1. My beloved critique partner Susanna Fraser recently sold her Regency-set historical, The Sergeant’s Lady, to Carina Press. It’s coming out towards the end of August, and it’s a really great book. I’ll be posting more about it when it’s available for pre-order, and I’m hoping Susanna will come here on her blog tour, but for now I’ll just say it’s about a gently-born officer’s widow and a common sergeant in the Peninsular War who end up having to fight their way across half of Spain together.
Actually I will also say, because I cheat, that I have it on good authority that the hero looks a lot like Captain Mal-era Nathan Fillion, and that he wears one of these lovely green uniforms. Mmmmm. She’s posted an excerpt at her blog. Go read!
2. Courtney Milan posted a response to the History Hoydens post about the importance of historical accuracy in historical romance that I linked to a few days ago. I really love what she says about the ways “the past is a vehicle for the present” in her books. It clarifies some things for me about my own use of history.
In honor of the awesomeness of her post, I have a confession to make: I seem to have acquired no less than three copies of her book, Proof by Seduction. Don’t judge me! There were library book sales involved! It was a really good book! I can’t be held responsible!
Now, I obviously need to keep one of these copies for myself, but I’d be happy to mail the other two to the first two people to comment and tell me they want one. Put your e-mail address in the comment so I can contact you for your shipping information. (NB: Both these copies are in good used condition.)
3. I’m going to a family wedding next month, so I went dress shopping today…and in addition to the dress I bought for that, I seem to have…accidentally acquired an evening gown? One very much like this one, only mine is this beautiful shimmering deep blue, and it was on sale, and it fit me perfectly (dresses NEVER fit me perfectly), and I could not leave it there. I tried. But I went back.
Maybe I can wear it to one of the dinners or parties at the RWA National Conference next year? Will I look overdressed? It is already way too dressy for pretty much EVERYTHING ELSE in my life, and also it kind of looks like something Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl would wear to pretend to be a grown-up at a soirée, but I don’t even care, I adore it.
I am going to need photos of you in your evening gown. I think you’re going to rock it.
Aw, thanks, Ande! If I do take it to RWA next year, I’m sure there will be pictures.
Nathan Fillion AND Sean Bean? That’s total overkill to get us interested 🙂
Would be happy to help out with your excess of Courtney Milan’s book.
I fight dirty!
I sent you an e-mail asking for your address. Would you like a bookmark or cover flat or anything for Penny while I’m at it?
Thanks for the shout-out! (And for Cap’n Tightpants. That image never gets old…)
Wonderful dress. Tomorrow I’m going shopping for my publisher party and GH/Rita dresses–never something I look forward to, sadly. But this should at least be interesting. The husband gave me a big gift card to Nordstrom and an appointment with a personal shopper/stylist back at Christmas, and tomorrow I’m going to finally use it.
Yeah, I hate clothes-shopping too–I was at Northgate for five hours yesterday and I thought I was going to become hysterical by the end of it. But now I have much-needed clothes, so. I’m excited to hear about the whole personal shopper experience—take notes! (What does it mean that she’s also a personal stylist? Is she going to give you a makeover?)
I don’t think they’re stylists in the hair/make-up sense–it’s more that they try to advise you on personal style. When we talked on the phone Friday, she was asking me all kinds of questions about how I dress, what kind of jewelry I wear, was I willing to try something different, etc.
Hi Rose, I’ve just bought yor book “In for a penny”, I’m going to read it soon.
I think I will read Susanna Fraser’s novel, it seems pretty interesting. I’ve watched all the Sharpe serie with Sean Bean recently, I liked it very much! The new Carina Press seems to offers some interesting romance novels, with unusual setting and situations. This month I’m buying Carrie Lofty novel “Song of seduction”, it is set in Austria in 1804.
I would like to read Courtney Milian’s novel.
If you don’t mind sending a copy in Italy, I would be pleased to receive it.
Yeah, I’ve been hearing good things about Song of Seduction–I’ll have to check it out soon, I’m so far behind on reading…
And I’d be happy to ship the Courtney Milan book to Italy, I’ll send you an e-mail asking for your address.
I think that dress is lovely. And now I’m starting to worry about the dress code at Nationals. Maybe I will be kicked out for insufficient formality.
Tell Susanna she has to blog about the personal-shopper adventure. The reality-show version of that (“What Not to Wear,” etc.) always creeps me out a bit. The experts seem so rude about the client’s “before” wardrobe, and when the client is a woman, they’re EXTREMELY forward in discussing how her bra’s not doing its job. I would not like to pay someone to talk to me like that. But hopefully a real-life shopper is more polite.
Yeah, I think with real-life shoppers there probably isn’t any pressure to be narratively interesting or create conflict as there is with reality TV. I have however passed your request along to Susanna, I’d like to hear all about it too! It sounds so glamorous.
As for RWA, I hope you will blog about the proper level of formality for nationals once you attend so I can be prepared for next year!
I HATE makeover shows with a passion–I saw one where this poor girl had to watch her entire wardrobe thrown away, she cried, they took away her glasses and dolled her up in an outfit she couldn’t possibly reproduce on her own, and then her entire family and her boyfriend lined up to tell her how much hotter she was now. That’s part of why I like Adam Lambert’s “fashion advice” so much–people always ask him and he always says, basically, “Wear what you like and what makes you feel good, and if you like something, wear it and don’t let other people tell you it’s too much or ridiculous or ugly.” Like his fashion advice is always about being the most YOU you can be, and not about general rules or standards which seem to be how reality TV makeover shows operate.