Elizabeth Boyle's Blog, page 37

Changes

They are a coming. In the next few months my website will be getting some upgrades and new features. Not giving away anything just yet, but just wanted to make sure you had a bit of a heads up. It's been sort of exciting to go through my current site and look at it from a redecorating stand point. I love my site, but we all need something new every once in a while, don't we?

One thing I can show you is that I've cleaned up my Blog Categories over there on the right–added some new, gathered together a bunch and kept some of the old. They will be part of what I will be integrating all over the site–fun stuff.

Also on the advance notice side, I have a new book coming out–Lord Langley is Back in Town–and he'll be arriving at the end of May. I know that sounds like eons away, but it will be here before you know it. Before I know it. And very soon, I'll get an excerpt up, just to tease you a bit. In the meantime, it is up on Amazon.com for pre-order or for Kindle pre-order. Do you read ebooks? I am starting to fall in love with them and I hear the Kindle is great.

The Lord Langley cover, I think you will agree, is awesome. Julia Quinn spotted it the other day and emailed me, with a subject line that read, Holy Cow.  And inside was the following: I just saw your new cover—GORGEOUS! She's right, it is gorgeous, but have you seen her new cover? Really pretty–besides who doesn't love red shoes?

So if you haven't seen it or heard it yet, I am coming to LA in April–I'll be there for the Romantic Times conference and Gi-normous booksigning on Saturday, April 9th. Details over on my Events page. If you live in the LA area, well worth the trip to come by and say "Hi," since besides yours truly, there will be tons of other writers there. I'm thinking about putting together maybe a fan dinner or something for Friday night. If you are interested, let me know.

And if you haven't "Liked" my Facebook Fan Page yet, what are you waiting for? I am holding contests and giveaways over there (along with my groovy gift card giveaway on my Contest page here> so get over to my Fan Page and hit Like so you can join in. I promise, the fun there will NOT change.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Since It's Valentine's Day. . .

Might as well trot out the romance writers. Every year it is the same thing, suddenly the media finds us interesting, they want our thoughts, our opinions on love, romance and of course, the big V-Day. Well I say, Ba-humbug!

Okay, so I am a little cynical about this holiday that has been foisted off on me just because of my chosen profession. But really, if I held the secret to everlasting love and how to make the perfectly romantic night, do you think I would share it? Because then everyone would be doing it and then it would be ordinary. And the funny thing about that is that truly, love is found in the ordinary days of life, not in one night, once a year.

What I have figured out about romance, and I suppose I have learned it from writing romance is that what we are expected to do (cards, flowers, dinner out, high–read: unrealistic–expectations about one single day/night) are just wrong. Because here is the real secret to romance: it is work. It is being patient when you want to knock that special someone upside the head for being _________ (fill in the blank with your own relevant annoyance), for doing your darndest to see things from their point of view, and finding the happiness in being simply content with a life that moves smoothly along.

Now there is nothing wrong with a special night out, with a romantic date, but honestly–on Valentine's Day? Then you are stuck with some prix fixe menu, hurried table service, and everyone else around you forcing themselves into a state of perfect romance that is just, well, forced.

Romance is about the little things that don't require a huge amount of planning or money, but mean so much to that person you've chosen above all others. Things like remembering to say "Thank you," holding a door open, cleaning up a kitchen when the other left it a wreck. You all know me, there is nothing I find hotter than a man who does laundry.

In a romance novel it is that chosen moment when the hero does something small and personal for the heroine. When he saves the day not in some huge heroic fashion, but like St. Maur did in Mad About the Duke when their carriage overturned and it appeared his planned outing with Elinor was going to be a wreck:

Just then, St, Maur came bounding through the door. "Excellent news, my lady!"

"The carriage is fixed?" she asked, hoping for a fast getaway before these ladies got out the stocks and enforced some ancient decency laws.

"No," he said. "It's an utter ruin. But I managed to salvage our picnic basket."

Now that is what romance is all about.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Catching Up

Dear heavens, where did January go? I hope the rest of the year doesn't disappear like that. I've got a lot to do. And I am sure you do as well.

Let's get down to business right away. Contest winners. There will eight lucky winners in the next eight weeks, so make sure you have entered over on the Contest page. It's very simple, and you only have to enter once to be eligible for the entire run of the contest. But you can't win if you don't enter. Not very original, but very true.

