An Interview with Mary Balogh

 Jo here, delighted to welcome the wonderful writer, Mary Balogh, who is both a fellow Brit -- Mary's Welsh and I'm English, and a fellow Canadian. Mary, welcome to Word Wenches. It's a delight to have you visit, especially when you're riding so high. Your current book, At Last Comes Love, entered the NYT paperback bestseller list at #2. That's brilliant! 

Mary: Thank you for having me. I like the company!

Jo: You started writing in the early '80s at about the same time I did, but were  published faster - in 1985. I think your approach of sending the manuscript to  the distribution center in Mississauga (you can read the story on Mary's web site ) was better than mine -- dilly-dallying, then sending it to Walker because I'd seen their books in the library! Back in those days, there was so little information and guidance.

Mary: And I, it seems, was a greater greenhorn than you!

Jo: Can you tell us a little more about that particular time when you went from  thinking about writing a book, dreaming about writing a book, to actually doing it?

Mary: I always wanted to be an author. As a child I used to write long, long stories. Of course, one has to be more practical when one grows up--I became a high school English teacher. And other things interfere with mere dreams too--hormones and marriage and motherhood, for example. Finally, when the youngest of my three children was in school, I started to be able to read again.

It was wonderful for a while, until I realized it was too passive an activity. And I kept getting impatient with so many books I read, convinced that I could have done so much better with the material, and especially with book endings. And then I pulled a Harlequin romance out of a Corn Flakes box and read it, and then, a little later, I discovered the books of Georgette Heyer.

So it was a combination of influences that pushed me in the fall of 1983 to sit down at the dining room table in the evenings and write a story long-hand.

After three months I had finished it (A MASKED DECEPTION), and I typed it out on an ancient typewriter and then bundled it up and sent it off with a brief covering letter to that distribution centre in Canada. Greenhorn on the move!

Jo: I think it's reassuring for new writers to learn that most of us made mistakes at the beginning. How many books have you had published now?

Mary: I think it's about 70 novels and about 30 novellas.

Jo: All your stories have been Regency or Georgian. Have you any interest in writing in another period?

Mary: I did write two Welsh historicals (LONGING and TRULY) set in Wales in the late 1830s and one book (TANGLED) set during the Crimean War. But by far the vast majority of my books are Regency. And the rest will probably stay in that era. I feel no great pull to any other historical era. I adored writing the Georgians (all those gorgeous, sexy,  very dangerous males with their fans and makeup and high-heeled shoes and small-swords at their sides!) and felt quite uncomfortable with the Victorian, but the Regencies
fit me like a glove.

Jo: So many readers love the Regency. What do you see as the magic of the period?

Mary: This is what I am hoping readers of this blog will tell me--and the best answer will be rewarded with a copy of my new hardcover due out at the end of May--SEDUCING AN ANGEL. It's not an easy question to answer, is it? What it is about the Regency period that makes so many people feel almost nostalgic, as though they had lived there very happily in a former life?

Jo: There, dear readers -- your challenge, and with a grand prize. The Regency period is undoubtedly a magical one for romance. So why do you love it? If you don't, it'd be interesting to hear why on that, too. Have at it!

 I do have a concern, Mary. Do you think it's possible for the period to be worked to death, or do you think the appeal is eternal?

Mary: I don't think any topic or genre or era can ever be worked to death if it turns out that someone has something fresh and new and wonderful to say. That is the key, though. It is very easy to start finding secret baby books or vampire books or any other fashionable types of book tedious when they are mediocre or repetitive. But if someone writes a great Regency or whatever, suddenly it doesn't matter that a thousand other such books have gone before it.

Jo: An excellent point, Mary. "Regency romance" has changed over time. It once meant the "traditional Regency romance," which are the books we both wrote when we started. Now most Regencies are historicals. Do you have any thoughts about future changes? Are there any new directions you'd like to see it take?

Mary: As far as I'm concerned, the Regency is simply an historical era. It is a setting, a background for a story.

Jo: I agree with you there. I've always tried not to link the period in my mind with an author, be it Heyer or Austen, or a particular story type or writing style.

Mary: Even when I was writing the trad Regencies, no one could ever explain to me how they were different from the "historical" Regencies some people were starting to write, apart from the length, that is.

(Side comment from Jo. Even in length we didn't always have much difference. My first Rogues books were published as trad Regencies, and they were over 100,000 words, which is typical of a historical now.)

Mary: People used to accuse me of breaking the rules, but no one could ever produce those rules. The type of Regency I write now is the same type of Regency I have always written, except that in more than twenty years I hope I have grown as a person and improved as a writer. I always strive to do something different with each book, but that is relatively easy because my books are about people, and there are infinite differences in people.

Jo: Yes, that's the key. I agree.

Mary: I don't really mind if the Regency heads off in a vast number of different directions (paranormal Regency, for example). It doesn't matter. What I do want is for it to continue to produce an endless
store of great books that lots of readers will want to read and reread. I don't read much romance, by the way (too much like what I do for a living every day, and I am too afraid of being influenced by tends or even of unconsciously plagiarizing). So I am really not the one to ask about changing trends!

Jo: That's an interesting question to toss out, too. Anyone have any personal view of the development of the Regency romance over the past 20 years or so? And where it might be heading now?

You've had a wonderful career, Mary, and your books are all big bestsellers now, but  writing fiction is always a chancy career, with many ups and downs. Can you  share any shaky moments along the way?

Mary: Perhaps the shakiest moment for me was when I left my first publisher after many years. My new publisher was the highest bidder at an auction,and they treated me like a queen, including flying me to New York and wining and dining me. They gave my first book with them a huge print-run, and it sold more copies than any of my other books had sold before it. BUT the sell-through was abysmal--below 50%. They promptly lost all interest in me. My numbers plummeted, my editor was never available, they would offer only one-book contracts with exactly the same terms as the one before.

Fortunately, with my agent's help, I reacted swiftly and decisively enough to move from there before my career was quite wrecked--as has happened to many promising authors of my acquaintance in the same sort of situation.

Jo: Yes, I've known such cases, too. Thanks for sharing your story, because it could prove useful to someone else sometime. I always think selling fiction is like having a lottery ticket. Winning is rare, but
sometimes, out of nowhere, we get something wonderful that we hadn't expected.  Have you had any of those?

Mary: Well, what has happened to me recently has certainly been like winning a lottery. A couple or so years ago I was preparing to sink happily into semi-retirement, writing one book a year and having the hardcover one year/paperback the next year sort of thing going on. But I had an idea for a quintet of books and didn't really want to see them spread thin over so many years. So I suggested that I write the first three as quickly as I could and that Dell put them out one after the other in paperback--rather as they did a few years ago with my six SLIGHTLY books.

Dell was agreeable and even suggested that the fourth book come out in hardcover right after the first three. That is what is happening now, this spring. And this is the miraculous part and something I certainly couldn't have predicted when I made the original suggestion. With the economic crisis as it is, this is EXACTLY the right time for these books to be out there. My numbers have gone up when many other writers' numbers have gone down, and these books are doing excellently on all the big lists. Usually when things like this happen, it is to someone else--being in exactly the right place at the right time, I mean. I am rather enjoying the fact that this time it's happening to me.

Jo: But like most such wonderful things, fully deserved. Congratulations, again! And yes, sales of romance are doing well. People want pleasure in their reading, and happy endings.

This series is about the Huxtable family. Tell us about them and the books.

