Nevertheless, she persisted.
The winner of the purple teardrop necklace, selected at random from among the qualified comments (via the “And the Winner is” plugin) is:
Margaret
I have sent you an email so make sure you reply to that email with your full mailing address.
I loved reading everyone’s comments about kindnesses. Thank you to everyone who entered.
(Facebook entrants: this is the contest over at my website. Heading to FB now to select that winner)
To celebrate the release of Surrender to Ruin and because I’m in the giving mood, I am giving away two necklaces, one here, and one on my Facebook Author page. Here are pictures of the one I’m giving away here. I don’t have the right lighting, but I did the best I could. Both necklaces are Swarovski crystal. I bought them from a woman who had to move her jewelry business to her husband’s frame shop here in my town because they lost their house in the Northern California fires. They are both commuting from San Francisco. So these necklaces have some history already.
The rules to enter are below the pictures.
Purple crystal necklace from further away
Closer view of purple crystal necklace
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 to enter. International OK. If the winner does not respond with a valid mailing address within 5 days of notification, I will select an alternate winner. Winner chosen at random via the plug in “And The Winner Is.” Contest closes Midnight Pacific on Friday December 15, 2017. To enter, please leave a comment on this blog in which you answer this question: “What’s a nice thing someone did for you, or that you did for someone else.”
Feel free to also enter the other contest at my facebook author page. You have to also comment on that post.
Edited to add: If you’re reading this post without attribution, then you’re at a site that scrapes content without credit to the original author. The author of this post is Carolyn Jewel. This is a great book and you should totally buy it while giving a hard side-eye to people who make it look like they did all the hard work of reading, contacting the author, and writing this post.
Preface: Today I have author Luke Williams here with a guest post about his biography of Regency era boxer, Bill Richmond. I read this book and absolutely loved it. I stayed up late reading every night until I finished it. Richmond’s story is fascinating and gripping and it’s beautifully written. I’m giving away a copy to a commenter, rules below.
It’s a pleasure to have been asked to write a guest post here about my new book Richmond Unchained. Given that most people probably haven’t heard of the remarkable man who is the subject of my book, I figured that some background info would be useful for you all.
Cover of Richmond Unchained
Sub-titled The biography of the world’s first black sporting superstar the subject of my book is the life of Bill Richmond, a black man who was born a slave in Staten Island in 1763. Bill’s initially bleak prospects in life were immeasurably enhanced by the altruism of a British soldier named Earl Hugh Percy, who met Bill when he was a teenager, took a shine to him and persuaded his slave owner to free him.
Percy brought Bill back to England and paid for him to be educated. By the 1790s, Bill was leading a respectable existence in London with his wife and children as a literate and trained cabinet-maker. In 1805, though, Bill’s life took a remarkable twist when, despite already being in his forties, he decided to try his hand in the sporting arena. It seemed an act of madness but, within a few short years, Bill was one of the top boxers in the country, at a time when ‘pugilism’ was perhaps the most fashionable spectator sport among both the upper and working classes.
Richmond By Hillman
Bill became so famous and feted that he was among a group of boxers enlisted by George IV to act as ushers at the coronation celebrations of 1821 in Westminster, while his skills as a pugilistic and gymnastic tutor saw him mix with the nobility and the literati, William Hazlitt and Lord Byron among them.
I first came across the bare bones of Bill’s life story in the late 1990s. Given his status as the first black sportsman in history to achieve widespread fame, and the Dickensian rags to riches narrative of his life – complete with mystery benefactors and a fair dollop of both glory and tragedy – it astonished me that no one had written a full biography of his life.
From the moment I began carefully researching Bill’s life in 2003, with the intention of eventually writing a book about him, I was convinced that someone else would come along and ‘beat me to the punch’ by writing a rival book. But no one ever did … so when Richmond Unchained was finally published in August of this year it represented the first full-length account of Bill’s life story.
Bill Richmond at the coronation celebrations of George IV (original art by Trevor Von Eeden)
‘Black history’ has traditionally received a raw deal from publishers and mainstream historians in the UK and I think it is crucial, given the wonderful, multicultural and multi-ethnic society that modern-day Britain has become, that the stories of significant figures from black history such as Bill Richmond are now told.
Thankfully, my publishers Amberley agreed, although it is worth pointing out that five other publishers passed on my proposal – one claiming Bill’s story was too ‘niche’, while the other four neglected to even send me the courtesy of a rejection letter.
My main ambition in writing this book has been to ensure that more people learn about Bill Richmond, a truly ground-breaking ‘man of colour’, who succeeded, against all the odds, in winning fame and respect in Georgian England, during an age when slavery was still in operation throughout the British Empire and America.
