Monday, September 27, 2010
Susanna Fraser and her Sexy Sergeant!
We have a special guest with us on the ship today, a debut author who saw her first book hit the E-shelves just last month. Susanna Fraser, author of THE SERGEANT’S LADY, joins me now for a little chat between friends. (Okay, between pubbed author and wanna-be pubbed author. Same thing.)
First, we'll start with a blurb.
Highborn Anna Arrington has been "following the drum," obeying the wishes of her cold, controlling cavalry officer husband. When he dies, all she wants is to leave life with Wellington's army in Spain behind her and go home to her family's castle in Scotland.
Sergeant Will Atkins ran away from home to join the army in a fit of boyish enthusiasm. He is a natural born soldier, popular with officers and men alike, uncommonly brave and chivalrous, and educated and well-read despite his common birth.
As Anna journeys home with a convoy of wounded soldiers, she forms an unlikely friendship with Will. When the convoy is ambushed and their fellow soldiers captured, they become fugitives—together. The attraction between them is strong—but even if they can escape the threat of death at the hands of the French, is love strong enough to bridge the gap between a viscount's daughter and an innkeeper's son?
Bo’sun: Congratulations on the release of your debut Historical Romance, THE SERGEANT’S LADY. (Click the cover to buy your own copy!) I adore this cover. (Seriously, wenches, is that not GORGEOUS??) And thank you for joining us on The Revenge today. We've read the blurb (so good) but need to get to know you a bit. How long you’ve been writing and how long it took to sell your first novel?
SF: Well, I wrote my first book in 4th grade. It had a group of children whisked into a magical kingdom to help royal talking horses reclaim their throne from a usurper. (Had I been reading the Chronicles of Narnia then? Why, yes I had.)
But I started writing seriously with the intent to publish in 2001. It took me two years to finish my first manuscript, and then I didn’t write much in 2003-04—there was this little thing with pregnancy and a newborn daughter that distracted me there for a bit.
I wrote the first draft of the manuscript that became The Sergeant’s Lady in 2005 and tried to sell it to print publishers in 2006. I got lots of positive comments from editors but never quite sold, so I decided to take a break from writing romance and work on fantasy and alternative history for awhile. (I hope to sell in fantasy too eventually.)
Then, early this year I re-read The Sergeant’s Lady, realized I still loved the manuscript, and decided to send it out again. I happened to see a post on the Risky Regencies blog where the Carina editors were talking about what they liked in historical submissions, so I chose them as one of my target publishers.
Bo’sun: We have a Pirate or two around here who can relate to that baby distraction thing. Infants are so demanding. Sheesh. We love call stories around here. I know your life was pretty hectic when you sold. How did the call go for you?
SF: It was April 1. Really. I had laryngitis, and I remember thinking that between April Fool’s Day and my near-total inability to speak, this was the one day I hoped NOT to get The Call.
Fortunately for me, I got The Email instead, because Angela James was home with a sick kid whose coughing kept her from making phone calls that day. I promptly opened chat windows with my husband and one of my critique partners to share my excitement, since that was the only way I could communicate given the state of my vocal cords.
Bo’sun: “The Email.” I like that. Anyone who clicks through to your website is going to notice it looks a little different. Since this site gained you some unpredicted notice, can you tell us how that went down?
SF: Heh. Well, my husband is a web developer and a very good one. He’s been in the industry for almost as long as there’s been such an industry, he speaks at web conferences, and he’s taught university-level web development courses. So naturally I asked him to do my website.
Problem is, we’re busy people, and never more so than this spring and early summer. He was teaching a spring quarter class on top of his full-time job. I’d sold to Carina and was caught in a whirlwind of edits, because the summer releases were on a pretty tight timeline. To top it off, we bought a house and spent the month of June moving. We got a lot of square footage for our buck by Seattle standards, but that’s because the new place is a major cosmetic and minor structural fixer.
