Latest foreign editions

Left:  French edition of Last Night's Scandal.
Right: Slovak edition of Lord of Scoundrels.

 

 Below:  Spanish edition of Don't Tempt Me.

A remnant of Northumberland House

The hero of Silk is for Seduction requiring a domicile in Town, I looked around early 19th century London for a little something suitable for a duke.  I'd already moved characters from previous books into St. James's Square, so that was getting crowded.  Where, then?  Berkeley Square?  Nope.  I'd already stuck a family there.  Somewhere overlooking one of the parks? Nice, but none of the houses seemed to suit my hero

Eventually, my real estate search led me to the Strand, a much less fashionable neighborhood.  Once upon a time, (the time of Susan's historical novels, for instance) all the great noble palaces lined the Strand.  By 1835, the area had gone into trade.  But Northumberland House, home of the Duke of Northumberland, remained. 


So I stole—borrowed it, called it Clevedon House, made some architectural and decorative adjustments, and gave it to my hero.

Over at Two Nerdy History Girls, you'll find a post with lots of links to historical information about this fascinating holdover.  It occupies several pages in Christopher Simon Sykes's wonderful Private Palaces:  Life in the Great London Houses.  In London today all that remains is the street named after it, Northumberland Avenue, a doorway carefully preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and a miniature of the room the doorway belonged to, the Glass Drawing Room. 

 Photos courtesy me.

Silk is for Seduction Reviews

Some very nice reviews have been posted for the new book:

At Long and Short Reviews, you'll also get a chance to vote on Saturday & Sunday in their weekend poll.  Check in here on Saturday & Sunday, to find out about it.

Fresh Fiction

Eye on Romance

A perfect 10 at Romance Reviews Today.

Interview for Silk is for Seduction

Not Another Romance Blog has posted an interview with me.  Please comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Silk is for Seduction.

Fashions Marcelline would have seen at Longchamp

DESCRIPTION OF PLATES

(No. 9—Costume De Long-champs; Walking Dress.—The plate represents one of the most distingué toilettes brought out for the fashionable promenade of LongChamps. The hat is of toile de soie; the front rather deeper, and longer at the sides, than those that have been worn lately. At the sides it sits close to the face, but at the same time is rather evasive. The crown is neither very high, nor is it pointed. The border round the front of the hat, as well as the small roleaux on the crown, is of blue satin, forming a pretty contrast with the delicate straw colour of the hat. The bows, brides, and bavolet, are likewise edged with pipings of blue satin. (See plate.) Redingotte of a new silk called Elysienne. The corsage fits tight to the bust. The skirt, which is very full, is fastened down the left side with a row of silk buttons;j on each side of the opening is a bias of satin. A large pelerine of the same, likewise edged with a bias hem of satin, nearly covers the corsage: the ends of the pelerine fasten beneath the band in front. The sleeves, which are quite new, are of an uncommon form. (See plate.) The under sleeve, which is long, fits as tight as possible to the arm; a second short sleeve, which is left loose, and is very full, reaches nearly to the elbow, and is edged with a narrow rouleau of satin. It is rather deeper on the outside of the arm than on the inside. The large falling collar of India muslin is embroidered and trimmed with a deep lace, set on tolerably full. It is fastened in front with a brooch. White silk stockings; black shoes of drap de soie; ceinture of gros grains broché; parasol of broché silk. The sitting figure gives the back of the dress.

—The Lady's magazine, Vol VI, 1835

For more about my new release, Silk is for Seduction, please stop by Two Nerdy History Girls.

White wedding dresses before Victoria

My story in the recently released Royal Weddings anthology is set on the eve of Queen Victoria's wedding in 1840.  Many people believe that Queen Victoria was the first to wear a white wedding dress.  This is simply not the case.  Brides were wearing white long before this, and 19th century periodicals offer ample evidence.  Here are some examples.  Here's more.

And here's another, from Ackermann's Repository of Fashions, August 1829:

    

Why it's so hard to get those e-Books outside the U.S.

For all my readers outside the U.S. who are wondering why it's still so hard—or impossible—to get books in digital form, this New York Times article offers some insight. 

Illustration: "Dig," by Sadie Wendell Mitchell, c1909, courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.