Word Wenches

Why Pseudonyms?

By Mary Jo

Today's Ask A Wench was inspired by a question from regular reader Pamela DG, who wanted to know why authors use pseudonyms.  I said the answer was complicated and worthy of a blog. For asking the question, Pamela will get a book from me. 

Writing with a pseudonym, a name not one's own, can occur for any number or reasons.  The Wenches explain why:

From Nicola

I’ve never written under a pseudonym. This was not a conscious decision. I was literally so naïve when I was first published that it did not cross my mind to consider it. This seems remarkable to me now but I had had no experience of the publishing world other than a godmother who wrote religious books under her own name. I quickly came to regret my naivety. For a number of years I wrote historical romance for Mills & Boon alongside working as an academic registrar in a university. One day a mischievous colleague read out a passage from one of my books in a meeting, which was quite embarrassing. I wasn’t ashamed of the books or that I had written them but I didn’t want my writing and my other work life to cross over.

Once I started to write full time it didn’t matter at all and it’s never really given me any problems since. There has only been one odd occasion when a publisher kept referring to Nicola Cornick as my pseudonym and refused to accept that it wasn’t!  That said, if I was starting over again knowing what I do now, I’d probably use a pseudonym. I don’t dislike my name but it does give you the opportunity to call yourself something you’ve always wanted to be! One of the reasons I like my Czech editions is that I love being called Cornickova!  

What We're Reading for November

Howdy folks. Joanna here.
Hope all those who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday had a good one.

It's been a good month for reading, it being fall weather and brisk enough that the dog doesn't beg for a walk so much.

 

Andrea brings us a YA and a biography:

It was a strange reading month. I started and didn’t finish a couple of books, which is very rare for me. But they just didn’t catch my fancy. However, having enjoyed the Ron Chernow biography of Alexander Hamilton so much, I snatched up Washington: A Life,  his bio on George Washington, when it recently appeared on BookBub. (It won the Pulitzer Prize some years back) I’m only about a quarter of the way through it, but am really enjoying it.

 

Chernow has a wonderful knack of making his subjects come so alive. Washington’s early life is fascinating, and he comes across as a very different character from the solemn, stately president that the history books present. We see a full range of his humanity—he was a man of passions and pragmatism—and really paints a viid portrait of his many nuances. I’m very much looking forward to glomming through the rest of it in next little while.

Ask A Wench - Men in Boots, and other favorite historical clothing!

Nicola here, introducing this month’s Ask A Wench feature. Recently on my Facebook page I’ve started to post an item called Saturday Swagger, sharing some of the gorgeous historical portraits I’ve seen and love. One of them was this 17th century miniature of Sir Edward Herbert reclining in a come-hither pose. When she saw it, fellow author and Word Wench friend Sophie Weston of the Liberta Blog  commented: “The Boots! The Boots!” Happily, this set us all thinking about those aspects of historical costume that we particularly enjoy, and the result is this blog piece in which we ask: “What is your favourite item of historical clothing, to wear, to make or simply to appreciate?” So here are the Wenches' thoughts on this topic of sartorial splendour and we would love to hear yours!

What We're Reading in March

 ... and what a medley it is.

Joanna here, with some lovely book suggestions from all of us.

I’m rereading one of Lois MlcMaster Bujold’s books. The Curse of Chalion. I picked it up at the library because the librarian had it out on the Recommended Shelf and I was reminded of it. 

When we reread books we sometimes come at them a little differently or, at least, I do. This time, when I approached Bujold’s broken, exhausted, emotionally and psychically destroyed protagonist I was better able to see the honorable man beneath. It’s a new way for me to look at heroism and I’m hoping to learn from it.

This is not a Romance, but it’s a satisfying portrayal of a complex protagonist and — yes — a bit of a love story.

 

Andrea writes:

I’m a big fan of Charles Finch’s historical mysteries—I find his Charles Lenox series, set in early Victorian England, an absolute delight. So it’s always a treat when a new one comes out.

Now, Finch has done something really interesting with the series. In the first book, A Beautiful Blue Death, which came out 12 years ago, we meet Lenox as an established amateur detective. He’s a cultured, erudite, clever younger son, so his slightly “black sheep” profession is tolerated by family and friends (it helps that he’s such a lovely, sensitive fellow) And throughout the next nine books, we see him develop, take on new challenges, dabble in politics, get married, have a child . . . all while unraveling some very intriguing mysteries.

Then lo and behold, like the clever mystery writer he is, Finch suddenly surprised his readers with a unexpected plot twist. In his previous book, The Woman in the Water, the 11th in the series, he started writing a “prequel to the series—we meed Charles as a green cub, just down from Oxford, trying to decide what he wants to do in life. He loves solving conundrums, but everyone thinks he’s a fool to consider it as a possible career. Nonetheless, he keeps reading the papers about crime, and finds he has an idea he thinks may help solve one. The police, of course, dismiss him as fop and

What We're Reading in February

Nicola here, introducing the Wenchly reading recommendations in the month of February. As ever we have a big mix of books for you and look forward to hearing what you've been reading too! the picture on the left is the rather gorgeous old bookshop in Marlborough, a town just down the road from me, where I love to browse. Sometimes you might even meet the resident bookshop ghost, which seems appropriate for Pat's first recommendation today!

