New Blogger in Town

I am pleased to announce that my dear friend, Jakki Leatherberry, has started her own book review blog: Leatherbound Reviews. Today is her big day, and I hope you will stop by and welcome her to the blogging world.

Happy Birthday, Richard Trevithick - Who?

Trevithick's steam circus.

In 1808, Richard Trevithick (1771 - 1833) publicized his steam railway locomotive expertise by building a new locomotive called 'Catch me who can.' He ran it on a circular track just south of the present day Euston Square tube station in London. The site in Bloomsbury has recently been identified archaeologically as that occupied by the Chadwick Building, part of University College London.

Admission to the "steam circus" was one shilling including a ride and it was intended to show that rail travel was faster than by horse. However, the venture suffered from weak tracks and a lot of black smoke. Public interest was limited.

Trevithick was disappointed by the response and designed no more railway locomotives. It was not until 1812 that twin cylinder steam locomotives, built by Matthew Murray in Holbeck, successfully started replacing horses for hauling coal wagons on the Middleton Railway from Middleton colliery to Leeds, West Yorkshire.

If you look closely at the sketch or click on this link to see the enlarged photo on Wikipedia, you will note that many of the men are still sporting the old-fashioned coats worn by the "fops" and not the more stylish cutaway favored by Beau Brummell, a style of dress that we associate with Mr. Darcy.

Review of Mr. Darcy's Bite

I am pleased as punch at the review I received from Jane Austen Sequels and Prequels for Mr. Darcy's Bite:

There are no angry mob scenes, no rabid wolf attacks but this is a moving love story about, love and understanding conquering even the largest obstacles. Definitely a recommended read.

For the full review, please click here.


Also, I am posting on Austen Authors today. I talk about my journey to becoming a writer of Austen re-imaginings. It's riveting. :)

Napoleon and Mr. and Mrs. Darcy

Napoleon's Generals Conspire

After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, Napoleon withdrew back into France, his army reduced to 70,000 soldiers and 40,000 stragglers against more than three times as many Allied troops. Paris was captured by the Coalition in March 1814.

When Napoleon proposed that the army march on the capital, his marshals decided to mutiny. On 4 April, led by Marshall Ney, they confronted Napoleon. Napoleon asserted the army would follow him, and Ney replied the army would follow its generals. Napoleon had no choice but to abdicate. He did so in favor of his son. However, the Allies refused to accept this, and Napoleon was forced to abdicate unconditionally on 11 April.

Jakki's Review and Giveaway - P. O. Dixon's He Taught Me To Hope

From the Publisher: What if Elizabeth is promised to another when she meets Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the one man who captures her heart and imagination like no other? As dire as their chance for "happily ever after" seems, there is a measure of hope by way of a strong and enduring bond between them ...

Fitzwilliam Darcy has been many things, angel, werewolf, rock star, and cowboy, but King Arthur? Yes! King Arthur! P.O. Dixon's He Taught Me To Hope is a new spin on a most beloved story. And it works! Because knights were noble men of courage, honor, and dignity, they had to be true to their word, and none of these areas finds Darcy lacking.

I love storytelling. I love being transported to another place and time by the vivid pictures the storyteller’s words create. In He Taught Me to Hope, I felt as if I was like listening to a fabulous tale where the handsome and charming knight comes to the rescue of his lady love.

Was Mr. Darcy Irish?

by Mairie O'Loideain O'Simonsen

When you hear someone’s last name that starts with the prefix, “Fitz,” as in Fitzgerald, Fitzsimmons, Fitzpatrick, Fitzhenry, etc., you probably assume you are speaking to someone of Irish descent. So it is possible that Fitzwilliam Darcy was descended from a Hiberno-Norman family. And who exactly were the Hiberno (Irish) Normans (French) by way of England people? This group came to Ireland at the request of Diarmaid Mac Murchadha, aka Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, who had been given the heave-ho by Tighearnán Ua Ruairc. (Try and pronounce that!) These Hiberno-Normans liked what they saw of the Emerald Isle, decided to stay, and freely intermarried with the Irish and became “more Irish than the Irish.”

Mr. Collins's Cucumber

Need a laugh at the beginning of your workweek? Today at Austen Authors there is a bit of a mystery, Mr. Collins's Cucumber Has Gone Missing.  Who is the culprit? You may first wish to read the post in which we are introduced to the giant gourd in Mr. Collins's Cucumber.

High Collars and the Regency Era

As I mentioned in the post below, At Home by Bill Bryson is full of fun historical facts including a paragraph about the clothing worn by the Prince Regent, the future George IV:

"Some of the fashion was dictated by the ever-increasing stoutness of the prince of Wales (or "Prince of Whales," as he was known behind his back). By the time he reached his thirties, the prince had taken on such a fleshy sprawl that he had to be forcibly strapped into a corset... All this pushed his upper body fat upward through the neck hole, like toothpaste coming out of a tube, so the very high collars fashionable in his day were a kind of additional mini corset designed to hide an abundance of chins and the floppy wattle of his neck."