June in particular was CRAZY. Nothing but packing, cleaning, stripping wallpaper, painting, working with contractors, shopping for appliances, etc.—and since it was the end of the quarter, Mr. Fraser was swamped with grading. In the midst of all this, I asked him if he could pretty-please pull together a quickie website so I could list all my contact info in the “Upcoming Releases” section of a July newsletter.
July 1 drew closer and closer, and I still had no website. Finally, at 11 PM on June 30, Mr. Fraser sat down and dashed out my (in)famous website.
I thought and still think it’s hilarious, though I wish we’d managed to replace it sooner. He’s working on my real site now, and though the free publicity has been wonderful, I’ll be glad to have a site that reflects my writing more than Mr. Fraser’s sense of humor.
Bo’sun: Do give Mr. Fraser our kudos. We love a man with a sense of humor. And the Web skills are nothing to sniff at either. I’ve read a couple snippets (looking forward to reading the whole thing!) from THE SERGEANT’S LADY and I love your voice. Where did this idea come from and were you worried about selling an Historical that didn’t start in a ballroom or star one of those alpha dukes? (I find this fresh twist a plus, btw, but I know how hard it is to sell something different.)
SF: Maybe it’s because there’s a lot of army in my family, but I’ve always thought the Napoleonic Wars were the most fascinating aspect of the Regency time period. I love Bernard Cornwell, Patrick O’Brian, and Naomi Novik, and I wanted to try to apply that same kind of story, setting, and sensibility to a romance.
As for the commoner hero, when I got the idea I’d read three books in a row where a supposedly common hero or heroine turned out to be the long-lost child of an aristocrat and therefore a suitable match for the other protagonist. They weren’t bad books—in fact, two of them were excellent—but I decided I wanted to read a story where the commoner STAYED common and the hero and heroine had to come to terms with their class difference.
Since The Sergeant’s Lady was only my second manuscript, back when I wrote it I didn’t worry about being able to sell it nearly as much as I should’ve! I still had a full measure of newbie arrogance then, so I was sure if I just made the book awesome enough, someone would buy it. Also, “like O’Brian/Cornwell/Novik, but with more sex and a HEA ending” seemed like an obvious sell to me. Like I said, still a newbie.
I’m glad you like my voice, and I hope you enjoy the book!
Bo’sun: For the record, that newbie arrogance is easily explained away here with one word. Pirate! LOL! Feel free to use that anytime. And I just finished the other book I was reading this weekend, so you’re up next! *makes note to charge eReader*
As you mentioned, you’re published with Carina Press, one of the new eBook kids on the block. What convinced you to go with e-publishing and what has your experience been like so far? What do you wish you’d known before your book hit the virtual shelves?
SF: When I started writing, e-publishing wasn’t a viable market unless you were writing erotica, so I targeted print. But in the last year or two, I noticed more authors having success with non-erotic e-books, I felt like I had a good sense of which publishers had long-term viability, and I saw e-reading become much more popular and mainstream with the advent of readers like the Kindle and Nook. So I decided it was time to give it a try.
I’ve had a wonderful experience with Carina so far. I love working with my editor, I’m thrilled with my cover, and we authors get great support from the Carina/Harlequin team with our promo efforts.
As for what I wish I’d known going in, I wish I’d known a little more about e-book promo. Since I had less than five months from The Call to launch, I had to learn on the fly.
Bo’sun: Well you’ve got this interviewing thing down pat, no worries there. What is up next from you? Will there be more books to connect to this first one or will the next one stand alone?
SF: My next release, A Marriage of Inconvenience, is a prequel to The Sergeant’s Lady. The hero is the brother of the heroine from Sergeant. It’s a bit more traditional Regency in setting and atmosphere, but I like to think I’ve thrown in some unexpected kinks…errr…twists. It’ll be out in April.
That’s as far as I’m contracted for, but I’m working on a shipwreck book, and after that I’m planning to return to the Peninsular War, but with a paranormal twist.
