Maggi Andersen's Blog, page 85
April 17, 2011
Review for The Reluctant Marquess from Coffee Time Romance!
THE RELUCTANT MARQUESSMAGGI ANDERSEN
ISBN #9781844718425
February 2011
Embrace Books
www.saltpublishing.com
E-Book
$3.99
140 Pages
Historical Romance
Rating: 4 Cups
Charity Barlow is the pretty daughter of a brilliant but not business savvy academic. She has a good heart and a great deal of common sense, but has led a very sheltered life.
Robert, the Marquess of St. Malin is a cynical rake who is estranged from his family. He was fond of his late uncle and wishes to abide by his will.
When Charity's father dies unexpectedly, she is left nearly destitute. She travels to the home of her godfather Lord St. Malin only to find that he has died and his will requires that she marry his heir. Robert is handsome, intelligent and charming, but she promised herself that she would marry for love and Robert is determined not to fall in love.
The characters in this story find themselves in an awkward situation. They must marry or Robert loses much of his inheritance, and Charity is left with no home, family, or income. Charity is a romantic and Robert far from that, but each is what the other needs despite their reluctance. Charity's experiences with the Ton are amusing and intriguing. I admired her refusal to let her husband's old lovers walk all over her. Robert was less admirable, but he soon sees the light, hopefully before it is too late. The subplot of Robert's relationship with his mother and her second family is interesting and sheds light on Robert's personality, making the reader a bit more forgiving.
I'm appearing on Long and Short Reviews Stop by and leave a comment to win a prize!!
http://lasrguest.blogspot.com/SPRING IS BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER: MAGGI ANDERSEN
Blurb: Viola has broken all the rules of conduct. Members of the Ton, including the Prince of Wales, circle like wolves. If she is to become a mistress, will it be to the man she loves, the Duke of Vale, after he marries another?Here is an excerpt from Rules of Conduct, a Regency novel coming to print in April/May.Chapter OneOxfordshire 1819
The 3rd Duke of Vale, Hugh Beauchamp, propped his
polished brown Hessians on the seat opposite, just as the
coach hit a deep rut in the road and lurched on its springs.
Cursing, he closed his eyes and tilted his hat down over his face. He made a very poor passenger. He much preferred to have his hands on the reins, in control of his destiny.
Hugh was returning to his countryseat in Oxfordshire from a season in London where he'd danced with Felicity twice at Almacks. As one would expect, this caused a flurry of
excitement among the dowagers. Hugh saw no harm in it. It was as inevitable as night follows day that he and Felicity would marry. Already an adept flirt, Felicity's playful, brown eyes had sparkled up at him from behind her fan. London Society was new to her and seeing how she relished the
scene, he suspected she would always prefer town-life to the country. She expressed a desire to have her favorite horses brought to Vale House after they were married. She planned
to ride every day in Regent Park. An agreeable life awaited them both, but somehow this trip left Hugh restless and dissatisfied.
At the urging of concerned friends, Hugh had attempted to smooth over his disagreement with the Prince of Wales. The meeting was a dismal failure, as neither he nor the Prince Regent would budge an inch. Prinny had turned his back on Hugh in the end.We are a spoiled and arrogant pair, Hugh admitted to himself as he stormed out of the Prince's apartments. Leaving St James' Palace in The Mall, he instructed his coachman to depart London by the Oxford Road. If the rain held off they would reach home before nightfall.Now, as he listened to the perfect rhythm of his horses as they raced towards Vale Park, he was determined to put the whole episode with the Prince behind him. Country life seemed far less complicated.He gave up trying to sleep. Leaning out the window, he filled his lungs with fresh air. Leafy woods of oak, ash and beech swept by, giving way to fields of russet earth enclosed by thorn hedges, plowed and planted with spring crops. And London, with its depressing smells of decay, coal fires, and the rotten stink rising from the Thames at low tide, slipped from his thoughts.The towering roofs and chimneys of High Ridge Manor appeared through the trees, the home of his boy-hood friend, Harry Carstairs. Years had passed since he and Harry rode fearlessly over those green fields, their horses clearing the fences like Pegasus in full flight. At the thought, Hugh felt like a boy again and quickly removed his feet from the seat as if Nanny was about to rebuke him. He grinned, admitting even now at seven and twenty, the devil seized him and made him jump a gate or two. He wondered if Harry still suffered from a similar impulse, although he doubted it. Harry was now a serious Member of Parliament and committed father of two. A shout roused Hugh from his reverie as the coachman hauled the horses to a stop in the narrow laneway. His manservant, Peter, jumped down. "What is it?" Hugh threw open the carriage door and leapt out, pistol in hand. He looked around. Surely, highwaymen wouldn't attempt to rob him again. They'd come off the worse last time, with one man dead and the other wounded in his escape.At dusk, it was shadowy and dim beneath the thick canopy of leaves. There were no highwaymen to be seen, but when Hugh moved forward, he saw a body lying on the road, perilously close to the plunging hooves of the horses.
