The Artist Arrives, and Regina Hits 50!

Fifty books, that is. 😊

While Marissa and I were off celebrating Independence Day, the third book in my Grace-by-the-Sea series made its debut! The Artist’s Healer picks up where The Heiress’s Convenient Husband leaves off, with the discovery that French spies might be lurking in the little village by the sea and the accidental shooting of Abigail Archer.

Spunky artist and entrepreneur Abigail Archer is determined to see her friend, Jesslyn Denby, restored as director of the spa at Grace-by-the-Sea, even if that means ousting the news physician who took her place. A shame she was recently injured and requires him to dance attendance on her. But if he thinks she’ll meekly accept his orders, he’d better think again!

Doctor Linus Bennett came to the little coastal village with his young son to escape a troubled past. He’s not about to lose his post to some crusader, but the pretty painter awakens feelings he’d thought long buried. When it appears the French are about to invade, Abigail and Linus must work together to save the village. In doing so, the doctor may just find that falling in love with the outspoken Abigail is the best prescription to heal his wounded heart.

This book is near and dear to me because it is my fiftieth. That’s right, Regina Scott has 50 books to her name. I am so honored and blessed to be able to make that claim.

To celebrate, I’m giving away an e-book copy of my first published Regency romance, The Unflappable Miss Fairchild, and a $50 gift certificate to Amazon to one winner. To enter, go here, starting on Monday, July 13 and ending July 19. Open internationally. 

Fifty books! Who knew? Here’s to reaching for your dreams!

Wheeee! A Sale!

Quick post this week because sometimes Life just piles up on you...

These last months have been spent getting ready for Evergreen’s release on November 5, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about my other children books. . .more specifically, about Between Silk and Sand. I’m delighted to announce that it is a finalist in the Young Adult category of Orange County RWA’s 2019 Book Buyer’s Best contest, which is both exciting and a great honor.

Partly in celebration of that, and partly as a pre-party for Evergreen’s release, I decided to have a sale on Between Silk and Sand. For the next two weeks, the e-book version will be on sale for 99¢ (regularly $4.99), available from all your favorite ebook vendors. So grab a copy now. . .and meanwhile, I’ll go deal with those big piles of Life (and no, not the breakfast cereal) I’ve got going here...

Happy shopping!

Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Amazon
Apple Books
Googleplay

Some Book Good News...and a Request for Your Help

I am delighted to announce that Between Silk and Sand has been chosen as a finalist in two more contests...but for these, YOU and other readers help decide the outcome, by voting for your favorites.

I’m especially excited that Between Silk and Sand is a finalist in InD’tale Magazine’s 2019 RONE Awards, Best Young Adult category. Finalists are those 2018 books that have received a 4.5 or higher star rating/Crowned Heart of Excellence from InD’tale Magazine; the top four books in the category will go on to be judged by industry professionals to name the winner. But to chose those final four, readers must vote!

If you have a few minutes, please go to https://www.indtale.com/how-subscribe to get signed in to vote; it’s a two-step process (you’ll register, then receive a verification code to click on). Then you’ll be free to vote—this week, for the YA and Suspense/Thriller categories—but also for the other categories coming up in the next few weeks. A complete list of finalists is here—check it out!

The second contest is a little closer to home for me. The 2019 Maine Romance Writers’ annual Strut Your Stuff Award judges the best romance novel packaging—the cover and back cover blurb—for books published in 2018. It’s a little more nuanced than most cover contests: you rate the covers and blurbs separately, on their own merits—so the winners will truly have the best “stuff” to strut! The finalist lists and links to vote are here...go have a read and a look, and rate the covers and blurbs.

Publishing is a tough business, and the toughest part of it for authors isn’t the writing (nope—that’s the fun part) but the visibility part—getting the world to even know you have a book for it to read. That’s why I’ve entered Between Silk and Sand in these contests...and your votes will help me get the word out about it. If you can take the time to vote in either of these contests, I thank you—it is most truly appreciated!

