An adventurous Regency lady

SCANDALOUS  LADY

Constantinople 1811

Not a promising start to the relationship between the diplomat and the artist.....

'It would be very easy, Olivia,' he insisted, his eyes flashing as she kept shaking her head. 'No servant would hesitate if I gave the order to have you tied in a sack and thrown in the Bosphorus.'

            At this she leapt to her feet. 'You are disgusting!' she shouted, 'I can hardly believe you're human when you talk like that. You take me away by force and plan to use me for your entertainment with no respect for my wishes or my reputation.'

            He rose in one fluid movement and stood over her. 'You have no reputation.'

                   ...and it soon gets much more complicated ! Oh dear!

The reviews for my story are very encouraging and I'm delighted to share some of them

By lesley whitfield on 21 Jan. 2017

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

I have just finished reading this book and, although it was after midnight, I simply couldn't put it down until I had reached the end. Beautifully written with such detail of what took place at the time.

The descriptions were just right of the characters, enough but not too much. I love to have some freedom to add my own thoughts on the characters. This was well researched and well written, hence the 5 star I have given it. An insight into the troubles at the times, with romance thrown in, as well as danger.

By Birdseye on 22 Jan. 2017

Format: Kindle Edition

Olivia is a wonderful character. She is delightfully independent. She knows exactly what she wants and what she needs and has the courage to get it. She is also so real, so strong. It was like following a friend that I admired through her adventures.

By evelyn on 20 Jan. 2017

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

A book with actual story telling as well as humour for a change.

Christmas Day in Constantinople

For fifteen months, Lady Emilia Hornby lived in Constantinople. Her husband, Sir Edmund Hornby, was the British financial commissioner in the Ottoman Empire during the Crimean War. Her letters home are full of life and colour, giving a vivid description of the very different world she experienced during her stay. 

Here is what she says about Christmas day in 1855.

Ivan Aivozorsky: Dusk on the Golden Horn 1845

The Bosphorus on Christmas-day was particularly beautiful to us, unused now to see outward signs of a Christian people. The almost innumerable European ships were gaily dressed with flags and pennants, which fluttered in the brilliant sunshine...and far in the distance, the Asian mountains glittering with ice and snow. It was delightful to feel the warmth of spring in your caique, and to look upon shining avalanches above the clouds themselves.

Several English and French men-of-war on Christmas morning were taking in from caiques famous stocks of good things to make merry: oranges, dried fruits, grapes, and Turkish sweetmeats, whose name is Legion.

 Lady Emilia Hornby:  In and around Stamboul

Published, 1858

The Next Big Thing #thenextbigthing

The Next Big Thing:
 Scandalous Lady

The latest game for authors in the blogosphere is to tag each other for The Next Big Thing. Once tagged, an author answers a few questions, then tags other writers, with their permission.

This time I was tagged by Jane Risdon.
You can read a wide variety of items by Jane at   http://janerisdon.wordpress.com/

Jane loves books as magical things and of course I would agree with her that the smell and feel of them is the first part of the spell. Once inside a good book, you are in another world, one that is always there for you to go back to. Jane's WIP is about the sleuth Lavinia Birdsong, retired from MI5 to live in an Oxfordshire village. But when mystery and murder occur, she has to go back to solving the crimes. We are waiting eagerly for Lavinia to complete her first adventure, so we can read it….

Now for.......The Next Big Thing.

What is the working title of your book?

          Scandalous Lady

Where did the idea come from for the book?

For me, things start by looking at pictures. I have a large collection of faces and buildings, gathered from magazines, etc. One or two faces suddenly seem to have a story attached and a few scenes of their story are immediately clear to me, although I'm not sure where in the tale these events take place. It's as if the story is already complete, but I must work to uncover it, little by little.
This time, my hero looked gravely out at me and his character was evident: proud, subtle and determined, yet he also liked to tease. His dark colouring indicated an exotic setting, so Istanbul, a city I love, seemed to be part of his story. Lady Hester Stanhope spent some months in Istanbul in 1811, when things were settling down after a period of great turmoil. And setting the tale in that year allowed me to add in a few details about Sultan Selim III, whose life fascinates me. Another photo of a sultry young lady with a fearless look completed the basic mix. She was going to challenge my gorgeous but arrogant hero to the limit.

