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Hooray! Fortunate Wager is now available to pre-order from the Hale website at only £13.29 post-free (in the UK) instead of the rrp of £18.99
It might even arrive before the official publication date of 30th November!Caroline Fortune wants to be left in peace to train racehorses. Lord Alexander Rothwell wants to know who is trying to kill him.
Another sparkling Newmarket Regency from Jan Jones
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Well, now, this is weird. I have several Google alerts set up, one of which is for "Jan Jones". Normally I skim through the entries (you have no idea how many Jones-related stories there are out there, and there are even more in January) and delete the mail. This morning I was sitting at the PC with a nice cup of tea when I saw my name followed by the first lines of a poem I'd written. But it was a poem I didn't know was out there!
She's put a good photo with it - not an image I'd had in mind while writing the poem, but then the joy of poetry is that we're free to make our own interpretations - but I'd dearly love to know where she saw the poem first!
Here it is - and here is Vikki Jacobs' blogpost
The Time Between by Jan Jones
Treasure it, the time spent travelling This time between roles
The time between
Slipping from one existence into another
A spider strand of no-man’s-land
The time between
You’re no-one here
Invisible, unfettered
Not pressured
Treasure it, this time spent travelling
This time between arenas
This time between.
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I'm having an Autumn feast of all things Georgian. A couple of weeks ago I went to a lecture at the Bury St Edmunds Records Office about the Cullum Library that they store. Today it was the turn of a batch of letters sent from Thomas and Susan Macro (Thomas was a prominent apothecary in the town) to their daughter and son-in-law Mary and John Wilson between 1713 and 1718.
As all writers know, there is a huge amount of social history to be found in letters. Mild complaints that letters had been left at the delivery office for too long, worries about lyings-in, sensible advice on settling into a new home, anecdotes of neighbours - all these things add up to a background in which to set our own writing.
And as a bonus - Dr Pat Murrell had baked us wigs to go with our tea. These are spiced buns with a scattering of sugar-coated caraway seeds. (The idea was to cleanse the palate and perhaps sweeten the breath!) Strangely enough, one cannot buy sugar-coated caraway seeds these days but Pat had discovered Indian shops sell a very acceptable substitute in sugar-coated fennel seeds.
They were extremely tasty - and when we were told they were even better hot out of the oven I asked if I could take a second one home with me to try it warm. This is it just before I ate it. Delicious!
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Oooh! I do like a nice revival!
Steeping myself as I am in Regency theatre research for the Work In Progress, I was overjoyed to open the latest Theatre Royal brochure and discover that the main Restoring the Repertoire play this Autumn is He's Much To Blame by Thomas Holcroft.
Holcroft was one of a band of radical thinkers who sought to change people's opinion by means of incorporating telling scenes and speeches into his plays. Very witty and sharply executed, a lot of the exchanges on stage are as true today as they were 200 years ago. Billed at the time as a comedy, He's Much To Blame (first performed in 1798, but they'd still have been putting it on in the Regency era) nevertheless produces moments of stark tragedy designed to make the audience stop and think.
So what's the story? Maria has come to town disguised as a man in order to prevent her brother (Delavel) and her erstwhile suitor (George Versatile) from fighting a duel. George had been going to marry Maria until he was suddenly taken rich and had his head turned by Society.
George has now fallen in with Lord and Lady Vibrate and their celebrity German doctor Gosterman. Versatile by nature as well as by name, he has lost his own true self in making himself pleasant to everybody and has apparently forgotten the love he left behind. Lady Vibrate (who lives only for pleasure) wishes him to marry her daughter Jane. Jane, however, is in love with Delavel.
And - as could only happen in a play - all of them are now staying in the same hotel!
The Bury St Edmunds production was an absolute joy, and as I had secured a seat in the box right on the stage again, I felt as if I had slid not only into the past, but also into the play itself.
And on Monday the cast is taking a day off(!) to do a rehearsed reading of Holcroft's comedy The Road To Ruin. I am a very happy Regency writer.
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My car has one of those delightful intermittent faults which brings up a scary orange light right in the middle of the dashboard. Every time this happens the car and I go into the garage where they clear the fault, speculate interestedly about what might be causing it and tell me to come back next time it occurs. A couple of times it has been a real fault entailing the changing of various expensive parts. Even if it doesn't cost money - it always involves loss of time.
