Into the Mind of Jaimey Grant

♥This Blog Is Moving!♥

2016-03-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

You heard that right, my lovelies! This blog is officially moving.

That doesn't mean it is literally moving. Every post I've done here will remain here. I'll maintain this blog in the sense that I'll keep the sidebar updated and make sure all my old blog posts are available for readers to find.

What it means is that I'll be blogging directly from my website from now on. It is time, though I'll miss this blog setup very much. But it makes sense to have everything in one convenient place, both for me and my readers/fans. Perhaps eventually, I'll move each post as well, but I have no immediate plans for that at this time.

That's all I have for you today, my lovelies. Check for new updates on my blog at http://www.jaimeygrant.com/blog from now on.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Queen ~ Bohemian Rhapsody

~Snippet Saturday~ Entangled (Spellbound)

2016-03-05T09:26:00.000-05:00

Time for another excerpt from one of my stories. Gertrude has been the star of the past two Snippet Saturdays, so how about something different this time?

Let's have a snippet from Entangled, shall we? Entangled is a remake of my previously published novel Spellbound. It's getting a revamp, inside and out.

The following is the opening of Spellbound, before any changes for the revamped edition. Enjoy! ♥

January 1820

“It’s insane, Raven. He’s insane. How can you even consider it?”

Raven Emerson stared at Adam, her slightly raised brows the only sign of her annoyance. Adam’s wife, Bri, was strangely silent. Normally, she was full of ideas and opinions, some quite scandalous, but today she was keeping her thoughts to herself. Raven was unsure why this was but decided to spare her friend the necessity of giving her opinion in front of Adam.

“I don’t see how my decision is any concern of yours, Adam Prestwich,” replied Raven in her throaty voice. Her expression revealed nothing.

“None of my concern?” Disbelief was writ plain on the baronet’s handsome face. “And how, madam, do you suppose that?”

His tone had taken on a dangerous silkiness that Raven knew meant he was more than a little perturbed. She didn’t care. She was no longer his to command and she’d be damned if she’d let him try.

“I’m not your responsibility now,” she told him. “You have a wife and children to worry about. Leave me be.”

Adam stared at her. “You may not be my mistress anymore but you’re still my friend and my wife’s as well.” He paused but Raven said nothing. “You cannot have thought this through!” he finally exploded.

“I assure you, I have,” she told him quietly—and completely without truth. She caught the look of surprise on Bri’s face but ignored it. “Lord Windhaven assures me I will be well paid and have nothing to fear from his family provided I play my part well.” A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. “And there is little fear of that considering I’ve been an actress for years.”

“But you have acted in nothing for nearly a year, Raven,” Adam pointed out mockingly. “Are you sure you remember how?”

Raven glared at him in response. She was used to Adam’s callousness. She had been under his protection for years before he met and married Lady Brianna Derring, a titled lady in her own right and running from her family. Adam’s hands had been full to overflowing with Bri’s problems and while Raven had been of some considerable help to the couple, she had also been in the way.

Adam released an exasperated breath. “The man must be completely balmy to ask you to impersonate a peeress, Raven. Either that or he views you as expendable. Do you realize they will hang you if you’re discovered? And his family will probably be the first to lead you to the scaffold. Can he protect you then?”

Raven shrugged with seeming nonchalance. “He’s a duke,” she said carelessly. Inside she was frightened but she’d never reveal that to the odious man before her.

A shiver of excitement coursed through her. Her life had become a trifle boring of late—a circumstance she blamed entirely on her past decisions and her belief that she had a penance to pay for giving in to temptation—once with Adam and once with…

She pushed her other indiscretion determinedly from her mind.

That's the old version. I will do my best to have the new version for you within the next few weeks. ;)

The cover shown here is the new one. I guess this would be the official unveiling. LOL I hope you like it.

