Word Wenches

Now We Are Six—and a Surprise Announcement!

Mary Jo here, hosting the sixth anniversary celebration for the Word Wenches!  This is a long time for a blog to survive and flourish.  But we’re still having fun, still finding new topics to chat about, and new people to have as guests. 

Today, the Wenches reminisce about how they came to Wenchdom.  The announcement will be at the end.  (And no, it isn’t that we’re shutting down!) So here are the Wenches, and covers of books they published the year that they joined the blog.

Susan King
 
I remember, six years ago, having an email discussion with Mary Jo and Pat about starting up a group blog, followed soon after by a lunch with our shared website guru, Eileen, who brought more ideas quite literally to the table - and the fledgling concept of Word Wenches was born.

At the time, I was writing Scottish historical romances for Avon as Sarah Gabriel, having already written several historicals as Susan King. When I moved to Avon as Sarah, I was secretly hoping to write bigger mainstream novels someday as Susan. Sarah G. wrote two more historical romances, To Wed a Highland Bride  and Highland Groom -- and then Susan K. got the chance to research and write Lady Macbeth followed a couple of years later (these research-heavy books take time!) by Queen Hereafter.

Exploring the differences in writing for hardcover/trade over mass market genre has been exciting and challenging, and I hope I've grown as a writer and historian (certainly I've learned more patience...) . Currently I'm balancing several writing projects at once, so life is a bit crazy at the moment. I'm researching historical novels while converting my old Susan King backlist to ebook (Black Thorne's Rose, Laird of the Wind, and others are now available, with more soon). I'm also writing some nonfiction history, a refreshing change, as it needs a different focus and voice.

Yet one of the brightest highlights of these past six years is the Word Wenches. When I was first published, a very well-known author (I was so in awe!!) told me that the most valuable thing I would find as a published writer would be the friendships. She was right. I feel very blessed and fortunate to be a Wench -- and to be able to call each Wench a true friend. That's part of what makes our little blog so special, I think  -- we truly care about the blog, our readers, our books, and each other.

Patricia Rice:

2006 seems a millennia ago in book terms! I was still writing contemps, Magic Man and Small Town Girl were on the shelves, and my husband had just taken a new job and we'd moved to St Louis. These days, my contemporary romances are on the e-book backlist shelves, the MAGIC series is being reissued, I'm writing about the contemporary descendants of the Magic characters, and producing original e-books and writing urban fantasy. What a long, strange trip it's been!

 

Jo Beverley:

I knew I should blog and started to, but really couldn't keep up with it. Maybe some people love to journal, and others don't, so the Wenches was a great way to do my bit.  When I got Mary Jo’s e-mail inviting me to join the Word Wenches, I said yes immediately.  I really like what we’ve built here, and that we've created a flexible, dynamic group that can adapt to the ever-changing blogosphere.

 

Mary Jo Putney

Like Jo, I thought blogging would be A Good Thing, both for promotion and as a way to interact directly with readers.  I knew darned well I'd never manage one on my own, but with friends?  All of a sudden, an exciting idea took shape. 

Since I knew how busy we all are, I suggested that we enlist Sherrie Holmes, whom I knew from the Regency loops, to keep us organized, a job she's done beautifully ever since, while keeping us wildly entertained behind the scenes. <G> 

Over the last six years, I've changed publishers and added a new genre, YA historical fantasy, and it's all good.  I like blogging, even though it takes time away other things, like writing books.  It's fun to delve into random topics, and it's fun not to have to worry about every word the way I do on my novels.  I also like the chance to interview other authors whose work I admire, like <BLARE OF TRUMPETS!!!>:

Anne Gracie

In May 2006 I was probably working on the last of my "perfect-in-the-title" series, The Perfect Kiss. I was already a big fan of the Word Wenches as writers, but I can't remember exactly when I first started reading the blog. It was pretty soon after they started blogging I think, but in those days I was a bit shy about leaving comments. It was my regular morning ritual — to read the wench blog and all the comments — I loved the level of interesting discussion in the comment stream.

I do remember when I met Mary Jo and Jo and Pat at my first NINC (Novelists Inc) conference in March 2007 and I made some comment about them changing the blog from a post every day to only 3 times a week —  that was a word wench addict speaking. I do remember their expressions  when I said how I missed the daily dose of word wenchery.  I have to  laugh now, when as a word wench, I look at my calendar and exclaim,  "Another blog? Already?" because it's quite hard to come up with something fresh every fortnight. I don't know how they each blogged  once a week and still managed to write books.

I joined the word wenches in October 2008 and I remember how thrilled  I was when I read the email from Mary Jo inviting me to become a word wench. It's a wonderful group and I'm still very proud to be a word wench.  (His Captive Lady was published that year.)

Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose

Now We Are Six . . . I love that I get a chance to trumpet A. A. Milne’s classic title, as it reminds me that from a very early age on, books were such an important part of my life. And they still are! Six years ago I wasn’t yet a Wench—and I wasn’t yet Cara Elliott or Andrea Penrose! So, much has changed for me personally as well as for publishing in general since 2006. E-readers were still just a flickering diode, bricks-and-mortar stores were still dominating the reading landscape, and I was just transitioning into mass market historical romance.

Things keep moving at cyber-speed, and there are a lot of crazy ups and downs in the book world, but for me, a constant has been the sense of camaraderie and community that comes from being part of this amazing group. I remember very well getting the call from Mary Jo asking if I’d be interested in joining the Wenches . . . and I nearly fell off my chair. Me? Needless to say, I was speechless with shock. And with excitement at the chance to rub cyber-shoulders with such wonderful authors. We’ve all become great friends, and have a wonderful time together, sharing laughter and our love of good books, as well as hugs when there’s a bump in the road.

It’s a very special part of my writing life, made even more so by the fact that we get to interact with such a wonderful group of readers.

Nicola Cornick

2006 was an exciting year! It was the year that my first book for HQN, Deceived, was published. I was working on the follow up, Lord of Scandal, that spring. At the same time I was in the second year of my MA in Public History at Ruskin College in Oxford and was working very hard on my dissertation on heroes and hero myths. There was a lot of writing of one sort or another going on! I also remember wonderful holidays in Norfolk and Wales that year and a memorable trip to Atlanta for the RWA Conference.

I heard of the Word Wenches early on and was over-awed by their combined star power, their fabulous books and their historical knowledge. I dropped into the blog regularly but I never imagined I would ever become a Wench. When Anne Gracie emailed me to invite me to join I almost fell off my chair with shock and excitement. My husband says I didn’t speak for half an hour! I learn a lot from reading the blog and I love that. I also enjoy the fact that the blog has an international feel with Wenches on several continents and I love the discussions with the other Wenches and our readers. It’s wonderful!

Joanna Bourne

Six years ago I'd just come back to the States after many years overseas.  I did all the settling down things you do.  Picked out a dog and cat from the animal shelter.  Put the kid in school.  Bought a house.  Planted peonies.  I was on a roll.

I'd been agented for a couple of months at that point, and we'd begun what would turn out to be a year-long quest to sell that The Spymaster's Lady.  I was working away on Lord and Spymaster, figuring if I couldn't sell a historical set in Napoleonic France, by golly, I'd sell one set in Regency England.

When Word Wenches showed up on the internet, I read them regularly.  Pretty soon, the Wenches were bookmarked because they kept popping up whenever I went searching for some interesting historical material. 

Zip forward a few years.  I met Anne Gracie in person at the RWA National Conference.  What a lovely, funny woman.  Through her, I meet the other Wenches.  I was delighted and very surprised to be asked join Word Wenches.  Leapt at the possibility, though.  Snap.

