Being a published author has been a wonderful, fascinating, and at times, surprising experience for me. Recently, these unexpected episodes came in three notes.
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“It will be seen that, as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print.”
--George Orwell 1944
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Recently, I was reading an enjoyable Regency romance when I came across this description:
“He was strikingly handsome in his red coat. She could see the officer was a captain by the bars on his shoulders.”
Well, that popped me right out of the scene. Captains in the Napoleonic British Army, the various militias or any other continental army of the time did not have their rank designated by two metal bars on their shoulder tabs.
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The Creation of the Gentleman
Way back when the Normans conquered Anglo-Saxon England in 1066, William the Conqueror installed a brand-new hierarchy of titles for the ruling class. These men and their families were given nearly all available land across England. Those who lived on those lands were ‘subjects’ of the ruling class and of the King.
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When I was preparing to have my first romance novel published, several writer colleagues and my publisher suggested that I have a woman’s pen name or at least something androgynous. I was told more than eighty percent of romance readers are women, and many won’t read male romance authors.
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How does one improve his standing in society? During the Regency, it was referred to as seeking glory. When maintaining or repairing a reputation, one’s social standing and family name, it was called a matter of “honor.”
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Were there stealthy cat burglars during the Regency period? You know, those professional thieves, smart and athletic, who only go for big ticket items. My next blog will explore the question.
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It’s one thing to send your character back into the 17th and 18th centuries, figuring out the ins and outs of time travel. But what about the people living in those times? Did they even think about the idea?
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I’ve been asked the question many times once I started jotting down stories to tell. I found there isn’t a simple answer, either for me personally, or in general for other novelists. Writing novels is a lot of hard work and involves a steep learning curve. So, why do it?
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