As always, thank you for stopping by! ♥

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing
♫♪ Evanescence ~ Going Under

~Regency Wednesday~ Walking Dress for May 1815

2016-03-02T09:18:00.000-05:00

Hello, my lovelies! It's time for another Regency Wednesday post. I've selected a fashion plate this time from the May 1815 issue of Ackermann's Repository. Enjoy! ♥

"High dress, made in cambric muslin, with deep full flounces richly worked on French cambric; a deep falling frill round the neck, to correspond. Pelisse, open, with falling collar, composed of green sarsnet, lined throughout with sarsnet of straw colour; the bottom of the sleeve trimmed with a double frill of the same; a double border of corresponding coloured trimming laid on the cuff and round the pelisse. Bonnet of straw-coloured satin, edged and trimmed with green stain ribbon, and ornamented either with a cluster of flowers or a small plume of feathers. Sandals of green kid; gloves to correspond. Parasol of straw-coloured silk."*

Funny thing, this dress makes me think of a frilly nightgown with a green robe. :)

*Taken verbatim from Ackermann's Repository, 1815, p. 297. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Evanescence ~ Lithium

~Snippet Saturday~ Gertrude's Grace

2016-02-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

It was put to a vote on my Facebook page and Gertrude won by a landslide—granted, that was only a handful of votes, but still. It counts. ;) So this week's excerpt is from Gertrude's Grace, chapter three. Enjoy! ♥

Taken from the beginning of chapter three...

Having a clumsy daughter was what all Society mothers feared most—that and being denied vouchers to Almack’s. Clumsy daughters were nearly impossible to marry off, every gentlemen desiring a lady for a wife and a lady must always be graceful.

A clumsy young lady might successfully marry if she was titled, fair of face, or in possession of a generous dowry. Gertrude’s standing as the daughter of an earl gave her a title but her dowry was modest. Her strong features and sturdy build were opposite the delicate, china-doll appearance that was so popular. Her tendency to laugh aloud instead of emitting nothing more than a charming titter put many gentlemen off. She strode around like a man when she wasn’t tripping over her own feet, and her hair—horror of horrors!—was unruly red, the most despised of hair colors. Certainly a mother’s nightmare!

But Gertrude’s mother, delicate fae creature that she was, loved her great clumsy child. As much as she wanted her child contentedly married and surrounded by children of her own, she was just as happy with the thought of her staying by her side, a comfort in her declining years.

And Gertrude adored her mother right back, wanting to please her with a brilliant match. So she dressed carefully that Wednesday evening, only a few days after her comical introduction to the much sought after Duke of Chatterton.

As always, thank you for stopping by and have a lovely weekend!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing
♫♪ Evanescence ~ Hello

~Regency Wednesday~ A Villa (July 1817)

2016-02-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

For today's Regency Wednesday post, let's take a look at a Regency building. I've selected a villa from the July 1817 issue of Ackermann's Repository.

"This building is intended for the residence of a small family, and has its domestic offices situated in the rear of the principal apartments, which are thence approached by a door entering into the staircase at A. The dining-room is spacious, and is decorated by niches and statues, which would combine with the greatly projecting bay window, to give the whole an appearance of architectural arrangement and classical finish. The drawing room and music-room, communicating with a small conservatory, would form a very agreeable suite of apartments, wholly unconnected with the dinner-room. The library is arranged for a tasteful disposition of the books; and, as being a room of business, it is entered immediately from the small hall: this leads to the principal staircase, and to a corridor containing a closet, coat-room, store and china-room, &c. and is the passage by which the house is entered from the servants' apartments. These consist of kitchen, scullery, and larder, servants' hall, pantry, and housekeeper's room, with proper cellaring; and above them are the servants' bedrooms. The chambers over the chief apartments are four in number, two of which have dressing-rooms.
The lawn front only would be architecturally decorated, the remaining sides being disposed for finishing in the simplest style, and for concealment by plantations; indeed the offices might be nearly excluded from view by the shrubberies between them and the principal building."*

*Taken verbatim from Ackermann's Repository, July 1817. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Evanescence ~ Call Me When You're Sober

~Snippet Saturday~ Gertrude's Grace

2016-02-20T09:44:00.000-05:00

Let's get back to the way things were. Here's another snippet on a Saturday for your enjoyment. ;)

Since Gertrude is about to make her debut, I thought I'd share some of her story with you now. This clip is taken from the almost final draft. I'm still editing on this story, so don't be surprised if this changes a bit in the final manuscript.

I hope you like it. Gertrude is very special to me. ♥

From chapter two...

Hyde Park was the place to see and be seen most afternoons. One could ride, walk, or drive, dressed in the latest fashions, escorted by the most sought after gentlemen Society could boast. It was every debutante’s dream to make her friends jealous by snaring the company of the one man considered the marital prize of the Season.

Lady Gertrude Shiveley could boast no such conquest. She walked alone, no one but her maid, Margaret, trailing along three paces behind as a good servant must.

