Victoria Vane's Blog, page 21
May 17, 2012
OTAHEITIAN FEAST OF VENUS: Fact or Fantasy?
Victoria Vane Guest blog and GIVEAWAY at LET THEM READ BOOKS
As a dyed-in-the-wool history geek, I am always looking to history for inspiration in the belief that using real events and people gives my stories added depth and dimension. This is even the case in my erotic romances. When I set out to write A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE, I was intrigued by a number of salacious tidbits I had read about the bawdiness of the Georgian era. Often described as a golden age of prostitution, there are several nonfiction books dedicated to this subject (THE COVENT GARDEN LADIES by Hallie Rubenhold and LONDON’S SINFUL SECRET by Dan Cruishanks are two examples that sit on my research shelf.) Both of these volumes dedicate a significant number of pages to a notorious Georgian era bawd named Charlotte Hayes.
Once a famed courtesan in her own right, and ironically known for her genteel demeanor, Mrs. Hayes was also a shrewd business woman who came to own a number of high-end London brothels. The most famous of these was her house at King’s Place, St. James, established in the late 1760′s. Given her great success, by 1779, virtually every house on this street had become a house of pleasure. Competing for the aristocratic patrons were fellow madams Harriet Lewis who specialized in exotics, and Sarah Prendergast, Sarah Dubery, and Catherine Windsor who constantly endeavored to outdo one another by hosting lewd events.
Not to be outdone, Mrs. Hayes conceived of her own subscription-only affair, inspired by the recent voyages of Captain Cook to the Antipodes. Calling it the Otaheitian Feast of Venus, she claimed to reenact the (Tahitian) islanders’ fertility rites as recorded by eye-witnesses from Cook’s HMB Endeavor.
The event was described in Nocturnal Revels (1769):
The decor had been arranged to highlight the lewd ‘Aretinian Postures’ adopted by the participants. A dozen well-endowed athletic youths faced twelve ‘nymphs’ whose beauty could not be doubted although their virginity might be suspect. Each youth presented his nymph with a dildo-shapeed object about a foot long, wreathed in flowers. The couple would then copulate with great passion and considerable dexterity since some of the Aretinian rites demanded a gymnastic suppleness which of a certain could never be achieved by most of the onlookers. All this was accompanied by suitable music until the spectators had lashed themselves into such a state of lasciviousness that they invaded the floor, clutched the nymphs and tried to emulate the examples which had been shown.”
More on Charlotte Hayes:
Hayes’s story is told in detail in Hallie Rubenhold‘s The Covent Garden Ladies (2005), as well as in Nicholas Clee’s Eclipse: the Story of the Rogue, the Madam and the Horse That Changed Racing (2009). It is also discussed in Fergus Linnane’s, London, the Wicked City, as well as in several books by E. J. Burford.
Filed under: BOOK PROMOTION, GAMBLING AND VICE, GEORGIAN ENGLAND, NOVELLAS
May 14, 2012
~The Devil DeVere~
The cast (in order of appearance)
Viscount Ludovic ”the Devil” DeVere
Devious and machinating rakehell, brother to Hew, godfather to Vesta
Sir Edward Chambers
Respectable and celibate widower with a powerful right hook, father to Vesta, best friend to DeVere
Phoebe Scott “alias Kitty Willis”
Struggling actress with a past, in need of a protector
Lady Vesta Chambers
18-year-old daughter of Sir Edward, spoiled, passionate, willful
Captain Hewett DeVere
War hero younger brother to the viscount, his opposite in every way
Baroness Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley
Godmother to Vesta, beautiful but embittered widow with several closely guarded secrets
Book I A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE
With the Devil in Charge, there will be Hell to pay…
What happens when a struggling actress and a grieving widower come together in a night of unbridled debauchery orchestratedby a bored and machinating rake?
***
She’s a lonely lady down on her luck : Phoebe Scott, alias Kitty Willis, is a struggling Covent Garden actress with a bruised heart and a closely guarded secret.
He’s steadfast and eminently respectable: Sir Edward Chambers, Ned to his intimates, is guilt-ridden over his beloved wife’s death and avowed to live out a rustic and mundane life … of celibacy.
A Devil in disguise.. Viscount Ludovic DeVere, is determined to return his best friend, Ned, to the land of the living. His meddling machinations result in a night of mind blowing passion after which “dull dog Ned” awakes to find himself in the King of England’s bed!
A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE, a sexy, rollicking Georgian romp! LINK TO EXCERPT: http://authorvictoriavane.com/a-wild-nights-bride/a-wild-nights-bride-excerpt/
Book II THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS
Desperate times call for devilish measures…
Lady Vesta Chambers is accustomed to getting what she wants, but when the object of her passion has eyes for another, it’s time to take matters in hand!
***
Lady Vesta Chambers is accustomed to getting what she wants…and what she wants is Captain Hewett DeVere…Coddled and pampered, since her mother’s death, Lady Vesta Chambers is beside herself when her father goes to London to prepare for her come-out and returns with a young bride of his own. With her world turned upside down, Vesta accompanies her godmother, Diana, to town, where she is smitten the moment she lays eyes on a certain captain of the Seventeenth Light Dragoons.
But when the object of her passion has eyes for another… Captain Hewett DeVere, younger brother and heir to Viscount Ludovic ”The Devil” DeVere, has returned from the American war scarred, disillusioned, and looking forward to settling down to a quiet and respectable life. But when the handsome and straight-laced captain turns his eyes toward the widowed Diana, Vesta is prepared to take devilish measures to prove just how wrong he is.