To these ends, I was also delighted when Shepherd Neame brewery agreed to my proposal to honour Bill in the form of a memorial portrait at their Tom Cribb pub in central London – a location which holds great significance in Bill’s life. (Find out more about this here: billrichmond.blogspot.co.uk)
The author and Earl George Percy at the unveiling
When Bill’s portrait was unveiled at a recent launch event for Richmond Unchained, in this very same pub, what made the moment even more significant and fitting in my eyes, was the fact that the ‘unveiler’ was Earl George Percy – a direct descendant of Richmond’s benefactor Hugh Percy.
As I stood next to George, with news cameras capturing the moment for television and admirers of Bill Richmond surrounding us, I like to think that Bill would have been proud.
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amberley Books (UK) | B&N | Kobo | Google Play | iBooks
I’m giving a copy of the book to one commenter. It’s out in digital format now, print forthcoming. So I can (probably) send you your choice of format. If you’re in the US, it should be pretty easy. If you’re outside the US, it’s a little trickier, but we’ll work it out. I might not be able to get you a digital copy.
Rules: Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Prize will be awarded to an alternate winner if the winner does not respond to notifications from me.
To enter, leave a comment to this blog post. It would be awesome if you comment about the post, but telling me what color breeches you think Richmond should be wearing is fine. (It’s yellow on the book cover.) Leave your comment by 11:59:59 PM Pacific Time Wednesday September 9, 2015.
GO.
Dancing in The Duke’s Arms
Dancing in The Duke’s Arms is on sale now!
Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo | All Romance | Print
Click here for more information about the stories and for links to excerpts etc. Order now while it’s $3.99. The price goes up July 7.
I have three unclaimed prizes from a previous giveaway:
For each prize(s), I will spend at least $15.00 US. If you hang out here, you probably know that I have impeccable taste except when I am odd or just plain weird. There’s just no telling.
To enter, check out the rules below and follow the instructions. Three prizes. Three winners.
Void where prohibited. Must be 18 to enter. No purchase necessary. All prizes will be awarded. If a winner does not contact me within 10 days of notification, an alternate winner will be selected. Relatives or employees of Carolyn Jewel are ineligible. Winner chosen at random using the contest plugin “And The Winner Is.” International OK! Multiple comments disallowed. Contest closes at 11:59:59 PM Pacific on Tuesday June 30, 2015. Make sure you leave a valid email in the email box for your comment.
To enter: Leave a comment to this post in which you tell me the best book you’ve read recently. (I’m looking for recommendations!)
Go!
The winner of the Fortnum&Mason’s Hamper of Awesome is:
Karen K
Three gift cards were added. Those winners are:
Michelle V R
Linda L
Toni J
Emails have been sent to the winners!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered. I’d told Miranda, Grace, and Shana that I wished we’d asked for recipes, too, because every time I read the comments, I came away hungry!
Cecilia Grant
Today, I am thrilled to have historical romance author Cecilia Grant visit my blog.
Woo-hoo!
I love her books more than is reasonable. I wish she wrote faster, but hey, no pressure, Cecilia!
As I put together this post, I’ve just finished reading her Christmas novella, A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong and I loved it so hard!! She’s one of my favorite historical authors and if you haven’t read her yet, you should. Really. She’s here to answer some questions, tell us about her book, discuss the Bigfoot problem, and offer a giveaway, so stay tuned! Details coming.
Cecilia Grant makes her home in the Pacific Northwest. She likes semicolons, chocolate-covered raisins, and historical sites with costumed reenactors. Her books have earned starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, Seal of Excellence and Reviewer’s Choice awards from RT Reviews Magazine, and Desert Isle Keeper designation from All About Romance.
Website: http://ceciliagrant.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cecilia_grant
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceciliagrantauthor
Cover of A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Cecilia Grant
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SIMPLE. . .
With one more errand to go–the purchase of a hunting falcon–Andrew Blackshear has Christmas completely under control. As his sister’s impending marriage signals the inevitable drifting-apart of the Blackshear family, it’s his last chance to give his siblings the sort of memorable, well-planned holiday their parents could never seem to provide.
He has no time to dawdle, no time for nonsense, and certainly no time to drive the falconer’s vexing, impulsive, lush-lipped, midnight-haired daughter to a house party before heading home. So why the devil did he agree to do just that?
IT COULDN’T BE MORE DELICIOUSLY MIXED-UP. . .
Lucy Sharp has been waiting all her too-quiet life for an adventure, and she means to make the most of this one. She’s going to enjoy the house party as no one has ever enjoyed a house party before, and in the meanwhile she’s going to enjoy every minute in the company of amusingly stern, formidably proper, outrageously handsome Mr. Blackshear. Let him disapprove of her all he likes–it’s not as though they’ll see each other again after today.
