Thanks for stopping by. Cheers,
Vivian
Regencies, Regencies, can we ever have too many? No, I didn't think so, and so here are a few more for your delectation. First off, this is a new version of an older title from Rachel Van Dyken, Upon a Midnight Dream. On Amazon it has a 4.1 average rating from 98 reviews, and can you believe it, it's FREE! Here's a link. Go ahead and grab it right now; we'll wait for you. This one's been out for about a year, but you know I'm a sucker for a gorgeous cover and this one's outstanding. This is A Tempting Ruin by Kristin Vayden, and it's got a 4.8 average rating on Amazon with 20 reviews. And hey, this one's only $2.99. Here's a link, so check it out. This is Time for a Duke by Ruth J. Hartman, another new-old title with new editing and a new cover. Aren't the colors pretty? It has a 4.6 average rating with five reviews, and it's 99¢ on Amazon. Here's a link. Finally, this is my latest, Whispers on the Hampstead Road, the fourth release in the series The Scoundrel of Mayfair. It's got an average 4.7 rating with six reviews on Amazon, and it's 99¢. Here's a link. The baby blanket for little Ezra is finished and the pattern posted in the previous missive. Now I'm crocheting a shawl for my sweet friend Deanna, and I'll post that pattern, too, as soon as it's finished and I can get a few photos. And soon I should have some updates for As the Prince Does, the final book in the series The Scoundrel of Mayfair.
Thanks for stopping by. Cheers, Vivian
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So a nice couple at church are expecting their second baby, and you know what that calls for — a crocheted baby blanket. Hey, for a dedicated crocheter, all we need is a valid excuse, right? So here it is, in all its finished glory: Ezra's easy baby blanket. This soft, warm blanket is one big ruffle, formed by adding two double crochet (dc) stitches at each end of each row (sixteen stitches added per round). It’s easy to make, works up quickly, and by adding or subtracting rounds, it can be made larger or smaller. It’s a great pattern for mixing and matching colors, solid and variegated. By making each round a different color, it could be made with scrap yarn or in a ripple from one dark color through consecutively lighter shades to a new lighter color and through that one to its darkest shade. You could also add fringe or a decorative edging, which I chose not to do. The pattern described below uses one color for the main body, worked in dc, and another for trim, which is worked in single crochet (sc) with a 20% increase in each row and round. If you’re making the pattern with scrap yarn or in a color pattern, you might choose to omit the sc rounds and simply continue with the dc to achieve your desired effect. But if you do that, you’ll need to work the 20% increase into four rows to get the same ruffling effect. (For beginning crocheters, that means fitting five stitches into four places in each increase row.) 16 ounces of worsted weight yarn for main color (I used an old Sayelle green-white-blue variegated I had in the stash) 6 ounces of worsted weight for trim (I used Red Heart Super Saver baby yellow) size J crochet hook With main color, chain (ch) 6, join with slip stitch (sl st) into a ring. Ch 3 (counts as first stitch, now and throughout), dc twice into ring, forming a cluster of three dc stitches. Ch 2, dc 3 times into ring, ch 2, dc 3, ch 2, dc 3, ch 2, join to starting ch with sl st. You should have four clusters of three dc stitches each, forming the sides to the square, separated with chain stitches. Do not turn. Ch 3. Dc in each dc stitch to the end of the row. Into the corner ch 2, work dc 2, ch 2, dc 2 (corner turned). Continue around the square, turning corners with dc 2, ch 2, dc 2 into each, until you reach your starting point. Dc up to (but not into) the starting ch, then join with sl st. Do not turn. (PATTERN ROW) Continue in pattern until the blanket is as large as you want it without the trim (the blanket’s main body). Ezra’s blanket has 28 rows of dc. As you work, the starting point of each round moves further to the center of the row, as dc stitches are added before and behind it. This is normal. Two dc stitches are added at each corner, at both the start and end of each row, so 16 stitches are added each round. When the main body is finished, cut the main color and join the trim color. Ch 1, sc in first three dc stitches, then sc twice in the next dc st. The pattern is sc in three dc stitches, then sc twice in the next (this gives the 20% increase). In the corner, sc 1, ch 2, sc 1 (one sc rather than two in the corners keeps them from becoming too pointy). Continue around to the starting point and join with sl st. Do not turn. (TRIM ROW) Repeat trim row. Cut trim color and rejoin main color. Ch 3 and resume dc (main body) pattern. Dc in each sc to the row’s end, then turn the corner with dc 2, ch 2, dc 2. Continue around to the end and join to starting ch with sl st. Do not turn. Repeat the dc main body pattern twice more. Cut main color and rejoin trim color. Work two rows of the sc trim pattern, with the increases every fourth st. Cut trim color and rejoin main color. Work one row of the dc main body pattern. Cut yarn and work in ends. NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! Shenanigans in Berkeley Square, the long-awaited third installment in my Regency series, The Scoundrel of Mayfair, is now available for pre-order. Here's the blurb: # The right man doesn’t know she’s alive. The wrong man’s out to change that. Coralie Busche can only admire Kenneth Rainier from afar. He’s a most handsome philosopher of the Romantic movement and for months she’s eavesdropped on his conversations at the coffee house. If only she had the courage to join his debates… and perhaps more. Her feminine education of singing and sewing could be of no interest to such a man — but then that vexing rake, the Duke of Cumberland, brings her to Rainier’s attention and she can’t hide any longer. Rainier has lived with his mercenary sisters for too long to suffer any illusions about women. They value money, position, and precedence, not life’s important things such as poetry or painting, and only very lucky men find true love. But when he notices Cumberland staring at a dark-eyed beauty hiding in the coffee house’s corner, Rainier is smitten. Perhaps there’s a chance he could be one of those lucky men. Cinderella meets Romeo and Juliet with a gorgeous gown, an unusual ducal matchmaker with motives of his own, and two cynical, jealous sisters. With All Hallow’s Eve approaching, tempers flaring, and a duelist’s challenge thrown down, how can His Grace, the Scoundrel of Mayfair, teach some loving sense to two soaring sensibilities? # You can pre-order Shenanigans from Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords. The book goes live on September 10, 2014. Cheers and thanks for stopping by, Vivian The right man doesn’t know she’s alive. The wrong man’s out to change that.
