Monday, 29 October 2012

A warm welcome to Lisa L Greer

I'm delighted to welcome author Lisa L. Greer to my blog today!  Lisa writes gothic romance and she's here to tell us more about her new venture, the Sorrowmoor Kickstarter project.  Over to you, Lisa!

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Thanks for having me as your guest today, Elizabeth!

It's the spooky time of year, autumn, and I think it's a perfect time for me to work on a set of shiver worthy stories...

This coming year, Im doing something differenta Kickstarter project. I really enjoy writing serials, and I like rolling them out as serials were meant to be done: in quick succession. These are mini-stories with cliffhangers at the end. They compose a larger talein this case, a spooky one set in the mid-1800s that follows the inhabitants of the Sorrowmoor estate. I love to include all kinds of gothic romance tropes in my work like secret chambers, diaries, curses, ghosts, spooky graveyards, family secrets, heroines in distress, Byronic heroes, and more. If that's your speed, I think you'll enjoy these serials.

The goal Ive set for funding for the project is where it needs to be to cover the rewards, cover art, editing, formatting and other expenses. And it is pretty reasonable for a Kickstarter project goal from what I can tell. I want to have enough money to complete the project in a way Im happy with and in a timely manner, and most importantly, to give value to readers.

That isnt always possible unless as an author, I have control over the publishing process. Thats where my project, Sorrowmoor, comes in. Im planning at least twenty historical gothic romance serials over the course of 2013. My motto is under-promise and over-deliver in terms of what Ive outlined for the serials. So, its likely Ill have more than twenty serials or that theyll be lengthier than the minimum of 2000 words each. These will land in backersinboxes (unless backers dont want them in that format), and Ill also put the serials in a combined e-book edition with a fabulous cover and a print edition that looks equally great. Im planning lots of other cool stuff, too!

So, how can you get some good reads and back the project? If you have a dollar, thats a start. There are all sorts of levels to back Sorrowmoor, so please take a look. If you dont like gothic romance (which is romantic suspense, just with paranormal elements), you can support the project and gift your rewards to a friend who will enjoy these serials. Its like a year-round Christmas gift. :o)
 
I appreciate the backing I have so far, and Im really excited about this project! Check it out if you have a minute, and tell a friend who might enjoy reading these stories. You can see the video about Sorrowmoor and learn more here:



Thank you all for reading and supporting my endeavors as a working writer! :0)

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Thank you, Lisa - the project sounds fabulous, very best of luck with it!

You can find out more about Lisa, her writing and the Sorrowmoor project at Lisa's website:


  

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Mrs Hurst Dancing

and other scenes from Regency Life 1812-1823.

This charming book is a favourite of mine and I thought I'd share some of its delights here.

The watercolour sketches reproduced in Mrs Hurst Dancing were by a young English lady named Diana Sperling, mainly between 1816 and 1823.  At the time she was living with her parents, brothers and sister Isabella at Dynes Hall, a large country house near Halstead in Essex.  Many of the sketches depict scenes in and about this house, and also Tickford Park, the Buckinghamshire home of the Van Hagens who were related to the Sperlings.

 Diana, or Di as she was known to her family, was born in 1791 and lived with her parents and siblings until her marriage in about 1834.  Her sketches and paintings are delightful.  In a charming, informal manner she depicts the lives of her family and friends.  Donkey races, riding parties, charades, hanging wallpaper are just some of the events she records.  She seems to have had a wicked sense of humour and if her sister Isabella rolled from her donkey (which she often did) or brother Harry fell from his colt, this was sketched with hilarious accuracy and pithy captions added!

As Elizabeth Longford points out in the foreword, 'Diana's birth - gentle but only of the minor gentry - did nothing but good to her art.  In those less grand country houses, with fewer servants, where she and her friends lived, the family could take an active part in the life of the estate, cleaning, decorating, planting.  And things that could go wrong, did go wrong, raising the laughs that cheer this sketchbook.  The Sperling girls had to squash their own spiders on bedroom walls, carry a change of shoes in a bag when they walked out to dinner in single file behind 'The Lord of the Manor', and often lose a slipper in the park mud.'

Here are just a couple of examples from the 70 colour plates in Mrs Hurst Dancing, with captions by Diana and further explanatory text by Gordon Mingay, Professor of Agrarian History at University of Kent.

Mrs Van murdering a spider.  September 10th 1816, Tickford.


The watercolour above depicts an incident while the ladies were dressing in their room.  There were two Mrs Van Hagens, the spider-killer was probably Henry Van Hagen's mother as Diana referred to her sister Harriet (married to Henry) by her christian name rather than her married name. 



May 25th.  Henry Van electrifying 

 May 25th. Henry Van electrifying - Mrs Van, Diana, Harry, Isabella, Mum and HGS.  Dynes Hall.

