Tamara Gill - Release Party Blog Hop - June 18 - July 16

To celebrate the release of my Regency novella

A Marriage Made in Mayfair
Available June 15

I'm having a month long blog hop.

Join me for fun, laughs and prizes.

Every stop I make I'll be gifting a copy of my novella from Amazon.com

(or preferred e-reader store)

Also everyone who comments throughout the blog hop
will go into the major prize draw.

But what is the prize??? Well, without further ado you'll receive...

Postcard Sets

Romance Trading Cards

$30.00 Amazon Gift Card

Copy of A Marriage Made in Mayfair

And a copy of my two previous works

gifted through Amazon.com

(or preferred e-reader store)


Interested? Well here are the links and dates of where I'll be:

June 18 - Christina Phillips
June 20 - Jess Anastasi
June 22 - Suzi Love
June 24 - Wine, Women and Wordplay - Imelda Evans
June 25 Nicole Hurley-Moore
June 26 - Kylie Griffin
June 27 US June 28 AUS - The Season For Romance
June 28 - Juanita Kees - Mission Romance
July 1 US - July 2 AUS - Ladyscribes
July 4 - Eleni's Taverna
July 9 - Riverina Romantics
July 16 - Tamara Gill - MAJOR PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCED

So come and join in the fun and don't forget to leave your email address for any prizes you may win. I look forward to seeing you soon and good luck!

Historical Hearts Good News, New Releases & Cover Love!!

Danielle Lisle

has signed a contract with Total E Bound  for

PORTRAIT OF A SCANDAL

book one in my new SCANDALS OF NOBILITY series.

Available 29 October 2012.

Congratulations Danielle!!


Tamara Gill
has signed a second contract with Crimson Romance
for her Medieval time travel romance
DEFIANT SURRENDER
Available later this year
Congratulations Tam!!


Bronwyn Stuart
Scandal's Mistress
Available August 13 from Carina Press
It's a beautiful cover, Bron. Congratulations!!

blurb:

London, 1805

Justin Trentham, third son of the Earl of Billington, is determined to get himself disowned from his cold and unloving family. Despite his numerous affairs with questionable women of the ton, his parents continue to be dismissive of his ploys, but Justin spots the perfect scandal in the form of a beautiful, exotic Italian opera singer...

Carmalina Belluccini refuses to become his mistress, despite being tempted by his charms. But after losing her singing voice, she finds herself destitute. She agrees to be Justin's mistress for one month, until she has enough money to return to her beloved Italy.

She intends to keep their arrangement strictly business, but after witnessing Justin's vulnerable side, she finds herself falling more in love than in lust with him. Carmalina is having second thoughts about leaving England...but is their love strong enough to survive the scandal of the season?

Annie Seaton

Blind Lust

Available June 15 from Musa Publishing

blurb:

A wager between the gods can change your life. Even if you are a witch…

When Venus has a wager with Cupid, that prudish librarian, Lizzy Sweet cannot be enticed to love, she neglects to tell her son that Lizzy is a three hundred year old witch. The first man Lizzy sees after Cupid shoots his arrow is Josh Deegan, a famous country and western singer who has come to town to rediscover his muse, in an old farmhouse haunted by a culinary ghost.

Local warlock, Wesley Gordon, who has been hitting on Lizzy to no avail for over one hundred years, is not impressed. The quirky old folk of Silver Valley watch fondly as the battle between love and lust plays out. Leaden and golden arrows zing around, spells are magicked, potions stirred, and ghosts hunted. Who will fall in love and who will let the other go forever?

Anne Brear

The Gentle Wind's Caress

Available Now in print and ebook format

from Knox Robinson Publishing

blurb:

Halifax, 1876. On the death of her mother and sister, Isabelle Gibson is left to fend for herself and her brother in a privately-run workhouse. After the matron's son attempts to rape her, Isabelle decides to escape him and a life of drudgery by agreeing to marry a moorland farmer she has never met. But this man, Farrell, is a drunkard and a bully in constant feud with his landlord, Ethan Harrington. When Farrell bungles a robbery and deserts her, Isabelle and Ethan are thrown together as she struggles to save the farm. Both are married and must hide their growing love. But despite the secrecy, Isabelle draws strength from Ethan as faces from the past return to haunt her and a tragedy is set to strike that will change all of their lives forever.

Particulars not available

Tamara Gill

A Marriage Made in Mayfair

Available June 15 from Decadent Publishing

blurb:

Miss Suzanna March wished for one thing, the elusive, rakish charmer, Lord Danning. But after a frightful first season sees her flee to Paris, such dreams seem impossible. That is until she returns to London, a new woman, and one who will not let the ton's dislike of her stand in her way of gaining what she wants. Revenge on the Lord who gave her the cut direct and perhaps a little flirtation to show the mighty Viscount what he'll never have.