Rules of Conduct is published by Awe-Struck Publishing. http://tiny.cc/g11o4More excerpts at http://lasrguest.blogspot.com The Long and Short Reviews Maggi Andersen
http://www.maggiandersenauthor.com
I'm appearing on Long and Short Reviews Stop by and leave a comment to win an e-book!
http://lasrguest.blogspot.com/SPRING IS BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER: MAGGI ANDERSEN Hi everyone, I write historical romance set in England and the charming English countryside features often in my books.
Who better to describe an English spring than William Wordsworth?
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host of golden daffodils,Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
After the death of winter, spring brings burgeoning life and new beginnings. In my Regency novel, Rules of Conduct, Viola has lost her memory. Her new life at the beautiful, Vale Park dressed in its spring finery, is filled with uncertainty and frustration as she falls deeply in love with her new benefactor. Even if Viola had not broken the strict, Regency rules of conduct, Hugh Beauchamp, the Duke of Vale is promised to another.
Blurb: Viola has broken all the rules of conduct. Members of the Ton, including the Prince of Wales, circle like wolves. If she is to become a mistress, will it be to the man she loves, the Duke of Vale, after he marries another?Here are two short excerpts from Rules of Conduct, coming to print in April/May.
Later that morning, the girl set out with the Duke in his phaeton. They bowled along a lane cutting across the top of a hill, the valley spread out below them in a patchwork of green fields and white blossoming hedgerows, dotted here and there with the vibrant red of the dog rose.In different circumstances I would enjoy this, she thought, but bouncing around in the open carriage made her head pound again, and she longed to crawl back into bed. She gritted her teeth and clung to the plain straw bonnet Mrs. Moodie had provided for the trip.The Duke glanced her way. "All right there?""Yes, thank you, your grace. This is a fine phaeton. You drive it to the inch.""A good vehicle, I find. It suits me.""The Phaeton was named after an ancient Greek. The son of Helios, wasn't it? He borrowed his father's chariot and would've set heaven and earth on fire with his fearless driving, if Zeus hadn't slain him with a thunderbolt."The Duke's eyebrows rose as he said, "Then it's to be hoped the skies remain clear for us today."She glanced up at the sapphire arch of sky strewn with wisps of cloud like cracked old china. "Perhaps you should slow down just a little," she said. "Cum feriunt unum non unum fulmina terrent.""My word!" he cried, almost overcorrecting on a tight bend. Once the bend had been negotiated and road straightened out again, he looked at her, shaking his head. "Latin. Ovid, I believe. Wait a minute. 'When the lightning strikes but one…not one only does it alarm.' It seems you've been educated in the Classics. Why, what a mystery you are proving to be."She smiled faintly. "I am, am I not?"
Hugh and Viola stopped at the top of the hill and looked down on the tiny farmhouses, on the far side of the river. Fields of wheat formed kaleidoscope shapes in the shifting breeze.Hugh pointed to an area of lush green pastureland. "It floods at least once every year, cutting off the only road in and out of the valley."They rode down the hill, reigning in when they reached the bottom.It was a very different world on this side of the hill. Oaks and chestnuts stood alone in the cleared fields, their spreading branches a shelter for the spring lambs. Crossing a small bridge, they trotted their horses along the edge of the river. A group of children played on the banks, tossing stones into the fast flowing water. They stopped to watch as Viola and Hugh rode up.The tallest, a barefooted, shaggy-headed boy, ran up to Hugh. "It's the Dook, it's the Dook!" he cried. The rest held back shyly.Hugh dismounted, took a pile of sweetmeats from his pocket, and tossed them to him. "Share them," he instructed.
Rules of Conduct is published by Awe-Struck Publishing. http://tiny.cc/g11o4
Maggi Andersen
Bio: Maggi Andersen is an Australian author of Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense and Young Adult Novels. Maggi lives in the countryside outside Sydney with her husband and their demanding cat. Her novels can be found on Amazon.com and her website.http://www.maggiandersenauthor.com
Who better to describe an English spring than William Wordsworth?
