Anna Harrington is an author of spicy Regency romance with dashing heroes and independent heroines, layers of emotion, and lots of sizzle. She fell in love with historical romances and all things Regency while living in England, where she spent most of her time reading Jane Austen and getting lost in London (especially the getting lost part). Anna has traveled around the world, both as a tourist and as a volunteer with children’s organizations in Peru, Ecuador, Thailand, and Mexico. She loves to hike and fly airplanes, adores all things chocolate and coffee, and is a Doctor Who fanatic (everyone says her house *is* bigger on the inside!). Anna claims to be a terrible cook who hopes to one day use her oven for something other than shoe storage. In her spare time, Anna enjoys gardening and growing roses. Her fav authors are Elizabeth Hoyt, Sabrina Jeffries, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, and Sylvia Day. Continue reading “Anna Harrington – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Today’s featured Beau Monde author is Alissa Baxter!
Alissa Baxter wrote her first Regency romance, THE DASHING DEBUTANTE, during her long university holidays. After traveling the world, she settled down to write her second Regency romance, LORD FENMORE’S WAGER, which was inspired by her time living on a country estate in England. Regency Reads will be releasing her third Regency novel, A MARCHIONESS BELOW STAIRS, on November 15, 2017. Also the author of two contemporary romances, SEND AND RECEIVE and THE BLOG AFFAIR, Alissa is a member of RWA as well as ROSA (Romance writers Organisation of South Africa). Alissa currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband and two sons. Continue reading “Alissa Baxter — Featured Beau Monde Author”→
History has always held my fascination. I became a genealogist for my family in my teens and traveled abroad to find my roots. Pouring over old documents is a treasure hunt. I also became involved in reenactment groups and found that immersion in living history was both intriguing and intrinsic to my love of telling stories of the past.
My love of world travel gives my stories depth. I’ve had conversations with conservators at abandoned castles across Europe, and have felt their stone beneath my fingertips. I’ve walked down the streets of Mayfair, imagining my characters strolling there beside me, and I’ve sat in King Henry’s kitchen at Hampton Court joyfully smelling the meat cooking on the hearth. With each separate occasion, I learn more about history and continue to build a bank of memories in my mind that will fill many more novels in the future. Continue reading “Victoria Oliveri — Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Today’s featured Beau Monde author is Sara Portman!
Sara Portman is an award-winning author of historical romance. Her debut novel, THE REUNION, was named the 2015 winner in the Historical Category of the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® contest. Continue reading “Sara Portman – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Louisa Cornell is a retired opera singer living in LA (Lower Alabama) who cannot remember a time she wasn’t writing or telling stories. Anglophile, student of Regency England, historical romance writer— she escaped Walmart to write historical romance and hasn’t looked back. She is a member of RWA, Southern Magic RWA, and the Beau Monde Chapter of RWA. She lives off a dirt road on five acres in the middle of nowhere with a chihuahua so bad he is banned from vet clinics in two counties, several very nice dogs, and a cat who thinks she is a Great Dane and terminates vermin with extreme prejudice. Continue reading “Louisa Cornell – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
A bestselling, award-winning author, COLLETTE CAMERON pens Scottish and Regency historicals featuring rogues, rapscallions, rakes, and the intelligent, intrepid damsels who reform them.
Blessed with three spectacular children, fantastic fans, and a compulsive, over-active, and witty Muse who won’t stop whispering new romantic romps in her ear, she lives in Oregon with her mini-dachshunds, though she dreams of living in Scotland part-time.
Admitting to a quirky sense of humor, Collette enjoys inspiring quotes, adores castles and anything cobalt blue, and is a self-confessed Cadbury chocoholic. You’ll always find dogs, birds, occasionally naughty humor, and a dash of inspiration in her sweet-to-spicy timeless romances. Continue reading “Collette Cameron – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
“Eakes has a charming way of making her novels come to life without being over the top,” writes Romantic times of bestselling, award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes. As a child, Eakes began to tell herself stories. Since then, she has fulfilled her dream of becoming a published author, with more than two dozen books in print. Accolades for Eakes’s books including winning the National Readers Choice Award and Rita finalist status. Continue reading “Laurie Alice Eakes – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
A lover of romance novels since the age of ten (don’t tell her mom!), Margaret Locke declared as a teen she’d write romances when she was older. Once an adult, however, she figured she ought to be doing grownup things, not penning love stories. Thank goodness turning forty cured her of that silly notion. Margaret is now happily ensconced back in the clutches of her first crush, this time as an author as well as a reader. Because love matters.