Lord Danning unbeknown to his peers is in financial strife and desperate to marry an heiress. Such luck would have it Miss Suzanna March fits all his credentials and seduction is his plan of action. Yes, the woman who returned from Paris is stronger, defiant, and a little argumentative, but it does not stop Lord Danning finding himself in awe and protective of her.

But will Suzanna fall for such pretty words from a charmer only after one thing. Or will Lord Danning prove to Suzanna and himself that she is more than his ticket out of debtor's prison...

Alison Stuart

Has two new fantastic covers for her novels

By the Sword

and

The King's Man

They look great, Alison. Congratulations!!

Both these titles are available as an ebook from Kindle, Apple, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, Barnes and Noble or in any format from Smashwords. Or in print from Book Depository, Amazon or Wordclay or directly from the author.

Historical Hearts Good News

More great news for our Historical Hearts members.

This week we congratulate...


Alison Stuart

who has a fantastic new cover

for her September release with Lyrical Press

Gather the Bones

Alison also finaled in the

Hearts Through History Romance Writers

Romance Through the Ages Contest

with her manuscript

Lord Somerton's Heir


And if Alison wasn't busy enough

she has also print published her

collection of short stories

Tower of Tales

through Lulu.

Congratulations Alison!



Anne Brear's novel

The House of Women

available from Knox Robinson Publishing

reached number 1 on the

Amazon free kindle historical romance bestseller list.

Congratulations Anne!



Erin Grace

has signed a 6 BOOK DEAL

with Knox Robinson Publishing!!

More details of these fantastic stories to come.

Congratulations Erin!! Fantastic news!!



Tamara Gill

has sold her first single title manuscript

A Stolen Season

to Crimson Romance.



Tamara will also be celebrating the release of her

Regency romance novella

A Marriage Made in Mayfair

Available June 15

from Decadent Publishing

by holding a month long blog hop.

You can read more details of the hop at her blog here.

And last but certainly not least

Danielle Lisle

has two wonderful new covers to show off

for her manuscripts

The Rose's Bloom

and

The Virgin at Goodrich Hall

Available soon from Total E Bound

Congratulations Danielle! They're fantastic!



And that wraps up our good news this week.

Thanks for celebrating with us.
HH

The Society of Thames Mudlarks

 

A few years ago...okay twelve years ago I married my high-school sweetheart. And after much begging, cajoling and in the end telling, we went to London England for our honeymoon. I’d always wanted to go, because who wouldn’t (my husband for one) and enjoyed every second while we were there. I’ve now created a monster (said husband) who’s the one always saying ‘we should go...’ and it’s me who now has to say ‘no!' All very funny but not really relevant to my post today...or is it?

While in England we did a tour with Trafalgar. Wonderful company and great tour guides. As they bussed us around the capital our noses plastered to the windows a story of a group of people made my ears prick up and take note. Not that I wasn’t already listening to the tour guide beacuae I was. During our stay there I soaked up every aspect of London and imprinted it on my brain permanently. I just love the place.

But, back to the tour guide who was explaining a group of people called Mudlarks who once searched the banks of the Thames at low tide. Just another name which means a beachcomber who searches the mud at low tide for anything of value. I wanted to be one of them. Just the thought of digging in mud and maybe finding some lost treasure hundreds of years old sent my blood to...okay I’m starting to sound like a romance writer. But let’s just say I was excited. The tour guide went on to say that only a few permits were allowed each year and that they were a well sought after article. I could only agree, as I now wanted one, even though I lived in Australia.

 

 

Eventually we went home and continued on with our lives until one day only four years ago I started to write. Then I started to write romance novels with a twist - time travel. And what a better way than to send my heroine catapulting through the ages but by having her find a piece of jewellery long buried in the banks of the Thames which does exactly that. You’ve guessed it; my heroine is a Thames Mudlark. In fact they are actually called The Society of Thames Mudlarks today. Anything they find they have a month before they must forward it to the Museum of London for cataloguing. After that time the item is returned to them, to either sell, (to the museum or elsewhere) or keep. The Port of London Authority issue the permits for them to fossick the ancient shores.

 

 

Although being a Mudlark today is for hobbyists and history lovers alike, back in the Industrial Revolution it was all that stood between starvation and food for some families. Should they find something, anything, a button even, it could be sold for food for them to eat. Most Mudlarks were widowed women and children. These poor souls had to deal with raw sewage and corpses of humans and animals that often washed up with the tide. Take the tower of London’s moat, need I say more on what a mess that was for a while. Not a very nice working environment for them, even if necessary.