Bo’sun: Shipwreck! Will there be pirates? Like maybe some sexy, writing pirates with bad navigation skills and a fully stocked bar? Wait, don’t answer that, it’s totally unprofessional. *Ahem*
To wrap it up before we turn you over….errrr….I mean turn IT over to the wenches, we’re known for our drink menu around here and try to add a new one especially for our guests. What drink would you want to add to our Glittery Hooha, the Booty Call, and the A’moral Compass? (They all start and end with rum, no worries there.)
SF: Oh, geez, I’m mostly a wine girl. Or hard cider. I loves me a pint of Strongbow. Sometimes port with dessert when I want to channel my inner Regency hero. So just pour me something. I’ll try anything. Except beer—I’m a borderline supertaster and that stuff is too bitter.
Bo’sun: One Sergeant’s Sangria coming right up! Now, your turn to ask a question. Is there anything you want to know from our faithful Pirates and Stow-Aways?
SF: I’ll be giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky commenter. So tell me what unusual setting you’d like to see in a romance, or your favorite drink, or ask me more about my books. I’ll take any excuse to babble all day about writing.
First, we'll start with a blurb.
Highborn Anna Arrington has been "following the drum," obeying the wishes of her cold, controlling cavalry officer husband. When he dies, all she wants is to leave life with Wellington's army in Spain behind her and go home to her family's castle in Scotland.
Sergeant Will Atkins ran away from home to join the army in a fit of boyish enthusiasm. He is a natural born soldier, popular with officers and men alike, uncommonly brave and chivalrous, and educated and well-read despite his common birth.
As Anna journeys home with a convoy of wounded soldiers, she forms an unlikely friendship with Will. When the convoy is ambushed and their fellow soldiers captured, they become fugitives—together. The attraction between them is strong—but even if they can escape the threat of death at the hands of the French, is love strong enough to bridge the gap between a viscount's daughter and an innkeeper's son?
Bo’sun: Congratulations on the release of your debut Historical Romance, THE SERGEANT’S LADY. (Click the cover to buy your own copy!) I adore this cover. (Seriously, wenches, is that not GORGEOUS??) And thank you for joining us on The Revenge today. We've read the blurb (so good) but need to get to know you a bit. How long you’ve been writing and how long it took to sell your first novel?SF: Well, I wrote my first book in 4th grade. It had a group of children whisked into a magical kingdom to help royal talking horses reclaim their throne from a usurper. (Had I been reading the Chronicles of Narnia then? Why, yes I had.)
But I started writing seriously with the intent to publish in 2001. It took me two years to finish my first manuscript, and then I didn’t write much in 2003-04—there was this little thing with pregnancy and a newborn daughter that distracted me there for a bit.
I wrote the first draft of the manuscript that became The Sergeant’s Lady in 2005 and tried to sell it to print publishers in 2006. I got lots of positive comments from editors but never quite sold, so I decided to take a break from writing romance and work on fantasy and alternative history for awhile. (I hope to sell in fantasy too eventually.)
Then, early this year I re-read The Sergeant’s Lady, realized I still loved the manuscript, and decided to send it out again. I happened to see a post on the Risky Regencies blog where the Carina editors were talking about what they liked in historical submissions, so I chose them as one of my target publishers.
Bo’sun: We have a Pirate or two around here who can relate to that baby distraction thing. Infants are so demanding. Sheesh. We love call stories around here. I know your life was pretty hectic when you sold. How did the call go for you?
SF: It was April 1. Really. I had laryngitis, and I remember thinking that between April Fool’s Day and my near-total inability to speak, this was the one day I hoped NOT to get The Call.
Fortunately for me, I got The Email instead, because Angela James was home with a sick kid whose coughing kept her from making phone calls that day. I promptly opened chat windows with my husband and one of my critique partners to share my excitement, since that was the only way I could communicate given the state of my vocal cords.
Bo’sun: “The Email.” I like that. Anyone who clicks through to your website is going to notice it looks a little different. Since this site gained you some unpredicted notice, can you tell us how that went down?
