The Return of The Rake

by Mary Jo

A frequent interview question for authors is to name our favorite among the books we’ve written.  I hate that question.  Sophy’s Choice! 

I usually reply that I love all my books and characters, or I couldn’t write about them.  This is entirely true. 

 

But if pressed, I will admit that the book that is closest to my heart is The Rake.  It’s a long book that was written in a mere four months (very fast for me), and which was created out of the visceral experience of alcoholism. 

Not my own—I come from generations of Yankee teetotalers.  Two glasses of wine a week is wild times for me.  But I knew an alcoholic.  (Doesn’t everyone?)  I observed the slippery slope as a social drinker comes to crave alcohol with increasing urgency until self-control crumbles and life becomes an ever more frightening downward spiral.

I also observed the difficulties of recovery, of attempts to moderate.  The temporary successes, the backsliding, and the growing desperation until the shattering of the soul that comes with hitting rock bottom.  And then the long, painful, and uncertain struggle toward recovery.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the source material of The Rake.  The book itself grew from my very first Signet Regency.  In The Diabolical Baron, the hero is a reserved former army captain who is unsure if he wants to take on the vast responsibilities of the earldom he finds himself heir to. 

One of the reasons Richard decides to declare his identity and take on his heritage is his obnoxious cousin, Reginald Davenport, the heir presumptive to the earldom.  Reggie is a rude, ill-behaved jerk who has been hanging out on the town for years, waiting for his uncle to die so Reggie can inherit.

Reggie was invented as a foil for the noble, wounded, and conflicted Richard (clearly this hero archetype was in my mind right from the beginning <g>), but as characters do, he started to develop dimension.  At the end, he shows surprising grace in defeat. 

My critique partners loved Reggie and wanted to see more of him, but—well, he was an obnoxious jerk.  Then I realized that all his bad behavior came when he was drunk—which was more or less all the time. 

Inspiration struck. Regencies were full of hard drinking, womanizing rakes who never suffered any consequences.  I figured it was time someone wrote a book about consequences.  Having had the opportunity to observe the whole cycle of alcoholism and recovery close up, I had a pretty decent grasp of the subject—and off I went, illustrating that fools do indeed rush in where angels fear to tread. <G> 

Reggie's story begins his cousin gives him the estate where Reggie had been born—and which should have been Reggie’s if not for his uncle’s nasty machinations. Richard basically says, “Here’s an estate with a good income, sink or swim, you’ll get nothing more from me, and you might want to keep the steward, he’s very good.”

Except that the steward is a female working under her initials—and quite the surprise for Reggie when he returns to Strickland!  Alys Weston, known as Lady Alys for her imperious ways, had run away from her life and reinvented herself as a steward with three foster children and a fluffy imperious cat named Attila.  (The cat was really Rocky, the feline belonging to a schoolteacher neighbor of mine.  I used to cat sit him when she was out of town.  Definitely imperious.) 

Alys is a strong character in her own right, with her own pains and sorrows and hidden dreams.  She shares Reggie’s subversive sense of humor, so there's a fair amount of banter.  This is also the most agricultural book I've ever written, showing something of what it was like to run an estate. (Yes, I grew up on a farm.)

But ultimately, it’s Reggie’s book. Here's a very brief excerpt, when Alys checks up on him after he's had a very bad episode with his drinking:

(Alys) took the prepared tray and entered the library.  Reggie was a lean, silent shape slouched in his favorite chair, half turned away from her.  The room too shadowed to see his face, but his clothing was neat.  With luck, he had not availed himself of the liquor cabinet. 

She set the tray on a table to the left of the door and said quietly.  “Are you still among the living?” 

His head turned in her direction.  After a lengthy silence, he said in a slow, rusty voice, “I've read of penguins that jump around on an ice floe, trying to decide if there are sharks in the water.  Eventually they push one of their number into the sea.  If the sacrifice isn't eaten, they all dive in.  You, I assume, are the sacrificial penguin.”

She had to smile.  Obviously there was some life in the old boy left.  “I’ve have been called many things in my life, but never a sacrificial penguin.  How did you know there was a committee outside trying to decide what to do about you?”
 

“Occasionally the door would open, very quietly, then close again.”
 

“After they had determined that the shark was still lurking here.”  Without asking if he wanted any, she poured two cups of tea, with heavy dollops of milk and sugar in Reggie's cup, then went and put it in his hand.  Close up, he looked dreadful, with haunted eyes and a gray tinge to his dark skin. 

As he stared at the dainty cup, she said helpfully, “It's called tea.  People drink it.  It's the British cure for whatever ails you.”