The Day After April Fool’s

I’m not much of an April Fool’s Day prankster, but I did catch one April Fool joke yesterdaythat amused the heck out of me: down-filled swimwear from outdoor clothing specialist Eddie Bauer!

 
Well done, EB—you certainly made me smile!

But clothing humor is not a modern phenomenon, as we’ve already seen on NineteenTeen: 19th century folks liked to dress up in silly costumes as much as anyone, especially when there was a ball in the offing. Witness this charming couple at a costumed ball from the pages of The Court and Lady’s Magazine, probably ca. 1838, trying to look like their grandparents did sixty years before (though the cut of the man's coat just screams late 1830s!)

 



In the same vein, notice the figures behind the main pair—it looks like the gentleman in the pink trousers raided his parents’ attic for that ca. 1805 coat and hat and exaggerated cravat! I'm not sure what his fair companion is supposed to be—a bank robber, maybe? Behind them I see a...a shepherd? And heaven knows what that other gentleman is supposed to be. ☺

 


And even more wonderful are these costumes from Petit Courrier des Dames, Journal des Modes from December 1833 with a distinctive international flair—and very short skirts!! I suppose if one is disguised as a Scottish (love the plaid ribbons lacing up her dancing slippers), Swiss (I think the braids, a la "Swiss Miss", are supposed to be the clincher), or German (okay, why this costume is supposed to be distinctively German somehow eludes me...) lady, it’s possible to get way with displaying one’s ankles and calves in such a fashion...though I'm not sure the ladies of Scotland, Switzerland, or Germany would have agreed that these were very representative.

Now, here’s some nice news that isn’t at all an April Fool joke: Between Silk and Sand is a finalist in the young adult categories in both the Reader’s ChoiceAward contest of the New England Chapter of RWA and in the Write Touch Contest of Wisconsin RWA. Even if it isn't a joke, it has certainly made me smile!

Now—and Soon-to-be—Here!

Book news for today, dear NineteenTeen readers, on stories old and new.

Firstly, in the “old” department, I’m thrilled to report that Skin Deep has won the Paranormal Category of the 2017 Wisconsin RWA’s Write Touch Readers’ Choice Award.  One judge called it, "One of the best books I've read in a while. Kept me spellbound!” (Thank you!) It's also a finalist in the Paranormal category of First Coast Romance Writers' 2017 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award as well as in the Urban Fantasy category of Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter of RWA's 2017 PRISM Award (which means Regina and I get to go to a cool party at RWA's national conference this year!)...more news on those next month.

Secondly, after a long learning curve during which I learned how to design book interiors and play with some nifty software, I’m delighted to finally offer readers a print version of my Leland Sisters novella, Charles Bewitched. You can find it at Amazon, if you’d like to give Chuckles a spot on your bookshelf next to his sisters.

And now, in the “new” department, I’ve written a short story titled “Alea Iacta Est” (that’s Latin for “The Die is Cast”) about a girl gamer...in 1817 London (of course!) I’m even happier to announce that it will be appearing in an anthology titled Nevertheless, She Persisted, coming August 8 from Book View Café and edited by Mindy Klasky. It will be available in both print and e-book, and will feature “nineteen stories of persistence — in the past, present, future, and new worlds. Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, these stories illustrate the power of women overcoming the challenges of other people, of society, and of their own fears.” (You can read the rest of Mindy’s announcement here.) I'll post again when it's available...and I hope you'll check it out, because it's going to be amazing.
 

Cowboys with Benefits

What do you think of when you think of cowboys? Pintos and paints? Finely tooled leather boots? A Stetson set at a cocky angle? Charm and power rolled into one?

How about books, recipes, and silver necklaces?

Yes, it seems having your first Western out calls for quite the party. First up, thanks to those who played the Cowboy Name Game! The winner of the autographed copy of A Rancher of Convenience is sharyonda. Congratulations! E-mail your physical address to reginascott@owt.com, and I’ll send that right out to you.

But wait, there’s more!

