Summer Treasure Hunt : My Winner

My day in the Summer Treasure Hunt was June 24. The winner of my donation is Cydni Tongish of Utah! Cydni has won an autographed copy of my Regency romance, Redemption, and a 19" string of hand-knotted freshwater pearls ($45 value) made by Jay T Lyons of JaysDesign Jewelry!

Check the original post for more prizes waiting to be won!!

~Regency Wednesday~ A Lady's Deception

Since I've decided that "Regency Wednesday" shall focus on anything and everything Deception, please follow this link to see this week's post: A Lady's Deception. I would love it if you chose to follow this new blog as well. Thank you!

Happy reading, writing, and blogging, everyone!

Summer Treasure Hunt Winners 15-21

Seven more entrants have been chosen in our 2nd Annual Summer Treasure Hunt contest: 

• June 15: Tracy Astle of California is the winner of a 50-page manuscript edit/critique, offered by multi-published author Jennifer Stewart Griffith. 
• June 16: Tracie Travis of California won a CD e-book edition of Family Home Evening Adventures by Rebecca Irvine. 
• June 17: Karen Haas of North Carolina won an autographed copy of The Mark, a YA novel by Marilyn Bunderson. 
• June 18: Colleen Conklin of Arizona won her choice of The Ball's In Her Court (inspirational contemporary) or Rebound (contemporary romance) by Heather Justesen. 
• June 19: Taffy Lovell of Utah won an autographed copy of The Sharp Edge of a Knife, an inspirational historical based on a true story by D.N. Giles. 
• June 20: Becky Drew of Arizona won a trendy blue/brown crocheted book tote with matching cellphone case from Diva Springs, sponsored by Karen Adair. 
• June 21: Karin Tillotson of Pennsylvania won a pair of socks, hand-knit by Lynn Parsons. 

Congratulations to all the winners! 

There are still more prizes to win. Check out my original post for details on how to enter and to see what prizes are left to win. Hint: Check out June 24 for an extra special prize from JaysDesign Jewelry and me, the winner of which will be announced the 25th.

Happy hunting!!

How I Got Published When I Wasn't Looking For a Publisher

I've never looked for a publisher. I've never sent a query letter to an agent. I've never written a query letter at all, even to practice the art. I'm one of those self-published authors who skipped the headache, the debilitating, demoralizing headache, of querying agent after agent, publisher after publisher, in that never-ending search for just one other person who thinks my baby is a winner. 

I wrote, edited, published, and marketed my first four books. All at once. I had a couple family members to help look for typos and any glaring historical inaccuracy that might have slipped my notice. Those same family members helped spread the word about my books through facebook, goodreads, twitter and any number of other social networking venues. 

Recently, I tried my hand at short stories. I submitted four of them to an anthology being compiled by the moderators of a small, private group I frequent on Goodreads. Two were selected for inclusion. 

In the process of readying the pieces for submission, I mentioned on my facebook page what I was doing and my need for some honest critiques. One volunteer was Linda Boulanger.  

I didn't know who or "what" Linda was when I emailed her the rough drafts of all four of my short stories. I didn't know she co-owned One Stop Publisher, a helping hand type of publishing service for those who desire to self-publish.* I didn't know she'd just helped start a more traditional publishing line, TreasureLine Books and Publishing, and was on the lookout for authors to add to their catalog. Invited authors receive the same services as the One Stop customers but at no cost.

TreasureLine is paying to publish me. Me. The mind positively boggles. ;o)

So what's my point in sharing this?

Never underestimate the value of social networking.

In my ordinary networking activities, a new publisher not only asked for a submission, but offered to publish me based on a few rough drafts. After reaching an agreement, I submitted a novel-length manuscript. That novel, Deception, will be released July 15 and is available now for a special pre-release price from TreasureLine.

Happy networking, all! :o)

*One Stop Publisher offers every service the big vanity presses offer at a fraction of the price. Transcribing, basic editing, cover design, page layout, website design and setup, publishing, marketing, and book trailers, all in one easy stop. If you are looking to self-publish but don't want to shell out thousands of dollars to a vanity press, One Stop Publisher may be exactly what you're looking for. 

Summer Treasure Hunt Winners 8-14

(Our annual summer treasure hunt is still going on. Check my original post for the rules on how to enter.)

Seven more winners have been announced in our 2nd Annual Summer Treasure Hunt Contest:

• June 8: Mina Gerhart of Pennsylvania won an e-copy of the sweet 1950s romance Lab Partners by Larry Hammersley. 
• June 9: Cassandra Cantrell of Utah won an autographed copy of Melinda and the Wild West, a historical romance by Linda Weaver Clarke. 
• June 10: Diana Donahoo of Illinois won an autographed copy of Taken by Storm, a YA romance by Angela Morrison. 
• June 11: Amanda Isbell of Utah won an autographed copy of Trapped, a romantic suspense/paranormal fantasy by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen. 
• June 12: Cindy Schuerr of Wisconsin won an e-copy of Journey to Redemption, an inspirational romantic suspense story by Anne Patrick. 
• June 13: Rachel Stanley of California won an autographed copy of Altared Plans, a contemporary LDS romance by Rebecca Talley. 
• June 14: Tawnya Mayo of Utah won an autographed copy of Heroes of the Fallen, a historical novel by David J. West. 

