Another historical site that mesmerized me: The Concièrgerie (prison) in Paris, now a museum. It shows up in two of my Zebra books.
Then there was Brussels and the battleground at Waterloo. Again, I was totally carried away by the drama there. So, of course, Waterloo shows up in some of my books.
It has been great sharing this day with you, and thank you for the kind words and also for allowing me to see what readers want in their historicals.
This leads me to another post. What are the three best books you have read – excluding mine – in the last twelve months or so?
My list is simple. #1 TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyers. Yeah, a vampire book. I was electrified because I saw Edward and Bella as a reincarnation of my own love story with my husband. No. My husband isn’t a vampire! But when we met and fell in love, he was 17 and I was 16. He is now 70. I won’t tell you how old I am.
#2 SPYMASTER’S LADY by Johanna Bourne. The setting is France. Her characters are divine. Need I say more?
#3 NOT QUITE A HUSBAND by Sherry Thomas. Lots of hot sex which, for the most part, I skimmed. Yeah, I must be getting old. But the lead characters and their story is exceptional. I was completely hooked.
I must sign off now. Tomorrow my husband and I fly to Toronto to be with our youngest son and his family to help celebrate our youngest granddaughter’s birthday. We feel so blessed. But it’s early to bed for us. We fly out at 7:30 AM.
Thank you for allowing me to share with you. Warmest regards, Elizabeth Thornton
Just to keep things right: I haven't switched genres. What I have done is put suspense in my stories. One reviewer calls by books "crossover books" and she has been very kind and supportive.
I love first person stories, too. Mary Stewart did most of her romantic suspense books in the first person. However, editors are wary of taking a chance on anything that is different.
What genre? My books are marketed under "historical romance" but when I entered them in RWA's Rita contest, in the romantic Suspense category, I reached the final seven times!
Vampires? I never thought I'd enjoy a vampire story until my granddauther got me started on the Twilight series. I was blown away. The same granddaughter put me onto the Harry Potter series. Same thing. I did, however, get her started on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Yes, we're a reading family. Three of us are published writers.
In Canada, my research trips are tax-deductable. Once, I had Canada Revenue come after me. They wanted to know the titles of the books where these research trips showed up. I had it all documented. They have never bothered me again.
I love my Berkley covers too! I'll pass that comment on to my editor. Thanks, Tabatha! I always say that I do write inspirational stories when I'm asked how I, as a former lay minister in the Presbyterian Church, can write these sexy books!
Jacqueline: I'm an avid reader as well as an author and I suffer withdrawal symptoms when my favorite authors change genres or change their voice. I loved Georgette Heyer's humorous , light-hearted regencies, but when she wrote "serious" books, she lost me as a reader.
Cheryl: America has its own fascinating history and historic sites. I loved New Orleans (pre Katrina), and hoped to set a story there (and Nachez, too). What stopped me wsa ignorance of customs and character. I couldn't even identify the flora and fauna.
Also loved Atlanta and the Margaret Mitchell museum. One day, I hope to visit Charleston.
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