~Regency Wednesday~ 1815 Window Dressing

My upcoming release, Honor (click HERE* for more info on that), starts in the latter part of 1815. Here is a plate from the January 1815 edition of Ackermann's Repository, and the accompanying explanation/description.

Plate 2. FASHIONABLE FURNITURE. 

Library Window Curtain. 

It is a common defect in building, attributable to the tax upon windows, that a sufficient number of them are not introduced for the purposes of cheerfulness; and there are many rooms lighted by so few, and the dimensions of them so small, that not only an insufficient supply of light is admitted, but the windows are too narrow, and their dressings too circumscribed to form proportions suited to the apartments. The annexed plate represents a window of this kind, with the added architectural finishings, by which it is so increased as to have the proportion of a Palladian or Venetian one, and a design for a curtain suitable to it is introduced in a style adapted to a library or eating-room. It is a design very applicable to some rooms which have but one window in each.** 

*All links open in a new window or tab, depending on your browser's settings. 
**Taken verbatim from Ackermann's Repository, January 1815, page 55.

Read an Ebook Week (March 6-12, 2011)...Continued

Wow. Not only is Redemption FREE this week, but TreasureLine has enrolled Deception for 50% OFF, too!! Get over to Smashwords and take advantage of these deals! The promotion ends March 12.* 

Don't forget to take a look around at some of the other books available for 25, 50, 75, and 100% off in the Read an Ebook Week site-wide promotion.

Deception:
England 1818. Determined to find love, Aurora Glendenning hides her wealth and status, wanting a man to love her for her...one who will overlook her mistakes. When she meets Levi, Lord Greville, she thinks her prayers have been answered. There's just one problem: he needs wealth to right his wrongs. Can love make everything all right in this tale with so many lies and unanswered questions?

Redemption:
1821. Lady Jenny is the pampered, beloved daughter of a duke. Becoming a little jaded after several Seasons, Jenny flirts shamelessly with the newest rogue to grace London, Dare Prestwich. The situation gets out of hand, Dare flees, and Jenny must face judgmental Society alone. The one left to pick up the pieces is Dare's twin, Miles, who is in love with Jenny's twin, Gwen. Oh, the scandal.

*Pictures link to the respective books at Smashwords. All links will open in a new tab or window, depending on your browser settings.

Website Overhaul

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I forgot to mention the major overhaul I gave my website last week. If you wanna compare old and new, here's the old site, hosted by Google: https://sites.google.com/site/jaimeygrant/; and the new, hosted by weebly: www.jaimeygrant.com. So tell me honestly. Improvement, yes? 

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I also updated the logo/header for my art site. What do you think? Don't forget to bookmark www.anauthorsart.com if you're in the market for a book cover design or promotional materials, or even if you just like to check out book covers (like I do). I have a "fan" page too, if facebook is the place for you.
http://www.facebook.com/anauthorsart 

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

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Read an Ebook Week (March 6-12, 2011)

Redemption is up for FREE download at Smashwords! Go snap it up before it's too late! Read an Ebook Week ends March 12. There are a ton of other great titles up for grabs too, so go check it out. You won't be disappointed!

Ebook Description

1821. Lady Jenny is the pampered, beloved daughter of a duke. Becoming a little jaded after several Seasons, Jenny flirts shamelessly with the newest rogue to grace London, Dare Prestwich. The situation gets out of hand, Dare flees, and Jenny must face judgmental Society alone. The one left to pick up the pieces is Dare's twin, Miles, who is in love with Jenny's twin, Gwen. Oh, the scandal.

Good Clean Fun

Every few hundred new members or so, the Clean Romances group on Goodreads celebrates in the best way possible. 

A MASSIVE BOOK GIVEAWAY!!! 

We've reached 600 members (Thank you, all!!) and are having the giveaway again. Nineteen titles are up for grabs, some paperback, some eBook, some historical, some fantasy, some contemporary, ALL ROMANCE. Every one in the list falls into the "clean" category, also known as traditional-style. (Think Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer. In fact, one of our members generously donated a Heyer for the giveaway!) 

To get in on all the fun, simply pop on over to the giveaway thread and put your name in the hat. It's that easy. I'll make it even easier by linking you directly to the entry thread. :o) 

CLICK HERE for the Clean Romances Giveaway Entry Thread * 

*Free Goodreads membership required. 

Call for Beta Readers

Do you like to read? Of course you do! Well, here's your chance to read some new books before they even hit the shelves. 

My publisher, TreasureLine Books & Publishing, is looking for beta readers. If you're interested, email Linda at TreasureLinePublishing@gmail.com. Be sure to include the genre(s) you prefer. 

~Photo Friday~ Crystal

Here in mid-Michigan, this was the world we woke up to Wednesday morning. Above are the ice-crystal coated treetops and to the right is a close-up of the crystals on a tall, feathery weed. It was a truly stunning sight. 

Cover Contest Winner!

I've drawn a winner for my recent cover contest, Vote for Honor's Cover. And the winner is ...

... (drumroll, please) ... 

RACHEL ROSSANO!!! 

Congratulations, Rachel. You should be receiving an email soon about your prize. Thank you for playing. :o)

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to vote. Just in case you're curious, the cover pictured here is the one that received the most votes, nearly 50%. It is very likely that this will be the cover of Honor, with a few slight changes.

As always, happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

*Winner was selected using Random.org.

~Regency Wednesday~ Fashions for April 1820

One of the many novels I'm writing takes place during the Season of 1820. Here is a glimpse into the fashion for that year. 

Fashions for April, 1820. 

Explanation of the prints of fashion. 

No. 1--Evening Dress. 

Round dress of black crape, over a black satin slip; the dress made with a demi-train, and ornamented round the border with three fluted flounces of crape, each flounce headed by a superb embroidery of small jet beads and bugles. Corsage à Louis Quatorze, ornamented with jet bugles to correspond. Tucker of white crape in folds, fastened in puff divisions by bows of white love. The head adorned with the regal coronet turban.*

*La Belle Assemblée, April 1820, page 132.

~Regency Wednesday~ Bodysnatchers

During the late 1700s the medical field was expanding. The government gave the doctors all the bodies of the executed criminals in order to teach medical students anatomy and to advance their surgical skills. However, the demand far outweighed the supply.

To that end, resurrectionists, or bodysnatchers, were "hired" to steal bodies from the graveyards. It got so bad that iron coffins were advertised, as a way to prevent loved ones from ending up under a medical student's knife.

Astley Cooper, pictured here, was one of the most famous surgeons of the Regency period. He was reputed to have worked in his dissecting room every morning before breakfast and was known for his willingness to dissect anything. His favorite subject for dissection was human remains and he saw no harm in hiring someone to steal corpses for him.

*To add to this morbid subject, or maybe just enhance your knowledge of a small portion of medicine's history, check out Donald A Low's The Regency Underworld (1982/2005), pages 80-104; The Life of Sir Astley Cooper by Bransby Blake Cooper (1843); or the Wikipedia article Astley Cooper (plenty of references but no inline citations).