Gertrude longed to ask the other girl to step up beside her but didn’t dare. It would cause talk if anyone saw her being so familiar with a servant. And it would probably embarrass Margaret.

So she continued to amble along, taking the tiny, mincing steps ladies are supposed to take. She wished she could stride the way she was comfortable. Mincing steps were not sufficient to get from point A to point B. She had a destination in mind and she wanted to get there within decent time.

Granted, her destination was merely the other end of the park, but the sooner she got there, the sooner she could turn around and leave. She’d come early enough to avoid the worst of the crowds and hoped to leave before a certain duke showed up with whatever lovely young miss he’d chosen to escort.

Gertrude hated to admit it, but she found Lord Chatterton fascinating. His manners, his poise, his….grace.

A snort escaped her. She admired his grace’s grace. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Margaret heard her unladylike noise, but the girl was staring off into the trees. In fact, she wasn’t even moving anymore, her gaze caught by something that Gertrude couldn’t see.

This one will be released soon, I promise. Thank you for stopping by and have a lovely weekend!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

~Regency Wednesday~ Fly Through 17th Century London

2016-02-17T15:00:00.001-05:00

So yeah, the 17th Century is not Regency. However, this video is incredibly neat and I just had to share.

I saw it yesterday in my Facebook news feed, shared it with my Facebook followers, and then decided it needed shared here as well. It really is that neat.

I just love how the technology we have now can be used to give us a glimpse into a fascinating past. It's breathtaking.

Click on over to YouTube to see a little more info from the students who made this, and give the video a like while you're there. ;)

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

~General Updates~ Upcoming Releases, Cover Reveals, Website Revamps

2016-02-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

Hello again, my lovely readers! I've left you in the dark about a great many things lately. Truth is, I've been plagued by a bout of depression so bad that I just didn't care anymore. I was ready to let everything fall to the wayside, eventually disappear. I've managed to claw my way mostly out, though I'm by no means in the clear yet. I will get there, though. I've climbed out before and I can do it again.

That said, here are a few things that I've done recently and a few things to look forward to.

Upcoming Releases & a Cover Reveal

That's right, my lovelies! There is a new book on the horizon. It's called Gertrude's Grace and it's a bit of a change from my usual offerings. While it has a streak of seriousness to it, it's by no means as dark as normal. It's even a bit humorous—I've been told it's "laugh out loud" funny. Which is good, since that's kinda what I was going for with this. It's my fluffy Regency offering to the world, and I hope it's received with the good humor I intended.

There's no set release date on it, as of yet. Honestly, it started out a really short story of about 6000 words (for those of you unsure how long a story that is, a novel is over 40,000). After my beta readers expressed the desire for a longer tale about these two characters, I gave the manuscript another look. It has two more chapters at the time of this post and is currently over 9000 words. So I'm not sure how long it will end up being, thus the reason I don't have a clear release date yet. I will endeavor to keep you lovely readers updated on that score.

Meanwhile, I do have a cover for the story and I will share that, and the blurb, with you now.

Blurb:

Ladies know how to behave in Society. Ladies never put a foot wrong, never say an inappropriate word, and never cause their parents a moment of distress. Ladies can overcome any embarrassment with grace and poise.

….and then there's Gertrude.

Gertrude struggles in the bright light of Society, trying to keep her poise and not embarrass her adoring mother. But when she falls for the most eligible bachelor the Season has to offer, she literally falls.

….on him.

Lord Chatterton survives Lady Gertrude's onslaught with dignity. While Society mocks her from the sidelines, Chatterton isn't laughing. He's falling, too. For Gertrude.

And there you have it. I hope that little description makes you eager to read it. ;)

At this time, I have no plans to make this available in paperback, but if it gets any longer, that could change. I'll keep you updated on that, as well.

Website Updates

In other news, I've completely revamped my website. The image I used behind the name is one I took myself. It's a pink carnation my husband gave to me one anniversary.

I hope the site more inviting now, and easy to navigate. Click HERE to give the site a view and, if you want, you can let me know your thoughts in the comment section on this blog post.

I plan to redo my business cards, design new bookmarks, get more cool things to advertise my books, and host more contests and giveaways this year, too. I have a busy, busy year ahead of me. :)

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ FFXIII-2 ~ Yeul's Theme

~Regency Wednesday~ Basket Maker

2016-02-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

Hello, my lovely readers! I hope you are well this fine Wednesday, and eager to learn about another trade from the handy 1818 Book of English Trades, and Library of Useful Arts. This week's selection is the Basket Maker.

