Loretta Chase's Blog, page 13

Season's Greetings

Christmas Eve by W.C. Bauer (19th C)

Gentle Reader,

Some of my favorite Christmas Eve images are from the 19th century. They seem to be written with the carol Silent Night in mind.

Recently and aptly, this opinion piece appeared in a local paper, reminding me why I find the images so appealing.
At another time, you might be treated to my rants—I mean, opinions—about loud conversations and loud music in shops and restaurants. For today, though, the element of peace is on my mind. We live in...

One More Appearance in New England

Just a quick note about one more appearance—probably my last for 2019. I need to write, but this was an offer I couldn’t resist, let alone refuse. Look at the lineup!

Saturday 26 October 2019

2:00 PM - 6:30 PM

The Cabaret Theater

Mohegan Sun

1 Mohegan Sun Blvd

Uncasville CT 06382

You can learn more about it here at Avon Books or at the KissCon Event site.

I hope to see you there!

The Case of the Disappearing Audiobooks

Temple of the Muses, Finsbury Square, Ackermann's Rpository April 1809

A while back, some of my readers alerted me to a problem with my audiobooks. They were unable to re-download two of the Dressmakers books, Silk is for Seduction and Vixen in Velvet, which they’d previously bought.

Upon checking with my publisher, I learned that the audio sublicenses for these two books had ended. I will not attempt to explain sublicenses or why I can’t just push a button and get things back into print or a...

Personal Appearances in Massachusetts

E. Phillips Fox, A Love Story (1903)

Gentle reader,

You haven’t heard from me in a while because I’ve been doing hand-to-hand combat with Ashmont’s story. As you are well aware by now, he is a ducal pain in the you-know-what. But, then, I knew that when I created him, and it was part of his charm. And so I persevere.

Meanwhile, even though a new book will not appear this year, I am still willing and able to speak—as long as I’m not the only one—and will be making a few appearances.

First up:

Sat...

Scandal Wears Satin eBook on sale for $1.99

Popping into your inbox quickly to deliver some good news: Scandal Wears Satin, the second book of the Dressmakers Series, is a Kindle monthly deal. You can get it for $1.99 for the entire month of June. Since some of the other eBook retailers sometimes match the Kindle price, there might be a deal for Nook, Kobo, etc.—though I can’t promise.

Please note: This deal applies only to the U.S. We do have deals on my books in the U.K. at times, but this is a completely separate thing, because of l...

Love Letter to You

Vittorio Matteo Corcos, Sogni (Dreams) 1896

Thanks, Gentle Readers. You made me cry.

And you made me go straight back to work, but so much happier, because of course you understand—I had a strong feeling you would—but there is nothing like your taking the time to put it into actual, heartfelt words and send those to my inbox. Also, the depth and kindness of the understanding was pretty stunning.

Thank you.

Hermann Fenner-Behmer, 'De quoi écrire!' (What to write)

I’m sending this instead of...

This book is late, really late

I know some readers are worried about the next Difficult Dukes book because they send me polite, gentle emails asking when Difficult Dukes #2 will be released.

I wish I could release the dratted thing from my brain, but it keeps getting stuck there. And just when I get it unstuck and rolling along, it falls into yet another patch of quicksand and sinks. And then I have to go fishing around for it, and pull it out and clean it off and see if I can breathe some life back into it. Why is this ha...

Olympia's Destination Wedding Locale

Greenwood Map of Kensington 1830. Red line is Olympia’s and Ripley’s route from Newland House (Campden House)

A previous post about A Duke in Shining Armor described my husband and my tracking Olympia’s escape route.

This time I thought it would be fun to take a closer look at the house she ran from, Newland House.

Seeking a wedding locale near but not in 1830s London, I discovered Campden House on a map of Kensington. It belongs to one of many areas that are now part of London but were ru...

Following Olympia's Great Escape Route

My historical romances feature quite a few duke heroes, all rich, young, and good-looking. This was not the reality in early 19th century Great Britain and it isn’t the reality today. What is real though, is their belonging to the highest rank of the peerage, and their possessing, in the time of our stories, power, privilege, and wealth we can scarcely imagine. The duke is the mightiest of the noblemen—but in the idealized world of romance fiction, he meets his match in the strong heroine, w...

Sunset on the Beach and Other Things

As I’ve told many people, writers can work just about anywhere. Yes, I’m in Southwest Florida, and yes, I’m working. It definitely beats working in New England at this time of year. Without having to put on five layers of clothing, I can hop on public transportation and head to a restaurant to meet my friends (authors Victoria Hinshaw and Kristine Hughes Patrone L-R below) or stroll to the UPS drop-off or the USPS office. In fact, I’m getting much more exercise than I do at home in the winter...