And the Devil DeVere looks after his own…Recruiting the aid of her godfather, Vesta vows to prove to Hew once and for all that she is no longer a little girl, but a woman with the passion of …a huntress. Link to excerpt: http://authorvictoriavane.com/the-virgin-huntress/the-virgin-huntress-excerpt/
Book III THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
When dealing with the devil it’s easy to be burned…especially when passion ignites the flames…***
Who can find a virtuous woman… Beautiful, respectable, and dutiful, Lady Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley has long resigned herself to her twelve-year loveless and childless marriage to a feckless husband…until his gambling pushes them to the brink of financial ruin.
Sometimes the devil is in disguise…as a gentleman… Viscount Ludovic, “The Devil DeVere”, is a man accustomed to taking what he wants according to his whim and heedless of the cost…until he encounters a woman who won’t be had at any price.
When dealing with the devil, it’s easy to be burned… When Diana discovers a secret that shatters the carefully built façade concealing her private pain, she seeks aid and comfort from the most unlikely place…the devil’s arms. But will a single night of heavenly passion damn them both forever?Link to excerpt (mature content): http://authorvictoriavane.com/the-devil-you-know/the-devil-you-know-excerpt-mature-content-warning/
BOOK IV THE DEVIL’S MATCH
Once burned twice shy…but when old flames come together…passion reignites
***
When burned once … Arriving in London as her goddaughter’s chaperone, Baroness Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley wants to avoid her erstwhile lover at all costs. Once nearly consumed by passion, four years has reduced the former inferno to bitterness and ashes.
By an old flame… A world-weary master of seduction, Ludovic ”The Devil” DeVere is bored with his chosen life of debauchery. When Diana’s charge disappears, she is forced to seek help from the devil’s lair, and their mutual desire reignites with undeniable ferocity.
Fire is best fought with fire… While DeVere is hell-bent to have her back for keeps, Diana is equally determined to bring him to his knees…by acquiring some sensual secrets of her own. Link to excerpt: http://authorvictoriavane.com/the-devils-match/the-devils-match-excerpt-mature-content-warning/
Filed under: BOOK PROMOTION, BOOKS, GEORGIAN ENGLAND
May 1, 2012
A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE featured at THE ROMANCE REVIEWS
Book Interview on May 2012
Interview by Bridget
Victoria, thank you for spending time with us this month to talk about your latest release, A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE!
Q: A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE is a fun, riotous romp! What inspired this story, especially the dare?
I love the Georgian era for its truly riotous living. It was not only a golden age for prostitution, but the Georgians were extremely heavy drinkers and would wager on absolutely anything. Shockingly, most of the worst offenders were amongst the uppermost elite in society!
As far as inspiration for the story itself goes, there is certainly a hint of the 2009 film, THE HANGOVER, albeit in a 18th century setting, but everything I write also has some true historical basis. In AWNB, it is actually Prince George (the future George IV) who proposes the outrageous challenge when DeVere drops the gauntlet. In real life, George was raised by puritanical parents and ruled by various tutors and sub-governors who kept him on leading strings far longer than one would expect of an heir to the throne. When he finally did achieve some personal independence at around age 18, he completely rebelled against the King and Queen by taking up with almost anyone who opposed them! Thus, I could easily envision, George proposing anything shocking to retaliate against his parents, and his cronies would certainly have supported him.
Q: I understand this is the first book of a series. Do tell us more. What serves as your inspiration? What’s the common thread in all the books in the series?
The series is comprised of four inter-connected novellas involving six main characters and three separate romances. DeVere is the single character who connects everyone else. This series is also very much character driven with the machinating rakehell, Ludovic, “the devil” Viscount DeVere at the center of it all. He’s one of those dream characters that may come to a writer once in a lifetime, so one book became two, two became three, and then four. (I was determined to milk every ounce out of him that I could! LOL!)
The first two stories, A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE and THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS are both comedic in nature, but the tone drastically changes with THE DEVIL YOU KNOW which is dark and erotic with elements of mystery and intrigue. Another transition occurs with THE DEVIL’S MATCH which falls somewhere in between the other books with both light and dark undertones. Here’s a brief introduction to the characters in the order they appear:
Viscount Ludovic ”the Devil” DeVere: Devious and machinating rakehell, brother to Hew, godfather to Vesta
Sir Edward “Ned” Chambers : Respectable and celibate widower with a powerful right hook, father to Vesta, best friend to DeVere
Phoebe Scott “alias Kitty Willis”: Struggling actress with a past, in need of a protector
Lady Vesta Chambers: 18-year-old daughter of Sir Edward, spoiled, passionate, willful
Captain Hewett DeVere: War hero younger brother to the viscount, his opposite in every way
Baroness Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley: Godmother to Vesta, beautiful but embittered widow with several closely guarded secrets
Book blurbs and excerpts are available on my website: http://authorvictoriavane.com
Q: In A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE, we have our heroine Phoebe, who is an actress. What made you give Phoebe that particular profession? Please also tell us more about her.
While realistic and multi-layered male characters have always come effortless to me, until this series, I have always struggled a bit with my female characters. I had this trouble in the beginning with Phoebe. I just couldn’t figure out who she really was. In my first draft she really was more of a Covent Garden strumpet but that just didn’t seem to work. She needed more depth and an interesting back story. I finally nailed her down after reading about Prince George’s first notorious affair with the Georgian actress Mary Robinson. Although I mention this affair between George and Mary in AWNB, I also used it as the inspiration for Phoebe.
Q: What is the first thing about Phoebe that capture’s Ned’s attention and what about her makes him become such a dominant hero?