"The ancient Britons have been celebrated for their skill in the manufacture of baskets, from the time of the Romans; and so much were the baskets of this country valued by that people, that immense quantities of them were exported to Rome, where they were held in great estimation, and bore so high a price, that they are mentioned by Juvenal, among the extravagant and expensive furniture of the Roman tables of his time."*

It goes on to discuss the various materials used to weave baskets—even going so far as to explain the optimum growing conditions for some of those materials—and how those materials are prepared for use. Eventually, the book gets into the way baskets were used at the time this work was published.

"Baskets have, of late years, been introduced by coach-makers, to form the bodies of gigs, for which purpose they are particularly well calculated, as we know of no other means, whereby so much strength can be obtained with so little weight. The mail carts in London are baskets, and many of the stage coaches have baskets placed behind them, for the purpose of carrying parcels; and we are convinced that the principle of basket-making might be extended with good effect, to many other purposes, where the three qualities of strength, lightness, and elasticity are required."*

...and then we learn about the basket-fish. LOL

*Taken verbatim from The Book of English Trades, p. 18-22 (1818). Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Sarah McLachlan ~ Fallen

~Regency Wednesday~ Disguised

2016-01-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

How about a few more slang terms from my 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue?

Disguised.

Drunk.

Dogged.

Surly.

Earth Bath.

A grave.

To Feather One's Nest.

To enrich one's self.*

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your FREE kindle copy from Amazon HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

2016 ~ What I'm Planning to Accomplish

2016-01-04T11:49:00.000-05:00

Another year and another set of goals. What's a writer's life without goals, after all?

I had no goals last year, not really anyway. I didn't take the year off, though I avoided social media. Here's what I hope to accomplish this year:

Finish polishing and publish short Regency comedy Gertrude's Grace in January. Reveal cover by Jan 10.
Work more on my 10-book sci-fi series. Consider sending the first two off to beta readers.
Work more on my dragon series. Get Part 1 ready for second round of beta readers.
Finish the first draft of Retribution (the next in my Regency series).
Finish Temptation (another in my Regency series).
Revamp Entangled (aka Spellbound) and finally get the new edition out there.
Compile book of short stories. Write 3-4 new stories for it.
Finish short contemporary romance Locksmith's Daughter and send it off to beta readers.
Beta read at least three manuscripts for other authors. Actually finish beta read, send notes, and be [kindly] brutal. (Yes, this is something I need to work on.)
Do at least 30 Regency Wednesday posts this year.
Be more balanced when it comes to.... well, everything. LOL

That's it for now. These will probably change or morph as the year progresses, but at this point, this is my plan.

So what are your writerly—or even non-writerly—plans for the year?

*Image found on Wikimedia Commons.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ OneRepublic ~ Counting Stars

2015 ~ The Year In Review

2015-12-31T15:17:00.001-05:00

It's time for the end of year blog post....

This year has been an emotional rollercoaster for me. I took a break from online life, which included social networks and blogging. I made a comeback mid-November and was touched by the outpouring of love and support I received from my friends, readers, and fans. It was humbling to see that even if I didn't think so, my presence made an impact in some people's lives.

Due to a severe bout of depression, my gaming increased tenfold. I even started a gaming blog. Okay, that's not exactly true. I'd already started the blog, but this year I added a lot more to it. In a strange way, it helped me work a few things out in my head. Not many will understand that, but I know some of you will. That's enough. :) If you're into games and are curious, go ahead and check out the blog. It is public, but I basically have the thing turned "off" so to speak. Not sure I'm really ready to put my gaming self "out there" yet. So I do a lot of talking to.... myself. lol

Oddly, this was one of my best years for writing. My word count went over 110,000. Granted, that wasn't one story; more like eight different stories. Three of them got the coveted "the end" on their first drafts, though. One is a Regency short that will be published early in 2016. That one's been to beta readers already and the cover only needs a few more tweaks before it's officially revealed.

I think that's it. Not much happened this year. Oh, yeah. I got a new laptop when an unfortunate accident destroyed my old one. Forgot to mention that.

I'll be back tomorrow with my goals for 2016. Much ♥ to you, my faithful readers!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ OneRepublic ~ Stop and Stare

~Regency Wednesday~ Toad Eater

2015-12-30T12:52:00.000-05:00

For the final Regency Wednesday post of 2015, I've randomly selected another slang term from my 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy! ♥

TOAD EATER.