Pat writes:

SEANCES ARE FOR SUCKERS by Tamara Berry

Ellie Wilde is a cynic, for good reason. As the youngest of triplets, she’s paying to keep her comatose sister in the best nursing home available by using her limited skill set—tricking people. To be fair, she also gives them comfort—by ridding their homes of ghosts she doesn’t believe in. People might call her a psychic medium, but in reality, she’s a great problem-solver and people reader. She has to be, or her sister will be out on the street. Her brother is a gym teacher and can’t possibly afford the cost of nursing care, so it’s up to Ellie. When she’s offered a small fortune and the opportunity to fly to England and live in a mansion while she rids the house of its resident ghost, she happily takes the job.

Ask A Wench — childhood reading

Anne here, introducing the topic for this month's AAW (Ask A Wench): In your childhood reading was there a place you fell in love with?

Pat:  England, hands down. I read tons of Brit lit in elementary school. They used to sell Austen and Bronte in the Scholastic Library book fairs, the only time my parents gave me money for books. So I went for the great big fat books, and they were all about the white cliffs of Dover and the misty fog over the Thames and the thatched cottages in the Cotswolds. I had no idea where any of those places were, but I wanted to see them all. 

And then there were all the books about the kings and queens in the library that I had to research to figure out their relationships, because they were obviously all related, right? So then I wanted to see all their grand castles, the Tower of London, the towns and. . . I suspect I expected to see horses and carriages as well, but the cottage gardens would have sufficed! 

What We're Reading — February 2018

Anne here, hosting our discussion of the books we've read in February.  

We start with Pat's find of the month, THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND, by Katarina Bivald. Pat says: I love this book! It’s a quiet book about a quiet book reader who summons the nerve to leave Sweden to visit an elderly penpal in a quiet small town in Iowa. Not just a quiet small town, but a broken one. The economy has struck the town hard. Residents have mostly died or moved away.

Amy, the penpal Sara comes to visit has also died, but the town insists that Sara stay in Amy’s home because they all knew how much Amy enjoyed reading her letters and how much Amy had been looking forward to her visit. Stunned by her situation, by the graciousness of the residents, and by the enormous library of books in Amy’s empty house, Sara quietly begins to change everything without even realizing she’s doing so.

There’s even a quiet romance. It’s an amazing journey for readers who loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Highly recommended! (And right now, it's only $2.51 at Amazon)  (Anne adds that she and several wenches have read and enjoyed this book, bought on Janga's recommendation on this blog back in September. Thank you Janga.)

 * * * * *

Mary Jo is sailing down a river: Her recommendation this month is The Rivers of London Series, by Ben Aaronovitch. The first book in the series is: Midnight Riot, PC Peter Grant, Book 1

Said to be a cross between CSI and Harry Potter, this series has been mentioned by a couple of other Wenches, Joanna and Pat, perhaps.  I was a little leery since I couldn't quite figure out what it was about, but once I read an excerpt of the first book, Midnight Riot, it made perfect sense.  In a fantasy-ish sort of way.  <G>

Peter Grant is a diligent young London constable with a mother from Sierra Leone and a father who is a talented but often addicted jazz musician.  His mixed heritage plays into the story in various ways, including his being a bit of an outsider.  He become much more of one when he has a chat with a ghost and is seen by a DCI Thomas Nightingale, who turns out to be the only licensed wizard in Britain and in charge of investigating all crimes involving magic and 'other beings.'

In no time at all, Peter is working for him as an apprentice wizard, which turns out to be dangerous but far more interesting than being a police paper shuffler.  Peter is a great character--smart and funny and committed to helping people even when it takes him into mortal peril.

Questions? Suggestions?

Dear wenchly readers, many years ago, when we first started this blog, we asked readers to send in questions and suggestions for things they'd like us to try to answer or blog about.

Two kinds of questions came flooding in -- some were more substantial than others. Some could be answered in a paragraph or two.

If a wench uses one of the meatier questions for a blog, whoever sent in that question wins a wenchly book.

We use the shorter questions for our Ask-a-Wench mid-monthly post, where a handful of wenches would respond to the same question.

The thing is, dear readers, that early flow of questions and suggestions has slowed to a trickle, so we thought we'd put out a call for more, just as a reminder. We like to stay relevant to our readers. And a timely question or suggestion can inspire a wench deep in deadline frenzy.

You can either post them here, in the comments stream, or email them directly to Melissa, our Wenchly Whip at  [email protected]

Thanks so much

Anne, on behalf of all the Word Wenches. And sending a small splash of summer color to keep all you chilly folk warm.

 

WWR — What the Wenches Have Read in October

Anne here, hosting our regular monthly feature, What We're Reading, where the wenches and readers talk about the books they've read and enjoyed in the last month.

We start with Pat Rice talking about Sherry Thomas's A Study in Scarlet Women.
Pat says: I have always adored Sherry Thomas’s writing, and of course, I cut my teeth on Sherlock Holmes mysteries, so the combination of Sherry Thomas writing about a female Sherlock Holmes was just too tempting. Other than the contrived ending to the mystery —and let’s face it, Sherlock was the King of Contrived—the book is absolutely delicious. 

I can’t reveal the shocking opening, but let us say that Charlotte Holmes is a woman of strong spine and beliefs as well as a brilliant mind and regrettably insufficient human experience. There are rough similarities to the Conan Doyle stories, if only in name, but no real attempt to duplicate the other characters. Which is provident, because that leaves room for Charlotte’s enigmatic love interest—a married man who behaves with prudence and respect and is an altogether wonderful hero in his own right. 

This isn’t a romance, by any means, but having an unrequited love makes her just a little more human. Highly recommended! (and the next in the series is just out!)