To celebrate the publication of all three of the Lone Star Cowboy League: The Founding Years books, my publisher is offering free on Amazon a collection of recipes related to the stories plus extended excerpts. Here’s one of the recipes to tantalize you, courtesy of Louise M. Gouge.  

Still here? Good. Because there’s even more!

To highlight all the fabulous Western romances available this month, my publisher Love Inspired is offering a chance at a copy of five books plus a beautiful silver necklace from Montana Silversmiths. 

Do not enter on this blog! You have to go to the Harlequin site to enter. Click here, and good luck!

Because, who knew cowboys came with benefits?

Courtship and Curses-related Stuff and Some Thoughts on Writing Historical Fantasy

First, link time! Tricia Tighe of Damsels in Regress, another history and writing related blog we follow, has an interview with me and a review of Courtship and Curses which you might enjoy.

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I’ve sometimes thought about why I write what I write. I guess it’s something all people who create wonder about—what draws us to write this particular book, or paint that particular painting, or put this specific sequence of notes into a song. For me and my love of historical fantasy—well, the history part is obvious: the past is one of my biggest passions, and always has been. But no matter what I try to write, an element of fantasy always creeps into it. I can’t help it, it just happens; I attribute it to the fact that the very first chapter book I read as child was called The Little Witch, and it imprinted on me somehow. I have a couple of ideas for straight historical books…but you know what? It wouldn’t surprise me if some fantasy elements still managed to worm its way into those stories while my head is turned. Sneaky stuff, that magic.

Of course, some historical settings just seem to beg for the addition of magic. I think it’s because when we study history, we’re looking at the “big”, dramatic aspects of the past. And things just doesn’t get much more dramatic than 1815. Think about it for a moment: England was breathing a sigh of relief at not being at war for the first time in nearly twenty years, only to wake up one morning to find that Napoleon had somehow slipped away from house arrest on Elba and had marched across France and retaken his throne without firing a single shot. Moreover, the anointed and crowned King of England had gone mad, and his drama queen of an eldest son was now in charge. Writing about larger-than-life events and historical figures (*coughDukeofWellingtoncough*) just calls for larger-than-life plotting…and what’s larger than life than magic?

So Courtship and Curses got written because I wanted to play with 1815 and with the character of Lady Parthenope (Persy and Pen's mom) as a teen herself. I chose not to make her the heroine of the story because I tend to write about characters trying to find their place in the world, and Parthenope is one of those fortunate individuals who seems to have been born knowing where she belongs. So she is there to support Sophie, my heroine, who is having a heck of a time finding herself after losing her mother and sister, her ability to walk without a cane, and her magic. Combine that with the events of 1815, and there's quite a bit to write about!

On a related note, this is why I tend to feel that historical fantasy dating any later than 1945 doesn’t work well—the events of modern times just don’t have that larger-than-life feeling to them, even though, realistically speaking, many of them are far “bigger” than the events of 1815. It’s all a matter of perception.

Okay, I’m getting boring and serious here. Are there any points or periods in history that you think would make a terrific historical fantasy story?

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Don’t forget—all commenters this week will be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Courtship and Curses. Just sayin’….

Another Miscellany, Actually

These Miscellanies are catching!

First, the important (and fun!) part of this week’s Miscellany: the winner of the drawing for the ARC of Courtship and Curses is mfantaliswrites! Mfantaliswrites, please contact me via my website so that we can arrange getting your book to you.

Second: as we step into summer, our posting schedule at Nineteenteen will shift around a bit (as it usually does). We’ll be taking a couple of vacation weeks (including next week over the Independence Day holiday) and weeks in August to ferry some of our respective offspring off to college…but on the fun side, Regina and I will each be having a book launch event and we’ll do our customary blogging from the Romance Writers of America National Conference where we have our annual get-to-spend-time-together holiday. So there’s some fun stuff to look ahead to over the summer months.

Third: I’m launching a new series! Since we completed the series of brief biographies of Queen Victoria’s nine children, I thought it might be fun to do an occasional series on some of her grandchildren as well.

