This Christmas, and Always!

Towards the end of the Regency, book sellers got wise to the fact that books make great gifts and developed a special compilation in an exquisite binding called, "The Keepsake." It was intended for women, had a beautiful, cloth-bound cover, and was a compendium of poems, short stories, illustrations, fashion, and essays--everything a woman would like, all beneath the covers of this special gift book. It sold so well for Christmas that it became an annual staple in bookshops, and a counterpart for men was even published. Sales, even then, decided what books would be supported by a publisher.

You don't have to be a book publisher to know that books make a great gift. And if you choose from the hundreds of new inspirational fiction books available at Christian Book or any other bookstore, you know you're giving adventure and romance, or suspense and chills, a mini-vacation, all in one economical gift! That's what I call a wise choice in these days of watching one's pennies. I love to give books as gifts--both fiction and non-fiction--just ask my kids! If I didn't get them books, they'd feel cheated!

Give a book or two this Christmas. Be sure to give books of the sort that you would like to support. Publishers today watch, just as they did, then.

Happy book giving!(And here's a tip for good value. Sign up for the online newsletter for BarnesandNoble.com and Borders.com and you'll get weekly coupons right in your inbox. Sign up at ChristianBook.com and you'll get weekly links to special sales and closeouts!)

New Review of "Before the Season Ends" from Publishers Weekly!

Now we have it: My Inspirational Regency romance is officially a "tasty confection."
(Unless you want to argue with Publishers Weekly, that is.) Of course, if you've read the book, you knew that already, right? :)

Before the Season Ends Linore Rose Burkard. Harvest House, $12.95 paper (300p) ISBN 978-0-7369-2551-8

Country girl Ariana Forsythe is sent to a wealthy aunt in London to head off an unsuitable match in this faith-based Regency romance. After being modishly outfitted by said aunt, Ariana is thrust into the London season, with all its attendant social conventions: status distinctions, formal etiquette and gossip, gossip, gossip (the Regency antecedent of dishing). Ariana meets her match in the disdainful paragon of society, Phillip Mornay, who quickly becomes her ally after an unexpected turn of social events threatens her good name. This period romance lacks sufficient romantic tension between the principals. The plotting is also uneven, with some complications (the matter of Ariana’s correspondence with her family, for example) not driving the plot forward, instead frittering narrative energy. But the author’s command of period detail is impressive, evident in material details but also in dialogue. The theology is also period authentic. The novel even contains a glossary to help non-Regencyphiles get up to speed about the difference between ladies’ pelisses and spencers. Despite some technical problems, on the whole it’s a tasty confection. (Dec.)

And PS to the reviewer: My readers love that "frittering narrative energy!"

This is Me (Imaginatively Speaking)

I love this picture--it could be Jane Austen writing at her little desk,or it could be--me! (Imaginatively speaking, of course.) The truth is I sit at a laptop in a study which I have all to myself when I write, except that the door remains mostly open, and my children wander in freely whenever they feel the need.

The exception is when I'm on deadline, whether from my publisher or self-imposed: During those down-to-the-wire times I try to control how often the kids may interrupt me. (I actually barricade my door since the lock is broken. It's amazing how strong a five-year-old is!)


But when I'm writing a Regency, I feel like the writer in this picture. And I like that. I like the simplicity, the lack of clutter, the modesty of her dress, and the fact that she is endeavouring to write while household tasks await. Just like me.

Weapons of the Regency!

My September Regency Newsletter ("Upon My Word! The Regency 'Zine) is LIVE and available on my website. This month's feature is called "Weapons of the Regency," and takes a brief peek at some actual pistols and other arms from the day. Guest writer is Vonnie Hughes. She and her husband have quite a collection of authentic antique (period) weapons. Take a look! Click HERE


And don't forget to sign up for future issues while you're there--it's FREE, and you'll get a free download of an amusing vignette by a 19th century author about living with servants.


Enjoy! Just click HERE


Warmly,

Linore

Wow, It's Available!

The new release of my Regency Inspirational Romance, Before the Season Ends, isn't "officially" out until December 1st, 2008, but it's available for pre-order NOW. Cool!