So here I am, the most recent, baby Word Wench, with a bare two years tenure.  Still, as they say, wet behind the ears.

Mary Jo again. 

As you can see, the theme of fellowship is an important thread here.  It doesn't matter that we haven't all met in person, or that we're scattered across three continents.  (The latter is part of the fun!)

Writing is a solitary profession, and while we’re mostly introverts, we need to spend time interacting with out tribe.  And the Word Wenches—and our readers—are a tribe.

Surprise!

Now for the announcement: we’re publishing a Word Wenches Christmas anthology this year!  MISCHIEF AND MISTLETOE will be released by Kensington on September 25th in a trade sized edition. (The larger size of paperback.) 

It contains eight Christmas novelettes, one by each current Wench, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.  After reading the proposals, I was struck by how characteristic they are.  Whatever themes Wench a writes in her full length novels is right there in short form. <G> 

The anthology came about rather like the blog itself.  I think it was our web goddess Eileen Buckholtz who first suggested the possibility.  (She's a born marketing genius.)

We kicked the idea around for quite some time until we agreed on what we wanted to do.  Susan organized our short synopses into a proposal, we sent it off—and lo!  Multiple offers!  I was amazed.  But delighted. <G>

Win a copy!

So—come October, a copy of Mischief and Mistletoe will be sent to one commenter on this blog between now and midnight Thursday.

In addition, last summer regular Wench reader Jane Irish Nelson suggested that we should do an anthology.  We didn’t say anything then, but we think she deserves a book for figuring out what we were up to. <G>  Jane, remind us in October if we forget!

So there we are: six years of Wenchdom.  Of history and humor, learning and laughter, philosophy and fellowship.  Nothing is forever, but we're still going strong.  We hope you'll continue to enjoy the journey with us.

Do you like anthologies?  Holiday anthologies?  Any comments on our six years of blogging?  Please share!

Mary Jo, Susan, Pat, Jo, Anne, Andrea, Nicola, Joanna, & Sherrie the Cat-Herder

 PS: It's been suggested that links to Barnes and Noble and Amazon would be useful for those of you who want to preorder.  So here you go!

 

The Wenches' Favorite Children's Books!

. . . Imagine eight little Wenches as small girls, each curled up in a big comfy chair, lost in the pages of some wonderful book . . . Anne's recent post about A. A. Milne and our beloved bear-pal, Winnie the Pooh, inspired us Wenches to think about our own favorite books when we were just small.

Here are our lists and thoughts on the subject -- as you read through, think about your own favorite children's books -- we'll be asking about your favorite reads when you were kids!  

 

Jo Beverley:

1. The Blue Fairy Book, Red Fairy Book, Pink Fairy Book, Green…and so on. There were lots of different colours!  
2. Various "horsey" books by Christine Pullein-Johnson and her sisters, Diana and Josephine
3. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield 
4. Slim Tales, a series about anthropomorphic mice

... Though most of the time I just grazed the library shelves!

Joanna Bourne:

I loved Tom Corbett.  And Lucky Starr.  And all of Heinlein's YAs.  I guess I was ten or twelve ...

This is going back a ways.  I know I read about anything I could get my hands on.   I loved the Narnia books.  They're magical.  I read all kinds of traditional fairy stories and legends.  The Once and Future King.  Oh.  One book I remember enjoying when I was very young was Kingsley's Water Babies.

And I indulge myself with this, from Milne (it is better read aloud):
The King asked
The Queen, and
The Queen asked
The Dairymaid:
"Could we have some butter for
The Royal slice of bread?"

Pat Rice:

I grew up in a house with only four books--classic plays like Ibsen that no one read but me. I can remember as a toddler grabbing Little Golden Books at the grocery so I got The Little Engine That Could and The Poky Little Puppy. I had no school library until fourth grade, where I remember starting on one end and working my way around, but if they had A. A. Milne, I was too old to consider it by the time I reached “M.”  When I was able to order from Scholastic, I started with Pride and Prejudice. No one read to me, so I was completely on my own in my choices. When it came time to read to my own children, I had no background to call on. I started them on Seuss and Berenstains and they were reading on their own before age four. Dr. Seuss books are the ones my family quotes. Want to hear Red Fish, Blue Fish? My kids did eventually get Winnie the Pooh, but they read those books to themselves. So while my childhood reading material might have covered everything from Walter Farley to Dostoevsky (because I found a classic literature reading list), I missed out on all the favorites. 

Mary Jo Putney: 

Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids, yessss!!!!  That was Asimov in YA mode!  The school library had only that one Lucky Starr book, but did have all the Heinlein YAs.  And I read and reread and RE-read them. And I read all the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet books.

I've never read A. A. Milne or Paddington Bear or even Maurice Sendak.  Nor The Secret Garden or the Wizard of Oz, among many others.  A lot of the kid classics simply didn't come my way.  If they had, I'd have read them, because I went through books like locusts through a field!  

Anne Gracie:

I read every horse book going. Pretty much all our reading matter came from English publishers in those days. There were some home grown — the Billabong series, old fashioned even when I was reading them, and various others. But I read everything I could get my hands on, didn't matter what kind of book and quickly went through all the books belonging to my older brother and sisters. Some books made it to Australia from the US. The Bobbsey twins and Cherry Ames came from the US, but I wasn't keen -- they belonged to my older sister. I was more about the animals. So, Thunderhead, Flicka, The Silver Brumby (brumbies are wild horses in Australia), Finn the Wolf hound, Wild Brother (Mary Patchett), and more.

The first stories I remember having read to me — probably because they were family favorites and we read them over and over again — were Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by AA Milne. And loads of AA Milne poetry read aloud, much of which I still remember and can quote. I also loved the Pookie stories by Ivy Wallace. Pookie was a white rabbit with wings, who lived with a little girl called Belinda. I read pretty much any Enid Blyton book I could get my hands on — she was an incredibly prolific English children's author, who went out of favor for a while —political correctness, some of which was justified and some was plain silly. And also people thinking kids need to read only "good" literature, instead of fun reads. She's available again now, but some books are pretty dated. She was writing in the 40's and 50's and there's a bit of residual racism in some of the books. When I was little I liked Enid Blyton's Faraway tree series,and later it was the Famous Five, the "Mystery of" series (the Five Find-Outers and Dog) and her "of Adventure" series - Valley of Adventure, Mountain of Adventure etc, which had four children and a cockatoo (Kiki) and various other animals.

Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose:

My early favorite picture books included Dr. Seuss, especially The Cat in the Hat and To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. I just loved the zany play with language. 

I started reading early on and quickly moved on to longer books with pictures. Stuart Little and The Wind in the Willows (with drawings by Arthur Rackham) and Howard Pyle's books on King Arthur, Robin Hood and Otto of the Silver Hand stick out in my memory. Even back then, I loved a rollicking good story! Winnie the Pooh was one of my early favorites too!

Susan King:

Fairy tales, first and foremost! I had a Tall Book of Fairy Tales that I adored, and also a big book of Greek myths that I hauled around everywhere with me. I loved Winnie the Pooh and Milne’s poetry, and I read my mother’s poetry books when I was very young—I remember Longfellow’s “Hiawatha,” “Evangeline,” R. L. Stevenson -- I loved the rhythms and word beauty, though I didn’t understand them then. (My highest praise of a book when I was very young was to draw a princess in crayon on the flyleaf. To me, a flyleaf was just a blank sheet of paper begging for a princess, and the best books got the best princesses!) 

My favorite children’s books, besides dear Pooh, were all the Pippi Longstocking books, which I read over and over, as well as Beverly Cleary’s Ellen Tebbits. I moved on to The Five Little Peppers, then Little Women and Little Men, and kept on going….

