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.
Welcome home, Amanda! It looks like you had a fabulous trip!! And isn’t Nicola Cornick an absolute doll! Did she talk about my favorite of her fellas, Monty? (For those who don’t know, Monty is Nicola’s dog!)What have we been doing? Waiting for you to come home, of course! Off to work now and to go in search of the Regency Christmas! I LOVE Regency Christmas anthologies!
Welcome back, Amanda! I’ve known about this trip of yours forever, but I didn’t remember that your mother was going too. How wonderful for her to meet your editors! I hope they treated you to a terrific lunch.
And how nice to see Nicola! And to be in Bath. Sigh. And to be where Picasso et al lived. Le Sigh, as Keira would say.
I can hardly wait to hear more about the trip. And see more photos.
“Did she talk about my favorite of her fellas, Monty?”
As a matter of fact, she did! And I shared pics of my dogs in their new Halloween costumes. 🙂 I didn’t get to meet Monty, though.
And I also loved those Christmas anthologies! The holidays are so crazy, they were the perfect length to sit down and have a little escape. I hope they bring out lots more of them.
“How wonderful for her to meet your editors!”
She had such a good time! While I had to “talk business” she got a long tour of their offices, including the archives where there were books piled up to the ceilings. I was jealous!
Ohhh! I wish I could have gone with you. The pictures look fabulous. 🙂 I’m so glad you got to visit the Richmond office. Our editors look great!
Welcome home–what a great trip!
I saw a few minutes of the tech rehearsal for Midsummer Night’s Dream–fairies wearing tutus and ripped leggings (male and female), right?
Janet
That sounds like an amazing trip. I saw Midsummer at the Globe this summer, and although I was a bit skeptical about a middle-aged man in gold sneakers as Puck, I really enjoyed the performance. So cool! Glad you had a great time.
“fairies wearing tutus and ripped leggings (male and female), right?”
That’s the one! 🙂 And Titania had this fabulous huge hot pink satin and tulle gown, plus a big flower bed. The Puck was actually not my favorite of all the Pucks I’ve seen–there wasn’t enough, well, Puckish-ness about him. (the one in the “Shakespeare Retold” movie was great), but the Rude Mechanicals were hilarious. I thought I would fall off my narrow little seat laughing at their Pyramus and Thisbe.
It was a great experience to see more closely how Shakespeare was originally seen. The interaction with the audience, the comparatively simple sets, the very casual atmosphere with the open sky above–wonderful. I have to write an Elizabethan theater story now!!
It all sounds wonderful, Amanda!!!
So far at the Globe I’ve seen Two Gentlemen (and my back killed me), and Titus Andronicus (wow). (They were renting out backrests by then, so my back was okay!).
I’ll now go dream of tea in the Pump Room…
Cara
I did find out that the backrests are nice. I don’t know what people did without them. 🙂 I also enjoyed leaning on the rail!
Welcome home! Great pictures. Bath. I’d love to visit Bath and walk in the footsteps of one fo my favorite authors of all time. And you got to have tea with Nicola Cornick. How cool is that!
Can’t wait to get my hands on Homespun Christmas. I love Christmas anthologies and gobble them up every season.
Ha! Ha! Gobble them up. I crack me up sometimes!
Welcome back, Amanda! It sounds like a lovely trip. London and Bath are two of my very favorite cities, and I’ve never spent any real time in Paris. (Not that I’m envious. Much.)
Todd-who-will-have-to-find-time-to-go-someday
Oooh. Look at that picture of you, Ammanda, in your scarf in the sunshine. Very chic!! Welcome home, dear. You were much missed. Looks like you and your mom had a fabulous trip. And now I know where you get your looks from. Your mom’s beautiful!!! She also looks so proud to be meeting your editors.
So…you liked the Petit Trianon. What did you think of the Hall of Mirrors? Is there a story in the offing set in the glittering court of Louis XIV? Much political intrigue within France and with England then (well, when has there never been?)
WOW. Shakespeare at the Globe. Amanda, you have to give us the details on how you planned this trip. When did you start? Did you use a travel agent, or did you make all the individual reservations by yourself?
I adore Nicola’s books. She’s such a marvelous writer. If I remember correctly, she’s the expert tour guide of one of the historical estates. Louisa, do you remember which one Anna Campbell mentioned she visited in summer 2007?
Congratulations on the printing of HOMESPUN. I added it to my Amazon order that should be later this month.