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Mrs. Leicester’s School

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I’ve just read a very odd little book–recommended to me by Pam Rosenthal–of children’s stories by Mary Lamb.

Of the ten stories, three are written by Mary’s brother Charles, and they form a collection of stories told in the voices of young girls who have just arrived at a boarding school. The describe who they are, who their families are, and why they were sent to school.

Some of them are quite charming–one of them prattles on and on about a visit to the country (ooh! pretty sheep! pretty cows! more pretty sheep!) until the tactful Mrs. Leicester intervenes, stopping her in mid flow: I thought I perceived some ladies were rather weary of hearing so much of the visit to grandmamma. Some of them have a macabre air: there’s a girl who learns to read from studying the letters on her mother’s tombstone; and a very odd tale about two girls, one born to a noble family and the other a commoner, who are exchanged at birth. They yearn for, and sometimes lose their parents, and often are sent on unexpected visits to distant relatives; now all of them have been parted from their families to attend the school.

It’s an interesting venture into the world of Georgian childhood, but even more interesting in light of Mary Lamb’s life. She suffered from bipolar disorder and when she was twenty-two, murdered her mother. She was in and out of mental asylums for the rest of her life, and cared for by her brother and official guardian Charles, whom, sadly, she outlived. So when I read these stories, I was thinking of what I knew of Mary, particularly from reading Kathy Watson’s biography of Mary, The Devil Kissed Her.

Has anyone read either of these books or anything by Charles Lamb? Or do you have any favorite books that evoke childhood for you?

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Mary Sues

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A couple of weeks ago, Megan taught me about McGuffins. I also recently learned about Mary Sues.

According to Wikipedia, Mary Sue “is a pejorative term for a fictional character who is portrayed in an overly idealized way and lacks noteworthy flaws, or has unreasonably romanticized flaws. Characters labeled Mary Sues, as well as the stories they appear in, are generally seen as wish-fulfillment fantasies of the author.” (More at Wikipedia. )

The term originated in the Star Trek fan fiction community but I think romance novelists, too, often skate a fine line with Mary Sues.

Consider these characteristics of a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu).

“The typical Mary Sue is always physically attractive, and her appearance may include an unusual but natural hair or eye color. Eye colour may also be depicted as changing according to time, place, emotion, or other causes. Mary Sue’s name often has a special meaning, and if so, either she or the author will inform the cast or reader of it.”

“Mary Sue is beautiful, so Gary Stu is handsome.”

“Tragic backgrounds are also common among Mary Sues, and frequently include family abuse or neglect.”

“While Mary Sue is often bright and cheerful no matter what her past has dealt her, Gary Stu tends to be brooding and frequently violent.”

Dangerous territory for a romance author! Most of us try to depict our characters as attractive (though not always perfect) and to give them some serious problems to tackle. So when does a character become a Mary Sue?

I decided to put the heroine of my current mess-in-progress through The Original Fiction Mary-Sue Litmus Test.

Imagine my relief when she scored a mere 19 points, in the 11-20 “Non-Sue” range. 🙂

Then I decided to give the test a whirl with the heroine of Barbara Cartland’s HAZARD OF HEARTS. Even when I was a thirteen-year old reading this classic story of a heroine whose father gambles her away to the hero, I knew it was a guilty pleasure. I had to guess how Barbara Cartland felt about her characters based on things I’d read about her and tried to be conservative on those questions. But even considering that, and the fact that she has no paranormal abilities (other than surviving with chronic breathlessness), Serena Staverley scored a respectable 53 points. As I suspected, an Uber-Sue.

Given Barbara Cartland’s undeniable popularity, there were–and probably still are–many romance readers who love a good Mary Sue. Maybe Mary Sue heroines are wish fulfillment for some readers as well as their authors?

As readers, when do you think an author crosses the line between creating an attractive character with problems in his/her past to creating a Mary Sue/Gary Stu? Do you enjoy reading the occasional romance with a Mary Sue?

And fellow writers, do let us know what happens if you try this test on your characters!

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

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Bertie’s Guide to Being Beau

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Greetings! It is I, Bertram St. James, Exquisite — also known as Bertie the Beau. (Because I am. Very.)

Today I shall (attempt to) teach you all how to be more beautiful, more elegant, more….more…how can I put this?

Oh, very well, I’ll say it. More like me. (Which is of course the goal to which you all aspire.)

First, you must shun all cats. Cats have one goal in life, and that is to ensure that you are as covered in cat-hair as they are. This proves that cats are selfish, vain beasts, and do not deserve the company of such beautiful creatures as us.