Your turn now! What were your favorite reads when you were just small?  Some of the Wenches are going back to read their favorite children's tales again (and some of us are reading the ones we never got around to!) -- and we'd love to know what you all loved to read, too . . . 

Susan

 

 

 

 

Ask-A-Wench — Mystery and Crime

Anne here, continuing our discussion of mystery/crime stories. It started when I mentioned on our Word Wench loop that I was going to talk about mystery series, and the wenches started to chat about crime novels they'd been reading. And when the wenches get chatting about books...
So here, as an Ask A Wench post, are the word wenches, chatting about crime novels. 

Nicola: I've just ordered Elizabeth Bailey's latest, The Deathly Portent. She writes Georgian crime/romance. I enjoyed the first in the series, The Gilded Shroud, very much so am looking forward to this one.

Cara/Andrea:  Oh, must look for that one too, Nicola. The first one was great.

Anne: I've been meaning to order it. I used to love her historicals. Her FRIDAY DREAMING is one of my all time favorite Regencies. 

Joanna: Lately I've been reading my way through the C.S. Harris mysteries.  They're set in my own time period.  Regency mysteries.  And a long-time favorite Historical Romance author, Roberta Gellis, wrote a series of Medieval mysteries solved by the formidable Magdalene la Bâtarde, madame of the local brothel.  The series starts with A Mortal Bane.

I'm about to read an Anne Perry (I had dinner with her once at the Surrey International Writers Conference.  We agreed that Fouché was the most interesting figure of the Revolution.) as soon as I finish the  CS Harris I'm in the middle of.  How's that for Historical Mystery?

Jo: I like the Gellis ones a lot, especially as she shows how being a whore in theright circumstances could be a better option. I always like the way Gellis doesn't pander to conventional, modern expectations.

Cara/Andrea: I enjoy Anne Perry's books, especially the later Hester and Monk ones. I feel she does a good job at peeling back the layers of personalities, and deals with the complex conflicts of human nature in a thoughtful way. It seems to me she grapples with the good and evil that is inside everyone, and how people choose one path or another—and tells a good story in doing so. 

Nicola: Other historical crime I enjoy - Ellis Peters and Susanna Gregory but most of all C. J. Samson. I love his Tudor mysteries featuring Matthew Shardlake. The one about the sinking of the Mary Rose haunted me for days.

Sherrie: Has anyone here read any of the Alexander McCall Smith #1 Ladies Detective Agency books?  I have 2 of those as audiobooks.  I’m looking forward to them.  I also have several of Sue Grafton’s ABC series (A is for Alibi, etc.) and I’m really enjoying them. 

Mary Jo: I read the McCall Smith books for the characters and the wonderful sense of a healthy, deeply loved African society.   

Sherrie: I’ve also become a rabid Neil Gaiman fan.  He writes everything—fantasy, YA, graphic novels, comic books, screenwriting, etc., and has won just about every award there is.  I love his The Graveyard Book, about a young man who was raised by ghosts in a graveyard.  It’s an odd and charming book with very dark undertones and clever humor.

Anne: I love Neil Gaiman, too, Sherrie, and was lucky enough to hear him talk when he came to Melbourne last year. The Graveyard book is wonderful. 

Susan: Neil Gaiman is an amazing writer - my sons love reading his stuff. I've tried Coraline and one or two others. Sherrie, if you like Gaiman and some of the darker fantasy stuff, have you tried Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer series? Deep, beautifully written, moving, challenging and brilliant. I got my sons hooked on those when they were teens, and now they're huge Gene Wolfe fans. 

Thinking about historical mysteries, I'd have to say that Lindsay Davis and Falco are probably my favorites, along with Ellis Peters and Cadfael, and Elizabeth Peters everything. I've read more of the Falco and Cadfael series than any other long series.

I love the early Amelia Peabody books, but got overwhelmed with the sheer number of books and fell by the wayside. And I agree, Jo, I did enjoy the other Elizabeth Peters mysteries quite a lot, particularly the art history ones. I was thrilled that she wrote a mystery about a missing Tillman Riemanschneider! <g>  

Totally love the Barbara Michaels ones as well. Love ghosts. I watch all those ghost shows on TV. Some of them are beyond stupid, and I still love them. 

Susan: Perhaps my favorite perfect mystery, single book, is Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. I wore out a paperback of that one years ago, and bought a new edition a few years back just to read it again. It's excellent. The hospital stuff for the Inspector is of course dated (he's laid up in traction in the hospital, deals with a robust and bossy nurse, and out of boredom tackles the enigma of Richard III) but that can be seen in a historical perspective by now! And the rest is just classic, brilliant sleuthing and characterization.

Mary Jo: I'm another lover of Tey's THE DAUGHTER OF TIME  It made me a confirmed fan of Richard III. <g>

Nicola: Oh yes! I love all Josephine Tey's mysteries but that one will always be closest to my heart!

Joanna: Yes. Definitely Daughter of Time has to be mentioned.  And Dorothy Sayers.

Andrea: Oh yes, Dorothy Sayers is to die for. <G>
 

Susan: Omigosh, yes!  Read those voraciously when I was in college. 
 

Joanna: And with Sayers we have both the mystery and the love story.  *sigh*
 

Susan: Yes, sigh indeed on Lord Peter and Harriet! And then there's Agatha Raisin, fun as well. I love the Hamish Macbeth mysteries too.

Anne: My latest glom is Louise Penny. I read the first one while on the plane heading to my retreat a couple of weeks ago and ordered the rest of the series when I landed. They arrived last week and I've now read all except the last. I like crime, especially cosy crime that's beautifully observant about people, which this is. And I have very fond memories of Quebec from many years ago, so it's lovely to revisit.

Cara/Andrea: Anne, thanks for the mention of Louise Penny. I have been hearing wonderful things about this series and meant to get one of them, Now it's moved right to the top of the Must Get list. I think she's going to be at the mystery conference I'm going to in Washington DC later this month, so will look forward to meeting her too. The conference is much smaller and more low-key than RWA.

Authors all tend to hang out in an author's lounge during the day, and last year I got to sit around and chat with Rhys Bowen, whose Royal Spyness series I love.

This year another favorite of mine, Charles Finch is on the list of attendees—as is Elizabeth Peters!  I think she's in her mid-eighties, so not sure how much time she'll spend in public, but she really is one of my all-time favorites, so would love to just rub shoulders with her for a bit.

Joanna:  I signed next to Rhys Bowen at RT last year.  (I think it was last year.)  I told her I loved Her Royal Spyness.  Very nice woman.  Interestingly enough, RT seems to be good for mystery writers too.  She was very popular.

Cara/Andrea: Oh, fun, Joanna. Yes, she's delightful. And as the Spyness books have a fun romance element, they definitely cross over to romance readers.

Anne: I am so envious of you guys who have conferences all around you and famous and beloved authors attending. We really do suffer the Tyranny of Distance here (title of a famous Australian history book.) I love the Rhys Bowen books -- Mary Jo put me onto her last year. And Elizabeth Peters -- Crocodile on the Sandbank is an all time fave, of course and I also loved Die for Love. I've never heard of Charles Finch. Will investigate. Thanks

Cara/Andrea: Anne, Crocodile on the Sandbank is one of my all-time favorites. I adore Amelia and Emerson, and the start of the series has some priceless moments.

Charles Finch writes a very nice Victorian mystery series. It's very low-key with charming characters and well-woven plots. I like his writing, so do give him a try. The first book of the series, A Beautiful Blue Death, won a lot of awards.

Yes, we are lucky in that conferences do allow a chance to meet favorite authors. 