Phoebe, like Ned, appears very out of place at the venue of their initial meeting (an infamous brothel). Although celibate for three years, Ned has no desire to consort with the prostitutes and can’t wait for the night to be over. Phoebe really doesn’t want to be there either, but has come for the sole purpose of finding a benefactor. The man she has in mind is coincidentally, Ned’s best friend DeVere. Phoebe is immediately attracted to Ned for his gentlemanly conduct and Ned is intrigued by this bemasked woman who he instinctively knows is not who she is pretending to be.
Q: For Phoebe, what is it about Ned that drew her? What makes him a worthy hero?
It would have to be the respect he shows her and his natural chivalry.
Q: What is your favorite scene in this book?
There are so very many fun scenes (some are very naughty!) but this is one of my favorites:
DeVere, on the other hand, evinced no such qualms. He had already loosened his cravat and was stripping off his coat.
“As I said earlier, there is no need,” Phoebe insisted. “A couple of buttons and a raised petticoat are all the business requires.”
“How delightfully unromantic you are, my dear!” He chuckled. “But while most men would be charmed to comply with your simple wishes, I have quite another game in mind. One that most definitely requires you to disrobe.”
“But what if I don’t want to?”
“Oh but you will,” he said with a smug smile.
She glared. “You are very sure of yourself!”
He studied his buffed fingernails. “I am sure of Ned. Thus, we must put on a convincing show.”
Her brows came together in a deep scowl. “What do you mean? What has Ned to do with this?”
“Everything. And at any moment, I expect him to burst through that door like a raging bull.”
Q: You have created an interesting secondary character in Viscount DeVere, Ned’s long-time friend. Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration for his character? What it is like to write such a complicated character?
As I mentioned earlier, his character just came to me and all four stories evolved from him. DeVere was actually loosely inspired by a Georgian bad- boy Frederick 6th Baron Baltimore. I actually use Baltimore in the story as DeVere has perversely chosen to model his life after the ignoble Lord Baltimore, but where Baltimore was a truly irredeemable rake (in real life he kept a private harem and was later tried and acquitted for abducting and raping a young Quaker woman), DeVere is multi-layered and definitely hero-worthy (with the right woman of course!) I enjoyed revealing the different facets of his character as well as his back story throughout the four books.
Q: I found the relationship between DeVere and Ned just as interesting as Ned’s relationship with Phoebe. What do you think these two men see in each other? What was it like creating a pair like them?
Their relationship is somewhat explained throughout the four books but basically, Ned sees the true DeVere that is hidden from everyone else and DeVere gravitates to Ned for his honesty and integrity. Ned is, in effect, the good angel that sits on his shoulder. They really are perfect foils for one another.
In THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (book 3), Ned endeavors to explain to Diana what makes DeVere tick:
“It’s not that he’s without honor, Diana, but you must understand DeVere only follows his own code.” Ned gave her a meaningful look and hoisted himself gracefully into the saddle. “I hope you’ll take extreme care in any dealings with him. He is ruthless and calculating when he chooses to be and has a strong predilection to manipulate and exploit the vulnerabilities of others — when it suits his purpose. He just can’t help himself. It’s not that he’s evil incarnate, or anything like that. It’s just he has low tolerance for weakness, incompetence, or buffoonery.”
Diana’s lifted her brow. “You know I am no fool, dear Edward. I take full responsibility for my actions and have already made clear what I am willing and not willing to sacrifice. You are truly like night and day, you and he,” she remarked. “I marvel that you’ve maintained such a close friendship all these years.”
Edward shrugged. “We are enough alike in matters of import. Though I may not approve of all his actions, how he chooses to live is his business. I shall never meddle.”
Q: I loved how vibrant you made the world of Georgian England and the Drury Lane Theatre in the book. What drew you to this time period and how did your research influence the story itself?
As I mentioned earlier, I have always been drawn to the 18th century. My first novel THE HIGHEST STAKES, written as Emery Lee is set in the Georgian turf world and my second novel FORTUNE’S SON, is set in the gaming world. In my research for both of these books, I explored all aspects of 18th century England to include not only horseracing and gaming, but politics, art, literature, music, and the theatre. I feel almost as if I lived there and make it my goal as a writer to give the reader that same sense by bringing it all vividly to life.
Q: Were you surprised by anything you turned up in your research? Please share with us a fun fact that you’ve uncovered.
I mentioned that Ned and Phoebe first meet in a high end brothel in St James, Westminster, called King’s Place. This was a real place, one of several owned by Charlotte Hayes a shrewd entrepreneur who was once a famed courtesan in her own right. When Mrs. Hayes began losing valuable business to competitors, she decided to host an exclusive “subscription-only” party (read orgy) that she called the Otaheitian Feast of Venus, the details of which are recorded in Nocturnal Revels, an anonymous book written in 1779 largely about Georgian prostitutes and brothels. I used this event in my story – with my own twist, of course.
Q: We’re so excited to see that the next book would feature Viscount DeVere! Please give us a sneak peek.
Actually, I hate to disappoint, but I have a story to tell about this series. Book #2 was supposed to have been THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, the darkly erotic story of DeVere and Diana, but after writing and submitting it to my editor, I just knew it was all wrong – not the story itself, but the tone just wasn’t right to follow AWNB.
At the same time, I had also been wanting to spin off Vesta and Hew’s story which was a secondary romance in TDYK but just couldn’t think how to do it. Then, overnight it came to me. I was on fire with this idea and asked my editor to put TDYK on hold (when it was already scheduled for a June 29th release.) She agreed to do so IF I could write THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS in 21 days. I did it in 13! THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS then took the #2 spot and TDTK was moved to July.
