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Monthly Archives: October 2008

Last week, a scene from the Project Runway finale had me thinking.

The judges compared designer Kenley’s gown (left) to a recent creation by Alexander McQueen (right). Kenley complained that the judges called her a copycat. Annoying as Kenley is, I don’t think she ripped off the design. I didn’t hear the judges say so either. What I did hear is their advice to her to become more aware of what other designers are doing.

I wondered whether this advice–no doubt excellent for the fashion industry–makes sense for romance writing. Many publishers do in fact advise aspiring writers to read their line before submitting. However, I think the intent is to get more submissions that suit the current line, not avoid similar stories, which is more often my concern. I sometimes worry that I’ve accidentally hit upon a similar idea to something that is already out there, even (horrors!) something so popular and successful that my own attempt would inevitably raise suspicions.

But I stress about this less than I used to. When I heard that Victoria Alexander wrote a book with a balloonist hero, I steeled myself to read it, ready to ditch or alter my own balloonist story if it seemed too similar. As it turns out, HER HIGHNESS, MY WIFE is a fun read but the plot and characters are completely unlike mine. Even the ballooning element is different, as her aeronaut uses hot air and mine uses hydrogen. You may think this does not matter but consider the fact that in a hydrogen balloon an aeronaut can, um, stay up much longer. 🙂 But I digress.

I know some authors who don’t read in their own genre because they want to avoid unconsciously absorbing others’ ideas. I won’t go so far; I enjoy historical romance too much to give up the pleasure. But I’m also not about to embark on a major survey of what sort of historical romances are currently out there, either to try to fit in or to deliberately make sure I’ve written something that is completely unlike any other story. I don’t have the time!

Although there are a lot of elements in a single garment, a novel is still a more complex creation. Two writers working in isolation could very well come up with some similar ideas, especially if they’re fascinated by the same bit of history and using the same sources. But if they are drawing from within themselves, the resulting novels are still going to as different as the two writers.

I found a cool quote by James Stephens:

Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself.

I like that! How about you? Do you think authors should read in their own genre or not? Which do you think results in greater originality?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

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Little did I realize what a smart move it was for me to have the mother of all colds last Thursday and hand the responsibility of the day over to Cara. (Thanks Cara!)

That’s because today is the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805. Three years ago I blogged about the two hundredth anniversary of the battle and a politically correct approach for the millenium. Today I’ve come up with a collection of things I found interesting–I hope you do too–because the whole topic of Nelson and Trafalgar is so huge you can’t do it justice in one blog. (Note the cunning way I leave things open for your comments and a possible part two on Thursday.) If you were raised in England the legend of Nelson and Trafalgar, “kiss me Hardy” and all the rest of it, are part of your consciousness–everywhere you turn there are pubs, streets, houses, memorials. And of course, Nelson’s Column in, where else, Trafalgar Square, London.

True to form, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is holding an exhibit celebrating the 250th anniversary of Nelson’s birth (September 29, 1758), and the site has some great pictures, articles, and information.

You can see Nelson’s coat, still bloodstained, which Emma Hamilton was given after his death, although Nelson’s family would have liked to have taken possession of it. She sold the coat when she’d fallen on hard times, shortly before she left for Europe, where she died in 1814. Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, bought it back and presented it to Greenwich.

I like this piece of embroidery, traditionally thought to be worked by Emma, of herself, Nelson and their dog Nileus at Merton Place, Surrey. It’s of colored silks on a silk taffeta ground, but the faces and hands are painted on the fabric with watercolors. Pictures were produced and sold to women to be worked on at home, and the Nelson-Trafalgar story caught the imagination, and the money-making instincts of the British, with a huge amount of souvenirs produced.

Here’s a Nelson snuff box from 1804.

Another fascinating sort of souvenir is artefacts made from scrap wood of Nelson’s famous ship Victory during renovations (which you can visit at Portsmouth.)

I visited eBay (of course) and found this fascinating item, an English Oak Glove Stretcher. It’s engraved with the name Victory.

There’s a wonderful collection of Nelson memorabilia here, including this very cute mid nineteenth century toby jug.

