Guest Author Monday

Please give a heart welcome to today’s guest author — Linda McLaughlin

Why I Love the Regency Era

First, my thanks to Leanne for hosting me on her blog today. Happy Monday!

Regency romance is still popular with readers, I’m happy to say, since I have just released a reissue of Lady Elinor’s Escape. Here are some of the reasons I love this period.

1. The Clothing. The high-waisted gowns are both simple and elegant and look relatively comfortable, unlike the tightly corseted styles of the Victorian period. No bustles, no crinolines, and not as many ruffles. The colors are more restrained also, in part because the aniline dyes hadn’t been invented yet, so manufacturers were still limited to natural ingredients. The gentlemen’s suits were also elegant without the frills and bright colors of the Georgians, but not as drab as requisite black suit of the Victorian period. And wigs and powdered hair were thankfully out of style, except for footmen and the legal profession.
   When I went on a Regency tour some years ago, we all got to dress up in Empire-style gowns and dance at the Bath Assembly Rooms. It was a lovely experience.
2. The Architecture. Late Georgian architecture (often called Federal style in the US) is also classic and elegant, owing its inspiration to the classical world of the Greeks and Romans, with attention paid to symmetry and proportion. I find the style both beautiful and soothing, without the clutter and fussiness favored by the Victorians.
3. The manners and witty banter. Many Regency novels fall into the “comedy of manners” category, in the style of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. This makes the books just plain fun to read.

What is your favorite period or setting for romance and why?

Lady Elinor’s Escape
by Linda McLaughlin
Sweet Regency Romance 

Lady Elinor Ashworth always longed for adventure, but when she runs away from her abusive aunt, she finds more than she bargained for. Elinor fears her aunt who is irrational and dangerous, threatening Elinor and anyone she associates with. When she encounters an inquisitive gentleman, she accepts his help, but fearing for his safety, hides her identity by pretending to be a seamstress. She resists his every attempt to draw her out, all the while fighting her attraction to him.

There are too many women in barrister Stephen Chaplin’s life, but he has never been able to turn his back on a damsel in distress. The younger son of a baronet is a rescuer of troubled females, an unusual vocation fueled guilt over his failure to save the woman he loved from her brutal husband. He cannot help falling in love with his secretive seamstress, but to his dismay, the truth of her background reveals Stephen as the ineligible party.

Lady Elinor’s Escape is now available at Amazon,  All Romance eBooks and Barnes and Noble. Coming soon to other retailers.

To celebrate the reissue of Lady Elinor’s Escape, I’m giving away a $10.00 gift certificate of the winner’s choice: Amazon, BN, Starbucks, etc. Winner will be notified on May 6. There are several ways to enter.

1) Leave a comment here. If you are commenting anonymously, please leave an email address so I can find you if you win!

2) Friend me at Goodreads or Shelfari. (I will friend you back)

3) Join my YahooGroups announcement list.

Linda McLaughlin aka Lyndi Lamont

Here’s a little about me:

Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of history fostered by her paternal grandmother and an incurable case of wanderlust inherited from her father. She has traveled extensively within the United States and has visited Mexico, Canada, & Australia. A lifelong dream came true with a trip to England where she was able to combine sightseeing and theater with research for her novels. A native of Pittsburgh, she now lives in Southern California with her husband.

Her first book was Worth The Risk by Lyn O’Farrell. Now Linda writes historical and Regency romance. She loves transporting her readers into the past where her characters learn that, in the journey of life, love is the sweetest reward.

She also writes sexy to erotic romance under the name Lyndi Lamont.

Thank you Linda for coming on my blog today. We wish you much success with your writing.