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host of golden daffodils,Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
After the death of winter, spring brings burgeoning life and new beginnings. In my Regency novel, Rules of Conduct, Viola has lost her memory. Her new life at the beautiful, Vale Park dressed in its spring finery, is filled with uncertainty and frustration as she falls deeply in love with her new benefactor. Even if Viola had not broken the strict, Regency rules of conduct, Hugh Beauchamp, the Duke of Vale is promised to another.
Blurb: Viola has broken all the rules of conduct. Members of the Ton, including the Prince of Wales, circle like wolves. If she is to become a mistress, will it be to the man she loves, the Duke of Vale, after he marries another?Here are two short excerpts from Rules of Conduct, coming to print in April/May.Later that morning, the girl set out with the Duke in his phaeton. They bowled along a lane cutting across the top of a hill, the valley spread out below them in a patchwork of green fields and white blossoming hedgerows, dotted here and there with the vibrant red of the dog rose.In different circumstances I would enjoy this, she thought, but bouncing around in the open carriage made her head pound again, and she longed to crawl back into bed. She gritted her teeth and clung to the plain straw bonnet Mrs. Moodie had provided for the trip.The Duke glanced her way. "All right there?""Yes, thank you, your grace. This is a fine phaeton. You drive it to the inch.""A good vehicle, I find. It suits me.""The Phaeton was named after an ancient Greek. The son of Helios, wasn't it? He borrowed his father's chariot and would've set heaven and earth on fire with his fearless driving, if Zeus hadn't slain him with a thunderbolt."The Duke's eyebrows rose as he said, "Then it's to be hoped the skies remain clear for us today."She glanced up at the sapphire arch of sky strewn with wisps of cloud like cracked old china. "Perhaps you should slow down just a little," she said. "Cum feriunt unum non unum fulmina terrent.""My word!" he cried, almost overcorrecting on a tight bend. Once the bend had been negotiated and road straightened out again, he looked at her, shaking his head. "Latin. Ovid, I believe. Wait a minute. 'When the lightning strikes but one…not one only does it alarm.' It seems you've been educated in the Classics. Why, what a mystery you are proving to be."She smiled faintly. "I am, am I not?"
Hugh and Viola stopped at the top of the hill and looked down on the tiny farmhouses, on the far side of the river. Fields of wheat formed kaleidoscope shapes in the shifting breeze.Hugh pointed to an area of lush green pastureland. "It floods at least once every year, cutting off the only road in and out of the valley."They rode down the hill, reigning in when they reached the bottom.It was a very different world on this side of the hill. Oaks and chestnuts stood alone in the cleared fields, their spreading branches a shelter for the spring lambs. Crossing a small bridge, they trotted their horses along the edge of the river. A group of children played on the banks, tossing stones into the fast flowing water. They stopped to watch as Viola and Hugh rode up.The tallest, a barefooted, shaggy-headed boy, ran up to Hugh. "It's the Dook, it's the Dook!" he cried. The rest held back shyly.Hugh dismounted, took a pile of sweetmeats from his pocket, and tossed them to him. "Share them," he instructed.
Rules of Conduct is published by Awe-Struck Publishing. http://tiny.cc/g11o4
Maggi Andersen
Bio: Maggi Andersen is an Australian author of Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense and Young Adult Novels. Maggi lives in the countryside outside Sydney with her husband and their demanding cat. Her novels can be found on Amazon.com and her website.http://www.maggiandersenauthor.com
April 6, 2011
The Rise of Romanticism Part I - The Basics of Romantic Art
CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
Romanticism - or the Romantic Era originated in the second half of the 18th Century. The artistic, literary and intellectual movement was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution. Partly a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment it was also a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. It also had a major impact on historiography, education and natural history.
Strong emotion, such as trepidation, horror, terror and awe became an authentic source of aesthetic experience, particularly in confronting untamed, picturesque nature. Poets like Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Mont Blanc is a prime example of the sublime.
The Basics of Romantic Art - 1800-1860
The Industrial Revolution took hold in the latter part of the 18th century, beginning in England and spreading to France and America. This revolution, which although far more peaceful than the French Revolution, wasn't entirely free of violence, and brought with it a new market economy, based on new technology. The machine began to replace human tools and animal power. Villages became urban centers drawing people from farms and the countryside to work in the newly opened factories. It was yet to be regulated and Men, women, and children worked 14 hour shifts, going weeks without seeing the sunlight. Cities grew and became dirty and crowded the poor living in squalor, the air polluted by soot from smokestacks.
There were those who looked back with nostalgia to a romantic vision of the days when people worked the land under the clear sky, using animals to draw the plow.
