Downton Abbey

Well the season 2 or Series 2 finale of Downton Abbey has aired here in the US (last week but still) and Mary and Matthew have found their way to each other. It has been quite a circuitous route for them but there it is the happy ever after – at least for the moment.

I must applaud the writers of Downton for not making Lavinia the ‘evil’ fiancée. She was a perfectly lovely, suitable mate for Matthew. Sir Richard Carlisle was more along the lines of the unsuitable mate for Mary but even he wasn’t as bad as they could have made him. I believe Sir Richard actually had deep feelings for Mary but she was incapable of returning them because her heart had already been firmly planted in Matthew’s garden.

My one gripe is that they chose to speed time along quite briskly! There could have been many more stories told during the war and all that happened could also have happened while the war raged in the background. I hope that the third season or series 3 moves time along with a bit more ease. As it stand we will start in 1920 at least – and now they’ll have to change fashions radically and move away from the Edwardian flare the show is so rich in.

Weekly Goal #9

Last week I worked on something different. Oh, I played around with The Escape, I'm to the point where I need to finish that story before anything else. And, too, The Masque looks pretty lonely under the Hellfire Erotique section.

But I also did a few other things. Baked chocolate chip cookies (the recipe off the Toll House bag where they don't tell you that sure, each tray may take 9 minutes to bake but when was the last time you had only 1 tray of cookies waiting for the oven?)

Cleaned house--and by that I mean I cleaned old computer files. I didn't delete them, despite the temptation to do so. After all, some of those stories are good plot-wise even if what I have, or have previously outlined, is no longer viable!

And I worked on a new, non-menage, non-erotic story. I've been doing so for over a year now, but have enjoyed writing my menage tales so much that I let this one slide. So for the foreseeable future, I'm going to be editing this story.

Set in the Regency Era, it's an alternate history. A dystopian society where a plague has ravaged the world, killing off more than half the population and leaving the survivors struggling for food, shelter, and safety. But what's better than a dystpoian world with Regency romance?

If your answer was nothing--you earn a gold star! But seriously, it's a great world I had loads of fun creating. I want to make it an even better world with seriously hot romance.

Now, this story isn't a menage, not even an erotic romance. It's fairly mainstream romance/sex wise. However, I do hope it's so different than anything you've read that you'll give it a chance. K. Reed will be the name I use for this series. I hope you'll check me (her, it) out!

Friday Recipe: Potato Dumplings with Bacon and Onions

Potatoes and bacon. What's not to love?

Prep Time:30 Min
Cook Time:40 Min
Ready In:1 Hr 10 Min

Ingredients
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 large eggs
Flour
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped

Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.

Place potatoes in food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add eggs, and pulse a few times to combine. Pour mixture into a large bowl. Mix in enough flour to make a very thick dough.
Place dough by spoonfuls into boiling water. Boil until done, about 20 minutes (depending on size). Drain, and set dumplings aside.

Place chopped bacon and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook a few minutes until bacon releases fat. Place hot dumplings into pan; cook until bacon is crisp and onions and dumplings are browned.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 162 Total Fat: 4.4g Cholesterol: 77mg

Wednesday Regency: Desserts

Not being English, I'm only partly certain that the English call dessert pudding. However, since I can't really find a reference to that from the Regency Era, I'm sticking with dessert. I did find a great site on Regency desserts to use for the pivitol unmasking scene. Here's a bit more on the history of the tart straight from their site. Though they claim it was invented in 1820, I wonder if it's the recipe they use today versus the one they'd always used.

I decided to use Bakewell Tart, which I've copied from Finoa's A Woman of Notes blog here.

Bakewell Tart
The Bakewell Tart was supposedly invented at The Rutland Arms in Bakewell. It is claimed that Jane Austen stayed there in 1811 and she based Lambton in “Pride and Prejudice” on the town.
It contains ground almonds, jam and lemon - delicious. I even made this in a gluten free version and it still worked! My icing came out a bit wonky though ...

Sounds pretty tastey, but I have to say, I'm definitely going to try this one!

Chocolate Cream
"Take a pt of cream with a spoonfull scrapt chocolate boyle them well together mix with ye yolks of 2 eggs & thicken & mill it on ye fier then pour it into your chocolate cups"

Weekly Goal #8

Covet--finished and sent off. Waiting for edits, but am very happy with the story.

