Only two days to go before the first of my two book launches for A SUITABLE HUSBAND.The books arrived last week but the bookmarks and postcards to go with them are still not here. I like to give them something to take away, hoping they might order the book from the library if they haven't bought a copy. There could be anything from fifty to one hundred people coming but we have plenty of food and drink (and books to sell) so either way will be fine.The official launch for A SUITABLE HUSBAND is at the International Napoleonic Fair at The Arena, St Albans on Sunday 2nd April from 10-4. There will be four of us from this loop there so do come along for a chat, and to hear readings, if you live in the area.
I picked up a Regency, at a book sale, called THE RELUCTANT HEIRESS by Annabel Laine, published by Fontana in 1978. It could have been written by the great Georgette Heyer herself. Has anyone come across this author before? It says that she is a famous non-fiction writer. I would love to know who she is - so if anyone recognises the name, please let me know.
Fenella Miller
4 comments:
According to the US Library of Congress copyright file, Annabel Laine is Reay Tannahill. Who of course is a novelist under her own name as well. If the Laine novel was from 1978, it may be the first one she ever wrote.
Sarah, thank you- I've heard of Reay Tannahill but can't remember reading anything of hers. It says inside the book that Annabel is a non-fiction writer. I thought Reay was a fiction writer, but maybe I'm wrong.
Fenella
Hi Fenella,
Reay started out as a non-fiction writer. Looking at the catalog, she wrote four historical works (on topics like food in history, and the French Revolution) in the late 60s and early 70s. Plus a few others later on. Her historical novels, the ones I've read, are not in the Regency style at all, so I'm curious to read the Laine. This is interesting, since I hadn't known of her pseudonym before this.
She also wrote a sequel to TRH called "The melancholy virgin". The heroine is an actress/singer, and there are some entertaining views of the contemporary theatre (such as Macbeth done as a musical).
Either Laine decided that Caroline (in TRH) wasn't the right woman for the hero, or she thought a new heroine would be better for the series. I think TMV is the better book. It has a rather open-ended finish which seems set up for a sequel, but that never happened, sadly.
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