The philosophy of the Enlightenment, for which science and empirical evidence and rational thought was everything was challenged. Romantics rejected the philosophy of reason, turning instead to emotion, imagination, and intuition. A life filled with deep feeling, spirituality and free expression were seen as a way of dealing with the dehumanizing effects of industrialization. Human beings were infinite, with godlike potential.
This was reflected in the poetry of Wordsworth and paintings which turned from the rationalism of the Neoclassical style to art which demanded an emotional response from the viewer, and a nostalgic yearning for rural, pastoral life, the stirrings of life's mysteries and an awareness of the power and grandeur of nature. A Virgilian ideal.
JMW TURNER awareness of the power of nature: The Sublime
JOHN CONSTABLE a nostalgic yearning for the rural, pastoral life 
DELACROIX Art of this period also depicted the romantic ideal of nationalism
Source: Wikipedia
The Norton Anthology of Poetry
Sydney University
Part II coming soon: The Romantic Novel
April 4, 2011
4 Star Review from R T Book Reviews ~ The Reluctant Marquess
Readers will love the delightful tale of love in an arranged marriage. As troubles buffet the new couple and their love is tested, readers will be rooting for them to make it through.
April 2, 2011
Review of And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander
And Only to Deceive is Tasha Alexander's first novel and it's a good one. I enjoyed the exquisite details of Ancient Greek art which form a large part of this mystery. As a writer, I had my editor's hat on - can't take it off for a Victorian - and nothing pulled me up. Lady Emily is a strong character and I liked it that Alexander stuck to the rules of Victorian society and didn't make this an unbelievable pot boiler. The heroine moves within the confines of the highly structured Victorian society, although she does make small leaps towards independence, and we are with her all the way. In this and the fact that she didn't really know her husband or love him before he died is realistic in an arranged marriage. It is touching that she begins to fall in love with him as she learns more about him after his death. Although I strongly suspected who the culprit was before the end, it didn't detract from my enjoyment because Alexander still held some unanswered questions up her sleeve.
View all my reviews
April 1, 2011
March 23, 2011
March 8, 2011
From the Embrace Blog The Reluctant Marquess in the Top 100 Kindle Regencies!
Maggi Andersen, author of the Regency romance, The Reluctant Marquess, answers "5 Little Quuestions" for the Embrace blog.
1. How did you come up with the title, 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I have to thank Jane for coming up with my Title. I had chosen one neither of us was mad about. I wanted Marquess in the title and Jane thought of The Reluctant Marquess, which perfectly describes Lord Robert!
2. What do you think will happen to romance in the future? It will get the respect it deserves. There's some great romance writers who should get equal billing with crime and other genres. Romance is getting hotter and I don't see that changing. Interesting sub genres like steampunk are popping up. Books will probably be shorter in length too, to suit e-books, with editors cutting words to make the pace faster. Which is fine as long as it doesn't obliterate the writer's voice and make us all sound the same.
3. So what's next after 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I love writing Regencies, and plan to write some darker in tone, and more Victorian mysteries.
4. Any tips for newbie authors out there? Read widely and particularly in the genre in which you plan to write. And don't give up. I believe perseverance is the key to being published. It has been said it takes ten years to make a writer. It took years of hard work, submitting and getting rejections before I was offered a contract, but I don't regret those years. I learned a lot along the way.
5. Could I be a plotter rather than a panster? The answer to this is clearly no. If I try to plot in advance, my throat dries up and my creativity flies out the window. I have purchased expensive software which sits there making me feel guilty every time I look at it. Writing to me is like reading a book, I'm not sure where the story will take me and that's the pleasure of it. But with romance I always have a pretty fair idea of how it will end.
You can buy a copy of Maggi's delectable romance, 'The Reluctant Marquess', on Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Marquess-ebook/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=pd_sim_kinc_3?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS
here in the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Reluctant-Marquess/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299629313&sr=1-1
and here on the US site, where it is currently No. 58 in the Top 100 Kindle Regencies!
1. How did you come up with the title, 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I have to thank Jane for coming up with my Title. I had chosen one neither of us was mad about. I wanted Marquess in the title and Jane thought of The Reluctant Marquess, which perfectly describes Lord Robert!
2. What do you think will happen to romance in the future? It will get the respect it deserves. There's some great romance writers who should get equal billing with crime and other genres. Romance is getting hotter and I don't see that changing. Interesting sub genres like steampunk are popping up. Books will probably be shorter in length too, to suit e-books, with editors cutting words to make the pace faster. Which is fine as long as it doesn't obliterate the writer's voice and make us all sound the same.
3. So what's next after 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I love writing Regencies, and plan to write some darker in tone, and more Victorian mysteries.