As a result of having nine children, the Queen ended up with quite a respectable crop of grandchildren: forty-two, in fact, though it is thought she probably had a least a few illegitimate ones that she was not informed of. Here are a few interesting statistics about them, presented in the form of a quiz--do you know their identities? (answers will be posted in the comments column):

1. Her eldest grandchild was born in 1859 when she was not quite 40, less than two years after the birth of her last child in 1857.


2. Her last grandchild was born in 1891, just ten years before her death; he himself would die in 1914, fighting against his cousin.


3. And though the queen outlived several of her grandchildren—don’t forget that the high infant mortality of the 19th century was still an issue even among royalty—her final surviving grandchild lived until 1981, dying at age 98, just a few month before the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

I won’t be writing about all forty-two grandchildren—not all of them lived lives of particular historical significance. But I’ll try to introduce you to some of the more historically important and interesting ones. Stay tuned!

A Miscellany… and another chance to win!

June 19 is rather an interesting day in history—not for itself (though I see, through a brief internet search, that today is the 476th anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the 164th anniversary of the opening of the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY) but because it falls between two very interesting days. One hundred ninety-seven years ago yesterday, on June 18, 1815, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte fell for the last time to the combined forces of England, Prussia, and the Netherlands at the Battle of Waterloo…

And one hundred seventy-five years ago tomorrow, on June 20, 1837, King William IV of England died (after hanging tenaciously to life in order to see another Waterloo Day celebrated in England--his words to his doctor were, " Doctor, I know I am going, but I should like to see another anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Try if you cannot to tinker me up to last out that day.") and his niece Victoria became queen at 18. An eventful few days, don’t you think?



And now for something completely different…introducing My Shiny New Website, courtesy of Barry Holt at Three Doors Up Multimedia. I adore the heading Barry created from my beloved collection of fashion prints…and as it’s on Wordpress, I’ll be able to do a much better job of keeping it updated. What do you think?

And finally…one last chance to win an ARC of Courtship and Curses. Alas, I have no mystery objects lined up, so we’ll take it easy this time around (it is, after all, the eve of the Solstice and official start of summer...another important date!) and I’ll draw a winner from among all comments left on this post through next Monday night. Shipping to North American addresses only, please.

Happy June 19th!

Contest Winner and Fashion Forecast 1826, Part 1

First, the exciting part! Eighteen of you posted guesses on the identity of the object I posted in last week's post…and six of you guessed correctly. It is indeed an invalid spoon, useful for feeding people confined to bed (or perhaps, infants); here’s an image of one almost exactly like mine (but in slightly better shape). And the winner drawn at random from among those names is Rachel! Rachel, please send me your address via the contact form on my website and I’ll get your ARC of Courtship and Curses out to you. For everyone else, I’ll be doing another ARC giveaway next month, so stay tuned!

And now, for this week's post--a Fashion Forecast! The prints in my collection for the next few years are so yummy, I’m doing them by the half-year so as to show you more of them.

So…what was the well-dressed young lady wearing in the first half of 1826?

