Guest Posts

Welcome, Debra Brown, Today’s Guest Blogger

Monday, December 26th, 2011 | English Historical Fiction Authors, Guest Posts | 5 Comments

he Books of Debra Brown


Countries with kings and queens and princesses are rich and colorful, full of beautiful, happy people and happy endings. Right? Of course. Everything moves along just wonderfully. If the one disturbing thing about a princess is that she sleeps for years, even decades, she still will not have aged nor developed body odor. You can tell by the fact that when wakened by a loving kiss from a charming prince, there would be no gasping or complaint of morning breath. She will not, of course, sit up and say that she must find the bathroom. No, instead, she will sit up and kiss the prince (that she has never laid eyes on in her life, and who is decades younger than her) lovingly, music will softly blend into their dialogue and birds will drop flowers on them and sing. They will dance away harmoniously into a lush flower garden, under a rainbow, with petals brushing across their faces in the breeze.

Fast forward to a time of inner city turmoil, drug abuse and near-complete economic breakdown. My own economics broke down and there did not seem to be a solution. For every job there were two hundred applicants. No worries, I thought; I will write a book and live happily ever after. So I did.

I did have to take some steps between Once-upon-a-time and Happily-ever-after. The first was a foregone conclusion- what I should write about. What else was there but castles, banquets and balls? Obviously, there was nothing whatsoever. See how easy that is? Secondly, I needed a starting point. I went to the library and checked out some humongous picture books of England. Indeed, there they were- castles, banquets and balls. At this point, they say you have to have an outline. Well, I am doing that on my second book. But you see, on the first one, I already had a beginning and an end, because I started with an ordinary life situation and just needed to fill in the details. How funny, I thought, that the ordinary little situation would be hidden for two hundred sixty nine pages, and then suddenly it would be sprung on people who would be completely shocked, even though it was an ordinary little thing.

I had wanted an impossibly sweet story that would cheer up the lady whose son had to walk through the dangerous ghetto every day to school. That was the whole point. Never mind that mean critics would pooh-pooh a newly-written fairy tale. I could write one, could I not, if Jane Austen could. I could have sweet Mr. Woodhouses and dear Mr. Knightleys and they could live happily ever after. Or better yet, I could have earls and countesses, dukes and duchesses and a queen. Why not have it all? What’s to stop me? Mean critics? So I plunged madly into this project, intending to cheer up that poor lady and turn a blind eye to reviewers. Ah, indeed, the first chapter introduces the reader to an unusually happy household where the countess sips wine with the servants. Pathetic. That is what the critics would say. Ok, so I had her say that “she doesn’t do what is done”. That fixed that.

Actually, I knew I was in trouble from the start. Who would want a pathetic story with absurd departures from reality- especially since it was not full of sex and violence? Oh, yes, that poor lady in East L.A. would, and so would her cousin. So, on I went. Now it seems that the four-year-old street urchin hits the jackpot. Who would buy into that? Will even my lady shake her head and put down the book? Oh my. Could she not just hold on till the end? I mean, it is not the typical ending. It is not just “walk off into the sunset” and you know, live happily ever after. Give it a chance! (She picks it back up.)

So, on I plundered, taking whatever I wanted and stuffing it into the middle of this book- and then I got to the end. That is where I shake my head and smile. That is where I got her. That is where she drops open her jaw, closes it long enough to say “No way,” and then starts thumbing through the book, rereading things and saying, “I never would have guessed.” Ha! She is just like all of my friends, whom I forced to read my book so I could find out if I had kept the secret well enough.

Well, I could not do it- the Jane Austen part. Well, of course I couldn’t write like Jane Austen. But I mean, I couldn’t do the happy little story with the birds dropping flowers or Hugh Grant. It just wasn’t realistic, and so I had to fall back on workhouses. Sorry. Sorry to myself and to Jane Austen, but my blog is full of the realities of life in poor England, and I just couldn’t leave them out of my book. Sorry to the mothers who read fairy tales to their kinderdaughters. So I had a countess who sipped wine downstairs, but it can’t happen throughout the book, can it. I’m sure you understand that Sleeping Beauty was not for real- and she was soooo predictable. Predictable is not where it is at. So take an ordinary life situation and tear it apart till nobody can believe that it happened, and you have The Companion of Lady Holmeshire. Please read it and agree with me. This far, the critics do. Thank you.