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical romance with a dash of adventure.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

The hero's looks are based on Santiago Cabrera. It was the actor's thoughtful pose that initially inspired me. I also think he has the right voice to play Selim / Henri, who is part French, part Turkish. Olivia is a redhead and very lively. Carey Mulligan would provide a wonderful, impish contrast to my rather serious Selim / Henri.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

No matter the obstacles, love will find a way through them.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I hope to find a publisher to take the story. Agents are not keen on Regency set stories, although the public like them.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About eight months writing time but before I could complete it, I needed to go to Istanbul and to the Pyrenees for research - so just over a year altogether. But eventually it took longer because my first draft is always very different from the final version of the story. And the chateau in the Pyrenees was so wonderful I went back for a second visit.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I feel very presumptuous even to mention myself in the same sentence as such a prestigious author but the closest would be Loretta Chase's Mr Impossible - because both stories are about an English person coping with life in a very different culture. It's also clear that both she and I like exotic settings.
Here is a view of Istanbul / Constantinople from Pera, where the European community lived, looking south across the Golden Horn.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I love to read about intrepid women travelers. For a long time I was looking for an opportunity to put Lady Hester Stanhope into a story. As she spent time in Istanbul, that settled both the time and place for me. Her independent lifestyle makes her a role-model for Olivia, my heroine. In addition, I have to confess to a special interest in the Ottoman Sultan, Selim III, the gentle musician monarch. He tried to reform his empire but he was murdered by reactionary soldiers in 1808.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

It is an Ottoman Regency story and opens the door on an exotic world. As this is mainly seen through Olivia's eyes, the reader can share her experience of dipping in and out of a very different way of life and then return  to more familiar customs. Here is the kasir [pavilion, part of a royal palace] where Selim stayed while working for the Sultan. This little gem is situated on the north shore of the Golden Horn. It was the favourite palace of Sultan Selim III, and is now the National Music Museum.

                                                                                                         

Now I'm tagging Cindy Nord to tell us about her latest stories on The Next Big Thing. There is a lot of fascinating information about Cindy, her writings and her interest in the American Civil War Reenactment Society on her website at :    www.cindynord.com

Cindy writes a luscious blend of history and romance with fast-paced action and emotionally driven characters. She has been a finalist or won many times in chapter competitions, including the Romance Writers of America National Golden Heart Contest. Her latest novel, "NO GREATER GLORY" is a love story set against the tapestry of the American Civil War.



Refilling the well

At this time of year I slip away to Turkey to visit family and friends. The change of scene and the kind welcome is always very refreshing. It helps enormously to shake me out of a tired routine and doubts about the latest WIP.

My current WIP is set in Istanbul, when it was Constantinople. I wanted to write a story about Lady Hester Stanhope but not with her as heroine. Bit by bit the elements have come together and she plays an important role without in any way compromising her character or the events of her stay in Constantinople.

Staying with family and living in Turkish society is also providing material for background events and characters. And of course, there are the usual holiday pleasures of blue sea and sky, the fragrant pinewoods and the scent of the myrtle bushes that grow around my little house.

Time for a swim....and then tea - in a tulip glass - under the pine trees.

A new Regency tale - April and May

Rose Charteris is the practical member of the family. Arriving in Constantinople with a sick aunt and a lovelorn younger sister to care for, the last thing she expects or wants is to come face to face with Tom Hawkesleigh, the man who broke her heart four years previously. But in return for help, she is forced to work with him on an urgent secret plan for the Sultan.

The powerful and handsome Ottoman minister, Kerim Pasha, is bewitched by Rose’s English beauty. He whisks the English ladies away to his mansion and a life of luxury. It seems Rose must choose between East and West…

April and May published by Robert Hale, http://www.halebooks.com/

This title will be released in April 2010...

The cover is another splendid design by David Young, showing the hero and heroine in a kiosk as the sun sets over Constantinople.

What does the title mean?

Rose seemed to have found love and happiness on her first visit to London but that was cut short. It took almost four years before she had another chance to find love - so her spring and summer were widely separated.

Seeing HOW they do it

My current story, April and May, is the story of two sisters, Rose and Helena. The story begins in Constantinople [right] in 1804.

Starting a new story is splendid - new people and places to describe and a foolproof new plot. Only, it never is... the main characters quickly take over. By Chapter 9 or 10 they demonstrate their own particular interests. Now they go their own way and do quite different things from what was planned.

Keeping the main characters interacting can be a problem - especially when the heroine sails back to London, leaving the two male love interests in Constantinople. Fortunately they soon discover that they must come to London as well. And then the plot really thickens. Villains swarm all around but the real dangers are the emotions dominating the main characters' actions.

Love, rivalry, pride, fear, honour, determination, revenge and treachery, all have their part to play.



Rose is an artist. She visits the exhibition at Somerset House, but lingering too long in the empty gallery, she is almost caught by an assassin.