By popular request (Amanda’s), here are my Vulcans. Note the properly stoic expressions. My older one is a science officer in Starfleet; the younger is still living on Vulcan and studying for the Starfleet Academy entrance exams. We always have a script. 🙂

We like to carve pumpkins to go with the theme. Here they are. We are rather proud of them, but we are not the only ones to do this. Googling around, I found some really amazing Star Trek themed pumpkins. I also found this Jane Austen pumpkin. Cool, no?

“Shared worlds” like Star Trek are a lot of fun. Other popular shared worlds are Oz, Tolkien’s Middle Earth, the world of Harry Potter, and historical periods like the Regency.

People love these worlds so much that they create collections, go to conventions and play dress-up. They also get upset if there are inaccuracies (or perceived inaccuracies) in their portrayal. There are all sorts of reactions, from the reasonable to ones who have perhaps forgotten that this is all in fun? There are people who created online lists of every deviation from the books in Peter Jackson’s LOTR films. A friend who does Civil War reenactments has been criticized for using a machine to make her dresses.

And probably every author of Regency romance has or will hear from a reader upset over her depiction of the Regency.

Sometimes these are about real historical inaccuracies–Regency fans are extremely knowledgeable and authors can and do make mistakes, despite sincere attempts at accuracy. (It’s the stuff you didn’t realize to look up that bites you.) But I also think some readers form their notion of the Regency not from history, but from other books they’ve read, which adds to the confusion.

There are so many variations on the Regency. There’s the real historical Regency. There’s the Regency according to Jane Austen: accurate, but limited to the sorts of events and situations she experienced personally. (For instance, I read that she never wrote a scene with only male characters.) There’s a somewhat different Regency in Georgette Heyer’s books. A slightly different version again in the old traditional Regencies, and yet again with the long historicals.

There’s no other way to explain readers who think no one had sex during the Regency (I got that in an Amazon review once). Perhaps there are some now who think dukes regularly married courtesans. (Improbable, but why not?)

I find it hilarious–and also kind of charming–how many versions of the Regency authors have created. How many more peers of the Realm can the island possibly hold? Yeah, I’m guilty of adding my part. Though I do my research, I know that the world I depict is largely in my own head. I hope readers will enjoy it, too. That’s the whole point.

What do you think? have other favorite shared worlds? Did you “visit” any of them for Halloween?

Elena

The winner of the download of To Court, Capture, and Conquer is–Kirsten! And the winner of a signed copy of Regency Christmas Proposals is–Maureen! Congrats! Please send your snail mail addresses to us at Riskies AT yahoo.com

Yesterday I turned in revisions for my June 2011 paranormal, My Dangerous Pleasure. I’m already two days behind for NaNoWriMo and will be starting The Next Historical immediately.

So, Carolyn, when are you going to talk about the Regency?

Shut up.

Is that your lame way of avoiding telling anyone you didn’t have a blog post ready because you were busy with revisions and watching election returns?

Maybe.

I knew it.

Nobody likes a know it all.

The truth hurts, baby.

I think it’s time for a poll.

I have nothing special to say today, so you are going to get very random thoughts!

Random Thought 1. I’m fully aware that the writers among us are thinking about or starting NaNoWriMo. I just received my revisions for Book 3 of the Three Soldiers Series, so there’s no way I can NaNoWriMo.

But here’s a tip….If you quickly want to find a series of NaNoWriMo tips, just google “NaNoWriMo tips.” There’s lots out there. (This tip works for anything you want to find, and works on other search engines, too)

Here’s another tip, especially useful for historical writers. Don’t get bogged down in research. If you aren’t sure of something or need more information, just write in “Needs research” and highlight it or put it in a different color font. If you want to be able to search for it easily, put in some searchable symbol, like * or parentheses.

Think how much harder it would have been to do NaNoWriMo in 1816.

Random Thought 2. What if Elizabeth Bennett had email? What might her inbox look like? There is a very clever website called Famous Inboxes by Mark Brownlow that shows us Elizabeth Bennett’s Inbox.

You may have seen this already but it is worth another look. Apparently it caught the attention of a UK Newspaper last month. And, Judy, there is a Lord of the Rings Inbox, too.