This week:

• Send out winner's gifts to the Valentine's Day Blog Hop winners!


• Finish The Escape, which I've let wallow while struggling with Covet.

February is wrapping up (these months go so quickly) what are you doing this week? Planning a mid-winter vacation? Suffering through another week of work?

Better quesiton: What are you reading?

Downton Abbey-Finale tonight!

A British import on PBS that has become an American hit! And nothing could please me more as I adore historicals and this proves the lack of the death of the historical genre in mainstream. Plus Maggie Smith-can't get much better than that!

Downton Abbey is an Edwardian set tale revolving around the family and servants inhabiting a great British Manor house of the same name. Society and the rules of society in Downton Abbey are similar to the Regency era but in Downton Abbey they show the beginning of the end of this type of aristocracy system with its rigid rules and complete superiority over the working class.

And by the end; I mean the end of the more blatant aspects because to this day many of these rules exist quietly.

In season one of Downton Abbey we meet Lord Grantham and his family. Just as the series begins we find out that the Earl of Grantham’s male heirs, his cousins because he and his wife had no sons, were both killed on the Titanic.

This was brilliant and a very real problem many of the noble and aristocratic families throughout British history had. In the beginning of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility we see a (non-titled) father asking his son from a first marriage to take care of his current wife and daughters because as the ‘entail’ was written he could not leave any significant amount to the women. Subsequently, the women in Sense and Sensibility were evicted from the home they’d known as it passed on to the father’s son and the son’s wife.

This type of inheritance happened all the time in England and was only slowly chipped away at over time and through various legal maneuvers.

Downton illustrates this problem well and throughout the course of the series thus far. The eldest daughter, Mary, had been set to marry the cousin that died to retain position and inheritance with Downton. But then the family is thrown into a tailspin, scrambling to secure the future after they identify the next male heir.

The framework for this tale could have been plucked out of any Regency, Victorian or Edwardian romance novel. It is a classic but so incredibly well done with lush settings, fascinating characters and intricate storytelling.

If you have not seen Downton Abbey but love British historicals; I highly recommend it.

Friday Recipe: Eclair Cake

My grandmother used to make this and it's delicious! I haven't tried it before, but it's not as hard as the multi-layers look. Eclair Cake

Prep Time:25 Min
Ready In:4 Hrs 25 Min

Ingredients
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 cups milk
1 (16 ounce) package graham cracker squares
1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate frosting
Directions
In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk.
Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.
Spread the frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. Cover, and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

FOOTNOTE
The frosting will be easier to spread if the cake is covered and chilled for about 30 minutes before spreading.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 395 Total Fat: 14.2g Cholesterol: 4mg

Wednesday Regency: Richard Sharpe

Sean Bean. I supposed I could leave it at that, post a few delectable pictures and a few links and be done with it. And I might (post the pictures and links that is).

Regency=empire gowns, strict society, the fun of sneaking around those strict mores, and Napoleon. Every Regency romance I've ever read either vaguely mentions the Napoleonic Wars or skims right over the fact that Napoleon controlled 3/4 of Europe and travel wasn't as free as it once was.

I'm guilt of skimming over it, despite the fact that many of my heroes were once in the British Army, I don't tend to use a lot of detail about the actual battles. I'd love to one day write a series set in Portugal during the wars with a romance developing over several books while fighting the French, but then I watched every single Sharpe movie obsessively, read the books, and stalked the Sharpe Appreciation Society.

So the question is, what fascinates us with the Napoleonic Wars to the point that we know about them, research them, but barely use them?

Photos googled.

Valentine's Day

Who loves ya, baby? I hope this day is filled with whatever you want it to be. If you want chocolate and flowers and a night out, then my wish for you is that you get it. If you want all the cards and pink hearts to disappear into the deepest darkest ditch...let me know how you manage it!

Today's the last day of the huge Valentine's Day event with 265 authors! The prizes for this week's blog hop from me are:

The Masque: A Hellfire Club Erotique
2 $10 gift cards to either Barnes and Noble or Amazon, whichever the winner prefers

What do you need to do? Leave a comment about why you love menage romances and what you'd like to see in the stories.

Cupid has surely hit this hop with a golden arrow!



So here’s how the hop goes each of the participating author below is going to run a contest on their blog for the readers to enjoy! So make sure you stop by all the stops on the hop. I know you won’t be disappointed!



