Word Wenches

What We're Reading - May

Nicola here, introducing this month's feature on our Wenchly reading. After what felt like a long reading slump I’ve had an amazing month of good books. I was lucky enough to be a judge for the RNA Debut Novel award and really enjoyed the experience; there was a huge range of books in contention this year, ranging from an 18^th century historical set in Ireland that was based on a riveting true story – Heart of Stone by John Jackson - to a laugh out loud romantic comedy – Perfect Match by Zoe May – with a load of other great books as well. You can find the whole list here if you would like to see what else is on there and if you enjoy the 17^th century I can really recommend Traitor’s Knot by Cryssa Basos, a brilliantly-written, fast-paced and romantic historical adventure set during the English Civil War.

As if that wasn’t enough, I read Island in the East by Jenny Ashcroft which is one of the richest and most exotic romantic historicals I’ve read in a long time. It reminded me of MM Kaye in the vivid drawing of the characters, the complex emotional relationships, the beautiful writing and the way that the location was a vivid character in itself.  The story is set in a dual time frame, Singapore in the Second World War and a parallel story forty years earlier.  In 1897, identical twins Harriet and Mae Grafton are sent to Singapore by their wealthy benefactor and their sibling love and support is fractured by rivalry and betrayal. In 1941, Ivy Harcourt, already suffering from wartime trauma, is posted to Singapore where she uncovers secrets from her grandmother Mae's past and experiences a romantic love of her own. I particularly loved Ivy and her hero Kit and were rooting for them all the way through.

 In between I also found the opportunity to glom on more of Emily Larkin’s Regency historicals (thank you, Anne, for the original recommendation!) and found what I think is my favourite so far, My Lady Thief. I loved everything about this book; the admirably confident heroine who had been made all the stronger by her traumatic past, the uptight hero who was utterly gorgeous underneath his stuffy exterior, and the beautiful way in which their relationship developed.

Anne writes: I finished Sebastien de Castell's four book swashbuckling series, "The Greatcoats", and found it a most satisfying read. If you're interested, start with Traitor's Blade.

Next I read Elly Griffiths, Dark Angel.  It's book #10 in her Dr. Ruth Galloway series, and I recommend you start at the beginning, not because each mystery can't be read on its own, but because the development of various characters through the series is a big part of the pleasure in reading these books. Elly Griffiths' narrator, Ruth has a dry, ironic humor that gently infuses her observations. Well worth reading.

I also read an advanced copy of Lucy Parker's new book, Making Up, which I loved. Lucy Parker wowed the wenches with her debut, Act Like It, and the follow-up, Pretty Face, and I felt very smug that I scored an early read of her third book in her "London Celebrities" series. I'm interviewing Lucy Parker on Friday. Stay tuned.

Mary Jo here:

Amanda Quick is the historical pseudonym of Jayne Ann Krentz, and she's made an interesting progression over the years: The Quick books started with Regencies, moved to Victorians, and in her new Burning Cove series, the setting is the 1930s in a glitzy California seaside resort with links to Hollywood.  The first book of the series, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, came out last year and the second, The Other Lady Vanishes, is a new release. 

The book begins with heroine Adelaide escaping from a horrible private asylum where she has been illegally held captive.  Once free, she heads to Burning Cove and a quiet life working in a tea shop.  But the past reaches out to ensnare her, a hot guy named Jake is in town in theory to help his nerves (which are actually made of steel <G>) and the action is on.  I like the 1930s setting, which is both familiar and distant, and there are hints of a world building toward war, though the focus is on Adelaide and Jake.  A rousing good read.

I also noticed that the first books in two series by Sharon Shinn, one of my favorite fantasy authors, are now only $2.99 in e-editions. Shinn is a master of world building, and Archangel is set in a world where human-but-winged angels are overseers for the rest of the population.  Gabriel, who is slated to become the next Archangel, a post that is held for 20 years, needs to find his god-designated wife, but she has disappeared--and when he finds her, she is not keen on the program!  Don't be put off by the dark cover, it's a great read with a powerful romance.

The other series is the Elemental Blessings and the first book is Troubled Waters. Again, there is great world building and a fine romance.  Happy reading!