Mary: This current series is a quintet. It's about a family of three sisters and a brother and their male second cousin. The siblings were living in genteel poverty in a country village when the news reached them that Stephen, the youngest and only 17 at the time, had inherited an earldom and all that went with it. They all moved to his principal estate and proceeded to deal with the huge changes life had brought them.

 
Constantine, the second cousin, was actually the eldest son of a former earl but could not inherit himself because his parents married two days after his birth. FIRST COMES MARRIAGE is the story of Vanessa, the middle sister, who is a widow. THEN COMES SEDUCTION is the story of Katherine, the youngest sister. AT LAST COMES LOVE is Margaret's story--she is the eldest. Stephen had to be allowed time to grow up. His story is told in SEDUCING AN ANGEL.

Constantine weaves in and out of the other four stories, and it is never quite clear if he loves or hates his cousins. It is also believed that he stole from his youngest brother, who was earl for three years before his death and who had Downs Syndrome. Con's story, of course, has to be last--and readers are already begging me to write it. I think that because the first four books are coming out this spring, they fear there will not be a story for Con, even though I have always described the series as a quintet. They don't know me very well, do they? How could I possibly leave such a delicious male story-less? I have just started to write his book.

Jo: That confirmation will make your readers very happy. Thank you so much, Mary, for this interview.

So now it's up to you, dear readers. Here's your chance to ask Mary some questions, and don't forget to discuss the questions tossed out here. Why is the Regency period such a magical one for romance? How do you see its history over the past two decades, and how do you expect it to change in the future? 

Remember, Mary is giving away TWO copies of the June hardcover, SEDUCING AN ANGEL. One will go to a random pick of all people who comment, but the other will be Mary's choice from the comments on the questions above. 

All best wishes,

Jo

Comments

[Helen]

Mary and Jo

What a great post I loved it as I love your books Mary I have a lot of them but not all yet (I will get them one day) I have the newests ones and am going to love reading them one after the other.

Why is the Regency period such a magical one for romance? How do you see its history over the past two decades, and how do you expect it to change in the fture?

I love Regency set stories they take me on adventures to places that I will never see and most of the writers make me feel part of the story if that makes sense I love learning about the different lifestyles and clothing and customs and I learn something from each book I read and different authors describe things differently, I love regencies they will always be my favourite. I have been reading historical romance for around 30 years now and have seen a change in the way authors write them I think they have become more descriptive more real if that is the right word,as for change in the future I don't know about that queston I will be very happy if they are still published and I can loose myself in a great adventure full of love laughter fun and happiness I love a book that makes me laugh and cry.

Thank you Ladies for some wonderful adventures

Have Fun
Helen

[Linda Banche]

Mary and Jo, I love your books. Yours were the first Regencies I read, and I've never stopped.

Why do I like Regency? I think the attraction is that it's far enough in the past to contain an element of fantasy, yet close enough to be recognizable. Our modern world started in the Regency, with the concept that your place in the world wasn't fixed at birth, but you could change it by your own efforts. The manners and mores of previous eras are too different for me, and the Victorian era is too close to the modern world.

And then, I love the clothes, both men's and women's.

One obvious change in Regencies? They now contain a lot more sex, ranging from sweet to erotic. Good or bad, take your choice. I prefer lots of story and less sex.

Another change is that a lot of books I read now do not have a Regency "feel". The language is too 21st century, there are few period details and the characters react as modern people would. I toss such books.

I also think there were a lot more passive heroines twenty years ago than there are now. Doormat heroines may be truer to the era, but I've always hated them. I want to read about a woman who stands up for herself.

[Gretchen F]

Linda has made a great point- many current books are too modern in language and actions. Some of the current writers are way off base- the heroines aren't even concerned about pregnancy, let alone sin- but any 19th century woman would be appalled at the idea of the casual sexual encounters that occur in these books. They aren't really historical novels- they are erotica with costumes.
That rant over with, I have a question for you, Mary. Given that some of your earlier regencies are selling at astronomical prices on Ebay, have you been approached about re-issuing any of them, maybe in a collection format? I am the lucky owner of a well worn copy of Lord Carew's Bride, but I don't habve any other titles in that series and I wish I did. Maybe that is how the Regency will be affected in the future- with the return of the traditional form

[kay]

Mary and Jo: Love both of your books and I have them all. And I made Ms. Balogh sigh my yellowed copy of "The Masked Deception". I'm sure she thought I was one of "those" fans, you know the loony ones.

I love the Regency time period, loved it since I read Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer. I'm not sure why, but I think it's the men that are portrayed in them. They fall in that period where they are not quite as wild as the Georgian time and not quite as straight lace as Victorian (not that it was really that strait, just hidden better). And I like a guy in tight pants with boots.

[Liz Brooks]

I love the Regency time period-I think it's the clothes! Something about being dressed in all those decadent layers is rich and sexy.
There is also just something about the Regency gentlemen... they are always chivalrous yet a little bit devilsih.

[Pat Henshaw]

Why do we love regencies? I think it's because we live in a society with no social rules and we are intrigued by a small society that did. In a way, these are mystery stories--the Agatha Christie kind--that are about the vagaries of human behavior enacted in a society where there should be no deviation of behavior. Instead of whodunit, the regency gives us whydunit and howdunit, a peek at working around and through the rules to find happiness.

At least that's the pop psychology look at regencies from this English composition teacher's viewpoint. (BTW Temporary Wife is still my favorite, right before Slightly Dangerous.)

Thank you Ms. Balogh for all the years of good reading! I couldn't have made it through this year of two family deaths without you.

[Mary Balogh]

Nice comments so far! "And I like a guy in tight pants with boots"! Priceless! Don't we all.

Doormat heroines are not necessarily historically real. Think of Jane Austen, who was actually writing contemporary fiction. Even her silly characters, like Lydia in P&P, were not doormats. I think it's just our perception of the era that is faulty. Because women had no legal status, we often assume they had no spirit. I bet many of those women would have been surprised if someone had told them that legally they were non-persons. I think a few frying pans might have connected with a few male heads.

Surely all authors simply l-o-v-e "one of those fans." I was at a conference in B.C. a year or two ago. During the book-signing a lady arrived with several large boxes of books for me to autograph--everything I had ever written She was breathless with apologies. She had driven about five hours, I think, just for that--and she had the five-hour drive back home after I had finished. She made my day--my week. Well, my YEAR! I wonder if there is any author who does not enjoy signing books.

[mamx]

Hi
I loved reading a few of your books, like the mistresses series and the sinful series.I like that you take care to make make your books historically accurate as possible. I really started reading regency with your books I think, men in tight pants for sure is hot, yea, Im just a guy from New Brunswick, canada who think your books are pretty good, I really must start on that new series of yours soon , the covers are really getting gorgous too yeah, have a great summer, Ms Balogh

[Virginia DeMarce]

This is a question, since we have two Brits on hand.

In a historical set in the British Isles in the Regency era, when a character complains that the weather is "very hot," how hot would it really be.

I ask this as an American who has lived in Europe, and found the temperatures at which my friends were gamboling around the North Sea beaches in their bikinis to be really more appropriate to a sweat suit :)

Also, don't put my name in the pot for Seducing an Angel, because I already have it in both the dead tree and Kindle versions.

Thanks.

