I have a funny story with this book and by story I mean an epic fail. I was returning some books back to the library and somehow Lady Anne sneaked back with them. When I realized what I’d done it was as if I’d been amputated! So painful. Of course I returned the books on a Sunday; the only day in the week the library isn’t open until late in the afternoon or early in the day.
After a pretty good freak out, I waited until I could call. Ended hanging up once because I was on hold for five minutes and called back. Then I had to wait on the phone for twenty plus minutes before somebody from circulation got to me. They either forgot me or they were busy. I told them about the book and the person I talked with probably never got a call like this before because I was given a hard time.
Finally, I managed to convince them that the book was mine and not a library book. I don’t understand how this was so difficult as 1) it is not stamped with the library name nor was it 2) tagged with a detector strip or that pocket thing and 3) clearly says advance review copy on the cover! This is why I write in books to identify and claim them.
In the end they put the book on hold for me and now it was a matter of getting back over there. The library where I dropped the books off while on errands was all the way across town. I really didn’t make this easy on myself. Luckily I got there, but it was close! One more red light and it would have been better luck next time. Needless to say I was very, very pleased to get this book back and finish it… which I did later that night.
What I liked best about Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark was its tribute to Gothic romance, followed swiftly by a capable intelligent heroine. The hero liked that best about her too so how could you not fall in love with him? Lady Anne is very plain and a spinster to boot, which are some of my very favorite things to read in romance.
Simpson writes in a witty and engaging voice. I loved Lady Anne. She was such a treat. Her musings on Lord Darkefell are particularly fabulous:
It was either that or go back to pondering the feel of Lord Darkefell’s too-perfect lips pressed against hers. And his too-perfect body against hers. He was entirely too perfect—if there was such a concept as overabundant perfection—in a physical sense and entirely too maddeningly imperfect in every other way.
Without giving anything else away I will say this: if you like mystery, intrigue, werewolves, and Gothic you will love this book! Oh and chances are you're going to jump to conclusions about the mystery and be totally wrong - I was!
Duty and Desire takes places during the majority of the silent period. It is the second book in the Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman Trilogy. The first is An Assembly Such as This which ended in London at the beginning to the silent period of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Darcy is in quite a pickle. He's managed to successfully divert his friend from near disaster, but his mind won't stop resting on the delights of Elizabeth Bennet. Thinking Pemberley will help orient his mind, Darcy finishes his business in London and hies home. There he meets his sister, Georgiana much changed from her misfortunes of last summer. Bright sunny and remarkably mature, Darcy can hardly believe his eyes. He's worried that one wrong move on his part will ruin all of Georgiana's progress.
Christmas comes to Pemberley and Darcy is caught more than once daydreaming about Elizabeth's fine eyes. He knows he must do something about his wandering imagination and fast. Determined to erase her presence from his thoughts, Darcy decides to enter into the hunt for a wife. Leaving his sister in the care of family and his best friend Dy, Darcy goes to a reunion house party of old Cambridge and Oxford mates.
There he meets his cousin's fiancee and is at once charmed and disturbed by her flirtation. He finds solace in the dark beauty that is his host's half-sister. As his thoughts war between Sylvanie and Elizabeth, both gray eye beauties, a dark nearly Gothic mystery begins to unfold. His host is in dire need of funds, a piglet is slaughtered and made to look like a human baby, personal affects are stolen, and more. Fletcher, Darcy's valet, is the only one he can trust to help unwind the threads of this coil.
I guessed immediately who was behind everything, but had not guessed at the second mystery that was present in the writing. It took me by surprise at the end during the revelation. In hind-sight I can see the clues that I could not before. A masterful tale, if a little drawn out. Would have preferred more Bingley in this part of the story, as it was there was very little. I suspect Dy and/or Colonel Fitzwilliam love romantically the sixteen year old Georgiana. My suspicions will have to wait until the next and final chapter of Mr. Fitzwilliam, Darcy Gentleman Trilogy.
Q - I had so much fun reading Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark; what was your inspiration for the book? Do you have any photos you worked from for the imposing castle and grounds?
