I’m researching the winter holidays in England today. Don’t ask me how this came up when I did a search for winter holidays, but it did. Quotes like this are so grouch-inducing for me!

-From the London Magazine, Vol VII, 1827

Yellow?!?!?! Really?! I mean, I know old, ugly woman jokes are in existence even now, but still…sigh.

Gentlemen’s fashions are a touch more difficult for me than the ladies’ fashions. It’s a real challenge to find pictures and corresponding descriptions. Even more important, I want my heroes wearing…well, for lack of a better word, manly clothes. Look at these descriptions of some of the men’s fashions of 1829:

Light blue embroidered gloves:

some young men have appeared at balls with blue dress gloves embroidered with white…

and silk cloaks:

…cloaks of the gentlemen lined with plush silk of celestial blue…

and hankies with embroidered corners:

…at balls our young exquisites sport pocket handkerchiefs of fine lawn with a hem as broad as their thumbs the corners only are embroidered.

and flowery shoes:

…shoes tied with a small rosette.

and stylishly curled coiffures:

…a young gentleman now suffers his hair to grow has it curled and parted on the left side of the forehead.

(these examples are all from The Mirror of literature, amusement, and instruction, Volume 13 By Reuben Percy, John Timbs, 1829)

Worst of all, corsets were in style for men. Here’s a caricature of the styles for 1827. Look how tightly those poor men are cinched up! (Also look at the poor ladies’ hats–but that’s a whole ‘nother post!)

© Bodleian Library, University of Oxford: John Johnson Collection

I suppose the Gentleman’s Magazine of Fashion (1827) said it best:

…they say that a tall, thin man with his waist pinched in, and if he is withal very full, looks like grasshopper in an asthma.

Sigh. Maybe I should stop researching and go directly to the Pride and Prejudice movies. Of course, these movies represented a time several years earlier than the settings of my books… Nevertheless, with some variations the basic idea is there: shirts, cravats, tailcoats…

So I’ll just think of Mr. Darcy.

Better yet, Mr. Darcy just after a swim…

I’m always on the search for examples of fashions during the time in which I write. Women’s fashions are easy enough to find, though they can be challenging to decipher. (For me, anyway…even today’s fashions befuddle me, so going back two hundred years definitely makes my brain spin!) Read this description from fashions for December, 1827:

CARRIAGE DRESS: A pelisse of rich gros de Naples of a beautiful stone colour with a deep border of the same on the bias headed by narrow vandykes.
-From the Lady’s Monthly Museum, Vol. 26

Hmm…it takes some sleuthing, but I can ultimately figure it out. The above is the beginning of the description of the carriage dress shown here on the left.

I might just put Lady Rebecca in this dress at some point in A SEASON OF SEDUCTION… Though I really love the evening dress on the right…sigh. I wonder how it would be received at my husband’s company Christmas party if I wore it…

On Thursday, I’m going to be talking about my continuing challenge to find interesting (and masculine!) variations in men’s fashions of the time!

The winner of my holiday contest was Denise Y! She’s getting a copy of A HINT OF WICKED, a copy of A HIGHLANDER CHRISTMAS, and lots of yummy-smelling holiday bath and body goodies. Congrats to Denise!

I lied about that being my last contest of the year, lol. I have another one up–you can enter to win a copy of Elizabeth Hoyt’s amazing Prince Trilogy. Go on over to my Bonus Features pages and check it out!

I’m heading off to City Hall right now. We’re in escrow both to sell our house and buy a new one, and it just came to our attention that the new house lot might be entirely in a flood zone (which means we can’t build or make improvements–very frustrating). So I’m off to the city to clarify the situation. I tell you, it’s one thing after another when you’re in a real estate transaction. My husband and I were completely crazy to start this process during the holidays.

Come check out my blog over at Popculture Divas, where I’m talking about tattoos, piercings, and elf ears today.

I’m also working on edits for A SEASON OF SEDUCTION–this is the story of the young sister, Becky, from A HINT OF WICKED. I’m loving this story…Becky has learned a lot since her naivety during A HINT OF WICKED, and she has lots of surprises in store for her hero, Jack. I can’t wait until it comes out next October!

So I’m researching what kind of eggs my hero and heroine would eat for breakfast, and I came upon this:

He goes on to recommend not eating fruit at breakfast (you might feel “heavyish” all day!) and eggs–yuck! He doesn’t want to have pullet-sperm in his stomach all day!

But cold pig’s face? YUM!!! (He recommends eating it with French mustard and shallot vinegar.)

Okay, I’ve got to get back to my revisions. Just had to share. LOL.

(this is from “The Maxims of Sir Morgan O’Doherty, Bart.”, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Vol 16, 1824)

So I’ve been mired in this deadline for a couple of months now, and parts of my life have been sacrificed for the sake of this book. Probably the worst of it is that I see my family so infrequently that I feel like we’re ships passing in the night. I haven’t visited with my girlfriends in ages, and I’m horribly behind in emails/correspondence with all my friends and family who don’t live close.

One thing I’m also missing out on is entertainment. My days are simple: Wake up, take kids to school, work all day, feed and cart kids to their various sports, then go back to work until my eyes are crossing, then go to bed. I’ve taken an hour off here and there to relax. I got a pedicure with my daughter last weekend, and I went to the movies last week. But I need *more*! I need to relax, and I need to start interacting with humanity again!

I’m turning in this book early next week, then I have to go out of town for the rest of the week, then I’m presenting a workshop to an RWA group next Sunday. But as of the 19th of October, I’m a free woman! I’m taking a week off just to have fun…I really, really am…

I blogged today over at Pop Culture Divas about my pop culture deprivation. Please come on by and say hi. I’m especially interested in fall television must-sees as I haven’t watched TV in ages and I don’t even know what’s on anymore!

