Susana’s Parlour was born a year ago, after I returned from my first RWA conference, in Anaheim, California. I had the time of my life there—especially in the evenings when my friend Selene Grace Silver took me Laguna Beach and other nearby sights. It was magical!

I knew from my local RWA chapter mates that I would need a blog eventually, but at the time I was an unpublished author and didn’t really expect to be published right away. I mean, don’t most writers have to plug away for a few years before they get “the call”? But I guess I finally allowed myself to be convinced that waiting until then to start a blog was a mistake.

So…what to write about? I decided I didn’t want it to be an “author” blog—where the author talks about the daily struggles of writing. It would be a “reader” blog, for those readers who enjoy reading historical—especially Regency—romances as I do. As far as content, I decided to use an article I had begun about my pet peeves in historical romances. And that’s how the “Deal Breakers” series began.

It was only two months later that I did get “the call”—or rather, “the email”—and by January, I was a published author!

That’s about when Lady P popped in to inspire me with all of her fascinating tidbits about the Regency era. And things just spiraled from there.

So what’s in store for the next year on Susana’s Parlour? Well, I’ve discovered that it’s hard to predict what Lady P will do, but she promises that she will be back at summer’s end when the weather in England starts to chill…and will be removing with me to central Florida for the winter. She’s anxious to see a real alligator and insists she wants to go to Disney World too. Will I ever get any writing done at all with her there???

But she assures me that she has lots of great things to talk about. Even though she spent most of the summer in the country with her daughter’s family, she will be in London for the Little Season and promises to bring back all the latest on-dits and fashion news. And it should be fun to introduce her to the other inhabitants of our retirement community. I wonder if they played bingo in Regency times. Hmm.

Announcement, announcement, annou-ounce-ment!

I’ve just contracted with Ellora’s Cave to have my Christmas novella published this season! It will come out digitally as a single and then in a print anthology with other Regency Christmas stories in the Christmas traditions series.

Yep, you heard right! It’ll be in PRINT!

I can’t post an excerpt yet because the edits haven’t been completed and the final product might look a whole lot different. But I can give you a little sneak peak.

About A Twelfth Night Tale

Wounded physically and emotionally, Andrew returns home from the War on the Peninsula to find himself drawn to the now-grown-up girl next door. Lucy has always worshiped her best friend’s brother, but first she’ll have to turn down the wealthy viscount who can secure the futures of her and her four sisters.

Lucy and her best friend Jane are busy planning a party for the community Twelfth Night celebration. Jane’s brother Andrew has been home for some time when they finally run into each other, and Andrew can’t believe what he sees. The little girl who used to tag along after him everywhere he went has grown into a beautiful young lady! He tries to convince himself she’s off limits; after all, he was recently jilted by an avaricious fiancée and she’s being courted in earnest by a wealthy viscount. But the more time he spends with Lucy, the more drawn to her he becomes, and he wonders if he might have a chance with her after all.

Lucy has loved Andrew forever, but thought him lost to her when he became engaged to another woman. Her parents have five daughters to marry off with little in the way of dowries, and it seems like an answer to prayer when a wealthy viscount comes to call on their oldest daughter. Lucy has just about resigned herself to the match when she and Andrew—sans fiancée—are suddenly thrown together. But he’s still coming to terms with his own situation, and she can’t keep the viscount hanging on forever.

If there is any chance for a match between them, it’s going to take a bit of Christmas magic to make it happen.

Contest on The Romance Studio’s End-of-Summer Bash

Test Your Knowledge of Regency-Speak…and win a blue silver and marcasite cameo necklace!

This contest ends at the end of the day Friday, August 16^th.