How about an Evening Dress in...yes, polka-dots! This delightful pink dress features rows of lappets around the hem and across the bodice and around the shoulders; note the nearly transparent gauze sleeves as well. And is it my imagination, or is that bird looking at her be-plumed head very suspiciously (or perhaps nervously?) From January's La Belle Assemblee:Primrose yellow is the perfect color for a February Dinner Dress from Ackermann's Repository, elegantly adorned with appliqued trim and ruffles around the hem and small puff sleeves. This year you'll begin to notice the widening of the shoulders and sleeves, which will grow to enormous (and amusing) proportions over the next ten years): Another confection of an Evening Dress in white and pink, again with gauze oversleeves (a popular style over the next few years, as we'll see) and pink ribbon trim. Note her very elaborate hairstyle, with braided hair wrapped and entwined with a pink scarf. And I wonder if she brought her dog out to parties with her? (Ackermann's Repository, February): The perfect Carriage Dress for a turn around Hyde Park in April! Bands of white fur and fabric self-applique decorate the skirt, and a large lace collar finishes it off. Note her quizzing glass hanging from a chain around her neck and tucked into her belt, the better to see who else is out riding during the fashionable hour (Ackermann's):I seem to have a lot of Evening Dress prints for this year...here's another delightful one in yellow with concave tiers of lace and a deep ruffle around the neck and trimming the sleeves. Note again the elaborate hairstyle, with locks of hair interwoven with a scarf, as well as a light scarf of a shawl dyed in graduated colors that wouldn't look out of place today! (Ackermann's, April):Here's an unusual one--a mother and daughter print, from May's Ackermann's! Mama is in a Ball Dress with a scalloped hem trimmed in burgundy to match the ribbon sash and red rose clusters decorating her skirt and wreathing her head. Her daughter's dress echoes it in style, with a blue-trimmed white overdress over a blue petticoat and blue-trimmed pantalets...and don't you love her little elbow-length kid gloves? I hope Mama lets her peek through the bannister to watch the guests arrive:I love this dramatic Dinner Dress, from the June edition of Ackermann's. The green dress is trimmed with contrasting gathered rouleaus of peach and fuchsia, and touches of the pink and peach are repeated in the ribbon trim on the bodice and belt (see the cameo at her breast?) and the large, pouffy, turban like headdress finished with feathers. Gauze oversleeves are back as well. What a fashion statement!Let's finish with a knockout of a Ball Dress, consisting of a white gauze overdress over what looks like (I'm guessing here) blue satin. The overdress's skirt has what looks like cornucopias made of broad ribbon overflowing with flowers and a fat rouleau at the hem, and a twisted band of ribbon across the front. Another ombre-dyed scarf is draped across her shoulders, and her hair is braided and curled and woven with blue to match the underdress. A definite Cinderella dress! (Ackermann's, June):What do you think of the first half of 1826's fashions?

Mystery Object Contest #5: What is it?

It’s been a while since we’ve done a mystery object...so here you are!
Today’s mystery object is made of metal. It measures five and a half inches long and two and three-quarters inches at its widest. It is marked Sheffield (silver plate) on its underside, and has the manufacturer’s mark P&B on the underside of the handle.

So…what is it?

If you think you know, post your guess in the comments section. If you know you know, post your answer also…but please, don’t post links to pictures to prove that you know. That tends to bring the guessing to a screeching halt, which isn’t much fun for anyone. All correct guesses will be entered in a drawing to receive (ta da!) an autographed review copy of my upcoming YA historical (and prequel to Bewitching Season and Betraying Season) , Courtship and Curses, due out from Henry Holt Books for Young Readers in August!

I’ll accept guesses through next Monday evening and post the answer—and the name of the winner—on Tuesday. If no one guesses correctly, I’ll draw a winner from among all the commenters, so go for it!*

Have fun!

*Alas, due to prohibitive postage costs, I will ship only to US and Canadian addresses. I'm sorry!

Happy Valentine’s Day, My Dear Sweet Rogue!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my dears! Today is a very popular day, now and in the nineteenth century, when postal carriers groaned under the weight of missives from those in love. And it’s special day to me this year because my 21st book officially debuts today. The Rogue’s Reform is the first in a miniseries, as my publisher calls it, about the Everard Legacy. Three handsome cousins set out to claim their inheritance, and find love is their greatest reward. Here’s a summary:

Jerome Everard expected to inherit his wayward uncle’s estate. Instead, all has gone to a daughter his uncle never bothered to mention! Only by disproving his young cousin’s claim can Jerome save the family’s legacy from a schemer. So why would he find himself drawn to the girl’s lovely governess, Adele Walcott, the woman who holds the key to all his uncle’s secrets?

