Julie Kenner's Blog, page 78

Mari Mancusi, free dragon pendants, Stark swag, and questions for YOU!

I just got back from the Authors After Dark conference (loved it!) and was amazed and awed by some of the amazing “swag” (i.e., giveaways) that some of the authors brought.

Then I was chatting with awesome author and friend Mari Mancusi about a fabulous deal that her publisher has going on right now for her new book (hurry!! it only lasts until September 2!! Follow the link for details of how to participate).

Essentially, the publisher is giving away JEWELRY (wow, right?).  An awesome dragon pendant to every-freaking-person who pre-orders the book.  (Yeah, I think that’s cool!)

 

I just think that’s such a clever campaign!  Don’t miss out!

There are other book related giveaway things that are fun, too. I took fabulous door hangers to AAD that say “Shhhh … I’m with Damien Stark” with me to the AAD conference.  Lots of fun!  But I saw all sorts of cool swag there like coozies and notebooks and journals and buttons and bumper stickers and mugs and t-shirts and on and on … and that got me thinking.

So my question to you readers is — what do you like/want?  Do you love bookmarks? USB drives with sample books?  Coasters? Postcards? Nail files?  I’m about to do a massive “swag restock” and would love to know what you like!

(Bonus: sign up for my newsletter and include your snail mail address, and I’ll send you some fun swag! Don’t worry if you already subscribe; the system is smart enough not to email you twice!  ah, the wonders of technology…)

Hump Day books from Marquita Valentine, Andris Bear, S. D. Stuart, Eliza Knight, Loucinda McGary, Libby Fischer Hellmann, and two incredible boxed sets: A Fatal Four-Pack and Dangerous Desires!

Check out these fantastic Hump Day books!

Just Desserts (Holland Springs)

Sebastian Romanov, a very (not-so) proper modern day earl needs the help of Holland Springs’ sweetest baker, Daisy Barnes, in order to get his company back-or at least that’s the story he’s sticking with!

See more at Marquita Valentine’s website!
Angel Unleashed (Deadly Sins)

New Paranormal Romance!

For more information visit Andris Bear’s website!
The Scarecrow of OZ: A Steampunk Adventure (Steampunk OZ)

Brand New Science Fiction!

And visit S.D. Stuart’s website!
The Rebound Pact

A new sexy contemporary from Amazon best-selling author, Eliza Knight!

Find out more at Eliza Knight’s website!
Dead Girl in a Green Dress

Murder and mayhem on Mackinac Island.

For more please visit Loucinda McGary’s website!
A Fatal Four-Pack: Four Complete Mystery Novels

Four great mysteries for ninety-nine cents!

For more visit L. L. Bartlett’s website!
[image error] Dangerous Desires (A Boxed Set)

Romantic Suspense, Mystery & Thriller box set for only $.99!

For more information visit Kathy Carmichael’s website!
Havana Lost

Set largely in Cuba, HAVANA LOST IS an epic thriller spanning 3 generations of the same Mob family.

Find out more at Libby Fischer Hellmann’s website!

 

If you would like to submit a book to the Hump Day feature, click here!

P.S. - Did you hear the news? Complete Me debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today list--and it's still on the USA Today list!  Color me excited!

P.P.S - Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss a thing -- and so that you're in on the monthly contests we're starting!  (And if you leave a snail mail address, you'll receive goodies, too! What a deal, right?)

P.P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Hump Day books from Marquita Valentine, Adris Bear, S. D. Stuart, Eliza Knight, Loucinda McGary, Libby Fischer Hellmann, and two incredible boxed sets: A Fatal Four-Pack and Dangerous Desires!

Check out these fantastic Hump Day books!

Just Desserts (Holland Springs)

Sebastian Romanov, a very (not-so) proper modern day earl needs the help of Holland Springs’ sweetest baker, Daisy Barnes, in order to get his company back-or at least that’s the story he’s sticking with!

See more at Marquita Valentine’s website!
Angel Unleashed (Deadly Sins)

New Paranormal Romance!

For more information visit Andris Bear’s website!
The Scarecrow of OZ: A Steampunk Adventure (Steampunk OZ)

Brand New Science Fiction!

And visit S.D. Stuart’s website!
The Rebound Pact

A new sexy contemporary from Amazon best-selling author, Eliza Knight!

Find out more at Eliza Knight’s website!
Dead Girl in a Green Dress

Murder and mayhem on Mackinac Island.

For more please visit Loucinda McGary’s website!
A Fatal Four-Pack: Four Complete Mystery Novels

Four great mysteries for ninety-nine cents!

