In February, the Working on the Web section of the Beau Monde forum features an article specifically for our members who are published authors. This article outlines an opportunity for these Beau Monde authors to promote their work on one of the largest and most highly trafficked web sites on the Internet. With the added bonus that they will also provide a service to their readers.
Next month, the Working on the Web section of the forum will feature an article for those who are interested in setting up their own web site.
If you are not yet a Beau Monde member, and would like to join us, please visit our Membership page for details.
New EBook Releases from Authors of The Beau Monde Chapter (Regency Historical) of Romance Writers of America
An Arranged Valentine by Kadee McDonald
Aurora Regency (an imprint of Musa Publishing)
Traditional Regency Novella
In the coldest days of February, can St. Valentine create enough heat to melt two hearts into one?
Miss Penelope Braxton has never met either sensible George Harburton or his dashing younger brother, Henry, but she agrees to grant her dying father peace of mind by considering marriage to one of them.ˇ
The advantage of the match for the brothers is evident in the form of Miss Braxton’s substantial dowry. But her money takes second place when both George and Henry realize the extent of Penelope’s courage, wit, and devotion.
Will either gentleman be able to compose the perfect poetry to win Penelope’s heart?
www.MusaPublishing.com (Category: Aurora Regency) www.KadeeMcDonald.com http://www.auroraregency.blogspot.com
@KadeeMcDonald
Facebook: Kadee McDonald author
Heroes Returned Trilogy by Ava Stone
Night Shift Publishing,ˇ9781301560349
Regency Historical
Three officers return to England following the Napoleonic Wars. This is a compilation of three books. MY FAVORITE MAJOR – More than just his honor urges Major Philip Moore to protect a pretty damsel in distress from the wicked intentions of the girl’s villainous ex-fiance. THE ENGLISH LIEUTENANT’S LADY – ˇLieutenant Tristan Avery returns home from war and promptly falls in love with his brother’s fiancee. Now he’s caught between his love and his honor. TO CATCH A CAPTAIN – Rakish Captain Russell Avery thinks he’s found the perfect distraction to keep his mind off his recent troubles. Unfortunately, the maid in question is more than he bargained for.ˇ http://www.avastoneauthor.com/ http://www.ladyscribes.blogspot.com/ @Ava_Stone http://www.facebook.com/AvaStoneAuthor
Available at Amazon, B&N, iBooks
An Encounter At the Museum by Claudia Dain, Michelle Marcos, Deb Marlowe, Ava Stone
Night Shift Publishing
Regency Historical Anthology
In CLAUDIA DAIN’s A Chance Encounter – Jamie Caversham is a bastard, quite literally. He is bound for Canada and a new life after one last visit to the British Museum . . . where he meets Elizabeth Ardenzy. Elizabeth is betrothed (nearly), her life planned to perfection by her father. Unless a bastard convinces her to run away to Canada first.ˇˇ
In MICHELLE MARCOS’s Bad Luck Encounter – Anyone would think that a bookish spinster with bad eyesight has had her share of bad luck.ˇ But when “accidents” begin to happen just as her younger sister is trying to find a husband, Isha Elmwood spots the perpetrator: Mr. Bad Luck himself.ˇ Trouble is, she’s the only one who can see him.ˇ Isha must find a way to put a stop to this handsome knave without subjecting herself to the worst luck of all: losing her heart.
In DEB MARLOWE’s An Unexpected Encounter – Tall, practical girls might not be worth much in a man’s world, but Miss Lisbeth Moreton knows she’s worth more than the squire’s prized heifer. ˇTo change her fate, she’s run off to a date with destiny at the British Museum. ˇHer would-be swain never shows, but an unexpected encounter with Lord Cotwell and his lonely ward might lead to altogether new prospects . . . and perhaps to love.
In AVA STONE’s Encounter with an Adventurer – Lucinda Potts would do just about anything to get out of her brother’s home and out from under her hateful sister-in-law’s thumb. After an encounter with the gadabout and notorious Lord Brookfield, Lucy is more determined than ever to escape London for a life of adventure. Unfortunately, the his lordship seems just as determined to stand firmly in her way.ˇ http://www.claudiadain.com http://www.michellemarcos.com http://www.debmarlowe.com http://www.avastoneauthor.com/
Available at Amazon, B&N, iBooks
A Dangerous Dalliance by Regina Scott
Traditional Regency
When art teacher Hannah Alexander agrees to accompany four of her students
on a country house visit before Easter, she never dreams of entering into a
dalliance with the owner, David Tenant, the handsome new Earl of Brentfield.