(Need I say that it makes a fabulous birthday or Christmas gift? And by pre-ordering, you get the special discounted price given by the publisher LOCKED IN. That means, even if the price goes up before the release date, you don't pay a penny more than your pre-order price.

That's a prodigiously good deal, wouldn't you say? (Ahem)
You can order from the following retailers: (Click on the name)
ChristianBook.com
Amazon.com

BarnesandNoble.com

ChristianBook.com even has the temporary cover posted for "The House in Grosvenor Square!" That book won't be out until 2009, so it's rather extraordinary to see it listed so soon. Check out how the book covers match one another: Harvest House has very capable graphic artists. The guy on both covers does not, unfortunately, really fit the "hero" character in the book (I'm not namin' names! No spoilers!) but he is
dressed very nicely, indeed. To see the cover of the sequel,
Click here: The House In Grosvenor Square. (Notice I said, "temporary cover"? Can you see the mistake on the book cover? There are two things that are going to be changed, in fact, two inaccuracies. Watch for my next ezine for a contest to see who can spot them before they're changed by the publisher!

Until then, happy reading.

Bucks, Blades and Sprigs: A Surprising Gallery of Regency Men

What do Beethoven, Mozart, Salieri, Rossini, Paganini and Moscheles have to do with the Regency? Or Donizetti, Mayr, Chopin and Gluck?

Aside from the fact that all these men were master musicians and composers, they all lived into or past the Regency. Their music, in most cases, might have been well known to a Regency miss or buck of the day. Furthermore, though they may not have lived in England during the period, they sported the same Empire or Regency style of dress, which I compiled and put into my last e-zine issue.

To see them you'll have to download the January issue of Upon My Word! (the Regency 'Zine) from my website. (click here)

Each month's issue of Upon My Word! this year will feature famous figures of the Regency, not strictly from England's shores, but from throughout Europe and even the United States. Why? Because I think that a good study of the Regency should include a sort of "worldview"--a timeline from all over western civilization and even the East. Getting a little more of the whole picture helps set the period firmly in its place in history. And as a writer of regency romance, it helps me remember what my heroine may have been reading, listening to, dancing to, and wearing. This month's issue will be out soon, and the "Famous Figures" feature is Authors and Poets. Don't miss it! (When you go to download the January issue, be sure to sign up and you'll be notified of every new release automatically.)

Upon My Word! It's an Ezine about the Regency!

I couldn't call this my Regency blog if I didn't mention my monthly e-zine. In case you aren't already signed up to get it, Upon My Word! is always chock-full of Regency fun, fashion and facts that you'll want to see! Hop on over to my website and enter your email: that's all there is to it! You'll get a welcome email with a free downloadable ebook, as well as a once-a-month glimpse at Regency England in the ezine. The January issue is available on the site for downloading, and future issues will be sent right to your inbox. Go here: and sign up now!

Care to see an issue before subscribing? You'll get a taste of what's in store.
Get January's fully illustrated issue here!.
Or check-out the December issue: Here.
Every issue includes a free download--get yours now!

In the past, issues featured:
Beau Brummell, King George
The Prince Regent and Princess Caroline
Female fashions,
Male fashions,
Focus on hats,
Silhouettes,
Miniature portraits,
and MORE.
Subscribe today while it's still free! Click here.

An Image Gallery

Welcome to the Lorgnette: A Regency (Historical) Blog.

This is my scrapbook, a place to share the wonderful and whimsical things I come across that concern the Regency. Stick with me, and you'll learn a great deal about the period, though we may jump around from fashion to fiction, from place (geography) to face (people). If you can handle my haphazard approach to the era, then please, have a seat and get out your lorgnette: let's do some viewing together! (Lorgnette--French, from lorgner, to peer at, from Old French, from lorgne, squinting, of Germanic origin.)

What is a lorgnette? (pronounced lorn-yet) A small pair of spectacles on a handle or chain, used by ladies during the Regency. It was the equivalent of the gentleman's quizzing glass, which men often kept in a waistcoat pocket or on a fob. A lady might have worn her lorgnette around the neck on a chain, or kept a handled specimen in her reticule, or pocket of a gown--if there was a pocket. The reticule grew in popularity as the empire style did, since, as these high-waisted light dresses lacked pockets, the reticule, virtually an outside pocket, became a necessity.