SF: Heh. Well, my husband is a web developer and a very good one. He’s been in the industry for almost as long as there’s been such an industry, he speaks at web conferences, and he’s taught university-level web development courses. So naturally I asked him to do my website.
Problem is, we’re busy people, and never more so than this spring and early summer. He was teaching a spring quarter class on top of his full-time job. I’d sold to Carina and was caught in a whirlwind of edits, because the summer releases were on a pretty tight timeline. To top it off, we bought a house and spent the month of June moving. We got a lot of square footage for our buck by Seattle standards, but that’s because the new place is a major cosmetic and minor structural fixer.
June in particular was CRAZY. Nothing but packing, cleaning, stripping wallpaper, painting, working with contractors, shopping for appliances, etc.—and since it was the end of the quarter, Mr. Fraser was swamped with grading. In the midst of all this, I asked him if he could pretty-please pull together a quickie website so I could list all my contact info in the “Upcoming Releases” section of a July newsletter.
July 1 drew closer and closer, and I still had no website. Finally, at 11 PM on June 30, Mr. Fraser sat down and dashed out my (in)famous website.
I thought and still think it’s hilarious, though I wish we’d managed to replace it sooner. He’s working on my real site now, and though the free publicity has been wonderful, I’ll be glad to have a site that reflects my writing more than Mr. Fraser’s sense of humor.
Bo’sun: Do give Mr. Fraser our kudos. We love a man with a sense of humor. And the Web skills are nothing to sniff at either. I’ve read a couple snippets (looking forward to reading the whole thing!) from THE SERGEANT’S LADY and I love your voice. Where did this idea come from and were you worried about selling an Historical that didn’t start in a ballroom or star one of those alpha dukes? (I find this fresh twist a plus, btw, but I know how hard it is to sell something different.)
SF: Maybe it’s because there’s a lot of army in my family, but I’ve always thought the Napoleonic Wars were the most fascinating aspect of the Regency time period. I love Bernard Cornwell, Patrick O’Brian, and Naomi Novik, and I wanted to try to apply that same kind of story, setting, and sensibility to a romance.
As for the commoner hero, when I got the idea I’d read three books in a row where a supposedly common hero or heroine turned out to be the long-lost child of an aristocrat and therefore a suitable match for the other protagonist. They weren’t bad books—in fact, two of them were excellent—but I decided I wanted to read a story where the commoner STAYED common and the hero and heroine had to come to terms with their class difference.
Since The Sergeant’s Lady was only my second manuscript, back when I wrote it I didn’t worry about being able to sell it nearly as much as I should’ve! I still had a full measure of newbie arrogance then, so I was sure if I just made the book awesome enough, someone would buy it. Also, “like O’Brian/Cornwell/Novik, but with more sex and a HEA ending” seemed like an obvious sell to me. Like I said, still a newbie.
I’m glad you like my voice, and I hope you enjoy the book!
Bo’sun: For the record, that newbie arrogance is easily explained away here with one word. Pirate! LOL! Feel free to use that anytime. And I just finished the other book I was reading this weekend, so you’re up next! *makes note to charge eReader*
As you mentioned, you’re published with Carina Press, one of the new eBook kids on the block. What convinced you to go with e-publishing and what has your experience been like so far? What do you wish you’d known before your book hit the virtual shelves?
SF: When I started writing, e-publishing wasn’t a viable market unless you were writing erotica, so I targeted print. But in the last year or two, I noticed more authors having success with non-erotic e-books, I felt like I had a good sense of which publishers had long-term viability, and I saw e-reading become much more popular and mainstream with the advent of readers like the Kindle and Nook. So I decided it was time to give it a try.
I’ve had a wonderful experience with Carina so far. I love working with my editor, I’m thrilled with my cover, and we authors get great support from the Carina/Harlequin team with our promo efforts.
As for what I wish I’d known going in, I wish I’d known a little more about e-book promo. Since I had less than five months from The Call to launch, I had to learn on the fly.
Bo’sun: Well you’ve got this interviewing thing down pat, no worries there. What is up next from you? Will there be more books to connect to this first one or will the next one stand alone?