Andrea: 

This past month I’ve been delving into the far-too-mountainous TBR pile, trying to catch up with all the recommendations I’ve been meaning to read. I heard Louise Penny speak at the Malice Domestic mystery conference last month, so was determined to finally start her Chief Inspector Gamache contemporary mystery series, set in Quebec, Canada. Am I glad I did! The first book, Still Life, follows the traditional cozy trope of a murder—this one of a 70 yr old woman in a small, isolated town, who seemed to have no enemies. But as the Inspector begins delving into the lives of the inhabitants, the peaceful tranquility is not what it seems. Penny writes wonderfully complex and vulnerable characters, and has a sharp eye for the nuances of family dynamics and marital relations. Inspector Gamache is a very interesting protagonist, too, and I’n really looking forward to continuing the series.

I also finally  read Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, by Helen Simonsson, a delightfully charming book about a widowed retired English officer—a seemingly ordinary, by-the-book pillar of the community who strikes up a friendship with the Pakistani widow of the local convenience store . . . and suddenly begins to question what’s really important in life. There are laugh aloud scenes as the “new” major deals with his ambitious status-conscious son and his long-time friends at the golf club who think he’s gone off the rails. It’s a sly, witty commentary on modern life, but also a sweetly poignat celebration of "second acts” in life.

From Pat:

I've been in a reading slump lately, so perversely, I decided to clean out my TBR stack. You know how a TBR stack goes--the ones you just don't feel like reading right now drift to the bottom. It's probably a totally unfair means of choosing a book and predictably, I haven't finished a book in weeks. Nothing made me happy except a few old comfort reads I'd bought because they were on sale.

But back before my slump, I read HEIRS OF GRACE by Tim Pratt. Okay, I bought this because I'm a sucker for the fantasy of inheriting a big old mysterious house. In this case, the protagonist is an impoverished art student from Chicago who oddly inherits a derelict hoarder’s mansion in the mountains of NC. She knows she’s an orphan and assumes the person who left her the house was a relative—and quite a relative he was. The story is basically fantasy with Rebekah Lull learning about her magical family and having adventures and learning the morality of being almost all-powerful. There’s a witty boyfriend for the romance plot. I really wanted more on the personal side, but the story was a fun fantasy ride, and I happily followed it to the conclusion. If inheriting old houses and magic is your thing, this one’s for you!

 So, what are you reading  that delights, surprises, moves or intrigues you?

Deportment at a Hotel

Susanna here, packing today for more travel—this time to New York, for BookExpo America—so I thought it might be time to consult Miss Leslie’s Behaviour Book, to see what advice America’s go-to etiquette expert of the mid-nineteenth century offered young ladies for such situations.

Eliza Leslie, 1844, by Thomas Sully

As always, Miss Eliza Leslie has a chapter tailored to my needs: DEPORTMENT AT A HOTEL, OR AT A LARGE BOARDING-HOUSE.

Perfect. I’ll be staying at a hotel. This chapter is exactly what I need.

Miss Leslie begins by explaining her reasons for tackling this angle of etiquette:

“Now that there is so much travelling in the summer, (and indeed at all seasons,) and so much living in public, to save the trouble and the expense of keeping house in private, it may be well to offer some hints on the propriety of manners that ought to be observed in places where you are always exposed to the inspection and to the remarks of strangers.”

All right, then. I’m ready to better my manners, my pen poised and ready to write down these gems of advice on propriety…

The Art of Research . . . AKA Down the Rabbit Hole!

Andrea/Cara here, I have a hard act to follow this week, as on Monday Anne plied you with tea and scrumptious goodies, followed by Mary Jo hosting our birthday celebration on Wednesday, complete with cyber chocolate and champagne. By now you are all replete with sweets and good cheer . . . leaving me wondering what titillating fun I can offer.

Well, at the Wench birthday there was much mention of how you all enjoy jumping into the research rabbit holes with us—so let’s all get down and dirty on the subject of botanical illustration in early 1800s London!

 

12 YEARS! REALLY!!!

Happy Anniversary to the Word Wenches!

by Mary Jo

This is the 12th anniversary of the Word Wenches!  I hope you joined Anne's celebration tea party on Monday.  (The cakes and tea cups were splendid!)

Today, we continue the celebrations with reminiscences and book giveaways. 12 years is a long time, and in the way publishing has changed, it's eons.