The first version of Reggie and Alys’s story was a SuperRegency called The Rake and the Reformer. and it caused a modest sensation when it was published.  I received some remarkable letters and the book won a RITA, among other awards.  On one occasion, a woman walked up to me at a conference, said the name of the book, then burst into tears.  (I led her to the nearest sofa, patted her hand, and we talked.)

Later NAL gave me the opportunity to revise my early Regencies into historical romances, and The Rake and the Reformer was transformed into The Rake.  People ask how much I added to the original story.  The answer?  I didn’t add anything.  Instead, I cut about 4000 words, making the story tighter and just a little bit sexier.  (I’d been threatened with actual bodily harm if I changed the story too much. <g>)

The story sold lots more copies as a historical romance, but eventually went out of print, as books do.  So I was pleased when Kensington chose to buy the rights to The Rake so they could reissue it again.  The official release date is April 27th, so it may already be showing up in stores. 

Needless to say, I’m delighted that a book so close to my heart is widely available again.  (Much as I love e-books, a lot more people still buy print.) 

As an amusing sidelight, a couple of years ago the Mayhem Consultant adopted a young tom cat to replace his much mourned Cleocatra.  Since the MC loves The Rake, he named the cat Reggie. BIG mistake—the Reg turned out to be a charming teenage thug who harassed my older cats.  ("Reggie makes other cats edgy!”)  In fact, a young feline troublemaker.  Maybe if we’d named him Cedric….

In honor of the reissue of this book of my heart, I’ll give away one copy of the very original version, The Rake and the Reformer, to someone who leaves a comment between now and midnight Saturday. 

I almost hesitate to ask you about your experiences with addiction—it is SO not a fun topic.  But if there’s anything you’d like to share, I have hugs to spare.

Mary Jo

 

Comments

[LilMissMolly]

I love it when some of the "oldies but goodies" get re-released. It lets those of us knew to an author experience the earlier books that are hard to find in a store.

[eli yanti]

i think i'm so addictted with book and love to buy new book even i'd so many book that i have not read T_T

love the old and new cover of the rake :)

[Mary Jo Putney]

LilMissMolly--I completely agree about the pleasure of finding an old book released and available. An example of a book I loved being rereleased after years out of print is TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD.

The book is non-fiction, but a delicious, entertaining read about the Gilded Age American "dollar princesses" who crossed the Atlantic to marry titled, land poor English lords. I bought the book when it first came out, and it inspired my novella tHE wEDDING OF THE CENTURY, and--Downton Abbey. *G* Strongly recommended if you like social history.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Eli--like so many of us who hang out at the Word Wenches, you have a book addiction. And even if I wrote a book about alcohol addiction, I'm in no position to condemn book addiction! I'm glad you like both old and new covers, too!

[Cate S]

Oh this is great news... I love re-releases [that are older than just a year!!] Cats are so much more an individual than dogs..

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cate--my heroes and heroines are always creatures of my imagination--but the cats are always based on real cats. *g* Reggie the Rascal is a real character--many bad traits, but so cute that he's always forgiven.

[april]

This was one of my favorites. Maybe not my first, but I believe it was my first book not part of the Fallen Angels.

I'm also a big fan of animals in books but partial to cats because I'm a cat person. Well, it's kind of like kids - I like my cats but others are kind of annoying sometimes. I think my cats felt the same way - that they don't care for people, but they liked their people. :)

[april]

Oh, I totally meant it wasn't my first book, not my first favorite. That sounds critical because it is one of my favorites because I would never pick just one as a favorite. :)

[Mary Jo Putney]

**Well, it's kind of like kids - I like my cats but others are kind of annoying sometimes. I think my cats felt the same way - that they don't care for people, but they liked their people. :) **

LOL! This is so very true, April. My cat, the Elusive Lacey, hates everyone but me, and to some extent the Mayhem Consultant and Grady the Gray, who I adopted at the same time. She LOATHES Reggie, and has no use for the Fluffster. But she purrs for me. With cats, one always feels so honored by their regard.

[Mary Jo Putney]

**Oh, I totally meant it wasn't my first book, not my first favorite. That sounds critical because it is one of my favorites because I would never pick just one as a favorite. :) **

You are the soul of tact,April. *g* I agree that it's hard to pick just one favorite, because they're all different. Like comparing apples and mangoes.

[Suzy]

Does an addiction to books count?

my relatives are considering intervention... denying me access to my books... hiding my books so I cannot get to them...

I try to explain to them that I'm not addicted, but I have to resort to smuggling books into the house... hiding them around the house so they don't see them...