A poor female relation, and humble companion, or reduced gentlewoman, in a great family, the standing butt, on whom all kinds of practical jokes are played off, and all ill humours vented. This appellation is derived from a mountebank's servant, on whom all experiments used to be made in public by the doctor, his master; among which was the eating of toads, formerly supposed poisonous. Swallowing toads is here figuratively meant for swallowing or putting up with insults, as disagreeable to a person of feeling as toads to the stomach.*

*Taken verbatim from 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your free Kindle copy from Amazon HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Imagine Dragons ~ Bleeding Out

~Regency Wednesday~ Slug-A-Bed

2015-12-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

Haven't done a slang definition in a while, huh? Here's a few I randomly selected from my handy 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Enjoy! ☺

SLUG-A-BED.

A drone, one that cannot rise in the morning.

SLY BOOTS.

A cunning fellow, under the mask of simplicity.

SMABBLED, or SNABBLED.

Killed in battle.*

*Taken verbatim from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Get your free kindle copy from Amazon HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Staind ~ Epiphany

~Regency Wednesday~ Bookbinder

2015-11-25T10:57:00.002-05:00

It's been so long since we've had a Regency Wednesday, and I thought it was time. I probably won't be able to do this regularly, but I'll aim for every few weeks or so to share just a tidbit of Regency trivia for your enjoyment.

For this edition of Regency Wednesday, let's take a look at another Regency profession.

The bookbinder.

"BOOK-BINDING is the art of sewing together the sheets of a book and securing them with a back and side boards. Binding is distinguished from stitching, which is merely sewing leaves, without bands or backs; and from half-binding, which consists in securing the back only with leather, the pasteboard sides being covered with blue or marbled paper; whereas, in binding, both back and sides are covered with leather."*

It goes on to talk about the history of bookbinding and how there's no way to be sure exactly when it started. Very interesting reading. ☺

*Taken verbatim from The Book of English Trades, 1818, p. 29. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Staind ~ Epiphany

SALE Death Becomes Her

2015-11-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

Something just kinda hit me and I decided to offer the digital edition of Death Becomes Her for only $0.99 for a limited time. This is the slightly morbid (the heroine steals dead bodies for the anatomy schools) serial Regency romance I wrote for InD'tale Magazine over the course of a year.

But there's a bonus! This compilation includes a short story called The Devil She Knows that the magazine's readers didn't get to see. This is a story I wrote just for my readers and fans, a thank you just for being you. I hope you enjoy it! ♥

Get your copy from Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Amazon (CA), Amazon (AU), Smashwords, B&N, Apple (iTunes), or Kobo.

This offer is only good until Jan 1, 2016 so tell your friends and grab your discounted copy while you can! Have a wonderful rest of 2015, my lovelies!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Imagine Dragons ~ It's Time

Taking a break...

2015-10-13T10:54:00.001-04:00

It's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't dropped off the earth, or died, or anything equally dramatic. I'm taking a break. A really, really long one. From blogging, writing, cover design—basically, from everything except my family. I have written some since I disappeared, but the last few months have been virtually "written word" free. It's strange and I can't say that I like it. But things are settling down around here, so I hope to get back to writing again soon. The cover design, however, will remain on the backburner, with only a few exceptions. I am sorry about that, but something had to go.

That's all. I just wanted to let you know. I should have done so earlier than this, but I couldn't face things at first. This was a really tough decision.

I might be making an online appearance November 10. My bestie's next book is coming out and that's the day of her book release party. I don't really want to miss that. She's so awesome! ♥

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Imagine Dragons ~ Demons

Death Becomes Her is FREE!

2014-12-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

Death Becomes Her is free in the kindle store, Dec 21-25!

Grab a copy and enjoy! ♥

The Amazon blurb:

Death Becomes Her originally appeared in InD'tale Magazine, written and published in eleven parts. It has been compiled here, with minimal changes from how each part originally appeared in that publication.

This compiled edition includes an exclusive bonus short story, The Devil She Knows.

Total word count: over 43,000 (novella + short story)

A Gothic tale of love...and body-snatching...

Melly lives in darkness, stealing bodies in the blackest night to support her sisters and herself. Coming face-to-face with a new doctor, one who doesn't view the resurrectionists with quite the same acceptance as his predecessor, she must decide what is best for her family—a family who desires to choose for themselves.