[AnimeJune]

Oh, Mary Balogh, I adore your books. I'm a relatively new and young romance reader, and my first book of yours was "The Secret Pearl," that I picked up at a used book store. Honestly, it was (and still is) the best historical romance I've ever read and it made me go out and buy all the Bedwyns except "A Summer to Remember." *lol* I read Julia Quinn's Bridgertons, too, and I always thought there'd be a bloodbath if the liberal Bridgertons and conservative Bedwyns ever crossed paths.

I've always loved your books because of the historical accuracy - both in detail and in characterization. One of my favourite scenes in "Slightly Married" is when Aidan's new wife meets his siblings and the sibs aren't immediately all sunshine and puppies - they have legitimate and realistic reservations stemming from their upbringing which is accurate to the time period. I really do hate historical novels with anachronistic characters (particularly female characters), because what's the point of reading historical romance if you're not going to make it historically accurate?

As for why the Regency period has such a pull, I've always suspected it's because it's essentially a time in-between - set between the hedonism of the Georgian and the strict puritanism of the Victorian. It's such a time of flux and change, so there's so much opportunity for interesting stories. Romantically speaking, it's also a period where being aristocracy still came with great perks but without the barbarism of the Middle Ages or the waning power of the Victorian period, hahaha.

[Mary Balogh]

Temperatures in the 80s would be considered hot in Britain, Virginia. Oh, goodness, and they would be just lovely here on the Canadian prairies too right about now. Winter hasn't got the message yet. It won't go away.

[Linda Furlet]

I've been reading Regencies since I was a teen, back when it was Heyer and no one else. I've rediscovered Heyer recently, and of course I've been reading my favorite Regency writers for the last 20 years -- Mary, Jo, and Mary Jo! I just received my copy of Seducing an Angel from Amazon and can't wait to dive in.

I have all of your books, Mary, even the elusive Wood Nymph, which I actually bought for list price when it was published. Thank you for all the hours of escape reading you have given me.

Why is the Regency so magical? I have to say a lot of it is the clothes! I'm not partial to the fussiness of the Georgian period, and the simplicity of the Regency lines for women must have been very appealing. The embroidery that you see on the dresses in the museums is truly magnificent.(Not to mention that those dresses could disguise a number of figure faults. Harriet Spencer, sister of the Duchess of Devonshire, managed to hide two extramarital pregnancies right under the nose of her husband thanks to those clothes!)

On the other hand, the men must have suffocated with their skin-tight jackets and their cravats. At least in one arena, the women had the better of it.

I too have to laugh when I read about the 80s being hot! But then I live outside Dallas, Texas, where we live for days in the 80s.

Thanks so much for writing your books!

[Mary Balogh]

I missed answering Gretchen's question above--and it is an important one. I have an enormous backlist (lucky me!) and I know that most of the older books are hard to find and therefore ridiculously expensive. Dell is starting to do some serious republishing. A PRECIOUS JEWEL will be out again in December, but after that there will be quite frequent publications of 2-in-1s. Ten books in all. And there will be contract talks for more of them starting next September. For a list of all the old books that will be out again and the publication dates (which are never ever written in stone, I'm afraid), see the News page at my web site -- www.marybalogh.com

[liz m]

Oh my gosh, I could write an answer longer than this column. But first I have to say what a treat a conversation between JB and MB is. And luckily, I have to pick my children up from school, so I best hurry. Lastly - I WANT BOOKS IN MY CORNFLAKES! Ahem.

I've been reading Regency for several decades, and I think in the beginning of my reading (late 70's) it was a gentler cousin to gothic. Instead of a dark and stormy night with an ex wife or two roaming the attics, it was a bright and glittery evening with an obligatory trip to the Big Three - Almack's, a club and Tattersall's. If you wanted to get really crazy - one might go to Bath. There was a lot of handholding and last page kissing, but all in all, it was a bit like haiku- within this rigid format, tell your tale and tell it well.

Then iambic came along - the 'long' regency, and some authors started to push out into troubled marriages (no last page kiss there, but many a quick look away for the reader) Characters started to become more 'modern' in their thinking and their problems, (we all got tired of reading about heroine's who'd just discovered the rights of women, yesterday's secret baby vampire) and we got what I sort of think of as a golden age. Everyone was exploring what could be done in a regency and things were shaking out - long format, historical, publishers were not quite sure what to do with them.

Then came free verse. Also known as Regencyland. The checklists were thrown out, the characters became much more modern in their thinking (not an altogether bad thing, as we are as like our ancestors as we will be our descendants) and the action / adventure ramped up in some books. Heroines started doing things that defied the constraints of their apparel, and took the Duchess of Devonshire for their model. The downside being that some seem to be in Regencyland the way I am in Disneyland - a day visitor enjoying the sights.

As to why Regency, it's the Cinderella age. (Unless you're concerned with India). The parties are bright, there's a war on making everyone a bit manic, but the war is clear for good or evil (depending on where you stand) Brummell has invented modern celebrity, it's the day of the courtesan (as short lived as their careers) the clothes are pretty and social order is just barely changing. There's a youngish man stuck with an unreasonable father waiting for his chance and throwing parties to distract himself. A little something for everyone with strict(ish) social rules to provide and easily relatable context. Close enough to 'know', far enough away not to have to think grandma wouldn't have done that. (I love Restoration, myself) And it's familiar enough if you cut your romance teeth on Jane at school. A man will come, and your life will begin, Cinderella, and you may meet him at a lovely, lovely party.

I think that Regency is headed back into some research with some more modernity coming along as well. Sherry Thomas and Bourne and the like are coming up with heavily researched books that take more care with characterization than a recent wave. Admirers of Quinn (and JQ herself) are keeping the light gossipy world alive. The heroines are increasingly less ornamental - needing more than a one note cause to define them, some having careers (pushing them into Victorian - LG's Girl Bachelor series) but it's another golden age as the vampires have pushed out what everyone 'knows' and the non-vampire books jostle for a new audience. I'm excited, after a narrow spell, to look forward to a flood of books.

Margaret is a brilliant example of my personal favorite type of romance - it's about the hero and heroine - who they are - what they want - how they find it - and what the prices and promises are of living their own lives instead of lives they have been told to live. Margaret is Cinderella and Fairy Godmother at once, rescuing herself while she finds her rescuer. It's a great book about having made the choices that were right for you to make then, but realizing that the choices you make in your youth (or whenever) are not the choices you have to cleave to forever. It's important to change, as the genre grows.

Ok, I have to hurry to the bus stop now. And this was the speed version! I didn't even get to Con why he MUST be guilty vs why he must NOT be.

[Rita Burnett]

I think one of the major attractions of the Regency period is the strict code of conduct. All of the characters are very aware of what is expected of them and their fellows, so when the heroes and heroines step outside the rules, we get to watch them attempt to get back undiscovered, or find a way to cover it up, or whatever the author's imagination comes up with to end up with the happy ending. It's also very informative to see what rules these people so long ago lived under and how it affected their lives and their happiness. Thanks, Mary, and Jo, for the hours of wonderful stories and characters. You are my two favorite romantic authors.

[Lisa Schultz]

Like so many of these other readers, I have been reading Regencies since I was a teenager, starting with Heyer and Austen, then Barbara Cartland (!?!), and onwards. Mary, I discovered your books perhaps 12 years ago with a library copy of Heartless, and set off on a quest for your backlist. As an example, it took me almost 3 years to get the three Web books, which I refused to begin until I had collected all three. And you won't believe what I paid for them!

