Emily of Deep Valley Prep Questions (Mother-Daughter Book Club)

School is out, and it's time to kick off reading for the Mother-Daughter Dim Sum Book Club! If you're participating virtually, here's the info I sent out to our little circle of participants. It's a pretty sweet, simple read, so I hope they all enjoy it! My 14YO is hip-deep in Gone with the Wind right now, so Emily will probably seem pretty retiring after Scarlett O'Hara, but Emily picks herself up and dusts herself off as much as Scarlett does, and with a heckuva lot less collateral damage!

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EMILY OF DEEP VALLEY is a pretty short book, written in 1950, but set back in 1912. The author, Maud Hart Lovelace, wrote several books inspired by her own life and the lives of friends she grew up with.  So although the book was technically historical fiction by the time Lovelace wrote it, she was writing about a time she lived through herself.

When we read, here are some things to consider:

Title. Why did the author call it what she called it? What significance is it where Emily is from? How would Emily feel about being called "Emily of Deep Valley" at the beginning of the book? How would she feel about it by the end?

Setting. When and where is the book set? Why does that matter? Do the time and place have any impact on the options available to Emily? Look at the micro-settings, too. How does Emily feel about her home? Her cousin's home? The slough? Where, in Deep Valley, does she belong or not belong?

Characters. Who are the main characters in the book? How do they see Emily, and how does she see them?

Character Development. How does Emily grow and change, over the course of the story? What triggers these developments? How does her view of herself and of Deep Valley change?

Conflict. The conflict is what drives the story. What's at stake. If there's no conflict, there's no real plot. The conflict in Frozen, for example, is, can Anna save Elsa and their country from the destructiveness of Elsa's own powers, and can she restore their lost relationship? What is the conflict in EMILY? What might happen to Emily, if she cannot overcome/resolve the conflict?

Themes. Look at some of the recurring ideas in the book. Old-fashioned versus modern. Growth versus stagnation. Insider versus outsider. Defining yourself versus letting others define you. Do you notice any others, as you read?

Symbolism/Foreshadowing. These are standard literary devices, where an author uses one thing to represent or hint at something else. Look, for example, at "Decoration Day." Why have it twice in the book, near the beginning and at the end? What is the same, and what is different? How is Emily's attitude the same or different? Also look at when Emily is at Roxey's drugstore and sees "an attractive-looking girl" in the mirror, who turns out to be herself! How does this moment represent what is going on with Emily?

Allusion. An allusion is a reference to another book or work of art. Lovelace alludes to the Slough of Despond from John Bunyan's PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. How does that add to our understanding of the story?

And finally, a paragraph question, for some writing exercise! Pick one:

1. Emily picks a Shakespeare quote as a self-motivator: "Muster your wits; stand in your own defense." Why is this appropriate for her? If she has to defend herself, who are her accusers? What would they accuse her of?

2. What is the significance of Emily's slough, geographically and symbolically? How does it compare and contrast with Bunyan's Slough of Despond?

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And a last little reminder: hope to see some of you at University Book Store Bellevue this Saturday (6/28) at 5:00 p.m. for some Regency readings and ramblings!

The Skipper, The Orgeat, and A Very Plain Young Man

Launch Numero Uno of A Very Plain Young Man is history. (Stay tuned for Launch Numero Due at University Book Store Bellevue on Saturday, June 28, at 5:00 p.m.)

A special thank-you, as ever, to Ms. Margo Engberg, proprietor of the Engberg Assembly Rooms, as well as of the scrumdillyumptious Pinkabella Cupcakes, of which these below made a representative appearance:

Yes, they taste as good as they look.

FAQ

Q: Is A Very Plain Young Man available on Kindle and Nook?
A: Yup. Click here for Kindle or here for Nook. Tell them the Bone sent you. (Inside joke for fellow Mariners fans--the few, the proud.)

Q. Can I get the recipe for orgeat lemonade?
A: You've come to the right place. Here is my proprietary recipe, gleaned and massaged from other internet research:

Orgeat Lemonade (serves many and can be doubled)
Behold the ingredients:

Syrup ingredients:
1 box unsweetened almond milk
14 ozs sugar
1/2 tsp (generous) almond extract
1/4 tsp orange extract
19.5 ozs lemon juice

Bottle of club soda, chilled
ice

Combine syrup ingredients in a large pitcher, stirring to dissolve the truckload of sugar. To make a serving, put a few ice cubes in a cup. Measure out approximately 2.7-3 ozs of the syrup mixture and pour over the ice. Fill the cup the rest of the way with club soda.

You'll notice in VPYM that Elfrida is found at various times partaking of lemonade or orgeat. Now you can sip right alongside her!

Q: What was the name of the dance we learned?
A: That would be Auretti's Dutch Skipper. As mentioned in previous posts, look for it on YouTube or in the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma at 1 hour, 18 minutes in.

My not-exactly-period '60s maxidress that I got for $16!

Second corner, two-hand turn!

Leading up the middle

  

Gettin' jiggy wit it

1st couples leading down

Well done, Dutch skippers. As I mentioned to one of you, if you watch the YouTube videos, it's pretty easy to see folks messing up left and right, so I think we were doing pretty well! Now, if we only had a gif of Katie doing the "set" step...

