more animals
It gave me such a huge laugh! Who knew? ;-)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Guest Blogger Emily Bryan
Please help me welcome my guest blogger today, Emily Bryan, author of "Vexing the Viscount." If you want to learn a little about the historical background to her story, read on...you'll love it. And one lucky commenter will win a copy of "Vexing the Viscount"...so be sure to check it out below.
Liz
The South Sea Stock Swindle
VEXING THE VISCOUNT by Emily Bryan
Move over, Madoff! Long before that Wall Street hustler took his customers for a “ponzi” ride, there was the South Sea Stock Swindle. I like to use real historical events in my back stories, so that total economic collapse in Georgian England is part of the back story for my upcoming VEXING THE VISCOUNT.
When I ran across the South Sea debacle in my research, I knew I could use it to set up some basic conflicts in my story. Money is one of the most divisive things on earth. All I had to do was put my hero and heroine on opposite sides of the stock crash.
I wanted to use Daisy Drake, one of the orphans from PLEASURING THE PIRATE as my heroine. And because we know her as a child, I decided it would be fun if she also knew the hero as a child. Turns out Lucian Beaumont and his father visited Daisy’s family in the summer of 1720. Lord Montford tried to convince Daisy’s uncle to invest his newly discovered pirate’s gold in the South Sea Company. Daisy’s uncle refuses. Loudly. The South Sea Company intended to trade in slaves to the emerging South American nations and Gabriel Drake will not invest a cent in a slaver. Lucian’s father storms out and Daisy isn’t even able to say goodbye to the dark eyed boy who stole her heart.
When the South Sea Company crumbles and Lucian’s father is ruined, he holds a deep-seated grudge against all things Drake. Fast forward to 1731. Lucian is trying to restore his family’s fortune. He has discovered some Roman ruins on his father’s estate and hopes to follow the clues to an ancient Roman payroll that went astray. Daisy is a Latin whiz and would love to help him, but his father’s resentment makes it hard for Lucian to accept her. So by night, she masquerades as the French courtesan, Blanche La Tour, with an offer to help in the excavation. By day, Daisy plays the bespectacled Rowena Clavenhook to keep Lucian’s father from realizing he has a Drake on his property.
Playing at being a courtesan is playing with fire and Daisy is in real danger of being burned. Lucian is attracted to both Daisy and Blanche and suspicious of the similarities between them. How far will she go to prove that she’s a “woman of pleasure”? And if he gets involved with Daisy, how will he explain to his father that he’s smitten by Gabriel Drake’s niece?
So many of the nobility were caught by the South Sea scheme. Even Sir Isaac Newton lost 20,000 pounds! If you’d like to learn more about the South Sea Stock Swindle, please visit my blog here. When our market was circling the bowl, I shared about this Georgian financial disaster. It helps to keep in mind that everything is cyclical and besides, as Daisy and Lucian learn, love is much more important than money.
I’ll be awarding a signed copy of VEXING THE VISCOUNT to one lucky commenter. Just post a comment or question today or tomorrow (Jan. 10 or 11) and first thing Monday morning, I’ll pick the winner! I look forward to hearing from YOU! Be sure to check back to see if your name is drawn.
Emily
Liz
The South Sea Stock Swindle
VEXING THE VISCOUNT by Emily Bryan
Move over, Madoff! Long before that Wall Street hustler took his customers for a “ponzi” ride, there was the South Sea Stock Swindle. I like to use real historical events in my back stories, so that total economic collapse in Georgian England is part of the back story for my upcoming VEXING THE VISCOUNT.
When I ran across the South Sea debacle in my research, I knew I could use it to set up some basic conflicts in my story. Money is one of the most divisive things on earth. All I had to do was put my hero and heroine on opposite sides of the stock crash.
I wanted to use Daisy Drake, one of the orphans from PLEASURING THE PIRATE as my heroine. And because we know her as a child, I decided it would be fun if she also knew the hero as a child. Turns out Lucian Beaumont and his father visited Daisy’s family in the summer of 1720. Lord Montford tried to convince Daisy’s uncle to invest his newly discovered pirate’s gold in the South Sea Company. Daisy’s uncle refuses. Loudly. The South Sea Company intended to trade in slaves to the emerging South American nations and Gabriel Drake will not invest a cent in a slaver. Lucian’s father storms out and Daisy isn’t even able to say goodbye to the dark eyed boy who stole her heart.
When the South Sea Company crumbles and Lucian’s father is ruined, he holds a deep-seated grudge against all things Drake. Fast forward to 1731. Lucian is trying to restore his family’s fortune. He has discovered some Roman ruins on his father’s estate and hopes to follow the clues to an ancient Roman payroll that went astray. Daisy is a Latin whiz and would love to help him, but his father’s resentment makes it hard for Lucian to accept her. So by night, she masquerades as the French courtesan, Blanche La Tour, with an offer to help in the excavation. By day, Daisy plays the bespectacled Rowena Clavenhook to keep Lucian’s father from realizing he has a Drake on his property.
Playing at being a courtesan is playing with fire and Daisy is in real danger of being burned. Lucian is attracted to both Daisy and Blanche and suspicious of the similarities between them. How far will she go to prove that she’s a “woman of pleasure”? And if he gets involved with Daisy, how will he explain to his father that he’s smitten by Gabriel Drake’s niece?
So many of the nobility were caught by the South Sea scheme. Even Sir Isaac Newton lost 20,000 pounds! If you’d like to learn more about the South Sea Stock Swindle, please visit my blog here. When our market was circling the bowl, I shared about this Georgian financial disaster. It helps to keep in mind that everything is cyclical and besides, as Daisy and Lucian learn, love is much more important than money.