. . .or will they. . .When a carriage mishap and a snowstorm strand the pair miles short of their destination, threatening them with scandal and jeopardizing all their Christmas plans, they’ll have to work together to save the holiday from disaster. And along the way they just might learn that the best adventures are the ones you never would have thought to plan.
Did I mention I loved this story?
Cecilia was gracious enough to answer a series of the kind of probing, insightful questions you can count on from Yours Truly. So, let’s get to it.
Q: You have pets. They are un-literary, you say. How do you know they aren’t reading your WIP when you step out? Do you have pictures? We love pet pictures here.
Louise The Cat
A: I’m reasonably confident the pets aren’t reading my WiP. My (daughter’s) cat is neither brawny nor motivated enough to try to get the laptop open, and my dog, whose cleverness only extends to getting a dog biscuit out of a Kong, would never be able to crack my passwords.
They’re good pets, though! Zorra (like Zorro, only female) is the dog and Louise is the cat.
Zorra the Dog
Q: You are given a choice of the following all-expenses paid (including taxes) vacations, including everything taken care of at home while you are gone. What do you choose and why? Which one is least appealing and why? In case you hate the traveling part of travels, please assume that you are instantly transported to your destination.
A: You know, I’m not a fan of camping and I was all ready to say that I suspect there’s no such real thing as “glam-camping” and that it’s just a scheme to trick people who should know better into going camping……but then I remembered this episode of Oprah I saw where Oprah and her friend Gayle went camping in Yosemite. They opened up a bottle of wine and toasted marshmallows and invited the people from the next campsite to come hang out, and I thought if I could sit around toasting marshmallows and drinking wine with Oprah, it would be about the best day ever. So I pick glam-camping, as long as you can guarantee Oprah will be next door.
Worst vacation would be Narnia, hands down. Anyone who thinks it would be fun to go to Narnia must never have read the books. Half the time your life’s in danger and the other half it’s like being in Sunday school. What kind of vacation is that?
NOTE From Yours Truly, Carolyn: There is such a thing as glam-camping– Glamping as I was reminded when I looked for this link. I want to go glam-camping in this yurt. It’s in the Trinity Alps here in California. It has wi-fi. Writing Retreat is written all over it. You in, Cecilia? Who else?
Q: You live in the Pacific Northwest. How do you deal with the Bigfoot problem?
A: What is this Bigfoot “problem” of which you speak? Bigfoot is a feature, not a bug.
Q: If someone messed up the space-time continuum such that the Regency period never happened, what historical period might you write in instead, and why? Assume that all other historical eras remain unchanged.
A: This is a surprisingly tough question! I grew up reading the Little House books, and I love reading memoirs of life in that era/setting. But any story of US pioneers is also a story of Native people losing their land and way of life, and for me that would cast a pretty big shadow over any HEA I might write.
Maybe mid-19th-century Boston and environs, when Hawthorne and Emerson and the Alcotts and Margaret Fuller and Frederick Douglass were all around. That seems like a time of so much exciting fermentation and cross-pollination, with lots of ways for women to be active out in the world.
Q: Your lovely Christmas novella features falconry. Can you talk a bit about why you chose that? What research did you do?
A: My local zoo has a raptor exhibit, with a rotating cast of whoever they happen to be rehabilitating at the time: I’ve seen owls, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, and even a turkey vulture. If you’re there at the right time, a docent will come out and talk about the birds, and maybe even give a flying demonstration. (And no, they don’t always come back! A few years ago a gyrfalcon took off and two weeks later they found her scavenging at the city dump.)
It’s just a super-cool thing to see, so when I started writing Regency I knew I’d eventually want to write a character who had that hobby.
As far as research, there are lots of falconry clubs in the UK that maintain helpful websites, and lots of history sites that cover falconry too. I wish I’d been able to work in more details, like the stylish leather hoods they wear when they’re being trained. Maybe in some future book.
Q: Fun fact about your book?
A: I came up with the opening scene – he encounters her on a road and is poleaxed at first sight – long before I knew what hero and heroine it belonged to or what their story would be. It’s sort of a mashup of two movie scenes that stuck with me:
1. At the beginning of The French Lieutenant’s Woman, when Jeremy Irons first spies Meryl Streep out on the seawall at Lyme Regis. She’s got a hooded cloak on, she’s got her back to him, waves are splashing dramatically over the wall and then she turns and looks back at him. The camera zooms slowly in on his face and you can see he’s a goner from that moment.