Margaret lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her fantastic husband, two fabulous kids, and three fat cats. You can usually find her in front of some sort of screen (electronic or window); she’s come to terms with the fact she’s not an outdoors person. Continue reading “Margaret Locke – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity to introduce myself. I was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. I am delighted to announce that I’m a debut author with St. Martin’s Press. My first book in The Cavensham Heiresses series is The Bad Luck Bride. I credit my darling mom for introducing me to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Her favorite Regencies quickly became mine too. I write stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally-matched heroes. I’m the proud mother of triplets and live in Kansas City, Missouri with my very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. I adore hearing from readers. Continue reading “Janna MacGregor – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Today’s featured Beau Monde author is Julie Daines!
Julie Daines was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and was raised in Utah. She spent eighteen months living in London, where she studied and fell in love with English literature, sticky toffee pudding, and the mysterious guy who ran the kebab store around the corner. She returns to the UK to refill her soul every year or so. Continue reading “Julie Daines – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Today’s featured Beau Monde author is Suzan Lauder!
A love for Jane Austen’s novels and Regency and Austenesque romance novels inspired Suzan Lauder to write her own variations, which led her to a passion for Regency era history and costuming, as well as social media book marketing. She cherishes the many friends she’s made as a result of these interests: readers, authors, historians, costumers, milliners, and more! Continue reading “Suzan Lauder – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Myretta Robens, Madeline Hunter, Caroline Linden and Megan Frampton
Dressed to Kiss Anthology
with Vine Street 2016
eBookTraditional Sensual (mild)
True love never goes out of style…
Once renowned for creating the most envied gowns in London, Madame Follette’s dressmaking shop has fallen far out of fashion. The approaching coronation of King George IV offers a chance to reclaim former glory by supplying stunning new wardrobes to the most glittering society in Regency England. In the face of long-held secrets, looming scandals, and the potential ruin of their shop, the dressmakers of Follette’s are undaunted, not even by the most unexpected complication of all: true love.
Today’s featured Beau Monde author is Julia Justiss!
Award-winning historical romance author Julia Justiss has written more than twenty-five novels and novellas set in the English Regency. Her awards include the Golden Heart for Regency from Romance Writers of America, The Golden Quill, and finals in Romantic Times Magazine’s Best First Historical, the National Readers Choice, the Daphne du Maurier and All About Romance’s Favorite Book of the Year.
A voracious reader who began jotting down plot ideas for Nancy Drew novels in her third grade spiral, Julia has published poetry and worked as a business journalist. An avid fan of Georgette Heyer, while unable to work a regular job when her husband was posted at the U.S Embassy in Tunisia, she decided to write her own Regency novel. And never looked back. Continue reading “Julia Justiss – Featured Beau Monde Author”→
Today’s featured Beau Monde author is Wareeze Woodson!
Wareeze Woodson, is a native of Texas and still lives in that great state. She writes period romance tangled with suspense. Years and years ago, she married her high school sweetheart. They raised four children and have eight grandchildren, and grandchildren are Grand. At the moment, all their children and grandchildren live within seventy miles of their home, which means lots of visits. Her husband and she still love each other after all these years — the stuff romance is made of, Happy Ever After!
Each year on the day before National conference begins, many members of the Beau Monde chapter of RWA® gather for a day filled with Regency workshops and after the Literacy Signing they reconvene for our annual Soirée. This year’s gathering included breakfast and time to mingle and check-in for the conference, followed by the Annual General Meeting with the usual various committee reports and the changing over of the board. Thank you to the 2015-2016 Board and Committee members for all your hard work but especially our conference chair Janna MacGregor, catering wrangler Sharon Sobel, and workshop coordinator Isobel Carr for doing such a fantastic jobs in organizing the event for us!
The Morning Sessions
Remembering Jo Beverley (1947-2016)
We had a very special tribute to former Beau Monde member, Jo Beverley who lost her bout with cancer at the end of May this year.
Diana Belchase shared what is thought to be the last video interview with former Beau Monde member Jo Beverley.
Member Diana Belchase, had filmed an interview with the author for her TV show BookSmart and was gracious enough to share the unaired footage with the chapter members present. Jo’s wit, grace and perspective, not to mention her love of historical romance, shone through during the interview and are just a small part of why she and her wonderful books will be long remembered.
We spent the rest of the morning learning about Spies and Codes with Patricia Coleman, Regency Era Titles with Ella Quinn and The Education and Training of Medical Professionals in the Regency Era with Georgie Lee.
Our Keynote Address
After lunch, Jade Lee gave our keynote speech. If you know Jade, she’s funny and always cracking jokes. She did that. But she was also fiercely serious about how writing is also an ART, not just a craft and business.
Keynote Speaker, Jade Lee
Jade pointed out that the RWA National Workshop list included around 54 Craft/Research sessions, 65 Career Track topics and another 16 on Writer’s Life/Block/Depression. She told us she was going to talk about the one thing that never gets discussed– the ART of writing. Commercial Fiction — not literary. Every book has a core message in it. Not just the basics of genre or tropes, every book has a deeper more personal message. At its core, your book has a message that YOU need to hear.
“Art has us look at issues we are dealing with in our real life and look at them in a new way.” But digging in your soul is hard to do. Theme is one way as writers and even readers we do this. Look closer at your books and see what you keep coming back to again and again. Think about the last book you read that touched your heart and why?
She recently read Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. Did you know Hitler wanted to be an artist but resistance beat him? It was easier for him to start World War II than to face a blank canvas. “Don’t start WW3, face that dark and awful blank page instead!” She urged us to tell that story that your soul is crying out for. Someone else out there needs to hear it too. Please, she begged us, go forth and write those stories. Because we are all artists in the truest, most beautiful sense of the word.
The Afternoon Sessions
The rest of the afternoon was spent in more workshops where Louisa Cornell helped us navigate the Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Regency World both in terms of what was known/thought of mental illness at the time and various places where and ways in which people were ‘treated’ for their madness. Then, we charted a course in The Age of Sail with Alice Eakes and learned all about ships, different types of sails, and other nautical terms to use in our stories.
All sessions were recorded and they will soon be made available for purchase by members.
Our Annual Soirée
That evening, the soirée was quite an elegant affair. Cara King was our dance mistress for the evening and taught a variety of country dances including a Scottish Reel. Not all of the attendees dressed in their Regency Era finery, but the many who did looked absolutely wonderful, and a fabulous time was had by all.
You might recognize these Beau Monde members from the Regency Era report with Sarah MacLean during the Rita/GH ceremony on Saturday night.
Sir Reginald Scott, Lady Elena Greene and Lady Cara King at the 2016 Beau Monde Soirée.
This dashing highwayman made an appearance at the Soiree! Perhaps Sir Reginald had some competition?
Erica Ridley (left) an Emma Locke (Right) in their Regency finery.
Learning a Country Dance
Learning a Scottish Reel
Awards and Congratulations to Beau Monde Members
Cheryl Bolen received the distinction as our 2016 Lady of the Realm. Thank you for all that you do for the chapter, Cheryl!
Elizabeth King won the Grand Prize in the 2016 Royal Ascot with her manuscript, TAMING THE EARL.
This post originally appeared on Anna Bradley‘s blog on November 23, 2014. Reposted with permission from the author.
Historical Romance and the English Country Home
Montisfont Abbey, Hampshire, England
Rolling greens lawns, formal gardens and sultry conservatories—is it any wonder so many Regency romance novelists choose the English country house as the backdrop for their love story? There are few settings more romantic, and, given the strict rules of propriety between gentlemen and ladies in Regency England, even fewer where a hero and heroine can pursue their lusts and loves with such freedom.
Today’s featured Beau Monde author is Donna Hatch!
Donna Hatch, author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” has won writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award, and has also been nominated twice for the Whitney Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She is a sought-after workshop presenter, and juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children. A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.
THE SUSPECT’S DAUGHTER by Donna Hatch Released: 12/15/2015 ISBN-10: 1519395906
ISBN-13: 978-1519395900
Regency romance author, Mary Moore, freely admits that Charity Girl is not one of her favorites among Georgette Heyer’s Regency novels. Nevertheless, today she gives this book its due, comparing and contrasting it to some of Heyer’s other Regency romances. And even admits to a sigh when she came to the end of the story. In addition, for all of you Regency aficionados who particularly enjoy the colorful language of that era, Mary shares some of the delectable phrases which Heyer sprinkled through Charity Girl.
Do you have a favorite Regency cant term? Please feel free to share it in a comment to this article.
Anna Harrington is an author of spicy Regency romance with dashing heroes and independent heroines, layers of emotion, and lots of sizzle. She fell in love with historical romances and all things Regency while living in England, where she spent most of her time reading Jane Austen and getting lost in London (especially the getting lost part). Anna has traveled around the world, both as a tourist and as a volunteer with children’s organizations in Peru, Ecuador, Thailand, and Mexico. She loves to hike and fly airplanes, adores all things chocolate and coffee, and is a Doctor Who fanatic (everyone says her house *is* bigger on the inside!). Anna claims to be a terrible cook who hopes to one day use her oven for something other than shoe storage. In her spare time, Anna enjoys gardening and growing roses. Her fav authors are Elizabeth Hoyt, Sabrina Jeffries, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, and Sylvia Day.