Until the reissue, I had only read The Ideal Wife once (library copy), although I've managed to acquire the rest of the group. I'm so happy they brought that one back out! It gives so much more dimension to A Precious Jewel, arguably my favorite of your books.

Why the Regency era? I agree with many of the earlier comments; the period is close enough for us to understand, but different to be exciting. I love the tension generated by the social structures and obligations. Comparatively, we have so little sense of social obligation. The niceties of correct behavior add so much interest. And spice.

I also appreciate the care you take to keep your language and your situation period. I get so jarred by modern language; it really spoils the whole mood for me.

I also see the trend over the last decade towards more graphic sexuality. That's one of the things I love best about your writing, Mary, that your sex scenes seem to be a consequence of the growth of the characters' relationship, not just spontaneous combustion because two people who would normally be separated, found an opportunity to scratch an itch. I love that your characters are not thinking about sex all of the time. It focuses my attention as a reader on to their emotional relationship. I hate when I read a book, get to the end, and think, "these guys are going to hate each other in three months".

Mary, I know you have commented on your Yahoo group that, if you were to rewrite the Web books you would change them. Can I ask what aspect you might change? I am so moved by Web of Love, but I find Devils' Web to be harsh, and the denouement perhaps a little abrupt.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us!

[Diane]

Hello, Mary and Jo. Have spent countless hours reading (lost in) your books. Thank you so much for being there for me in times of sickness and health
I like the Regency period for many reasons. Dress is not the foremost, although that is a colorful part of the time. I think the Regency is interesting because it provides such contrasts in life styles and thought. There is war with all its ramificatiions to the way people live: death of bread winners, limitations of medeicine, and the plight of veterans (sounds familiar). There is aristocracy and defined levels of class which involves education and literacy with all those ramifications. Society is on the verge of the Industrial Revolution (another rich period); and whether they are aware of it or not, suble influences are shaping the way people think about transporting water, people, and goods: i.e. canals, paved roads, railroad, and more. There is also the beginnings of social conscience and an awakening to the idea that children must be protected, and there are the beginnings of primitive law enforcement methods. All these forces and more can and do play into the plotting and character studies of the Regency. Something that I think has appeared in the novels you both have wirtten is the idea of post traumatic stress syndrome (as we call it), but then it was a more mysterious and elusive concept, but still causing distress and agony to its victims. And so, right off the bat, there is a character study that must be explained in a novel. Well, I've no doubt written enough, so I'll just end with a heartfelt "thank you" to you both.
PS John says "hello", Mary. If you don't remember him, think of brunch at the Cheese Factory in Bellevue, WA. in 2005, I think.

[Susan/DC]

Among the first romances I read were those by Ms. Balogh, and she set a very high standard. "Irresistible", "The Temporary Wife", and "A Notorious Rake" are still my most frequent rereads (along with Ms. Beverly's "An Unwilling Bride").

The Regency was a transition period from the land-based wealth of the Georgian period to the manufacturing and trade-based wealth of the Victorian and modern eras. Victorian books can be fun because the pace of change increased dramatically, but watching the beginnings of such technical and social change begin to bubble up through the Regency is fascinating. I love following the Regency H/H's struggle to find an HEA that reconciled society's rules with the individual's heart.

One reason I generally prefer the Regency to the Victorian is the way things looked. I admit that I'm shallow or perhaps just lack imagination, but the standard Victorian male with muttonchop whiskers and hair parted in the middle falls into the silly, not sexy, category to me. And the Victorian penchant for overdecorated houses and clothing, often puce (even the name is off-putting) or some other aniline dye color, imply an atmosphere that is stuffy, not sensual. OTOH, the light-filled Regency rooms, flowing dresses and simple, shaped-to-the-body men's clothing provide a natural setting for romance.

[Mary Balogh]

Thank you for your comments, Lisa. I have always refused to change anything in my old books before they are republished. Partly, I must confess, this is due to laziness, or at least to my wish to spend my time on new ventures rather than old. Partly it is because something that was written and published should be allowed to speak for itself, even years later. And I know that many readers (including me) hate to have an old favorite changed in any way at all, even if the changes are actually an improvement.

But that is not your question. You want to know what about the WEB books I would change if I chose to.

When I reread them just prior to their republication, I must admit that I was shocked. I hadn't read any of them for fifteen years or more. One thing I didn't like was the pacing. I used far more interior monologue and sheer filler in those days. The stories, I feel now, move far too slowly.

Also, I used to write books that were far darker than the ones I write now. It was a deliberate decision I made some time ago when I was reading a book by a favorite author and discovered I just couldn't continue with it because it was too painful--even though I knew it would have a happy ending. It struck me that if I didn't like reading them I shouldn't be writing them! The decision was a result of one way I have changed as a person over the years, I suppose. We all do change, you know--hopefully for the better. I still write books tense with emotion and passion, I believe and hope, but without the worst of the angst.

Anyway, I find the WEB books, especially DEVIL'S WEB, far too dark now. James Purnell is almost a Heathcliff type character, and I hate WUTHERING HEIGHTS. I stand by the books because I wrote them and they represent what I was as both a person and a writer fifteen years or so ago. But I certainly wouldn't write any of the three books the same way now. To be quite honest, it always amazes me when readers tell me how much they love those books!

[Lisa Schultz]

But without the Webs, you might not have written A Promise of Spring, a charmer in every respect, and with such a delightfully unique premise.

Thanks so much for your reply!

[chey]

Hi Mary and Jo,
I think the draw of Regency is it is far enough in the past to be almost a fantasy. A simpler pre-electronic era. The clothes and scenery descriptions sometimes seem like they come out of fairy-tales.
The changes include the women seeming more like they're doing things, not just waiting for things to be done to/for them. The sex scenes are more explicit and sometimes the wording is more contemporary

[Mary Balogh]

I certainly do remember you and John, Diane, and that lunch in the Cheese Factory. You had just had back surgery but had insisted upon coming a long way anyway to have lunch with me and the rest of the group of very interesting ladies (John was definitely the rose among thorns on that day). It was another occasion when someone came with many boxfuls of books for me to autograph, I recall.

[cheryl c.]

The Regency time period is one of my favorites in historical romances. One thing that fascinates me is how very different society was then as compared to modern times. The Regency period had so many social rules and a defined order of class.

I just returned from my first trip to London, and I loved seeing the setting of so many of my favorite novels. As I continue to read Regencies, I can better visualize the homes, parks, carriages, and fashion.

[Valerie L]

I think our fascination with the Regency period is partly because it's in many ways so much like our own time that we can easily identify with the characters and yet remote enough in the past that we are transported to another world. The Regency had a foreign war, much like ours, where the soldiers suffered and died yet the war itself never affected directly the British populace. It was a time of social change and momentous improvements in science. The rights of women were being explored and society was not as constrained as it would be during the victorian period. The Romantic wave was putting a new face on art and poetry. The world was changing and the people had to adjust to that to succeed...in many ways they were on the brink, just as we are in many ways today. So, we find comfort in the familiar and yet can escape to a friendly, familiar world if we need to.

[Janice]

I'm pretty basic: It's the clothes. Everyone so laced up and covered up, but then there are those tight britches and low low necklines reminding me that these people have hidden selves -- all polish and sophistication on the surface, yet with the same emotions that drive us all underneath.