Coralie Busche can only admire Kenneth Rainier from afar. He’s a most handsome philosopher of the Romantic movement and for months she’s eavesdropped on his conversations at the coffee house. If only she had the courage to join his debates… and perhaps more. Her feminine education of singing and sewing could be of no interest to such a man — but then that vexing rake, the Duke of Cumberland, brings her to Rainier’s attention and she can’t hide any longer. Rainier has lived with his mercenary sisters for too long to suffer any illusions about women. They value money, position, and precedence, not life’s important things such as poetry or painting, and only very lucky men find true love. But when he notices Cumberland staring at a dark-eyed beauty hiding in the coffee house’s corner, Rainier is smitten. Perhaps there’s a chance he could be one of those lucky men. Cinderella meets Romeo and Juliet with a gorgeous gown, an unusual ducal matchmaker with motives of his own, and two cynical, jealous sisters. With All Hallow’s Eve approaching, tempers flaring, and a duelist’s challenge thrown down, how can His Grace, the Scoundrel of Mayfair, teach some loving sense to two soaring sensibilities? # September 9. Mark the date. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers, Vivian Aaaaand we've got a release month, if not an actual date. The long-awaited third book in the Scoundrel of Mayfair series, Shenanigans in Berkeley Square, is lined up for an August release. Here's the blurb: The right man doesn’t know she’s alive. The wrong man’s out to change that. Coralie Busche can only admire Kenneth Rainier from afar. He’s a most handsome philosopher of the Romantic movement and for months she’s eavesdropped on his conversations at the coffee house. If only she had the courage to join his debates… and perhaps more. Her feminine education of singing and sewing could be of no interest to such a man — but then that vexing rake, the Duke of Cumberland, brings her to Rainier’s attention and she can’t hide any longer. Rainier has lived with his mercenary sisters for too long to suffer any illusions about women. They value money, position, and precedence, not life’s important things such as poetry or painting, and only very lucky men find true love. But when he notices Cumberland staring at a dark-eyed beauty hiding in the coffee house’s corner, Rainier is smitten. Perhaps there’s a chance he could be one of those lucky men. Cinderella meets Romeo and Juliet with a gorgeous gown, an unusual ducal matchmaker with motives of his own, and two cynical, jealous sisters. With All Hallow’s Eve approaching, tempers flaring, and a duelist’s challenge thrown down, how can His Grace, the Scoundrel of Mayfair, teach some loving sense to two soaring sensibilities? (end blurb) Squee! Cheers, Vivian Greetings, fellow gossip aficionados, and welcome back to our next installment. Big news for today — The Ruse is on sale! Normally $2.99, this traditional Regency romance by author Felicia Rogers is now only 99¢. If you enjoy the zaniness of Jane Austen, then you'll probably like The Ruse, too. Felicia has other books out, all sweet, many historical (medieval and Renaissance as well as Regency), and some inspirational. Give her works a try — at 99¢, how could you go wrong? Oh, and the other Felicia news — the sequel to The Ruse should enter the editing process soon. Congrats to Felicia for another Regency in the pipeline! In personal news, my guy's doing better following his spinal repair. He's out of pain, up and around, walking and conquering outpatient physical therapy, and needs less hovering anxiety from me. YAY FOR JOHN!!! One side effect of his progress is that it frees up some time for me and I've been able to resume work on Love, Unmasked, a Regency short story that I hope to release within the next few weeks through Dingbat Publishing. Last night I managed to write 650 words in between everything else. Let's call that progress, okay? Thanks for stopping by. Cheers, Vivian Several readers have asked why I don’t categorize Scandal on Half Moon Street as an inspirational Regency on Amazon and the other ebook sales sites. After all, it’s a very clean read and it has a Scriptural reference toward the end. That’s enough to make it inspy, right? Well, no, it’s not. There’s a bit more to the genre than that. An inspy romance uses Scriptural truths to teach a powerful life lesson. It’s kind of like a sermon in that way. The early chapters set up a problem, then the writer uses truths from the Bible to solve the problem, making a point to the characters and the reader at the same time. As well, the characters tend to lean on Scripture for daily guidance and affirm that influence in their lives. Those are the traits of an inspirational, Christian romance. No matter how clean it is, Scandal