Nicola is next. She says:
Whether it was going to see the JaneAusten exhibition in Oxford or all the recent chat there has been in my RNA chapter about Austen’s books, I was inspired to pick up (again) Jane Austen Made Me Do It, the anthology inspired by Jane, her life and her writing. I love the way all the authors in the collection put such a clever and individual spin on their source material and being such a fan of the great Jo Beverley, I particularly enjoyed her lovely story Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss which made me feel very Christmassy!

AAW — favorite themes

Anne here, and this month's "Ask-a-Wench" question is: Are there any particular subjects or themes that you often return to in your novels?

We start with Mary Jo: Themes I return to over and over are reconciliation and second chances.  I like characters who have faced great adversity, maybe even broken under the strain, yet manage to heal and become "stronger in the mended places."  This covers my many tortured heroes, and a goodly number of tortured heroines as well.

I suppose the most intense version that I've written is Kenzie Scott, the hero of my recently re-released contemporary novel, The Spiral Path.  He had a childhood that is described by another character as "about as bad as you can imagine."  In the world of illusion that is the movies, he's become a major star of action and adventure movies, a magnetic and enigmatic celebrity.

And then, because he's a celebrity and a target of resentment, his life shatters and he has to rebuild it again on a more solid foundation.   The woman he loves helps him, and he helps her with her own not insignificant issues.  They and their marriage create second chances as they come to terms with their lives--and a deeper happiness that will carry them through anything the future might bring.  

A Wenchly Celebration and a Memorial

by Mary Jo

Welcome to WenchLandia!  The Word Wenches blog is now ELEVEN YEARS OLD!  Which is quite amazing in this age of ephemera. Over the years, our membership has changed, but I think the essential Wench spirit of intelligence, kindness, and acceptance has remained true and strong, traits we share with you wonderful readers.

Looking back to our first anniversary blog in 2007, we did a week long rumination on nakedness in history.  Last year, we celebrated our tenth anniversary by inviting back some of our guests from those ten years.

This year, we're creating a bouquet both for our eleventh anniversary, and also as a memorial for our Wench sister Jo Beverley, who died the day after last year's anniversary. I'm starting with a picture of my blossoming chives for Jo because they are pretty, tasty, and a gift from the garden.  And I'll add some of my irises just because.

More thoughts from the Wenches:

From Susan King:

I've been with the Word Wenches since literally the first minute, when a few authors, all good friends, bravely set off to try this blogging thing. Eleven years later, we're a strong sisterhood--our roster has changed as we've lost dear friends and gained new ones, our look has freshened up, our lists of books has grown, we've written thousands of blogs by now (surely it must be!), and we've even written two holiday anthologies as the Word Wenches, a unique achievement for any blog.

And most importantly, absolutely, this blog has become a place for so many readers to drop by, read a bit, comment a bit, share their thoughts and experiences. You all have made this blog what it is, you have given us longevity, you've made all of us laugh and learn and crave the stories you all are reading. We show up every day for you all, and we value your contributions and friendship as much as we value our own. Thank you, and happy anniversary to everyone!  

WWR - What we've read in February

Anne here, reporting on what some of the wenches have been reading during the month of February. I say "some of the wenches" because several of us are storming towards an imminent deadline. And this month we have a lovely mixed bag for you — non-fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, alternate reality, historical and contemporaries.

We start with Andrea/Cara.
This month my reading has been about heroines, though in very different contexts . . . First off, was Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, the inspiring story of the Black women mathematicians who played such a critical—yet unsung—part in not only the U.S. Mercury and Apollo Space programs, but also in the aeronautic innovations that helped win WWII. It’s a truly amazing panorama, with heartwarming (and heartbreaking) stories of the individual women who faced the dual prejudices of race and gender but ultimately triumphed in pursuing their dreams of fulfilling their remarkable talents through courage, grace, grit and the sheer force of their brilliance.

But it’s not simply a story of brilliant women. The author paints an eye-opening portrait of segregation in the South, and how the black communities banded together to create a whole network of opportunities in business and education which allowed them to excel and achieve despite all the obstacles in their way. It’s one of the most moving books I’ve read in a long time. It ought to be required reading in schools, for it tells a story in American history that’s been hidden for far too long. (The movie is wonderful, too—I highly recommend it!)

Happy Thanksgiving from the WordWenches

Wishing everyone, no matter where you live, a Happy Thanksgiving — because we all have something to be thankful for.

Here's the famous Norman Rockwell painting in the Freedom from Want series -- better known as "the Thanksgiving Painting."

With best wishes from all the Word Wenches.

Ask-A-Wench — Books on Writing

Anne here, bringing you Ask-A-Wench for this month, in which we're talking craft-of-writing books. There are probably as many different ways to approach writing as there are writers, and in our discussion of the topic, we found the wenches vary enormously.

Mary Jo:  Basically, I hate how-to-write books.  In the past, I bought a number of pricey books that other writers raved about.  Books that help some develop strong plots, brilliant insights, and probably shiny hair.  They did nothing for me.  My mind blanks.  Eventually, I realized that is not how I learn. (I'm not great with expensive, highly rated lecturers on writing, either.  Honestly, I have no idea how I've ever managed to write a book!)

