cacakerbamakhlukpolitik

I'm working on the second book in my Lively St. Lemeston series, Crimson Joy , and I just did something that I've done before, that I'll probably do again, and that I always feel conflicted about: I'm stealing a story. I'm taking something that happened to a real person, and giving it to my heroine. In this case, it's this anecdote, cited in a footnote of Electoral Behavior in Unreformed England , concerning “treating,” or the practice of patrons providing free food and drink for electors prior to a poll. I had a vague recollection of this anecdote... he ran out of ale, so he opened up his expensive French brandy?  I couldn't remember where I'd seen it, but I thought I might have posted it on my blog. After backreading for half an hour, I almost gave up. I don't need the real anecdote,  I thought. It's fiction. Maybe I can improve on it, make it even better than the real thing. Then I found the real thing. There is no improving on this. This is p...

I have exciting news this week! My agent (Kevan Lyon) and I sold my next book, Sweet Disorder , to Anne Scott at Samhain. I don't have a firm release date yet, but it looks like it's going to be early 2014. I'm so happy! I really love this story and I can't wait to share it with everyone. Phoebe Sparks, writer of Improving Tales for children, has vowed never to marry again unless she's sure it won't turn into a bickering, resentful mess like her first marriage. The Honorable Nick Dymond has vowed never to get involved in his family's politicking. But Nick's mother couldn't care less about their vows. Nick has moped long enough about his curtailed army career and new limp, and any local resident who marries Phoebe will be legally entitled to a vote in her small town's upcoming Parliamentary election. So Nick's mother packs him off to the country with strict instructions to marry Phoebe off to the first local supporter of their political party ...

Rose here! My next book, Sweet Disorder,  is set during a Parliamentary election in a small town. The Regency political system is so different from the modern one that I wanted to do plenty of research to make sure I didn't mess it up (for example, one thing that consistently confused my beta readers was that each voter got two votes!). Luckily I'd already done a little research on Parliament for a book proposal that didn't go anywhere (although I haven't given up hope for the future). One book I read was The Great Palace , by Christopher Jones, about the Houses of Parliament themselves. It was published in 1985 so not up to date, but that didn't matter for my purposes! Some things I learned: "The Mace, the symbol of Royal authority, must always be present when the House is sitting. Without it, the House is totally powerless." "The Lord Speaker, accompanied by the mace and doorkeepers, makes her way to Sovereign’s Entrance to await the arrival of the...