I'm sure you understand...

and I'd like to be able to smuggle "The Rake" into the house....

I'm really not terribly addicted to books... truly!!

[LouisaCornell]

Sigh! The Rake is one of my very favorite of your books! And I make no apologies for my book addiction. The floor of this house may need to be reinforced to accommodate the weight of the books in it, but I won't give them up!

My grandfather was a mean Cherokee alcoholic. The stories my mother has told of his treatment of her mother and her eight siblings are the stuff of Lifetime movies and worse. As a result, alcohol was never allowed in our home. I've never even had a sip in all of my 53 years. But for me it was a decision I made based on genetics, not some moral objection. I'm a musician. We aren't known for our restraint. I decided, why gamble? I have watched fellow musicians destroy themselves with addictions to drugs and alcohol. The worst part is the feeling of helplessness. All I could do was watch and be there when the bottom was reached. Tough gig all the way around.

[Diane Sallans]

I think addiction at least starts as a way to escape something, a difficult or unhappy situation. I don't think I could become addicted to alcohol - it makes me sleepy very quickly. But I probably am addicted to reading, it is definitely an escape from 'real life'. I may also be addicted to book blogs - I'm not getting other things done that I should.

[Cynthia Owens]

Mary Jo, I'm a non-drinker, but like many other commenters here, I'm addicted to books. I have four bookcases in my office and two in the family room, and I still don't have enough room for all my books! I dream of one day owning a house with a room with floor-to-ceiling bookcases...

[Mary Jo Putney]

LOL! Suzy, you need either fewer books or new relatives. I'd go with getting new relatives. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Diane--

You're right that often addiction is rooted in a need to escape (as well as in heredity.) And there are times we NEED to escape. When that happens, books are one of the best addictions to have--not bad for our health like drink and drugs, and we learn things along the way.

And if you're addicted to book blogs--I'm glad Word Wenches is one of them!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cynthia--

More bookshelves are a giddy delight, but I am here to tell you that you'd eventually run out of space even so. *G* I moved into a larger house to get more bookshelf space, and alas, I'm still going to have to start thinning the herd. *g*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Louisa--

You made a very wise choice at a youthful age when a lot of people aren't wise. You might enjoy reading this blog by John Scalzi. one of my favorite science fiction writers, who doesn't drink for reasons similar to yours:

http://tinyurl.com/7kw3rc5

[Janga]

I consider The Rake not just a personal favorites but also one of the classic romance novels that I'd put on my list of most significant books in the genre. I'm delighted that it's being reissued.

I've discovered that with an ereader, my addiction to books has intensified. The instant gratification of the download, the FB posts and tweets announcing bargains, the availability of books that have been OOP--all offer irresistible temptations.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janga--

The blessing of e-readers is that we can feed our addiction WITHOUT having to move into larger houses. *g*

[Marianne Hageman]

Great news! I enjoyed The Rake and the Reformer very much. I reread its related short story, Sunshine for Christmas (the story of Lord Randolph and Elizabeth), every year for the holidays.

[Barbara Elness]

I have had experiences with alcoholics in my life, so I understand addiction, but the only thing I'm addicted to is books. It's a pretty serious addiction, because I keep running out of bookshelves and have to get more. And then I got a Kindle so I keep downloading books on that. It's a constant struggle to get them read, but I'm up for the challenge. :D

[Annrei]

The Rake was one of the first romance novels I read and it remains a favorite because of the depth of the story. Glad to see it reissued!

[Susan]

I have heard about this book for a while now and I can't wait to read it!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Marianne,--

I'm so glad you enjoy "Sunshine for Christmas" as well as The Rake. I just had to do something with Lord Randolph--he was a nice young guy who made a bad mistake, but really, he's better off with Elizabeth. *g* THeir story was my veyr first novella. (It's available in e-edition these days.)

[Mary Jo Putney]

Brave Barbara to stand your ground against all those books! The Kindle is a good ally, storage wise. *g*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Susa--

The drawback of having heard about something for a long time is that the reality might disappoint. *G* I do hope you like Reggie and Alys. And Atilla and Nemesis. *g*

[LouisaCornell]

Mary Jo,

The John Scalzi post is amazing. He elucidated beyond eloquently exactly my thought process when I decided it would be dangerous for me to try alcohol. Looking back I have no idea how I managed to realize all of those things about myself, but I did. Wish I'd been as smart about some other decisions, but at least I got that one right! LOVED his post. And he is so right! Being the designated driver is fun! And I very seldom have to pay for my numerous glasses of Coke when I go out with friends. Most bars let the DD drink for free!