Okay, I’m crawling back into the cave! See you tomorrow for the Fun Fridays results.

Congrats to Denise B., who won the Fun Fridays contest today (per random.org)!

Okay, since I’ve been deep in this dark, dank writer’s cave and I’m late on this today, I feel like making up for my lack of timeliness to y’all by doubling the winnings for next week. So for next week, I’m going to give four books–yes, four!–to the winner! They just need to be chosen from the remaining books listed over on the bonus features page.

Here is this week’s question: What are the titles of Jennifer’s 2nd and 3rd books? (Hint: Both are sequels to A HINT OF WICKED, and both will be released in 2010! And did you know the third book has a Christmas theme? I’m so excited! Bigger Hint: You can find the answers on the FAQ page!)

So head on over to my bonus features/contest page to enter to win four books–winner will be drawn on October 9!

Well, I’m drowning in this deadline, but I have a fun contest going on over at the Dawn Halliday site! Go check it out at www.dawnhalliday.com. You could win an advance copy of A HIGHLANDER CHRISTMAS, an anthology containing one of Dawn’s stories that will be released in November.

I’ve been doing a lot of research and learning a lot about the medicine of the time (remember, pus is a good thing! They wanted to see lots of nice, healthy pus! LOL!). Once I have a moment, I can’t wait to post some of the other wild and crazy stuff I’m reading on the blog!

Until then, wish me luck. Must…finish…book……….

Oh man, it’s been a crazy week. I finished A SEASON OF SEDUCTION only to realize almost instantly that a big chunk out of the middle of the book needs to be rewritten! So I’m scrambling to get this done before the October deadline. It hasn’t been pretty around here!

In any case, I took a short break today to look at all the contest entries, in which you all took the time to send me some fabulous historical romance titles. Many I’ve already read (and yes, I loved all the ones you mentioned–authors like Loretta Chase, Elizabeth Hoyt, Julie Garwood, Laura Kinsale, Judith McNaught, Sarah McCarty, Diana Gabaldon all of whom I’ve glommed in the past. ) and titles like Outlander, Gone With the Wind, and Wuthering Heights. Many of the above titles/authors were listed more than once!

Some additions to the list:

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley (I’m in the middle of this one right now! So good!)
Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
Shana by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (2 recommendations!)
A Rose at Midnight by Anne Stuart
Scandal by Carolyn Jewel.
Winter Garden by Adele Ashworth
Dreaming by Jill Barnett
Tender Is The Storm by Johanna Lindsey
A Kiss in the Dark by Kimberly Logan
Candle in the Window by Christina Dodd
The Heart’s Desire by Gayle Wilson
Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (we have the movie and I love it, but I haven’t read the book!)
Rosamund by Bertrice Small
Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small
The China Bride by Mary Jo Putney
A Knight In Shining Armour by Jude Deveraux (2 recommendations!)
The Velvet Promise by Jude Deveraux
anything by Hannah Howell
Kresley Cole’s MacCarrick Brothers Series (I actually have the first one at the top of my TBR!)
After Innocence by Brenda Joyce
The Fulfillment by LaVyrle Spencer
Night Fire and Rebel Bride by Catherine Coulter
Persuasion by Jane Austen (also on my list–I have 2 more Austen books to read and this is one of them)
Stormfire by Christine Monson (I looked this one up…wow! I don’t have the fortitude to read it now, but maybe someday! LOL!)
Cambridge Fellows series by Charlie Cochran
Lady Jane’s Ribbons by Sandra Heath
The Merry Widow Trilogy by Candice Hern
Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCraig
Marry in Haste by Jane Aiken Hodge
The Wicked Ways of A True Hero by Barbara Metzger

Today’s winner, selected by random.org:

First Name: Bonnie

Last Name: F.

Email: bonnieferguson@r…

Congratulations, Bonnie! Please go to my contest page and select the two books you’d like. Then email me with your books and your snail mail address.

This week’s question is:
Name one of the authors Jennifer is currently reading and enjoying.
(Hint: check the the top ten lists at the bottom of the About Jennifer page.)

Please head on over to my contest page and enter! Have fun!

I’m researching the eating habits of the 1820’s. It’s easy to find massive amounts of information on breakfasts and social dinners, but lunch seems to be the ignored meal, and I think I’m figuring out why. It’s because lunch is for ladies! Its purpose is to provide a light meal. Heh…here’s a description of this “light” meal:

London persons breakfast at nine, ten, eleven, and even twelve o’clock and dine at eight or nine. Between these meals comes the luncheon composed generally of cold meats such as pates, fowls, pheasants, partridges, ham, beef, veal, brawn, and generally whatever is left fit to be introduced, part of which is to be placed on a side table. On the table is to be served a little hashed fowl and some mutton cutlets broiled plainly with mashed potatoes. The repast itself is insignificant…

Insignificant? LOL! I love it…

But, you see, real men don’t eat lunch! The true purpose of lunch is to give the ladies something to eat so that they’re not so hungry at dinner they make piggies of themselves:

[Luncheon] is only taken by certain young ladies who wish to preserve the elegance of their figures, the beauty of their complexions, and above all the becoming manners of good society which interdict as vulgar eating at table like gluttons. For unless frequent meals are taken too much must be eaten at once.

So there you go. Lunch was invented so ladies could pretend to eat like birds and hence carry forth the image of being elegant and beautiful (basically, so that nobody would see them truly eat with a healthy appetite…).

Sigh.

FROM: THE FRENCH COOK, A SYSTEM OF FASHIONABLE AND ECONOMICAL COOKERY ADAPTED TO THE USE OF ENGLISH FAMILIES By Louis Eustache Ude, 1829