And if you like second chances or just like winning, make sure you "Like" my author page over on Facebook. I just ran a fun contest and poll to help me find a name for my new heroine's dog. And wow! What a great response from all my wonderful friends there. It was really hard to whittle the names down to just four, and then pick one for the book. And while the votes went overwhelmingly to Finbar, I may or may not use that name. I have my reasons and I think it adds a fun twist to the story. Can't say anymore!

But I found the polling feature so much fun, I will probably do more polls/contests there on a regular basis, so make sure you are part of the festivities by hitting that all important LIKE button. Again, you can't win if you aren't part of the party.

Whew! Caught up. For now. And I promise more soon. I think next time we should take Regency. It's the 200th anniversary after all!

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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And a Happy New Year!

My friend Jenifer posted something on my Facebook Fan page the other day that really got me thinking–I mean really thinking and mulling and plotting and planning. She said: …I make sure I knit a lot on New Years day because "they say" that whatever you do on NYDay you will be doing all year.

What a cool notion! Ever since she posted that, I've been rethinking January 1st in all kinds of different ways. What do I want to be doing in 2011? There are any number of areas in my life I would love to focus on in the coming year, and so my January 1st is going to get carved up to fit them all in. But it isn't just the first day of the New Year that has me pondering, I have also been thinking about why I want to do these things and how it is I can make them

into a priority in my daily life throughout the coming year.

So here is my tentative list for Saturday:

Begin my new series. Which means opening the Scrivener file and getting it set up, organizing my working notebook for both the book and the series, pull the books I think I need for reference, put together the writing plan aka The Schedule, and finally, get my notes together so I can sit down Monday morning and start at the pages.
Do the same for a story idea that has captured my imagination. Not a romance, unlike anything I've ever done. And I must write it, even if it is only on the side.
Go for a walk and do a yoga tape and/or, weather permitting, ride my bike. All are big priorities for the New Year. They probably should be at the top of the list since they are also doctor's orders.
Spend time with the DH and the kids. Just doing the family stuff that helped us all connect so beautifully over the last year.
Cast on a new sweater–one in which I will have to stretch my knitting skills–by taking off from the pattern a bit and adding steeks to the designs. Love learning new skills.
Clean out one area of my house. We started this before Christmas–completely uncluttering, cleaning and redoing two rooms in our house. Now the rest of the house is crying out for this sort of face lift. I'm not talking about doing an entire room in one day, but pick a closet, a drawer, a space and just clean it and organize it. It would be wonderful to go into Christmas next year with an entirely redone interior.

So now that I've set this out, what are your thoughts? What are you going to dedicate time to on New Year's Day that you want to be doing all of 2011?

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Merry Christmas!

Thank you one and all for the wonderful year you have shared with me. From your posts here on this blog, to your friendship on Facebook, to your kind emails that arrive in my inbox like little presents, I find daily reminders about why I love being an author–the readers who share my joy in happy endings, a bit of comedy and a dash of adventure. I am constantly amazed that you care so deeply about these characters I've created (yes, I am talking about you die-hard Marlowe fans!) and how much they live through not only through my imagination, but continue on in yours.

This past year I finished a number of things–including writing the Bachelor Chronicles. I know that will make some people sad, but for me it was time to conclude the series and move on with something a little different, a little fresher. But before you go into mourning or start pelting me at booksignings with Felicity's reticule, do remember that there is one more book left in the series that has yet to hit the shelves: Lord Langley is Back in Town, which will arrive at the end of May, just in time to kick off some summer reading. The cover is incredible, so much so that I've been asked to hold back posting it for a little while yet. Yeah, it's that cool.

As for the new series, let us just say I have a wonderful idea that I came up with while at RomCon last summer. Avon loved it as much as I do (so much so they signed me up for three more books) and so come January I will pack away the last of my Bachelor Chronicles files and begin creating an entirely new little world–complete with a pack of eccentric spinsters, some headstrong young misses, an unwilling bride, and of course, the requisite lords, rakes, and devilish cads to make all our hearts beat a little faster. I can't think of a better way to ring in the New Year.

You'll also be seeing some changes around my site–not anything big, but just a bit of a face lift to keep it fresh and interesting. Let me know if you have ideas about what you would like to see around here.