I’ll be awarding a signed copy of VEXING THE VISCOUNT to one lucky commenter. Just post a comment or question today or tomorrow (Jan. 10 or 11) and first thing Monday morning, I’ll pick the winner! I look forward to hearing from YOU! Be sure to check back to see if your name is drawn.
Emily
Monday, January 05, 2009
Writing Workshop
The "How to Be Your Own Editor" Workshop is coming up on Monday, January 12.
WRDF's Online Workshop, The Tipping Point, Presents:
Bungee Jumping for Writers, or How to Be Your Own Editor
Editing for most writers is like diving off a bridge head-first with a large rubber band attached to their ankles…not a pretty sight.. Join Elizabeth Delisi as she shows you a less hazardous approach to self-editing.
In this three-day workshop, Elizabeth will cover seven areas that plague most writers.
Dialogue Dos and Don'ts
Flashbacks: How and When to Use Them
Jean's Jeans: The Difference between Possessives and Plurals
Which or That?
Do Your Chapter Endings Keep the Reader Reading?
Should the Author be a Know-It-All: Choosing Your POV
Trim (the Excess Words From) Your Prose
Join us for this terrific workshop:
Date: January 12-14
Price: WRDF Members $5.00
Non-Members $12.00
(Psst! Hint: WRDF membership is free. Go here to sign up: http://romancewriterandreader.ning.com/ )
There are still a few spots left, but they're going fast, so reserve your spot now!
Paypal Available
To register or for more info, contact Lynda at thetippingpoint@lyndacoker.com
Be there or be square!
Liz
WRDF's Online Workshop, The Tipping Point, Presents:
Bungee Jumping for Writers, or How to Be Your Own Editor
Editing for most writers is like diving off a bridge head-first with a large rubber band attached to their ankles…not a pretty sight.. Join Elizabeth Delisi as she shows you a less hazardous approach to self-editing.
In this three-day workshop, Elizabeth will cover seven areas that plague most writers.
Dialogue Dos and Don'ts
Flashbacks: How and When to Use Them
Jean's Jeans: The Difference between Possessives and Plurals
Which or That?
Do Your Chapter Endings Keep the Reader Reading?
Should the Author be a Know-It-All: Choosing Your POV
Trim (the Excess Words From) Your Prose
Join us for this terrific workshop:
Date: January 12-14
Price: WRDF Members $5.00
Non-Members $12.00
(Psst! Hint: WRDF membership is free. Go here to sign up: http://romancewriterandreader.ning.com/ )
There are still a few spots left, but they're going fast, so reserve your spot now!
Paypal Available
To register or for more info, contact Lynda at thetippingpoint@lyndacoker.com
Be there or be square!
Liz
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Writing Resolution of 2009
It's that time of year again, when everyone makes resolutions for the New Year. I used to always vow to eat right, exercise, and lose weight. But it never seemed to happen, and I'd only end up depressed. So I've given up on those resolutions. ;-) Actually, if I'd just do the darn exercise, the other two would be fine as I eat fairly healthily. But I've yet to find an exercise I like...other than knitting, which I'm not sure counts. I tried to talk my husband into getting one of those Wii game systems, along with a "Dancing With The Stars" game, figuring that would be wonderful exercise that I'd actually enjoy. But so far, it hasn't materialized and I think Santa's not bringing it. Bummer.
So I've decided that at least I can make a writing resolution. I didn't get much writing done this year, thanks to a heavy teaching schedule, moderate editing schedule, and the aforementioned aversion to exercise. (Did I mention that making myself write is hard work? And if it's hard work, it must be exercise? See paragraph one for why this resolution doesn't work.) However, I think a writing resolution might work if it's done the right way.
This year, I went to several "write-ins" for NaNoWriMo. While I didn't reach the goal of 50,000 words, still, most of the writing I got done during the year was at those write-ins. A couple of women I met at write-ins and I have gotten together several times since to do our own version of write-ins, and it's been fun and inspirational. So my new resolution for 2009 is that I'll try to stick with a schedule of at least one or two write-ins per month where I'll actually get some writing done!
And to further that end, I'm branching out into not just one, but two new pen names, to write stories for Ellora's Cave and Amber Quill Press's Heat line. So if you see something by Lila Duprés at Ellora's Cave, or something by Liselle Divine at Amber Quill...hey, that's me! Just writing away, trying to keep my resolution.
What are your resolutions for the new year? Here's hoping you keep them!
So I've decided that at least I can make a writing resolution. I didn't get much writing done this year, thanks to a heavy teaching schedule, moderate editing schedule, and the aforementioned aversion to exercise. (Did I mention that making myself write is hard work? And if it's hard work, it must be exercise? See paragraph one for why this resolution doesn't work.) However, I think a writing resolution might work if it's done the right way.
This year, I went to several "write-ins" for NaNoWriMo. While I didn't reach the goal of 50,000 words, still, most of the writing I got done during the year was at those write-ins. A couple of women I met at write-ins and I have gotten together several times since to do our own version of write-ins, and it's been fun and inspirational. So my new resolution for 2009 is that I'll try to stick with a schedule of at least one or two write-ins per month where I'll actually get some writing done!
And to further that end, I'm branching out into not just one, but two new pen names, to write stories for Ellora's Cave and Amber Quill Press's Heat line. So if you see something by Lila Duprés at Ellora's Cave, or something by Liselle Divine at Amber Quill...hey, that's me! Just writing away, trying to keep my resolution.
What are your resolutions for the new year? Here's hoping you keep them!
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