But one book I really like is Stephen King's ON WRITING: A Memoir of the Craft. Probably because it's more memoir and less craft.  I don't read Stephen King novels because I've never been into horror,  but in this memoir, he is warm and wise and witty and very easy to relate to.  He intertwines his life with his writing, and the result is fascinating and powerful.  (Also short.  Unlike his novels. *G*) 

What being a Word Wench Means to Us

 

Nicola here. Today, as part of our Word Wench Blog 10^th anniversary celebrations, we’re talking about what makes the Word Wenches such a special group to be a part of. Some of us are founder members of the blog and talk about the reasons it was set up in the first place and the ways in which it has grown and changed. Others, myself included, became Wenches along the way and joined a blog that continues to be dynamic, diverse, and fascinating, and a group of writers who are wonderfully insightful and supportive. Then there are our readers and regular blog commenters. Again, some have been with the blog since the beginning and others have joined in along the way, and together we have created what feels to me to be a special community. That’s my view of the Word Wenches, anyway – here is what my fellow Wenches have to say, plus some photos of Wenches having fun - at conferences, at weddings, with hats and even by the sea!

Pat:

Ten years ago, the Word Wenches came together because our NYC traditional publishers requested that we begin interacting with our readers through social media. For introverted writers accustomed to spending all our days in our writing caves, only coming out to meet readers on special occasions, this was a huge technological and social leap into the unknown. So we banded together and held each other’s hands and took the leap. At that time, in 2006, I was finishing up the Magical Malcolm series, starting on the Rebellious Sons, writing an urban fantasy, and wishing I could publish my satirical mystery. My how time flies!

A Wench Abroad

Anne here, reporting in on my first-ever Romantic Times Readers Convention, which was in Las Vegas.  I went with wenches Pat and Mary Jo -- and here we are just after our hero panel. For more about that, read on. . . 

It was a huge conference —over 3,100 delegates — which is much bigger and busier than anything I've ever been to. People had come from so far away -- there was even a small group of French readers who'd come from Paris, bringing French editions of books by me, Mary Jo and others. Merci, Karen, Elodie and friends.

The hotel was also huge and spread out and just to get from our rooms to the convention area involved a lot of walking — in fact my friend Keri wears a fit-bit and she averaged 15,000 steps per day just going back and forth at the convention. The hotel even had two little indoor 8 seater shuttle buses that ferried people back and forth and they were in constant use by people who were not enjoying (or coping with) all the walking.

What We're Reading in January

Nicola here, introducing this month's "What We're Reading" feature. We've had a bumper reading month on Word Wenches as a result of the holiday season and we hope you have lots of recommendations for us too, if you've had chance to read in between all the demands of the New Year! So without further ado let's turn to our reading choices.

Anne writes:

I have a fondness for Christmas stories and over Christmas I read and reread a number of Christmas novellas, including some
collections by Mary Balogh and Mary Jo Putney that contained stories I'd never read. Then I embarked on a fantasy glom, Robin Hobb -- starting with ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE and reading them in order up to FOOL'S QUEST. And now I have to wait for the next book to come out. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed them and have no hesitation in recommending them.

Then for a change of pace I read Kristan Higgins's ANYTHING FOR YOU, followed by a reread of some Loretta Chase reissues and a couple of Lisa Kleypas historicals, which I always enjoy.

Lastly I've just finished Louise Penny's THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY. I've enjoyed all of Louise Penny's crime novels, and realized when I read this, that I've fallen behind and there are three more new ones I haven't read. A treat in store.

WWR — What We Read in October

Anne here, bringing you this month's "What We're reading" in which the various wenches share their reading picks for the last month and everyone else joins in in the comments stream. Warning, it can be quite expensive. I've already bought three of this month's books.

We start with Pat Rice, who recommends Charming by Elliott James— an urban fantasy. Pat says: "I can’t remember who told me about this book, but thank you! It’s fantasy on a level with Patricia Briggs. The characterization is amazing.

The hero is an outcast from an ancient group of Knights Templar who are under a geas to protect the veil between humans and the supernatural. Because the hero’s mother was bitten by a werewolf, he has unnatural tendencies and is despised and hunted by his father’s knights. His conflicts are manifold but his sarcasm is hilarious.

Like Briggs, this is not a bloodfest nor erotica, but a strong contemporary fantasy with a fascinating stage of characters on a vampire hunt. The action scenes are beautifully choreographed and hard to skim, even though I usually skim violence the same way I do sex scenes. If you can handle another vampire hunter, check this one out."

Why We Write What We Write

Susan here, and today the Wenches answer a question we asked ourselves. We're all historical fiction writers, with plenty of variation -- Regency, Georgian, Victorian, Tudor, medieval, romance, mainstream, fantasy, paranormal, mystery -- more than one of us has dabbled in writing contemporary settings too.  

So we got to talking, as we do, and the question came up --

Why do we write historicals? Some of us write contemporary too. Why or why not, and what's the difference?

Patricia Rice

I write anything that strikes my interest. I started in historical romance because those were the books I knew and loved, and because history fascinates me. I’d spent years researching English history simply to better understand the English literature I was reading. And since I lived in an area with a wealth of history, writing about that area gave me permission to waste more time digging through old books and visiting historical sites. I adored—and still adore—being able to combine work and play.

But there are some stories that simply don’t fit easily into a historical perspective. I wanted to address current issues, current situations, and to do that, I started scribbling on my contemporary romantic mysteries. Again, I got to explore Santa Lucia and California and other wonderful areas to research my stories. Writing about mental health or the environment or computer hacking just doesn’t fit into historicals!

And then, of course, there are the paranormals…  but I digress. It happens—a lot.

Cara Elliott/Andrea Pickens:

The great children’s author/illustrator Maurice Sendak was once asked why he wrote what he did. His answer (I am taking artistic license and paraphrasing) was, “I would love to write the Great American Novel, but when I sit down to tell the story in my head, it comes out as a pig talking to a dog who has just swallowed a mop.” I feel a little like Sendak—my stories just seem to take shape as historicals. I’ve always loved the history, and find it fascinating to explore a time period in the past and learn about all its nuances. I think one of the things I find appealing about historicals is that even when you have collected a lot of research facts, you have to use your imagination to piece them all together. (I tend to have a very vivid imagination.) 