All my best wishes to you for a Christmas filled with the spirit of renewal and light, for a New Year filled with hope, health and happiness, and always, a happy ending.

God bless you and keep you safe, for you are all so very dear to me.

Elizabeth

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Hey, Jason

One of the occupational hazards of being a romance author is email from men you don't know. And not the usual strangers pushing prescription drugs and things to make my root grow like wood, but men who want to send you pictures of themselves, specifically male models. Yes, there it is, one of the perks of being a romance author: young, half dressed men send you their pictures just for you to privately oogle and enjoy, er review, purely on a professional level, of course.

But I realized I was being selfish, keeping these emails to myself, that and my DH busted me checking out a recent inquiry online. Again, purely professional. So I thought I would share one of these letters with you and the response I probably should send.

Hey, Beth~

How's it going? Good I hope…

Well, Jason, let me tell you. There are only two people who call me "Beth": 1) people who don't know me, and 2) people who shouldn't expect me to respond. I am Elizabeth. Or sadly in your case, since I guess that you are old enough to be my son, Mrs. Boyle would probably be more appropriate, especially since you are asking me to help you find a job.

Also, "Hey" is something I usually don't respond to either, since it is usually followed by "Hey Mom, did you eat all the cookies while I was at school?" or "Hey, mom can you give me a ride over to Patrick's?" Neither of which gets my avid attention.

Cover Photography ~ Dean Keefer

But in your case, Jason, I will make an exception.

Hey I was just browsing over your website . . .

Again with the "Hey." Shudder. I am starting to feel a bit equine. But I digress.

. . . and noticed you are quite the romance writer! You must have a very creative mind! : – )

Well, Jason, I am quite impressed that you figured out that I write romance. Was it the flowers on the site, the heading "Historical Romance" or the New York Times bestseller that caught your eye? Or maybe it was the heaving bosoms on the cover of How I Met My Countess. Anyhoo, good for you! Unfortunately, as you can see "very creative mind" can also mean "snarky old bee-yatch," though I prefer "uproariously hilarious."

I wasn't sure how to go about this but I got to thinking.. .

This is usually where I get a little nervous in these letters . . . I never know if this is a legitimate letter to me, or a misdirected letter to a men's magazine, or worse, a proposal to co-write said letter. Really, I know I write romance, but do I have to explain it as well?

I did a shoot for a romance novel recently and they gave me the extra shots they didn't use. If you want them for your site or promotion, I can send them to you.

Oh, relief, he only wants to send me half dressed shots of himself. Note to self: Next time you get one of these letters, discretely close the office door before you go gleefully clicking on the link to check out the male model. Or else endure the mocking laughter of the husband when he catches you looking at pics of men half your age.

Or better yet, if you like my look enough,you can tell your publisher about me.

I'm a model if you haven't figured me out yet…

Really? Felicity Langley wearing a cheap red garter? I don't think so!

Jason, you sort of had me at hello. And you are a good looking fellow. You have that Nathan Fillion sort of charm about you. Therefore, and I am presuming here, I doubt you will mind me teasing you a bit about your email.

But seriously and sadly, I have about as much to say in picking my cover models as I do in just about anything that has to do with covers. If I did, the guy on the front of Mad about the Duke wouldn't have a Flock of Seagulls haircut nor would I privately refer to the cover of Love Letters from a Duke as "Miss Mary's Whorish Return to the Wild West Show."

Since times are a little slow running , I'm doing this for promotional reasons.

I hear you on that front! They are slow for writers as well. Why do you think I am putting your picture on my blog or shamelessly adding one of my covers with a link to Amazon.com where readers can order it in either mass market paperback or ebook for their Kindle? Print runs are down, advances are down, folks haven't got the money for their mortgages let alone extra reads each month, everyone is hurting. So I can't mock you for taking the initiative and actively pursuing your profession, and in fact, I commend you. And if I can help a little, it is to write this blog and share your link with my readers, my friends on Facebook, my editor and other editors. It is the least I can do, since I have poked a bit of fun at you. Truly, I do hope you find more work.

All I ask in return is that I can be credited as the model and can have

my modeling page listed on your website.

Will this do? If you would like to learn more about Jason and his modeling, here is a link to an interview with him, as well as the link to his agency.

Let me know if you want me to send you a few photos.. And I hope

this email finds everything well with you.