With Adele’s family fortune, and her marriage prospects, long gone, her goal in life is to secure her charge’s happiness, even if that means taking on her new cousin. Jerome is surely a rogue like his uncle, for he seems intent on charming her, and making her dream of love again. When she learns his true motives, will she be able to forgive his past and reform his heart, to make it hers forever?

As you can tell, my hero, Jerome Everard, is a bit of a charmer. He’s used his gilded tongue to get himself out of any number of scrapes over the years and win people around to his way of thinking, just like the early Valentine writers tried to sway their loves. So, in his honor, we’re having a Valentine contest!

Below are two examples of Valentine poems from the nineteenth century. Compose a poem of your own (even a couple of lines!) and post it in the comments, and you will be entered to win an autographed copy of The Rogue’s Reform.

“Soft Spring returns with all her Train,
To crown with Joy the happy Plain;
The Nymphs and Swains to Love incline,
To welcome in St. Valentine.”

“Our fortunes I believe are equal.
Let’s join to make a pleasing sequel.
At least such is my fond design
If you’ll consent, dear Valentine.”

Come back on Friday for another way to win, when we interview the cause of Jerome’s troubles, his newly discovered cousin, Samantha Everard.

Amazon
Harlequin
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Powell’s
Indiebound
Book Depository, free shipping world-wide

Nineteenteen Welcomes M.J. Putney!

On Tuesday we got to chat with Lady Cynthia Stanton, from M.J. Putney's Dark Mirror series...today, we get to talk to M.J. herself!

Nineteenteen: Most of your books are set in the nineteenth century. What draws you to that era?

M.J. Putney: The early 19th century, which in England is usually called the Regency because a chunk of it was during the period when George III was bonkers and his son ruled in his place as the Prince Regent, is just a really, really interesting time. It’s the hinge between the old days and our modern society. Industrialization and democracy and social reform were starting to take off, there was a “good war” as Britain and others fought Napoleon Bonaparte’s absolutism, there was the romantic revolution in arts and letters—and women’s clothing was relatively comfortable.

NTT: How much research do you generally have to do before you start writing a particular book?

MJP: The amount of research varies a lot depending on the story. Having written 30+ historical novels, most of them in the Regency, I have a strong base of knowledge of the period, but there are always particular topics that require extra research.

My first YA, Dark Mirror, required enormous amounts of research—not the 19th century, but the WWII part of the book. In particularly, during the grand action finale at Dunkirk, there were masses of materials that I needed to research in order to have my characters fit in with the historical event as it happened.

In contrast, the second YA, Dark Passage, which just came out, required much less research because it’s built around my characters attempting to rescue a scientist from Nazi-occupied France. There were aspects of the story that required research, but the mission itself was fictional so it didn’t need the same kind of detail that Dark Mirror did.

NTT: You've won the Rita award, the highest honor in romantic fiction, twice, been nominated eight other times, and placed on the New York Times bestseller list for your adult historical romances. What encouraged you to try your hand at young adult fiction?

MJP: It’s all about the story. I love blending fantasy and magic with history, and YA is where I could tell these kinds of stories. Unlike my romances, where the growing relationship is the heart of the story, my YAs are stories of adventure and growth and history. There is some romance, but the romance isn’t the focus. Plus, I’m working with continuing characters rather than focusing on a new couple in each book. It’s and interesting challenge. The Muse likes to try her hand at new things!

NTT: What do you like about writing for teens? How does it differ from writing for adults?

MJP: I’ve always been interested in the psychology of my characters, and since teens are growing in so many ways, they’re intriguing to write about. Also, the focus of a YA is different from a romance—growth rather than courtship—and I like the change of pace.

NTT: Tell us a little about the premise for your Dark Mirror series.

MJP: The Dark Mirror series is alternate history—the world as we know it, but with magic added. With the added twist that magic is widely known and accepted, except among the aristocracy. The nobility despises magic, largely because they can’t control it, and aristocratic kids who show magical ability are sent to a kind of reform school to be “cured” of their unacceptable talents. So my main characters are magically talented teens who are exiled to Lackland Abbey to be cured—except that they realize that maybe they don’t want to be deprived of their power.