A - Thank you, Keira... I appreciate the kind words! I am a rational person, and so is Lady Anne. When she hears a werewolf has been spotted, she thinks, 'big dog on the loose'. Once I saw that, and put it together with the Georgian era, when there was a lot of superstition (not that there isn't that now!) the rest flowed from there. As for photos of the castle... what actually inspired Darkefell Castle is a pen, ink and watercolor picture I bought at a rummage sale; it is of an old castle with a modern (Georgian modern, probably mid-1700s) addition, and it is exactly Darkefell Castle! I've searched and searched online, but I can't find the original that the artist worked from.
Q - What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Thinking up the plot.
Outlining.
Writing it.
Editing final drafts.
Depends upon what stage I'm at working, what I would answer to that question. Right now I would say, final editing is agonizing, because you know that after it's gone, sent off to your editor, you will likely not have any opportunity to substantially change the course of the book again. You have to be sure of it!
Q - How did Sourcebooks find out about your novel?
I have a great agent with his nose to the ground, looking for intriguing new opportunities. When we were looking about for a publisher for the Lady Anne series, he included Sourcebooks Casablanca among the recipients, as he found their recent acquisitions interesting. We took it from there, sending it to the acquisitions editor, Deb Werksman, and she like it!
Q - How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?
It depends on a) what I'm writing and b) what else is on my plate. If I have a book due, it's full-time days writing. If I have a book being released, then promotion takes over. But most days, overall, I tend to write about five hours a day.
Q - What do you think is the greatest creative risk you've taken?
Blending mystery and romance so thoroughly in the Lady Anne series. I adore romances with mystery elements and love mysteries with a strong thread of romance, and I hope readers do, too. I mean, both romance and mystery are parts of life, why can't they co-exist in a novel genre?
Q - What are some plot devices you like? Can't stand?
I don't know so much if they are plot devices, but I despise emotionally manipulative writers, the ones who set you up to have certain expectations, then dash them. I think they believe that it's more 'literary' to put characters (and readers) through pain than to give them a happy ending. Not necessarily.
Also, I hatehatehate (I feel so strongly about this I had to repeat it three times!) writers who aren't true to their characters. When I close a book, I want to know, even if the end is sad, that it makes sense, that how the characters acted was true to their soul as the writer created them, and not some behavior that feels superimposed by the author because he or she had a certain ending in mind.
As for plot devices I like, all I ask of a writer is that they are true to their characters, and I'll go with almost anything!
Q - Could you provide a picture of your bookshelf?
I don't have just one bookshelf! They're kind of scattered all over the house!
Q - Share some of your favorite books!
Favorite books... ah, the list is endless! A Flaw in the Blood, by Stephanie Barron blew me away... such a great writer. People know her from her fabulous Jane Austen as a detective series, but she's good at everything she writes. I like classics, of course. Who hasn't been inspired by Pride & Prejudice? But for day-to-day reading, I love mystery novels! Anne Perry, Victoria Thompson, many others!
Q - What do you do to relax and get away from writing? Is there something that really gets you away from it all?
Mostly, just ordinary stuff. I love to read; I can't imagine there's an author alive who wouldn't say that! Reading is such a great escape, and that's what I try to write for my readers, a great escape from care and worry. I do have a few hobbies - including karaoke - and hanging out with friends on the weekend. That is about it. I'm a very simple gal. A good book on the patio and a glass of wine or cup of tea is about the perfect end of a day.
Q - I have a spoiler question... Will there be a sequel so that Darkefell can win over Lady Anne? Oh please say yes!
Okay, I'm not one to release spoilers, but I will say this much, in Lady Anne and the Ghost's Revenge (August 2009) things heat up considerably between Darkefell and Anne, and in Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (November 2009) the passion reaches bonfire proportions on the heat scale! Some do like it hot!
Q - How do you define love?
Love: wow, definitions are tough, but my idea of love is caring so much about another person, that you put them first in your thoughts. You know their faults and don't give a damn. You would make any sacrifice to make them happy.
Q - Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
I had a great time with these characters; they often did quite unexpected things! And I hope readers enjoy them as much as I did writing about their adventures.
Visit me at http://www.donnaleasimpson.com for more information on the Lady Anne series, and if you'd like to learn more about the Georgian era, in which they are set!
Originally posted 2009-04-04 05:11:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I read a few gothic romances when I was much younger... you know, the kind with the cover that shows the girl running from a castle wearing a floaty dress. I keep getting, from readers and reviewers, that I write Gothic historicals, but I never set out to do that. Maybe Gothic style just comes naturally to me.