Back in 2006, blogs were the Hot New Thing. Authors wanted to be able to reach readers, interact with them, and sell books. But it seemed like so much work! Surely better to put together a group and take turns?

The idea was sparked when Susan King and I had lunch with Eileen Buckholtz, a web goddess and friend. We decided to ask a few friends if they'd like to join with us, and to my surprise, everyone we asked said yes, even the most extreme of introverts. Turns out we all wanted to chat, interact, and sell books.

Blogging seemed very mysterious at the beginning, but we eventually figured it out. (Regency writer Candice Hern was a great help since she was already an experienced blogger and has fabulous collections on her web site.) Our first post was on May 22nd, 2006, and we're still standing after all those years. <G>

Much has changed over the years as we've lost some Wenches, and acquired wonderful new ones who bring their own special stories and talents. As the writing world has changed, some of us have moved in different directions like mainstream historicals, mysteries, and paranormals.

In 2006, I was in my paranormal historical phase. I love fantasy, so I loved blending magic with real history and romance. In 2006, Stolen Magic, Book 2 of my Guardian Trilogy, was published, and I was working on Book 3, A Distant Magic. I wrote seven paranormal historicals all together, 4 adult and 3 young adult, but a year later I moved back into more traditional historical romance because in this business, things are always changing.

As one of the original Wenches, I figure I've written over 300 blogs. (!!!) But I like doing these short pieces about all sorts of topics, I love interacting with readers, and most of all, I love hanging out with my wonderfully talented, good-natured fellow Wenches. Good times, then and now!

 

 

Afternoon tea time

Anne here, and today I'm throwing a special afternoon tea party because tomorrow is the 12th anniversary of the word wench blog. Mary Jo will be heading up a group blog on Wednesday, explaining how the blog started, and each of us will talk about what the word wenches means to us, so today is just about eating, drinking and being merry.

So I'm getting out the good china cups and setting out the food, just as I did when I was a kid and Mum would have people over for afternoon tea. 

You will note I say afternoon tea, not "high tea." These days hotels offer "High Tea" —  serving several tiers of dainty cakes and elegant little sandwiches with the crusts cut off, all at a hefty price. They call it ""high tea" I suppose because they think "high" sounds posh, but in fact it's the opposite. 

High tea in the UK was traditionally the evening meal for working people, substantial rather than dainty, and served at the normal dinner table. It was often something hot, like pies or pasties or eggs, or cold cuts and cheese, served with plenty of bread and butter (crusts included) and a big pot of good strong tea.

The Mighty Pen

The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with. -- Marty Feldman

Susan here ... looking at what’s on my desk –- a pile of scribbled up yellow legal pads, some half-filled notebooks, and a jumble of pens . . . Oh, how I love pens and paper. It’s an addiction, a compulsion, an irresistible thing. I have more pens than I can possibly use, and yet I keep getting new ones. When I’m working on a book, I often write longhand on legal pads or keep notes on research and ideas in journals, and the pens, paper, and notebooks pile up—and are continually in use. I can blow through the ink in a great pen in a day when the ideas are flowing. 

We must have hundreds of pens in the house, collected over the years—fountain pens, ballpoints, rollerballs, gel pens, felt-tips, calligraphy pens and nibs, a couple of quill pens, and even two glass pens. They sit in baskets, ceramic mugs, empty tin tea canisters, glass jars, and drawers. They have a myriad of sizes and styles and colors. Every so often I’ll sit down with a big basket of them and go through, tossing the ones that have dried out, or write in globby lines now, tossing the ones I never liked much in the first place, or were kept because I wanted to find the right refill and never got around to it. The favorites that I keep, and continue to buy, are in constant use. I love the colors, the variations in the line, the grip—I have a small hand so I’m particularly fussy about the grip, the weight, and the balance. When I find a pen that fits me and suits me, I’ll buy a dozen in several colors. A few beautiful fountain pens that were gifts over the years are also treasured favorites.

And oh the pencils! I went to art school, so ’nuff said--I adore a good, rich pencil on toothy paper. So much can come of that combination. Those baskets and drawers hold an assortment of pencils too, in all types and colors. Pencils are great for editing, and a good quality colored pencil with a sharp point is perfect for making revision notes when I'm trying out things and changing lines—and erasers are very handy too!