No, I think the links are enough. But thank you for the offer. And my best right back at you, Jason.

Sincerely,

Jason Aaron Baca

Okay, you got the polite, professional closure thing down.

P.S. – If you can't use my photos but know of a romance author or cover artist that

may be able to, by all means , forward this to them.

Done.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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London Shops

London has always been a destination for shoppers and some of those shops have been around for decades, some even centuries. And the best part of it? Window shopping is free.

If you are going to indulge in some really high end window shopping, then start on Jermyn Street, where the wealthy have shopped for over 300 years. Where you can still get good walking sticks:

Walking Sticks in the window

Get your feet shod with some custom boots:

Bootmaker

Or if you are feeling a bit peckish, pick up some cheese:

Cheesemonger window

And while you are in the neighborhood, drop by for some snacks and groceries at Fortnum & Mason:

Fortnum & Mason

Now if you are in need of new robes and a wig for your role as a barrister, solicitor, or judge, then you will want to pop over towards the Inns of Court and stop by Ede & Ravenscroft, the oldest tailor shop in London.

Ede & Ravenscroft

Seriously, you expect at any moment to see Dumbledore or Snape come out of this shop! And if you venture up to York, don't miss my favorite shop up there, Duttons for Buttons. The quaintest, old fashioned button shop you could ever find.

Duttons for Buttons

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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First Things First

Usually when I get to London, I end up starting off in Trafalgar Square. I don't know what the lure is, but I always seem to start out coming out of the Charing Cross Tube Station–which is my favorite because outside stands the last of Edward I's "Eleanor Crosses" which marked her funeral route. I actually used one in Stealing the Bride. The one there now is a replica, but still, I love it. After I indulge myself with such a beautiful and heartbreaking monument to love, I head over to Trafalgar Square. The place is so wonderful: the monuments, the people meeting or just sitting on the steps eating their lunch, and it is also a crossroads–off to one side is St. James Park, or go straight down from the Square and you are in the heart of Westminster. You have the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery there, as well as St. Martin in the Fields. A perfect place to start.

Trafalgar Square

Of course, nothing says hello than by being greeted by the lions. Happily they were being barricaded off that afternoon for some function at the National Gallery, so they were devoid of children playing on them and I was able to get a clear shot:

Trafalgar Lions

After indulging in a good hour or so of gazing and admiring the Thomas Lawrence exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery (have I mentioned I am a Thomas Lawrence groupie?! I LOVE his paintings), I pried myself away from his incredible portraits (it is like a who's who of the Regency era) and went on a walkabout, just following whatever indulged my wanderlust. Down toward Westminster, I snapped a pic of a Horse Guard:

Horse Guard

I always sort of feel sorry for these guys, trapped out here with mindless tourists clicking away and pointing at them. I'd go mad. So after doing my part to promote their madness, by taking a picture, I walked through the Horse Guards building and into St. James Park. The park was perfect–the leaves turning, the air crisp. When I get to England, I love just walking around. Admiring the views, taking it all in, the sights, the sounds, the smell. I let it sink in. I don't like to hurry and if something strikes my fancy, I will sit and look at it for as long as it takes to get it all in. I find myself wondering who else has walked this path . . . Jane Austen? Emma Hamilton? Princess Diana?

St. James Park

And as I stroll along, I consider what it must have been like, how one of my heroines would describe the duck pond with peekaboo views of the new Buckingham Palace–at least it would have been new back then:

Buckingham Palace from St. James Park

Wandering past the various houses where the royals congregate, Clarence House, Marlborough House, St. James's Palace, it is hard to see much of these places as they are surrounded by big walls, lots of security and armed guards. Yes, if you want to put off casual acquaintances and the drop in visitors, men with machine guns will do the trick. But you can manage a few peeks here and there, like this one, peeking through the fence at the backyard of Spencer House:

Spencer House from Green Park

Sadly, I am not above peeking through fences to get a better view, or any view for that matter. Finally, a walk through the parks is incomplete without a glance down infamous Rotten Row, in Hyde Park:

Rotten Row

As I waited here to meet a friend (just as someone might have done 200 years ago) I imagined what it would have been like then, without the sounds of cars and buses and planes overhead, and only the restless hooves of fine horses and the witty banter of Mr. Darcy and his companions. All in a day's walk.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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London Calling

Every five years or so, I pack my bags and toddle over the North Pole and drop in on London. And this being one of those years, I am about to leave again. I didn't think I was going to go this year–the difficulties of finding a time to leave the family, the expense, was it the right year to go (okay, is there ever a wrong year?), but like my grandmother always said, when things are right, they will align for you. And so it was this year.