Contest starts February 11, 2012 and ends February 14, 2012 at midnight.

Weekly Goals #7

Now that I'm into February and week 7 on the calender, I'm wondering if I shouldn't have used a better method numbering my goals. I've never counted the calender by weeks, only days. It's messing me up but I hate to change now.

Last week my sole goal was to write Covet. I accomplished this in spades (what the hell does that mean anyway? I accomplished this so well I now have dozens of shovels? Or a really great hand in poker? So odd.)

So...Covet. This is definitely more plot heavy than my other Regency Ménage Tales and includes a murder mystery that took up more of the story than I'd intended. But then it is a murder and to toss it in the background seemed stupid when it's a significant part of the plot.

This week:

1. Make sure murder plot works without plot holes


2. Make sure the murder plot doesn't overtake the romance

Day 3 of the huge Valentine's Day event with 265 authors! The prizes for this week's blog hop from me are:

The Masque: A Hellfire Club Erotique
2 $10 gift cards to either Barnes and Noble or Amazon, whichever the winner prefers.

What do you need to do? Leave a comment about why you love menage romances and what you'd like to see in the stories.

Cupid has surely hit this hop with a golden arrow!

So here’s how the hop goes each of the participating author below is going to run a contest on their blog for the readers to enjoy! So make sure you stop by all the stops on the hop. I know you won’t be disappointed!

Contest starts February 11, 2012 and ends February 14, 2012 at midnight.

This day in History: Napoleon and the Metric System

February 12, 1812, Napoleon introduced a system known as mesures usuelles which used the names of pre-metric units of measure, but defined them in terms of metric units. He implimented this in all areas occupied by his army.

After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, France lost the territories that she had annexed; some, such as the Papal States reverted to their pre-revolutionary units of measure, others such as Baden adopted a modified version of the mesures usuelles, but France kept her system of measurement intact.

Day 2 of the huge Valentine's Day event with 265 authors! The prizes for this week's blog hop from me are:

The Masque: A Hellfire Club Erotique
2 $10 gift cards to either Barnes and Noble or Amazon, whichever the winner prefers.

What do you need to do? Leave a comment about why you love menage romances and what you'd like to see in the stories.

Cupid has surely hit this hop with a golden arrow!

So here’s how the hop goes each of the participating author below is going to run a contest on their blog for the readers to enjoy! So make sure you stop by all the stops on the hop. I know you won’t be disappointed!

Contest starts February 11, 2012 and ends February 14, 2012 at midnight.

Valentine's Day Event

So today's the start of a huge Valentine's Day event with 265 authors! Wow, that's a gigantic number, but the prizes are fantiastic. (I'm number 163 if you're looking.) The prizes for this week's blog hop from me are:

The Masque: A Hellfire Club Erotique
2 $10 gift cards to either Barnes and Noble or Amazon, whichever the winner prefers.

What do you need to do? Leave a comment about why you love menage romances and what you'd like to see in the stories.

Cupid has surely hit this hop with a golden arrow!

So here’s how the hop goes each of the participating author below is going to run a contest on their blog for the readers to enjoy! So make sure you stop by all the stops on the hop. I know you won’t be disappointed!

Contest starts February 11, 2012 and ends February 14, 2012 at midnight.

Friday Recipe: Potato and Cheddar Soup

This fall I did a post on one of my favorite soups, potato soup. I usually add cheese, since cheese makes everything taste better. So here's the revises recipe I love, cheddar cheese included! Potato and Cheddar Soup...as always thier photo, not mine.

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 cups peeled and cubed red potatoes
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup diced ham


Directions
Using a medium sized stock pot bring water to a boil, add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain reserving 1 cup liquid.

Stir in butter, onion and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Gradually stir in potatoes, reserved liquid, milk, sugar, cheese, and ham. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 169 Total Fat: 9.9g Cholesterol: 34mg

And don't forget my in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Regency Era officially beginning contest! I'm giving away random copies of my Regency Ménage Tale series. Simply leave a comment about why you like reading Regency romances to be entered! Any comment left between February 5 and Saturday February 11 will count towards the giveaways.

Thursday Thoughts

Don't forget my in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Regency Era officially beginning contest! I'm giving away random copies of my Regency Ménage Tale series. Simply leave a comment about why you like reading Regency romances to be entered! Any comment left between February 5 and Saturday February 11 will count towards the giveaways.