 

 

So, a story told offhandedly years ago stuck a cord with me, and was the basis of a major turning point for my heroine in my manuscript. It’s true I suppose, that stories evolve by events in our own lives. That, when we hear tales of the past we writers see a plot somewhere between the words. I certainly did and will continue to do so.

Perhaps one day if I’m lucky, The Society of Thames Mudlarks will make me an honorary member. I can only dream.

 

Tamara Gill

 

 

 

This post originally featured on my blog http://tamaragill.blogspot.com 2010

 

 

Historical Hearts Good News!

Another fantastic couple of weeks at the Historical Hearts Blog.

Without further ado, we congratulate:

Christina Phillips aka Christina Ashcroft

Shares her new cover for

'Archangel of Mercy'

Available December 2012

from Berkley Heat

*fans face* I know what I'll be reading come Christmas time...

Maggi Andersen

Shares her new cover for
'The Folly At Falconbridge Hall'
Available December 6 2012 from
Knox Robinson Publishing

Isn't it just beautiful. Love this!

 

Annie Seaton

Has received her first review 3 STARS for

'Winter of the Passion Flower'

Available March 2012

from The Romance Reviews

You can see the full review here.

Maggi Andersen

Has received a 4 STAR review from

RT Book Reviews for

'The Reluctant Marquess'

Available March 8 2012

You can see the full review here.

Tamara Gill
Has made it through to the second round of the
Romance Writers of Australia
Emerald Award
for her Regency set time-travel romance.
You can find out more about the competition here.


Congratulations again, ladies.
And keep the good news coming.

Historical Hearts Good News!

Another great week for our Historical Heart members.

So without further ado, we congratulate...

Annie Seaton now has a title for her contemporary romance

being published by Entangled Publishing as part of their Indulgence Line

'Tropical Encounter'

Available March 2012

Maggi Andersen & Anne Whitfield both have free short story's available with

Knox Robinson Publishing see here for details.

Tamara Gill has signed a contract with
Decadent Publishing

for her Regency romance novella

'A Marriage Made in Mayfair'

Available later this year.


**And Just In**
Maggi Andersen can now reveal her fantastic cover
for book one in
'The Spies of Mayfair Series'
'A Baron in Her Bed'

Again, congratulations ladies and keep the good news coming.



Pregnancy & Birth through History

I should imagine any woman reading my blog title is probably crossing their legs right at this moment. Well, after my research I wouldn't blame you if you did. Today's blog is on pregnancy and childbirth through history. A fitting post since I recently gave birth to my third child, a daughter, Lily.

For me, this labour was easy, painful yes, but easy and everything went well. Having said that, should I have had my first child, Samuel a hundred years ago, both of us would have died without question. Thank God for modern medicine.

So without further ado, we head back to... The Middle Ages

A time when women and the male physicians were unknowledgeable with the female body and it's reproductive organs. It was thought that the male semen was all that it took to create a baby and us poor females were simply the oven in which it baked. In a time where medicine was practiced with bloodletting, prayer and an assortment of herbs and spices it was any wonder many women died in pregnancy and childbirth during this time.

 

A medieval woman giving birth



 

A medieval birthing chair



Seventeenth Century
Not a lot had changed by this time. Women were still predominately the carers in all households and sat in on births during this time. Mother's gave birth in a room with closed windows, curtains drawn and roaring fires. Not the most comfortable way to have a baby if you were to go into labour in the middle of summer.

Father's were kept away and women were pushed to give birth in the sitting or squatting position. Superstitions were rife during this time, and if the labour didn't progress quickly during the pushing phase, family members were asked to open cupboard doors or to untie knots; symbolic of the opening of the womb. Oh dear...

When the baby was born they were swaddled in linen strips and placed in a dark, quiet corner, as they believed bright light was detrimental to the baby's sight. Again, obstructed labour caused many women to die during birth and of course, there was still no anaesthesia to relieve the pain. Ouch.



17th century birth



Nineteenth Century

By this time in history men were participating in births. Male doctors assisted in labour and women were often asked to lay on their left sides 'Sims position' with their knees bent up. This was so the Doctor and patient could not see each other and the women's 'dignity' was preserved. Births were still predominately at home.

By the mid 1800's chloroform was invented and forceps were used more often during birth. The baby was breastfed either by a wet nurse or mother, dependant if the mother wished to or not.



