Congratulations, Louisa Cornell! You have won a signed copy of The Scarlet Spy. Email your address to us at riskies@yahoo.com to claim your prize

(Today at Risky Regencies we’ve invited Andrea Pickens to be a guest blogger, and tell us about her newest release The Scarlet Spy! Comment for a chance to win an autographed copy…)

“Deftly blending an expertly realized historical setting and a deliciously subtle sense of wit, Pickens gives the popular espionage-tinged Regency plot a refreshing new twist as she brings the Spy trilogy to a spellbinding conclusion”–Booklist

Hi everyone! Amanda has invited me back to the Riskies to talk about my new book, which hit stores October 1. First of all, it’s so great to be back here among such a fun community of readers. I love stopping by and seeing all the smart, savvy discussions–and I never cease to be amazed by all the great things I learn here. It’s–well, it’s humbling. And inspiring, for I feel a knowledgeable, discerning audience challenges an author to try to create something really special.

Now back to the book! The Scarlet Spy is the third in my Regency-set “Spy” trilogy. The series revolves around the idea of a secret school for female spies. The students are orphans from the rough slums of London, who are trained in the art of swordplay and seduction. They’re tough, courageous, and smart (not to mention sexy!). Yet they also have an inner vulnerability.

For me, this was the foremost challenge–to create strong heroines who had very complex, and at times opposing, facets to their characters and use those conflicts to make them interesting and appealing to present-day readers. And I liked the idea of turning tradition on its ear by making women the kick-ass agents. After all, the Regency was really the beginning of the “modern” world, when so many old assumptions and attitudes were being questioned in art, politics, science, and society in general. The wars raging throughout the Continent reflected this clash of old and new. Women, in particular, were rebelling against the constrictions of the past. Many weren’t content with traditional roles and dared to explore their passions.

I’ve tried to make each of the three heroines very different individuals, and place them in different settings. Siena, from The Spy Wore Silk, is a brooding, introspective agent whose assignment involves attending an art auction at a rambling manor house in the wilds of Dartmoor. Shannon, whose explosive temper gets her in trouble, is the star of Seduced By A Spy. She sees action in Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland, where she teams with a rakish Russian spy to defeat a French assassin.

Sofia, who is featured in The Scarlet Spy, is the most ladylike of the three. Unlike her roomates, she has a natural grace and regal bearing. So it seemed right to put her in the heart of London, with a mission that calls for her to be introduced into the ton in order to learn who is running a ring of corruption operating in the highest circles of government. Not only does she spin through the glittering ballrooms of Mayfair, she also must explore the seedier parts of the city, where drugs and high-stakes gambling are just a few of the vices that abound.

I was very careful to base my plot on the realities of the time. For instance, smoking opium attracted a number of rich aristocrats who were drawn to “living on the edge.” One of the things that excites me about writing historical fiction is trying to make history come alive for those who might now know much about a particular era. For some odd reason, I’ve always been fascinated by the past–maybe because there are so many parallels to the present. I love trying to conjure up the taste, the smells, the feel of an era, so that it becomes richly textured, relevant, and real to readers.

That said, some readers have complained that my books aren’t “traditional Regency stories.” In other words, they are Risky! I take that as a huge compliment. Those who think the Regency just a polite world of formal tea parties and balls, governed by rigid rules of decorum that no one ever dared to defy have obviously never read the posts here. As all the Riskies have often pointed out, beneath the silks and satins was a darker side to Regency life. Sex, gambling, drugs, gossip, corruption–these forces were just as much in play in the 19th century as they are now. After all, human nature is human nature! So, while I may push the boundaries a bit, I take pains to be precise with historical details. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction!

I’ve been accused of being far-fetched in making women sword-wielding spies. But I like to point out that my research turned up a number of fascinating facts that show the era was anything but strait-laced. I wonder how many people know that there were actually women fighting onboard British ships at the Battle of the Nile, one of Nelson’s great victories. There are stories of females enlisted in the navy disguised as men, but Naval records confirm that Ann Hopping, who later remarried and was known as Ann Perriam, served as a powder monkey during the Napoleonic Wars.

And there’s the story of the cross-dressing Cound d’Eon, who disguised himself as a woman to spy in Russia–or was ‘he’ a ‘she’ who disguised herself as a man to spy in England? Wagers abound in the betting books of London regarding the true sex of the expert duelist. (An autopsy proved once and for all that d’Eon was indeed a man).

Research is always a fun part of writing a book. The Scarlet Spy is set in London, one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’ve been lucky enough to visit there a number of times over the years. So I’ve had a chance to walk through the parks and streets, studying the architecture and little details like door handles and window shapes. One of my favorite afternoons was accidentally stumbling upon St. George’s, Hanover Square, where many aristocratic weddings were held!

And of course the museums and galleries offer a wealth of inspiration. The Victoria and Albert is a treasure trove of fashion and everyday items, from keys and dinner plates to tea tables and wallpaper designs. (I think the guards thought I was a little weird getting down on my hands and knees to study a carpet pattern…) The world class art galleries, especially the National Portrait Gallery, also show a fascinating array of people and scenes of everyday life from the era.