Joanna: I'm going to join everybody else in loving Elizabeth Peters and the remarkable Peabody and Emerson.  I also like her her modern supernatural mysteries written under the name Barbara Michaels.  Ammie Come Home is a classic. 

Mary Jo: I've read a lot of mysteries in the past, but I'm not much into them these days--I've gotten too wimpy to find murder entertaining, I guess.  But like the other Wenches, I adore CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK, though it's because of the hilarious romance and the marvelous voice of Amelia Peabody, who is one of the great historical heroines.  

Among modern historical mysteries, I find Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness books, set in England in the early 1930s, to be enormous fun.  The heroine, Lady Georgiana, is 34th in line to the throne, being a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  Her position means she's supposed to act like a lady, without having any money to support her royal bloodlines.  <g>  They're great, frothy fun, especially the one where she's sent as a royal emissary to a royal wedding in Transylvania.  

And last but hardly least, I mustn't overlook the Regency chocolate mysteries of our own Cara/Andrea! Writing as Andrea Penrose, she's published two delicious mysteries, SWEET REVENGE and THE COCOA CONSPIRACY.  Not only mystery and chocolate, but romance!  What more can one ask for????

So, are any of your favorites mentioned here? Any we've missed out? Do you have others to suggest? Go for it.

To Surrender to a Rogue

For a limited time, Cara's RITA-nominated To Surrender to a Rogue is available in digital format for the special price of $1.99 wherever e-books are sold!

Guest Eloisa James

On Friday, April 6, Mary Jo will interview returning Honorary Word Wench, Eloisa James.  Eloisa will talk about her memoir, Paris in Love, describing how she and her family (and her dog) ran away to Paris for a year.  The book launch is this week--a perfect time for us to interview Ms. James!

Winners!

Time to announce new winners!  Since our last winner announcement we've had several more blog commenters join our list of monthly book winners.  Triple winners Ellie Berger, Jenny Reed, and Felicia Ciaudelli won books from triple guests Elizabeth Rolls, Terri Brisbin, and Michelle Willingham.  Another guest, Madeline Hunter, awarded a book to Linda Young.  And rounding out the month, Cate Sparks won a book from Patricia Rice, and Sherri F.  scored a book from Mary Jo Putney.

Congratulations, winners!

Guest Julie Cohen

Happy Daylight Saving Time <yawning> and a pre-holiday Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Wenches!

Tomorrow, Nicola Cornick interviews author Julie Cohen, whose latest book, The Summer of Living Dangerously, is out this month.  Reviewers label the book "warm and funny."  It's the story of Alice Woodstock, who escapes her past by donning period clothing and conducting tours of a stately Regency home. But her past catches up to her when the man who broke her heart returns.

Join us for Julie's interview on Monday, March 12!

(1) Guests; (2) Joanna Bourne Wins!

GUESTS:

 Happy Leap Year!  Wednesday, February 29, is Leap Day, and on that special day, Anne Gracie will host guests Terri Brisbin, Michelle Willingham and Elizabeth Rolls. They will talk about their stories in Royal Weddings Through the Ages, released this month.  Join us on Wednesday and let's talk about royal weddings!

JOANNA BOURNE CLEANS UP:

You've no doubt read all the rave reviews for Joanna Bourne's November 2011 release, The Black Hawk.The book is definitely a reviewer favorite.  It's also a reader favorite, as evidenced by the results of the All About Romance annual reader poll.  The votes are in, and The Black Hawk made a sweep, claiming wins in seven (seven!) categories:

Best Romance
Best Historical Romance Not Set in the U.K.
Biggest Tearjerker (tie)
Best Romance Hero 
Best Romance Heroine
Most Kickass Heroine (tie)
Best Romance Couple

The Wenches join with all those intelligent and astute readers in congratulating Joanna for such an astounding accomplishment.  Well done, Joanna!

 

What Working Wenches Wear

by Mary Jo

Hi, there!  For today’s Ask A Wench, I delved into the Wenchly question jar and came up with this one from J. Wishard:

"Let's have an authors fashion show of sorts. Why not ask the Word Wenches to describe or show a photo of how they dress to "write/work".  And do any of them have a piece of clothing that is their "lucky" writing clothes, such as lucky socks?“

This turned out to be a lot of fun! First up:

Nicola Cornick:

Ok, so this photo was taken a little while ago but I still have a penchant for rolling my jacket sleeves up when I work and I also love a bit of fancy headgear! My favourite hat is big and furry and was bought at a vintage sale. When the weather gets really cold I have been known to wear it at my desk because I feel the cold when I'm sitting still and writing. I have a lucky silver ring which I bought in the Orkney Islands and which is patterned with runic designs.

 

 

 Joanna Bourne:

When I'm working, my fashion statement tends to be . . . bright.  Frequently red.  Sometimes with exuberant flowers.  I'm so absent-minded that if I don't dress in noticeable colors, I lose myself.

This is me in my favorite vintage Hawaiian shirt, all energized by that tropical magic and caffeine.

 

  

 

 

Patricia RIce:

I’m not superstitious, which smacks too close to paranoia for my logical mind. No lucky socks or sandals. Heavy sweaters and corduroys in winter, turtlenecks and jeans for the mild seasons, capris and button shirts in summer. My one peculiarity is that I never, ever do T-shirts. Don't even own one. And I never have pics of myself around the house. I'm sure we all look like Anne's photo at our desks!

 

Susan Fraser King:

What do I wear when deep in the writing? Mostly plain, comfy stuff in gray and black. (I love black – I’d wear it every day if I could!). Some of my favorite pieces of author-mode clothing are pretty tattered by now, but crazy soft and comfortable. I also love plaids, not just because I write Scotland, but because I love tartan patterns and colors.

Here are some items from my current writing wardrobe: a gray sweatshirt that I’ve had forever – note the tattered sleeve with the hole in it! (Liz Claiborne petite, really soft and a great fit; I’d love to find another just like it) … a black long-sleeve tee … and another favorite piece, a plaid quilted vest that’s great for winter and cooler air-conditioned nights too … and flip flops, which I wear year round. And I love this simple jewelry piece, a chunk of amethyst and citrine wrapped in silver wire that looks like a thistle!

So in writing mode, I’m all about flip flops and ragged gray sweatshirts. Nothing fancy. It’s so not me – and darker, quieter tones help me to focus amid the distractions of an active household where something can easily lure me away from my office and the work to be done! Once the writing takes over, all the rest can vanish for a while.

Cara Elliot/Andrea Penrose:

Lucky socks? Nope. Pashima shawls? Nope. And certainly not corsets or crepe de chine. Alas, my writing garb would definitely not make the fashion plates of La Belle Assemble. I dress for comfort, which currently means something warm and fuzzy, like Ugg sheepskin slippers and a polarfleece pullover.

Now, some people collect stylish little stiletto heels and slinky shifts, but my closet is crammed with Patagonia Snap-Ts, Nike dri-FIT and North Face wind-foil. Most are black or earth shades—I tend to like neutral colors—but I do have a few snazzy colors like red, limes and mango, for when the mood strikes me. (No correlation between wearing hot colors and writing hot scenes . . .but maybe that's something I should think about.)

 Jo Beverley:

I'm afraid I just wear what I'm wearing. As I always dress comfortably around the house, it doesn't matter what I'm doing -- reading, writing, cooking etc. I wish I had lucky socks, a pashmina of passion, or undies of inspiration, but sadly, no.

Mary Jo Putney:

Like most of the Wenches, I write in comfort clothes, usually oversize knits from Lands End and L. L. Bean.  Like Pat, cord trousers and sweaters in winter, lighter clothing in summer.  I always kick my shoes off (loafers in winter, slides in the summer) and write in my (not particularly) lucky socks.  Very boring.