But one moment in David’s company, and she’s in danger of losing her heart.
And as events unfold at Brentfield, Hannah quickly learns that loving David
comes at a price, to her future plans of being a portrait painter, to her
position as a teacher, and to her very life.ˇ A clean romance set in the
Regency, with a touch of romantic suspense. www.reginascott.comˇ www.nineteenteen.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/authorreginascott
Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
Miss Parker’s Ponies by Victoria Hinshaw
Traditional Regency
Miss Caroline Parker must find a husband with a substantial fortune. Captain Thomas Ogden needs a mate with a large inheritance. Caroline’s aunt provides a list of Eligibles: men with handsome incomes. Thomas’s mama has a list of Suitables: rich young ladies ripe for marriage. When they discover their mutual pursuit, Tom and Caro pledge to help find each other the right match.
But as the London Season whirls, they find a multitude of complaints about each candidate for the other’s hand. They discover a shocking fact: neither can bear to lose the other…love has caught them unawares. www.victoriahinshaw.com onelondonone.blogspot.com
@summitwahl www.tinyurl.com/azlgald
e-book release of a Zebra 2002 novel
The Shamrock and the Rose by Regan Walker
Boroughs Publishing Group
Regency Historical
Set in London in 1818, it’s the story of Rose Collingwood, daughter of a baron, who wanted to play Portia in The Merchant of Venice. To accept the part at the Theatre-Royal at Hay-Market, the very proper young lady assumed the disguise of Miss Lily Underwood, the actress. Who knew all of London would soon be at her feet sending her love notes? One such Valentine goes awry only to be found by the dashing Irish barrister, Morgan O’Connell. Though he would have seduced the actress, Morgan must court the lady. Given three choices much like Portia’s suitors, can she resist the handsome Irish rogue? http://www.reganwalkerauthor.com/ http://reganromancereview.blogspot.com/ https://twitter.com/RegansReview http://www.facebook.com/regan.walker.104
Embracing Scandal by Suzi Love
Crimson Romance -ˇISBN 1440560498ˇ(ISBN13:ˇ9781440560491)
Regency Historical
After Lady Rebecca Jamison, a mathematical genius, saves her family from financial ruin by secretly investing in railway stocks on the London stock exchange, a greedy syndicate, desperate for Becca’s calculations and predictions, murders her friend and threatens the Jamison family, forcing Becca to beg assistance from her childhood friend, Cayle St. Martin.ˇ
The newly titled Duke of Sherwyn has returned to London after five years on the continent extending his family’s shipping interests. He’s shunned his privileged London life and his father’s unbending attitudes, and becomes committed to employing the spying tactics he learned on the continent to help Becca indict the syndicate and using his skills as a lover to seduce her into his bed.ˇ
ˇBut how will Cayle be able to convince Becca, a determinedly self-sufficient spinster, that he can be more to her than just a protector? http://www.suzilove.com
Twitter: suzilove
Facebook: Suzi Love Author
Today, in the follow-up post to her article on Royal Tunbridge Wells, Regency romance author, Michele Ann Young, aka Ann Lethbridge, shares her knowledge of Pantiles, a unique feature of that spa town. If you have never been to Royal Tunbridge Wells, you may be quite unaware of the existence of this historic item with multiple royal connections. Here is your chance to learn all about them.
Today’s article is by Michele Ann Young, aka Ann Lethbridge, Regency romance author and one-time resident of the famous spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells. More recently, she spent some time there on a research trip and provides us with a series of questions and answers regarding the history of this charming town in western Kent. She also explains why the town should never be called "Royal" in any stories set there during the Regency.
And so, the answers to your questions about Tunbridge Wells …
While researching the Theatres-Royal during the Regency period (1811-1820) for my new Valentine’s short story, The Shamrock & The Rose, I found a wealth of information on the choices available to theatergoers in London at that time. More than one theatre had Letters Patent, and could, therefore, claim the name “Theatre-Royal,” and in addition to those, there were more specialized theatres and smaller playhouses as well.
From the variety of choices, it would seem that Londoners often enjoyed an evening at the theatre with as many as 20,000 attending the theatre on any given evening. One could see a drama, perhaps one of Shakespeare’s plays, a light comedy, or an opera, as well as ballet, pantomimes and skits—even a clown! And some of these might be combined into the entertainment for a single evening.
