Damsel dodges distress but can't shake off her suitors.

 A bandit raid has left Rose in urgent need of help. 

Kerim Pasha takes one look at her, and is very eager to help. 

 

 I am indebted to  Richard Blake  author of the Aelric Series - books described as 'Nasty, fun and educational.' -  for this fun review of 

  April and May

When I was a boy, the local library refused to give adult tickets to anyone under the age of twelve. My grandmother came to the rescue by lending me hers. In exchange for being able to borrow all the moderately wicked stuff I could lay hands on, I only had to keep her fed with romantic fiction. Being a conscientious boy, I made sure to read everything before borrowing it for her. This gave me a taste for romantic fiction – especially historical romantic fiction – that has never entirely left me.

Therefore, I enjoyed the first chapter of Beth Elliott’s April and May. We are at a ball in London in 1799. Rose Graham is young and silly and in love with dashing Tom Hawkesleigh. He, of course, has designs on her that are not wholly honourable. He takes her into a quiet room and makes an advance she is more than inclined to welcome.

Sadly –

“How dare you conduct yourselves in such a disgusting manner?”
Her sister-in-law Augusta has caught them just in time. Tom is ejected in disgrace. Rose is told she will never see him again:

“After such a disgrace, that is impossible. You cannot be trusted, and he is only a younger son.”
Not a bad opening, and I expected the next chapter to move to Bath, with a foppish Lord or two and a villainous rake. Instead, however, we move straight to 1804, and are in Constantinople. Tom is a senior intelligence officer at the Embassy there. He is deep in negotiations with Kerim Pasha, who wants British help to modernise the Ottoman armed forces. Everything must take place in secret. Though some kind of modernisation is essential if the Empire is not to be pulled apart, the forces of conservatism are strong in Constantinople. Worse, the French still have ambitions in the Near East, and will do anything to stop an agreement with Britain.

Into this comes Rose – now Rose Charteris, but a widow. She had been in Egypt with some relatives, trying to make sense of the hieroglyphs. A bandit raid has left her in urgent need of help. Kerim Pasha takes one look at her, and is very eager to help. Tom is jealous and protective, but uncertain of his own continuing feelings.

From here, we move back to London, where the cast reassembles for what becomes a tight thriller – high politics, deception, attempted abduction, attempted murder. If you want to know more, I suggest you should find out for yourself.

What did I enjoy about this novel? I have mentioned the plot already. But there is also a talent for describing places. My imagination has been filled for over a decade now with Constantinople, and I go to Turkey every year. In the relevant chapters of this book, I could smell the City and feel the warm bath of its climate. London is unexpectedly dark and mysterious. The sub-plot about the Egyptian hieroglyphs is convincing. This is primarily a romantic novel, and, if that is what you like, you will find everything you want. At the same time, it has touches of Patrick O’Brien and a steely quality that should make it of general interest.

My only complaint is that I am not aware of a sequel. The politics alone make the story worth continuing – perhaps a trip to Egypt and a chase by French agents beside the pyramids. Also, if sketchily drawn, some of the characters are worth developing – Lady Westacote, for example. If I found Max a little dull, he would make a good murder victim in the ruins of Ephesus. Even horrid Augusta has potential. She could be abducted in Cairo by Bedouins, and go native in someone’s harem.

And so, my overall judgement is – give us more. A writer’s fictional world is like a child. If you go to the trouble of creating one – and doing it as well as Beth Elliott has done – you are only at the beginning of your duty. The closing kiss should not be the end of this story.

Olivia's adventures [ 'Scandalous Lady' excerpt ]

 Fired by a wish to travel and visit exotic lands, Olivia and her former governess reach Constantinople in April 1811   

                        

Dusk on the Golden Horn, by Ivan Aivasovsky

Two days later Olivia stood at the ship’s rail, her excitement growing as Constantinople came into view. The greatest city of the ancient world, capital of the mighty Ottoman Empire, gateway between east and west, and she was actually here!

            ‘I feel awed,’ she told Miss Neston in a voice that was not quite steady, ‘it’s magnificent.’ She shook her head and breathed out a long sigh of wonder. ‘The pictures really are true. I recognise the skyline; all those towers and domes and the tall minarets everywhere – and how green it is, Nessie. The whole city is full of trees.’ She danced across the deck to peer at the Asian shore, but rushed back when Miss Neston called to say they were approaching the Golden Horn. At this point, where the Horn opened, there was a busy floating market along the edge of the shore, noisy with men calling their wares. A savoury smell of frying fish wafted up from some boats. Olivia laughed and waved. ‘I wish we could taste that. My mouth is watering.’

            They both stared at the many huge buildings lining the shores, and the picturesque wooden houses whose upper storeys jutted out over the water. It was all so different and fascinating. Olivia’s eyes misted. I did it. I’m really here. 

    

The sea was crowded with boats of all shapes and sizes. A forest of masts swayed where large merchant ships were moored at the docks. Boats out on the open water had sails that flapped wildly in the stiff wind blowing down from the Black Sea. Small fishing boats and gondola-like rowing boats full of passengers wove their way among the larger ships. It seemed everyone was on the move, crossing from Europe to Asia and between north to south of the city. The sound of men shouting mingled with the raucous screaming of the gulls wheeling overhead.

Scandalous Lady

Cover pictures, [past and present]

First published by Robert Hale, these hardback editions all had covers

designed by David Young, a Cornwall based artist,whose work

encompasses a wide variety of subjects. 

A distinctive feature is his use of bright and cheerful colours. 

As his range and his fame increases, maybe the covers will be of more value

than the stories inside. They certainly gave the books a certain cachet.

Thank you again, David. 