THEN—I read Jo’s entry and realized that I do indeed have pashminas of passion.  Lots of them, in different weights and colors for the seasons.  My house isn’t particularly cold, but as I sit at a computer, my joints like a bit of extra warmth.  Here’s a picture of some of my pashminas of passion.  The adorable little sheep is Lamb Chop, whom we met in Rotorua, New Zealand.  It was love at first sight for her and our bear, Wellington, so she came home with us.  (Antipodean females are very intrepid travelers!)

Anne Gracie:

I don't wear anything particularly special to write in, but I do believe it's important to dress appropriately — to dress like an author, walk like an author, talk like an author, grunt and squeak and squ—er, I forget the rest of that quote.

So I dress in a simple, elegant, casual manner that befits my lifestyle. For instance this is the kind of thing I throw on most days — that's me walking from my bedroom to my office (pic by Kat from bookthingo) I have a variety of such outfits, naturally. One for each day of the week.

So nothing fancy, or special, like lucky socks for me. Just simple, tasteful, comfortable clothing.

MJP: So that’s the Wenchly fashion show!  If you think that most writers make Casual Friday look like formal wear—you’re probably right.  Except for Anne!

For asking the question that inspired this blog, JF Wishard gets a free book from me.  Thanks for the question!

What do you wear to work?  And what would you wear if you could choose whatever you want? <G>

Mary Jo, adding a picture of what our site mistress, Sherrie Holmes, wears at her computer since she has so much pizzaz!

 

(1) CARA'S NEWS (2) WINNERS

CARA/ANDREA:

Cara/Andrea is very excited to announce that 7 of her Andrea Pickens traditional Regencies—including the RITA final The Storybook Hero are now available exclusively on Amazon at a very good price—just in time for Valentine's Day!

WINNERS:

Oh, my, do we have more winners!  Pearl Berger started off this round by winning a book from Nicola.  Ora E. Amis and Laura Jordan both won books from Mary Jo.  Helene Grannes won a book from Anne.  Double winners Ann Stephens and Kathryn each won a book from Jo.  And last but certainly not least, Artemisia won a book from Joanna.  Congratulations, winners!

 

Guest and Winners

ELOISA JAMES

Tomorrow is the Chinese New Year, and what better way to celebrate than to have a guest interview!  On Monday, January 23, Wench Mary Jo will interview returning Honorary Word Wench, Eloisa James, who combines the best of 3 worlds:  a writer, a professor, and a mother.

WINNERS

More winners!  Lots more winners! Janice Jacobson won a book from Cara/Andrea.  Maria Durst won a book from guest Christina Courtenay.  Susan awarded a book to Betty Hamilton and Joanna likewise awarded a book to Grace Burrowes.  Shelley Bagby and Ruth Berger both won books from Pat, and Susan Knight and Suzy won books from Anne.  Pearl won a book from Nicola.  Congratulations, winners!

Wench Ergonomics

--Susan here, presenting some thoughts on the Wenchly approach to ergonomics. I've tweaked with some additional Wench comments since this morning's posting. Read and enjoy!

Writing can be a demanding physical activity – especially when it goes on for days on end. Authors spend LOTS of time at computer keyboards and with pen and paper too, endless hours of repetitive movement with perhaps not the greatest posture, factors that can take a toll on various body parts. But writers have plots to resolve, characters to develop and deadlines to meet, so we push through and get the job done. And we deal with discomforts best we can.

The physical nature of writing mostly involves sitting –- as fingers fly over the keys, wrists may be angled; shoulders may be tight and hunched, necks forward, eyes straining to see what’s on the screen; and backs, hips, legs and feet must support those all-important writing muscles in the hands, fingers and eyes. Not to mention the physiological needs of the brain (that would be another blog entirely)!

Yet do we take breaks often, walk around, stretch our legs and backs, shake our hands and arms? Not regularly, if the creative urge is in force and the deadline is near. Are the chair and desk a proper fit, with the back well supported, spine balanced, arms relaxed, feet on the floor? Not always. Even in the best ergonomic circumstances, writers could be leaning and slumping while typing at lightning speed. We put in long hours in the same chair, go without sleep, and fuel ourselves with caffeine, further tightening stressed systems and muscles.

Recently the Wenches were chatting about this and discussing what helps us. It all started when Wench Anne’s doctor put her into wrist braces after the havoc wrought by a recent deadline blitz. “I gave myself tendonitis/carpal tunnel, so have been staying off the computer for the most part,” she told us one day.

Most of the Wenches—Anne, Mary Jo, Susan, Nicola, Pat, Andrea, Joanna and Wench Whipster Sherrie-- have developed physical glitches from long writing hours. Mary Jo recommends the liberal use of wrist braces. “With all the deadlines I've faced in the last year or two, my wrists are doing some serious complaining," she says. "Some days I wear a brace on each wrist and another on each elbow. Susan's son, Dr. Josh, made a good suggestion when I hit him up for free advice—wear a wrist brace to bed because at night the wrist can get bent in ways that exacerbate the nerve damage. I gave it a try, and saw an immediate improvement. Still a ways to go, but haven't had any bad episodes since then. Now wrist braces are going into my travel kit as well as a pair on my bedside table!” Wrist support at night is a first line therapy—if wrists are still weak and troubled, more help may be necessary.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the bane of writers -- an inflammation in the sheath that carries nerves from the wrist into the hand, it can result in pain and even long term damage. It can occur in people who perform prolonged repetitive motion, resulting in repetitive stress injury, or RSI. Other diseases and conditions can bring on carpal issues too, but keyboard use is a frequent cause in writers.

Symptoms “most often occur in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of the ring finger. If you have problems with your other fingers but your little finger is fine, this may be a sign that you have carpal tunnel syndrome. A different nerve gives feeling to the little finger. You may first notice symptoms at night. You may be able to get relief by shaking your hand,” reports WebMD’s page on carpal tunnel.  “Tendon inflammation resulting from repetitive work, such as uninterrupted typing, can also cause carpal tunnel symptoms,” states medicine.net. 

Wench Nicola says she sometimes has RSI issues from keyboard use, and is getting treatment for it. Mary Jo is trying contrast therapy, recommended to her by a writer who has found relief this way for wrist and hand problems. A physical therapy technique, contrast therapy involves alternating hot and cold water immersion for hands and wrists (and is used for other injuries). The changing temperatures can reduce swelling and improve circulation and therefore healing.

Of working on her laptop with her wrists at awkward angles, Wench Joanna says: "Remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Harrison Ford points to a spot on his elbow and says, 'This doesn't hurt?' I'm like that, except I don't have a spot on the elbow. The other aches go away, but the wrists keep at this ouching thing and I feel very stupid. Is there a Carpal-Tunnel-Stupid Syndrome?  That's what I have...so now I wear a wrist brace when I sit down to work for a long time. Everyone who sees this thinks I have injured myself in some accident, so I try to look like I ride horses or ski or engage in other enterprises more interesting than staring at a computer screen." 

My own experience with carpal-tunnel-like symptoms -- numbness in the hands and fingers, pain in wrist as well as elbow and shoulder -- originated in a pinched nerve in the cervical vertebrae, affecting nerves feeding into the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers. Allergies prevented me from taking anti-inflammatory meds, so I went to a chiropractor, whose treatments released the pressure in my neck. Years ago I learned wrist and hand exercises that help the overworked wrist and hands, and I try to do them fairly regularly. They gently stretch and align the wrists to keep the nerve sheaths in good shape. Yoga has also helped me, along with other stretching movements.