I haven’t yet written a contemporary. (Well, actually I have, a long time ago, but it’s one of those “Back-Of-The-Desk-Drawer” manuscripts that will remain buried under stray chewing gum warppers and paper clips.) Which doesn’t mean I won’t. In fact, I’m currently noodling on an idea that involves a contemporary setting. It’s early yet, and I’m still not sure whether the Muse and I are on the same page. But it’s fun to try something new, even if it ends up in the desk 

Mary Jo Putney:

Why do I write historicals?  Because I read them, of course!  I read a lot of other things as well, including non-fiction history, but I was addicted to Georgette Heyer and chomped through all the modern Regencies at the library when I discovered them.  So when I bought my first computer and decided to see if I could write a book, what came out was a Regency. 

 The Muse has wandered into contemporary and fantasy over the years, but I always come back to historicals.  I love the way stories can be over the top and characters larger than life, and history provides such nice conflicts.  In other words, historicals are fun!

 

The Writing Process (part 1)

Anne here. Over the past week or so, on our private loop, we wenches have been discussing various aspects of our writing processes. Writing goes through dips and troughs, periods of intense creativity and periods of fallowness, where we have to force ourselves to get words on the page, and I thought the collective wenchly wisdom of our discussion was worth sharing.

The discussion started when I related an anecdote about a friend of mine who writes--and writes well--on trains (and I'm not talking about grafitti.) In a 90 minute return trip on the train, she regularly writes around 3000 words.

One of the wenches replied: I can do 3,000 in three hours when I'm on a roll. It's clay. Sometimes good clay. Sometimes junk. It's the way I write, and clearly I can't do 3,000 publish ready words in 3 hours, or doing that daily would result in a 90K book a month. Mine take most of a year. We all have our different processes.

(Anne again: I'm not going to label who said what, just change color each time it's a different person. And though there are eight people in this discussion, using eight different colors would look silly, so there are just two. So forget about trying to work out who is saying what — on with the discussion:—

True about processes. But I seem to labor so hard to get words on paper. The only good news, is the words tend to be fairly well formed. But I’ve been thinking that getting the clay out faster, then shaping, sculpting, would be a better process. Not sure I can change, but I’d like to.

Happy Ninth Anniversary to Us!

Celebrate! Our Word Wenches blog is NINE years old this week!

In blog years, that’s … well, since May 22, 2006, we’ve written nearly 1500 blogs, if you do a little math (and we prefer to do only a little math). Consider us wise and Wenchly after all those years and blogs, and very pleased to still be blogging strong. We’re especially pleased and very grateful that you, our blog readers and friends, have been so loyal and such fun over the years!

We’re celebrating with virtual cake and candles, balloons and prezzies – in the form of a great giveaway contest that you can all enter (see details below)! We’re also celebrating with a look back at our very first books – the book that started it all for each of us, taking us by different paths to the Land of Word Wenches, where we indulged our mutual love of history and historical fiction—and found that one of the secrets to a long-lived blog is friendship (along with the ability to go with the flow and be real chill about details, and we’re all pretty good at that)! 

Here’s a look at the first books we ever wrote – Part One.
Look for Part Two of our Anniversary Celebration on Friday!

Patricia Rice 

The book that set me on the path to Wenchland was originally called Love’s First Surrender, published by Kensington in 1984. I had just graduated with an accounting degree, was living in a small town that wasn’t fond of the idea of female accountants, and for the first time since I was fourteen, I wasn’t working or going to school or both. I had time to watch my toddler race around the driveway on his Big Wheel, but I was bored out of my skull. I like working. I couldn’t afford to buy books, so I wrote my own. I wrote several, actually, but Surrender is the one I deliberately tried to write to fit the sexy historical romance market of the time. I’d never had a writing class, didn’t know RWA existed, had no notion of how to get published except from Writer’s Digest. But I figured I had to do something to make money if I couldn’t find a job, so I dedicated toddler nap times to writing a sexy historical in long hand in a Walmart notebook. Once I had a complete draft, I bought a used Underwood typewriter and typed it all up. Those were the days of carbon copies, white-out, and boxing 500 pages to ship via snail mail with SASEs inside. I quickly learned to just send the first fifty pages!

And lo and behold, I got The Call the same week I was hired by two Baptist deacons as an accountant. Sometimes, we get what we wish for—and it only makes life more complicated!

What We're Reading

Nicola here, introducing this month's What We're Reading blog. As ever, the Wenches have been reading some very interesting books and we're keen to hear what you think and what your recommendations are too!

This month I’ve been catching up with some of the books that were shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards.  The Gentleman Rogue by Margaret McPhee was a finalist in the short romance section and is a powerfully emotional Regency historical that had me gripped. There was amazing chemistry between the heroine, Emma, and Ned, who was one of the most attractive heroes I've read in a long time.

Another fabulous read was Struck, by Joss Stirling, a YA romance with a great crime mystery thrown in as well. It takes place in an exclusive English boarding school where scandal and corruption lurk behind the ivy-clad walls. The author mentioned that she had modelled the hero, Kieren Storm, on a young version of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock. Raven Stone, the heroine, is a gutsy American girl you can really root for. It’s a great read!

Finally the reburial of King Richard III prompted me to reach yet again for The Daughter of Time by

Josephine Tey, the book that first piqued my interest in Richard' and his reign. I love all of Josephine Tey's books so can see myself reading through my entire collection again now.