The students who secretly study magic call themselves Merlin’s Irregulars, and they pledge to use their powers to defend England if necessary—not an idle vow when Napoleon is sitting on the other side of the English Channel preparing for an invasion.

Then my main character, Lady Victoria Mansfield—Tory to her friends, accidentally passes through a time portal and land in England in World War II. She makes friends there—and it turns out that they could use some magic, too!

NTT: Why did you pick the Battle of Dunkirk as your first time travel point?

MJP: The story of Dunkirk has always fascinated me. A third of a million British and French soldiers had been cornered with their backs to the sea by the Nazi blitzkrieg—“lightning war.” If they had surrendered, Hitler would have been the master of all Europe.

Instead, there was this stunning evacuation that was not only the military and merchant might of a seafaring nation, but with countless volunteers risking their lives and their boats to bring their soldiers home. The “little ships” have become famous as an emblem or British courage and ingenuity.

It’s an incredible story and a tribute to British tenacity. But what made me want to write a story was when I read that the only reason the evacuation succeeded was because the English Channel, usually a turbulent and dangerous waterway, was unnaturally calm for ten whole days. I read that and thought, “Weather Mages!!!!” It was a story I just had to write.

NTT: What's happening in your new release with Tory and her band of mages?

MJP: In Dark Passage, Tory and the Irregulars join their 20th century friend Nick Rainford on a mission into Nazi occupied France to save a French scientist whose work is vitally important to the war effort. Plus, there are important changes in some romantic relationships.

NTT: What's next for you?

MJP: The third book, Dark Destiny, takes a couple of the 20th century characters back to 1804 to help their 19th century friends save England from invasion. With two wars to work with, there is no shortage of plot materials!

NTT: There certainly isn't! Thank you for talking with us, M.J., and for spending the week here at Nineteenteen--it's been a pleasure!

M.J. Putney's Dark Mirror and Dark Passage are available now from St. Martin's Press. You can learn more at http://www.mjputney.com/ ... and be sure to comment here--all commenters this week through Monday will be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Dark Passage! The winner will be announced next Tuesday.

Summertime!

Well, temperatures have already zoomed up to the high nineties--unheard of so early in the season for New England!--so I think summer is here, even if the calendar says it’s still officially spring. And so it seems to be a good time to let you know what we’ll be up to this summer at Nineteenteen…and I’ll save the best part for last.

First, we thought it would be fun to launch a series on what a proper 19th century miss might have done after the Season was over…so look for posts throughout July and August on What I Did on my Summer Vacation from both me and Regina. We’ll explore the great vacation destinations around England back in, say, 1820 (so jaunting to Legoland® Windsor or popping across the Channel to Disneyland® Paris is out of the question!)

But before that, we’ll be having our annual trip to the Romance Writers of America’s National Conference, held this year in New York City. We’ll blog our adventures there which will include The Beau Monde's (Regency writers’ special interest chapter) annual conference and Soiree. Look for a lot of interesting photos from this year’s Soiree (she said mysteriously…!) But this year the adventures will continue as Regina comes to visit me on Cape Cod post-conference for a few days (hey, she isn’t on this side of the continent very often!) Look for pictures of two proper YA historical fiction writers spending a lot of time on the beach!

And now, the best part I promised…Regina’s latest book, The Irresistible Earl, arrives in bookstores this week!! To celebrate, we’re holding a contest…anyone who comments on a Nineteenteen post between now and July 12 will be entered in a drawing to win an Irresistible Earl totebag containing a lovely scarf and a sandalwood fan (an assortment of items our 19th century miss would have wished to have with her on vacation!) and of course a signed copy of The Irresistible Earl (which she definitely would have enjoyed!!).

So it’s shaping up to be a busy summer…and we hope you’ll be here to enjoy it with us. Make sure you stop by on Friday when Nineteenteen will be interviewing Lady Phoebe Dearborn, who’ll have a thing or two to tell us about her brother, the Irresistible Earl. And don't forget to comment on posts to be entered in our contest!