For more visit L. L. Bartlett’s website!
[image error] Dangerous Desires (A Boxed Set)

Romantic Suspense, Mystery & Thriller box set for only $.99!

For more information visit Kathy Carmichael’s website!
Havana Lost

Set largely in Cuba, HAVANA LOST IS an epic thriller spanning 3 generations of the same Mob family.

Find out more at Libby Fischer Hellmann’s website!

 

If you would like to submit a book to the Hump Day feature, click here!

P.S. - Did you hear the news? Complete Me landed at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today list!  Color me excited!

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Lois Winston on Writing Outside the Box

Please welcome Lois Winston to the blog!

For those of us who are “pantsers” rather than “plotters,” I’m sure you’ve at some point found a minor character taking over one of your stories. Such was the case when I began writing Talk Gertie to Me. What started out as a chick lit fish-out-of-water story about a sheltered Midwest twenty-something leaving home and moving to Manhattan, quickly grew into much more. Why? Because my heroine’s mother kept forcing herself onto the pages of the book. After fighting with her for a few chapters, I finally gave in to her demands, and am I ever glad I did!

I’ve since published fourteen additional books, and I’ve come to learn to trust my characters. Sometimes they have to beat me over the head until I’ll listen to them, but when I finally do, I rarely regret it. Like arguments, every story has two sides. I was only telling Nori’s side of the story. When I allowed her mother Connie a say in things, the result was a more complex, serio-comic book involving issues we all face as we grow up, marry, and have children. It became a book not just about cutting the apron strings but about choices, regrets, and second chances, none of which would have been possible without allowing Connie a say.

Connie taught me a valuable lesson: complex characters are the driving force in any story. If I hadn’t given into her demands, I would have written a run-of-the-mill chick lit novel, forgotten over time like so many other chick lit novels of the late nineties and early two thousands. Instead of following the chick lit trend of books about twenty-somethings who hate their jobs, date losers, and obsess about shoes, Connie forced me to write outside the box.

I’ve been writing outside the box ever since. In the romances and romantic suspense books I write under my Emma Carlyle pen name, I often tackle issues you don’t normally see in traditionally published romances and romantic suspense. For instance, in Finding Hope my hero is married to another woman for the first part of the book. I could have written the book in such a way that he and his wife had already split before the book opens, but it wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact.

In my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, I break many of the “rules” governing traditional/cozy mysteries. I use four-letter words, for one thing. Some readers have objected, but hey, my Mafia loan shark isn’t going to say, “Gosh darn it!” He’s going to drop the occasional F-bomb because he has to be true to who he is. Tony Soprano wasn’t Gomer Pyle.

I want my books to challenge readers to step outside their own boxes and not be afraid to read something a little different, not be tied to the “conventions” they assume govern genre fiction. The only rule I believe writers should follow is the one that states you should write a great book. Many other authors and publishers apparently agree with me if you look at the growth of cross-genre fiction over the last few years.

Speaking of cross-genre fiction brings me back to Talk Gertie to Me. Over the years I’ve had readers ask if there would ever be a sequel. I never considered one until one day when I thought, why not? At that point I was firmly entrenched in Anastasia’s mystery world. What would happen if I tossed Nori and the gang into the middle of a mystery? Would fans of Talk Gertie to Me accept the mystery plot? I wouldn’t know unless I tried. So I did. The result was the novella Elementary, My Dear Gertie.

I’d love to know what you think about making the switch from one genre to another with the same characters. Would you pick up a sequel that nudged the world of the first book into another genre? And how do you feel about books that bend genre conventions?

Award-winning author Lois Winston writes the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series featuring magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. She’s also published in women’s fiction, romance, romantic suspense, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Visit Lois at www.loiswinston.com, visit Emma at www.emmacarlyle.com, and visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Twitter @anasleuth.

 

Here’s an except from Talk Gertie to Me:

Out of adversity comes…a better life than you ever expected? Twenty-seven-year old Nori Stedworth thinks her day can’t get worse, until she finds her mother on her doorstep—complete with luggage and a crisis of her own. Now Nori’s inner voice, whom she always called Gertie, is piping up again, and is Gertie ever cranky. But witty. Fate smiles on Nori in the form of a much too good-looking guy who talks her into parlaying Gertie’s acerbic wit into a wildly popular radio program. And Mom? Mom’s quirky craft skills land her on Letterman and a budding crafts empire. Even if Mom’s plan for Nori’s life isn’t panning out, the two women can agree that it’s never too late to listen to your inner voice.