Closer to home, I’m very lucky to live near a fabulous resource of original material from the Regency. The Center for British Art at Yale has a wonderful study room, where visitors can peruse the collection of prints and watercolors. I’ve spent hours looking at prints by Rowlandson and Gilray. I’ve also been able to go through boxes of Turner watercolor sketches (yes, actually touch them!). That’s been such an inspiring experience I’ve made the hero of my current WIP a gentleman artist.

In case you’re wondering what’s next after the spies of Mrs. Merlin’s Academy, I’m working on a new trilogy for Grand Central Publishing, which revolved around a small circle of intellectual females. The new trio of heroines are beautiful, brainy ladies with an expertise in science–and each has a dark secret in her past that comes back to haunt her. They’re scheduled for release in 3 consecutive months, but they won’t hit the shelves until early 2010. I hope to be back sometime in the future to tell you more about it! In the meantime, please check out my website for chapter excerpts, arcane trivia, and the chance to win autographed books from me and other GCP authors.

Hello, Risky Readers! I’m back from my travels, and ready to get back to writing and blog-reading (after finishing the laundry, anyway). It was a wonderful trip, and in the next few weeks I’m sure I’m going to be using my research in lots of posts. It’s hard to narrow down what I liked best (chocolate eclairs, maybe?), but these were some favorites:

Versailles: I especially loved walking around the gardens (the weather was beautiful), and exploring the Domaine de Marie Antoinette (the Petit Trianon and the too-cute-for-words Hameau)

Artists’ walk in Montmartre: I saw where Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Picasso, and many others lived and worked (plus Amelie’s cafe!)

Bath: This was just a quick day trip, but I got to have tea with the lovely Nicola Cornick at the Pump Room! Also explored museums and walked along the Circus and the Royal Crescent (there was an exhbit of costumes from Miss Austen Regrets at the Jane Austen Centre)

The Globe: I went to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe; Shakespeare as it was originally seen! (Sort of–it was an evening show, with artifical lights. But still magical)

Lunch with the Harlequin editors: That’s Linda Fildew and Joanne Carr with my mother and me, at an adorable French restaurant near their offices in Richmond! They have promised to visit Risky Regencies very soon, so stay tuned.

All in all, a fabulous visit, despite the exchange rate. What have you all been up to in my absence?? I see I missed dancing, books coming out, and Isaac Mizrahi interviews!

And, just in case you’re in the Christmas spirit (and who isn’t on October 4??), A Homespun Regency Christmas is on shelves now. It features my novella Upon a Midnight Clear (one of my favorite things I wrote for Signet Regencies), along with stories by Sandra Heath, Carla Kelly, and Emma Jensen.

A bientot! Happy Saturday, everyone.

If it’s Saturday, I must be packing to hop on the Eurostar to head to London! What I’m doing there…

Stepping back to the 16th century at the Tower

Watching Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe! (and also wishing I had tickets to the RSC’s sold-out Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart)

Visiting Bath for the day (tea at the Pump Room!)

And hopefully taking in museums and eating fish-and-chips in fun pubs

Cheerio, and see you next week!

Megan’s post about Ridiculous Teenagers got me thinking about a related aspect of Regency heroines. Along with a trend toward somewhat older heroines, there’s also a trend toward more sexually experienced ones. For instance, I’m noticing more widow and courtesan stories. But even among unmarried heroines, there are fewer of the old-style naïve virgin.

Personally, I find the extremes—either the clueless heroine raised under a rock and the unmarried lady who somehow knows everything and even what it’s called—need some setup to make them believable.

Just because Regency misses were not supposed to know anything about sex doesn’t make me think that was always true. There probably were some who were so closely chaperoned and secluded that they had no opportunity to figure things out. I could buy that in a story, based on the author’s setup, and I wouldn’t despise a heroine just for being ignorant (we all were once). But I also don’t like to equate “ignorant” with “innocent”.

I think there were ways a girl might have learned things, intentionally or accidentally. She might have overheard servants’ gossip. Living in the country and observing animals might spark curiosity–though I think it could lead to some funny mistakes, too! Gentlemen often owned some pretty explicit materials: books, pictures, naughty snuffboxes and the like. Though they probably tried to keep these items out of sight of ladies of the house, there could have been the Regency equivalent of stumbling onto an older brother’s Playboy stash. Moreover, if the lady had many sisters, or a large circle of friends, and especially if she went to a girls’ boarding school, I’d bet that at some point she might hear something from someone who heard it from someone else. Of course, the knowledge a heroine gets some of these ways might still be incomplete or incorrect—which could be interesting story fodder!

I could also imagine that if the heroine were raised in an eccentric, bohemian, liberal sort of family, she might know things that most didn’t. We also don’t know what mothers (or older sisters, or married friends) might have told a young bride-to-be. They might have told her to “think of England” but what if the friend or relative was herself the heroine of an earlier romance? What kind of advice might she give?

I don’t want all heroines to be alike, so for me, as long as the author has set up her background appropriately, I’m willing to believe just about any degree of knowledge.

What about you? What do you think they might have known? What sorts of unmarried Regency heroines do you find believable?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com