SF: My next release, A Marriage of Inconvenience, is a prequel to The Sergeant’s Lady. The hero is the brother of the heroine from Sergeant. It’s a bit more traditional Regency in setting and atmosphere, but I like to think I’ve thrown in some unexpected kinks…errr…twists. It’ll be out in April.
That’s as far as I’m contracted for, but I’m working on a shipwreck book, and after that I’m planning to return to the Peninsular War, but with a paranormal twist.
Bo’sun: Shipwreck! Will there be pirates? Like maybe some sexy, writing pirates with bad navigation skills and a fully stocked bar? Wait, don’t answer that, it’s totally unprofessional. *Ahem*
To wrap it up before we turn you over….errrr….I mean turn IT over to the wenches, we’re known for our drink menu around here and try to add a new one especially for our guests. What drink would you want to add to our Glittery Hooha, the Booty Call, and the A’moral Compass? (They all start and end with rum, no worries there.)
SF: Oh, geez, I’m mostly a wine girl. Or hard cider. I loves me a pint of Strongbow. Sometimes port with dessert when I want to channel my inner Regency hero. So just pour me something. I’ll try anything. Except beer—I’m a borderline supertaster and that stuff is too bitter.
Bo’sun: One Sergeant’s Sangria coming right up! Now, your turn to ask a question. Is there anything you want to know from our faithful Pirates and Stow-Aways?
SF: I’ll be giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky commenter. So tell me what unusual setting you’d like to see in a romance, or your favorite drink, or ask me more about my books. I’ll take any excuse to babble all day about writing.
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41 comments:
You know, I'd love to see a romance set at Disneyland, a Renaissance Faire, an event with the Society of Creative Anachronisms a Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention or even a Pirate Festival!
Any of that would be such fun! Though The Sergeant's Lady sounds fun, too!
Sergeant's Sangria, one full pitcher coming up!
Susanna, this sounds like a wonderful book. I don't have an e-reader YET, but if I can read it on my laptop, I'll definitely add it to my TBR mountain.
I'm glad you've had success with something "a little bit different". It is very inspirational to us pirates. :)
And that is a gorgeous cover! Did you get to have any input into that?
Donna - You can get the PDF and read on your laptop. I started the book last night and I already love it. So many debut Historical authors seem to be trying too hard these days. It's like they want to hit me upside the head with how much they know about the period, so they go overboard with the details. Not Susanna.
I'm not pulled out of the story or wanting to skip some description I don't need. I'm just getting lost "following the drum". LOL!
Crazy busy here at work this morning, and I think Susanna is a few timezones to the left, but we'll pick up and get the party rolling eventually!
Terri, good to know about the PDF. I recently read a book that way on my laptop, although by the time I reached the "black moment", my laptop felt way too heavy. LOL I definitely need an ereader one of these days. :)
Okay, I'm off to write. I got a whole lot of nothing done yesterday. LOL
2nd: for a Ren Faire setting, read Hard Day's Knight by Katie McAlister.
Okay, okay, back to the fun stuff at hand! Susanna! Thanks for bringing your party to the ship! Your book sounds wonderful--and I too get tired of the poor commoner who turns out to be a prince/duke/baronet and therefore is acceptable to marry the titled heroine. (Very Hero's Journey...come on...) And the "arrogance" thing is cracking me up--it's just called sticking to your guns, which we're all behind here on the ship.
Unusual setting...you know, I'd like to see more World War II romance. Jill Barnett did a WWII setting; and LaVryle Spencer did Morning Glory, but otherwise, I don't know of a lot of romances off the top of my head that are set in that period. I realize WWII is not considered historical; and maybe they think it's not far enough back to immerse yourself into the fantasy of the story, but I love the clothing from that period and the music and the drama: the technology and glamour and uncertainy. Oh, Jude Deveraux did one called The Princess, and it was set in WWII and it was hilarious.
p.s. - Ter, some sexy, writing pirates with bad navigation skills and a fully stocked bar
Hands down, best description of this blog ever *g*
Great interview, Susanna! And wow, that was a short turn-around time between the call and the launch. That stresses me out even reading about it :)
I love books set in unique settings (though I freely admit to gorging myself on traditional regencies on a regular basis). I adored Mary Balogh's Slightly Tempted, a huge part of which was set at the Battle of Waterloo.