What is it about the writing instrument that is so thrilling to some of us? It’s the classic tool of the writer's trade, and even though we all use computers now, it’s the setting of the pen to paper that creates the initial connection that sparks between the brain and the hand and gets the ideas flowing. People have been putting pen to paper, or stylus to wax, or brush to hide and quill to parchment—or handprints on cave walls—for as long as humans have been around. We are compelled to express ourselves. Writing is one of the most universal ways to share our thoughts.

Pens began more than likely as reeds dipped in ink of some sort, applied to a support of some kind. Ancient scholars used reeds or animal hair brushes with inks made from berries, acorns, oak gall, iron salts, even snails, and other interesting substances ooky enough for a good inky line. A stylus made of bone or metal was a common writing tool as well. The Romans would drag a stylus in soft wax spread on a wooden tablet, as did the early Britons (who learned it from the Romans). Egyptian scribes would chew the ends of sharpened reeds to soften them so that they would hold enough ink to write a few hieroglyphic symbols, then chew and dip again, and so on across the papyrus page. The reed-and-ink approach is very like the paint-and-brush approach, and many cultures used both to record thoughts, ideas, facts, myths. 

Ask A Wench--Personal News

Today’s Ask A Wench post comes from Beverly Abney. She said:

You are all authors whose work I read, and I like the blog to keep me posted on how you are and what you are writing. It is so personal and I can feel that you are friends of mine. Personal news from authors is important to readers.

Pat:

I’m a firm believer that readers and authors ARE friends. Writers may pour out their souls on the page in private, but we’re exposing those souls to our readers. So how could we not trust each other and look for better understanding?

Not that a writer’s life is all that interesting, mind you! We curl up in our caves and wail and gnash our teeth for the better part of our days. In my case, I occasionally escape to play with flowers. I’m in utter awe of this orchid cactus that has multi-colored flowers!

Every so often we sneak out of our caves for research. I just did a quick run up the Pacific Coast to Santa Cruz to get a better “feel” for the area I’m writing about in my new Crystal Magic series. Occasionally we escape to go to conferences where we can talk to people who understand about wailing and gnashing. I’ll be attending the RNA conference in Leeds, UK this summer with a couple of other wenches. Lots of talking will be part of the program! Let us out from behind our desks, and we can’t stop jabbering.

And in personal news, our one and only grandchild is graduating early and heading off to college in the fall. So there’s lots of excitement and tears around the old homestead right now.

Return of Lady Arianna!

Andrea Penrose discusses Smoke & Lies
with Mary Jo:

MJP: Sister Word Wench Andrea and I go way back to when we both wrote Signet Regencies. In recent years, Andrea has used her love of the Regency, science, and art to become Andrea Penrose, historical mystery writer. Her new Regency Wrexford & Sloane series is making a splash, with starred reviews and excitement all around.

But I'm delighted that she's also continuing her Lady Arianna mystery series. The first three books were traditionally published, and now that she's retrieved the rights, Andrea has repackaged and republished them in e-book form and is continuing the series. She added a novella last summer and a brand new novel, Smoke and Lies, will be released on May 15th.

MJP: I love these characters and their world. Andrea, will you tell us about how you developed Lady Arianna and her unusual background?

 

A Word Wench Winner

Anne here, sending congratulations to Natalija, whose name was selected from those who left a comment on the interview I did with Tess LeSue last week. 

She's won a copy of Tess's book, Bound for Eden.

I've contacted Natalija privately to make the arrangements.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the conversation about favorite westerns movies, books and TV shows.  That's Robert Fuller on the right, from the hugely popular TV show or many years ago, Laramie.

 

A Library Fit For A Hero

"Young Man Reading Under A Tree" by Julien Léopold Boilly, 1796-1874 (Morgan Library & Museum)

Susanna here.

In an earlier post, we talked about the hero in the library. But libraries are nothing without books, and in there are times in a novel when someone has to actually take a book off the shelf and do something with it, so today I thought it might be fun to share how I go about stocking the shelves for my characters.

