A new chapter of There Must be Murder

The Jane Austen centre in Bath has a website which runs an online magazine. It's well worth a visit for Austen fans. It's running a sequel to Northanger Abbey and you can read chapter 9 “The Most Unpromising Circumstance,” by clicking here , or start at chapter one by clicking here.

Sense and Sensibility 2008

Sense and Sensibility

As I'm sure most readers of this blog will know, there is a new TV adaptation of Sense and Sensibility coming out next year.

It promises to be a treat, as it's a mini series rather than a short film, so there should be time to develop the plot and characters.

It seems we have 3 men to drool over. There is Col Brandon (left)









Willoughby (right)







or Edward (left)


I'm not sure I can see Edward as the wood-chopping type, with or without a wet shirt, but I can't wait for the production, it should be a lot of fun.

Captain Wentworth's Diary available in the US

The hardback editions of my books always come out in the UK first and then reach the US several months later. I'm pleased to say that Captain Wentworth's Diary is now available in the US from amazon.com by clicking here

I loved writing this book as I have always wondered what happened when Anne and Wentworth met for the first time, and in Captain Wentworth's Diary I had a chance to write my version of how they fell in love, before going on to recount the events of Persuasion from Wentworth's point of view.

Amanda Grange

Lord Thurston's Challenge- Review

I was thrilled to receive this glowing review from Romance Junkies for my latest book with Robert Hale, LORD THURSTON'S CHALLENGE.

Charlotte Carstairs has spent her life looking after her family. First while they followed their father, a Major, during the war and then after her father died she looked after her frail mother and younger brother and sister. Now her mother is just about to pass on and Charlotte will then have to assume full responsibility of her siblings. Charlotte knows her mother wants her to take the children to their grandfather and ask for his help, but Charlotte wants nothing to do with the proud and bitter man because of the way he disowned her mother when she married her childhood sweetheart against her father’s wishes. Charlotte really doesn’t have a choice though because the money they receive from her father’s time in the service ends when her mother dies.

Charlotte packs up the kids and all of their belongings and begins the journey to her grandfather’s home. When Charlotte arrives she receives a huge shock, unbeknownst to her or her mother Charlotte’s grandfather had died two years ago and there is now a new Lord Thurston; a distant cousin who was her grandfather’s heir. When Charlotte meets the new Lord she realizes that her problems haven’t improved at all because the new Lord, Jack, is a drunk who refuses to take up his responsibilities.

Jack hasn’t wanted to face up to anything since returning from the war with a scar on his face. His fiancé declared him a monster so he has refused to horrify anyone else. Now that Charlotte and the kids have invaded his home he has to find a way to get rid of them. Jack thinks he has found the perfect plan; he makes a deal with Charlotte that if she can turn the estate around in two months and make it profitable again then she can stay otherwise she and the kids must go. Jack didn’t dream that one of Charlotte ’s projects would be him or that asking her to oversee the estate would put them in danger. Jack also didn’t count on falling in love with the beautiful Charlotte or that she could look at him and see a man worthy of love not a scared monster.

LORD THURSTON’S CHALLENGE by Fenella-Jane Miller is another enchanting romantic adventure filled with romance, suspense and intrigue. I really liked Charlotte and enjoyed watching her use subtle tactic’s to accomplish her goals. I loved seeing Jack go from a shell of a man to an active and strong person who has accepted his lot in life. The interactions between Jack and Charlotte were filled with many emotions. Some meetings had me laughing out loud while others had me almost in tears. This is a beautiful love story filled with romance, but with a touch of intrigue to keep you constantly turning the page to find out what happens next. Pick up this book you will be glad you did.

In the UK this book can be bought through; www.halebooks.com; Amazon or ordered through your local bookshop. It can also be borrowed from your library. If you're in the States, then Amazon stocks all my books - amd they are cheaper than thye are in the UK.
Fenella Miller

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE ROMANTIC READ!