And don’t forget to check out Elementary, My Dear Gertie:

Two years have passed since the happily-ever-after that isn’t doing so well. Nori Stedworth has moved in with the love of her life, Mackenzie Randolph, much to her parents’ displeasure. They’re coping as best as parents from Ten Commandments, Iowa can. They want Mac to make an honest woman of their daughter, and that means nothing short of marriage. Mac is all for exchanging I do’s. He’s even bought the ring, but before he can pop the question, an explosion hurls him and Nori right into the middle of a murder investigation. Gertie, Nori’s alter-ego, can’t help but lend her acerbic wit to the twists and turns as the town is turned upside down in the search for a murderer and arsonist, and yet another scandal envelopes the not-so-pious residents of Ten Commandments.

A huge thanks to Lois Winston for guest blogging today! And don’t forget Lois’ question: “Would you pick up a sequel that nudged the world of the first book into another genre? And how do you feel about books that bend genre conventions?”

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

P.S. - Did you hear the news? Complete Me landed at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today list!  Color me excited!

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Cover Reveal: Wanted, Book 1 in the #MostWanted series by J. Kenner

 

Welcome to #MostWantedMondays — Yup, I’m starting up the weekly snippets again as we lead up to the January 7 release of Wanted, book 1 in the Most Wanted series by me, J. Kenner.

I should probably tell you that while Evan Black is smoking hot on the cover of the book, he’s even sexier on the page!  Can’t wait to share him with you!

(And don’t you just abso-freaking-lutely love the cover?  If you don’t, please don’t tell me because I’m dying over how much I love it!)

Big huge thanks to all the bloggers who have so graciously filled their cyber-homes with the cover today — and made today’s cover reveal extra fun!  And thanks to Bantam for coming up with such a supremely fabulous cover!

And here’s our first snippet!!  Those of you who have the ebook for Complete Me have seen this (I’ve tweaked it just a tad since it went into production).  Those of you with print copies, this is all new to you!

His eyes were as gray as a wolf’s and his hair was the color of cherrywood, a deep brown that hinted at golds and reds when the light hit it just right. He wore it long in the back so that it brushed his collar, and the natural waves gave it the quality of a mane—which only enhanced the impression that there was a wildness clinging to the man.

Wild or not, I wanted to get close.  I wanted to thrust my fingers into his hair and feel the locks on my skin.  I imagined his hair was soft, but that’s the only part of him that was.  Everything else was edged with steel, the hard planes of his face and body hinting at a dangerous core beneath that beauty.

And, yeah, I had good reason to believe that the danger was more than just an illusion.

Right then, though, I didn’t care.

I wanted the touch, the thrill.

That desperate need to fly I’d been feeling all night?  So help me, I wanted to fly right into Evan’s arms.

I needed the rush.  I craved the kick.

I wanted the man.

And it was just too damn bad that he didn’t want me, too.

Want more? Pre-order your copy of Wanted!

Random House
Amazon print
Amazon Kindle
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble (Print or Nook)
More retailers coming!

P.S. - Did you hear the news? Complete Me landed at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today list!  Color me excited!

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Debra Salonen guest blogs on the topic ‘Meet cute’ vs ‘Meet how?’ Plus a contest!!

Please welcome Debra Salonen to the blog!

“Meet cute” vs “Meet how? You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

You know the “meet cute,” right? Hollywood short talk for that charming-if-implausible set up where two protagonists are destined to meet and set in motion the plot that winds up being your story or screenplay.

Roger Ebert explained the meet cute as: a scene “in which somebody runs into somebody else, and then something falls, and the two people began to talk, and their eyes meet and they realize that they are attracted to one another.”

Personally, I love a good “meet cute.” Who doesn’t smile when Rapunzel whacks Flynn with a frying pan? When Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts “bump” into each other in Notting Hill, requiring an awkward yet romantic ‘cleaning up’? Or, what about the timeless Gone With the Wind meet cute when Rhett eavesdrops on Scarlett to her profound and lasting consternation?

You’d think since I’m such a big fan of the romantic comedy style of introducing two main characters, I’d employ that technique in my Screw Senility series when my heroine, Judy Banger, meets the man of her dreams, right?

Hmm…define cute?

If by cute you mean the most embarrassingly timed first encounter possible–one that involves bare skin, fishnets, a bustier…not to mention additional naked people and sex toys in the room…one that leaves Judy praying her insurance covers the cost of elective lobotomies or fantasizing about how to invoke a hiccup in the time-space continuum? Well, then, sure. It’s cute.

