Julia Bennet's Blog, page 4
May 6, 2019
19th Century Fashion Primer (aka another excuse for costume porn)
So I was reading a book the other day when I came across the following (paraphrased) sentence:
“The empire line dress she wore accentuated her small waist.”
No. No, it didn’t. Because this is what empire line dresses actually look like.
[image error]1810 ca. Evening Dress via Pinterest[image error]Costumes from Pride and Prejudice (1995), via Pinterest
And, you’ll notice, the one thing they don’t accentuate? Yup. The waist. They do wonders for the bosom though.
Now, I am by no means an expert on 19th century fashion...
May 3, 2019
A Miss Grey Image Gallery
Just for fun, here are some images that inspired The Madness of Miss Grey. I’ve include links to the original creator where possible.
[image error]Via Pinterest[image error]Via Pinterest[image error]Follow Bobba on [image error]Old English Manor House Frozen In Winter Time by Sandra Cunningham . Purchase prints here.[image error]Brooke Shaden[image error]Via Pinterest
[image error]“Softness”[image error]Andrzej Malinowki[image error]Via katrinekaul .com
April 30, 2019
Julia Vs the Facebook Advertising Policy Redux
After my post rant earlier today, I designed an ad with hopes of getting around the Facebook rules. Here it is:
[image error]New Facebook Ad, buy link and ‘too saucy for Facebook’ text not included.Okay, I admit I wasn’t taking things entirely seriously by this point, but wouldn’t you know, they approved it. Hooray?
Not sure how well it’s going to perform given that you can’t actually see the book. The good folk at Facebook have basically rendered themselves useless for advertising purposes. But from wha...
Julia vs the Facebook Advertising Policy
I don’t do rants often, but I’m feeling a little irritated.
[image error]GIF of Sister Michael from Derry Girls, via tenor.As you probably know by now, I just released my debut novel, The Madness of Miss Grey. It’s hard to get a book by a brand new author noticed, so I’ve been trying a bit of everything including (and despite hearing decidedly mixed opinions as to their effectiveness) Facebook ads. The Madness of Miss Grey is an historical romance with the sort of cover most historical romance covers hav...
April 29, 2019
Exclusive Sneak Peek at Chapter One of “The Ruin of Evangeline Jones”
Now that The Madness of Miss Grey is out, you may be wondering what comes next. Readers have already expressed an interest in hearing more about a certain secondary character, and I am happy to reveal that his story is next. Alex, now Duke of Harcastle, is famous for exposing frauds, and it just so happens that his heroine, Evangeline Jones, is the greatest fraud of all. A duke facing down a charlatan spiritualist? Sparks are bound to fly.
While I don’t have a release date yet for Book 2, te...
April 22, 2019
It’s Release Day! Happy Book Birthday to me!
Yay! *throws confetti*
To celebrate The Madness of Miss Grey‘s unleashing on an unsuspecting world, I will be making a number of guest appearances elsewhere on the web.
Dates are as follows:
22nd April : http://freshfiction.com/ – The ABC of Romance Novel Heroes.
25th April : https://www.writerspace.com/ – Researching the Romance: Victorian Sexcapades.
26th April : https://harlequinjunkie.com/ – Author Spotlight.
Two other guest spots in release week, so some time on or shortly after the 22n...
April 15, 2019
Eminent Victorians: Edmonia Lewis
It’s always been tough to make it as an artist. Now imagine trying to make it as a black woman in the Civil War era USA. That’s what Edmonia Lewis did, despite being accused (and later acquitted) of poisoning two friends, and later accused (and again acquitted) of stealing art supplies from her college. Not only did she succeed at her chosen career despite the persecution she faced; she became the first African American woman to achieve international fame as a sculptor....
April 11, 2019
Giveaway! $20 Amazon gift card
It’s just over a week until The Madness of Miss Grey comes out. To celebrate, I’ll be holding a newsletter contest on Monday 15th April. If you’d like a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card, but you aren’t on my mailing list, subscribe here before Monday.
[image error]April 8, 2019
Eminent Victorians: How I fell a little in love with La Goulue.
Lautrec’s posters and paintings were my first introduction to can-can dancer Louise Weber, otherwise known as La Goulue (The Glutton). A quick google will tell you she got her nickname because she would down the drinks of Moulin Rouge patrons as she danced past. Lautrec was a genius but I’ve never heard anyone say he flattered his subjects. The first thing that struck me about this poster is how worn and ragged she looks, dancing her heart ou...
April 1, 2019
The Madness of Miss Grey is Available for Pre-order.
Available from:
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All of society believes former actress Helen Grey to be mad, but after a decade imprisoned in a crumbling Yorkshire asylum, she’s managed to cling to sanity. When a new doctor arrives, she finally sees an opportunity for freedom and she’ll do anything to not let it slip between her fingers.
All of society believes former actress Helen Grey to be mad, but after a decade imprisoned in a crumbling Yorkshire asylum, she’s managed to cling to sanity. When a n...