The theatres were lit mostly by candlelight reflected from many chandeliers. Of course, these were not dimmed as the entertainment began, so you could well see everyone in the audience as well as the actors on stage. And they could see you! So what activities you engaged in while in your box had to be discreet. The use of candlelight (until replaced with gaslights) also posed a fire hazard, as evidenced by several of the theatres burning down.
The Theatre-Royal, Covent Garden (now the Royal Opera House) was rebuilt in 1809 after a fire destroyed it the year before. Holding crowds exceeding 3,000, it became, perhaps, the leading theatre of the time. The principal performers at Covent Garden between 1809 and 1822 demonstrate the talent assembled there: In tragedy, Messrs. Kemble, Cooke, Macready, Young, Mrs. Siddons and Miss O’Neill. In comedy, Messrs. Liston, Munden, Charles Mathews, W. Farren, Mesdames Jordan, Brunton, Foote, C. Kemble. In opera, Messrs. Incledon, Braham, Pyne, and Mesdames Catalani, Bolton, Stephens, and Tree. “Kitty” Stephens made her first appearance here in 1812; Miss O’Neill, in 1814; Macready, in 1816; and Farren, in 1818. Several of these actresses and singers moved from the stage to the peerage when they married men in the nobility.
The Theatre-Royal, Drury Lane (mentioned in my Christmas short story, The Holly & The Thistle as providing seasonal entertainment), was redesigned in 1812 after a fire destroyed it in 1809. That was the fourth theatre to be on the site, the first having been constructed in 1663, pursuant to Letters Patent from Charles II. The Drury Lane Theatre was the first theatre to be entirely lit by gaslight in 1817.
The Theatre-Royal, Hay-Market (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is in theWest End and dates to 1720. (My Valentine’s Day short story, The Shamrock & The Rose opens with a scene set in this theatre.) It was originally constructed in the late 18th century and relocated and redesigned by John Nash in 1820. The new theatre was in many ways the same as the one that preceded it with flat sidewalls, tiers of boxes, a back gallery and the pit. However, the new theatre was much more opulent with colors of pink, crimson and gold and a circular vestibule “almost lined” with mirrors. It was the last theatre to be lit by gaslight (in 1843).
The Sadler’s Wells Theatre in the London Borough of Islington during the Regency featured famous actors, including Edmund Kean and Joseph Grimaldi. Grimaldi, though a dramatic actor, is best remembered for his character “Joey the Clown” with white face and rouge half-moons on each cheek. Because the period was characterized by public drunkenness, the rural location led the management to provide escorts for patrons so they could safely return to central London.
Sadler’s Wells (also known as “The Aquatic Theatre“) was used to stage sensational naval melodramas, including a recreation of Nelson’s victory at the Nile called Naval Pillars, and a recreation of the Franco-Spanish siege of Gibraltar, which included replicas of the fleet of ships, using a one inch to one foot scale, and working miniature cannon.
The Theatres-Royal in Drury Lane and Covent Garden confined their season to the autumn and winter. Sadler’s Wells filled the gap with their shows during the spring and summer. From the playbills I reviewed, the Theatre-Royal at Haymarket seems to have operated nearly year round.
In addition to the major theatres holding thousands, there were many other options for the theatergoer in the Regency:
The Haymarket (King’s Theatre) Opera House was originally built by the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh in 1705. It was destroyed by fire in 1789, and re-built and used extensively for opera.
The Lyceum Theatre first became a “licensed” house in 1809 and was rebuilt in 1816, and renamed The English Opera House. It was famous for being the first theatre in London to feature some gas lighting (1817), and for hosting the London première of Mozart’s Italian opera Così fan tutte.
The Pantheon, constructed on Oxford Street in 1772, was originally designed for balls and masquerades before becoming an opera house in 1791. It was converted to a theatre 1811-12, but its role in the theatres of London was short lived. Damaged by fire and troubled financially owing to irregularities in its license, it was replaced in 1814 by the Pantheon Bazaar.
The Adelphi Theatre was constructed in 1806 by merchant John Scott to showcase his daughter’s theatrical talents, and was given a new facade and redecorated in 1814. It reopened in 1819 as the Adelphi, named after the area of West London built by the brothers Adam from 1768. (The name “Adelphoi” in Greek means “the brothers.”) Among the actors who appeared on its stage was the comedian Charles Matthews, whose work was so admired by young Charles Dickens. Most of its patrons were the salaried clerks of barristers and solicitors.