Then it's their love of words. They used words as a fencer uses a foil, with precision, with rhythm, and with great care as to their effect. I do love a well-turned phrase, and these people practiced at it.

And then I love the contrast of city to country life. Even though people were up and around at first light, and were active until dark and sometimes long afterwards, some of them working very hard, there's a sense that they had leisure to think about things; they weren't so inundated with trivial information that they were drowning in it as we moderns can do.

And then there's the sense of connection, of family. The circumstances of their lives often put them together in the same room for most of their days and evenings. I think I would have liked to sit bollixing up a bit of needlework while one of the circle read out loud to us all, even if it was only Fordyce's Sermons. So different from our modern habit of hanging out in our own bedrooms doing our own thing - seeking companionship from a computer rather than venturing out into the drawing room and perhaps finding it there.

[GrowlyCub]

Part of why I love Regencies is because I started my reading career with Georgette Heyer when I was about 10 or 12 or so.

The other part is, I think, because it's just the right period of time, before industrialization with its ugliness (child labor in factories, urbanization, pollution) really hit and before the more repressive social mores of the Victorian era held sway.

(Tangent: There was a fascinating episode of 'The History of Sex' on TV last night that explained the Victorian era as a backlash to the more licentious times that had gone before (Casanova, de Sade, etc.) and how conversely prostitution really took off during the Victorian time due to the fact that married women were told/taught not to enjoy sex.)

Going back the Regency, the Napoleonic wars offer a vast range of possibilities for truly heroic heroes while at the same time showing the terrible price the wars took on the people and society as a whole.

And last but not least, while many people would scoff at the idea of 'genteel manners' I do think these hold a general appeal in the sense that they remind us (or we think that they remind us) of a less chaotic time, where there was more order, more sense of place and more sense of who the individual is and how the fit as a part of their society.

I'm really excited to see historicals overall have a comeback, because during the late 90s and early 2000s other fads took over and it was very hard to find great stories. That's really changed over the last 3-4 years.

I do think there's a danger of overdoing a subgenre and I think that's kind of what happened to Regencies when Signet shut down the line. I see them coming back and I'm really glad, although I do admit to a very strong partiality to the Georgian era (Avon is just the most swoonworthy hero, EVA :)

[GrowlyCub]

Now that I've read all the comments and Mary's as well, I wanted to mention that I'm one of the readers who prefer Mary's angstier books.

Stories like 'The Secret Pearl' and 'A Precious Jewel' and two of the Web books (James is tad too tortured for my taste) have an immediacy in the characters' feelings that I'm missing from the later books.

In a way I was glad to read this comment by you, Mary, because it explains why I don't feel as invested in your more recent characters.

I thought there were glimpses in Vanessa's story and some more in Margaret's story, which I liked best so far of the Huxtable books.

[Pam P]

Hi Mary, I don't get burned out on any genre or setting, I agree, it's all about the people in a romance, and if the author engages our interest in them, the rest is not as important, or for me anyway.

I think I love the regency for the Cinderella theme, too - the balls and parties, dressing up, the flirting and courting, hoping to meet your Prince Charming (Duke, etc). I loved fairy tales as a kid and remember playing with my Cinderella paperdolls, cardboard castle and all, so that fantasy carries over into my love of regency romances, a different time from my own, and I relive that fantasy of meeting my own Prince Charming again.

Some changes, we see more sex in historicals now (though I just happened to read Jo's first set of Rogue books and they had some very steamy scenes), and stronger and smarter heroines, I don't believe they were all so missish back then.

[Diane]

Hi, Mary, are you still here? I wanted you to know that I bought a five CD collection of Welsh men's choir music (100 wonderful songs.) I am enjoying them so much, and I know you have mentioned that one hasn't lived until one hears a Welsh men's choir. So many thanks for the hint. Wonderful, heart stopping music!

[Susan Wilbanks]

Hi, Mary! Nice to "see" you again.

Reading through everyone's comments while thinking about why the era has such a strong pull on me, I think part of the appeal of the Regency is that there's so much variety to the era. Maybe more so than with most times, since it was a time of transition in so many ways. Want war? Plenty of that. Want peace? Just set your story post-Waterloo, or in some pastoral setting only lightly impacted by the far-off conflict. You've got grit and glamor, thriving cities and cozy villages, a fairly stable ruling class and simmering political upheaval, and so forth and so on.

Of course, the clothes don't hurt. Especially the uniforms. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a few pictures of Sean Bean as Sharpe, Ioan Gruffudd as Hornblower, and even a few period portraits saved to my desktop for, um, *inspiration.*

[Sherrinda]

A Harlequin in a cereal box??? For real? Sigh...how cool is that?
I've been reading Regency for years and first read Mary's books in my library. What an escape into sigh-producing heaven!

I love Regencies because they tend to lead me into a world where rules are broken, society lines are crossed, all amid a colorful swirl of gowns at lavish balls. Rebels dressed to the hilt! What's not to love?

[Mary Balogh]

Oh, Diane, you must find on those CDs (it has to be there) the song "Hiraeth." The word translates as longing, but it is the type of soul-deep longing we all feel from time to time for a nameless something beyond ourselves. I based the novel LONGING (title, theme, and song) around that. The song is a tenor solo against the background of a male voice choir humming. Weak-at-the-knees gorgeous!

[Mary Balogh]

I really talked myself into a tight spot, didn't I, when I suggested to Jo that I award the one copy of SEDUCING AN ANGEL to the person who posted the best explanation of the attraction of the Regency period. There have been some marvelous suggestions. How am I going to choose? Of course, if I hadn't said that, then we wouldn't have had these lovely ideas. I'll make a choice somehow at the end of today or perhaps tomorrow. Thank you for all the responses. And keep them coming.

[Mary Balogh]

About that Kellogg's Corn Flakes Harlequin romance: It was Anne Mathers' NO GENTLE POSSESSION. I still have it. When I pulled it out of the box, I literally held it over the garbage can (I didn't read THAT trash in those days!), decided to read it just to see how awful it was, and was actually charmed by it. I went on to read more.

The rather lovely follow-up to that story is that I had a message in my guest book at my web site a year or two ago from Anne Mathers, who is now a fan of my books. My jaw literally dropped. I emailed her to ask if she was THE Anne Mathers, and sure enough! I was able to tell her the story of my introduction to romance as a literary genre.

[Lois]

Hi and terrific reading with your interview! :)

Well. . . I kind of figure that we all go for the Regency period because it started with Jane Austen. I figure if she wrote during something like Ancient Rome, then we would all be reading Ancient Rome. (okay, perhaps not, but just a theory of mine). . . and from that comes the clothes, music, atmosphere, manners and the like that we all like. Me, I also like what someone else mentioned that it's close enough to be recognizable, but far away enough that it's still not the modern era. And of course, where is Mr Darcy from? ;)

But personally, I think it's kind of funny because I always loved England (another reason I think Regency is popular - many British fans out there as well), but as a kid, it was the Victorian era that I was exposed to, from many a Christmas Carols to Sherlock Holmes. But once I started reading romances, while I get some Victorians, or more specifically, the authors that write them, as a whole, I prefer sticking with Regency. Heck, didn't even know what the period was until I discovered historical romance books! LOL

Lois

[Ann]

I wish I had a better memory of my discovery of regency books. I do know it was Georgette Heyer and I remember being thrilled that my college library had titles I hadn't read.
I discovered Mary through the Signet Christmas collections and I read one and knew I had to find all of Mary's books. Wish I had, but perhaps one day.
It is my favorite historical period to read about. I enjoyed the society rules that the characters usually followed though that has changed in recent books.
Another thing which I may be wrong about and probably do not want to know is war. I read a book taking place pre Revolutionary war, pre Civil war, pre WW I or pre WW II and I wonder what might happen to the children of our hero and heroine. Will they be involved in a war?

