Things change, people change, and time moves on.
(Unless one has a time machine. And Todd hasn’t built one for me yet, though he did give a talk this week to a group of eminent physicists on the cool things one could do with a time machine! That’s my trusty Todd. Who else would have the nerve to do something like that?)
But, as I said, time moves on. And I’ve decided that now is the time for me to move on.
I think I really need to focus on my young adult writing now, for one thing. (I’m not great with focus, and I find that cutting out distractions helps there.)
Plus, I really need to focus on my writing. That is, my work-in-progress. I love the Riskies, I love being here with all of you wonderful folks, and talking about Drury Lane and the rules of duels and the writing process and great covers and Gerard Butler and Clive Owen and Orlando Bloom and great Jane Austen (and Scarlet Pimpernel) movies…but sometimes I love it too much. 
Sometimes it takes up too much of my time, and energy.
So I’ll be leaving the Riskies. (Wow, it’s hard to type that!)
Next week will be my final week here…and so I decided I wanted to do a humorous post next week, and give you all the heads-up and farewell today….so that next week I can sign off with a lighthearted post, if not with a light heart.
I will miss you all so much! Though I will stop by from time to time, and I may even do a guest blog every now and then…who knows? (I still owe Diane that Jane Austen’s Phantom that I promised!)
As to the Jane Austen Movie Club, it will be up to the other Riskies whether or not it will continue. We were getting fewer and fewer comments on it anyway, so I think if it goes, it goes at a sensible time. We did have some great discussions!
So to my five fellow bloggers and all of you wonderful readers and commenters: thanks for all the fun, all the education and information. Thanks for your friendship and warmth and concern. Thanks for years of good times!
I’ll miss you all….
Cara
Cara King, who will still try to stay Risky
Needless to say, I completely understand and support your decision, Cara! I know, better than anyone (except you!), how much time and effort you’ve put into the blog, and how you’ve been wanting to spend more time on your writing. But it is sad when things end. 🙁
Still, in the spirit of celebrating the happy rather than bemoaning the sad…
– I loved “Austen Trek” and its various spin-offs. (“Rime of the Vulcan Mariner,” anyone?)
– I loved the “Jane Austen Movie Club.”
– I loved all the stuff about Regency Theater, Dueling, Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.
– I loved reading the fun and clever comments of the people who make up the Risky community (even if some fail to acknowledge the supremacy of Jennifer Ehle). You all rock!
And most of all, I loved seeing you display the wit, knowledge and humor that you have in such abundance, and which are such a big part of why I love you. 🙂
Todd-who-will-miss-Cara’s-Tuesday-posts
I’ve enjoyed your posts. Good luck with the YA.
SO…Thanks for all you’ve given us so far. WISH YOU THE BEST! GOOD LUCK! :):):)
MG
Oh no, Cara! Say it ain’t so! I DO understand the need to concentrate on the writing and if the YA is where your happiness lies that is where you MUST go.
However, I am definitely going to miss Austen Trek and all of your various flights of fancy based on the works of Miss Austen. Sheer genius, my dear, and I know they must have taken up a tremendous amount of time.
I loved all of the pithy comments and the visits with dear Bertie!
Please continue to lend your wit, style and grace to the blog whenever you can! You and the other bloggers ARE the Riskies and the rest of us have benefited tremendously from you all.
NNNNNNNNNoooooooooooooooooo… ‘Tis a dark, dark day that’s arrived. You’re Riskies, Riskies are you. How can I survive a week without something utterly humorous showing up here? And Cara, with you gone, Bertie and Todd will be gone, too.
And Todd, I cannot make with the happy. I have to grieve here first — and read Cara’s full post. All I read is the moving on part and jumped here to the comments.
Good luck, Cara! As a high school library clerk, I’ll be looking for your YA titles in the future. 🙂
I’m still too upset to comment sensibly. I’ll be back when I’m more coheren.t
Well, I am DESOLATED!
I knew Cara before I joined the Riskies. Was so happy when she sold, but it was here on this blog where I learned to appreciate her humor, wit, and skill in putting seemingly disparate elements together. I mean, she drew the attention of the Jane Austen Magazine!
These talents are, I fear, too big to be confined to our little blog. I hope so much that Cara finds another niche in publishing, YA or a totally new genre (Austentrek!!)I’m so going to support that!
But, I’ll miss you, Cara!!!! You and Todd and Bertie, because who else can pry Bertie from the Tele Vision! I’ll be happy for you next week; this week I’m going to be a watering pot.
🙁
🙁
🙁
While I understand your rationale completely, Cara, I shall dearly miss all the smiles your posts gave to me.
If you ever want to discuss any or all things YA, just e-mail me.
Best,
Jane
Oh, Cara, we’ll miss you, too!
Thanks SO much, Todd, Victoria, MG, Louisa, Keira, Maggie, Diane, Jane, and Susan!
(Bertie will stop in later to say hello…he’s currently rewatching Lost on the Tivo and cannot be budged…)
Cara
Oh Cara, I’m so sad that you won’t be here on Tuesday’s at the Risky Regencies, but bravo on the YA novel. We’ll miss the Jane Austen Club, and I hope you come back to give us Jane Austen’s Phantom.
I hate for things to change!!! I want my comfy blog, waaahhh!
But, Cara, I insist you come back the minute you sell the YA and tell us all about it…
You can’t go! Oh, Bertie, tell her she can’t go! Absolutely not. Not acceptable. *sigh* Oh, if you must. Then I shall wish you joy and peace and success in your new endeavor. Know that I will miss your warmth and humor and thank you for all the sharing. It was because of the Georgette Heyer discussions here that I finally picked up These Old Shades. I didn’t know much about Jane Austen either, until being gently introduced here. I’ll also miss the AustenTrek and other delightful bits and bobs. God bless.
