Greetings from the Big Apple!
Amanda and I are having a wonderful time. 
We arrived in NYC Thursday and had dinner with fellow regency author, Andrea Pickens and afterward the three of us went to Lincoln Center to see American Ballet Theatre‘s Le Corsaire.
Friday we went to the Metropolitan Museum and spent lots of time looking at 18th and 19th century paintings and sculpture. Then Andrea and our very own Risky, Megan joined us for lunch and a long tour of the decorative arts section of the museum. Here’s just one example of the sort of items we oohed and aahed over.
Friday night Amanda and I attended a special viewing of the Heart of a Woman exhibit, celebrating 60 years of Harlequin books cover art. My favorite cover was an old one, Love Me and Die. We met Max Ginsberg, cover artist for many of the past Harlequin covers. On display were several of his works, all worthy of being hung in art galleries as fine art.
Saturday was Book Expo America, where Amanda and I signed The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor. Deb Marlowe, the third author of our anthology, was supposed to come with us but she got sick and couldn’t travel to NYC. We missed her!
Harlequin treated us very well, though, and in no time at all we gave away every copy of our book that the publisher provided.
Sunday we went to The Strand Bookstore where Amanda and I bought lots of research books. Our friend Kwana (who took the booksigning photo above) went with us, but she only bought a couple of books. Kwana had also gone to Book Expo and came back with three totebags full of free books. Amanda and I did not get any free books at BEA.
Megan and Kwana joined us for dinner. Also with us was my good friend, Hope Tarr, whom I haven’t really seen since she moved from DC to NYC.
Tonight is Lady Jane’s Salon where Amanda and I will be reading excerpts from The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor. All our New York friends, Megan, Andrea, Kwana, Hope, and others will be there too.
Wish us luck on our readings!
Do you have a favorite place in New York City? Or one place in the city you would most like to see? (Mine is the Metropolitan Museum!)
I can’t wait to welcome our newest Risky, coming this Wednesday, June 3!
Winner of Elizabeth Roll’s Lord Braybrook’s Penniless Bride will be announced tonight.
The Unlacing of Miss Leigh, my Undone short estory, hit number one on the Harlequin eBook Best Seller list again last week!
Stay tuned to discover if Deb Marlowe’s An Improper Aristocrat or my The Vanishing Viscountess or Scandalizing the Ton won the Desert Rose Golden Quill contest. Winners should be announced today!
One of my favorite places is the Frick Museum, but the Met runs a close second. The Frick has one of my favorite Vermeers and some beautiful Whistlers. Although I know Whistler’s Mother quite well I had not seen his other work. It seems almost sad that he is mostly known for the painting of his mother when there are so many others that he did so well. There are also quite a few Gainsboroughs in the collection. That’s the thing about the Frick…there are NO small players. Every painting in that museum is by someone you know. Although I must admit I like finding obscure artists, like Fyt.
As a musician I would have to say my favorite spots in New York are The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall. Oh and the Bronx Zoo !
However, the Metropolitan Museum is a favorite haunt as well. And the New York Public Library.
I haven’t been to New York in a very long time and I would LOVE to visit again.
Sounds like Diane and Amanda are having a great time!
Diane and Amanda you two are the best! Thanks for letting me crash all over you NYC weekend. I had so much fun with you. I’m loving the The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor.
I have to say, being a native New Yorker, my favorite place in all of NY is The Met. I’ve loved it since I was a young girl going with my mom and then on countless school trips. I’ve taken my kids many times and I used to play in the park next door when it was filled with dirty sand.Eww. It holds a special place in my heart.
I like Central Park and just walking around taking in the architecture. Which I’m going to get to do a lot of this summer when I’m there for six weeks with my daughter.
How fabulous to see Le Corsaire and go to the Met. Have a wonderful time at Lady Jane’s Salon. Madame X looks like a hoot of a venue.
Isn’t Max delightful? He painted all my covers for Avon and I purchased nearly all the originals. Also visited his apartment/studio to see one on the easel, in progress. His fine art is as exquisite as his book illustrations can be.
I, too, love the Frick. And I always have fun getting lost in the Met collections. I’m always on an adrenalin rush in NYC, culture cramming, hanging with my actor chums, meeting publishing people…the time flies past!
It sounds like you’re having a wonderful time! The closest I’ve been to NYC is the airport, which isn’t very close. 🙂 When I was little, my parents took the older children to NYC but left my younger brother and I at our aunts. They thought the city would be too dangerous. Whenever it comes up, they now say they should have taken us with them. Wish I could be there for the reading. It will be great!
Sounds like you NYC venture is busy, exciting and lots of fun. The Met and Library are favorites but I plan on seeing the Tenement museum. As well as Elis Island.
Have a great time. 🙂
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com
Well, Jane Austen, of course you would have known Whistlers mother and Gainsborough and all those people!!
Margaret, how wonderful that you were able to purchase Max’s paintings of your cover art. I’m envious. There was one painting on display of a Regency hero that I would have paid serious money for!!
We almost went to the Frick and to the NYPL, but maybe next time!
Amanda is off to Grand Central and I’m supposed to be writing, but I’m waiting for the maid to come… grrrrrr it’s 2:30 pm.
Well I wouldn’t have known Whistler….he was a little after my time. Though I suppose I could have run across his mother.
I am really into art though and know quite a bit about it. The Baroque is probably my favorite time period especially in the Lowlands (the Netherlands, etc). I’m learning Dutch so I can go over there one day.
Deb…not sure if you’re reading this, but I just bought An Improper Aristocrat because I LOVE Egypt and Regency combined….perfect!
Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. I have never travelled outside of Australia except for a cruise around the Pacific a few years ago but I would love to visit New York and another place I would love to go is the Scottish Highlands.
Have Fun
Helen
I’ve been to NYC once and that was just a day conference I went to and didn’t get much time at all to do anything, so I do want to go back. I’m in NY but all the way over on Lake Erie (on the west!) So some think I’m close but its a 10 hour drive or more. But I did visit a couple of schools for the deaf there and I do want to go to the Metropolitan Art Museum. I get some info in the mail on interpreted tours. I love tho visiting art galleries! Thanks for sharing your trip! I so can’t wait til we do ours to there. We promise we will some anniversary soon (not this one, its next week, but soon!) And looking forward to Wednesday’s new Risky!