I think I'm already tired of election season. But on the other hand, I think instead of complaining, I need to do more myself in my community to change what I see.



There were several political cartoons I could have added, all rather humorous and apropos, but I decided on this one.

Wednesday Regency: Dowton Abby (again)

I know, I know, not Regency. What was I supposed to call my Wednesday post? Wednesday Non-Regency? Well, perhaps. I suppose I can change it but still. Thematic and all.

Still, after watching a couple episodes (I'll write them up in a later post) I know why Downton Abby is so darn popular. That and I read this article a friend sent me from the BBC on The US Cult of Downton Abby.

• Nothing's changed in terms of mannerism or social interaction since the ever-popular Regency period.


• The drama is as real today as it was 100 years ago as it was 200 years ago. Let's face it, human interaction is always fascenating especially if done right and Downton Abby does it right!


• The clothes are gorgeous and worn very well. Not everyone can pull off period dress!

More when I start writing up my thoughts on this series.

And don't forget my in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Regency Era officially beginning contest! I'm giving away random copies of my Regency Ménage Tale series. Simply leave a comment about why you like reading Regency romances to be entered! Any comment left between February 5 and Saturday February 11 will count towards the giveaways.

Miranda Lake's The Initiate

The Initiate by Miranda Lake


Blurb:
The Lady Hysena Macarydias, teenage daughter of the most noble house of Qalle, finds her illusion of how life will be as an Initiate at the formidable Citadel utterly shattered.



The excesses of Father Tarrip, High Priest of the Holy Prophet , would be beyond the endurance of the terrified girls in his charge were it not for the efforts of Sister Maria, who as an Adept of the secretive and forbidden Society of T’arn, is able to control him – but only to a degree.
But Maria has concerns beyond the fate of the pampered young ladies of Qalle aristocracy; the delicately balanced peace between the warring nations is under threat, and the very future of the planet may be in her hands.


The struggle for control of Qalle is a secret one, known to only a few. Caught between the opposing factions are the innocent Initiates: Hysena, the beautiful, intelligent yet naive Lady; Jagdig, the formidable warrior girl of Kallinia; plump Princess Leel of Calith; tiny, demure Silka of Sis Narash and the others.

And, somewhere within the sprawling walls and forbidding towers of the ancient Citadel, are the Acolytes, male counterparts to the Initiates, who in the timeless manner of young men everywhere will undertake any risk if it may result in the chance to meet young women, even if that risk may result in disaster...

The world of Qalle is a world of cruelty, of pain, of punishment. A world of plot, counter-plot and intrigue, but which still allows time enough for love, tenderness and yearning desire.


First published some years ago, The Initiate by Miranda Lake is now available in downloadable form for the first time – one of the most erotic novels to be published this century.



Buy links:
All Romance eBooks
Amazon UK
Amazon


Excerpt:

Xarrith was right, he reflected. Risk did make the blood sing, but what risk! He did not know what punishment would follow discovery on such an adventure, but had not been joking when he suggested to Xarrith that he feared for their very survival. His researches into the Citadel had offered hints of people entering the forbidding walls never to be seen or heard of again. Was a few hours of ecstasy worth possible death? As he watched the taller of the two naked girls, now lying on her back with her legs held high and wide by the one with the magnificent breasts and the holy sister bringing the tokan down directly on her spread vagina, he almost thought that it was.

As she plied the tokan between the open legs of Nephraan and heard her shrill scream as the whippy leather bit into her swollen labia, Sister Colya was wondering whether to order one (or both!) of the Initiates to lick her soaking cunt. With a grimace, she decided against this, knowing from experience that, while all of them would do this delightful service for each other, they hated to do it for their sister elder. Or at least this sister elder. She suspected that they showed no such reticence with Maria and felt a bitter pang of envy at the thought, bringing the tokan down with all her strength in her frustration.


Nephraan screamed even louder as the cruel device once again bit into her exposed sex.
The sound of the scream came clearly through the wall to the ears of the fascinated Tasnar. Unlike Xarrith who had seen punishments carried out on his people at home, in Sis Narash the though of treating another person in such a barbaric manner was anathema. He found the sight deeply shocking but even more exciting. Once again he applied his eye to the small hole in the ancient wall.