I will, however, break my rule one time and one time only. When I sell my first book I fully intend to drink a glass of champagne to celebrate. The Wenches are invited to finish off the bottle!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Annrei--

I'm also delighted that The Rake will be available again. As I said, it's close to my heart. I hope it finds a new readership. (Perhaps by young women who weren't even born when the first version came out in 1989!)

[Mary Jo Putney]

Louisa--

I made a long, thoughtful comment about John Scalzi, and Typepad didn't put it up. So I'll be short this time and say that Scalzi is a terrific writer, and his Whatever blog is one of the best on the internet--the only one I get on an RSS feed.

And I agree--selling that first book will be a fit occasion for at least a sip of champagne! You probably won't like it, but the symbolism is too power to resist. *g*

[Margot]

As with just about everyone else posting here, I'd say the only addiction I have is to reading. (When I was in middle/high school, my parents' favored punishment was to take all my library books and return them, since that was about the only thing that motivated me into any sort of action.)

No one in my immediate family has an addiction that I know of. My mom and grandmother are allergic to the yeast in alcoholic beverages, which meant pretty much no alcohol in my house while growing up. As I'm still in college (and under 21), I have yet to actually drink more than a sip of wine, and really don't see the attraction. (And there is, of course, the chance I'll be allergic, too.)

And I suppose I will be that young woman who wasn't born yet in 1989 who will be reading it now!

[chey]

I'm addicted to books.

[Marie]

I will join the growing ranks of admitted bookaholics. I have a Kindle too but I can not seem to stop acquiring books at every opportunity. My husband learned early on to stop offering to stop and get me a new book because A new book always turned into 5, 6 or 7. I just seem to get so greedy when I get around then, whether it is in a bookstore, a library or a supermarket if I see books I am going to be looking through them all and bringing several home with me. I would love to read the Rake and the Reformer (and of course add it to my collection!)

[aretha zhen]

congratz for the rerelease of your book Mary! love both covers the new and the old one! for me a new book is always going on my way at least once a week. I just simply coudn't live without reading books, they are the past of my life

[Mary Jo Putney]

** I suppose I will be that young woman who wasn't born yet in 1989 who will be reading it now! **

If so, I hope you enjoy it! With the yeast allergy--as you say, you might have it, too, which would at least restrict you to book addiction only.

Most of us here are in the same category. Today in Baltimore, the Smith College alumnae group is holding their annual used book sale. I do not need more books. I shouldn't go to the sale.

What do you think will happen? *g*

[theo]

I never read this. I need to. I grew up with an alcoholic father. Some of you know he had a stroke the day I married. That was the day he quit drinking. Completely. But for many, many years, he started the day with a shot of Vodka and a beer, then he would find his way to the bathroom rater than the other way around. He was what I can only call a 'disciplined drinker.' He would start his morning with the shot and beer, then wouldn't drink anything while working. But the minute he was done working, he was back at the bar. Eventually, he came home, sometimes at 10 at night and that's when we would eat dinner because we never ate until he came home.

I understand the addictive personality. I have it too, but my addictions focus on books, writing, antiques and a few other, minor things. It would be very easy to slip into more dangerous ones if I didn't know myself so well though.

And that is all TMI just to say that I'm so happy it's being re-released. It gives me a chance to 'catch up.'

[Mary Jo Putney]

Theo--

Your father pretty much fits the definition of functioning alcoholic, which I suppose is better than a non-functioning alcoholic in the sense that the household has money coming. But not great. You're very wise to channel your addictive tendencies into wonderful things like books, writing, and antiques.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Chey, Marie, and Aretha--

I was thinking that we bookaholics should hold a party--and then I realized that we'd all rather be reading!

It's a gray day with on and off rain in Maryland. Perfect for hot soup, warm cats, and a great book. I'm currently reading THE SUMMER OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY by Julie Cohen, who was interviewed here on the Wenches a couple of weeks ago. Bliss!

[Janice]

Theo, I too had an alcoholic father, who added multiple infidelities to the mix, and I know the misery my mother lived because I was miserable too. I loved him with my whole heart and it did neither of us any good at all. Long stretches of sobriety and seeming fidelity would be broken in an instant, and we'd never know why. I spent my childnood waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nobody changes until they want to change, and he didn't want to badly enough. Then one day he died, and we survivors were left to make what we could of it all.

So I have a rather cynical view of rake reformation, and every time I read a regency which has this theme, I go, yeah, well, maybe *this* time it'll work, but heroine, you better know where the back door is and where to go when you leave, because someday you and your kids might need it. Love can not fix everything.