Since most of my books are twin-stranded, I probably ought to point out that I mean the historical characters, since when it comes to the modern-day ones I just let them take what they want from my own bookcases (and I know at least two of them, in separate books, have “borrowed” Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone…)

But the historical characters pose a particular challenge. I have to consider not only the time that they’re living in, but where they’re living (the New World or Old? Town or country?), their social position, the language (or languages) that they can read, and their politics, and their religion, before I can start to guess what books they might have acquired for themselves, let alone what they might have inherited.

A Royal Botanical Treasure

Andrea/Cara, musing today on gardens—specifically the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, as it figures into the plot of my current WIP. It seems fitting, as May is traditionally the month when flowers burst into bloom in the northern hemisphere. But here in the Northeast it’s been a very cold spring and things are way behind schedule (the leaves on the trees are not quite unfurled) so I decided to take a walk through the early history of Kew to brighten a very grey day here.

The seeds for this spectacular botanical enclave were sowed in the 16th century when Henry VII established a palace and royal hunting grounds on a swath of land by the River Thames in Richmond. It became a summer retreat for the royals, which in turn drew courtiers to build their own fancy houses in the area.

Creatures great and small

Joanna here, talking about one of the minor constants in my books.

I love me some animals. All kinds, from wild tigers to tame kitty cats. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Also parrots and penguins. The feistier they are, the better I like them. I try to put a pet as a character in each of my books because they are arguably an improvement over humans.

Spymaster’s Lady introduces us to Tiny, the huge black dog that guards the house. Annique calls him that "monster dog that stalks the halls, slavering and famished, seeking human flesh." She considers Tiny, not so much a dog, as "a wolf and possibly also part elephant." Annique is not one of the world's dog fanciers. But then, she spent her innocent girlhood sneaking into houses and stealing secrets. This gives one an ambivalent relationship with guard dogs.

Doyle found Tiny wandering by the London docks. "We think it's part wolfhound." Perhaps Tiny is the result of a mésalliance between an Irish wolfhound and a Newfoundland. They're both ancient breeds, becoming fairly widespread by the early Nineteenth Century. A cross between the two could plausibly have shown up in a cosmopolitan seaport like London. It would be one formidable dog.

Peacocks!

Spring is advancing which means that in villages and stately homes across the length and breadth of the British Isles the mournful cry of the peacock will start to ring out, followed by various news stories about how bad-tempered and/or exhausted peacocks have been causing havoc. Last year there was Kevin, a mischievous peacock causing mayhem in a Derbyshire village, then we heard about Henry the peacock who was so tired of being the only male in a flock of peahens (exhausting work!) that he flew away for some rest.

The peacock is a familiar sight at many of our stately homes in the UK. This one was displaying for us at Corsham Court in Wiltshire when we visited. The peacock is a native bird to India and was probably introduced into Britain by the Romans. It has many sacred connotations. The name derives from the Old English and the earliest example of it referred to in writing comes from 1300: “Foure and xxti wild ges and a poucock.” In the 14^th century Chaucer first used the word to describe ostentatious people who strutted about and it still carries this meaning to this day. In art a peacock feather in a painting was used as a symbol of pride and vanity.

Meet Tess LeSue

Anne here, and today I'm introducing a new writer, Tess LeSue, whose first book, Bound for Eden, was released in the US yesterday, May 1st. 

I first met Tess when I was conducting a one-day writing workshop in Adelaide (capital city of South Australia), and I was impressed by the writing she did in that class. A few years later Mary Jo and I jointly conducted a one-day writing workshop for RWAustralia in Brisbane, at the end of which Mary Jo and her husband chose Tess's piece, out of a group of more than 250 writers, as the best piece written that day.  So I was delighted when I heard that Tess had been contracted by Berkley.

Romantic Times gave Bound For Eden four stars and said this: Readers looking for a traditional, serious, gritty western won’t find it in LeSue’s Frontiers of the Heart series starter. What they will find is a delightful, roller-coaster ride complete with its laugh-out-loud take on mistaken identity. Three siblings on the run, ruthless bad guys, quirky characters, nail-biting tension and steamy sensuality add up to a non-stop read that will make you smile and perhaps shed a tear. Western aficionados will welcome a refreshing new voice in the sub-genre.

Anne: Tess, welcome to the Word Wenches. As Kathe Robin said above, Bound For Eden was a rollicking ride, and it has a delicious flavour of the western romances I used to devour — and still love. What made you choose a western setting for this series?