The electrifying machine is obviously Henry's latest toy.  It is probably his wife Harriet looking over his shoulder unwilling to be a party to his experiments.  His mother starts the chain, followed by Diana, Harry and Isabella - who is swooning.  HGS is a member of the Grace Sperling family, relations of the Dynes Hall Sperlings.


As you can see, Diana's watercolours have a wonderful simplicity, freshness and fun as well as giving us a unique glimpse of country life in Regency England.    If you can get hold of a copy of Mrs Hurst Dancing, it's well worth it - it's a gem of a book, especially for anyone interested in the Regency period.

Mrs Hurst Dancing and other scenes from Regency Life 1812-1823
Watercolours by Diana Sperling, Text by Gordon Mingay, Foreword by Elizabeth Longford 
ISBN 0575030356


 

And don't forget that my latest release The Cinderella Debutante - 'an elegant Regency take on a classic tale' - is available now from Amazon.com and Amazon UK.
No watercolours included, just a fabulous read! ;0)










Tuesday, 2 October 2012

The Cinderella Debutante Giveaway

*Update 9th October - the giveaway is now closed.  Thanks to all who entered!  

The winners have been randomly selected and prizes forwarded so please check your inboxes.  Winners are displayed on the Rafflecopter widget below. 

Look out for more giveaways soon!*

 To celebrate the release of The Cinderella Debutante, I'm running a giveaway. Three winners will receive a £10 (or equivalent) Amazon gift voucher PLUS an ebook copy of The Cinderella Debutante!

Just click on the Rafflecopter widget below to get started or go to Twitter and tweet 'I've entered #TheCinderellaDebutante giveaway!'.

Good luck!!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, 21 September 2012

Romantic Novelists' Association Blog: Interview with Elizabeth Hanbury

Romantic Novelists' Association Blog: Interview with Elizabeth Hanbury: I’m delighted to welcome Elizabeth Hanbury to the blog today. Elizabeth says she loves to combine humour, emotion, great characters, e...

Friday, 7 September 2012

The Cinderella Debutante


My next Regency romance The Cinderella Debutante will be published by E-scape Press on 24th September 2012!

This release is particularly exciting as it's one of two books launching E-scape's new imprint Ballgown Books which will feature historical and contemporary stories.

The Cinderella Debutante is a light-hearted Regency romance based on the Cinderella story but with a few twists.  Don't ya just love Cinderella-themed stories?! :0)


Here's the blurb:


Lucy Sinclair’s London Season was cut short by tragedy. Now, five years later, she is returning but only in the shadow of her lovely step-sister. Belinda is determined to catch a titled husband and Alex, Lord Devlyn fits the bill perfectly.

Lucy finds Alex devastatingly attractive yet knows he will be dazzled by Belinda’s beauty. It seems her one chance of love is lost forever until an unlikely fairy godmother makes Lucy the belle of the ball...

 


I hope readers will enjoy.  The Cinderella Debutante is unashamedly sprinkled with oodles of wish-fulfillment fairy dust *g*  

Look out for more details, links, giveaways and a new E-scape website for Ballgown Books soon. 



Other news: the e-book edition of Ice Angel is finally out.  


Ice Angel is Book #1 in the Cavanagh family series and the prequel to A Bright Particular Star, although both books can easily be read as stand-alone. 

Ice Angel can be purchased from   Amazon.comAmazon UK, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones and other on-line outlets. 

Friday, 20 July 2012

Astraea Press: Astraea Press Summer Sale






 Take advantage of this fabulous offer from Astraea Press - almost all their ebooks (including A Bright Particular Star) are available for just 99 cents (or equivalent) from Amazon and Barnes and Noble until 31st July!

So hurry and grab some great summer reading :)

Monday, 9 July 2012

Summer Snippets & Cherry Ripe


 A Bright Particular Star features on the Summer Snippets series at the Astraea Press blog today.  Pop over and take a look via this link.

I've also been out and about recently and you can see my photos from David Austin Roses and Old Moseley Hall by following the individual links to my Facebook author page.



One of my favourite summer fruit, English cherries, are ready for picking now.  Did you know...

Cherry Ripe by John Everett Millais
  • Girls used to predict who they would marry with the cherry-stone counting rhyme, Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor
  • Before the invention of hot water bottles, heated cherry stones were placed in pans to warm beds.
  • Legend has it that you can trace old Roman roads in Britain by wild cherry trees.  Soliders munching on the fruit spat out the stones whiles travelling the country.
Cherry ripe, cherry ripe,
Ripe I cry,
Full and fair ones
Come and buy.
Cherry ripe, cherry ripe,
Ripe I cry,
Full and fair ones
Come and buy

(English song, words by poet Robert Herrick 1591–1674, and music by Charles Edward Horn 1786–1849)