The usual set up of a Gothic, historic or modern, has the heroine trapped somewhere with a man who may be some kind of dangerous, murdering madman. Or... he may just be a nice misunderstood guy, but he insists on keeping secrets from the heroine and everyone else! The one facet of the heroine's character that is vital to the Gothic plot, is that she cannot leave the mystery alone. She doesn't pack her bags and escape the castle in a timely fashion, she doesn't just shut her mouth and ignore the weirdness, she's compelled to pick away at the hero's mysterious behavior, open the door to the forbidden room, or descend to the cellar from which the weird, clanking noises come.
In this sense, I suppose Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark (Sourcebooks Casablanca - April 2009) does follow classic Gothic sensibility. There are mysteries here, weird things afoot at night, and Lord Anthony Darkefell, the dark brooding hero, is not telling all he knows. Lady Anne Addison is the ultimate intrepid heroine, not willing to let the mystery rest. She must know the truth! However, Gothic heroines often seem to blunder mindlessly through the novel, making discoveries by accident, and Lady Anne uses all of her wits and considerable skepticism.
One enormous difference between Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark and the true Gothic is the use of the hero's viewpoint. Gothic novels never feature the hero's viewpoint, because to do so dilutes the 'unknown'; a viewpoint character exposes some of their soul to the reader, or it's not proper characterization. I wanted readers to get to know Darkefell, to understand him, and his changing feelings for Anne.
I guess when you get down to it, the use of some aspects of the Gothic is just plain fun, both for the reader and writer. In Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen had great fun with Gothic sensibility. Her heroine, Catherine Morland, imagines all kinds of horrible things-that General Tilney murdered his wife, or imprisoned her-until she is shown how wrong it is to let her imagination run riot like that.
Now, in a true Gothic, Catherine's worst fears would have been proved right!
Another big difference between my Lady Anne books and classic Gothic style, is, you never get a sequel to a Gothic. I have managed to stretch the series to Lady Anne and the Ghost's Revenge (Sourcebooks Casablanca - August 2009) and Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (Sourcebooks Casablanca - November 2009), and having fun all the way, with Lady Anne and Darkefell's increasingly romantic entanglement.
I hope you all enjoy the books, and I would be interested in hearing if you feel there are Gothic elements in the book, and how they work to the story's benefit, or detriment. I had a great time with these characters; they often do quite unexpected things!
Donna Lea Simpson is giving away one copy of Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark today. Open to US and Canada readers only. Enter by leaving a question for Donna or by telling us why you love/hate Gothic elements in romance! Winner will be announced April 1, 2009, no joke... sorry couldn't help myself.
Originally posted 2009-03-31 05:57:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Gothic romance is a genre you can't find all too easily today. It was a popular genre a few decades ago and lovers of this romance sub-genre will have to troll secondhand bookstores to find titles. Classics of this genre are novels such as Wuthering Heights and Scarlet Letter. Well known authors of Gothic romance/horror include Ann Radcliffe of the past and Stephen King of the present.
A typical Gothic romance revolved around conflict and mysteries. It made the heroine choose between two male characters for love. One is bright, sunny, cheerful and charming. The other was dark, mysterious, secretive, and brooding. Plotlines of cursed leads and daring adventures took place on wind-swept moors, and places that were haunted. The heroine would embark on a thrilling journey to discover if her hero was worthy of love. Her task usually boiled down to find out if the hero really murdered his first wife, brother, mother, insert other relation.
It is interesting to note that Radcliffe introduced this brooding male as the Gothic villain, which developed into the Byronic hero. She is considered a pioneer of the genre. The movie Becoming Jane shows a meeting between Radcliffe and Jane Austen but there's not basis for this meeting. However it does provide an interesting backdrop on the dual rise of the two types of popular novels.
As Gothic or dark romanticism developed it became more distinctly separated. The first direction of Gothic novels glorifies gore. The second took on the key aspects of modern romance. This new evolution made the focus on the romance instead of the mystery. These are the romances that disappeared after the eighties.
So what is a Byronic hero?
Trivia: The name of this hero comes from the English poet Lord Bryon.