       
            

Later, two novels were published in paperback by Lume Books, 

together with two new stories.

Recently Joffe Books reissued my first two stories [which are linked] 

as ebooks, with updated covers.

  

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THESE PUBLISHERS FOR 

HAVING FAITH IN MY REGENCY TALES.

The Wild Card - new edition

Large Print Edition, published by Ulverscroft.

Shortlisted for the RNA Romance Prize in 2009

"This is perhaps a quintessential Regency, with a look at London society, shopping for ball gowns and Horrid novels, rakish young men and romantic balls. Dive in and enjoy, the sort of book that reminds me why I like reading this sort of thing so much."  Rachel A Hyde

Interview with The Wild Rose Press

Growing up in a tiny Lancashire village where the only other children were two boys, I relied on books for companionship. Once I discovered Jane Austen's stories, I always had somewhere to go. It was fun to pretend I was one of the Bennet sisters in 'Pride and Prejudice'. I enjoy many different periods of history but find it easiest to visualize the Regency era and there are so many reminders of that time still in existence to help with accuracy. I visit the places I put in my novels, check on the time it takes to walk the distances, look at the fashions and the objects of daily life.

1 -When and why did you decide you wanted to be a published author?

Books were such a large part of my life as a child that I simply thought writing and reading were the things you did. I told stories to my little brother, and to my friends. At school I wrote long essays and edited the school magazine. A teaching career meant that life was always hectic. It seemed there would never be time to write novels. Then my husband became too ill to work, so to keep him busy I set him to write a quest story that we had been discussing for several years. Each evening I would read his efforts and edit. We laughed a lot over our characters and their adventures. Sadly, my husband died but over that year I had found time for writing in my day and I just kept going. I wrote 'The Wild Card' and sent it to the Romantic Novelists' Association for a critique. Following their advice I edited it, then sent it to Robert Hale, who took it at once. It was shortlisted for the RNA Romance Prize. Robert Hale has just published my fourth Regency tale, 'The Rake's Challenge'.

2 - What is the best and worst thing you have learned from an editor/agent?

When I sent out the quest story, one agent took the trouble to write a helpful rejection letter. She advised me to use more emotion so that my characters would sweep the reader along. It sounds so obvious but I needed that push not to be so buttoned up. Later, another agent warned me that stories must not be just publishable but marketable. She also advised me that Regencies don't sell well in the UK. I have a couple of ideas for stories in different time periods but they are on the back burner for now. I still have plenty of Regency adventures to write. My editors at Robert Hale are very helpful, but I had to learn 'house style'. I only ever argue over historical accuracy.

3 - Favourite authors?

I have been reading and rereading Jane Austen's novels since I was twelve. I always find something new in them. Wilkie Collins and George Eliot are also favourites. Georgette Heyer gave me the idea that the Regency period was elegant and full of adventure, so she has been a big inspiration. Then there's Loretta Chase and Nicola Cornick. And I must mention R D Blackmore and 'Lorna Doone'. Was there ever such a love story? *sigh*

4 - What is your typical day?

It starts when the cat pulls on the back door handle to call me because he's hungry. When Sir is fed I make a cup of tea and go back to bed to read what I wrote the night before. I add and alter and often get carried away by new ideas and rush down to the study to rewrite or develop something.
During the day I deal with general tasks, otherwise I'd disappear under a sea of papers and the hedge would reach the moon. I settle down to write in the evenings. What with background reading and checking details on the internet, it often gets to the wee small hours before I realise that the time has gone. Writing is like going away on holiday - and I don't want to come back.
I also travel a lot, which disrupts my writing, even though there is usually a research element to my journeys. For example, in July I visited a marvellous little palace in Istanbul; and in October I'll be hunting in the Pyrenees for a suitable castle for my hero's family home. They are both for the hero of my wip, an Ottoman Regency. It takes place in 1811 as that is when Lady Hester Stanhope was in Constantinople [Istanbul] and she plays a vital role in the story.

5 - Do you plan your books? Or write it as the dialogue/action comes to you?

Each story starts when I've collected enough faces and places. They come from all over, maybe an inflight magazine, a newspaper or a postcard from a museum. I spread the pictures out on the table and pair them off, adding friends, families and villains. Then I select homes for them all. The story sparks from something in one of those faces. Within an hour or so I'll have an outline plot. Over a few days it develops into a story and some episodes are vivid in my mind. I write this outline down as a guide - but it will only become a detailed plan when I know my characters better. It always seems to happen when I reach chapter 9. So the characters lead me along, really.

6 - What surprised you the most when you became published?

The thrill of holding my first book will remain with me always. Perhaps the greatest surprise was the amount of time and effort that is needed to publicise your books.

7 - Do you have a dedicated writing space? What does it look like?
We have a small study [my husband and I were modern languages teachers] with lots of bookshelves and a big desk that is crowded with papers and pots of pens. I work on a desktop computer. If inspiration fails I look up at the books, photos and pictures to get ideas moving again. To my right is the window, and just outside is a rambling rose bush - with thimble-sized pink flowers, which adds a romantic note. There is also an exercise bike that I use while reading bits of research or the pages I've just printed off.

8 - What’s next for you?

My wip is another Ottoman Regency, with more focus on the oriental way of life this time. My husband was Turkish [and a poet] and we lived in eastern Turkey for some years, so I have plenty of material for the background for my Ottoman stories. Robert Hale has just brought out a Kindle edition of my second story 'In All Honour'. It's exciting to join the ebook world. Then I want to write the next of my Byron books. My heroine in 'The Rake's Challenge' is a devoted Byron fan, like her three schoolfriends. I think they deserve a story as well.