Excerpt from The Big Bang! Theory:

Each step was agony. One torture device at a time, she promised, bending over the back of the chair to reach her bustier. She’d barely managed to snag it when the sound of loud, angry voices burst from the doorway. She looked under her outstretched arm to see a tall, silver-hair man in a finely tailored charcoal suit stride into the room. She assumed he was the hotel manager until she spotted the woman two steps behind him.

“Oh, shit,” Judy muttered, spinning around to sit in the chair. Although the woman was in street clothes not a uniform, there was no mistaking Fletcher’s ex-partner, the bitch who trash-talked Judy to her face and at the precinct.

“Clarice,” Judy murmured using Anthony Hopkins’ Silence of the Lambs inflection.

Judy clutched the stiff black satin bodice to her chest when the woman in question looked Judy’s way. In her peripheral vision, she saw Lewis lazily roll to his side, head braced on his palm, to see what all the fuss was about.

Fletcher’s annoyed snarl gave way to a sigh of resignation. He swallowed a big gulp of wine then said, “Hello, Dad. Imagine meeting you here.”

He made a sweeping gesture with his free hand. “Gang, let me introduce you to my father, Judge Wilson Canby.”

“Judge?” Lewis repeated before levitating off the bed to disappear into the bathroom.

Pru, Judy noticed, had apparently snatched her purse and hightailed it at the first sign of trouble.

Judy shrank against the chair pinned by the blue steel gaze that surveyed her from toe to head. The man’s expression was as unreadable as his son’s, but tightly clenched fists and rigid cast of his shoulders spoke volumes. Anger. Frustration. Disappointment. And something else. Grief? Despair?

She’d seen the same look on Buddy’s face when he talked about the pain of losing his wife and the regret he felt over the vast chasm of disconnect between him and his son. Buddy had thrown in the towel and let Lewis manage their relationship. This man, Judy guessed, wasn’t the type to give up without a fight. His Armani suit might as well have been made of chain mail.

“You need to come home, son,” Judge Canby said, his voice deep and surprisingly dispassionate, but not lacking in authority. Judy would have been on her way out the door if he’d directed the order her way.

“I don’t think so, Dad,” Fletcher replied, his tone a bit more peeved. “Wine, anyone?”

Judy suddenly realized she was thirsty. She timidly raised her hand, nearly exposing one breast in the process. Fletcher smiled warmly and carried a glass to her. Still, naked. He didn’t seem embarrassed by his nudity, but her cheeks began to burn when she realized the judge and Clarice were staring at her. Well, the judge, anyway. Clarice’s gaze seemed fixed on Fletcher’s ass.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice a mere squeak.

She polished off the oversize gulp like water then sat up, looking for a method of escape.

“Your aunt’s agreed to meet us at the house, Fletcher.”

Fletcher let out a gruff hoot. “Is this an official intervention? Do you honestly think you can talk me out of living my life exactly the way I want?” He ran a hand through his hair impatiently. “Dad. How many times do I have to say this? I’m not broken and I don’t need fixing.”

“This isn’t who you are, Fletch,” Clarice argued. “We were partners for two years. I know you. And this…” She motioned dismissively toward Judy. “…isn’t you. For God’s sake, Fletcher. This bimbo is old enough to be your grandma.”

Judy jumped to her feet. “I’m nobody’s grandma, bitch. I don’t know what your problem is. You’ve been riding my butt since the day you showed up at my house.”

“Your trailer,” Clarice corrected snarkily.

Judy threw back her head. “Oh, that’s it. You think I’m trailer trash and you’re better than me.” She cleared the distance between them, forgetting her aching feet and lack of clothing. “Well, let me tell you. I may not live in a palace, but I’m not the one breaking down my ex-partner’s door in the middle of the night, am I? Maybe you’re just jealous because nobody invited you to the party.”

Clarice went for her gun, which, luckily, wasn’t at her waist since she was dressed in civilian clothes. Judge Canby struck the table with the palm of his hand. The sound possessed an imperious crack not unlike the attention grabbing noise Gerald made. “That’s enough, Clarice. Is this the woman you said tricked Fletcher into coming here?”

“Yes, sir. That’s Judy Banger.”

Bang-her. Judy’s fist curled around the plastic whale bones of the bustier in her hand, reminding her Di and Dem were hanging free for everyone–the judge included–to see. And look he did.

