So I was researching garters today (for my heroine Olivia, in Secrets of an Accidental Duchess), and I came upon this, from a book written in 1813. I didn’t know the garter custom was this old; and I really didn’t know it got this…um…wild!

GARTERS at WEDDINGS

There was formerly a custom in the North of England which will be thought to have bordered very closely upon Indecency, and strongly marks the grossness of Manners that prevailed among our Ancestors: it was for the young men present at a Wedding to strive immediately after the Ceremony, who could first pluck off the Bride’s Garters from her legs.

This was done before the very Altar. The Bride was generally gartered with Ribbons for the occasion. Whoever were so fortunate as to be Victors in this singular species of Contest, during which the Bride was often obliged to scream out, and was very frequently thrown down, bore them about the Church in triumph. These Garters, it should seem, were antiently worn as Trophies in the Hats.

-Observations on popular antiquities:
chiefly illustrating the origin of our vulgar customs, ceremonies and superstitions, Volume 2, by Geeraert Brandt & Henry Ellis

Nice!
And if this author considers his ancestors’ manners gross, do you think he’s turning over in his grave now?

Come see Jennifer at the following blogs on the following dates, with lots of opportunities to win A SEASON OF SEDUCTION!

10/4/2010 www.rundpinne.com Review
10/4/2010 www.rexrobotreviews.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/4/2010 www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com Feature, Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/4/2010 yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/4/2010 www.bibliophilicbookblog.com Review, Giveaway
10/4/2010 maryinhb.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/5/2010 reesspace.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/5/2010 kittycrochettwo.blogspot.com Review
10/6/2010 seductivemusings.blogspot.com/ Feature, Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/6/2010 www.becksbookpicks.blogspot.com Feature, Review, Giveaway
10/6/2010 www.booksoulmates.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/7/2010 inthehammockblog.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/8/2010 www.thebookgirl.net Review, Giveaway
10/8/2010 www.saveyspender.com Review, Giveaway
10/11/2010 www.froggaritasbookcase.net Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/11/2010 booksandmakeup.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/11/2010 bridget3420.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/11/2010 thebooktree.blogspot.com Feature, Giveaway
10/11/2010 www.amusingreviews.blogspot.com Feature, Giveaway
10/12/2010 www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/12/2010 paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/13/2010 marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/13/2010 onebookshy.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/13/2010 www.findthetimetoread.net Feature, Review, Giveaway
10/14/2010 bibliophile23.wordpress.com Review
10/14/2010 diana-book-of-secrets.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A
10/14/2010 triciareads.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/14/2010 chrissysworldofbooks.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/15/2010 www.renees-reads.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/15/2010 www.libslibrary.blogspot.com Feature, Giveaway
10/15/2010 thefictionenthusiast.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/15/2010 cuzinlogic.wordpress.com Giveaway
10/15/2010 ashleysbookshelf.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
10/15/2010 dkay401-challenges.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway

Whew! I’ll try not to quake in my boots at the thought of all those reviews!

Have a fantastic week, everyone! I’m sitting down to start writing my fifth book, the second book in the Donovan series. I can’t wait to write about this notorious rake who falls head-over-heels madly in love with the shy and reserved Olivia Donovan.

Congrats to Laura B., who won a copy of A Hint of Wicked in Japanese!

Check out my new contest to win a book by the incomparable Tessa Dare!

If you’d like a signed bookplate plus some extra goodies (including one of my beautiful new bookmarks), just go to my Freebies page.

A little update here–it’s been a busy, strange summer. Last week I went through my last round of chemo. When I recover from that, it’s on to radiation. I’m pretty home-bound, but enjoying the time with my family and dreaming up lots of new ideas for stories while I’m at it!

I want to thank everyone who has supported me along this journey. This experience has reminded me of how wonderfully kind and generous people can be. Thank you so very much…I appreciate every single one of you more than I can say.

I’ll check in again soon. Big hugs to all of you!

When people ask me why I write romance, I don’t always readily have an answer for them. Everyone who knows me in person knows I’m not the best with quick reactions and verbal quips. But here’s an article by the wonderful Eileen Dreyer that I think really hits the nail on the head. It’s why I love writing romance, too.
Eileen’s article at CNN Living: “I Write Romance Novels–So What?”

Are you looking for a literary agent or at least a little feedback from an established agent? Then this is the contest for you!

What you can win: A read of your fiction manuscript by Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency

How it works:
(1) Click “Leave a Comment” below and post the title, genre, and first five sentences of your fiction manuscript on the comments of this blog. Email entries will not be accepted; all entries must be made in the comments section of this blog.
(2) A group of semifinalists will be selected from the lines posted. The list of semifinalists for round one will be posted here on the blog on March 7. Round Two will begin on March 7 and semifinalists will be posted on March 14, and Round Three will begin on March 14 and semifinalists will be posted on March 21.
(3) The semifinalists will be invited to send their first chapter and/or synopsis to Jennifer.
(4) One overall winner will be selected on or before March 28. That winner will be invited to send his/her manuscript to Barbara Poelle, who will read it for possible representation.
(5) Questions? Feel free to go to the contact page and send them in. Jennifer will respond as quickly as possible.

Example Entry:

Title: A Touch of Scandal
Genre: Historical Romance (1823 England)
First 5 sentences:
A bothersome heat crept into Kate’s cheeks as she hurried through the narrow, dimly lit passageway. If only she could learn how to hide her thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, she forcefully slowed her step, squared her shoulders, and lowered her eyes. She was simply a servant, finished with her duties for the day, ready to take the three-mile walk home. Not a flustered woman rushing out to a secret secluded spot to watch a strange man—no, a god, more like—bathe in the nude.

The fine print:
You must be 18 years of age or older to enter this contest; no purchase necessary; void where prohibited. Judging is subjective, and judges’ names will not be revealed. If you enter this contest, you agree to be added to Jennifer Haymore’s newsletter list, which is sent out to subscribers quarterly. Personal information and email addresses are kept private and never shared. The semifinalists and winner’s names will be posted on the jenniferhaymore.com blog.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I posted a brand new excerpt of A TOUCH OF SCANDAL over on the bookshelf page. Please head on over to meet Garrett and Kate!

http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/bookshelf/a-touch-of-scandal/

A Touch of Scandal releases in six weeks!

I’m so excited! Yesterday, while I was working at Borders, my new office was built. It’s a built-in wrap-around desk of cherry that looks out onto our backyard. I’m writing this from my office desk for the first time. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a new feature in my house! LOL. Here is a picture–kind of hard to see because of the sun shining in–clearly I need to buy some blinds. I’ll post another picture when I have it all set up!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, everyone! I hope yours has been as good as mine (no better gift than to be able to write about people falling in love from a shiny new desk, lol!).

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.

Congrats to Susan L., who won Elizabeth Hoyt’s Prince Trilogy over on my contest page. I’ll have another contest going up in the next week or so.

Happy New Year, everyone! We spent our New Year’s Eve packing and moving. I’m sitting here in our new house surrounded by unpacked boxes and not quite feeling like I’m at home yet. Hopefully that changes very soon…

My year ended on a fantastic note, though–I sold another three historical romances to Grand Central Publishing! I am so excited about these books, and I can’t wait to share more of my late-Regency world with you all!

I hope you all have a magnificent 2010!

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…