doesn’t quite fit that mold. There’s one scene with a reference to an historical Biblical person and event. There’s another with a character sitting in church before the service begins. And that’s it. While the Scriptural reference does contain a life lesson — the strength and overwhelming supremacy of love — that lesson isn’t unique to the Bible, and the characters aren’t shown as leaning on the Bible for guidance. Besides, the sequel, Mischief on Albemarle, doesn’t even include that much of the genre, and it didn’t seem right to begin the series with an inspy Regency then switch to non-inspy with the second book. The third title, Shenanigans in Berkeley Square (available this summer from Astraea Press!), returns to Scripture once or twice, and the final one, Whispers on the Hampstead Road, will likely do so as well. So that’s why, despite the Scriptural reference, we chose not to categorize Scandal as inspy. In case you were wondering, too. Cheers, Vivian Millicent is a delightful, romantic, historical romp through 1830s Louisiana. (Okay, not quite Regency, but with the same elegant and fun flavor.) I haven't read much romance lately, but this one could revive my interest in the genre. It's fresh and fun, a page-turner lite. Thanks for the read, Ms Rogers! Felicia Rogers writes clean and inspirational fiction, some of it historical, some with romantic suspense, and some with humor. I've had the pleasure of editing a few of her books in the past (although not this one) and she's always impressed me as a responsive, conscientious author, eager to improve her craft and offer readers her best possible work. Currently I'm editing the sequel to Millicent, entitled Master Amelia (oh, and we both publish select books through Astraea Press; that's called full disclosure). Oh, and if you haven't read the Regency I edited for her, The Ruse, you're missing a delightful romp. She'll have a sequel to that out this year, too. Gossip sheet corner: My blogging buddy J.L. Salter not only has a new title coming soon from Astraea, he's also just signed a contract with Dingbat Publishing for the prequel to his hilarious screwball romantic comedy, Curing the Uncommon Man-Cold. This one's entitled Scratching the 7-Month Itch, and it promises to be just as wacky. Congratulations, Jeff, on your new titles! And rumor sez the incomparable Kay Springsteen has just submitted a new title to Astraea. Way to go, lady! Personally, there are only four (maybe five) scenes to write on the third novella in the Scoundrel of Mayfair series, and then I'll be making an Astraea submission myself. So cheers for me, too! And cheers to you, gentle readers. Have a great week! Vivian Not sure why I've been having problems uploading to Amazon lately, but the last two releases got held up somewhere in the translation process. Anyways, a day late, but now available on Amazon… Flying Finish. # Dixie Toliver’s living her dream. She’s an apprentice jockey, riding winners for the stable where her father is an assistant trainer. When head trainer Jake gives her the Fraternity ride on Bow Wave, a super two-year-old Thoroughbred colt, she should be over the moon. But Shane, the jockey whose kisses make her knees tremble, is also riding in the Fraternity. He and his father need to win, or they’ll sink further into bankruptcy. How can Dixie balance her boyfriend’s desperation against her own competitive drive? # Flying Finish is a short story of about twelve pages. If you're expecting a full-length novel, this won't be for you. But if you want something short and sweet that won't have you reading half the night (as a good novel would), then give it a chance. It's horse racing plus HEA. Cheers, Gunnar It's approaching the starting gate and the race is about to begin… Flying Finish releases Friday! This is a young adult or new adult sports romance short story, but while it deals with late-teenager issues, Flying Finish can be enjoyed by any horse racing fan. Thanks to Smashwords, this short story is already available for pre-order at these fine retail establishments: Smashwords Apple Barnes & Noble Kobo I'm so excited. This is one of my very favorite short stories, of my writing, that is. Thanks again to Kay Springsteen, who challenged me to look through old mss I hadn't bothered with in years! Cheers, Vivian |
Vivian Roycroft
Vivian Roycroft is a pseudonym for historical fiction and adventure writer J. Gunnar Grey. And if she’s not careful, her pseudonymous pseudonym will have its own pseudonym soon, too. With its own e-reader, a yarn stash, an old Hermès hunt saddle, and a turtle sundae at Culver‘s. Archives
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A Different Sort of Perfect
Works in progress:
Kissing the Toad: In Berkeley Square, book #1
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