The Olympic Theatre was a playhouse built from the timbers of the French warship “Ville de Paris” (the former deck serving as the stage). It opened as the “Olympic Pavilion” in 1806. After financial losses, in 1813, it was sold to Robert William Elliston, who refurbished the interior and renamed it the “Little Drury Lane” by virtue of its proximity to the more established patent theatre. It was rebuilt in 1818.
The Royalty Theatre was opened in 1787 by the actor John Palmer in defiance of the 1737 patent monopoly act and featured as its first production As You Like It. Without a proper license it was forced to close–and Palmer was arrested. Under the management of William Macready, the Royalty struggled with pantomimes and burlettas (comic opera). In 1816, it was renamed the “East End Theatre,” and continued to offer entertainment until it was burned down ten years later.
Today, Angelyn Schmid, author of Notorious Match, discusses garden rotundas similar to the Temple of Diana, which is situated on the grounds of the fictional estate in her story. Regency gardens are always such wonderful settings for romantic encounters between the hero and heroine. Angelyn explains how these gardens were laid out and enjoyed by those lucky enough to have access to such "natural" beauty.
New Print Releases from Authors of The Beau Monde Chapter (Regency Historical) of Romance Writers of America
Haunted By The Earl’s Touch by Ann Lethbridge
Harlequin Historicals
Regency Historical
Orphan Mary Wilder’s hopes of a place at Beresford Abbey are dashed by the enigmatic earl, Bane Beresford. He is as remote as the ghosts that supposedly haunt the Abbey….
Occasionally she sees a different, more caring man behind the facade, so is she foolish to long for a happy home…a family? http://www.annlethbridge.com http://www.regencyramble.blogspot.com
@annlethbridge
AnnLethbridgeAuthor
Montlake Romance, ISBN 978-1611098839
Regency Historical
Victoria has a secret… Reclusive designer Victoria Andrews hasn’t gone outside in five years, though she yearns to escape the prison of her house. She designs sensual lingerie for the most exclusive dressmaker in London, although she has never known a man’s touch.
A Duke in disguise… ? Wounded and stranded in Scotland, Jonathan Nottoway, the Duke of Worthingstone, is avoiding the murderous scandal that darkened his family name. As his wounds heal, he spends several sensual nights with the beautiful seamstress who knows nothing of his true identity.
A passionate awakening Can a woman trapped by her emotional scars be able to love a duke, when it means abandoning her safe world to embrace the life of a duchess? www.michellewillingham.com@michellewillingwww.facebook.com/michellewillinghamfans
Also available in e-book (Kindle) format.
February 12, 2013
His: Two Regency Novellas by Regina Jeffers
His American Heartsong
Lawrence Lowery has been the dutiful elder son his whole life, but when his father Baron Blakehell arranges a marriage with the insipid Annalee Dryburgh, Lowery must choose between his responsibility to his future estate and the one woman who makes sense in his life. By Society’s standards, Arabella Tilney is completely wrong to be the future Baroness–she is an American hoyden, who demands that Lowery do the impossible: Be the man he has always dreamed of being. (A Novella from the Realm Series
His Irish Eve
When the Earl of Greenwall demands his only son, Viscount Stafford, retrieve the viscount’s by-blow, everything in Adam Lawrence’s life changes. Six years prior, Lawrence had released his former mistress Cathleen Donnell from his protection, only to learn in hindsight Cathleen was with child. Lawrence arrives in Cheshire to discover not only a son, but also two daughters, along with a strong-minded woman, who fascinates him from the moment of their first encounter. Aoife Kennice, the children’s caregiver, is a woman impervious to Adam’s usual tricks and ruses as one of England’s most infamous rakes. But this overconfident lord is about to do battle: A fight Adam must win–a fight for the heart of a woman worth knowing.
In article four on the business of writing, Gaelen Foley, best-selling romance author, shares how she builds the foundational premise for each of her novels. They do not spring magically from the ether, she has an organized and reliable system by which she develops the premise of her next novel while she is busy writing her current book. By integrating these activities, not only is no time is lost on the writing of the current manuscript, but she has enough lead time to allow her new premise to fully mature. Perhaps you will find some useful tips here which will help you to refine your own premise-building efforts.