Debra Brown is an ordinary person who writes books. The first one is a fairy tale, and the second one, not yet in print, is more like therapy for the author, set in Regency England and with Miss Havisham on loan.

Deb’s blog: http://englishepochs.blogspot.com

Deb’s website: http://authordebrabrown.blogspot.com

Deb’s other blog: http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com

Mother Reading Fairy Tales to Her Children: Boston Public Library

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Year End Thoughts

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 | Guest Posts, The Writing Life | 2 Comments

Thank you so much to Gabrielle Carolina for hosting me on her lovely site, The Mod Podge Bookshelf.  This post looks back at the year we are finishing up, about the work I have done as well as the work I hope to do next year. It is lovely to reflect, and Gabrielle was kind enough to ask the right questions to help me do just that… a little Eleanor, a little Regency romance, my thoughts on what is most difficult about being a novelist and my resolution for 2012. Just click the link below to take a look…

http://themodpodgebookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-author-wrap-up-with-christy.html?spref=tw

Eleanor of Aquitaine and Her Father

Monday, December 19th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away, Guest Posts, William X | No Comments

Thank you so much to Vera and the folks at Luxury Reading for hosting me on their site. As usual, I explore my ideas about Eleanor of Aquitaine, this time about her relationship with her father, William X.  A fascinating woman raised by a fascinating man…follow the link below to take a look…

http://luxuryreading.com/christyenglishguestpost/

And leave a comment on the link to enter a give away for a signed copy of To Be Queen…

Another To Be Queen Give Away

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away, Guest Posts, To Be Queen | 3 Comments

I am going crazy this month, giving away copies of To Be Queen…I love a give away, especially around the holidays. Thank you to Michelle of the True Book Addict for hosting me for this guest post and this give away.

Follow this link, make a comment at the end of the post, and you’ll be entered to win a signed copy of my latest Eleanor novel…

http://christmasspirit-truebookaddict.blogspot.com/2011/12/sharing-joy-guest-post-and-giveaway.html

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Q&A with Fortune’s Son Author Emery Lee

Monday, October 31st, 2011 | Emery Lee, Guest Posts | No Comments

Today I am excited to welcome historical romance author Emery Lee to my blog. She has been kind enough to answer some questions about her latest novel, FORTUNE’S SON which officially launches tomorrow. The good news is that the novel is available early, so you can pop into your local bookstore and pick up a copy. I read an early copy of this book a few months ago. You can tell I love it, because my opinion is on the front cover of the book. :) I’ll give a more detailed review of why I loved it here on Wednesday, but for now I would like to turn the floor over to Emery Lee.

What drew you to revisit the love affair of Philip and Sukey from your first novel, The Highest Stakes? Did you enjoy writing about these lovers from the beginning of their affair?

To be honest, the whole Philip/Sukey relationship was never really planned. Although he’s a bit of a rogue in THE HIGHEST STAKES, Philip Drake is a very complex and mercurial character who frequently acted in both a selfish and self-protective mode.

As I was first writing him, I began to wonder what kind of woman (If any) could truly capture such a man to begin with and moreover, what kind of woman would continue to keep a hold on him to the exclusion of other relationships. In a brief soul-bearing moment (under the influence of brandy), Philip shares his past heartbreak by a jaded young widow, but I still had no idea who she really was or that she would actually make an appearance in the book. But then she began to haunt me. Then when Philip found himself friendless and in real trouble (even of his own making) I began to wonder who he would have turned to? It was at that time (2/3 of the way through the book) that Sukey made her first magnificent entrance. After writing just a few pages of them together I worried that the chemistry was so strong between these two that they would steal the show!

Fortune’s Son is a love story about second chances. Do you think true love brings second chances? Did you enjoy exploring that theme in this novel?

I LOVED exploring the theme of forgiveness and second chances in FORTUNE’S SON as this is what true love is all about. We are all flawed to one degree or another but if we truly love, we make allowances for other’s failings and forgive when they falter.  Philip and Sukey’s foibles allowed me to show how truly profound their feelings were for one another. They were both highly complex characters but mirrored one another in many ways. They made mistakes – big ones. Yet their feelings ran deep and true. Most importantly, they didn’t judge one another for their faults.