I’m just bummed that WE didn’t think of this. It’s right up Carolyn’s or Janet’s alleys. (I hope Janet’s booksigning went well, by the way!)

Random Thought 3. With all the talk of clever costumes last week, I thought you’d be dying to know what I wore to my friend Helen’s Halloween party. So here it is! I’m with my mouse….er, I mean, my spouse. We spared no expense of time or trouble with these costumes. None at all!

Oh! Oh! My books are being featured all week on Novel Works by Jerri Hines facebook fan page. Stop by and leave a comment! Today is Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress day.

What random thoughts are you having today?
If you are doing NaNoWriMo, why are you reading this?
Did you have a fun Halloween?

I’ll be back at Diane’s Blog on Thursday!

Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you’re all having a good/scary time and haven’t eaten too many Kit-Kat bars as I have. The town where I live had their trick-or-treat last night, so my festivities are now over and I’m onto thinking about the next holiday (Christmas!) and the rush of new releases coming up in the next two months. Where has the year gone???

But thinking about Christmas is perfect for my first November release! (Since I have 2 releases in November and my new Laurel McKee book, Duchess of Sin, in December, I am spending the next few weeks visiting blogs and running around to bookstores in addition to wrapping presents and mailing cards…) Snowbound and Seduced is my new Christmas novella in Regency Christmas Proposals

“Mary Bassington, Lady Derrington longs to be the carefree woman she once was. But she gets more than she bargained for this Christmas when she’s snowbound with old flame Dominick, Viscount Amesby, who reignites her passion for life–and love!” (from the back cover)

I had so much fun working on the Diamonds of Welbourne Manor anthology with Diane and our friend Deb Marlowe that I loved getting to re-visit the characters for this story. I had never really intended for Mary Bassington to have her own tale, but after I met her I became very curious. Why was she so sad? What was going on between her and Dominick? Snowbound and Seduced was my chance to find out and give them their very own holiday HEA (and also catch up with some of the Welbourne crowd!).

I also love snowbound stories, am totally addicted to them, so it was easy to devise a plot for Mary and Dominick that would get them together again and make them talk to each other finally (among other activities…). They have to join forces to set out in nasty winter weather in order to track down her naughty younger sister–who has eloped with Dominick’s cousin! On the way they find out the truth about the past, and discover that their love has never died. And they have a lovely, holly-berry Christmas too! (Regency Christmas Proposals also includes stories by Carole Mortimer and Gayle Wilson, so it’s a great holiday treat! It’s available at Eharlequin, and you can find excerpts and more info at my website)

“A heart-warming tale of unrequited young love that comes back to haunt and stoke flames of passion!” –The Season Reviews

My second November release, a Harlequin Historical Undone story with the all-encompassing title To Court, Capture, and Conquer, has nothing at all to do with Christmas, but it’s also a “cabin” romance! Set in Elizabethan England, Lord Edward Hartley is finally poised to take his long-planned revenge on Sir Thomas Shelton, a villain who once destroyed Edward’s brother. Edward will kidnap Shelton’s virginal intended. But he gets the girl’s beautiful, sophisticated aunt, Lady Elizabeth, instead! (It’s available at Eharlequin now as well!)

Trapped together in a country cottage, they find a passion neither of them ever expected–and a way to heal the wounds of the past. I loved seeing Edward and Elizabeth find happiness together, and I loved the setting too, the seamier side of the 16th century. Look for these characters to continue in a full-length novel next year, release date TBA…

You haven’t seen the last of me this year, either! I will be at various blogs in coming weeks (Word Wenches on November 24 to promote Duchess of Sin, followed by The Season on the 30th, Borders on December 15, and SOS on December 6, along with Nicola Cornick. Lots of chances to win! I also have a great contest going on at my Laurel site until December…)

What are some of your favorite holiday stories?? (I like to get out all my old Regency Christmas anthologies, which I used to buy every year, and re-read them around Christmastime!). What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? And do you enjoy the shorter-length stories? (I will give away a free download of To Court… and a signed copy of Regency Christmas Proposals to two commenters)