Readers of this blog will know that libraries in the northwest of England have been running a promotion to find the best romantic read from books written and published within the last ten years. The first stage is over, and there is now a short list of twenty or so books on the website, and readers can now vote for their favourite book. Why not take a look – go to www.time-to-read.co.uk and click on the Pure Passion logo at the top right of the screen: then you will the list of favourite books, including historicals such as Deceived from Nicola Cornick and The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick – both excellent UK Historical writers.


Do please go along to the website and have a look, you don't have to live in the northwest of England to vote for your favourite book!








Melinda Hammond

Duty's Destiny

My second novel, Duty's Destiny, has just been published in large print by Thorpe. Having had no input in the cover design I was anxious to see how they would handle it and am pleased with their choice. The fiery orange sky reflected in the sea, the boats swinging on their anchors and my heroine in the foreground looking beautiful yet preoccupied are a compelling mix which will hopefully intrigue readers. What do you think?

In fairness, I should point out that Saskia is supposed to be a red-head but since I'm so happy with the rest of the cover I shall pretend not to have noticed that small error!

Wendy Soliman

Such a long time!

It has been such a long time since I managed to get in to this blog. I nearly didn't today, but eventually I managed to sort out the matching passwords! I am so sorry I've not had time to post. You may have forgotten all about the story, but they are still there if you want to read back. I will try to post sooner next time, Anne Herries

The Diary Of A Regency Lady

July 20th

We have been sailing for two weeks now and this is my first time on deck. I have been tied to my cabin and feeling so ill! It seems that I am not a good sailor. Harry was very kind at first but then he seemed to be annoyed that I could not find my sea legs. I was sorry to be sick all the time, for it made the cabin smell unpleasant, and perhaps that was why Harry seldom stayed with me for long. However, I am beginning to recover and the fresh air on deck has done me good. I did not see Robert. I am glad, but I do not think it will be possible to avoid him for the whole voyage.


July 21st
I met Robert as I was strolling round the deck this morning. He stared at me so coldly and I thought he would walk right past, but then he stopped and inquired kindly if I was feeling better. I thanked him and said that I was, but I longed to say much more. It would be foolish to raise the subject of Robert's proposal for it is much too late. However, I am glad that the ice has been broken and I hope that we can be friends again. It would have been awkward if we were not for as brother officers, Harry and Robert will be in each other's company quite often. Besides, I am quite happy as Harry's wife. If things are not just as I had imagined…well, I am a foolish girl with too many romantic notions in my head.
August 17th
So we are in Spain at last and Harry found a nice house for us to stay. It is small but adequate and we have servants to look after us. However, I am not sure how long we shall stay here for already there is talk of a move. I should like to be settled for a while, but I know that Harry must go where he is ordered. He is not in the same regiment as Robert so I imagine I shall not see much of Robert in the future. I do not mind. I have quite made up my mind to forget all the foolishness!


August 20th

I have been crying. Harry told me that he has orders to move on but I am to stay here. I begged him to let me accompany him, but I refused. Some of the other wives are going with their husbands, but Harry says it is too dangerous. He says that I shall be safe here, because at least six of the other ladies are staying. I tried to persuade him but he was adamant. I think there must be some talk of a battle…

A COUNTRY MOUSE & THE HOUSE PARTY

This last month has been productive. I sold - A HOUSE PARTY - to Robert Hale, this is my seventh book for them, and it will be published in the summer of 2008. A second book appeared on www.regencyreads.com, - A COUNTY MOUSE. I much prefer Belgrave's cover to the original one. What do you think?
I also had edits to do for - A DEBT OF HONOUR - which is due to be released in February 2008. It's incredible how many more errors I find in my manuscript at this stage - I send it off to Robert Hale thinking it's free of mistakes and then discover pages of extra spaces, repeated words and so on.
Next month I have my first LP for Linford Romance coming out- THE RETURN OF LORD RIVENHALL - and I can't wait to see what sort of cover it will have.
Don't forget all Hale books can now be bought, postage free, from www.halebooks.com.
Fenella Miller
www.fenellajanemiller.com

Deceived is Pure Passion!