Anne also finds that exercises help; some very good routines can be found in this YouTube video.

“Just now I’m in wrist bands and splints galore after seeing a hand rehab specialist," Anne says, "little thumb splints to wear day and night for a few weeks and hand/wrist splints for sleeping in and spending time in during the day. Look silly, feel like a martial arts person, but it's remarkably comfortable.” 

Our Blog Whipster Sherrie also gives thumbs up (as it were) to wrist braces night and day when needed. She prefers rigid wrist braces to wear at night. “Another suggestion is to make sure your keyboard is flat,” she says. “Raising the back of the keyboard forces you to cock your wrists instead of keeping them straight, which is very straining.”

Mary Jo and myself, among other Wenches, are devoted users of ergonomic style keyboards. Mary Jo’s keyboard is a nifty little thing that is split in two without the number keypad, and adjusts to hand span. I use a curved keyboard that helps keep my hands and wrists at a good angle. And Mary Jo and Pat use trackball mouses (mice?), further taking strain off the hands. I notice that using my laptop, with its plain straight keyboard, can trigger wrist issues, while my curved keyboard at the desk relieves my wrist discomfort.

Jo Beverley has taken keyboard and typing comfort a further step by using the Dvorak key system.”The Dvorak keyboard layout has the keys in different places,” she explains. “The QWERTY one was designed for early typewriters, and while it does put
least used keys in out-of-the-way places and common ones and patterns in the middle, it also had to deal with the type on the long arms sweeping up to hit the paper. Keystrokes that frequently happen next to each other need to be separated on the arms or they tend to clash. But Dvorak simply arranges the keys for least hand movement when typing common language such as English.Once one's learned it, it makes using an ordinary  keyboard very fiddly!” Jo says. Just about any computer can now be switched to Dvorak.

In the midst of our email discussion about wrists and such, Wench Pat Rice broke her wrist and is now dealing with that while writing. “Not sure what I can add to the ergonomic discussion aside from don't break your wrist!” she says. “I find a trackball is my best friend, but one geared for the right hand doesn't work so hot on the left. I've also learned that a Dvorak key system is built into MS operating systems, even a left-handed one. Keys can be popped off the board and moved around to work with Dvorak -– the key system makes soooo much more sense than stretching our fingers to reach keys.”

In terms of the larger ergonomic issues a writer faces, Sherrie claims “I am the queen of comfort!” She converted a huge recliner into a desk chair by attaching wheels. Now she reclines at the desk with her keyboard in her lap—and it’s handy for watching movies on her large monitor as well, so Sherrie’s all set for desk comfort! 

Mary Jo, Jo Beverley and myself have all invested in Herman Miller Aeron chairs.  Wench Andrea adds "I write too slowly to have wrist problems, but I'm saving my pennies for an Aeron chair because my back does occasionally flare up, and I've heard such wonderful things about it."  

The Aeron is not only ergonomically aligned and comfortable –- it’s also a beautifully designed object that is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. I love my Aeron, which I got in the smallest of three sizes. This chair fits me, and I'm under five feet tall. For many short people, most furniture is too big, causing back strain from the feet hanging down, and so on. Aeron comes in sizes A, B and C; size "A" has a shorter, narrower seat depth and lower arm height. I also had the legs of my desk shortened (thanks, dh!). Now the physical stress of writing is much improved. 

The Wenches have each managed to create a good level of physical comfort and support as we write. We've had to do that. Ergonomics can save writing careers. Wrist braces, exercises, Dvorak keyboards, Aeron chairs, customized desks and other measures are heaven sent for career authors -- and for anyone else who spends long hours at the computer.

Do you spend lots of time in front of a computer or laptop too? What have you found that helps you? We'd love to know your experience with wrist strain and other writer-related hazards. 

Susan

 

 (<-- one of the books that challenged my wrists and back!)

Guest Christina Courtenay

Tomorrow Nicola Cornick welcomes back Honorary Word Wench Christina Courtenay.  Christina writes historical romance with a trace of the Far East, but tomorrow she will talk about the lure of Scotland as a setting for historical romance.  Please join us Monday, December 12, and find out why Scotland has endured as a popular venue for historical romances.

Winners!

WINNERS

We have another batch of winners!  Congratulations to the following book winners:  Rachel Grime and Lisa Hutson each won a book from Nicola. Malvina Yock won a book from guest Kerry Greenwood.  And last but not least, Gail Mallin won a book from Mary Jo.

HOLIDAY STOCKING STUFFERS

We have just the thing for you last-minute shoppers:  stocking stuffers!  Namely, some Wench classics, anthologies, and novellas in many formats, all of them suitable for tucking into those holiday stockings!  Just click the below links to do your shopping.  Season’s greetings and best wishes for a Happy New Year to one and all!

Three of Mary Jo Putney's classic Regency Christmas novellas are now available in e-book form as Christmas Mischief.  Happy holidays!

Nicola Cornick’s novella is “The Pirate’s Kiss” in the Christmas Wedding Belles anthology.

Patricia Rice’s Christmas Surprises anthology is available at Regency Reads.

Jo Beverley’s Winter Fire (Christmas at Rothgar Abbey!) is perfect for the holidays.

Susan King’s The Black Thorne's Rose (Author's Cut), is available in e-book for Kindle, Nook and other e-book venues.

Cara/Andrea’s first Regency, The Defiant Governess by Andrea Pickens is now available as an e-book at Regency Reads (all formats) and Amazon (Kindle).

Happy shopping and Happy Holidays!

GUESTS THIS WEEK

Kerry Greenwood

Tomorrow, Anne Gracie will be interviewing Australian author Kerry Greenwood, author of the fabulous 1920s Phryne Fisher crime novels, currently being filmed as a very classy TV series, and the contemporary Corinna Chapman mysteries, set in Anne's home town of Melbourne. Kerry will be giving away a book to some lucky commenter.

Nina Paules

Then on Friday Susan Fraser King will interview returning Honorary Word Wench, Nina Paules, proprietor of eBook Prep and eBook Discovery.  Nina will talk about the world of e-publishing, and she'll be giving away an Amazon Kindle Fire to a commenter (commenters wishing to be in the drawing for the Kindle Fire will be asked to complete an entry form at Nina's Web site).  See interview on Friday for details. 

GUEST JO ANN FERGUSON:

Do you like European cathedrals?  Then join us on Monday, October 24, when Jo Ann Ferguson (who also writes as Jocelyn Kelley, J.A. Ferguson, and Jo Ann Brown) visits the Word Wenches to talk about cathedrals, among other things.  Jo Ann's latest book is Gentleman's Master, a Lady Priscilla Flanders/Sir Neville Hathaway
romantic mystery historical.

 

WINNERS:

Margaret Dean won a book from guest Jennifer Kloester. JaneAnn Railey-Clear won a book from Mary Jo, who used her blog topic suggestion. C.D. Thompson won a book from guest Laura Resnick. Annie Donahue won a book from Jo. Leslie Lemon won a book from Mary Jo.  Congratulations, winners!

Winners!

Break out those reading glasses--we have two new winners!

Olivia Searcy won a book from guest Eileen Dreyer, and Dee Thompson won a book from guest Laura Resnick.  Congratulations, ladies!  Your books will be in the mail shortly.

Would you like to be eligible to win a book, too?  All you have to do is leave a comment!  Winners are most often chosen from those who leave comments.  Your next chance will be coming up the end of this month:  on October 24 Mary Jo will host guest Jo Ann Ferguson, who'll be blogging about European cathedrals!