I am sooo happy about this because TVH is another light-hearted erotic romance and perfect to follow AWNB. It also turned out to be my personal favorite of the novellas in this series. Additionally, I had so very much to say about Diana and DeVere that they ended up with 2 books instead of just one!
Filed under: BOOK PROMOTION, GEORGIAN ENGLAND
April 28, 2012
THE RAUCOUS, RIOTOUS, GEORGIAN STAGE
Strolling Actresses Rehearsing in a Barn” William Hogarth
Part I -A Brief History
In the heyday of the Georgian theatre a great number of actresses commanded the stage but only a century earlier, the very thought of women displaying themselves to the public had scandalized society. Prior to the restoration, female parts were most often performed by effeminate youths as recorded by Samuel Pepys in his diary of the year 1660 who remarks of one Kynaston as making “the loveliest lady that I ever saw in my life.”
The Merry Monarch, however, having become accustomed to actresses while exiled on the Continent, mandated in the Patents granted to the Davenant and Killigrew for the formation of two acting troupes:
This was a radical departure from his own father’s reign in which actresses occasionally imported from France were frequently hissed and “pippin-pelted” off the English stage. But times had changed as well as the government. In Pepys entry of October 5, 1667, he states:
“By coach to the theatre and there saw the Scornful Lady, now done by a woman, which makes the play much better than ever it did to me.”
The playhouses, however, indeed proved themselves to be the breeding ground of immorality preached of in the earlier Commonwealth:
By the end of the century, men such as theatre critic, non-juror bishop and theologian, Jeremy Collier, cried out for reform of the lewd English stage. Although some small checks were made to govern the performers, however by the reign of George II, the king himself commanded the restoration of scenes in the earlier plays that had been censored for their indecency. The earlier Georgians, like their king, were well renowned for their low and bawdy taste in entertainment.
Dramatic pieces featuring butchery and blood made the ideal tragedies while John Gay’s, The Beggar’s Opera still remains the quintessential example of early Georgian comedy. Upon its premier in 1727, the comic opera enjoyed an unprecedented sixty-three straight nights. When revived in 1759, with Beard as Macheath and Miss Brent as Polly, it was no less popular, running for another fifty-two nights. Colman produced the work once more in 1781 but with a novel twist — all the women’s parts played by men and the men by women! It was once more a highly popular production. For more on this see my prior post: http://georgianjunkie.wordpress.com/2... By 1735 Sir John Bernard petitioned the House of Commons stating that the six London theatres were nothing better than seats of corruption and vice. Still, the shows went on!
Satire of the most biting kind was favored by dramatists during this bawdy and biosterous epoch. After Gay’s Beggar’s Opera linked First Lord of the Treasury Robert Walpole with the notorious mobster Jonathan Wild, Walpole used his influence to have the sequel Polly banned. In Henry Fielding‘s Tom Thumb (1730), Covent Garden Tragedy (1732), and Pasquin (1736) the playwright once more aimed his poisonous pen at the Walpole, but in attempting to use the stage as a vehicle to lampoon corrupt politicians, an act was hastily passed to censor and control the English stage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licensin... . Fielding’s own Haymarket Theatre closed soon thereafter from which time he applied himself to novel writing.
The composition of the theaters as well as the physical stage also embodied the riotous Georgian era. Whist unfamiliar in our modern age, during the 18th century, the stage itself offered preferential seating for the nobility. Frequently the actors and actresses had to elbow their way through dukes and lords to perform their parts! (See image above – Hogarth’s depiction of The Beggar’s Opera with the lords and ladies seated right on the stage!)
At the Haymarket in 1721 while in the midst of a production of Macbeth, a tipsy earl crossed the stage to speak to one of his boon companions. When confronted for his insolent disregard of the players, the nobleman rewarded theater manager John Rich with a slap in the face— and act brazenly returned by Rich! When the earl’s companions took offense at such a sacrilegious act as retribution by a commoner, a near-riot ensued, only quelled when the entire theatre company took up various and sundry theatrical weapons that were conveniently on hand! The incident resulted in the King commanding the presence of a guard of soldiers at each performance in the Patent playhouses.
Another notable incident occurred in 1740 with the non-appearance of a certain French dancer when a notable Marquess (who had threatened to set fire to the house) smashed the musical instruments, pulled down the set and generally laid waste to the theater. The Georgian audience also had no qualms about voicing dissatisfaction with any performance, frequently spitting or tossing refuse onto the stage.
In February 1772, the following advertisement appears:
In a colorful further example of how the stage mirrored the morality of the time, actor and theatre manager Tate Wilkinson records in his memoirs the advice given to a particular actress named Kitty by her mother who disapproved of her daughter’s recent marriage:
No doubt this doting mother had desired her daughter to hold out for a noble husband, but barring this event now strongly encourages her to become a nobel mistress instead. (See Elizabeth Ferrern and the Earl of Derby). In my just released Georgian era romance,A Wild Night's Bride, struggling actress Phoebe Scott likewise seeks a noble protector to help advance her stage career:
EXCERPT:Covent Garden Theatre, Westminster 1783
Although the normal flurry of activity persisted, with bodies coming and going and articles of clothing flying hither and yon, the communal dressing room of Covent Garden Theatre was a somber twin to its normally gleeful self, the chatter and bonhomie of the players subdued and even forced. What the company all knew but refused to voice aloud was that most of those performers not already taken on by Mr. Sheridan would be unemployed once tonight's curtain dropped. It was the last performance of the season and the one which would officially close the venue for renovations needed to keep up with its chief competitor, the Theatre Royal at Drury Lane.