2. God forgive me for this problematic source material, but Captain John Smith’s first sight of Pocahontas in the Disney cartoon. Disney Pocahontas is about six feet tall, broad-shouldered, standing with her feet apart, fearless, in her minidress with her long dark hair wafting on a convenient breeze. And you know that this guy, whose experience of women up until now has probably been of dainty corseted types with hair pinned up and floor-length skirts, is in that moment having the doors blown off everything he thought he knew about what a woman could be.
So, yeah. I dialed it all down a bit, and the story headed off in its own direction, but those two threads are definitely in that scene.
Q: Best and worst thing about writing books?
A: I think the best thing is finding out that something you wrote connected with someone. It’s this sort of sidelong style of communication that just really appeals to me.
The worst is when it’s not working. Not being a plotter, some days I feel like a rat in a maze, coming up against a dead end and not knowing at what point I made a wrong turn, where I should have gone instead, or whether there even is a way out of this one. When it’s not working I wake up in the middle of the night feeling sick.
Q: Favorite dessert? You can name up to three because sometimes dessert is contextual. So, the context might be important along with your answer.
A:
3. Trader Joe’s cookie-butter candy bars.2. Really good creme brulee in a creme-brulee-appropriate context, like Paris.
1. A friend of mine makes chocolate lasagna. She actually makes chocolate pasta, and layers ricotta cheese and chocolate chips and other stuff I don’t even know in between the chocolate noodles. It’s to die for. At one point in my life I moved 1400 miles just to be closer to it.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’m superstitious about discussing specifics before a project is locked in. But I will say I’m working on several related books, they’re all Regency-set historical (no desire to venture into contemporary or erotica at present), and as of now they don’t feature dukes. So, more of the same, I guess
Thanks again for having me, and for compelling me to spend time contemplating my favorite desserts.
Cecilia is giving away a Kindle version of her novella and a backlist book of the winner’s choice in print or eBook format of choice. To enter, read and follow the rules below:
No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited. Family and/or employees of Carolyn Jewel or Cecilia Grant may not enter. Winner randomly selected from among the qualified entrants. The winner will be notified by email. An alternate winner will be selected if the winner does not respond within five (5) business days. Contest closes at 11:59:59 PM PST on Saturday December 20, 2014. International OK.
To Enter: Leave a comment to this post before the contest closes. It would be awesome if you completed the following question, but any comment will do:
Glamping sounds like it would be . . . .
Go!
Hamper of Awesome
The authors of Christmas in the Duke’s Arms, Grace Burrowes, Shana Galen, Carolyn Jewel, and Miranda Neville, are giving away this lovely Fortnum & Mason hamper filled with British goodies guaranteed to make your Christmas merry and bright.
Entering is simple! In the comments to this blog post, tell us your favorite Christmas food or beverage. The winner will be announced and contacted on December 19, 2014. Please review the rules below.
Those of you who may see this via a feed from another source (Facebook, Goodreads, etc) you must enter at Carolyn’s blog post here.
For every 10 reviews (not just ratings) of Christmas in the Duke’s Arms that post to Amazon or Goodreads between now and 9:00:00 PM Pacific on Thursday December 18, 2014 we’ll give a $50 AMEX gift card or other prize (other additional prizes may be added at our discretion) to one of the qualified entrants. You do not need to do anything. You are not asked or required to post a review.
Gift Card Count:
Number of gift cards added: 4
Christmas in The Duke’s Arms
The Duke’s Arms is an undistinguished little inn in the tiny village of Hopewell-on-Lyft. But one Christmas season sees both inn and village seething with adventure, intrigue, rabbits, and, above all, love as four couples find Yuletide happiness.
All Romance | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo | Trade Paper
Void where prohibited, no purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Winner selected at random from among the qualified entrants. If the winner does not contact Carolyn Jewel within 5 calendar days of notification, an alternate winner will be selected. Contest closes at 11:59:59 PM Pacific, Thursday December 18, 2014. Your comment must be posted by 11:59:59 PM Pacific December 18, 2014.
For the purposes of eligibility, only your first comment is valid as an entry.
The winner of the hamper must provide a US shipping address to receive the hamper. We are unable to ship outside the US.
The winner(s) of a gift card must be eligible under the card originator criteria to use the funds on the card. (EG, AMEX, etc.)
Assuming the criteria for adding the non-Hamper prizes are met, for each additional prize added, there will be a new winner until all additional prizes have been awarded or all eligible entrants have won. That is, if you already won a prize, you won’t win another unless or until all other eligible entries have won.
The total number of reviews posted at Amazon and Goodreads as of the original posting is: 57