Available for free in the following Amazon stores:

US | UK | DE | FR | ES | IT | NL | JP | IN | CA | BR | MX | AU

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing
♫♪ Sick Puppies ~ Should've Known Better

~Snippet Saturday~ Deception

2014-11-22T09:06:00.000-05:00

How about a little taste of Deception? This was my fifth book published, the first published by TreasureLine Publishing. It’s a favorite of mine for a variety of reasons, the main one being how delightfully horrible my Heartless Duke is in this particular story. ♥

Taken from the middle of chapter six...

A week later, Aurora still suffered the ill effects of the Duke of Derringer’s well-chosen and completely hateful words. Many shunned her despite her remarkable lineage and some gentlemen had been forward enough to offer her carte blanche. Ladies tended to avoid her company altogether.

Aurora didn’t care. She was more worried about the duke’s whispered words to her. It was nothing more than a man’s name, but that man’s connection to her would destroy her reputation as assuredly as Derringer had destroyed Miss Weatherby’s.

The gossip surrounding her name now would stop just as soon as someone provided the ton with something even better to talk about. If they discovered her secret, nothing short of a royal scandal could replace the gossip. And although the royals were quite willing to make a byword of themselves, lately they had been rather circumspect.

If this little snippet intrigued you, you can find more info, links to more excerpts, and purchasing links on my website HERE. Thanx for stopping by!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Nickelback ~ Figured You Out

~Regency Wednesday~ The Jeweller

2014-11-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

Time for another clipping from The Book of English Trades. This week let's take a look at a profession that is near and dear to my heart. ☺

The Jeweller.

"It appears from history that the profession of a Jeweller is of very ancient date: for we read in the Bible that Aaron had a breast-plate set with a variety of precious stones; and in succeeding ages, there is frequent mention of rings and other ornaments being made of gold and set with stones. Hence, the name Jeweller, one who sets jewels or precious stones, is properly derived.

There is scarcely a nation in the world who has not employed Jewellers of some kind or another."

And, of course, this is an English publication so...

"Civilized countries have greatly improved the art of Jewellery. The French for lightness and elegance of design, have surpassed their neighbours; but the English Jewellers, for excellence of workmanship, have been, and still are superior to every other nation."

That made me chuckle.

It goes on to talk about a few of the most commonly used gems and various tools of the trade, as well as the amount of money jewelers generally could expect for their labor.

*Clipped from The Book of English Trades (1818), p. 210-216. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Trapt ~ Headstrong

~Regency Wednesday~ Paper Maker

2014-11-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

Time for another clipping from The Book of English Trades. For today's post, let's take a look at the...

PAPER MAKER.

"The art of making paper, as at present practised, is not of a very ancient date; paper made of linen rags appears to have been first used in Europe towards the beginning of the thirteenth century, but of its origin nothing can with certainty be affirmed."

The chapter continues to describe various "papers" throughout history. They also talk about "current" paper making practices and materials.

"Another important alteration has been recently made in the art of paper-making, by the adoption of machinery for fabricating it from the pulp, and at one operation pressing it between the felts, and rendering it fit for the second pressure, by which an immense saving of labour is made, and the quality of the paper improved. Messrs. Fourdriniers have a patent for these machines, of which they have erected a great number in different parts of the kingdom.
Paper has been occasionally made of straw, and other materials not commonly in use, and Mr. Koop, in 1802, obtained a patent for making straw-paper, but we have not heard that the use of this article is become common.
Paper is subject to heavy excise duties, the particulars of which we have not room to enumerate; and the manufacturer of paper must also take out an annual license."

*Clipped from The Book of English Trades (1818), p. 284-292. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus ~ Face Down

My Newest Release

2014-11-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Death Becomes Her was available for pre-order on Amazon. Well, as of Oct 20, it's officially released and can be purchased for only 99¢! Woo-hoo! This is a special introductory price, so grab it cheap while you can! ;)

This book is the compiled version of the serial Regency that appeared in InD'tale Magazine and includes an exclusive short story called The Devil She Knows.

A Gothic tale of love and...body-snatching.

Melly lives in darkness, stealing bodies by moonlight to support her sisters and herself. Coming face-to-face with a new doctor, one who doesn't view the resurrectionists with quite the same acceptance as his predecessor, she must decide what is best for her family—a family who desires to choose for themselves.