Warm Thanks and Warm Drinks

Thank you so much for all your good wishes on the paperback release of Betraying Season and its recognition in the Heart of Denver Aspen Gold contest. As a small bit of further good news, I’m pleased to report that it is also now available as an e-book in multiple formats, including for the Kindle. Am I the only one struck by the delicious incongruity of reading about the 19th century on an e-reader?

Two commenters from last week are the winners of a copy of the paperback edition…so would Swallow-inthe-Cloud and Ettie be so kind as to e-mail me here so that we can arrange for you to receive your copies? And thank you, everyone, for entering!

Well, autumn certainly arrived with a vengeance this week in New England, with wind and rain and cooler temperatures and me once more wearing socks (aren't they pretty?) and ordering my coffee hot rather than iced from my favorite local coffee shop. Sniffing my Pumpkin Spice coffee yesterday sent me scurrying (once I got home) to my cookbook collection to find what kind of warm drinks a young lady might have enjoyed on a chilly October day two hundred years ago.

Coffee (though not Pumpkin Spice flavored), tea, and chocolate were all drinks enjoyed in the 19th century…but I found lots of others, enough to come to the conclusion that they knew a thing or two about warm drinks that maybe we don’t. Most of them seem to involve alcohol in one form or another, but I managed to find a few that don’t. These actually date to the 16th century...enjoy!

Spicy Pomegranate Drink

1 ½ cups water
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
4 whole cloves
½ unblemished lemon
1 quart pomegranate juice

In a large enamel pot combine the water, sugar, and all spices. Bring to boil and gently simmer for seven minutes. Remove the cloves.

Finely grate the peel from the lemon and set it aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon.

Add the pomegranate and lemon juices to the hot water mixture. Bring to a slow boil, then simmer two minutes. Serve warm with a garnish of lemon peel in each glass. Can also be drunk cold.

Mulled Apple or Pear Cider

2 quarts fresh apple cider or pear juice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon ginger powder
7 sticks of cinnamon
1 tablespoon finely crushed basil (for garnish)

In a large enamel pot, gently simmer the juice with the spices for seven minutes. Break the cinnamon sticks and put a piece in each cup. Pour in warmed cider, and sprinkle the basil sparingly on each.

Do you have any (non-alcoholic) hot beverage recipes you'd like to share?

How I Spent My Weekend, plus a little Shameless Self-Promotion and a Giveaway or Two

I’m delighted to announce that Betraying Season is being released today in paperback from Square Fish/Macmillan!

For an excerpt and other notes about the story, please visit my website.

For on-line ordering info, you can check out your local independent bookseller or Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powell's, or the Book Depository (which has free international shipping!)

And to win a free copy, just post a comment today or on Regina’s post Friday. I’ll be picking two winners this week!

Now, as for my weekend...

I'm lucky enough to live in a part of the country that's seen a fair bit of history, and once a year, not too far from me, some of that history comes to life. Every fall for the last forty years at the Wayside Inn, the Annual Colonial Faire and Muster of Fifes and Drums has delighted visitors with a mock battle between reenactor minutemen and Redcoats (need I say whom always wins?), craft demonstrations of 18th century life, and best of all, a full day of fife and drum music provided by the fifteen or so fife and drum corps invited from all over New England. I can't, alas, play you the music, but I can give you an idea of some of the wonderful costumes worn by the reenactors. Makes you understand why Lydia and Kitty are constantly swooning over Wickham and his friends in Pride and Prejudice, doesn't it?

These folks of the Middlesex County Volunteers wore wigs and all--very sharp!
Have to have Minutemen, of course (the Stow, MA Minutemen, to be precise):
And Redcoats to skirmish with the Minutemen:
And let's not forget the Navy, both the officers...
And the sailors. Some of these guys went barefoot, which takes reenacting to a whole different level of dedication:
Don't you love...

...a man in a uniform?
Enjoy!