GUESTS THIS MONTH

GUEST EILEEN DREYER 

On October 5, returning Honorary Word Wench Eileen Dreyer will stop by to talk about her latest Drake's Rakes release, Always a Temptress.  Eileen explains her penchant for action in romance and will be giving away a signed copy to a commenter.

GUEST LAURA RESNICK

But wait, there's more!  October the 7th, returning Honorary Word Wench Laura Resnick will visit to talk about her October book, Vamparazzi, fourth in her humorous urban Fantasy Esther Diamond series.  Laura describes Vamparazzi as a book for people like her who don’t like vampire novels.  Besides talking about the history of the vampire legends, she’ll be giving away a signed copy to a commenter.  Fangs not included. *g*

 GUEST JO ANN FERGUSON

Then on October24 Jo Ann Ferguson will be dropping by for a visit.  Jo Ann is a veteran writer of historical romances, Regencies, and paranormals. Her recent research had to do with cathedrals and Jo Ann will be blogging about this subject on the 24th.

More Winners!

Oh, how we love to give away books!  We have another batch of winners:

Marsha Bolden won a book from Jo Beverley, who used her blog topic suggestion.  Wylene Rholetter won a book from Joanna Bourne.  Margaret won a book from guest Jennifer Kloester.  And rounding out the list, Melanie and Dee won books from guest Shana Galen.

Congratulations, winners!  Thank you for your blog topic suggestions and for leaving comments!

Guest Shana Galen

It's time for another guest!

On Wednesday, September 21, Nicola will interview author Shana Galen.  Shana has written several  adventurous Regency romances, including the RITA-nominated Blackthorne's Bride.  Please join us on Wednesday, and if you leave a comment, you will go in the drawing for a Shana Galen book!

Sunday Announcements

DR. JENNIFER KLOESTER

On 14th September, Anne Gracie will be interviewing Dr. Jennifer Kloester about her biography on Georgette Heyer, which will be  launched in London next month. Jen will be giving away a copy of the book to some lucky commenter.

WINNERS

Thanks to all of you who regularly leave comments on our blog posts!   Each time you leave a comment, it increases your chances of winning an autographed book from a Wench or a guest, when we are giving away books.  Two more commenters have joined our list of book winners:  Diane Sallons won a book from Anne Gracie, and Jikie won a book from Mary Jo.  Congratulations, winners!

Guests, Winners, and E-books!

GUEST KARLEEN KOEN:

Join Susan King as she welcomes guest Karleen Koen this coming Friday, August 19.  Karleen's career took off with publication of her first novel, Through a Glass Darkly.  Her newest historical, Before Versailles, has just been released to critical acclaim.  Publishers Weekly says, "... with her focus on the time just before Louis becomes the unrivaled Sun King, she [Koen] finds the era ripe for intrigue and romance.”

Circle August 19 on  your calendars and join us this Friday. One winner will be chosen at random from those leaving comments.

WINNERS:

Marie Josell won a book from Patricia Rice.  Maureen Emmons won a book from Mary Jo Putney.  Nicola Cornick awarded books to Liz Hanbury and Alyssa.  Jean Merriott and Gwyn each scored a book from Jo Beverley.  And guest Miranda Neville awarded a book to Debi.  Congratulations, winners!

E-BOOKS:

Remember, we have a new sidebar for Wench e-books.  It's on the right side of this page--just scroll down to Wench E-books.  We update this frequently, so check back often!

Guest: Katherine Kellgren

This coming Friday, July 29, award winning audiobook narrator Katherine (Katy) Kellgren will be Nicola's guest. Audiobooks are becoming more and more popular among busy individuals, and good narrators are always in demand.  Come visit us Friday and find out about the audiobook industry from an insider!

Winners!

We've had lots of winners since our last Winner Announcement!  Jami Smiley won a book from Mary Jo Putney  Jóhanna Gunnlaugsdóttir (all the way from Iceland!) won a book from Jo Beverley. Anne won an e-book from Susan King. Amy Conley and Heather Fulcher each won a book from guest Christina Brooke. Molly Wilsbacher's blog topic suggestion garnered her a book from Patricia Rice.  Barbara Bettis won a book from guest Joan Wolf.  Whew, that's a lot of books!  Congratulations, winners!

Remember to check here on Sundays for Winner Announcements, as well as the Winners sidebar on the right.  In most intances we can look up an e-mail address and send you a private notice asking for your mailing address.  However, in some cases we are unable to locate an e-mail address and must rely on your contacting us after you see your name here or in the sidebar.  In those instances where winners don't contact us, they forfeit their win.  We hate when that happens, but if we have no way of contacting you, it cannot be helped.

So remember to check here on Sundays, which are reserved for announcements and winner notices!

Ask A Wench--about pseudonyms

In our monthly ask-a-wench blog:

Molly asks: I'd love to know whether or not you and your fellow Wenches use pen names? If so, why? Is it to keep your genres separate or some other reason? Also, how did you come up with your pen name? I'm amazed at how many copyrights are under a name other than the "author" of the book

Ah, Molly, a rose by any other name… You’ll be receiving my one and only available copy of THE DEVLISH MONTAGUE for your question!

Pen names have been around throughout the ages for many reasons. Charlotte Brontë used "Currer Bell," and her sisters used similar pseudonyms when they published their first novels. In Charlotte’s words:

"Averse to personal publicity, we veiled our own names under those of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell; the ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at assuming Christian names positively masculine, while we did not like to declare ourselves women, because—without at that time suspecting that our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called 'feminine' — we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice;"

Today, we usually don’t have to disguise our gender, although some still do. Men writing romances will often write under an ambiguous name for marketing purposes, and women writing in a mostly male genre may do the same. But we no longer have the social stigma the Brontes expected to suffer.

Sometimes our decision to use a pseudonym is a legal matter. In the old days, some publishers owned all rights to the names their authors wrote under. If an author wanted to write for a different publisher, they had to take a new name. Many of today’s authors still publish under those pseudonyms because that’s how they’re known by their readers.

I started out using the name I’m known by at home, Pat Rice. When I sold to a different publisher very early in my career, they wanted the full Patricia, which I hate to this day. So now that I’m dipping my toe into fantasy, I’ve come up with my dream name. Not quite ready to reveal that yet…

As for the other wenches, I’ll let them speak for themselves:

Susan King writes: I've got three author names in play. Susan King is my married name. When I was first published in historical romance, I wanted to use a pseudonym, but my editor thought my name was perfect to use - easy to remember and spell, looks good in cover designs, and is smack in the middle of the alphabet for readers browsing bookstore shelves. Later, when I went to another publisher and wanted to keep my Susan K. name for the mainstream historicals that I was beginning to write, my new name came about by editorial committee. The voting favorite was a combo of family names: Sarah Gabriel (easy to spell, easy to Google, shelved near big names, etc.). For my mainstream historicals, the publisher wanted a triple name so it would sound more academic for the bigger historical books. Well, my maiden name is Italian and not easy to spell or pronounce. Can't find that easily on Amazon, they said, what else do you have? So I used my Scottish grandmother's surname and became Susan Fraser King.

Jo Beverley: I don't use a pseudonym for a number of reasons, but the main one is that I  think I'd go dotty if people were suddenly calling me Susie, or Melanie, or  Seraphina. However, if I had a name I disliked, I might want to escape it, and  if my name would turn off romance readers I'd suffer in the cause. Bertha  Ramsbottom, for example.  The other reason I would probably use a pseudonym would be if I were published  in something completely different -- violent thrillers, for example, or more  possibly, SF or fantasy. Then it would be to help readers distinguish between  my types of work.