The hero himself is highly intelligent, urbane, sophisticated and introspective. In other words he's arrogant, mysterious, seductive, and moody (see bipolar). We see male figures like this all over, you could make the argument that Mr. Darcy is a Byronic hero on top of being a Regency hero, as Byronic heroes dislike social formalities and functions. Of course Mr. Darcy doesn't have a troubled past or flippant air towards the wealthy and privileged, as he is one of that set. While Mr. Darcy was disliked he was not a complete social outcast and exiled from polite company. All these things are attributed to the Byronic hero.
What's a good modern Gothic romance?
Some titles of the modern Gothic romance include:Bells of Widow's Bay by Miriam Lynch, Castle Midnight by Evelyn McKenna, and Satan's Rock by Marilyn Ross.
Authors to look for include (past and present authors): Victoria Holt, Dorothy Daniels, Theresa Weir, Phyllis Whitney, Barbara Michaels, Allison Knight, Mary Stewart, Joanna Challis, and Megan McKinney, Kay Hooper, Eve Silver... to name a few.
Trivia: In the 1980s Harlequin had an all Gothic line of books. See here for Gothic titles. Harlequin Intrigue also contains several titles that could satisfy your craving.
Originally posted 2008-09-24 15:10:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Come join me for a fun interview with Amanda Grange, author of Mr. Darcy, Vampyre!
Keira: Mr. Darcy, Vampyre has a very Gothic romance feel to it. What inspired you to write it that way as opposed to straight paranormal? Do you feel that Gothic romance and paranormal are similar beasts?
Amanda: I love Gothic novels and they inspired Vampyre, so it was always going to have that feel to it. I think that Gothic romance and paranormal have a lot in common, but to me, Gothics hint at things that paranormals make plain. Gothics are about seeing the shadow on the wall, paranormals are about the monster appearing in front of you.
Keira: Do you read many in those genres and if you do what do you consider your favorite Gothic and paranormal romances to be?
Amanda: My favourite Gothic romance is probably Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It’s a very atmospheric book, with lots of subtle hints and mystery. My favourite paranormal is probably You Had Me at Halo by Amanda Ashby, which is actually a very funny book, but the heroine happens to be dead.
Keira: In addition to Mr. Darcy, Vampyre what other work(s) of yours would you recommend to (new) readers to try out to get a feel for you as an author?
Amanda: I think my books fall into different categories. I’ve written five retellings of Jane Austen’s novels from the heroes’ points of view, in the form of diaries, and Mr. Darcy's Diary probably gives a good feel of the books, but if people prefer a different hero I think they should read about their favourite! I’ve also written about a dozen Georgette Heyer-like Regencies, and Lord Deverill's Secret gives a good idea of their flavour.
Keira: Who would be your ideal reader?
Amanda: Someone who loves my books!
Keira: You draw much inspiration from Jane Austen for some of your writings. Which is your favorite Jane Austen hero, heroine, and novel?
Amanda: Oh, that’s hard! I think my favourite hero has to be Darcy, although I’m very fond of Captain Wentworth, too. My favourite heroine is Lizzy and favourite novel is Pride and Prejudice.
Keira: Mr. Darcy changes into a bat in the novel. If you could transform into an animal and pick the animal you would become, what would you be and why?
Amanda: A snow leopard, because it’s beautiful and graceful.
Keira: What do you like best about historical romance novels?
Amanda: I like the fact that they take place in another world. The rules are different. It’s like going on holiday, seeing different sights, meeting different people.
Keira: When it comes to reading, what is your secret guilty plot or character type that you love beyond reason?
Amanda: I love the aloof hero with a heart of gold. That moment when he becomes human is magical.
Keira: Here’s a very tough question. Your book trailer is brilliant and features both of the covers for the US and UK editions of Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. Both are gorgeous; but which is your favorite?
Amanda: I keep trying to answer this question myself. It depends on my mood. But I think I gravitate more towards the UK edition because it has Darcy on it!
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Amanda: I have a Darcy short story in an anthology called Loves Me, Loves Me Not, which is available now. I also have another Darcy short story coming out in a Christmas anthology, published by Sourcebooks, so look out for that in December!
Amanda Grange picks up where Pride and Prejudice ends. Jane and Elizabeth are getting ready for their double wedding, both eager and anxious about the life spreading out before them. On the way to the wedding, Elizabeth experiences a brief foreboding chill but shrugs it off as wedding nerves. The ceremony goes smoothly, Darcy’s vows stirring deep emotions in both.