[JudiDW]

OK, I'll break from the pack here and say that I'm not really a fan of Regency. I'm a fan of good books, well written, with gripping stories, which is why I like Mary's and Jo's books! And the setting doesn't matter to me (or if you really want to know, I'm more of a medievalist than a Regency type). But for that matter, I find some Regencies tiresome; it seems that the authors think that by trotting out all the Regency cliches--Almack's, a lot of trite Regency phrases--they've written a Regency, when actually what they've done is cut and pasted a bunch of standard "Regency" stuff and think they're done.

So ... thanks to all the Wenches who give the period a good name!

[Jean M.]

Mary & Jo: Have been away at doctors all day..Ugh! Could not get to the keyboard fast enough. What great conversation between you two & what wonderful responses from your fans. As to my own loving of "your" Regency era novels, all I can add is DITTO! The magic is the manners, the clothing, the sometimes down to earth simple living lifestyle, the rules they were forced to live by, & not to mention the slower pace (no phones, tv's, over abundance of big cities). And yes the sweetness of "does he or she love me"..that Regency way of questioning themselves.
You give us hours of Entertainment, Escape, SIGHS, Heart Thump Thumps, AND Pure Pleasure!! Thank you!!

[Andrea Pickens]

Thank you for visiting Mary, and for inspiring so many of us with your stories. You and Jo both have created such rich, memorable characters—as you say, that is really what a good book is all about, no matter what the time period.

I always answer the question of why I love the Regency by saying it's such a fascinating time of change. Everything—music, art, science, technology, society, politics-was in flux. It was both frightening and exhilarating, and I think modern readers relate to that spirit of upheaval. And then of course you have the glittering balls, and the swirls of silks and satins. It adds that aura of rich, textured romance.

I'm glad to hear you will be staying with the Regency and giving us lots more stories in the future!

[Mary Jo Putney]

I'm getting a kick out of those posts addressed to "Mary and Jo," :) but it's a delight to have you here, Mary. Please, have a nice cup of virtual tea with us. I'm fond of the Lapsang Souchong.

Mary Jo

[Mary Balogh]

Basic black is more my cup of tea, Mary Jo, but thanks. I think the gods must have arranged to have us called Mary, Jo, and Mary Jo just to make things easier for our readers--or more confusing.

When I was at university I had a boyfriend with the last name of Jones (who would have guessed it when I come from Wales?). His two best friends were also Jones (go figure). They all called one another Jonesey. We used to triple date sometimes. The girlfriends of the other two were both Mary. And--hey--that was my name too! It was very easy to round us all up--"Jonesey, Jonesey, Jonesey, Mary, Mary, Mary, ready to go?"

[Sherrie Holmes]

Hi, Mary! *waving madly* Devoted fan here. I have been collecting your books for years and believe I may have all of your older Signets, now. They are my comfort reads. What I enjoy most about your books is your character development. Your characters are so fully formed, so believable, so sympathetic. One can't help but care for them the moment we meet them.

What is the appeal of the Regency for me? I have to say that one of the biggies is that being honorable was a big deal back then. A man kept his word. It was a matter of honor. I feel there is a truer sense of values in that time period. If a man said he was going to do XXX, he did it, thereby displaying integrity. I guess you could say I have a respect for old-time values that were held sacred back then.

Also, the time period is more accessible to me mentally. While I love the Georgian era, it still strikes me as a somewhat dangerous period in history, whereas the Regency era just seems slightly more civilized. I view the Georgian era as the darkness before the light. The heavy makeup, elaborate, heavy clothing, outrageous wigs, etc. And then came the Regency--all lightness to the Georgian darkness. No more wigs or heavy, padded clothing. Natural hairstyles and airy dresses, etc. As I said, I still love the Georgian era, but Regency is my favorite.

[anne gracie]

Wonderful conversation, Mary and Jo, thank you, and welcome to Wenchdom, Mary. I'm so pleased to learn that you didn't know "the rules."
I certainly didn't. For me, (a far flung antipodean) "Regency" just meant the the historical setting, not a subgenre, so when I offered my first book, "a regency' to various publishers in the US, they all wrote back and said they didn't publish regencies.
So I sold to Mills and Boon Historicals.

Later when my first two books came out in the US I was heavily criticized for my "regency" containing sex scenes and my "regency historical" containing none. LOL. I could never work it out.
People used to tell me, "Trad Regencies have no sex scenes. " And I used to point to your signet regencies books and say, "What do you mean they have no sex scenes?" And they would come back with, "Yes, but that's Mary Balogh--she's an exception" -- and that I did heartily agree with.
I love your books. Thank you for many hours of pleasurable reading and rereading.

[Mary Balogh]

Hi, Sherrie (waving back--lace-edged hankie, of course)!

Well, Anne, I'm glad you took no notice of the "rules" either. And I have to use the quotation marks around that word because STILL no one has ever been able to produce them so that I can know the depths of my sin. And, as I always say (it was quoted in RT again in their latest issue), if there had been no sex in Regency England, it would be a pretty empty isle by now. The Victorians might never have existed. Imagine that! We might never have discovered the white wedding veil. Or the Christmas tree.

[Peggy Schuerholz]

Thank you for the wonderful interview! I started reading romances as teen, and back then I read everything I could get my hands on. I loved Jane Austen as well, but I certainly clustered her with the "school reading" books such as Dickens. It wasn't until my late 20s--and a long hiatus from the romance world--that I came back to romances, discovered Heyer, and found a place where Austen and romance converged in the trad Regency.

I like historical Regencies as well, and I'm glad Jo Beverley, Mary Balogh, Edith Layton and the like are able to continue writing because of the historical, but my heart belongs to Regencies. It comes from Austen, of course, and Heyer, but to me Regencies aren't just about the historical period, but also about the wryness, the love of language, the charm, the joy and the optimism that are the foundations of the genre.

[Caffey]

Mary, One of my favorite books of yours was SILENT MELODY. As being deaf myself, you so captured both the visual and emotional side and how that's so much strongly used to compensate for being unable to hear. Did you have experience in knowing others who were deaf? What were you able to find and where on deafness during the Regency time? You did it beautifully! I felt in some ways you so understood what it was like to be deaf with the heroine but too it had me cry knowing how much it did for me too. Thanks.

[Jeannine Pellerin]

I just love your series. The characters are so "attachant" (cannot think of the word in English). I was glad to read that your earlier books will be republished because they are hard to find. I cherish my collections and have to rein in my desire not to reread them over and over. I am also a big fan of Georgette Heyer whom I discovered in the early seventies. Thank you for all the precious moments I spent reading your wonderful stories.

[Helen]

There are some fantastic answers to the question here today.

Thanks for a great day

Have Fun
Helen

[Vicki Patterson]

So many readers love the Regency. What do you see as the magic of the period?