It was Phoebe Scott's third season. She had joined the troupe with dreams of gracing the stage as Ophelia or Lady MacBeth, but to her growing frustration, she'd yet to advance beyond ladies' maids and other bit comedic parts. The rest of the time, when she had no speaking parts, she earned her keep by the generosity of deputy stage manager, Mr. Hull, who paid her five shillings per night to act as a tire woman to the lead actresses. Such was the case tonight, but with the doors closing tomorrow, even this meager income would soon be lost.
Although she eked out the most parsimonious existence, Phoebe wondered how long her savings would keep her, and more dismally, if she would even have a chance of rejoining the theatre troupe next season when it re-opened its doors in all of its shining new glory. With so little true acting credit to her name, her chances were slim. Tonight, however, she refused to allow the uncertainty of her future to dim her enjoyment of the show. It was her favorite play, Mrs. Cowley's Belle's Stratagem. In her three years at Covent Garden, Phoebe had never missed a performance of it and had even committed every bit of dialogue to heart.
Donning her chambermaid's costume, she forced a cheerful smile upon her painted lips and took herself off briskly to the leading actress's private dressing room where she would help to outfit the not so young Miss Younge for her starring role as Leticia. Knowing any number of surprises might lurk behind closed dressing room doors, Phoebe rapped thrice before entering, only to find the room devoid of the star player.
"She ain't 'ere, luv," remarked Mrs. Andrews, an aged bit part actress, now full time wardrobe mistress.
"Miss Younge? Not here?" Phoebe repeated blankly.
"Aye. Whilst you know I hate to be the tale bearer, some says she wasn't happy with her new contract and now claims to be bedridden with the ague." The plump woman gave a conspiratorial wink. "And word is Mrs. Mattocks has a sprained ankle, though I hear she was seen driving in Hyde Park earlier today."
Before she could elaborate, Mr. Thomas Hull burst through the door with a rubicund face and jowls aquiver, shaking a sheet of parchment and looking apoplectic. "The devil you say! "Miss Younge and Mrs. Mattocks, both? No one is permitted the ague or ankle sprains on a command performance night! The bloody ungrateful wretches! We've now thirty minutes to curtain, and I've no Leticia and no Mrs. Racket!"
"No Leticia? No Mrs. Racket? You don't mean to say—"
Hull cut Phoebe off. "Cancel the performance? Let Hell and a thousand furies seize me before I let pampered actresses run roughshod over me. I'll show them no one in this company is indispensable. The show bloody well will go on!"
Phoebe's heart slammed against her breastbone, her gaze flying with uncertainty from Mrs. Andrews to Mr. Hull. Yet desperate to grasp this once-in-a-lifetime chance, she stepped forward. "I—I know the parts, Mr. Hull—Leticia, Lady Touchwood, Miss Ogle, Kitty Willis. I can play any of them. I swear I won't disappoint you. Please, will you give me a chance?"
"Hmph." Hull regarded her with narrow-eyed scrutiny while Phoebe held her breath, feeling much like a horse at auction. Before Hull could say anything more, Phoebe spun around, grabbed an ornate fan from the dressing table, and transformed into the character of Leticia. She sashayed across the room, pert nose raised above her fluttering fan. "Men are all dissemblers, flatterers, deceivers! Have I not heard a thousand times of my air, my eyes, my shape—all made for victory!" She lowered the fan and struck a pose. "And today, when I bent my whole heart on one poor conquest, I have proved that all those imputed charms amount to nothing." She snapped her fan shut with a toss of her ringlets.
Turning eagerly to Mr. Hull, her teeth bit into her lip as she studied the aging actor's face with desperate hope and apprehension. He regarded her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "While there is an air of freshness about you that is sorely lacking in our other performers of late, and I daresay such a fair face and figure as yours would cover a multitude of sins with our male audience…" Her pulse sped with rising hopes only to be dashed back to earth. "However, I fear I can't risk the disfavor I would incur by allowing you a starring role."
"Disfavor? What do you mean?" Phoebe asked in bewilderment.
"The disfavor of our chief patrons, my dear. Surely, you can't have lived amongst us for so long without understanding how it is."
"How what is?"
"Patronage, my dear. The theatre is but an imitation of that world around us and as such, thrives on patronage. Anyone who aspires to be anyone must have a benefactor. The more powerful the benefactor, the better one's roles and the more profitable for us all." He chucked her under the chin. "Surely you understand that by now? I'm sorry, my dear. While you do show some potential, and with work, I could very well picture you as the delectable ingénue, Leticia, I fear I must move Miss Stewart into the role."
Phoebe's heart contracted with a painful mix of disappointment and disillusionment. The lines she had just spoken echoed her thoughts —she had once more engaged her whole heart for nothing. Naively, she had believed hard work and perseverance would prevail, but now she wondered if she would ever have another chance. Yet she refused to give up completely. "But surely, Mr. Hull, if you must switch the parts of the leading players, there is some small role I can play? Please," she begged. "I won't disappoint you."
"But what are you willing to sacrifice?" His gaze narrowed as it swept her top to toe. "If I grant your wish and put you on stage tonight, I wonder if you are prepared to make the best use of it?"
Phoebe knew what he was asking, and it was the last thing she wanted— to barter what little she had preserved of her self-respect. Having already experienced the faithlessness of one man's heart, her greatest fear was to base her entire future on another's fickle affections. Experience had taught her the folly of trusting pretty words and the emptiness of murmured promises. She had once given freely, and it had cost her dearly. Yet, she now found herself at an unavoidable, unenviable, and ultimately inevitable cross-road. At least this time, she stood to reap a tangible reward for her favors. What more did she really have to lose? "Yes, I will," she whispered her life-changing decision. "I will make the most of any chance you give me."