A 19th century birth



Forceps



Late 19th century 'Sims Position'



We really should take our hats off to the women of the past and what they endured to enable us all to live today. As much as I love to sweep my readers into a time long gone and fill their minds with tales of love and happily ever afters, there was another side of marriage that all our heroines endured. Pregnancy and birth was a dangerous and painful undertaking and not something to be taken lightly. I salute you all.

Historical Hearts Launch Party - Day 1

Hi and welcome to the Historical Hearts Blog Launch Party!

We're all very excited to announce a blog for Australian Historical Romance Writers. Over the next five days we'll be giving away books, critiques, bookmarks, wonderful prizes of all kinds to celebrate the launch of this fabulous blog.

I'm Tamara Gill and will be kicking off the celebrations by telling you a little about myself. Country born and bred I started reading historical romances while on maternity leave with my first child but didn't start to write them until my second son was a year old. To this day I blame Stephanie Laurens who made me fall in love with the Regency era and the beautiful 'Empire Style' gowns. What can I say, those dresses are divine.

Jump ahead four years and I'm now published with Noble Romance Publishing. I have two Regency (ebooks) for a randomly picked guest who can answer my Regency trivia question correctly. I'll also be giving away bookmarks to the first five guests who leave a comment. Just remember to leave your email address so I can contact you about the prizes.

Question: "Where did the ton like to promenade, ride and gossip in the afternoon?"

Okay, I'll admit, my question isn't very hard, and any loyal reader of Regency historicals will know the answer immediately, but...we're here to have fun, not to tax our loyal followers too much.

So, two books up for grabs, To Sin with Scandal and A Captain's Order - A Duke's Command. Both I should warn you, are a little naughty. *grin*

Good Luck!

Tam.

  

I’m Suzi Love and I’m so glad you’ve joined us for the Historical Hearts Launch Day.

I’ve always loved reading historical romances, so I’m very excited to now be writing them. My books are set in England around the end of the Regency and the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign. The true Regency era is admired for its glittering ballroom scenes, gorgeous fashions, and its often ridiculous adherence to social manners and class distinctions while the Victorian era began with drastic changes to those rigid social structure as inventors, scientists, and tradesmen became more important and wealthier than those who held titles and land. These years of upheaval offered amazing opportunities for adventurous women and men of all classes to break free from convention and follow their own paths.

I’m very grateful that those rapidly changing times allow me to write about heroines who devote time to scientific pursuits rather than embroidering. Heroes who ignore old rules and welcome inventions on their estates or in everyday life, openly use their talents, and participate in money-making ventures rather than watch their inheritance become worthless.

If you’d like to read more weird and wacky things I find fascinating in history, pop over to my other blogs. I’m at Suzi Love and also at The Beau Monde World.

Now, for the exciting bit! I have three wonderful historical books for one lucky commenter, though I’m not going to make it too easy for you. Whoever answers the most questions correctly will win the prize.

1. Around 1810, an open-air owner-driven two-wheeled vehicle came into use but only reached its peak of popularity during the early Victorian years. It was designed for a single horse and with only a small platform at the back for the ‘Tiger’ to stand. What was it called? 
2. In 1822, the word ‘tranquilizer’ was invented to describe the effect of opium. The book was called Confessions of an English Opium Eater and the author was….Who?
3. In 1822, Charles Babbage proposed a difference engine. This was an early version of ….. What?
4. In 1840, the earliest adhesive postage stamps in the world were placed on sale in the United Kingdom. They carried the head of Queen Victoria and were called….What? 
5. During Napoleon’s military campaigns, he reportedly always carried something with him which he ate when he needed a boost of energy. What did he carry?

Good Luck!

Suzi.

Welcome to Historical Hearts. My name is Sheridan Kent and I’m on a quest to become a historical romance author. I started with reading and progressed to writing when storylines and characters started running through my head at the most inopportune times. I’m currently dipping my fingers into the Victorian era, plucking out the juicy bits to bring my adventures to life!

My heroes are heart-stopping, tortured souls, while the women who love them are bewitching and bold. I’d love you to join my characters as they fight to overcome all obstacles on the way to love. Also, check back regularly to catch my post on some of the wacky laws of Old England, some you will not believe! To celebrate the launch of Historical Hearts, I have a copy of ‘The Perfect Rake’ by Anne Gracie to give away. Just mention the first name of the hero within your comments to go into the draw.

Good Luck!

Sheridan.

Note: For your chance to win today's prizes, when answering the trivia questions or replying, please leave your name, email address and what draw you'd like to enter. Of course, you are more than welcome to enter all prize draws up for grabs. Good Luck!