Joanna Bourne: I could point out that I use 'Jo Bourne' just about everywhere in my life, but decided  to use 'Joanna Bourne' for writing, because there was this bestselling Historical Romance writer directly next to me on the shelf who was 'Jo' something or other starting with a 'B'.  But that's about the only thing I can say since I'm using my real name for everything and lead a really dull life, pseudonym-wise.

Nicola Cornick: I don't have a lot to contribute to this topic either, simply because I have always written under my own name. I did think about taking a pseudonym when I started out and I think I was probably a little naive in not doing so as I can see it is useful. However it hasn't caused me any problems, even when I was working in a military college and everyone knew I was a romance writer in my spare time. As and when I start writing other things I will probably revisit the question.

Mary Jo Putney: Having a backstage sort of personality, I fully intended to take a pseudonym when I sold my first book.  I was leaning toward "Justine Kingsley" since Kingsley is a family name and Justine Kingsley struck  me as Very Regency. However, my agent and editor talked me out of that, citing the advantages of using my own name, including the fact that legally, the name was mine and couldn't be taken away.  So Mary Jo Putney I was and remain. 
 
Except when I'm M. J. Putney. <G>  That is what is considered an open pseudonym--close enough to my regular name that it's probably obvious that M. J. and Mary Jo are the same, but meant to signify that they're different kinds of books.  My first genre fantasy novel, STOLEN MAGIC, was done as M. J. Putney, but all the chain store book buyers put the book in romance instead of science fiction/fantasy anyhow, so we reverted to Mary Jo on the next book. 
 
Now that I've ventured into Young Adult fantasy novels, I'm using M. J. Putney again to make it clear that the books are different from my adult romances.  Besides, I still owned the mjputney.com domain name. <G> 

Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose: Since I think I hold the Wench record for pen names I 'm well-qualified to discuss this question! The answer is . . . there are a variety of reasons, and trust me I seem to have touched on them all. When I did my first Signet regency book, my editor was afraid that people wouldn't know how to pronounce my real last name, so we picked "Pickens" which had a nice English ring. That moved with me when I went into historicals . . . then my publisher decided to relaunch me as Cara Elliott (I won't bore you with details of the book buying business, but there were marketing strategies involved). Finally, when I branched into mystery, my other pub thought it was better to have a different name so readers would know what genre to expect. I confess, some days I don't know who I am. But in some ways, I'm not unhappy having pen names to use on FaceBook and my website. I feel I have a bit of privacy, and really don't have to deal with mixing my real life with my writing life.

And Sherrie adds: I have a writer friend who writes erotica and uses a pen name.  She does this to keep her identity secret, as she is the secretary at her church.  <g>
 
Do you mind that we play with different personalities? If you were a writer, what would you choose to do?

Guests This Week

CHRISTINA BROOKE - JUNE 13

Tomorrow, Christina Brooke will be the guest of Cara/Andrea.  Christina writes historical romance for St. Martin's Press.  Heiress in Love (England, 1814) is due out June 28 and has received great reviews already, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a K.I.S.S. award for the hero from RT Book Reviews.

JOAN WOLF - JUNE 17

Honorary Word Wench Joan Wolf returns on June 17 as the guest of Mary Jo. A prolific writer, Joan's career has taken a new turn to biblical romance, writing for Thomas Nelson publishers.  Joan's new series is about biblical queens, and the first book comes out this month, entitled A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Queen Esther from the Old Testament.  It's the story of an unknown Jewish girl who marries the King of Persia and saves her people from annihilation.

Anniversary Contest Winner - Sharon Baumgartner!

Congratulations to Sharon Baumgartner!  Sharon posted the highest number of correct guesses in our anniversary contest, making 4 correct guesses out of 8.  Sharon will received 8 autographed books--one from each Wench! 

Thanks to everyone who participated in our contest.  We had a lot of fun reading your comments and tallying votes.  Thanks, also, to those of you who suggested your own favorite historical movies.  Many of us added them to our movie lists.

Here are the correct answers to our contest:

Waterloo - Mary Jo Putney

Shakespeare in Love - Patricia Rice

All for Love - Nicola Cornick

A Knight's Tale - Jo Beverley

Master and Commander - Andrea Penrose/Cara Elliott

The Last of the Mohicans - Susan Fraser King

High Noon - Joanna Bourne

The Mask of Zorro - Anne Gracie

The past 5 years have been a blast.  Here's looking forward to another 5 years!  Our readers make it all worthwhile.  Many of you have been with us since the beginning (we notice things like that!) and we've welcomed many new faces over the past 5 years.  Thank you again, from all of us!

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND A BIG CELEBRATION!

OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

On Wednesday, May 25, we celebrate our fifth (5th!) year of blogging together as the Word Wenches.  We're planning a contest to celebrate this milestone, and we'd love to have you join us! 

We have lots of things planned, including an overhaul of our Web site to give us a a spiffy new look.  We hope you like the new us.  We're doing the overhaul in stages, with completion scheduledd for May 25.

Mark your calendar and join us on Wednesday for the contest.  One of you will be chosen as a winner, and will receive a book from each Wench.  That's eight books, people!  So get your party hats and noisemakers ready, and join the celebration!

JOHN DIERDORF, HWW

It's traditional here at the Word Wenches to award the honorarium of "Honorary Word Wench" to our guests, as well as endow them with fantastic cyber gifts to show our appreciation.  John, you were awarded an HWW back in February of 2008 when you visited us the first time for your joint post with Jo entitled The Words, They Are a-Changing .  To thank you for joining us again for another joint blog with Jo ( Then and Now ) we hereby award you a time machine!  Enjoy the ride, John, and be sure to report back now and then on your travels!

WENCH E-BOOKS PAGE

The Wenches now have books available for those of you who have Nooks, Kindles, etc.  We are developing an e-book page that will have links to each Wench's electronic books page.  It should be up and running by May 25, just in time for our anniversary.  Like our Free Printable Bookmarks page, it will have a link in the right sidebar.  And dont forget--we always have custom-designed bookmarks that you can print out from our Web site or download to your computer for printing later.  These bookmarks look especially nice printed out on photo paper.

WINNERS

We just love to give away books!  The following have won books since our last Sunday Announcement:  Patricia Punt submitted a blog topic suggestion which was used by Joanna Bourne, and she received a book from Joanna as a result.  Diana Baltazar left a comment on Mary Jo Putney's post and won a book from her.  Julie Wolf left a comment on the Jo Beverley/John Dierdorf post and won an M.J. Putney book.  (Julie, please send your mailing address to Sherrie)  Congratulations, winners!  (Notice a trend here?  Send us a blog topic suggestion or leave a comment and you're eligible to win a book!)

It's Party Time . . . Almost!

Hello, everyone. The countdown has begun! On Wednesday, May 25, we celebrate FIVE YEARS of blogging together as the Word Wenches! We have a fun little contest planned, and one lucky commenter will win 8 books--one from each Wench.

Circle the date on your calendar, and drop by on May 25. We'd love to celebrate with all our loyal (and new!) visitors!!!

Winners!

Happy May Day, everyone!

We have more winners!  Melanie Friedman won a book from guest Sophie Page. Not to be outdone, Wendy Pariseau won a book from guest Sherri L. Smith.  And Debbie Talbot won a book from guest Michelle Willingham.  We rounded out April with a triple header:  Hilaria, Dee Feagin, and Linda (thumbelinda) each won an e-book from Susan King and her e-book partner, Nina Paules, of eBook Prep. Congratulations, winners!

Readers, don't forget to mark May 25 on your calendars.  That's the date we celebrate our 5th anniversary of blogging together, and it's also the day one commenter will win a book from each Wench.  That's a total of 8 books!  If you like to read, this is the place to be!