"Very well then." Hull nodded to the wardrobe mistress who tossed her an elaborate silk gown with a feathered and bejeweled domino. Phoebe caught them with a racing heart. "Kitty's masquerade costume? I have the part of Kitty? But it is a meager six lines," Phoebe stared dismally after his departing back.
Mrs. Andrews clucked. "'Tis not the lines but the delivery what counts. Every great actress knows when a part is well played, the audience believes the player for the real person. Kitty is a shameless little baggage. If your six little lines are well-played, you will have gents queued at your dressing room door—that is if you have the pluck for the part. That, dearie, is the decision you must needs make."
Accepting the role of the disreputable Kitty would certainly determine her path. With this truth staring her otherwise bleak-looking future right in the face, Phoebe lifted her chin, squared her shoulders, and jutted her bosom with a hand placed saucily on her hip. "If that is so, Mrs. Andrews, I promise to be a Kitty they won't soon forget."
To be continued in Part II- Ladies of the Georgian Stage...
Related articles
Georgian Playwright Hannah Cowley (georgianjunkie.wordpress.com)
A Wild Night's Bride &the Naughty, Bawdy Georgians (georgianjunkie.wordpress.com)
When Art Inspires Art by Emery Lee (georgianjunkie.wordpress.com
April 22, 2012
A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE & THE NAUGHTY BAWDY GEORGIANS
In the words of cartoonist Adrian Teal:
"Many of us think of the ill-behaved celebrity and the tabloid splash as inventions of the modern world, but the antics of Premiership footballers and C-list soap stars are as nothing when set alongside the peccadilloes and hell-raising of 18th-century celebs.
The first flowering of the great age of newspapers and caricature gave us boozy Prime Ministers and party leaders who settled their political differences with duels in Hyde Park (when they weren’t gambling, or writing essays about farting); peers of the realm who sat the unburied corpses of their cherished mistresses at their dinner tables; entertainers who rode horses standing upright in the saddle, while wearing a mask of bees; and celebrity courtesans who ate 1,000-guinea banknotes stuffed into sandwiches, simply to make a point. Before it was dashed from their lips by the Victorian party-poopers, our Georgian forebears drank deep from the cup of life." - Adrian Teal on the inspiration behind The Gin Lane Gazette http://www.unbound.co.uk/books/22
In The Secret History Of Georgian London: How The Wages Of Sin Shaped The Capital Dan Cruickshank says: :
"For although Georgian London evokes images of elegant buildings and fine art, it was, in fact, the Sodom of the modern age…Teeming with prostitutes - from lowly street walkers offering a ' threepenny upright' to high-class courtesans retained by dukes - Georgian London was a city built on the sex trade."
In my forthcoming Georgian romp,A Wild Night's Bride, I have endeavored to capture all the naughty bawdiness a racy, rollicking tale that takes the reader from the lascivious antics of Charlotte Hayes' famed Otaheitian Feast of Venus at her notorious King's Place Brothel to join young Prince George's coterie in his newly acquired Carlton House, and then through a madcap wager to the State Bedchamber at St. James Palace. In this erotic historical romantic comedy, I promise a racy, rollicking, good time in the true spirit of the Georgian age!
LINK TO GIVEAWAY AND EXCERPT AT ENGLISH HISTORICAL AUTHORS BLOG:
http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot...
April 6, 2012
~The Devil DeVere~
The cast (in order of appearance)
Viscount Ludovic ”the Devil” DeVere
Devious and machinating rakehell, brother to Hew, godfather to Vesta
Sir Edward Chambers
Respectable and celibate widower with a powerful right hook, father to Vesta, best friend to DeVere
Phoebe Scott “alias Kitty Willis”
Struggling actress with a past, in need of a protector
Lady Vesta Chambers
18-year-old daughter of Sir Edward, spoiled, passionate, willful
Captain Hewett DeVere
War hero younger brother to the viscount, his opposite in every way
Baroness Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley
Godmother to Vesta, beautiful but embittered widow with several closely guarded secrets
Book I A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE
What happens when a struggling actress and a grieving widower come together in a night of unbridled debauchery orchestratedby a bored and machinating rake? With the Devil in Charge, there will be Hell to pay…
LINK TO EXCERPT: http://authorvictoriavane.com/a-wild-nights-bride/a-wild-nights-bride-excerpt/
Book II THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS
Desperate times call for devilish measures… Lady Vesta Chambers is accustomed to getting what she wants, but when the object of her passion has eyes for another, it’s time to take matters in hand! Link to excerpt: http://authorvictoriavane.com/the-virgin-huntress/the-virgin-huntress-excerpt/
Book III THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
When dealing with the devil it’s easy to be burned…especially when passion ignites the flames…
BOOK IV THE DEVIL’S MATCH
A devil and a dragon are an incendiary combination…
Cover and excerpt to come soon…
Filed under: Uncategorized
April 5, 2012
Welcome Victoria Vane Today at Dawn's Reading Nook
How did you start your writing career?
It was a fluke really, I just woke up one day in late 2007 with a story in my head that wouldn't go away so I decided to write it. I finished my mammoth 189,000 word tome 14 months later and sent out query letters. Lo and behold someone (Sourcebooks)was actually interested in publishing it (after considerable editing LOL!) The final product was The Highest Stakeswritten as Emery Lee, a tale of passion, retribution and horseracing.
My second novel, Fortune's Son, also for Sourcebooks is part prequel and part sequel to the first book. It has received several reviewer top picks and was nominated for two awards this year.
