Today is the last day of the auction put on by Eloisa James and Julia Quinn. Many Regency authors have donated more items over the month, including an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) by Colleen Gleeson and a 50-page critique by Joanna Bourne! The money is being raised for a young family in need, so you get awesome autographed books and get to contribute to a good cause. There are a few non-regency offerings too, including an ARC of Jennifer Ashley’s Immortals: The Redeeming. I have her first book sitting in my bookshelf just waiting for me to delve into.

Bidding ends TONIGHT, Friday, June 27th at Midnight, EST (that’s 9 pm to those of us on the Best Coast).

Check out the auction here.

I must point out that the autographed ARC of Mr. Cavendish I Presume by Julia Quinn is currently only going for $80. Some rabid fan paid over $300 for it on Brenda Novak’s auction, so you’re getting a steal.

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And in other news:

I WON A BOOK AT THE BOOK BINGE!!!

Title: Pleasure Unbound
Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica, Book 1
Publisher: Forever, June 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Yay! It looks good. The Book Binge gave it 4.5 out of 5 and you can read Casee’s review here. Even more exciting? Author Nalini Singh says “What a ride! Dark, sexy and very intriguing, this book gripped me from start to finish. I can’t wait to read the next in the series!” Nalini is a goddess, so you know it’s gotta be good.

Did you miss your chance to bid on the Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of Julia Quinn’s Mr. Cavendish, I Presume? (It went for $320 on Brenda Novak’s Online Auction.) Well never fear, here is your second chance to get your pristine regency gloves on a copy! The auction is a fundraiser for the kids of someone named Alyx. Who is that? No idea.

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading Ms. James or Ms. Quinn, here is your chance. Both ladies write delightfully witty novels set in Regency London. Last night I finished The Lost Duke of Wyndham, which takes place at the same time as Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. It was lovely. Jack is a hero after my own heart.

Eloisa James and Julia Quinn Auction of Regency Goodness click here

Auction ends Midnight EST, Friday, June 27 and all bids start at $5 unless otherwise stated.

Goodies to bid on:

• Critique of a Query Letter by CJ Lyons
• ARC: Julia Quinn’s Mr. Cavendish, I Presume
• ARC: Julianne MacLean’s The Mistress Diaries
• ARC: Eloisa James’s When the Duke Returns
• ARC: Victoria Dahl’s A Rake’s Guide to Pleasure + an Extra!
• ARC: Sophie Jordan’s Surrender To Me
• ARC: Karen Hawkin’s Talk of the Town
• ARC: Colleen Gleason’s When Twilight Burns
• ARC: Elizabeth Hoyt’s To Seduce a Sinner
• ARC: Michelle Marcos’s Gentleman Behaving Badly
• ARC: Alexandra Benedict’s Too Dangerous To Desire
• ARC: Jennifer Ashley’s Immortals: The Redeeming
• Autographed Bridgerton Collection
• Autographed Gardella Vampire Series from Colleen Gleason
• Autographed Splendid Trilogy
• Autographed by Lorraine Heath. From Texas to London 13 books
• Autographed The Dark Gate by Pamela Palmer
• Autographed Templar Trilogy from Mary Reed McCall
• Autographed Unmasqued by Colette Gale Hardback Copy
• Elizabeth Hoyt’s Prince Trilogy Autographed
• To Catch An Heiress and How to Marry a Marquis, signed by JQ
• And more!

I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun. I feel like a mole. Or a dwarf. Maybe a vampire. It’s been dark, damp, and thoroughly depressing for DAYS. It is very hard to be creative when it’s so dreary. The constant deluge has caused flooding- see the photo at right from today’s Seattle Times. It’s nar-sty.

I’ve been reading all of Eloisa James’ books recently: the 4-book series on the Essex sisters (Much Ado About You, Kiss Me Annabelle, Taming the Duke, and Pleasure for Pleasure), Your Wicked Ways (in which the Earl of Mayne loses his heart, refered to in the Essex sister’s books), The Duchess in Love, Midnight Pleasures, Desperate Duchess, and An Affair Before Christmas. The latter two are Ms. James’ foray into pre-Regency historical romance. They are set in the late 1700s, when men wore high heels and decorative facial patches. Oooo sexy?

Today I watched the 4-part interview with Ms. James on RomanceTv.com. It’s a great site for procrastinating.

PS: ENCHANTED IS AWESOME!!!! I saw it twice. My husband even liked it!

I now have almost 17,000 words of my story for NaNo (extremely far away from where I should be at this point in the month!). I admit to taking last night off to read Eloisa James‘ Your Wicked Ways, which was excellent. I adore Eloisa. It is impossible to put down her books. The woman is impossibly brilliant, with a degree from Harvard, a Masters of Philosophy from Oxford, and a Doctorate from Yale. While not writing extremely well crafted plots, robust characters, and eloquent dialog, she teaches Shakespeare at University. Her books are sprinkled with references to Shakespeare and are impressively researched (would that I had graduate students to research for me!). I grovel in her general direction.

Anyways, for those of us just starting out writing romance novels, I recommend the following book:

Title: The Natural History of the Romance Novel
Author: Pamela Regis
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 2003 (Hurrah! Hurrah Pennsylvania!)
Genre: Nonfiction

The cliff notes version:

Part 1: Regis defends the Romance Novel from its many critics. Romance is the most popular but least respected of the literary genres.