Now over to the other Wenches!

Pat writes:

I like to explore new-to-me authors, but I’ve been having a bad reading month and haven’t found anyone exciting lately. So I’ve fallen back on favorites. I finally read Patricia Brigg’s Night Broken, one of her Mercy Thompson novels. I love her urban fantasies because they’re so human! The book is as much about Mercy dealing with her husband’s charming but manipulative ex-wife as it is about finding the vengeful ancient-god stalker who followed the stupid ex straight to Mercy’s home.

And then I picked up Angie Fox’s newest series starter—Southern Spirits. If you’ve ever read Angie, you’ll recognize her voice, although this time she’s writing a mystery about ghosts instead of chasing demons. Small southern town seeped in legends and history, a bootlegger ghost to help the heroine out, and a hunky cop to get her into trouble—can’t ask for more!

 

Jo Beverley:

This month I read a book recommended a little while ago here -- Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame. It was as enjoyable as said, with a geeky prodigy deciding to become more "normal" by going after her sexy neighbor. I think this is what's called New Adult fiction, about people in their early twenties who are very much of today's world.

I also read Fledgling, by Sharon Lee and Stever Miller, a Liaden novel I'd missed. It has some similarities to Imperfect Chemistry, though the protagonist is younger. Theo too is a clever misfit, but this is really an Ugly Duckling story. The Liaden books are space opera, with multiple worlds lived on by humans -- and some others -- all with different social structures. In Fledgling, having to move to a different world leads to Theo's transformation, both on the journey and when there. It's a good read, and the e-book is still free.

 

Cara/Andrea:

 

Mystery! Well, that is, it’s probably no mystery by now that I love the genre, and this month I’ve been really immersing myself in in both new and classic reads. A friend got me watching the BBC series Sherlock (hard not to like Benedict Cumberbatch) , which I enjoyed very much—but it suddenly occurred to be that I had never read the original Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes books. (How did that happen???) So off I hurried to the library, and I have been enjoying the tales very much.  I enjoy the writing style, and the development of Holmes and Watson, who’ve inspired so many subsequent detective pairing. And while the plots may not be as complex, dark  and twisty as modern novels, they really are great fun.

 I’ve also been enjoying a modern take on historical mystery. I’m a big fan of the Regency-set Sebastian St. Cyr books by C. S. Harris, and the latest release, Who Buries The Dead, is a wonderful addition to the series. Gritty and layered with well-rendered psychological portraits of Sebastian, Hero and all the people who make up their world, the books use the crime of murder to delve into far deeper questions about society, power and influence in Regency London. The stories are taut with suspense, and really make for a riveting read.

  

Mary Jo:

Like Pat, I'm going to talk about a Patricia Briggs book.  Pat's choice, Night Broken, is part of the Mercedes Thompson series.  I read the book when it came out, and l loved it.  The heroine, Mercy, is a coyote shifter in a world of werewolves, vampires, fae, and much more, and there's a great romance.

 Briggs has another series set in the same world.  Alpha and Omega features a pair of mated werewolves: Charles, a half native American enforcer is the Alpha, and Anna, an Omega whose presence soothes other werewolves, and who is immune to Alpha control. 

 I've always preferred the Mercy Thompson books, until now.  Dead Heat, the latest Alpha and Omega
book, is every bit as good as a Mercy story.  It begins when Charles and Anna take a holiday, leaving the werewolf home in Montana to visit an old friend of Charles' in Arizona, and also to buy Anna a horse since the old friend is a horse breeder.  Things Happen and there is much excitement.  There is also lots of information about Arabian horses since Briggs raises them herself and has clearly been pining for the opportunity to write about them. <G>

But the heart of the story lies deeper as Anna and Charles deal with a significant issue in their marriage.  There is also a theme of what it's like to be virtually immortal while those you love grow old and die.  It's all worked out in a wonderfully satisfactory way!

On the non-fiction front, I want to recommend journalist Gail Sheehy's memoir, Daring: My Passages.  Sheehy has been a groundbreaking journalist and feminist from the 1960s onward.  Her 1976 book Passages was a huge bestseller that changed the way people thought about growth and change throughout one's life.  Her 1993 book The Silent Passage was another game changer as it pulled menopause out of the closet into the light of day. 

And in Daring, she has written the story of her life and challenges.  The ups and downs, the struggles of a single mother to work while caring for her beloved daughter, a tempestuous affair that eventually became  a devoted marriage--she has lived a remarkable life, and she writes really, really well. 

Joanna here: 

I'm reading just about nothing since I'm absorbed by the Work in Progress. But I've indulged myself in
Grace Burrowes' The Traitor.  It's one of those 'Come for the Romance, Stay for the Sharp Character Analysis' books.

The hero, Sebastian, is half French, half English when France and England are locked in war. The book explores hard choices a man makes and how he lives with them.

Next up, I go to a favorite author of mine, Anne Perry, and Callander Square — a Victorian-set mystery. Well-born Charlotte and her Police Inspector husband set about solving crime among the stuffy rich. I haven't read this series in order myself, but you might want to start with the first in the series, The Cater Street Hangman.

Susan: 

I too have been reading mysteries, including Alan Bradley's latest in the Flavia De Luce series, As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust. Once again the intrepid, clever Flavia ferrets out secrets in a witty and brilliant way with a touch of vulnerability and sensitivity quite natural to an 11-yr-old, even if her chemistry genius is off the charts. This time, Flavia is packed off to a girls' school in Canada to face a whole new location and complete strangers, and though I thought that leaving her home of Buckshaw in the English countryside would eliminate a crucial setting character in the series, Bradley does a fantastic job of creating a new environment and drawing his reader in. Flavia is one of my favorite sleuths, a blend of whimsy and genius, Pippi and Sherlock. And Bradley's books are an exception for me--I always listen to them in audio. Jayne Entwistle's narration is flawless, whimsical, clear as a bell, and she creates the perfect evocation of Bradley's books. I highly recommend both the written and the audio -- do check out Flavia!  