I have this idea in my head of writing a romance set on the Silk Road through the 1st century Kushan empire. I have a feeling that'd be a REALLY hard sell :)
Welcome to the boat, Susanna!
I love the idea of army soldier heroes. :) I also don't have an e-reader (yet, it's on my Christmas list--the Kindle is only 139 now, anyone recommend?) but I can read on my computer.
I'm toying with a Russian Regency-ish idea. Maybe next....
For WWII, you have to check out Dorothy Garlock. With Hope, With Song, With Love, and After The Parade. Pretty much set right before the war, during, and right after. Dust Bowl stories that will stay with you. She has about a million other mid-20th century stories as well.
Hal - Glad you liked the description. We should put that at the top somewhere. LOL! And I loved the entire SLIGHTLY series by Balogh, but that one especially. I love when they get out of England!
Forgot, Hal, you should check out the new Jeannie Lin. Her debut is set during the Tang Dynasty and I know there's a bit about the Silk Road in it. She's creating all sorts of buzz.
Marn - A Russian Regency? That sounds kind of interesting. I've read a book where they traveled to Russia and had to get out of one of the cities as it was burning. Can't remember the book, but I think I liked it. Huh, I'm going to have to search the memory banks and see if I can figure this one out.
2nd Chance, I read a mystery set at a Highland Games years ago (I think Sharyn McCrumb wrote it), and I agree that would be a fun place for a romance.
Donna, I did get input into the cover, in fact. Carina has you fill out a cover information sheet (I think the rest of Harlequin does too, but I'm not sure) where you're asked to describe the h/h, any key scenes, settings, or objects that might work for the cover, and anything else that's relevant. You're invited to attach images, and I sent several views of a Rifle sergeant's uniform, a period portrait that reminded me of the heroine, and pictures of Nathan Fillion when he was in Firefly (because that's who I had in mind for the hero). I even listed some of the songs on the soundtrack I made to write to that I thought captured the atmosphere of the story--"Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," "Tonight, Tonight" from West Side Story, "Lovers in a Dangerous Time," and "On My Own" from Les Miz. I was kinda afraid the cover artist would look at all that and sniff, "Control freak author!" and just give me a generic naked beefcake guy with big steroidy man-boobs. Needless to say I'm thrilled with what I got, and I think it reflects the mood of the story perfectly.
Terri, it's always a challenge deciding how much detail to reveal to make the setting evocative without overloading the reader with the fruits of my research, and I'm glad you think I got the balance right.
Hellie, I've kinda wanted to write a WWII book ever since I saw a History Channel doc about the Battle of Britain where one of the women they interviewed had been a radar operator in love with a Spitfire pilot who was killed. I thought, "Aw, I wish I could give that a happy ending." But when I told Mr. Fraser about that, he got very nervous. You see, I'm thinking of buying a replica Baker Rifle (the type of weapon my Sergeant's Lady hero would've used) to celebrate my sale, and he's afraid if I wrote my Battle of Britain book, it would end with a Spitfire parked on our lawn!
Hal, the Silk Road is a fascinating setting, and I'd love to see Marnee's Russian Regency. Not to be an enabler or anything, but Carina HAS been buying historicals with unusual settings...
What?! Nathan Fillion as the hero? I am SO buying this book now! :)
I'm glad you got such a great cover from all the information you sent -- it really is beautiful.
Wow, that's a lot of info submitted for that cover. Looks like it really paid off! And it's funny that you say Nathan Fillion, since I love him as Castle, but I don't see him in my mind as Will. LOL! Not that it's a problem, I'm just always interested in the images people get for characters. My sister read my WIP and described a secondary character in a way I never thought about. In fact, it was the total opposite of what I saw. You just never know.