4. Any tips for newbie authors out there? Read widely and particularly in the genre in which you plan to write. And don't give up. I believe perseverance is the key to being published. It has been said it takes ten years to make a writer. It took years of hard work, submitting and getting rejections before I was offered a contract, but I don't regret those years. I learned a lot along the way.
5. Could I be a plotter rather than a panster? The answer to this is clearly no. If I try to plot in advance, my throat dries up and my creativity flies out the window. I have purchased expensive software which sits there making me feel guilty every time I look at it. Writing to me is like reading a book, I'm not sure where the story will take me and that's the pleasure of it. But with romance I always have a pretty fair idea of how it will end.
You can buy a copy of Maggi's delectable romance, 'The Reluctant Marquess', on Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Marquess-ebook/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=pd_sim_kinc_3?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS
here in the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Reluctant-Marquess/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299629313&sr=1-1
and here on the US site, where it is currently No. 58 in the Top 100 Kindle Regencies!
From the Embrace Blog The Reluctant Marquess No. 58 on the Top 100 Kindle Regencies!
Maggi Andersen, author of the Regency romance, The Reluctant Marquess, answers "5 Little Quuestions" for the Embrace blog.
1. How did you come up with the title, 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I have to thank Jane for coming up with my Title. I had chosen one neither of us was mad about. I wanted Marquess in the title and Jane thought of The Reluctant Marquess, which perfectly describes Lord Robert!
2. What do you think will happen to romance in the future? It will get the respect it deserves. There's some great romance writers who should get equal billing with crime and other genres. Romance is getting hotter and I don't see that changing. Interesting sub genres like steampunk are popping up. Books will probably be shorter in length too, to suit e-books, with editors cutting words to make the pace faster. Which is fine as long as it doesn't obliterate the writer's voice and make us all sound the same.
3. So what's next after 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I love writing Regencies, and plan to write some darker in tone, and more Victorian mysteries.
4. Any tips for newbie authors out there? Read widely and particularly in the genre in which you plan to write. And don't give up. I believe perseverance is the key to being published. It has been said it takes ten years to make a writer. It took years of hard work, submitting and getting rejections before I was offered a contract, but I don't regret those years. I learned a lot along the way.
5. Could I be a plotter rather than a panster? The answer to this is clearly no. If I try to plot in advance, my throat dries up and my creativity flies out the window. I have purchased expensive software which sits there making me feel guilty every time I look at it. Writing to me is like reading a book, I'm not sure where the story will take me and that's the pleasure of it. But with romance I always have a pretty fair idea of how it will end.
You can buy a copy of Maggi's delectable romance, 'The Reluctant Marquess', on Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Marquess-ebook/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=pd_sim_kinc_3?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS
here in the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Reluctant-Marquess/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299629313&sr=1-1
and here on the US site, where it is currently No. 58 in the Top 100 Kindle Regencies!
1. How did you come up with the title, 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I have to thank Jane for coming up with my Title. I had chosen one neither of us was mad about. I wanted Marquess in the title and Jane thought of The Reluctant Marquess, which perfectly describes Lord Robert!
2. What do you think will happen to romance in the future? It will get the respect it deserves. There's some great romance writers who should get equal billing with crime and other genres. Romance is getting hotter and I don't see that changing. Interesting sub genres like steampunk are popping up. Books will probably be shorter in length too, to suit e-books, with editors cutting words to make the pace faster. Which is fine as long as it doesn't obliterate the writer's voice and make us all sound the same.
3. So what's next after 'The Reluctant Marquess'? I love writing Regencies, and plan to write some darker in tone, and more Victorian mysteries.
4. Any tips for newbie authors out there? Read widely and particularly in the genre in which you plan to write. And don't give up. I believe perseverance is the key to being published. It has been said it takes ten years to make a writer. It took years of hard work, submitting and getting rejections before I was offered a contract, but I don't regret those years. I learned a lot along the way.
5. Could I be a plotter rather than a panster? The answer to this is clearly no. If I try to plot in advance, my throat dries up and my creativity flies out the window. I have purchased expensive software which sits there making me feel guilty every time I look at it. Writing to me is like reading a book, I'm not sure where the story will take me and that's the pleasure of it. But with romance I always have a pretty fair idea of how it will end.
You can buy a copy of Maggi's delectable romance, 'The Reluctant Marquess', on Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Marquess-ebook/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=pd_sim_kinc_3?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS
here in the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Reluctant-Marquess/dp/B004NBY2EW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299629313&sr=1-1
and here on the US site, where it is currently No. 58 in the Top 100 Kindle Regencies!