Now you know. :)

The Clergy - Time for Other Things

I am currently reading At Home, A History of Private Life  by Bill Bryson, and it is chock full of interesting facts including the role of clergy in England: "Piety was not necessarily a requirement or even an expectation. Ordination in the Church of England required a university degree, but most ministers read classics and didn't study divinity at all... Many didn't even bother composing sermons, but just bought a big book of prepared sermons and read one out once a week. Though no one intended it, the effect was to create a class of well-educated, wealthy people who had immense amounts of time on their hands. In consequence, many of them began to do remarkable things:

George Bayldon, a vicar in remote Yorkshire, became a self-taught authority in linguistics and compiled the world's first dictionary of the Icelandic language.

Laurence Sterne vicar of a parish near York, wrote popular novels, including The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy.

Jakki's Review of Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight

Austentatious! What a fun, hot novel! I was swept up in a whirlwind of kooky advice, humorous characters and steamy romance.

When Nicola James begins to write in an antique-looking diary, her life starts to change. Once her journal writes back, she must decide if she is going to cling to normalcy, predictability, and her life plan, or throw caution to the wind and cross over to the weird side. After all, the unofficial motto of her hometown, Austin, Texas, is “Keep Austin Weird.” And who knows, maybe she will finally get her “weird” t-shirt.

Helping Nicola along her journey are her friends who truly added to the exuberance and humor of the story. For starters, there are Nic’s neighbors, Leslie and Laura. Leslie’s salacious humor and superfluous use of clichés garnered many laughs and shakes of the head, accompanied by eye rolls. Throw in Nic’s mentee Bec, best friend Gabe, and co-worker Brett, and the smiles and laughs abound. Finally, there is Sean MacInnes with his wealth of innuendoes and one-liners, guaranteed to make any girl blush.

Winner of Mr. Darcy's Proposal

The winner of Mr. Darcy's Proposal is Luthien. Congratulations! Susan will be contacting you! Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. 

Review & Giveaway of Mr. Darcy's Bite

I received a wonderful review for Mr. Darcy's Bite from Deborah Previte at A Bookish Libraria. Deborah also hosted a giveaway. (TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE to enter the giveaway!) Here is the review in full.

The Dames Take:

Dear misbegotten Darcy has a dilemma. He's been infected by a werewolf and has the misfortune of howling and prowling the grounds of Pemberley at every full moon. What a horrible prospect for his bride-to-be, and what a horrendous burden of built! He knows he must inform poor Elizabeth Bennet so she can make a decision whether she will marry the night creature he sometimes becomes, or not. And he must ask her to take dangerous risks on his behalf. Such issues tax a gentleman's heart and mind.

My Take on Downton Abbey

Because so many bloggers have written their thoughts on the recently concluded Downton Abbey, I thought I’d chime in. Unlike Season 1, which was an outstanding drama on every level, Season 2 was a mixed bag.

Weaknesses:

The scripts – Frankly, the plots were terrible. In some cases, they were so bad that it affected the actors’ performances as with Lord Grantham and the maid. Even someone as talented as Hugh Bonneville wasn’t convincing as a man lusting after a servant. Why? Because he knew his character wouldn’t do that. The scripts gave him little to do except strut and pout, very unlike the Lord Grantham of Season 1.

Repetition: How many times can Lady Grantham put on hand lotion while O’Brien gossips? How many times can Daisy say her marriage to William was a fraud? How many times can Mary look longingly at Matthew, and vice versa? How many times can Thomas screw up?

Giveaway and Jakki L.'s Review of Mr. Darcy's Proposal

Late breaking news: Susan Mason Milks is hosting a giveaway of Mr. Darcy's Proposal. Please leave a comment and e-mail address. Jakki will pick the winner on March 1. The winner will be announced on March 2. Thanks, Susan! SUSAN SAID THAT IT IS OPEN WORLDWIDE!


From the Publisher: This retelling of Pride and Prejudice asks “what if” events prevented Fitzwilliam Darcy from proposing to Elizabeth Bennet that day at Hunsford parsonage? Darcy arrives with marriage on his mind, only to find Elizabeth has just received news her father is critically ill and not expected to live. In the process of offering his help to her in traveling home, Darcy discovers what she really thinks of him—and it’s not good. Should Darcy deliver Elizabeth home to be with her family and then disappear from her life, or should he propose another kind of help? Will Elizabeth be willing to sacrifice her future happiness to save her family from financial ruin? Or, do she and Darcy, two very stubborn people, have a chance of finding happiness together?


What if Mr. Darcy didn’t get a chance to make his dreadful proposal at Hunsford? What if Elizabeth’s father fell ill before any of his daughters were married? What if Mr. Darcy proposed a plan to save Elizabeth and her family? Susan Mason-Milks explores these questions in her debut novel, Mr. Darcy’s Proposal.

Throughout the book, Mason-Milks does a great job of showing rather than telling. Whether it’s tea stains on the carpet, horseback riding, fun games splashing in the water, or telling secrets, the scenes are real, vivid, and memorable.