He stared for what felt like a lifetime of heartbeats, and then he checked her out from toe to head, again. Judy’s mouth turned too dry for water or wine to fix. Her heart rocketed against her ribs. A connection as alien as something you’d see on Star Trek, yet as palpable as a touch from a loving hand, passed between them.

Panic made her dive for her coat. She tugged it on and raced–or rather stumbled as gracelessly as a drag queen in her first pair of heels–toward the door.

A part of her brain cried, “Picnic basket. Room key. Gerald!” But she ignored the voice. She needed to get away. Back to the safety of her room where she could hide under the covers and try to forget what just happened. Not the sex. That didn’t matter. They were four consenting adults and whatever happened was by choice.

No. She wanted to forget meeting Wilson Canby. Her soul mate. The man of her dreams. The man she’d have spent her whole life waiting for if she thought for even a moment such a person truly existed. But only princesses were entitled to that one special Prince Charming, right? And, Judy had always been more scullery maid than princess–just ask her mother.

So, what do you think? ‘Meet cute’ or an awkward corner I painted myself–and my characters–into? Lucky for me, true love prevails–and gives Judy and the judge plenty to live down as they find their way to their HEA–another tried and true romance meme.

Do you have a favorite “meet cute” from books or cinema? Three responders will receive THE BIG BANG! THEORY-the fourth and final short, erotic encounter of the Judy Banger kind, Book IV in the Screw Senility series, as a prize.

Thanks for dropping by.

Happy reading~

Deb

Find out more at Debra Salonen’s website!

 

Thank you Debra so much for guest blogging! Don’t forget to answer Debra’s question: what is your favorite “meet cute” from books or cinema? Share your answers below!

P.S. - Did you hear the news? Complete Me landed at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today list!  Color me excited!

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Hump Day Books from Becky Lower, Susan Fox, Karen McCullough, Julie Ortolon, Karen Duvall, Lisa Marie Rice, Becky Barker, and Beate Boeker!

For your pleasure: eight fantastic Hump Day books!

Blame it on the Brontes

Three sisters who want nothing to do with each other are forced to live together for one year in order to inherit their mother’s fortune.

Be sure to visit Becky Lower’s website! “Timeless Romance With Sass.”
Caribou Crossing (A Caribou Crossing Romance)

Susan Fox launches a new series from Kensington Zebra, set in a Western community made for love, adventure, and second chances!

For more information visit Susan Fox’s website!
A Gift for Murder (Market Center Mysteries)

Now available in most ebook formats.

Don’t forget to visit Karen McCullough’s website!
Almost Perfect (Perfect Trilogy)

Get Book One of the Perfect Trilogy FREE!

And be sure to visit Julie Ortolon’s website!
Desert Guardian

New Release!

Find out more at Karen Duval’s website!
I Dream of Danger: A Ghost Ops Novel

The latest release in the Ghost Ops Series!

See more at Lisa Marie Rice’s website!
Stowaway

Romantic suspense finalist in 3 national contests!

Be sure to visit Becky Barker’s website!
Delayed Death (Temptation in Florence)

Humor & Mischief from Page One!

Find out more at Beate Boeker’s website!

 

If you would like to submit a book to the Hump Day feature, click here!

P.S. - Did you hear the news? Complete Me landed at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today list!  Color me excited!

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Why I Quit My Reality TV Show—or close enough by Geri Krotow

Please welcome Geri Krotow to the blog!

I’ve never been in my own reality tv series but I can imagine what it’d feel like, because I moved 13 times in 26 years to all parts of the country and globe with first my Navy career and then my husband’s.  We’d pack up every single thing we own to include a dog, parrot and two kids and then show up in a strange land with no friends and no connections. Until the second or third day there, when the moving truck pulled up (it took a bit longer for this on the overseas moves) and the reality hit: we weren’t in wherever-we’d-been-before. The kids needed friends, vaccinations, and to be registered for their new school. For 3 moves we needed to learn a new language, be it Italian, French or Russian.

We needed fresh groceries.

During this time I managed to get published, to see a dream come true. But it wasn’t my only dream–I kept holding on for the day when we’d be ‘settled’ and I could grow roots, meet other writers from the same town. For the day when I’d have a barista who knew my fave espresso and that I liked to write in the corner of the café for an hour each morning.

It finally happened—we’ve stopped moving, at least at that kind of pace. And the rewards as a writer have been more than I ever expected. I’m able to go to conferences, especially the more local ones, and meet other authors. I’ve learned that they are real, dedicated people managing their own busy lives. I get to see writers who’ve struggled for years close-up, see what makes them tick, feel their positive energy. I get to see the writers who hang in there in spite of insurmountable odds, and every now and then, one of them makes it big.