A few months ago, my husband came home and rattled keys in front of me and then said they were to a flat just outside London–free for me to use when I wanted. A friend of his only uses the place part of the year and she and her husband were kind enough to offer it to me. Oh, yeah, baby! And having saved enough miles and points, I had the airfare right there waiting for me.

I could see my grandmother's hand in all this. So I am packing up and flying off for twelve writerly-indulgent days of loitering about London, York, Canterbury, Dover, Windsor and a host of castles, houses and ruins in between.

The last time I went, I came home inspired to write Tempted by the Night after a particularly gruesome Jack the Ripper walk. While on a stroll through Jane Austen's London with a London Walk's guide, the entire plot, and I mean the ENTIRE plot, for Confessions of a Little Black Gown fell into my lap.

I stood in front of the house on Brook Street and wondered what it looked like in the early 1800s when Felicity Langley would have need of it, which she did when I wrote Love Letters from a Duke. And I walked Grosvenor Square and Hanover Square and wondered which houses would befit a future duke-ish hero. And finally, I stood in Floris, the perfume shop that survives today, much as it did when my heroines would have shopped there, and plied the incredible staff with questions about their earliest perfumes. And then they let me smell them. My senses ranneth over. I came home brimming with the sights and sounds and smells that I indulged in, and then those spilled into the books that followed.

I know what I am looking for this trip–several things, but I have also mixed in the unexpected: a tour of Royal Richmond, medieval churches and towers to fill my crusader lust, and a bit of Tudor history because I love it so much. Oh, I'll go in search of more Regency inspiration, Sir John Soanes' House, Fairfax House in York, and the Thomas Lawrence showing at the National Portrait Gallery, but I know from experience in traveling that often in the oddest corners comes the most delightful surprises.

I will try to post daily photos up on my Facebook page, so check there often. However, if you are going up there to look for Jack the Ripper pics, don't bother. I haven't the stomach to do that walk a second time.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Fall Housekeeping

My computer met with an unfortunate accident and after two weeks of trying to bring it back to life, it was declared dead and I had to replace it. Fortunately, I was able to save everything. A good reminder to BACK UP everything. Anyhoo, I sort of fell behind on a lot of other things while I was computer-less (though I did get a bunch of closets cleaned out) and have been spending the last week trying to get caught up.

Like announcing the winners for my September contest, which were Mary G. of Wilmington, DE and Phyllis C. of East Palatka, FL. I actually went and "mapquested" East Palatka because I'd never heard of it. I love learning about new places and where they are. So congratulations to my winners–watch your mail, I've sent your Borders gift cards off to you.

Yesterday I was doing a different sort of housekeeping–cleaning out my vegetable gardens. I wish I could say they were a glowing success this summer, but not this year. My carrots, lettuce and onions were okay, and my tomatoes came on strong in the end, only to rot on the vines and burst open before they even got ripe in all our September rain. I've still got some basil left and hopefully the dozen or so green tomatoes I was able to salvage from the carnage will ripen on the window sill and make a nice end of summer pasta sauce.

[image error]Usually I have at least one giant pumpkin, some 90-100 pound monster that we have to figure out a way to get from the backyard to the front steps for Halloween. One year, our pumpkin was so big, it scared a little toddler and he wouldn't come to the front porch for treat or treat. Not even for a full-sized bag of M&Ms.

My husband doesn't understand my love affair with growing a giant pumpkin and this year I thought for sure I would get a behemoth, considering I was growing it in full on ZooDoo. But alas, all I harvested were three grocery store sized pumpkins. Then my husband asked me if I got the one behind the fence. And lo and behold, one of the vines had slipped through the fence and was growing a solitary pumpkin in no man's land that separates us from our less than friendly neighbors. Harvested and carried in triumph up to the porch, there is now a pumpkin for each of us, and I have to admit, even though it isn't my usual big beast, I sort of like having a pumpkin party on the porch announcing that Halloween is nearly here in all their cheery and not yet scary orange glory.

What says Fall to you?

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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