And don't forget my in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Regency Era officially beginning contest! I'm giving away random copies of my Regency Ménage Tale series. Simply leave a comment about why you like reading Regency romances to be entered! Any comment left between February 5 and Saturday February 11 will count towards the giveaways.

Weekly Goals #6

I spent the majority of last week cleaning. I admit it, but it was so beautiful outside with near 70 degree days, that I opened my windows and aired out the house. I then cleaned. All that little stuff that accumulates around during the winter when you'd rather toss the mail on the table then eat at the table. It's dark and cold, no need to do anything else but eat and find your way back to the couch!

But not last week! Last week I went to town! My house is now free from clutter and even the blankets have been washed. Early spring cleaning. I did not, however, scrub the floors even if they desperately need it. I hate doing floors.

This week I will:

1. Continue on with Covet. I'm spending so much time on it because I want it to work and work well. I had planned it one way but it's taken a completely different direction and I'm enjoying the journey so will continue on. Unfortunately, it means it's late, but I hope for a better story because of this.

And don't forget my in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Regency Era officially beginning contest! I'm giving away random copies of my Regency Ménage Tale series. Simply leave a comment about why you like reading Regency romances to be entered! Any comment left between February 5 and Saturday February 11 will count towards the giveaways.

Blast: Sensual foods, a sexy food writer, and a smokin' hot photographer

About Liz:

Liz Everly is a passionate cook, writer, and traveler. Exploring food and romance in Saffron Nights, Liz combines her lifelong love of action-packed romance with her culinary expertise. She loves to interact with readers. Please follow her on Twitter, check out her website. You can also find her on Facebook and blogging.

Liz will be awarding organic saffron and cedar bath gel and handmade soap to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY).

Blurb:

Wherever they travel, there’s an aphrodisiac waiting to whet their appetites…

Brazil…Hawaii…India….As a food writer, Maeve has just been handed the hottest opportunity of her career. She’s being sent on an international research tour for an aphrodisiac cookbook. The downside is that she has to travel with rock star photographer and womanizer Jackson Dodds. And the upside is that she has to travel with Jackson Dodds. Because once they meet, Maeve understands why he’s been named “America’s Most Eligible Bachelor”—and despite her best intentions, all she can think about is putting their arousing recipes to the test…

Sexy and talented, Jackson can have any woman he desires. But lately, the thrill is gone—until he lays eyes on Maeve, who exudes sensuality like no one else. She’s determined to keep things professional, but he knows the attraction is mutual. And as they travel the world, sampling warming saffron, juicy papaya, silky avocado, rare herbs and teas—and a mushroom whose very aroma sends women to heights of ecstasy—both discover a hunger they’ve never known, and don’t want to resist, even amid unexpected danger…

Excerpt:

She acted like she didn’t even know he was there. He watched her full lips curve around the spoon as she stared intently into the bowl. What would they feel like on him? She was not paying one ounce of attention to him, so he let his eyes linger on her toes. They were simply perfect toes, topped off with a splash of bright feminine pink, and her feet looked porcelain smooth and inviting. But he held back. Christ—what if a woman like this did respond to him and then it went horribly bad, as most of his affairs had? They might be stuck together on some godforsaken mountain in India or Italy and be miserable.

So, he held his breath, while his heart raced, but kept his eyes on her feet and slurped the stew. After all, this was his career. He couldn’t risk it—even for Maeve. Especially for Maeve.

“What are you doing, Jackson?” She said and took another bite.

“Eating soup and, ah, looking at your toes. They, ah, look really good,” he said.

“Maybe you need some coffee, Jackson,” Maeve said, laughing.

“Sorry, I just never knew that you had such pretty feet,” he said and smiled.

“Well, you’re using that word a lot. Pretty. You’re barking up the wrong tree if—”

“We work together,” Jackson stammered. “You know, I should never have mentioned how pretty you feet are. Or how pretty you are, period. I’m sorry.”

What was happening to him? Usually so confident, here he was stammering around Maeve like a schoolboy.

He held the bowl up to his mouth to drink the last drop, his tongue licking his lips in utter abandonment.

He held up his fingers and wiggled. “You don’t know this about me, but I give an incredible foot massage.”

She slammed her bowl down. “Are you coming on to me?”

Where to buy:

Amazon

eKensington