I’m grateful to have served my country in and out of uniform, no question. It’s made me appreciate this time of “settling” down so much more.

 

Award winning author Geri Krotow is a U.S. Naval Academy Graduate and former Naval Intelligence Officer. She’s lived all over the globe, from Whidbey Island, WA, to Moscow, Russia. Geri is the author of the Whidbey Island Series for Harlequin SuperRomance, highlighting the loves and lives of military families who live on an island in Puget Sound; the latest is NAVY ORDERS. Geri is thrilled to finally be settled in Central Pennsylvania, USA, after 13 moves in 26 years. 

For more information visit Geri Krotow’s website!

 

Thank you Geri Krotow for guest blogging!

Moving 13 times in 26 years! How often have you moved in a particular period? Can you top Geri? How about setting down? What is the longest you’ve ever lived in one place? Share your stats below!

P.S. - Did you hear the news? Complete Me landed at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today list!  Color me excited!

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Elizabeth Bailey looks at the Georgian attitude to smoking.

Please welcome Elizabeth Bailey to the blog!

In these enlightened times, snuff-taking and pipe smoking seem to have vanished from the pages of Regency romance. But are we more enlightened than the Georgians?

Looking at images of Georgian life, one gets the impression that the use of tobacco was neither general nor widespread. Caricatures tend to depict an exaggerated truth, and only in a few does one find a pipe smoker, and in none a man taking snuff. Although smoking was prevalent not everyone indulged; those who did confined their pipes to the pub, the coffee house or home.

Many used snuff, because it was a high production trade and is mentioned in contemporary accounts. But although tobacco had a place, it seems unlikely that its use was anything like as widespread as it was during the earlier years of the twentieth century. Yet those Georgians who disapproved of the use of tobacco appear convinced that it was highly prevalent in their own time.

Much was made of the effects of snuff on workmen who manufactured it, some sources claiming it gave them bronchitis and dysentery among other ailments, but others managed to prove that workmen became used to it and didn’t suffer any ill effects. As ever, those with a vested interest will find a way to prove their point!

Such symptoms as were noted are known to us now: speeded up heart rate, giddiness, shortness of breath, spasms, fainting, sickness, weak pulse and sleepiness. One doctor suspected apoplexy (heart attack) “is one of the evils in train of that disgusting practice”, referring to taking snuff. Two young men actually died from tobacco poisoning, having smoked about “seventeen pipes at a sitting”. One wonders how that compares with 20 or 40 a day now?

We are indebted to a French chemist of the era, Vauquelin, for naming the killer substance in tobacco as nicotine. Later chemists argued about which precise part of tobacco caused the problems, but it was generally agreed that tobacco contained an “acrid, alkaline principle and an essential oil to which the alkaloid adheres with great obstinacy”, which was bad news.

As early as King James, who wrote “The Counter-Blaste to Tobacco” within a few years of its introduction into Europe by Sir Walter Raleigh, it was believed that the smoking habit would result in “evil consequences” because of its poisonous qualities. Some governments tried to stop its introduction, although their methods were harsher than our current bans on smoking in public places. Popes excommunicated those who smoked in St Peters; in Russia it was punished with amputation of the nose; and in the Canton of Bern it ranked next to adultery.

Did that make any difference? Not according to the treatise writer: “Like every other persecuted novelty, however, smoking and snuff-taking passed from place to place with rapidity; and now there appear to be only two luxuries which yield to it in prevalence, spirituous liquors and tea.”

Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chôse!

 

Elizabeth Bailey is the author of both romance and crime novels set in the late 18th century, including the traditional historical romance, Mademoiselle At Arms, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

For a sneak peak at Mademoiselle At Arms, see the trailer for the book!

And don’t forget to visit Elizabeth Bailey’s website!

 

 

Thank you so much for guest blogging, Elizabeth! 

What do you think – are we more enlightened than the Georgians when it comes to vices and stimulants, or do we simply pretend to be so? Feel free to opine in the comment section!

Complete Me lands #2 on the New York Times and #3 on the USA Today bestseller lists! (Celebrating with a giveaway!)

I’m so excited that Complete Me hit #2 on the New York Times list and #3 on the USA list that I’m having a contest to give away an e-reader!  Enter for your chance to win either a Kindle Fire HD or a Nook HD!

Hurry!  The contest ends in just three day!  (if the contest widget doesn’t show up, either follow the link or refresh the page!)

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway