Ozarks Romance Authors

   I have belonged to the Ozarks Romance Authors for six years.They are a supportive group of people for published and wanna be published writers. I have learned a lot of my craft from their monthly meetings. We have a membership of writers in many genres.

Their yearly conferences bring in great speakers including published authors, publishers and agents. Each year they hold the Annual Weta Contest, {named for the lady who started ORA}. This year the conference is on June 23rd. Please check it out at http://ozarks-romance-authors.com/annual-contest/  You'll be glad you did.

Deverell's Dilemma

The news is out. Deverell's Dilemma will be available for order end of Feb. at Amazon and Barnes & Noble's websites. Check them both out.  What a thrill to see my book on these pages. It's been a long time coming, but worth the wait. All you authors out there know how I feel.

Deverell's Dilemma Jacket Cover

   GOOD NEWS. I have just received the jacket cover for my book Deverell's Dilemma. The publisher has even used my title, which they don't often do. I understand it will be available sometime in February 2012 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

     It is exciting to finally see it coming together. Can't wait to hold it in my hands.
   Here's a teaser:
   It was just another dinner party until Alexandra shows up, a ravishing auburn-haired beauty. Deverell Bromfield doesn't recognize her as the spindly legged redhead with the fly-away hair he'd known as a youth. He hasn't trusted women since Ariadne threw him over for a viscount. Can he set that aside to pursue the delightful, unpredictable Alexi?
   At last convinced she truly loves him, he wants to marry her, but scandal rocks his family. His brother is accused of murder. Alexi's father forbids the match. Deverell searches for Nat to assure himself the boy is safe. He finds him in the backstreets of London, working in a warehouse. Determined to save him and win  Alexi's hand, Deverell sets out to find the real killer only to discover the evidence points to her brother. She is infuriated by his pursuit of her brother.
   The enticing Ariadne, now widowed re-enters Deverell's life with information he needs to prove the real murderer's guilt. Will she lure him back to her arms?
   Deverell is on the horns of a dilemma.

My Favorite Authors Through the Years II

   Georgette Heyer has been one of my all-time favorites for at least 45 years. I know, I'm giving away my age. She is one of the authors whose books I have collected and re-read several times. My sister-in-law and I discovered them in the library and took great delight in trying to out-do each other in the use of Heyer's famous cant terms. Some of my favorites are 'dicked in the nob', 'faradiddles', and 'make a cake of oneself".
  Miss Heyer's use of humor and witty stories along with her description of the Regency period sparked my interest then and still does today. The ball, the dress, the courtly manners drew me right in. But I loved even more the heroines who spoke their minds and ignored the strict rules of the day.
   The irrepressible Leonie and the dangerous Duke of Avon make for an unlikely hero and heroine in These Old Shades, but the story is delightful and one you will long remember. Faro's daughter, The Grand Sophy and Frederica are also enchanting along with the more than fifty books written by Miss Heyer.
    She was a very private person and because of her success was forced to keep her life hidden from the public. Her first novel was published at nineteen, but her breakout book was These Old Shades published in 1926. She was her own greatest critic and would be amazed at the number of people who still read and adore her work.  If you like English history you MUST read Georgette Heyer.

My Favorite Authors Through the Years

HELEN MacINNES  
Years ago I read Helen MacInnes. She was born in Scotland lived in England and married an Oxford Don. Later they moved to the United States. Her books were full of intrigue and espionage. Above Suspicion,  her first book, was an immediate success and set her on the path to becoming an international best seller.
   I loved her stories set in Greece and Crete after World War II.  Decision at Delphi and North from Rome are two.  Her descriptions of the area gave you the sense of being there amongst the temples and coliseums. Some of the characters were in more than one book and it was hard to tell if they were friend or foe, but I enjoyed the twists and turns the plots took.
   Several stories were based in England and Europe and dealt with Communism. I've read all her books until some on my shelves are falling apart. The Salsburg Connection and Above Suspicion were made into movies.
MARY STEWART
From England to Crete and everywhere in between Mary Stewart spins tales of intrigue and romance. Mary traveled with her husband, a professor of geology at the University of Edinburgh. Those travels gave her a wealth of knowledge about  far off places that filled her stories with realistic backgrounds.
   Romance played a larger part in her stories than in MacInnes', but the suspense kept you turning the pages. From her first book Madam Will You Talk  for over thirty years she kept her audience wanting more. Today she is considered the writer who created Romantic Suspense.

Will They or Won't They

   I've been putting most of my time and energy into getting my second manuscript ready to send to my publisher. I took two characters from my first story and wove a romance between them. My critique group helped smoothed out the rough places and and  fill in the holes. They are a great bunch of girls and we work hard for each other. Their encouragement is a lifeline.

Now that the manuscript is in the mail the waiting game begins. Will the editors like it or not? That is the BIG question.

In the meanwhile five chapters of my new novel are finished . This one is written in an earlier era, 1200-1300 and it's set in Burgundy and the Middle East. No, it is not about the crusades. It is a love story with a different twist and I am researching diligently. I am a history lover so it has been enjoyable to learn about another time and place.

Regency Romance (part two)

   In Regency times before a man could court a young woman he had to ask her father's permission. The father might ask if the girl was willing and allow her to make the choice. Or he might tell her the young man would be offering for her and she was to accept.

   During the courtship the fellow would squire his lady to the theater and other entertainments. After the engagement, stolen kisses, love letters, small gifts and moments alone would be allowed, but a chaperone would be somewhere lurking about. Of course we all know more intimate things did happen, but not in a sweet romance.

   The Prince Regent set a rather profligate tone for the era with mistresses and many illegitimate children. Some of the noble families followed his example. Young women were warned to ignore their husband's mistresses.

One of the interesting customs for a married woman was the attachment of men called cisebows. Some husbands did not care for the round of parties and soirees their wives  attended so the women had male friends who escorted them. They showered her with flowery compliments and acted the gallant, all with her husband's approval. these relationships were supposed to be platonic, but it does make you wonder.