Second, you must get your beauty rest. Twelve hours a night should do, but if you insist on staying up late to watch the fascinating dramas on the TeleVision Device (such as Heroes, starring the very beau Hayden Panettiere and Sendhil Ramamurthy) and find you only have eleven hours for sleep, do take a nap the following day.

Third, wash your face in cream seven times a day. (This, by the way, is yet another reason not to keep a cat, who will take far too much interest in such a procedure–after which, one’s face is sadly scoured and red.)

Fourth, you must pay your valet well. (Or your lady’s maid, if you are a lady.) Allow your man to sneak a bit of your best brandy — after all, pettiness never won loyalty — but do not allow him to drink too much of it, or you will find your haircuts uneven and your coats poorly brushed.

Fifth, and most important: be born beautiful.

Those, in short, are my guidelines. What are yours? How do you recommend treating your valet (or lady’s maid)? Do you have a cat, and, if so, how do you manage to stay beautiful?

Yours in elegance,

Bertie the Beau

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Good News Monday

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Yesterday the RITA and Golden Heart finalists were notified so it was a day of joy for many who received “the call” themselves or whose friends excitedly made their announcements.

The RITA and Golden Heart are Romance Writers of America’s highest awards for excellence in the romance genre. The RITA is for books published in 2006 and the Golden Heart is for unpublished manuscripts from aspiring romance writers. The winners of the awards are announced in July at a glitzy ceremony at the annual Romance Writers of America annual conference. I am so lucky to have experienced this excitement at its absolute fullest – winning the Golden Heart in 2003 and the RITA in 2006, so I know exactly how wonderful this recognition can be.

There was no RITA category for Best Regency this year, but Regency era romance did very well anyway! In the Long and Short Historical categories, I am figuring all but two were set in the Regency era, and one of those was set in 1750, pretty close.

Very special congratulations to Pam Rosenthal, one of our frequent visitors to Risky Regencies. Pam’s The Slightest Provocation is a RITA finalist for Best Long Historical. Hooray, Pam!!!


Another pal of mine, Tracy Anne Warren is a Long Historical finalist, as well, for The Husband Trap. The Husband Trap is also up for a RITA for Best First Book. What a thrill for Tracy!

Mary Jo Putney is also a finalist for Best Long Historical for The Marriage Spell. Mary Jo was one of the first published authors I met when I started writing and she has always been very encouraging and helpful to me.


Julia Quinn is there in Long Historical, too, for On the Way to the Wedding. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Julia at an RWA booksigning. She has hoards of very loyal fans, let me tell you!


Eloisa James’ Taming the Duke is a finalist in the Best Short Historical category. Eloisa is another author who has always been friendly and nice to me, ever since I met her years ago at the RWA conference when her first book created such a splash.

Here are the Historical finalists for the RITA:
Long Historical
Surrender by Pamela Clare
Lady of Sin by Madeline Hunter
The Marriage Spell by Mary Jo Putney
On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
The Slightest Provocation by Pam Rosenthal
The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren

Short Historical
The Barefoot Princess by Christina Dodd
She’s No Princess by Laura Lee Guhrke
A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath
The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James
Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas
Scandal In Spring by Lisa Kleypas
The Book of True Desires by Betina Krahn
The Devil’s Waltz by Anne Stuart

You can’t receive a higher romance award than the RITAs, in my opinion, but the Golden Heart contest is special in its own right. When you are trying so hard to break into publishing, there are few high spots. Mostly you endure a series of rejections until that magic moment when “the Call” comes that an editor wants to buy your book. Finaling in the Golden Heart is a huge boost. It doesn’t always lead to a sale, like it did for me, but it helps you get closer and it lets you know you do write excellent stories!

In 2003 when I was a Golden Heart finalist a yahoo loop was started for all the finalists as it is every year. But in 2003, the group just bonded in a special way and remain a strong support for each other even now, four years later. We named ourselves The Wet Noodle Posse. The Wet Noodle Posse made a great showing in the announcements yesterday!

Terry McLaughlin’s Make Believe Cowboy is a RITA finalist for Best Long Contemporary.
Stephanie Rowe’s Date Me Baby One More Time is a RITA finalist in Best Paranormal.
Mary Fechter’s Beneath the Surface is a Golden Heart finalist for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance.
Ramona Thompson’s Accidental Truth is a Golden Heart finalist for Best Inspirational.
Theresa Ragan’s Return of the Rose is a Golden Heart finalist for Best Paranormal
Trish Milburn’s Coven and her The Wishing Tree are Golden Heart finalists for Best Young Adult Romance.

What a happy happy day!! Congratulations to all the finalists and may you enjoy well-deserved recognition of fine work!

Diane won the 2003 Golden Heart for the manuscript that became The Mysterious Miss M and the 2006 RITA for Best Regency for A Reputable Rake.

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