On The Ballroom Blog today, Miranda Neville has a fabulous post about Regency Real Estate, with gorgeous photographs of lavish English country estates with gardens to die for.

I must confess--her post made me laugh, because while Miranda's hero is getting this:

Poor Bram, my hero in A Night to Surrender, is getting something like this:

That's Hastings Castle, one of the first castles William the Conqueror built after the Normans invaded England in 1066. In the beginning of ANTS, Bram is gifted a revived medieval earldom, which comes along with no real lands or money--just the similarly crumbling (and fictional) Rycliff Castle.

(You can click on any of these photos for a better look.)

My imaginary Rycliff Castle was mostly inspired by Hastings-especially the setting, on a cliff overlooking the English Channel. But I did feel Bram should have a bit more of a place to call home. He's a military man and used to roughing it, but I did want him to have a bit of shelter. A standing few walls, you know, to keep out the elements: wind, rain, sheep.

So I added in a bit of this place, Ypres Tower:

Ypres Tower was an early medieval fortress built to protect the then-bustling port of Rye. In later years, it was used as a jail. Nowadays, it's a museum. Changes to the coastline over the centuries mean Rye is now situated a good mile or two back from the sea. So Ypres Tower looks out over farmland and delta, instead of the harbor it was constructed to protect. But it was from a historically plausible era, and it did have walls!

I decided Rycliff Castle would have a keep (inner castle) added a few centuries after its original construction, and I envisioned it something like Ypres--a cloverleaf of four stone turrets.

So now Bram had a few walls. But still...it's not terribly romantic, now is it?

Fortunately, this place was an hour's bus ride away:

Ahhh, that's more like it! Bodiam Castle, constructed in the late 1300s. That date puts it well after the time Rycliff Castle should have been completed, so the architecture style is a little off, but wandering the ruins was lovely inspiration nonetheless. Now I could form a nice idea of what those four stone turrets looked like from the inside.

There. Nice and cozy, right? I know, I know. It's no country estate with lavishly-appointed rooms and manicured gardens. You'd have to visit the heroine's home, Summerfield, for that.

But Rycliff Castle does have one more selling point--PARAPETS.

How could one not feel romantic up there, hm? Everyone knows that when it comes to castles, the ramparts are where all the action happens. Ahem. Yes.

So what do you think? Which do you find more romantic, mansions or castles? Did I manage to make Rycliff Castle into suitable (temporary) digs for a Regency romance hero?

Speaking of The Ballroom Blog, be sure to pop over on Monday, when it's my turn to blog. I'll be chatting with Miss Susanna Finch and posting an exclusive excerpt from A Night to Surrender!

Over on The Ballroom Blog, today Sarah MacLean is hosting our first Saturday Salon and sharing her trade secret: Regency Dress-Up Paper Dolls. Come make and share some of your own!

I'm headed out the door early this morning, but I couldn't resist taking time to make a doll for the heroine of A Night to Surrender, Miss Susanna Finch.

I love her red hair, freckles and long gloves! Although, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by the lack of appropriate accessories to put in her hands. No book, apothecary mortar and pestle, or pistol.

Don't miss The Ballroom fun today, and have a great weekend!

Today is an exciting day! Months of collaborative scheming have come to fruition, and I'm delighted to announce the grand debut of The Ballroom Blog. The Ballroom blogroll includes authors Sarah MacLean, Gaelen Foley, Katharine Ashe, Miranda Neville, Sabrina Darby, and yours truly. I was thrilled to be invited to blog with these lovely and talented ladies, and our hostess, the incomparable Lady B, will be most happy to make your acquaintance.

We're starting the blog off with a round of introductions and, naturally, a giveaway. Please do stop by and join the party! All posts on The Ballroom will be in the style of fun conversations - between authors, characters, and guests.

Also, if you'd like to read A Night to Surrender early, you have few hours left to bid on a special advance copy. It's up for auction to benefit author L.A. Banks, who has been battling adrenal cancer. As of this post's writing, it's still going for a song! Here's the eBay link.

See you in the Ballroom!

I'm back from NYC! The conference was wonderful. A full wrap-up (including details of my scintillating encounter in the NYPL Rare Books room!) will have to wait for another day, because I have so much exciting news to share.

(The beautiful NYC skyline from Bryant Park. We had gorgeous weather! You can click on the photo to see it bigger.)

The quick-and-dirty RWA recap: My panel went great, the signing was wonderful, and the parties were to die for. I had a great time meeting so many readers, bloggers, authors, and publishing folk. The RITA award for Best Regency Historical went to the amazing Lauren Willig--congratulations to her!

One of the huge stories of the week was the fabulousness of my friend and roomie Courtney Milan, who hit both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists with her wonderful self-published novella, Unlocked. It was a tremendous thrill to wake up in our hotel room Thursday morning and retrieve the complimentary copy of the paper from the hallway, so we could see it for ourselves in print!

Adding to the excitement, what should be two pages back in the same section of the same edition of said national newspaper--but a little photo of me! I was quoted in this fun little "Opposites Attract" article with a few authors you might have heard of. Like, say, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Sarah MacLean? Yeah. Pinch me. You can read the whole article here, if you so choose. (But there's no picture of me.)

But wait, there's more! Just as I was getting ready to come home, I learned that A Night to Surrender had received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly:

Dare pairs up an educated spinster and a wounded hero in this delightful Regency, the first in the Spindle Cove series... The instant attraction between Susanna and Bram is complicated by Bram's having just inherited a title, a crumbling castle, and the right to summon a militia. The last will be nearly impossible in the peaceful woman-dominated community of Spindle Cove, where few are thrilled by the military newcomers. Enticing romantic encounters are matched by witty conversations that slowly and seamlessly reveal deep truths about Dare's endearing one-of-a-kind characters.

They liked it! *huge sigh of relief* This review was a thrill beyond any other, and the perfect end to my conference. I had several early readers tell me in NYC that they'd already read and enjoyed the book. I'm so excited for it to be available for everyone on August 30th. (Psst, have you read the first chapter yet?)

I have so much more to blog about, but I'll have to spread it out over several posts. More conference recap, an exciting announcement that involves a ballroom, and information about the excellent K.I.S.S. and Teal campaign involving Avon Books and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. And of course, my NYPL escapades!

OH. And a Very Exciting Book Video Project.

Until next time...