~Judy
I completely understand where you are coming from Cara. I know the time gained for writing will be so worthwhile for you. I’ll miss your witty and imaginative posts.
I hope you guest blog from time to time. I, for one, am interested in hearing more about your WIP. Come to it, I’d also love to hear about it when it’s published.
I am so touched!
Elizabeth, Amanda, Judy/Ladyhawk, and Santa, thank you so much!
And Judy, what a thrill to know that you read These Old Shades because our blog spread the Word of Heyer. I feel we did a good deed there.
And yes, I’ll definitely stop in here when and if there are any announcements to be made on my work in progress… fingers crossed… 🙂
Cara
Cara, I completely support your decision to write. It takes a lot of guts to identify the change you need to make and then to go do it, when in the process you have to let your baby go out in the world by itself. It must be gut-wrenching for you, but at the same time, I’m hoping it’s also exciting, too, for all the creative energy you’ll now have to spend on the next stage of your writing career. See you on e-mail and Facebook.
Todd and Bertie, you need a quiet little send-off, too. You two will be greatly missed.
Todd, your parenthetical comments and signature status messages, your time machines, and your pseudo-physics-Austenesque replies and sharp, acute observations will be very much missed.
Bertie, my beau, I vow I shall never recover from this hand you’ve dealt me today. We were soulmates, meant to be, forever. Now you’re saying, ’tisn’t so. And I’m bowled over by sorrow.
((even if some fail to acknowledge the supremacy of Jennifer Ehle)
I almost missed this passing dig. Hah! Just remember, we’re one-even in our duel. So any time you feel the urge to challenge me to another one over the fair Ehle, you know where to find me.
Dreadfully sorry I’m late…the TeleVision Box was on, and I have discovered TeeVo, so I was watching the Beautiful People Show, also known as Lost. (I am forever amazed that Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly can be so attractive after living on a desert island for so long. That island must, indeed, have deeply powerful magic.)
Mme Cara King, I am sorry that you are leaving the Risky Writers, and only hope you do not as a result turn into a grumpy old woman like my dreaded Aunt Gorgon and begin denying me my rightful Teevo privileges…
And my dear Keira, of course I will always be yours! (That is…you do have Teevo, do you not?)
yrs, exquisitely as ever,
Bertie the Beau
I’m terribly sad.
Oh, Rob, don’t be sad! Then I’d have to feel guilty. Then you’d have to feel guilty that you made me feel guilty. And if I made you feel guilty, think how guilty I’d feel! 🙂
Cara
The blog will be a different place without you, Cara, but fortunately you, Todd, and Bertie will drop in now and again.
Now go and write that darned book and astonish the world of YA!
Cara, I totally understand the need to commit more time to writing. But I will miss you dreadfully and hope that you, Todd and Bertie, I hope you come back and visit OFTEN. And you MUST keep us posted on the YA; remember we’re an eclectic bunch of readers here!.
Could have sworn I posted here, but maybe it disappeared. . . anyway, I’m so sad to see the news, but I can understand why. . . and will definitely miss you, but as long as you peek in once in a while, then it’s all okay. And Bertie too. 🙂 But will oh so miss the Austen Treks and spinoffs and movie clubs and just everything! 🙂
Lois
Coming in late to the sad news! We’ll miss you, Cara, but wish you all the best in your writing!
Hope you’ll pop in and give us updates on what the kitties are doing and all of Bertie’s latest addictions!
I’ll comfort myself with thoughts of guest posts.
I’ll eagerly look out for announcements of your other works. Also, I think you should know I love your so-supportive husband. He raises the DH bar.
Cara, you know I can’t feel guilt.
Nonetheless, it is you who dragged me into this interesting world, and I thank you for that – what a group of talented and dedicated people I never would have had any knowledge of without you.
You will be missed, but I love the focus on new things that you’re trying to accomplish.
Janet, Elena, Lois, Deb, and M, I’m truly grateful for your comments and support!
Deb, the kitties are both almost over colds right now, and have gone from the affectionate lassitude of illness to rediscovered rambunctiousness. Their new games:
— hey, let’s pull down the towels!
— hey, if I pull on this cord, it does something!
M, thanks for the husband-praise! Sometimes I think Todd’s goal in life is to make any girl who said “well, I like you as a friend, but I’d much rather date some jerk who isn’t so nice” realize she made the wrong choice. 🙂
Cara
M wrote:
Also, I think you should know I love your so-supportive husband. He raises the DH bar.
Gosh, thanks so much! That’s very sweet.
Keira wrote:
Todd, your parenthetical comments and signature status messages, your time machines, and your pseudo-physics-Austenesque replies and sharp, acute observations will be very much missed.
Thanks, Keira! I’m glad you liked them. I will try to stop by from time to time. Recently I’ve been so busy that I’ve often not gotten to posts until very late anyway. 🙁
Keira also wrote:
So any time you feel the urge to challenge me to another one over the fair Ehle, you know where to find me.
I will! But first I plan on several months of intensive training. Need to get right on that…
Rob wrote:
Cara, you know I can’t feel guilt.
Whoa! You’re like the anti-me! What’s your secret?
I will miss everyone at RR–but I will try to drop by on occasion and say something irrelevant.
Todd-who-now-feels-guilty-about-his-propensity-to-feel-guilt
Good Luck with your YA books! We will miss you, so come back if you get a chance sometimes, because we really enjoy your post! Spend your time with the writing its more important!
Thanks, Virginia!
Cara