I was very excited to hear that my Regency historical Deceived has been chosen to be part of the Pure Passion initiative, a promotion of romantic fiction co-ordinated by the North West Regional Libraries reader development partnership in conjunction with the Romantic Novelists Association. I’m told that Deceived was chosen because it had been recommended by readers and along with the other books on the list represented some of the best romantic fiction around. It was a wonderful surprise to be chosen.

Nicola

GRETNA MARRIAGES

While I was working on Bride of the Solway, I had to do quite a lot of research about marriage in Scotland, including the inside story about Gretna Green elopements and exactly how the knot was tied. Sadly, it wasn’t done by the blacksmith over his anvil. But the truth was just as outrageous in Regency eyes.

We tend to think that elopements were only to Gretna Green. They didn’t have to be. The same marriage laws applied throughout Scotland. However, Gretna and villages just over the Border did make something of a business of quick and clandestine marriages. In Bride of the Solway, the marriage is arranged by ‘Bishop’ Lang in The King’s Head in Springfield, a tiny village only a few hundred yards from the border with England. ‘Bishop’ Lang was a real character of the time, looking and operating much as I have described. He encouraged eloping couples to believe that they needed him to take their declarations and to issue a kind of ‘marriage certificate’. In fact, the marriage was quite legal without it, but few of them would have had time to question him, especially if an irate father was close on their heels. So they took his advice, went through his ‘marriage ceremony’, got their certificate and – most importantly – paid Lang extremely well for his trouble.

This is what The King’s Head looks like now, though you may notice one interesting change, if your eyesight is good enough. Find out more about it, and read some of the true stories about runaway marriages, and about the perils of crossing the Solway on foot, on the updated research snippets page of my website. You may be surprised to learn, as I was, that Lady Jersey, the Queen of Regency Society, had more than one Gretna skeleton in her cupboard. http://www.joannamaitland.com/research.html

Best wishes
Joanna

Bride of the Solway is available, at a 25% discount until end September, from the Mills & Boon store
http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cgi-bin/millsandboon.storefront/EN/Catalog/1031?month=August2007

Also available from Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0263851885/joannamaitlan-21

Sense and Sensibility

Good news for Jane Austen fans. The BBC is showing a new mini-series of Sense and Sensibility next year. So, are you an Elinor or a Marianne?

The Restless Heart

At last... the cover for the Linford Romance Library edition of The Restless Heart, published in July 2007. Only now seeing the light of day for reasons primarily to do with the author moving house this summer and other chaos.

Back to The Restless Heart. I like the cover and I notice it is bespoke as it shows the opening scene of the story which is set in York's New Walk, a fashionable strolling opportunity in Regency times, perhaps York's answer to Rotten Row. In this scene the heroine, Bella, loses her bonnet to a gust of wind so as you can see she is hatless. In the background you can just make out a small party coming into view: the handsome Mr Davenport, his scheming sister Pamela and her friend. They are about to compound her embarrasement, and so begins the story.

Kate Allan

Mr Knightley's Diary - the paperback

Quite a few people have emailed me to ask me about the cover for the forthcoming paperback of Mr Knightley's Diary.

Amazon are displaying the cover on the left












whilst my website is displaying the cover on the right.
I know, it's terrible confusing!
But the cover on the right is the one that will appear on the book.

So why two covers? Sometimes a cover isn't ready in time to go into the publisher's catalogue and so they use a picture they have to hand instead, and that's exactly what happened here. The cover displayed on Amazon is the one used in the catalogue, but they should be updating their picture soon.

I hope this clears things up!



Another thing people have been asking about is the fact that Amazon UK says the book is unavailable. This is because it doesn't come out until October 2nd, but it can be pre-ordered now.

The book will be given a full release in the US via bookshops, and it's also available from Amazon UK by clicking here and from Amazon US by clicking here

I'm really excited about the release, and I hope you're all going to love it as much as I do!

Amanda Grange