This time, however, the garage decided Action Was Needed (possibly they were getting fed up with me plugging Nymph into their power supply, using their free wifi and drinking all their tea). They stripped the engine down ("No cost, Mrs Jones") and found - a broken wire.
Sadly, it seems wires don't get mended any more, they get replaced. The entire wire loom gets replaced. At a cost of £150+.
While my car was being investigated, the garage driver ran me into Bury St Edmunds for an excellent lecture at the Theatre Royal on the Georgian playwright Thomas Holcroft and picked me up again afterwards. Then (as my car was in pieces) he took me home. Tomorrow he is going to collect me, drop me off at the Records Office for a lecture on the Georgian Gentleman's Library and pick me up after a matinee of He's Much To Blame by the said Thomas Holcroft at the theatre.
"There," said the service receptionist. "At least we've saved you the parking fee."
To park in Bury St Edmunds all day costs £1.80 !!!
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I was tagged by Nicola Cornick over on Facebook to do this meme and had such fun that I'm putting it up here as well. It was just lovely having all Neil Young's songs running through my head again. If anyone else feels like doing it, just cut, paste and carry on!
Using only song NAMES from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "My life according to (band name)"
Pick your Artist: Neil Young
Are you a male or female?: Such a Woman
Describe yourself: Natural Beauty
How do you feel: Unknown Legend
Describe where you currently live: (Get Back to) the Country
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: California Sunset
Your favourite form of transportation: Cripple Creek Ferry
Your best friend is: Out on the Weekend
You and your best friends are: After the Goldrush
What's the weather like: Like a Hurricane
Favourite time of day: Harvest Moon
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: From Hank to Hendrix
What is life to you: Bound for Glory
Your last relationship: Don't let it Bring you Down
Your current relationship: You and Me
Your fear: The Old Laughing Lady
What is the best advice you have to give: Long May You Run
Thought for the Day: Are There Any More Real Cowboys?
How I would like to die: Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Looking for: Where is the Highway Tonight?
If you could change your name, you would change it to: (Once an) Angel
Wouldn’t mind: Words
My soul's present condition: The Wayward Wind
Most Faithful Companion: Heart of Gold
My motto: One of these Days
Love ya, Neil!
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This year I decided to colour-coordinate my hanging baskets. (Alan Titchmarsh, you have a lot to answer for). So on one side of the door, I filled the basket with yellow and white. It's pretty - but would have looked a lot better had all the yellow petunias not died.
The other side of the door, I filled the basket with glorious reds and oranges. Looks fabulous, doesn't it? Just as I envisioned it.
Until you glance upwards.
Did I mention we feed wild birds in our garden? Sometimes they're ever such messy eaters.
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Wonderful meeting at the RNACambridge lunch yesterday. I've never known two and a half hours fly by so fast. At our end of the table we discussed promotion, series books, why cleavages didn't exist in Regency times - oh and some of us also got our contributor copies of Loves Me, Loves Me Not!
This is the fabulous anthology of short(ish) stories by Romantic Novelists' Association members, put together to celebrate the RNA's 50th Anniversary next year. Contributors include Katie Fforde, Elizabeth Chadwick, too many others to mention and (as you can see in the photo) RNACambridge members Sue Moorcroft, Louise Allen and ME!
44 excellent stories - buy it, it's brilliant!
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The Good: off to the RNA Cambridge lunch today to have a lovely natter with discuss writerly matters with my lovely local friends
The Bad: physiotherapy on shoulder beforehand which for some reason makes things worse before they get better
The Beautiful: should get my Contributor Copy of Loves Me, Loves Me Not - the Romantic Novelists' Association 50th Anniversary anthology!
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Aren't friends wonderful? Just when you're feeling all Mondayish, there's a ring at the bell and a sweating delivery man hefts a giant box from Interflora over the doorstep.
And all to thank me for doing something I thoroughly enjoyed doing anyway.
Love you, Katie!
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I've been out to lunch [no comments, you at the back]. To a literary lunch, in fact, courtesy of the Wickhambrook Women's Institute Reading Club.