In your research for your novels, what became your favorite Georgian vice? Betting on horses or betting on cards?

Although I love to play cards, I am not at all a gambler as I think I would have a serious addiction if I let myself! I actually did go to the racetrack in my research for THE HIGHEST STAKES. I spent a morning with a wonderful trainer named Michele Lovell and later that day bet on one of the horses she had running (Claudia’s Forum). I was so delighted when the horse won but then kicked myself for having placed such a small bet.  I was greatly consoled when Michelle and the owners invited me to be in the winner’s circle photo that now hangs proudly on my office wall!

Your love of horses comes through in both your novels. What first drew you, and thus your characters, into the world of riding and horses?

True love of horses is a very mysterious thing to describe. It can strike at any time in one’s life although young girls appear to be most susceptible as I was.  Horses are capable of such power and even brutality, yet once a person truly connects with one (and they are as individual as we are), it is a deeply moving and almost spiritual experience. While many people appreciate the beauty of horses, those who have not felt this can never quite understand the obsession. It is this true connection with the animal that becomes a deep and abiding passion and one that will always remain.

Who is your favorite character in Fortune’s Son and why?

Hands down – Philip. I became completely fascinated by him from the very start. He is so capricious. Even I didn’t know what he would say or do next yet even when he was very, very bad, I could never hate him. I think if an author falls in love with her own hero- she’s done her job. ’Nuff said!

In your research, did you find high stakes gambling to be as dangerous as it is in Fortune’s Son?

Absolutely! It was totally ruinous. The game of Bassett was outlawed in France because it nearly beggared the Princes of the Blood. Men all over Europe lost entire fortunes. Women truly did pawn their jewels and when those were gone…. I was invited to write a feature on Georgian gamestresses for Barnes and Noble’s “More in Store” and discovered even the Prime Minister’s daughter (Miss Pelham) was hopelessly addicted to gambling. When Parliament tried to restrict it, the aristocracy simply thumbed their noses and paid off the magistrates so they could continue unmolested at their cards and dice. (The Covent Garden gaming house run by  Ladies Cassellis and Mordington is a prime example that I used in the novel!)

What drew you to the Georgian period?

Although I truly don’t believe in reincarnation – sometimes I do have to wonder if I once lived there. (laughs) What fascinates me most about the Georgian era is the paradox of elegance and refinement that is so co-mingled with corruption and vice. It was an age of unsurpassed manners and social codes that seemed to only conceal the true inner venality. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the art and literature of the times. Men like satirical artist William Hogarth, playwrights John Gay (The Beggar’s Opera) and Henry Fielding brazenly unmasked their own era for all to see.

What are you working on now?

Wow! There’s no short answer for this one. I currently have seven different projects in various stages of development but the very next item coming down the pike is A BREACH OF PROMISE, an erotic romance novella I have written for ELLORA’S CAVE under the pseudonym Victoria Vane (http://authoprvictoriavane.com).

While still set in my favorite era ABOP is very different in tone and style from my previous work. I can best describe it as “Heyer with heat” as it is light and witty with some over the top characters, like Georgette Heyer’s earlier work, but with much higher sensuality (read hot sex).  This will be released early in 2012.

I have several other similar toned novellas planned that I will try to release between my longer (and tamer) work.

As for my romantic historical fiction, Sourcebooks is still considering the book that will bring THE HIGHEST STAKES and FORTUNE’S SON full circle. The working title is THE BASTARD’S LEGACY. The protagonists are Ian Grey, (Philip’s bastard son) and Madeline Devington Roberts (Charlotte and Robert’s daughter). The setting is England and the Colonial south beginning in the 1760’s.

I am also working on another full length RHF that I’m very excited about due to both its scientific premise and high seas adventure. Lastly, in the more distant future, I may delve into some straight HF or biographical fiction.

Thank you so very much inviting me to your blog, Christy, and for giving me the opportunity to chat.

-         Emery Lee

http://authoremerylee.com

http://georgianjunkie.wordpress.com

Facebook: Author Emery Lee

Twitter: @authoremerylee

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