The rules! There are so many rules or any given situation whether it be people, place, dress, occasion, etc. The wonderful magic is the way the author have their characters cope within these terribly narrow ruling guidelines (and get around them!)- its fascinating.
Vicki

[Juliet]

I am one of those readers who love the Regency. I really don't know why, but I find it fascinating and when I read a good book located in Regency England, I get transported to a time so different from the actual time and for a while I forget real life and feel in another happy time and place. I love reading about their clothes, about the ton, Almacks, Bath, conventions and apparences, arranged marriages, rakes, etc., and I have a really good time. I love historicals in general, but regencies are special, they are like my favorite chocolate among all the other chocolates that I also enjoy, but they are the most satisfying (to me).
Great interview Mary and Jo!

[Susan/DC]

It's slightly off-topic, but I saw a production of Tom Stoppard's play "Arcadia" last night. Half of the play is set in 1809 and half is contemporary. Both halves are set in the same house, the country seat of the Earl of Croome. It's a lovely, lovely play, with Regency clothing and Byron as a minor (but never seen) character. Stoppard is brilliant, and the play is both laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking. In part it's about epistomology: how do we know what we know, both as historians and as scientists. But Stoppard never lectures or info dumps, and mostly it's about what my favorite romances are about: people trying to make their way in the world as friends, lovers, and in their careers. If you ever have a chance to see it, I highly recommend that you do.

[Mary Balogh]

I wrote SILENT MELODY purely from imagination. I know no deaf persons. It was very presumptuous of me. Mary Jo Putney saved me from the worst blunder. When she read the manuscript, she told me it would be impossible for a person totally deaf since birth to learn to speak. So I went back and gave Emily some illness that had robbed her of hearing when she was very young. My editor at the time had a child who was deaf (I didn't know it until after I had sent the book to her or I may not have dared) and she assured me that I had got it right! It is always reassuring to hear the same thing from others, though. That was perhaps the most challenging of all my books to write. A deaf heroine--no dialogue. Help!

[Mary Balogh]

You make a good point about the rules, Vickie. And several other people have made a similar point. I have just come to understand the connection between the fact that I love to read mysteries while I write Regencies. Writing Regencies is a little like writing mysteries, isn't it? The writer has to find a realistic way in and out of all the rules of the era in order to arrive at a believable conclusion. The fact that it is not easy, that sometimes it feels like putting a particularly tricky puzzle together, is what makes it altogether fascinating--and addictive.

[Debbie Germano]

Mary! I am enjoying your new series immensely, each one even more than the last! In fact I am forcing myself to read the latest one slowly so I don't finish it! It's very difficult :) I mostly lurk on your fan page, but I want you to know how much I have enjoyed ALL of your books. I think there is only one from your backlist that I am missing and I intend to re-read all of them when I retire:)). I've already re-read the Web series...
Thank you for being so accessible to us mere mortals:)

[Alicia Murphy]

My favorite era is the Regency because the heroes are men of honor. Perhaps honor holds as high a place in other eras, but I find it is really the backbone of all Mary's books. The rules of society give the Regency world an overall shape, but it is the gentlemen's code of honor that gives it integrity. I love the clothes, the parties, the wealth, the life I could never lead being played out for me again and again. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have trunks of beautiful gowns & fipperies, servants to make life easier, fabulous houses in town & the country, a geneolgy that could be traced back generations & included one illustrius person after another?

But, alas, I am a mother of 4 with no specail distinction, no impressive homes to travel between, no famous or infamous branches of my family tree. I live in a world where promises are carelessly made and easily broken. Politicians, financiers, captains of industry all view backroom deals as the currency of the day, something to accept and manipulate to best advantage. Honor is a thing of the past in schools and in marriages.

So I read Regencies to take me away from the mundane to a glittering world where Mary sorts through myriad crises and in the end the good guy wins the girl and they live happily ever after. I guess you can find that in other genres, but the Regency has a sparkle unmatched by other eras, in my opinion.

[Catherine]

Mary,

Am so glad that the blog was continued to today.
I have been a devoted fan of yours for several years, although most of my older volumes were thrown away by accident(or was it)by my husband.

I will not be able to explain why the regency period so appeals to me as eloquently as some of your other fans, so am not even going to try.

I can only say that when I am reading one of your books, I become completely involved. Your writing is such that I feel the emotions of your characters, and imagine myself as one of them. I have spent many hours laughing, crying, and even feeling anger at the way some of the heroines are treated.

For example, after re reading Truly for the ninth or tenth time, I felt compelled to actually go the library and do research on the real Rebecca riots. I guess that's what is so fascinating to me about the regency period in your books. You make me actually care about that period of time in our history, so I of course, have to follow up with research.

Thank you for so many hours of enjoyment.

Catherine

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Mary -

I'm delighted to see you at Word Wenches. I'm also delighted with the Huxtables. Please...will there be a book with Con at the focal point? He's such a dynamic character. Thanks for bringing the Regency period so lovingly to life.

[Mary Balogh]

The Rebecca Riots form awonderful background for romance. The Welsh rioted against road tolls in a time of depressed economy by destroying toll gates. The man who led the riots in various places always dressed as a woman called Rebecca. My hero becomes one of these Rebeccas, and so, of course, my heroine had to dress up as a man to join the protests. Neither knew the other's identity. There were some fun-to-write love scenes involving this man dressed as a woman and woman dressed as a man. It's not a comedy, though. It's all deadly serious, in fact.

[Susan]

Mary,
I was very happily reading the story of the Huxtables until I find out that Stephen's story is going to be hardcover.
I feel that it's like a case of bait and switch; to get a reader hooked on a series that starts in paperback and then go to hardcover for the finale. I would have very happily paid the 6.99 for another paperback but I won't buy the hardcover. I will be able to get it from my library(in a few months) but still...
That said, I enjoy your writing, thanks for many good hours of reading.

[Mary Balogh]

There will certainly be a book for Con, Binnie Syril. It would have been a bit mean (not to mention stupid) of me to have started off the quintet as I did if I hadn't meant him to be the hero of the fifth book. I think because the first four books are all out one after the other this spring many readers assume that this is a quartet, not a quintet. You are not by any means the first to ask that question! But Con's story, which I am writing now, is due out in hardcover at the end of June, 2010, with the working title of TAMING THE DEVIL.

[Mary Balogh]

I do understand your disappointment over finding that Book 4 is in hardcover, Susan. Believe it or not, I hate hardcovers too, but my publisher insists that there is a market for them, and indeed I am often surprised to hear from readers who will buy nothing else and have discovered me through my hardcover books.

As things were originally planned, the whole of this quintet was to come out hardcover first/paperback one year later. But because I write fast, and because I prefer paperbacks myself, I suggested that the first three books be brought out one after the other this spring, in paperback. Dell decided to go along with the idea and bring out Book 4 immediately after in hardcover.

If you think about it, even if you wait until all five books are out in paperback (Stephen's story next year, Con's the year after), you are still getting five books in two years. That is far more than most writers can produce directly in paperback.

Please, give me a break! I worked almost non-stop for two years in oder to have four books ready to go this spring. Having said which, I DO understand! If I were in your place, I would be stumping around and muttering under my breath too.

[willaful]

How fun to read one of my favorite authors being interviewed by another of my favorite authors!

"Why do we love regencies? I think it's because we live in a society with no social rules and we are intrigued by a small society that did."

I think this is spot on. (Except that it's not actually true that we have no social rules. There's nothing like living with an autistic child who doesn't get them to drive home that point.) I love the sort of conflict that comes from people torn between their desires and what is expected/required of them. And the concept of honor, virtually meaningless in our society, is so integral to a good Regency.