Two Reviews for Captain Wentworth

It's not often I get two good reviews in one day for the same novel, but that was what happened yesterday at Diary of an Eccentric and Austenprose. Here are excerpts:

Diary of an Eccentric: Like Persuasion, Captain Wentworth Home from the Sea  is a sweet story about second chances.  I loved this book and was sad that it was so short....  I’d love to see this book expanded into a full-length novel!

Austenprose: Captain Wentworth Home from the Sea is a very pleasant diversion for Persuasion enthusiasts. Simonsen respects the intensity of Anne and Frederick’s love, and her alterations to Austen’s plot are neither extreme nor implausible. 

Review of Charles Dickens

For about a year, I knew Claire Tomalin’s biography of Charles Dickens would be released in 2012, the 200^th anniversary of his birth. Because Dickens is tied with Jane Austen as my favorite author, I eagerly awaited its release.

Tomalin’s research is amazing. If I wanted to know where Charles Dickens was on any given day, there’s a good chance she wrote about it. This is no easy feat because the man was constantly on the move. With the success of the serializations of his novels, he had the money to travel back and forth to the Continent and to the United States as well. But what I wanted out of this biography was to get into the man’s head. I wanted to know what magic he used in creating Mr. Micawber, Mrs. Havisham, Uriah Heep, Pip, Fagin, the Artful Dodger, etc. But it is not in this book. Perhaps, it is not in any book.

Me? A Romance Novelist? I don't think so.

I'm posting today on Austen Authors. Are you a romantic? Practical? A practical romantic? Please let me know.

By the way, that is my wedding picture. Paul and I married on June 12, 1976. It is one of the few pictures I have because the person who took all the photos over-exposed the film. But I got the guy, and that's what matters.

Jakki's Review - Mistress's Black Veil

The Mistress’s Black Veil by M. K. Baxley begins five years after that fateful day at Hunsford Parsonage when Mr. Darcy proposed to Elizabeth Bennet. The Bennets, now reduced to poverty after the death of Mr. Bennet, are barely surviving, having been thrown into the hedgerow by their cousin, Mr. Collins, at the directive of his noble patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. As the situation becomes more desperate, Elizabeth makes a difficult and irrevocable choice... In the end will she and Fitzwilliam Darcy find their way to their happily ever after? (from the Publisher)

Our story begins with Jane, Elizabeth, and Kitty Bennet struggling to put food on the table following the death of their father. Upon losing her third governess position for failure to offer her services to the master of the home, Elizabeth decides her only option is to take up a position as a courtesan.

Attending the Courtesans’ Ball, Elizabeth assumes the identity of Sophia Molina, Spanish Cyprian. The last person Elizabeth expects to encounter is Mr. Darcy. However, by the end of the ball, Darcy is seeking a contract with Sophia Molina because he is bewitched by her as she reminds him of his lost love. Page by page the reader is drawn in and becomes more curious as to how and when Darcy will find out that his lover is the same lady he loved all those years ago and whom he believes is dead. The way Sophia quotes and refers to conversations Darcy and Elizabeth had is rather entertaining.

Happy Valentine's Day

My Valentine's gift to you is a batch of brownies. To be honest, in my family, we rarely cooked the Brownies, having chowed down on the batter,* but there are people who do eat the fully-prepared treat. So where did Brownies come from? According to the February 12th issue of American Profile magazine, the chocolate convection was unveiled at the Women's Pavilion at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

"Chicago socialite and philanthropist Bertha Palmer had asked the pastry chef at her husband's hotel, The Palmer House, to create a dessert that wasn't as messy as a cake or pastry and that could fit inside the box lunches for ladies at the fair... Fondness for the delicious dessert spread, and in 1896, Fannie Farmer published the first brownie recipe in her Boston Cooking School Cook Book... The original recipe developed at the Palmer House was handed down, chef to chef, and the hotel continues to serve a variation of that first Brownie."

In addition to the Brownie, neon lights, an early zipper, Juicy Fruit gum, and Shredded Wheat all made their debuts at the exposition, but none of them come close to the perfection of the Brownie. Enjoy!

Please tell me if you ever eat cookie dough or raw Brownie batter? Be honest. Candy and I do. :)

*Warning: It's not a good idea to eat raw eggs, but the Simonsens live dangerously.

Charles Dickens and the Heiress

Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906) was a nineteenth-century philanthropist, and the granddaughter of banker Thomas Coutts. In 1837, she became the wealthiest woman in England when she inherited her grandfather's fortune of nearly three million pounds sterling. She spent the majority of her wealth on scholarships, endowments, and a wide range of philanthropic causes. One of her earliest was to establish, with the novelist Charles Dickens, Urania Cottage, a home that helped young women who had turned to a life of immorality including theft and prostitution. By the time of her death, she had given more than £3 million to good causes. She was buried on 5 January 1907 near the West Door in the nave Westminster Abbey.*

In 1847, Dickens found a small, solid brick house near Shepherd’s Bush, then still a part of the countryside and surrounded by fields. The idea was to create a home environment rather than that of an institution. Miss Coutts funded the project for about £50,000 per annum in today’s money.