I've also returned to the Laurie R. King series of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. In The Moor (and yes, I have a long way to go to catch up to King's newer Russell novels!), Russell and her husband, Holmes, are in misty, ominous Dartmoor investigating a death with some very creepy circumstances, a riveting return and intriguing take on The Hound of the Baskervilles. The Russell-Holmes books are so smart and beautifully written that I keep coming back. I should add that I've never been much of a series reader, more of a series grazer in every genre, but these two mystery series--King's Russell and Bradley's Flavia--totally capture my attention!     

 Anne here:

A friend recently gave me Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher, who is her favourite author, and I have to say I’ve loved it. I haven’t quite finished Winter Solstice, but I’ve already bought Pilcher’s The Shell Seekers, Going Home and September. For some, the books might be a little slow-paced and perhaps even old-fashioned, but I’m really enjoying the slow reveals, the wonderfully detailed settings and her well rounded and appealing characters. I can’t put it down. And by the way, Winter Solstice seems to be very cheap on kindle at the moment.

On a completely different note, I’ll also add that I fully endorse Pat and Mary Jo’s recommendations of Patricia Briggs. They mentioned her books to me some time back and I ended up glomming the lot.

So there are a few of our reads for the month of March. Have you read any of these books? Thoughts? And do you have any recommendations for the Wenches?

 

What We're reading — November

Anne here, hosting our monthly feature "What We're Reading"

We'll start with Jo Beverley, who says: I recently dived into my keeper shelves, and I've been re-reading Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. I used to read the whole series frequently, but I haven't for a while now and I decided it was time. Six big books and not as much reading time as I used to have, but I'm enjoying them tremendously.

For those who don't know them, they're based around a central character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, a Scotsman whose adventures we follow around Europe and up into Russia in the mid-16th century. The books are about him, but stretches are about other important characters and from other points of view and the plots involve most of the significant historical characters and events. The Tudors, the de Guise, Ivan the Terrible, Suleiman the Magnificent, Nostrodamus!

Despite being all about him, we're only in his point of view once, so our picture of him comes through the view of others, which I think is key to the fascination Lymond holds for many. We have to learn him as we learn people in real life -- from the outside.  I'm not aware of anyone else having written about a  series character in that way and it was daring for sure back in the '60s.

Scary Stuff

Hi, here's Jo (with a pic of Charlie Dracula) putting together the Halloween blog. The Wenches got talking about scary stuff. Turns out, none of us like to read or watch anything that scares us, though some of us did when young. Perhaps it's because our writers' imaginations make imaginary horrors too real? We even have a real ghost story to tell.

I hope that you'll share your thoughts about scary books and films, and especially any real ghost stories if you have any!

Pat Rice

I'm among the wimps who can't read or watch horror. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane freaked me out at a very early age, and I never could watch an entire episode of Hitchcock's The Birds even on a small B&W TV. I loved Poe's poetry when I was a kid...but that was poetry. How could bad things happen in rhyme? I don't watch TV shows with violence and suspense, and I don't read horror and thrillers even now. They literally give me nightmares.

I think my aversion to all things scary is because we live in a scary world. Reading the newspapers is difficult enough without imagining worse. And that might be another key. I can imagine far, far worse than what I read in the papers, and I can "see" the events in a horror novel as if they're real. I just don't need those images in my head!

From History to Hysterical

 

excerpt: http://jamiequaid.com/excerpt-for-giving-him-hell/

Pat here:

 As many of you know, I’ve been published in historical romance since 1984. I’ve written westerns, Americana, Victoriana, Regencies, and paranormal historical romance well before any of those genres became popular. Historical romance has cycled through variations of these sub-genres over the last three decades (three decades—oh my! Obviously, I wrote my first book as a teenager), and to speak frankly, the lords and ladies required of today’s historical romance need a lot of creativity to keep fresh. (Working with a younger sons’ theme rather than dukes and earls, I published my last Regency novel, Notorious Atherton,   in July 2013. Formidable Lord Quentin will be out 3/31/15.) I’ve always interspersed my historical romance writing with other genres to prevent becoming too jaded, but now I have to go further and further afield to keep my imagination entertained.

 

AAW: On our desks . . .

Anne here, answering a question asked by several people — do you keep anything special on or near your desk? We do, and we've decided to make it into a little fun competition, so you need to match description A, B, C, D, E, F and G with Wenches Mary Jo, Jo, Pat, Cara/Andrea, Susan, Nicola and me.

The first person who correctly matches the desk objects with the names will win a wenchly book of your choice (as long as it's still available.)

(**Post script: Alas, nobody guessed correctly, it was obviously harder than we thought. For the curious, the answers have been posted in the comments stream.)

A) North Carolina sand dollars from an author friend back in Charlotte, an ugly garden troll my Irish mother adored, and a mannikin from one of my St Louis buddies to dress up or down or let scream at the Forces. Special memories that have survived various moves…

 B) Lamb Chop, the adorable white stuffed lamb on the printer is from New Zealand--Rotorua, to be exact.  She fell in love with Wellington, the koala puppet who is cuddling her.  It's like one of those war bride romances where she forsook all she knew to go with her true love.  When they aren't cuddling, they like to argue the merits of their respective homelands.  For example, which country has the best glowworms????  Sometimes I hear them giggling together in the middle of the night…  

WWR—What we've read in June

Anne here, hosting the June edition of What We've Read this month.