For more information and excerpts: http://authoremerylee.com
I took a slight detour after that with a foray into erotic historical romance that began with A BREACH OF PROMISE from Ellora's Cave.
This was a great writing experiment for me as I had never written anything very explicit, nor had I focused my story entirely on the romance as my prior works incorporated equal amounts of history and romance. This naughty little novella also received a great reception which spurred me to write my forthcoming Devil DeVere series for Breathless Press.
Tell us about your favorite character(s) from your books.
I love multi-facted heroes, the ones who are not at all what they appear. I also adore caprice. These are the characteristics of Philip Drake from my Emery Lee title, FORTUNE'S SON as well as Ludovic DeVere, the driving force behind the entire DEVIL DEVERE series.
As for female characters, I had always struggled a bit until self-absorbed , petulant, and impetuous Vesta came long. I adore the little wretch and have decided she is who I would have been had my parents been rich and spoiled me! LOL!
Where do you dream of traveling to and why?
I've actually done a great deal of traveling in my life but have never been to the South Pacific. I would love to visit Australia and New Zealand.
Tell us about your current/upcoming release. What inspired it?
I actually have several to mention as I am writing an entire series called THE DEVIL DEVERE.
To explain a bit, it is comprised of four stand alone novellas that all link together to form a whole story involving six main characters. The series is named after the Viscount Ludovic "The Devil" DeVere who connects all the other characters.
A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE, a romantic comedy is the first title to be released with THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS, another erotic romantic comedy to follow, albeit a bit tamer than the first.
The third book, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW is the longest novella at about 45K words and not a comedy but a darker erotically charged story with some mystery and intrigue.
The last book will be THE DEVIL'S MATCH which has more of a traditional HR tone but is definitely erotic. This wraps up the entire series of novellas. Each of these e-books will be released about 6 weeks apart and will eventually be bundled together in a print book as well. (Links and excerpts to all of my Victoria Vane titles are currently available on my web site at : http://authorvictoriavane.com
LINK TO FULL INTERVIEW:
http://dawnsreadingnook.blogspot.com/...
VICTORIA VANE INTERVIEW at DAWN’S READING NOOK
How did you start your writing career?
It was a fluke really, I just woke up one day in late 2007 with a story in my head that wouldn’t go away so I decided to write it. I finished my mammoth 189,000 word tome 14 months later and sent out query letters. Lo and behold someone (Sourcebooks)was actually interested in publishing it (after considerable editing LOL!) The final product was THE HIGHEST STAKES written as Emery Lee, a tale of passion, retribution and horseracing.
My second novel, FORTUNE’S SON, also for Sourcebooks is part prequel and part sequel to the first book. It has received several reviewer top picks and was nominated for two awards this year. For more information and excerpts: http://authoremerylee.com
I took a slight detour after that with a foray into erotic historical romance that began with A BREACH OF PROMISE from Ellora’s Cave. This was a great writing experiment for me as I had never written anything very explicit, nor had I focused my story entirely on the romance as my prior works incorporated equal amounts of history and romance. This naughty little novella also received a great reception which spurred me to write my forthcoming Devil DeVere series for Breathless Press.
Tell us about your favorite character(s) from your books.
I love multi-facted heroes, the ones who are not at all what they appear. I also adore caprice. These are the characteristics of Philip Drake from my Emery Lee title, FORTUNE’S SON as well as Ludovic DeVere, the driving force behind the entire DEVIL DEVER series.
As for female characters, I had always struggled a bit until self-absorbed , petulant, and impetuous Vesta came long. I adore the little wretch and have decided she is who I would have been had my parents been rich and spoiled me! LOL!
Where do you dream of traveling to and why?
I’ve actually done a great deal of traveling in my life but have never been to the South Pacific. I would love to visit Australia and New Zealand.
Tell us about your current/upcoming release. What inspired it?
I actually have several to mention as I am writing an entire series called THE DEVIL DEVERE.
To explain a bit, it is comprised of four stand alone novellas that all link together to form a whole story involving six main characters. The series is named after the Viscount Ludovic ”The Devil” DeVere who connects all the other characters. A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE, a romantic comedy is the first title to be released with THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS, another erotic romantic comedy to follow, albeit a bit tamer than the first. The third book,THE DEVIL YOU KNOW is the longest novella at about 45K words and not a comedy but a darker erotically charged story with some mystery and intrigue. The last book will be THE DEVIL’S MATCH which has more of a traditional HR tone but is definitely erotic. This wraps up the entire series of novellas. Each of these e-books will be released about 6 weeks apart and will eventually be bundled together in a print book as well. (Links and excerpts to all of my Victoria Vane titles are currently available on my web site at : http://authorvictoriavane.com
LINK TO FULL INTERVIEW:http://dawnsreadingnook.blogspot.com/2012/04/welcome-victoria-vane-today.html?zx=60a48ccd19ba6137
Filed under: BOOK PROMOTION, GEORGIAN ENGLAND, NOVELLAS
March 31, 2012
Hannah Cowley’s The Belle’s Stratagem
Hannah (Parkhouse) Cowley was the daughter of a Devon bookseller who, having been educated for the church, gave his daughter the benefit a limited classical education. While little else is known about her early life, shortly after marriage, Hannah and her new husband Thomas Cowley moved to London where he held a position with the Stamp Office, as well as working part-time as a journalist and theater critic, eventually becoming an editor for The Gazeteer.
It was after attending a play with her husband that Hannah remarked, “Why I could write as well myself!” The very next day, she indeed wrote the first act of her comedy, The Runaway, which she sent to David Garrick, actor and manager of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Although Cowley had no professional theatre experience—unlike other female dramatists of her day such as actresses Elizabeth Inchbald and Elizabeth Griffith, and Frances Sheridan, who was married to an actor, Cowley frequently attended the theatre with her husband.