Congratulations to all the winners!

There are still more prizes to be won so check my original post for how to enter.

Happy hunting!!

*My apologies if any names have been misspelled or any other typos have been made. Spell checker only catches so much. :o)

You Can Pre-Order Deception NOW!

Deception is officially available for pre-order from TreasureLine Publishing. List price is $14.95 but my publisher is offering it for only $9.95 until July 15. Click the pic to check it out!

Next week, watch for my story of how I got picked up by TreasureLine when I wasn't even looking for a publisher. 

~Regency Wednesday~ Speaking of Deception, Only My Timing Was Off

While writing Deception, I made reference to a certain historical person of note. At the time, I thought it was fine. Later, I looked up more info on that person and realized I could not make reference to a man who had yet to come into his fame. Who was that man? 

"Golden Ball" Hughes 

Golden Ball was best known for the significant inheritance he received from his stepfather, Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, in 1819. At the time, Golden Ball was plain old Edward Hughes Ball. Eventually, he took on his stepfather's name, becoming Edward Hughes Ball Hughes. It wasn't long before he became known as "Golden Ball" Hughes.* 

With £40,000 per annum, he was easily one of, if not the, richest man in Regency England. He made something of a name for himself as a gentleman of fashion and, according to the many sources I've encountered, was an all-around pleasing gentleman. Accounted quite a handsome man, he was nevertheless rejected by more than one young lady of Society. Apparently, no amount of money could overcome his plebeian roots.

His unfortunate love life came to an end in 1822 when he met Maria Mercandotti, a 15-year-old Spanish dancer. They caused a minor scandal in 1823 when little Maria failed to appear at a performance and rumor suggested they eloped. However, they had secretly married with the permission of her mother and Lord Fife, who rumor suggests was her natural father. As I read this, all I can think is, "How romantic!" 

I have scoured the internet for a print of Ball Hughes that I could include in this post and come up short. I found one on another site; the page may be of some interest to my readers, so I'll at least post the link to that. You have to scroll down quite a bit to reach the print of Ball Hughes but the page is all about Prinny's set so the whole thing is worth a look. Enjoy! 

Prinny's Set at GeorgianIndex.net 

Further reading: The Beaux of the Regency, Volume II, p 159, by Lewis Melville (1908); The Story of the London Parks, p 255, by Jacob Larwood (1881) 
*Disclaimer: There are differing versions of Golden Ball's parentage. Above, I have presented Melville's version as the accurate one. However, other sources claim Ball's uncle was Admiral Sir Alexander Ball and his father a slop-seller in Ratcliffe Highway. Melville maintains that these writers were wrong and that Ball was the son of Captain Ball of the Royal Navy. Golden Ball's widowed mother married Admiral Sir Edward Hughes but produced no more children. 

Summer Treasure Hunt Winners 1-7

We have already had a week's worth of winners in our Summer Treasure Hunt Contest. Huge congrats to the winners!!

June 1: Amber Nielson won an autographed copy of Queen in Exile, a fantasy romance by Donna Hatch.
June 2: Barbara Stilwell won an autographed copy of Awakening Avery, women's fiction by Laurie Lewis. 

June 3: Judy Cox won an e-book copy of Riley's Mission, romantic suspense by E.A. West. 

June 4: Ginny Romney won an autographed copy of Sprig of Thyme, a Victorian romance by Jenna Dawlish. 

June 5: Karin Tillotson won an autographed copy of Divinely Designed, a contemporary LDS romantic comedy by Rachael Renee Anderson. 

June 6: Laura Lewis won an autographed copy of Some Secrets Hurt, a picturebook by Linda Kay Garner, and a handmade cuddling blanket. 

June 7: Carol Rainbolt won a sealed DVD copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 

Congratulations to all the winners! There are still more great prizes to win so check out my original post for details on how to enter. 

Happy hunting!! 

~Regency Wednesday~ 1818 Fashion

In honor of the upcoming release of my 5th novel, Deception, "Regency Wednesday" will be dedicated to anything and everything related to Deception. The story takes place in London, 1818, early in the Season.

Today's post is the fashion of the time, specifically the summer fashions.

Pictured here are two fashion plates from the July issue of La Belle Assemblée.

Descriptions as taken from La Belle Assemblée:

"Summer Recess Ball Dress. Frock of white crape, Venetian gauze, or fine net, richly embellished at the border with small double Indian roses of a beautiful pink colour, and mingled with leaves of crape and pearls: the body finished in the Oriental style, with short sleeves, which approach nearer to the elbow than formerly, and which are finished by a trimming of broad blond. The head-dress consists of a double wreath of Indian roses, interspersed with the braids of hair that are wound round the summit of the head. White satin shoes and white kid gloves."

"Parisian Bonnets. Fig.1 represents transparent bonnets of crape or net, crowned with bouquets of flowers, and trimmed at the edges with broad blond and a cordon or flowers. Fig.2 represents bonnets of satin or gros de Naples, both white and coloured, crowned with a profusion of lilacs or small double poppies."

*La Belle Assemblée, 1818 (Google book)
**Disclaimer: I wrote Deception in 2003. Since writing it, I have learned more about the specific time in which it takes place. While the biggest of these flaws I have tried to correct, I may have missed some of the smaller ones.