Wickhambrook WI are one of the few groups in the country to have their own hall, and very nice it is too. And, oh, the bliss of eating five sorts of sandwiches, two sorts of pastry and my choice of puddings (from three) without having to cook anything or clear it away!
There were a lot of people there, conversation flowed, recipes were swapped, the bookstall did a brisk trade. Then, just as I regretfully decided that I couldn't fit in a piece of carrot cake as well as the most divine chocolatey-cheescakey-tart, the chairman of the Reading Club stood up to introduce the speaker.
And I remembered why I'd been invited.
Fortunately, the WI ladies are an intelligent bunch and not known for holding back, so after a ten-minute introductory waffle from me, the questions came thick and fast. The Reading Club had all read my books (thus increasing my PLR, thank you!) and those literary lunchers who hadn't, were interested in the local area where I set my plots.
So - Angela and Dorothy, thank you for inviting me. I had a smashing time.
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Sorry for not blogging - have been in withdrawal since the end of the fabulous Romantic Novelists' Association conference last week.
However, if anyone would like to read my 'Lemons' story, it's in the Woman's Weekly Summer Special 2 out now!
Right. Time for a big mug of tea and finish off the proofs of Fortunate Wager.
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I know I'm posting this early, but I'm away to the RNA Conference next week and I might just possibly not find myself with spare time soon.
So - if anyone is near the Lake District on Friday 10th July, get yourself across to Penrith Library where there will be a sumptuous gathering of romantic novelists ready to meet the public, talk about their work and sign books.
Just look at all those names! How could anyone resist?
Many thanks to all the authors involved for freely giving up their time, and also to lovely Helen and Deb of Cumbria Libraries.
Sadly, I'm going to be filling goody bags, pinning lists on notice-boards and doors, and finding new things to panic about, so I'll miss it.
But I will expect full reports!
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The Romantic Novelists' Association has a new blog up, courtesy of blog manager, the wonderful Liz Fenwick.
Go read for monthly releases, craft tips and writerly insights.
Hooray! Fortunate Wager is now available to pre-order from the Hale website at only £13.29 post-free (in the UK) instead of the rrp of £18.99
The Time Between by Jan Jones
You’re no-one here
And as a bonus - Dr Pat Murrell had baked us wigs to go with our tea. These are spiced buns with a scattering of sugar-coated caraway seeds. (The idea was to cleanse the palate and perhaps sweeten the breath!) Strangely enough, one cannot buy sugar-coated caraway seeds these days but Pat had discovered Indian shops sell a very acceptable substitute in sugar-coated fennel seeds.
Oooh! I do like a nice revival!
While my car was being investigated, the garage driver ran me into Bury St Edmunds for an excellent lecture at the Theatre Royal on the Georgian playwright Thomas Holcroft and picked me up again afterwards. Then (as my car was in pieces) he took me home. Tomorrow he is going to collect me, drop me off at the Records Office for a lecture on the Georgian Gentleman's Library and pick me up after a matinee of He's Much To Blame by the said Thomas Holcroft at the theatre.
Sometimes, organising the RNA Conference is a seriously fun job. Last week, for instance, I was in Greenwich speccing out the Queen Anne building, 
the Painted Hall (no, we can't afford to eat there, but it had to be checked, right?), 
the Queen Mary Undercroft (we might be able to eat there - wonder if they do beans on toast?),
and the view from the Trafalgar Tavern (we can afford to eat there).
This year I decided to colour-coordinate my hanging baskets. (Alan Titchmarsh, you have a lot to answer for). So on one side of the door, I filled the basket with yellow and white. It's pretty - but would have looked a lot better had all the yellow petunias not died.
Wonderful meeting at the RNACambridge lunch yesterday. I've never known two and a half hours fly by so fast. At our end of the table we discussed promotion, series books, why cleavages didn't exist in Regency times - oh and some of us also got our contributor copies of Loves Me, Loves Me Not!
Aren't friends wonderful? Just when you're feeling all Mondayish, there's a ring at the bell and a sweating delivery man hefts a giant box from Interflora over the doorstep.
Sorry for not blogging - have been in withdrawal since the end of the fabulous Romantic Novelists' Association conference last week.
The Romantic Novelists' Association has a new blog up, courtesy of blog manager, the wonderful Liz Fenwick.