I actually own a piece of Nelson memorabilia myself, an engraving of his house at Merton Place, which I think is genuine (I paid very little for it). Mine is colored and much prettier than this version.

Do you collect memorabilia or antiques? Or, what would you like to collect if you could afford it? Do you have any thoughts on Nelson or Trafalgar you’d like to share?

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Well, not really.

But she did sorta steal my model. As far as I know A Reputable Rake was the first romance cover to use model Ben Whitaker, so naturally I thought he was my model. But Julia says she picked him–picked him–for the cover of her newest release, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume.

Look at this!!!!!!

See? He looks happy to be on my cover and a bit surly on Julia’s. What conclusion would you make comparing the two?

If these are not enough for you, here are more images of Ben Whitaker

And here is more discussion of him.

I tell you, this Julia is really something. She also stole my model from The Vanishing Viscountess; took him for The Lost Duke of Wyndham.

Check this out:

Of course, this model is the popular Nathan Kamp. And he’s been around, so I guess neither Julia nor I can claim him.

But, Ben? That’s another story.

Watch Julia and me duke it out over dukes and other cover heroes next Sunday. New York Times best-selling author and double RITA winner, Julia Quinn will be our Risky Regencies guest Sunday Oct 26, and she’s answering my interview questions, and discussing The Lost Duke of Wyndham and Mr. Cavendish, I Presume, two very connected books. She’ll also be giving away one signed JQ book, maybe one with a hunky hero. So don’t forget to stop by.

I actually think Julia’s and my covers are terrific. All of them. Which one is your favorite and why?

(Aren’t you proud of me? I got through the whole blog without once reminding you that Scandalizing the Ton is still in bookstores and available online….Oops. Well, I almost made it.)

My contest is still running on my website. Win my backlist book of your choice!

So now–The Further Adventures of Amanda’s Vacation Pics!

I visited the Tower of London on the last day of my trip, and it was the perfect morning for it. Overcast, a bit chilly, but not yet rainy. (It waited to pour down until later that afternoon, when I happened to be walking across Tower Bridge to have lunch at The Anchor. Fun).

It wasn’t very crowded there yet–in fact, I had Tower Green practically to myself for a few minutes! I didn’t see any of the famous ghosts, but I did get a rather melancholy feeling. Maybe it’s because Halloween is coming up, or maybe it’s just that history geek-ness that causes intense attachments to people and events long gone, but it does seem that certain places hold onto strong emotions. At the Petit Trianon, I wanted to run and laugh and roll in the grass (I didn’t–I’m a good history geek who obeys Stay Off The Grass signs!). At the Tower I sometimes wanted to cry.

The Tower, of course, is not just one tower, but a compound of many buildings from different eras. The oldest, and most recognizable, is the White Tower, built by William the Conquerer in 1078, of Caen stone brought from France (it was later whitewashed, which gave it the name). In the 12th century, King Richard the Lionheart increased the White Tower with a curtain wall and had a moat dug around it. In the 13th century, Henry III turned it into a royal residence and had palatial buildings constructed within the Inner Bailey, south of the White Tower. (most of these were later destroyed by Cromwell).

A few of the buildings built along the Inner Wall are Lanthorn Tower, Devereaux Tower, Beauchamp Tower (pronounced Beecham–I went here to look at the restored Renaissance grafitti, and peer out the window at the scaffold site). There is also the Bloody Tower (nicknamed after the Princes of the Tower).

The river entrance to the Tower, called Traitor’s Gate, cuts through St. Thomas’s Tower. As I stared down at the stone steps leading up from the Gate, I remembered the tale of Elizabeth I, who was sent to the Tower as a princess by her sister Queen Mary during the Wyatt Rebellion. It was pouring rain, and Elizabeth plopped herself down on the wet stones, refusing to go inside until she had proclaimed her innocence (“It is better sitting here than in a worse place”).