Currently available only on Amazon: US, UK, CA, DE, AU. Excerpts can be found on my website HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing
♫♪ Sixx: A.M. ~ Life is Beautiful

~Regency Wednesday~ The Apothecary

2014-11-05T11:21:00.000-05:00

After a few weeks of not posting anything on this blog, I'm back. My apologies for disappearing. I have another clipping for you from The Book of English Trades. Enjoy! ♥

"The office of Apothecary is to attend on sick persons, and to prepare and to give them medicines, either on his own judgment, or according to the prescription of the Physician."

Pretty straightforward. It goes on to explain that an apothecary wasn't always someone who administered medications, but a simple shopkeeper, and how that changed and evolved over the years.

Of particular note is the end paragraph of this section:

"In China they have a singular mode of dispensing their medicines. In the public squares of their cities, there is a very high stone pillar, on which are engraven the names of all sorts of medicines, with the price of each; and when the poor stand in need of such assistance, they go to the treasury, where they receive the price each medicine is rated at."

I admit to very little knowledge of Chinese history. This is intriguing, though, and bears looking into. ☺

*Clipped from The Book of English Trades, pgs.1-5. Get the Google e-book HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Skillet ~ The Last Night

A Brand New Convention for Indie Authors/Readers!

2014-10-14T08:27:00.000-04:00

InD'tale Magazine and Red Coat PR have teamed up to bring you the InD'Scribe Conference, scheduled for September 17-20, 2015 in Palm Springs, CA.

At this time, only author tables can be reserved. Soon it will be opened up to everyone. If you are an author and are interested, go to http://bit.ly/indscribe for more details and the form you need to fill out. You can also find more info on the conference's Facebook page HERE.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Breaking Benjamin ~ What Lies Beneath

~Snippet Saturday~ Betrayal

2014-10-11T08:30:00.000-04:00

How about a completely random bit of a snippet today? I was in the tedious process of formatting Betrayal for print (finally!) and the opening of chapter twelve caught my eye. So here you are, my lovelies. Enjoy this little taste of Adam and Bri’s tale. ☺

Though Bri doesn’t actually star in this portion, she is the subject of Adam and Connor’s conversation.

Adam had successfully pushed a certain flame-haired, green-eyed countess firmly from his mind. He had succeeded so well, in fact, that he nearly dropped his coffee one morning several months later when he glanced at the social column of the London Gazette.

“Bloody hell,” he muttered, much to the amusement of Lord Connor Northwicke who had stopped over that morning.

“Bad news?”

“Depends on who you are, I suppose,” his friend replied cryptically.

Connor reached for the paper and soon saw what had his friend so pensive. “Oh, Lord,” he muttered.

“Exactly,” Adam said almost to himself. “I tried to tell myself that she would be well. She was with her family and surely she had exaggerated their treatment of her. Now I wonder.”

“As do I,” Connor murmured. “I had heard, of course, Steyne himself spouting off some rubbish about being engaged to her, but I just thought he was in his cups.”

Adam concurred. “I still felt like calling the bounder out,” he growled.

“Fortunate thing for you that you resisted,” Connor replied dryly. “You’d look no end the fool now if you had given in to your impulse.”

Adam did nothing more than grunt in reply.

This book is available everywhere e-books are sold and the paperback will be available again very soon. More excerpts and store links can be found on my website HERE. Thank you for stopping by! ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Apocalyptica ~ I Don't Care

Into the Mind of Jaimey Grant

♥This Blog Is Moving!♥

~Snippet Saturday~ Entangled (Spellbound)

~Regency Wednesday~ Walking Dress for May 1815

~Snippet Saturday~ Gertrude's Grace

~Regency Wednesday~ A Villa (July 1817)

~Snippet Saturday~ Gertrude's Grace

~Regency Wednesday~ Fly Through 17th Century London

~General Updates~ Upcoming Releases, Cover Reveals, Website Revamps

~Regency Wednesday~ Basket Maker

~Regency Wednesday~ Disguised

2016 ~ What I'm Planning to Accomplish

2015 ~ The Year In Review

~Regency Wednesday~ Toad Eater

~Regency Wednesday~ Slug-A-Bed

~Regency Wednesday~ Bookbinder

*SALE* Death Becomes Her

Taking a break...

Death Becomes Her is FREE!

~Snippet Saturday~ Deception

~Regency Wednesday~ The Jeweller

~Regency Wednesday~ Paper Maker

My Newest Release

~Regency Wednesday~ The Apothecary

A Brand New Convention for Indie Authors/Readers!

~Snippet Saturday~ Betrayal

SALE Death Becomes Her