Pat's up first: Unlike other authors who say they can’t read what they’re writing, I tend to read a lot of what I’m writing because it puts my mind in the right groove. If I’m in a romance groove while reading a mystery, it can get messy. Heroes may die. So I’ve been in a mystery frame of mind lately.

I can’t remember if I mentioned Patrice Greenwood’s A FATAL TWIST OF LEMON that I finished a few weeks back. This is a very pleasant, laidback cozy set in an old house turned into a tea room in Santa Fe. There’s a small romance and bits of history and it’s just a lovely book for kicking back on a lazy day.

I just finished Donna Andrews’ A MURDER HATCHED, which is more of a riotous circus compared to Greenwood’s proper tea party manners. The heroine is maid of honor in three different weddings in a small town, so we have a three ring circus even before people start getting snuffed. Luckily, her love interest is running the local bridal shop for his mother. Unluckily, she thinks he’s gay, despite all evidence to the contrary. No real dark moments and lots of laughter, so another good summer read.

8th Anniversary Part 2

Anne here, introducing the second part of our 8th Anniversary celebration, where we look back over a few favorite posts from the past eight years. The first part was here. In this thrilling episode, Pat Rice talks about getting naked (yes more nakedness!), Susan King expos—er, reminisces about where we work, Mary Jo gives the inside skinny about wearing Regency-era corsets (a post much beloved of German corset fetishists), and finally I wrap up with a little bit of down-under culture in the shape—the very fine shape—of Australian Rules footballers.(The photo below is from this site) 
And finally, I list the books we're giving away to eight lucky commenters — one book each.

We'll start with Pat:
Like Jo, I think there’s no better way of celebrating the Word Wenches’ survival of eight years of blogging then with our Getting Naked blog. If nothing else, the “naked” blog was a metaphor for how such different writers could strip down to their souls and reveal themselves in public. Writers are intensely private people, and presenting our thoughts for public consumption was a fascinating and terrifying new idea to us at the time.

A Movie Valentine for You

For many of us, February can mean more snow than we ever want to see again (just yesterday we got over 20 inches in our part of Maryland) . . . it also means Groundhog Day (he was so right this time) . . . and Valentine’s Day.

Despite its origins as a religious nod to Saint Valentine’s generosity of spirit, over time Valentine’s Day has become all about hearts, flowers, chocolate and sweet little candy hearts – and all about romantic sentiment. Although it’s commercialized and may raise expectations beyond the pale, it’s also, at its best, a day to remember that true love and romance, whether or not it has its very own day, is worth celebrating.

What do the Wenches recommend this Valentine’s Day?  MOVIES!  Great, romantic, snuggle-up, pass the popcorn and unwrap the chocolate, movies!  There’s something especially wonderful about a feel-good, quality romance on the screen that can put a smile on your face and a glow of happiness in your heart. We've listed some of our favorites here for you - and we hope you'll do the same for us in the comments section.  

As we tossed around some movie suggestions, a few clear favorites quickly emerged among many great choices. Here are our top picks: romantic-themed movies that have something truly special – stories, characters, extraordinary moments that just make us want to rewind and watch over and over.  

The Word Wenches Top Picks for Most Romantic Movies Ever (in no particular order, though the first one was unanimously popular!):

Ladyhawke – Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Broderick. A lady and a knight are under an evil magic spell that keeps them forever apart, night and day—until a thief and a priest try to break the spell. 

Pride and Prejudice – Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen… An exquisite feature film of Austen’s novel – and also the Colin-Firth-as-Mr.-Darcy multi-episode series – we love both versions, because who could pick?

The Princess Bride – Cary Elwes and Robin Wright … a scrumptious fairytale about a princess, a stable boy/dread pirate, a giant, a swordsman, an evil prince, True Love and … mawwaige…

Love Actually -- Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman and others … A great, funny, touching romantic comedy about several separate yet ultimately connected love stories set in London at Christmas.

 Shakespeare in Love -- Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes … A noblewoman falls in love with the stage - and with a playwright who has an idea for a tragic romantic play. . .  

First Knight – Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, Sean Connery … A beautiful retelling of The Knight of the Cart and a believable love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere

Read on for our thoughts about these incredibly romantic and enjoyable movies – as well as some other truly wonderful movies that we think deserve special mention on this Saint Valentine’s Day. How do these movies work their romance magic and capture what the essence of romance on the screen?

What We're Reading — January 2014

Anne here, hosting the WWR discussion for this month. We've got a wonderful selection for you — varied as usual, with some great recommendations. I don't know about you, but these discussions always end up with me ordering more books. I'd also remind you that these are books we're genuinly reading and enjoying — there's no "promotion" happening here.

Pat Rice said: I didn't have much time for holiday reading but my latest favorites are Ilona Andrews CLEAN SWEEP, the start of a series set in Texas but with interplanetary beings occasionally dropping in. Our heroine owns a B&B for them, and her hunky neighbor turns out to be an alien species of werewolf. Love the humor and the characters.

I also finished a boxed set of Ashley Gardner's Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, which have been recommended here from time to time. Love the way she uses the setting to enhance the character and the mystery.

And for a bit of whimsy, D.E. Stevenson's MISS  BUNCLE'S BOOK about an early twentieth century English village. It's a mystery, but the characters are beautifully drawn and the whole thing works better than an Agatha Christie, and there's even love and romance!