Part 2: Regis defines the Romance Novel as “a work of prose fiction that tells the story of the courtship and betrothal of one or more heroines.” She also defines the Eight Essential Elements of The Romance Novel, which are:

1) Society Defined: Society, its corrupt structure and/or rigid rules, is a barrier and cause of conflict that the hero and heroine must overcome to achieve their HEA.

2) The Meeting: The hero and heroine do not hit it off at their first meeting – they start knocking heads from the beginning.

3) The Barrier: External barriers such as society, family, economics, geography and internal barriers such as attitudes, temperament, values, and beliefs impede the union between the hero and heroine and are a constant source of conflict throughout the novel.

4) The Attraction: Also found throughout the novel are scenes that demonstrate the reasons that the hero and heroine are destined to be together, such as sexual chemistry, friendship, shared goals or feelings, society’s expectations, and economic issues.

5) The Declaration: The scene where they realize they can’t live without each other, though often the hero and heroine come to this conclusion separately and declare their love at different times.

6) Point of Ritual Death: The point where the HEA seems impossible at the climax of the novel. The heroine or hero is faced with death or a symbolic death but is freed from its presence. The mythical escape.

7) The Recognition: The scene in the novel where new information is revealed that lifts the barriers that separated the hero and heroine, such as the hero is really of noble blood or the cross-dressing heroine is really a female. The hero and heroine are at last free to act on their love; proving once again that true love conquers all. The realistic escape.

8 ) The Betrothal: They agree to get married and live Happily Ever After. Yay!

Part III & IV: The History of the Romance Novel, from 1740 through the 20th century

1) Pamela, 1740: the first best seller

2) Pride and Prejudice, 1813: The best romance novel ever written

3) Jane Eyre, 1847

4) Framley Parsonage, 1861

5) A Room with a View, 1908: The ideal romance novel

6) Georgette Heyer

7) Mary Stewart

8 ) Janet Dailey

9) Jayne Ann Krentz

10) Nora Roberts

Saturday, November 3:
Tokens and treasures, yesterday’s pleasures
Cheap imitations of heirlooms of old
Dented and tarnished, scarred and unvarnished
In old Portobello they’re bought and they’re sold

Portebollo Road, Portobello Road
Street where the riches of ages are stowed
Artifacts to glorify our regal abode
Are hidden in the flotsam in Portobello road.
You’ll find what you want in the Portobello Road

From Disney’s Bednobs & Broomstick, which was stuck in my head most of the week. Portobello Road Market is, indeed, just like the song. Knicknacks of all shapes and sizes spill out of stalls lining the street. It was great.

Rachael and I had high tea in a modern tea shop nearby and we visited the Victoria & Albert Museum, a museum of cultural history of sorts that was founded with the proceeds of the Great Exhibition of 1850 (which would be an interesting subject for an historic romance novel!). I was really hoping to see costume history at the V & A, but they only displayed a small portion of their costume collection. Online they have an extensive collection of fashion history photographs and some fascinating feature articles such as Corsets and Crinoline.

Incidentally, while at Rachael’s I read Twice the Temptation by Suzanne Enoch that has two stories, one historic and one contemporary, both centering around a cursed heirloom necklace. In the second story the heroine is responsible for a touring jewelry exhibition by the V & A, which made seeing the V & A all the cooler, but unfortunately the V & A jewelry exhibit was closed for renovation while we were there. I liked the historic story better than the contemporary one anyway.

Sunday, November 4:
We took the train to Cambridge, which is lovely, where I saw my friend Tracy. The college house system sounds just like Hogwarts and the town looks like Hogsmead. I even took my photo next to platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station on the way there! We had high tea again (yum) and advised Tracy on what romance novel she should read for her first foray into the genre. She wanted something light as a break from her Bioengineering PhD studies. oof!

Monday, November 5:
I walked through Hyde Park. Yay! Now I can imagine it in every Regency Romance where the hero and heroine ride down Rotten Row, or walk through the gardens, or fall into the Serpentine (Kate in the Viscount Who Loved Me!). I saw a rider in traditional riding costume (wearing Hessians?) and I remembered that the top thing I wanted to do in London was go for a horse ride in Hyde Park. Phooey to remember on my last day. I couldn’t find the stables, but I did find the phone numbers for two stables that hire horses for riding in the park. Next time for sure! I followed the rider down Rotten Row for a bit, simply because I was so excited to actually see someone riding in Hyde Park, until he started cantering, at which time I was left in the dust.

Later I took the Tube to Covent Garden, saw Covent Garden Market, walked to the British Museum, strolled down Drury Lane, and toured the Royal Theater Drury Lane – all popular Regency Romance locations.

I admit, sadly, that I didn’t write much on my trip, but I got a lot of research done for my book! I read a lot at Rachael’s, partly because I got sick and partly because I couldn’t resist digging into Rachael’s collection of romance novels. I discovered two new yummy authors I really like: Kasey Michaels and Eloisa James. And I had fun. I would love to go back someday. You could stay years in London and not see everything!