Loretta Chase's Blog, page 21

Lady Clara's book is in production

Because so many readers ask, I'm guessing the news isn't easy to find on the website, so a blog post seems in order.

Yes, indeed, I have written Lady Clara's story. It's titled Dukes Prefer Blondes, and scheduled for publication in 2016. I'd heard January 2016, but that might have changed, since I was late delivering the manuscript. But I've completed the revisions, and it's now in the hands of the copy editor. Which means it will return to me in a couple of weeks for another going-over.

The i...

Manga editions of Lord of Scoundrels and Mr. Impossible

When these arrived at my house, I went nuts. I'd never supposed my books would ever make it into this format. So that was one thing. The other was how spectacularly well done they were, down to historical detail, but also in terms of beautifully realized scenes.

Even without being able to read Japanese, one has no trouble recognizing Lord of Scoundrels. So Jess's clothes are a bit later than 1829—more like 1835—but they are excellent for the time period chosen! And how did the artist manage...

The Fox Under the Hill

Some historical notes, part of my illustrated guide to The Last Hellion*—

Fox Under the Hill

The characters appear in a number of London eating and drinking establishments, most of which I discovered in the works of Charles Dickens. One interesting place is the Fox Under the Hill. This tavern (not to be confused by others of the same name) was at No. 75 in the Strand, and vanished when the Victoria Embankment was built.

"When Dickens was a boy—and an unhappy boyhood was his—he used to resor...

Release Day! Two Audio Books

As previously reported, two more of my books are now available in audio editions.

The Last Hellion

The Last Hellion was the last of the Scoundrels series, whose centerpiece is Lord of Scoundrels. It features an intrepid lady journalist and the kind of duke who gives dukes a bad name—as he demonstrated during his short appearance in Lord of Scoundrels. The bulk of the story takes place in London, with a fast and furious side trip of a carriage race to Portsmouth.

Miss Wonderful

Miss Wonderfu...

The Last Hellion & Miss Wonderful Audio Releases

An alert, very diligent, and loyal reader has let me know that my two latest audio books, The Last Hellion and Miss Wonderful, narrated by Kate Reading and scheduled for 12 May release, are now available for pre-order.

Next in production will be Mr. Impossible and Lord Perfect. We're aiming for a June or July release for these, the second and third Carsington books.

Miss Wonderful is here at Amazon.

The Last Hellion is here at Amazon.

What is Lady Day?

In Lord of Scoundrels, Lord Dain refers to an event occurring between Candlemas and Lady Day. These dates may not mean much to many readers. Following is a short explanation, which I originally wrote for Two Nerdy History Girls. ***

The Severe Steward

In my book Lord of Scoundrels, Lord Dain refers to an event occurring before Lady-Day. He does not mean the singer Billie Holiday.

He’s referring to a Quarter Day, as do characters in many books. These are important dates in the British calendar...

Hardwick Hall, the Model for Athcourt

Because readers seem to be very interested in the posts about locales and vehicles mentioned in Lord of Scoundrels*, I'm continuing the visual guide.

Athcourt, where Lord Dain resided, is on the fringes of Dartmoor. It’s based, however, on Hardwick Hall, which is in Derbyshire. But there are moors there, too, and Hardwick Hall certainly is atmospheric. I chose it because it looked like the sort of place Dain would have grown up in and because I had a picture of it in cross-section—so helpful...

See Me in Burlington, MA?

I'll be attending the New England Chapter of the Romance Writers of America annual conference this coming weekend, 24-25 April 2015, and signing books there on Saturday. If you're there, please stop by and say Hi.

Let Your Imagination Take Flight
Annual Conference
Boston Marriott
Burlington MA
24-25 April 2015

Book Fair
25 April
130-230 PM

Royally Ever After On Sale Today

Release Day!

Two of my novellas from anthologies appear together in one eBook, with a beautiful new cover.

These stories were written to coincide with royal wedding events. When Avon invited me to write them, I was a little nervous, I admit. I hadn’t written any shorter tales in decades, and did remember it was tricky to compress a story into a fraction of the normal amount of words. So it was. And yet, it turned out to be a fun and very interesting challenge.

I do hope you enjoy reading them...

Lord of Scoundrels & the Coaching Inn

In January, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Lord of Scoundrels' publication. This gives me a good excuse to explain some of the references in the story. You can also find images on my Pinterest page. Below is s a blog I did for Two Nerdy History Girls about coaching inns, so you'll have an idea of what Jessica & Dain were looking at.

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Hatchett's-The White Horse Cellar

Those of us writing books set during the coaching era often puzzle over coaching inns. Even when we actually visit coac...