See, Castle Nathan Fillion wouldn't work (though I love the show). It has to be Firefly Nathan Fillion--several years younger and an order of magnitude more badass.
LOL! That makes perfect sense. Did you see him dress in the Firefly costume during last season's Halloween episode? He can still rock that look.
Oh, my, yes, I did see that episode. I was in no hurry to delete it from my Tivo, either, and I watched the opening scene multiple times...
I've never managed to get into Firefly, although I've tried because I like NF so much. He's on Twitter a lot and he just seems like the coolest person, having fun, a regular person.
Nathan Fillion as the hero?
That's pretty much the reason to buy any book! Actually I can totally see him in that uniform. He would totally do it justice. Dannnnnggggg. And he'd be enough beta and alpha to be perfectly yummy!
Oh, my, yes, I did see that episode. I was in no hurry to delete it from my Tivo, either, and I watched the opening scene multiple times…
*LOL* Man I wish I had more money to get cable and Tivo. Shoot.
Now I wish I'd known and I totally would have added Nathan to the blog. LOL!
Susan, I just turned in the questionaire for my book cover from Decadent and hope I gave enough information... Hearing how much you sent, I'm nervous... They did have on question I loved "What would you NOT want to see on your cover?" I said "My hero looking like he's in his 20s...considering her's 65."
I'm waiting for that science fiction book where the alien lands at a convention weekend, and falls for a green skinned Endoran, only to discover she's really pink and blond... ;-)
Last night's Castle was really sweet...love the little clues that destiny has a plan...
I googles a spitfire plane. That would make an awesome yard decoration! LOL!
2nd Chance, I love that "What would you NOT want to see on your cover?" question. And I probably sent way too much. I just SO BADLY wanted to get my hero in uniform, and have that uniform reasonably close to right.
Hellion, Tivo is so addictive once you have it. Back when they first came out, we stayed with friends who had one while on vacation, and as soon as we got home, we ordered our own. When I tell my daughter about how we didn't have anything like that when I was growing up, and how kids' TV was only on Saturday mornings and certain short windows during the week, from her shock and horror you'd think I'd grown up living in a hut with no electricity or running water.
It's funny, how TV viewing has changed. Yup, Dad used to get up to watch classic Warner Bros cartoons with us kids on Saturday morning. We'd run into the room and roust him up so he could see the Tazmanian Devil... Nowadays? It would all be DVRed and he's stay in bed. Missing out on those special Saturday mornings!
I know my Mom's DVR has freed her to watch her soap whenever she wants it...and to fast forward through the storylines she doesn't give a hang about!
I love fast forwarding through commercials!
I will NOT part with my DVR. It costs extra and I should do without, but I won't!
My daughter does that same thing, as if I lived in horse & buggy days. The other day she asked if I was a fan of the Beatles when they came out. I had to explain that was a DECADE before I was born. LOL!
I remember we had an antenna on the roof and a little knob sat on the tv (that was perched on top of the console that didn't work) that we could turn to make the antenna move to bring the THREE stations in clearer.
Yesterday I checked in two new employees and noticed they were born in '82 and '84. I realized they aren't even as old as MTV!
Husband and I had a long convo at Disneyland about what we realized had been changed and wondering where this or that had gone!
One day, your daughter is going to have to explain to her kids about what a mass market paperback was...
*ducking
My daughter's grasp of historical time is still extremely fuzzy. (She's in first grade.) They heard a story about some 1846 event last year (last ringing of the Liberty Bell, maybe?) and she came home and asked me if I was alive then. And a few weeks ago, I came home from dinner with my critique partner, the awesome Rose Lerner, and daughter asked what we'd been talking about. I said, "our next books," and she asked what Rose's book was about. I tried to describe the plot, which involves spies in the run-up to Waterloo, and finally just said, "I promise you it's interesting if you know who Napoleon is." She replied, in a reasonable voice, "Who's Napoleon?" I tried to explain, and she seemed interested and asked if he was still alive. I said no, he'd been dead for a long time. She then wanted to know if they'd killed him at Waterloo, and I said no, he probably died of cancer, and NO ONE who was alive 200 years ago is still around. Cue thoughtful-looking 6-year-old.
