Sense and Sensibility: The Musical

I love going to the theater and seeing productions everyone's talking about; but every once in a while, I get to see a new play that hasn't yet hit the critics' radar screens. Denver is fortunate to be the venue where many productions premier their plays before heading to New York or embarking on a national tour. That was the case with Sense & Sensibility: The Musical.

It's a charming version of one of my favorite Jane Austen novels and it didn't disappoint me. The cast was exceptional, the costumes by Emilio Sosa (one of my all-time favorite Project Runway designers) were a visual treat, and the music and lyrics helped move the story along. I'll even confess to getting a little misty-eyed during Marianne and Colonel Brandon's duet; it was so sweet and touching!

I hope you get a chance to see this wonderful production. In the meantime, follow this link to the Facebook page for Sense & Sensibility: the Musical, where you can read more about the production, see pictures of the performance, and hear the songs.

Click on this link to read an article from Broadway World about the sold-out performances of SSTM's Denver world premier.

Jane Austen to be face of the Bank of England £10 note

The Bank of England announced that Jane Austen's image will appear on the new £10 bank note.

The new bank note featuring the beloved author of Pride and Prejudice will probably start appearing in 2017.

In addition to Jane Austen's image, the bank note's planned design includes:

• A quote from Pride and Prejudice - "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!"
• An illustration of Elizabeth Bennet, one of the characters in Pride and Prejudice
• An image of Godmersham Park in Kent - the home of Jane Austen's brother, Edward Austen Knight, and the inspiration for a number of novels
• A central background design of the author's writing table which she used at home at Chawton Cottage in Hampshire

You can read about the announcement and the public campaign that influenced the Bank of England's decision.

The Art of the Fan

Ladies of fashion have been using fans for generations as an essential fashion accessory.  As Joseph Addison said, in The Spectator, "Women are armed with Fans as Men with Swords, and sometimes do more Execution with them."

Robert Schumann
"At the Opera"

Mr. Addison describes the following encounter with an attractive lady and her fan at a Sunday church service:

She displayed the most beautiful Bosom imaginable, which heaved and fell with some Fervour, while a delicate well-shaped Arm held a Fan over her Face. It was not in Nature to command ones Eyes from this Object; I could not avoid taking notice also of her Fan, which had on it various Figures, very improper to behold on that Occasion. There lay in the Body of the Piece a Venus, under a Purple Canopy furled with curious Wreaths of Drapery, half naked, attended with a Train of Cupids, who were busied in Fanning her as she slept. Behind her was drawn a Satyr peeping over the silken Fence, and threatening to break through it.

Wadysaw Bakaowicz

Frederico Andreotti

I think Mr. Addison might have drawn on his own experience when he wrote:

There is an infinite Variety of Motions to be made use of in the Flutter of a Fan. There is the angry Flutter, the modest Flutter, the timorous Flutter, the confused Flutter, the merry Flutter, and the amorous Flutter. Not to be tedious, there is scarce any Emotion in the Mind does not produce a suitable Agitation in the Fan.

Thomas Benjamin Kennington

In Georgette Heyer's The Masqueraders, Robin Tremaine disguises himself as a woman and makes great comic use of a fan to flirt with Sir Anthony Fanshawe.


Gaetano Bellei

You can read more about the history of the lady's fan here at Victoriana.

My Regency romance, A Scandalous Season, is available for free on Amazon Kindle. You'll have to hurry: this offer is only good for the next 5 days!

Headstrong Lady Eleanor Chilton is determined to marry a country gentleman of her own choosing. But when her father insists that she have a London Season, she resolves to be so disagreeable, no man will even dance with her. Her icy demeanor and unpleasant words soon repel every dandy who makes her acquaintance – Including Sir Andrew de Ardescote, London’s most sought-after bachelor.

Sir Andrew is not used to being snubbed, and he doesn’t take to it kindly, even though the contrary young lady is quite the loveliest creature he’s ever met. He’ll have his revenge: A simple wager with friends that he will be the first to melt the icy young maiden’s heart with a kiss.
As he sets about charm Lady Eleanor to fall in love with him, it isn’t long before Sir Andrew realizes he’s the one in danger of losing his heart.

"A light-hearted drawing room comedy to brighten your day." - Romantic Times
"Pretty entertaining, I must say!" – Goodreads

Click here to read A Scandalous Season.

One Dance with You

My Regency short story, One Dance with You, is now available for Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook! I enjoyed writing this story of a young woman who gives up on love, only to discover it again in the most unexpected place.

A Compliment, Indeed!

A wonderful reader posted a review of my book, Once Upon A Christmas, on the Barnes and Noble website, which said:

"This reads along the same lines of a Georgette Heyer story and almost as good!"

What a tremendous compliment! There's no higher praise a writer of Regency romance can get than to be compared to (the incomparable) Ms. Heyer. Thank you!

Soldiering On In A Regency-less World

In the months (6 to be exact) since my last post, I've been hard at work on a number of writing projects, including a couple of Regencies that have shaped up nicely. I'm pleased with the results of my labors; and now that my new Regencies are essentially in final form and ready to be sent off to the publisher, the question must be asked: "What publisher?"

We all know the major romance publishers dropped dedicated Regency lines some years ago, leaving traditional Regency authors and readers with essentially two options:

• Adapt to the Historical Romance lines. There's a definite market for historical romances set in the Regency period. But let's face it: historical romances set in the Regency period are not the same as traditional Regency romances. Historicals concentrate less on the manners and cultural elements of the Regency era. And traditional Regencies focus more on the romance of two people falling in love than the passionate expliciteness demanded of historical romances.
• Find a niche publisher. There are opportunities to publish in formats that are dedicated to a specific reading population. For instance, ebook publishers have given life to new and reprint Regencies . . . and the Christian fiction market has provided a home for traditional Regencies that project a message of inspiration. But anytime you write for a specific niche market, you automatically exclude a wider audience and limit your readership.

As a writer, I always want my work to be easily read by the audience I write for.* Today's market makes that a little harder than it used to be . . . but it's not impossible. I'm ready to take on the challenge of seeing my next book in published form with all the elements of a traditional Regency romance safely intact. Wish me luck!
* Yes, I know. The sentence should read, "I always want my work to be easily read by the audience for whom I write."