Google books: It’s very useful for finding old, out of print books (that are free!). Also, you can search for keywords, etc, in the text to see if it’s worth reading or even worth buying.

The Colindale Newspaper Library: This is a trek—an hour outside of London, you need a pass, you must check your baggage, and you must be quiet. But it’s awesome. I read actual newspapers from the early 1800’s. They come in giant bound volumes to flip carefully through. It’s just an amazing feeling to touch and smell and read those 200+ year-old papers.

Museums: Especially one’s with gift shops. I LOVE the Regency rooms at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Amazon: All sorts of good, unusual books delivered.

Colonial Williamsburg: Recreate the days of yore experience! CW is a quaint, fascinating and fun experience. I don’t know of any other place where you can immerse yourself in another world like that. It’s something about the lack of electricity, I think (except for the cash registers in the cute little shops!).

The best experience of all, for me as a writer, was dinner with my family in the tavern at CW. Though it was still a bit light outside, it was rather dark inside. We dined by candlelight. Someone played an old fiddle. We ordered meat pies with venison, and other game meats–an authentic colonial recipe. Footsteps sound different on those old floors.

You could so just imagine a hero and heroine discretely dining in a dark corner, listening to the music, looking out at the last of daylight …

©2010 Maya Rodale Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Mehitable Loud

Araminta Strange

Millicent Strange

Lord Redleigh

and…Mitchell Twitchell

©2010 Maya Rodale Blog. All Rights Reserved.

MISS HARLOW’S MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE

June , 1823

Weddings, weddings, everywhere! This author particularly enjoyed the beautiful ceremony of Lord Winchester and his bride, Miss Victoria Hodges, daughter of Earl Selby. The affection the couple had for each other was noticeable and the joy in the room was palpable as all were swept up in the romantic spirit. Who doesn’t love a love match?

The bride’s gown was a stunning silver and white satin creation by the talented Madame Auteuil. This Modiste is also creating the dress of Lady Clarissa Richmond for her much anticipated ceremony to the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon. The plans for that ceremony continue at a fevered pace—the cake and flowers have been selected—only two short weeks until the Big Day.

And it’s only one week until another big day: A Groom Of One’s Own hits stores next Tuesday, June 29th!

©2010 Maya Rodale Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a little snippet: My upcoming book is A GROOM OF ONE’S OWN —that’s groom as in husband, not stable boy, as one friend clarified to my amusement–and it’s the first book in my Writing Girl romance series. Inspired by the old adage “write what you know” I decided my new batch of heroines would be writers. They’re not novelists, because that’s such a solitary, time-consuming activity. No, these writings girls are newspaper reporters in the Regency Era—so it’s fast paced, it’s scandalous, and it gets them out and engaged with London in a way our heroines usually are not.

Read the rest here. You know you want to!

©2010 Maya Rodale Blog. All Rights Reserved.

MISS HARLOW’S MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE

June, 1823

A handsome duke. His beautiful soon-to-be duchess. A Whirlwind courtship. There is little dissent that the wedding between the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon and the only daughter of The Duke of Richmond will certainly be the wedding of the year. All the romance of their betrothal and every detail of their upcoming nuptials will be reported in these pages in a London Weekly exclusive.

This author had the privilege to take tea with the perfect couple and their mothers (the architects of the greatly anticipated grand celebration) in which they related their romantic story.

After meeting at the ball one evening, His Grace was immediately smitten by the young and lovely Lady Richmond. “She possessed all the qualities of a perfect duchess,” he said. After only two weeks, he proposed to the lucky woman at her home in a romantic proposal that “brought tears to my eyes,” said the bride’s mother, Her Grace, the Duchess of Richmond.

A breathtaking emerald and diamond ring was given as a betrothal gift to the young Miss Richmond. Lady Hamilton, the groom’s mother, informs that it is a family heirloom.

Wedding preparations are already underway; after all, the big day is just around the corner! There are three more weeks until the wedding….

And there are just 15 days until A GROOM OF ONE’S OWN is in stores!

©2010 Maya Rodale Blog. All Rights Reserved.