[Olivia Charles]

Thank you...! My two favorite English historical authors together.. what a treat..!! I collect books from both of you.

I love the Regency period because of the opposites that occur. The strict moral code is still in effect, yet the dress is much more relaxed than the Georgian or the Victorian (to come). So, you have a woman wearing gloves and a hat, while most of her chest and arms exposed, and her dress is sheer with few undergarments. The men are wearing vests and coats, but their pants are skin tight enhancing their, er unmentionables.

The heavy makeup and fake wigs of the Georgian period are gone, and the look is more natural.

And of course the waltz was introduced to society. Only during this daring time period could the waltz have been accepted.

I also think the time of the Regent was short, thus making the period special. Similar to the antebellum period before the Civil War in the US.

[Kristina W.]

Hi Mary,

I was so excited to see you as a guest on my new favorite blog ... Word Wenches!

Years ago, I discovered Silent Melody (and I believe I wrote you a little note telling you how much I loved it) and was instantly captured by your writing. To this day, Emmy ranks up there in my all time favorite character list. And I wait for the day when Heartless is re-released - I've only been able to read it through interlibrary loan (tragic, lol). My favorite of your series is the Slightly series. Your ability to capture the family and the feeling of the time period and the emotions in that book is just amazing.

I have to admit, I had a hard time getting into your newest series ... and it was probably me, not you, unable to sit down and concentrate. It may have been because I borrowed the first one from the library and it was in large print (which I find hard to read ... weird, I know). I have to give the first book another try (and I know once I do, I will like it because I like all your books).

And back to your original question ... The Regency Period. For a long time, I would only read books in the Regency period (this was in the 90s during my HS and college years). As an historical anglophile, for me it represented the ultimate escape from the stresses of school and worries of being a teenager and navigating my early 20s. Now, I read widely across genres (and ironically write chick lit, based in the UK, of course) ... but I still go back to my familiar regencies when I want comfort. I love the descriptions of gowns, the social networking, and the struggles of women trying to find their place in a man-dominated world. I love how the men tend to be reformed rogues (I'm still looking for mine), wear tight breeches and stand out amongst the peacock-like dandies. I love the descriptions of houses, lands and the food.

When I was younger, I wanted to go back in time to regency England...and my mom always told me that with my luck, I'd go back as a chambermaid. Very true! And even if I didn't - and wound up as a lady, my freckles would have been quite unfashionable, and as contacts hadn't been invented yet, I'd have become a old spinster crashing into walls because I couldn't see :)

In short, I love regencies. You do them magnificently ...thanks for creating magic with your pen -- er, fingers on your keyboard.

-Kristina

[Jo Beverley]

Jo here.

Wow, what great answers to the questions here. We do all love the Regency, don't we.

Mary, I don't envy you the task of picking a winner from so many excellent and thoughtful post. Watch the Wenches, everyone, for the winners' names.

Thank you so much for doing the interview and responding so graciously. I hereby declare you an Honorary Word Wench. It's been a treat to be your host.

Jo

[LadyDoc]

I've been a Regency fan for about 30 years, starting (as so many do) when I discovered Georgette Heyer. Addicted to historical fiction since my teens (Plaidy, Sutcliffe etc), here was a genre that was light, entertaining and FUN!

I love the "traditional" Regency- the characters stick to the rules of society, there is no sex explicit in the stories, and there's lots of information about the clothes, the houses and the general period surroundings.

I think that the biggest change I've seen in Regencies in the years I've been reading them is the loss of the specifics of the period. I cannot remember the last time I read a book that included Almacks or Beau Brummell or a phaeton. I also miss pelisses and half boots and all the other clothing details.

When I read I want to be able to visualize the story- and for that I need the details of how the room looked and what she wore.

Regencies now are so much character driven- and I love reading well written characters, don't get me wrong!- that only my years of reading Regencies allows me to "see" them as the story progresses. I've read too many lately where the events could almost take place in various eras and the story would not notice!

The other thing I miss seeing now (is it that I am reading the wrong authors???) is any recognition that there is a war going on! What happened to the officers at every ball? When did we last have a heroine whose brother or cousin was "in the Peninsula"?

I think one of the appeals of the Regency genre is that the period is so well defined. Is Georgian pre-American revolution or post? With George III sane or not? George III or George II? The term is "Victorian" but the society changes several times during her reign, and there are vastly different political situations over the years. Regency, on the other hand, is easy! 10 years. One set of rules- although the introduction of the waltz after the Congress of Vienna did cause much head-wagging at Almacks! ;)

Americans have many such periods- we "know" the Revolutionary War era, and the Civil War era etc. but I think fewer of us would settle into a book about the 1890s with the same sense of feeling at home.

I love Regencies, and I think many others do as well, because it is a clear period we can "see" as we read. It is reading comfort food.

In closing I must say that I have read, voraciously, so many Regencies over the years that few author's names have stuck with me. Mary Balogh and Jo Beverley have been, for years, exceptions to that generalization. I have read both your works with great enjoyment and for that I thank you!

[Jo Beverley]

Jo here. I love shopping for gifts for our guests, and of course with virtual presents, the sky's the limit. The item doesn't even have to be on sale!

But for Mary I've been fairly modest. After all, I was looking for a nice second home for her in Wales, and I found the perfect place.
Plas Cilybebyll, Pontardawe, Swansea
http://tinyurl.com/p7e7cn

I was particularly taken by the library/study,
http://media.rightmove.co.uk/52k/51680/51680_233725_IMG_04_0006.jpg
and of course there's the indoor pool for fun and exercise.

Enjoy, Mary! And thanks, again for stimulating such an excellent discussion.

Jo :)

[Keira Soleore]

I'm commenting incredibly late here, but didn't want to miss this rare chance to squee over how much I loved, loved, loved ALCL. I was sitting in my car outside my daughter's art class thoroughly enjoying the book. My laughter was often enough and loud enough that a mother sitting in the car next to me, got out, came up to me to ask what I was reading. What an opportunity to have a new reader gain the fabulosity of a Mary Balogh book!

Thank you for this new series, Mary.

And Jo, thank you tons for this wonderful interview. Now that there isn't even Facebook, there's no chance to hear from Mary herself and have the chance to tell her how much I love what I've read of hers.

[Keira Soleore]

Jo, gosh, that library's perfect for Mary. I can just see behind that fabulous desk and her books framing her on the bookshelves.

[Elizabeth rainbird]

Hi Mary and Jo

I have a lot of both your books and have just finished the first three Huxtables.

I think the regency period is fascinating for so many reasons. It is a period of time that we will never see again and most of them lived lives that are so different to ours. We all like to lose ourselves in lives which are different to our own All the , glitter and clothes and balls and fascinating people. and horse drawn carriages instead of motor cars. it is such in interesting period which I don't think can change much but can be enhanced.

Both your books make the regency period exciting and stand out from other periods in history

Elizabeth rainbird

[Mordecai]

Hello everyone. Is there life before death? Help me! I find sites on the topic: Auto dealers thailand dodge. I found only this - Dodge dealers seveirville tn. Dodge avenger driver falls short of winning first canadian nascar race by anthony fontanelledodge avenger driver mark dilley failed in his bid to win the first nascar race in canada at the dodge dealers. Our davie, fl dodge dealership always has a wide selection and low prices. THX :mad:, Mordecai from Leone.