Garrick produced The Runaway at Drury Lane theatre 15 February 1776 to great success with 17 performances with receipts above £200 per night for the first 14. The play remained in the theatre repertory for seven more seasons and was revived twice more before 1800. According to records in The London Stage there were 39 performances in this period.
William Hopkins notes in his Diary- “It was received with very great Applause”. Reviews were positive: “As we have lately been much afflicted with the melancholy fate of theatrical authors, we have a pleasure more than common in the great success of this piece.” The Critical Review was impressed with Cowley’s “natural untutored genius.”
Her initial success spurred Cowley to continue writing, with two more plays completed within the year, Who’s the Dupe? and Albina neither of which was a great hit but Cowley continued to write. Within the next year she completed her most popular and enduring comedy, The Belle’s Stratagem, produced at Covent Garden in 1780 and performed 28 nights in its first season, and 118 times before 1800. Georgian Dramatist Hannah Cowley‘s biggest hit, The Belle’s Stratagem, has served to inspire two of my own works. In A BREACH OF PROMISE (written as Victoria Vane), my theme and characters Marcus and Lydia closely mirror that of Cowley’s Doricout and Leticia. Additionally, my female protagonist, Phoebe Scott, in A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE is an actress at Covent Garden who gets her big break by playing the part of the notorious Kitty Willis in this same play when the lead actresses fail to show for a command performance.
The Belle’s Stratagem (1780)
Having returned from his trip to Europe, the handsome Doricourt meets his betrothed, Letitia. He finds her acceptable but by no means as elegant as European women. Determined that she will not marry without love, Letitia enlists the help of her father, Mr. Hardy, and Mrs. Racket, a widow, to turn Doricourt off the wedding by pretending that she, Letitia, is an unmannerly hoyden. Meanwhile, Doricourt’s friend Sir George is being overprotective of his new wife, Lady Frances, who rebels and agrees to accompany Mrs. Racket for a day in the town and a masquerade ball that night. While out at an auction, Lady Frances meets the rake, Courtall, who brags to his friend Saville that he will seduce her. Meanwhile, Letitia’s brazen acting succeeds in dissuading Doricourt from wanting to marry her. All characters converge at that night’s masquerade. The disguised Letitia shows off her charms, bewitches Doricourt and then leaves before he can find out who she is. Courtall, disguised the same way as Sir George, lures the lady he thinks is Lady Frances back to his house. However, Saville has replaced the real Lady Frances with a prostitute who is disguised as Lady Frances is. Shamed, Courtall leaves town. The next day, Doricourt, who has been told that Mr. Hardy is on his deathbed, visits him and reluctantly agrees to marry Letitia after all. Then the disguised Letitia enters and reveals her true identity to the overjoyed Doricourt, who also learns that Hardy was not ill after all.
Although her next effort , The World as It Goes; or, a Party at Montpelier (later titled Second Thoughts Are Best) was a flop, she continued to write seven more plays until 1794, none of which would match her early success. Cowley then turned her hand to poetry under the pseudonym Anna Matilda but with less success. Her last play, The Town Before You, was produced in 1795. In 1801, Cowley retired to Tiverton, where she spent her remaining revising her plays out of the public spotlight.
Filed under: 18TH CENTURY ENTERTAINMENT, ART, MUSIC, CULTURE, GEORGIAN ENGLAND
March 25, 2012
LATEST NEWS AND REVIEWS:
Giveaways will happen on the one year blogiversary of the blog, MARCH 29 from 10 AM EST till 10 PM EST – one per hour with a total of 12 giveaway events! Each giveaway will be open for 2 hours. One Day Only! Please comment below to win a copy of A BREACH OF PROMISE
A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE coming 4/27/12
FIRST EARLY REVIEW:
The antics are wonderfully humorous, the dare extremely naughty, and the result will have you smiling long after you finish reading A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE. Victoria Vane knows her history. She knows her Georgian era so well that you will feel as if you were transported back in time and were experiencing this adventure as your own. The settings, the characters and their speech, all lend themselves to a hundred plus pages of absolute delightful fun and steamy romance with a sweet finale.
A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE by Victoria Vane is a sexy, bawdy, racy, frolicking Georgian good time reminiscent of TOM JONES and MOLL FLANDERS with a hint of THE HANGOVER! I highly recommend you read this novella and if the ones that follow are as much fun, we are all in for a delightfully good time.
http://unwrappingromance.blogspot.com/2012/03/unwrapping-romance-review-of-wild.html
The countdown begins! Link to excerpt and pre-ordering:http://www.breathlesspress.com/wild-nights-bride
MORE ACCLAIM for A BREACH OF PROMISE from Seriously Reviewed!
Review: HOT HOT HOT!!
Victoria Vane is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her ability to craft a tale of wonder and excitement. Lust, emotion, passion….Everything you need is in here. Oh…did I forget to mention the rocking hot sex?How dare I
The depth of the characters was a pleasant surprise to me. Many times with erotic stories there tends to be more a focus on the sex than the story and I was pleased to discover that this wasn’t the case here. Such a wonderful job was done in conveying the emotion between Lydia and Marcus that upon occasion I wanted to reach out and slap the man for her. Rest assured though, redemption was found and all was made right….and soooo good
I look forward to reading more of Ms Vane’s work in the future….and if I were you, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to discover her if you haven’t already
Link to book excerpt:http://victoriavane.wordpress.com/home/excerpts/
Filed under: BOOK PROMOTION, Uncategorized