The Tower is certainly best known for its famous prisoners (like Elizabeth). The first prisoner was Ranulf Flambard in 1100, when he was Bishop of Durham and found guilty of extortion. He was also the first (and one of the few) escapees, climbing down a rope, which had been smuggled in via a cask of wine, from the White Tower. There was also Sir Thomas More (imprisioned on April 17, 1535 and executed on Tower Hill July 6). Henry VI, murdered in the Tower May 21, 1471 (on this day each year, the Provosts of Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge, lay roses and lillies on the spot where he died). Edward V and his brother Richard, the Princes of the Tower. Sir William de la Pole, the longest-held prisioner (1502-1539). John Gerard, one the many undercover Jesuit missionaries captured during Elizabeth’s reign (he also escaped, climbing a rope over the moat). Sir Walter Raleigh spent 13 years there (1603-1616), but lived in rather comfy quarters where his family could visit–he even planted New World tobacco on Tower Green. Guy Fawkes, of “gunpowder treason and plot” fame. And, during the Regency period, there were Johan Anders Jagerhorn, a Swedish officer and cohort of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, who was involved in the Irish uprising, and Lord George Gordon (of the Gordon Riots)

So, anyway, I took the good advice of many guidebooks to get to the Tower early, and was very glad I did! I zipped through the Crown Jewels (very sparkly! I especially liked Queen Victoria’s little diamond crown), then just wandered around. I saw Raleigh’s rooms in the Bloody Tower, the armorie museum in the White Tower, and more than a few gift shops.

Then I took a quick peek at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula and stood on Tower Green for a while. On the scaffold site is a flat glass monument, engraved with the words “Gentle visitor pause awhile: where you stand death cut away the light of many days: here jeweled names were broken from the vivid thread of life: may they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage: under the restless skies.” Tower Green was a very privileged place for private executions; only 7 people were beheaded here. William, Lord Hastings (1483); Anne Boleyn (1536); Margaret Pole (1541); Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn (1542); Jane Grey (1554); and the Earl of Essex in 1601.

Behind the site is the Chapel, where those 7 (along with others, like More, Jane Grey’s husband Guildford Dudley, and Charles II’s illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth) are buried beneath the floor. Alongside is Beauchamp Tower (where that grafitti can be seen, including Guildford’s pathetic “Jane”, and an RD said to be carved by Robert Dudley). Across is the building known as the Queen’s house (where Anne Boleyn spent her last days). On the west is the rampart known as “Elizabeth’s walk”; next to it once stood the house where Jane Grey was imprisoned.

I stood there for a while, imagining Anne Boleyn walking from that house in her black gown, trying to be dignified in front of the witnesses. What was she thinking? Of mistakes, regrets, good memories? The 3-year-old daughter she left behind? She felt the cool breeze on her face, just as I did that day, and those very same buildings were the last thing she saw. I admit it–I did get a little tearful.

Then I had a cup of tea at the New Armories restaurant and watched the ravens hop around. (Oh yes, the ravens! They stay there because of the legend that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the White Tower, the monarchy, and the whole kingdom will fall. They’re huge, and a little scary).

All in all, a really great day (even if I didn’t see any ghosts!). Have you had adventures at the Tower, or anyplace that evokes the past for you in a big way? Seen any ghosts?

Oh, and there were a few more good Renaissance CDs I found to add to my list last week! “The Triumphs of Oriana” and “Elizabeth’s Music” (both from the Chandos label), and “Pastyme With Good Companye: Music From the Court of Henry VIII”. You can go here to find a poem by Anne Boleyn set to music.

Don’t you wish you could marry for money?

With the economy faltering, perhaps we can learn some lessons from our heroes and heroines as to how to economize (“Retrench? Retrench! How may I retrench“).

1. Wear the same gown every day. When your gown is threadbare, turn it inside out and start wearing it that way.

2. Throw entertainments inside your home.

3. When venturing out, make just going to town the entertainment. No cost to you! And you might just find a husband, too.

4. Rise with the sun, go to bed with the moon.

5. Pay your servants paltry wages. Threaten them with no references if they complain.

6. Never pay your bills, except gambling debts. Those are debts of honor.

7. Become popular, so you get invited everywhere.

8. “Forget” your reticule when shopping.

9. Start writing a secret newspaper column/illustrating humorous cartoons for extra cash.

10. Take up spying.

11. If you’re a courtesan, threaten to publish your memoirs with names unless the men pay up to keep you silent.

12. Go to sea.

13. Head for India/the West Indies to make your fortune.

What can you think of?

Megan

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