Mary Jo, I was interested in your comments of how you revised The Rake and the Reformer (which is on my keeper shelf) into The Rake. Personally I like those extra 4,000 words and am glad that I have the original.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janice--

I think it's time I broke out the hugs--you've earned them by surviving such a difficult childhood. You're exactly right that people don't change unless they really want to. But I had the positive experience of seeing the person who inspired this book fight his way to sobriety, and he hasn't had a drink in decades. It can happen. But it often doesn't.

I think both versions of the book are equally valid, but like most writers, when I look at early work I automatically go into editing mode. With the excerpts, I find myself wanting to polish them up, then have to stop myself because the book is published already. *g*

[Janice]

Mary Jo, thank you, that's very kind. But like many others who have posted, I had books as a child, and in them I found my values, my heroes and heroines, my comfort and my escape. All that reading helped me do well in school too.

It was all a long time ago and only one other person alive now even still remembers my dad. It is frustrating when, as an adult, you have so little reality check on your memories. Ancient history. I go put flowers on his grave and wish him well.

I know what you mean about 'spirit of the staircase' - I always think I could have said something better, after it's too late :)

[Annrei]

"And I suppose I will be that young woman who wasn't born yet in 1989 who will be reading it now!"

I was 3 in 1989. I think my friend found The Rake in a used bookstore , actually...unless there was a reissue around 2001-2002?

[theo]

{{{{Janice}}}}

I too used books as my escape. I met wonderful people in them, people I wanted to meet, places I wanted to go, and really, my view of romance was shaped by them as well because there was very little in my house.

My mother died 17 years before my dad did though and when she died, he fell to pieces. Though he'd quit drinking the day I got married, he never took a drink, but became a half-functioning person with terrible health. I took care of him then and really, I wouldn't change those years. I had the luxury of knowing him again. I knew him as a child before the drinking took over and again at the end.

I'm so sorry for your loss. And you did lose a lot. Your childhood, happy memories, things that sustain us when our own family grows up and develops lives of their own. Stories we can tell them while they're young.

But I do know firsthand that people can change. You're right, they have to want to. Not for anyone else, but for them. My dad did. So reformed rakes for me are something I look forward to reading.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Annrei--

I think the NAL edition of THE RAKE was indeed reissued in the early 2000s. If so, it had the same cover, so it was effectively the same edition. Whether you had it new or from the used bookstore, it's the same book as the one coming out next week.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Theo--

It's wonderful that you were able to turn your relationship with your father into such a rich, positive experience. There are others who would have gone done in bitterness, I'm sure.

"That which does not destroy us makes us stronger."

[theo]

It shipped!!! YAY!

[Mary Jo Putney]

YAY indeed, Theo! I hope the book works for you--

[Pageturner]

Years ago I read a poster which basically said 'Cigarettes destroy lives, alcohol destroys families' - a very powerful message.

[Mary Jo Putney]

**Years ago I read a poster which basically said 'Cigarettes destroy lives, alcohol destroys families' - a very powerful message. **

That's dead on, Pageturner. Alcoholism and drug abuse are like mental illness in that they affect the whole family unit. The ripples can spread out for generations.

[Susan/DC]

Early in my romance-reading days I read "The Rake and the Reformer" and loved it. Several years later I was very happy to discover "Sunshine for Christmas". If you'd written nothing else (and, thankfully, you did write other things) you'd still be one of my favorite romance authors for those two stories alone.

As for addiction, I'm very lucky not to have experienced it first hand. Got drunk once when in my 20's and was so miserably hungover I've never drunk more than 1 or 2 drinks a week since. You have to realize that I live in fear of stomach flu and other intestinal upsets, so having experienced something with all of the awful symptoms of flu that I did to myself -- well, it was not something I was likely to repeat. I do feel for those who have to deal with loved ones who are addicts of any sort, and I certainly understand how love sometimes does not survive in those circumstances.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Susan/DC--

your taste for alcohol sounds much like mine--largely nonexistent. I got drunk once when I was 19, scarfing down run 'n cokes in a youth hostel in Amsterdam (and doesn't that sound colorful? *G*) and felt so ghastly that I decided never again. And I don't even have the vomiting phobia, though Iknow others who do. That makes everything just so much worse.

I'm glad that Reggie and Randolph have given you such pleasure!

[Laura]

Mary Jo,

Fascinating post. I've read both versions of your RAKE and loved them both.

Your warmth comes through in both, and in the hugs you've shared, and in your posts above.

[Kim]

I've never read this book. It sounds interesting.