It’s when they leave the reception that things start taking a turn for the worse. Through the reflection in the glass of their carriage Elizabeth spies a flash of torment crossing Darcy’s features, but a quick look at the real man shows smooth features. Elizabeth believes she has imagined it… unexpectedly he changes their wedding tour plans and routes them from the Lake District to a direct route to France over the channel.
Elizabeth is unconcerned about this change, but wholly concerned with Darcy. She can’t help but compare her expectations to the reality of her marriage to Darcy. He does not visit her bedchamber the first night or the next or the next. When they are together during the day Darcy is everything attentive, kind, and devoted, but at night he disappears.
As Elizabeth struggles to find reasons for this strange behavior, she meets a dizzying array of friends, family, and strangers over the continent. Some people and places inspire a great deal of trepidation in Elizabeth and she spills her worries to Jane in a series of letters.
It’s not until the last one hundred pages that things really begin to unravel and Darcy’s mysterious behavior is revealed. I was surprised by how flawless the transition was from Austen’s Regency romance to Grange’s Gothic flavored romance. Grange has a talent with words and uses this talent to create a believable paranormal filled with stunningly chilling atmosphere and mystery.
Duty & Desire is an interesting addition to the trilogy of Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman by Pamela Aidan. This second installment takes readers through Mr. Darcy’s missing moments in Pride and Prejudice in between his departure for London after the Netherfield Ball and his reemergence at his aunt’s house, Rosings Park.
A decent novel, filled with twists and turns, it’s nothing too extraordinary or special in terms of the storyline.
It has two important qualities however: Mr. Darcy’s relationship with his sister Georgiana and a deeper look into his personality.
Readers familiar with Pride and Prejudice, will know the thoughts swirling around Lizzy Bennet’s head, but were left with presumptions and, often dream-filled landscapes, as to the inner mechanical mind of “the man himself.”
These two facets are the meat of the story. Through Aidan’s novel, readers are exposed to another side of Mr. Darcy they always knew existed, but were ever privy to reading about until the very end of Pride and Prejudice. Darcy’s relationship with Georgiana is beautiful.
To quote Elizabeth Bennet, he’s “an ideal older brother.” From his indulgences of her, patience, kindest endearments and openness, as a girl, you cannot help but love him more. Not only love him more, but have the urge to squeal “awwwwww.”
The best part? He falls asleep on her shoulder one night after he comes back from a horrid escapade with a “pack of vipers.” And yes, the vipers are people, not snakes. No, Pamela Aidan does not take Mr. Darcy into Indiana Jones land. Be not alarmed ladies.
The ability to view Darcy’s love for Georgiana, also enables the reader to delve deeper into, what Aidan interprets, as his inner thoughts. Conflicted and confused between decorum and feelings, duty and desire, this novel is one more way to hold on to the character we all know and love.
Not to mention, that it is, for lack of a better term, simply cute how he pines over Lizzy Bennet
Q - How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?
, by Stephanie Barron blew me away... such a great writer. People know her from her fabulous Jane Austen as a detective series, but she's good at everything she writes. I like classics, of course. Who hasn't been inspired by Pride & Prejudice? But for day-to-day reading, I love mystery novels! Anne Perry, Victoria Thompson, many others!
(August 2009) things heat up considerably between Darkefell and Anne, and in Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (November 2009) the passion reaches bonfire proportions on the heat scale! Some do like it hot!
, Jane Austen had great fun with Gothic sensibility. Her heroine, Catherine Morland, imagines all kinds of horrible things-that General Tilney murdered his wife, or imprisoned her-until she is shown how wrong it is to let her imagination run riot like that.
shows a meeting between Radcliffe and Jane Austen but there's not basis for this meeting. However it does provide an interesting backdrop on the dual rise of the two types of popular novels.
has a very Gothic romance feel to it. What inspired you to write it that way as opposed to straight paranormal? Do you feel that Gothic romance and paranormal are similar beasts? 
by Charlotte Bronte. It’s a very atmospheric book, with lots of subtle hints and mystery. My favourite paranormal is probably 
by Amanda Ashby, which is actually a very funny book, but the heroine happens to be dead.
probably gives a good feel of the books, but if people prefer a different hero I think they should read about their favourite! I’ve also written about a dozen Georgette Heyer-like Regencies, and 
gives a good idea of their flavour.
Keira: Who would be your ideal reader?