When I tell my daughter about how we didn’t have anything like that when I was growing up, and how kids’ TV was only on Saturday mornings and certain short windows during the week, from her shock and horror you’d think I’d grown up living in a hut with no electricity or running water.
I live in a hut with no running water. How funny. She could never visit me. She'd be bored trying to figure out how to entertain herself without cable then. Or video games. Or internet (because I wouldn't share my computer). She'd curl up and die of boredom and beg you to never make her visit the Amish again.
NO ONE who was alive 200 years ago is still around
Well, except for vampires. LOL
Yeah, introduce that concept to a first grader! If you think Napoleon wasn't confusing enough!
That might be an interesting book...Napoleon was a vampire. Not a real successful one, but still... Hee, hee.
A vampire with the Nepoleonic complex would be even better. LOL!
Hellie is slightly exaggerating. She has running water.
I wonder if vampires ever suffer nervous breakdowns? A mental ward filled with vampires who claim they are Napoleon! And one actually is!
I need some food! LOL!
Hi Susanna, Welcome aboard.
Fledgling authors are the life blood of this blog. :D
I was attracted to your story and applaud you for going with an e-book.
I read nothing else these days.
Even more impressive is the fact that your book is not plastered with DRM restrictions.
This means that I can easily and conveniently read the book using my computer voices on any machine I choose and in any format that I prefer.
As I'm a big fan of historical romance, this combination of plot and convenience is just too irresistible to ignore. Perhaps you could visit us again when I've had a chance to read your work .... please!
On suggestions for romance themes, I would like to see more stories based on real historical figures. I have just finished Maeve Haran's 'The Lady and the Poet', featuring John Donne in the reign of Elizabeth. The book was a stunning read.
I would really like to see someone play with the life of a famous scientist (I'm a quantum theorist myself!) and would suggest Michael Faraday or Humphrey Davey might be interesting, or even Newton if he actually found any time for romance *grin*
Women in sport is also sadly neglected in romance, particularly historicals, and Women's cricket in regency and early Victorian times would be really interesting. One can find paintings of women's matches so the artists have found it interesting. Maybe one could use W G Grace with his huge bird's nest beard, as the focus for a romance of early cricket.
I would be interested in any thoughts!
Thanks for visiting and for the fascinating comments 8)
Okay, Q, you've been holding out on us. This Lady and the Poet sounds intriguing. I'm going to look for it.
Enjoy Susanna's book, I know I am!
You and that cricket. LOL! You're giving away your own story idea! We do need more scientists. Eloisa just wrote about an early anthropologist, before such things existed, I believe. So there's hope.
Hellie is slightly exaggerating. She has running water.
*LOL* Yeah, only a slight exaggeration. Thanks.
Hush, y'all, don't go guessing the plot of my Napoleonic War paranormal! ;-)
Quantum, I love John Donne, so I'll have to look for that book. Though in general I have mixed feelings about stories with real historical figures in major roles, unless they're alternative history, because I already know what's going to happen.
Good interview, Susanna. I think your book is wonderful :) A book set in this setting with a slight paranormal twist sounds awesome to me - an interesting combo. I'd like to see more books set during WWI and II. There are a few around but more would be good.
We have excellent wine down here in New Zealand. ;)
Hello, Shelley! Thanks for stopping by. That's more votes for the World Wars. I think we're onto something here.
Hi, Shelley! I hope to make it to New Zealand someday. Such a beautiful country.
Looks like it was an early afternoon, but it was lots of fun. Thank you Susanna for joining us today and we do hope you'll come back. Now I need to get back to reading this book!
Tune in tomorrow afternoon to see who wins the Amazon gift card.
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