regencies: You see how commenting is a slippery slope!!) Here’s how the first week went:

On July 3, Diane wrote The Gerard Butler Post
On Tuesday, Cara blogged about Period Views of America, hilarious quotes by Americans of “our” period in honor of Independence Day.
Then Elena talked about Roughing It describing a flooding disaster that struck her home and actually made me weep.
Janet’s discussion about How Literate We Are according to the top 30 books of British librarians was a surefire “Uh=oh!” for me.
Megan’s recounting of the events of her son’s birthday had me wishing she would organize my daughter’s party.
Amanda finished up the week with A Brief History of Soccer in honor of the World Cup.

You can see why I was hooked. How could I not be?!

The Riskies vary widely in their hobbies and interests, but are united by their love of history, books, and writing. I have learned so much from them. Diane and Amanda introduced me to craft of writing, the ups and downs of the writing life, and the modern joys of Project Runway and Dancing With the Stars. Cara added to my 3-year long Netflix list with all the versions of Jane Austen movies, made me into a cardsharp 200 years removed, and delighted me with her brilliant Austen Trek.

Elena showed me how to write from the heart, how to balance writing with motherhood, and how to serve colored meals for holidays (red food for Valentine’s Day, orange for Halloween, etc). If blog posts were to have emotions, Janet’s posts would always be smiling, for instance this and this. If there’s anything about the servant life in the 1800s that Janet doesn’t know, then it’s not worth knowing. From Megan I discovered that Clive Owen has hundreds of publicity headshots, everyday life can be fashionable, and it’s alright to be sad or silly, but for heaven’s sake don’t be boring!

A year and a half later, I’m still here, chatting just as much as before! In the course of dedicated blogging by the Riskies and their guests (with a special shout-out to Todd and our dear beau Bertie), I have made fast friends who’ll see me into the next decade and beyond.

If I’ve made a small contribution to the Risky community, then I’m indeed blessed. Ladies, thank you from my soul and the soles of my feet for having me here!

Keira Soleore can be found in many (many!) spots in the online writing world! She’s the board moderator for Candice Hern’s message board, she’s at her own website, and at her blog Cogitations and Meditations (see the links on Risky Regencies!). If you wish to nosh about Top Chef, email her straightaway.