Waiting for Mr. Right in a borrowed dress

Debating whether to bring Danelle again, since she always wins the prize drawing

Linda shouting dance tips from the sidelines

No dripping candle wax here

Thank you again for coming and for reading! If you enjoy the adventures of Frederick and Elfrida, be sure to leave a review and pass it along to a friend!

Links for a Launch Party

Get those dancing shoes ready! I have books in hand, and Lucy and I have been practicing up our dance moves. If you haven't gotten your evite, message me at christinadudley@gmail.com because all are invited!

When: Thursday, May29, at 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Engberg Assembly Rooms (see evite for address)

What: An introduction to my latest traditional Regency...

There will be more orgeat lemonade, a costume contest, and prizes! You don't have to wear a costume, but it sure is fun to dress up and goof off. Nor do you have to dance, but it gives you new respect for all those book heroines. Becoming an accomplished young woman was no cakewalk.

If you want to catch glimpses of our dance, "Auretti's Dutch Skipper," you can watch the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma on Netflix Instant. At 1 hr, 18 min in, when Mr. Elton is snubbing Harriet Smith and Emma is fretting, the dance she and Frank Churchill are performing is Auretti's Dutch Skipper!

And if you'd like to watch ordinary (non-movie) folk giving it a go, here's a YouTube link:

Looking forward to a fun evening!

Da Da Da Bump Da Bum! Introducing A VERY PLAIN YOUNG MAN

Check out this handsome fella!

I am pleased to announce the impending arrival of A Very Plain Young Man, the second in my series of traditional Regency romances, The Hapgoods of Bramleigh.

If you caught the first book in the series The Naturalist, you might remember heroine Alice had an older sister Elfrida, and hero Joseph had an older brother Frederick. There's the hint of an interaction between these two elder siblings in the epilogue of The Naturalist, and now it's time for the full-blown story!

My cover designer and I had our usual to-doing and back-and-forthing, with this delightful result, which captures not only Frederick's most inappropriate handsomeness, but also his and Elfrida's mutual interest in embroidery. So pleased with the result.

Details will follow, but I've got two launch events planned so far:

Thursday, May 29 (evening) will be the likely Regency dance party version

and

Saturday, June 28 (also in the evening) will be the University Book Store Bellevue book signing, promoting both books in the series.

Mark your calendar for one or the other, and in the meantime, here's the back cover blurb:

Miss Elfrida Hapgood is the most beautiful of the Hapgood sisters, as well as the most practical. If she must marry eventually, she intends to choose a husband not with her eyes, nor even with her heart, but with her common sense. He must be respectable and steady--not given to gambling or wenching or idling like her scapegrace uncles. So naturally, Frederick Tierney, the rakish brother of her new brother-in-law, will never do. Not only is his chequered past not entirely in the past, but he is too handsome for his own good and takes delight in unsettling her. But when another offer comes her way which meets all of her supposed requirements, Elfrida finds choosing duty over desire not as simple as she imagined.

Did You Recycle A Fraction of Your Allotted Fame?

It's January, and my unofficial writing hiatus is over. For Pete's sake, I've been about 3/4 done with the follow-up to The Naturalist for a month now, but only got going again the last couple days. Heaven knows if the thing still hangs together. I'm still shooting for spring of this year to release A Very Plain Young Man.

In the meantime, if you attended the November dance-mania launch party, I wanted to alert you that, possibly unbeknownst to you, you might have used up 1.5 seconds to 1.5 minutes of your allotted 15 Minutes of Fame. What fame? you ask?

This fame:

An article in The Points Living Magazine! And I do apologize for the laughable picture quality, but I was lucky to even get my hot little hands on a copy because (1) the magazine is solely distributed to residents of Hunts Point, Yarrow Point, Medina, and Clyde Hill (which I'm not); and, (2) the magazine appears only in physical form, with no online links; and, (3) the editor has been on vacation and family emergency since the issue came out. This bootlegged copy came via my daughter's classmate.

As you might see, if your monitor is big enough, they included pics of my lovely reader/dancers, so check for your own sweet self and forgive me for not having any of you sign photo release forms. Hanging with me is a perilous business...

I'll be naming names when I tag you on FB

So, quick! Dig your fraction of fame out of the recycle bin, or go Dumpster diving in Hunts Point, Yarrow Point, Medina, or Clyde Hill blue bins before your Moment in the Limelight gets made into paper towels or whatever. Look for this cover:

For those of you who couldn't make the party and are still huddling in obscurity, don't say I didn't warn you--even though I didn't.

Speaking of recycling, I do have some legitimate content for you, this post. If you loved the Disney movie Frozen, you probably know it was loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale The Snow Queen.

It turns out Disney isn't the only recent recycler of the story because I read a galley of Karen Foxlee's about-to-be-published-any-second Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, and lo! there was that Snow Queen again.

This time the story takes place in a vast and nameless and wondrous museum in some winter-bound country. There are still two sisters, but rather than becoming a Snow Queen herself, the older sister is in danger of being kidnapped by the icy dame. It's up to Ophelia to rescue both her and the mysterious (and pretty danged helpless) "Marvelous Boy." The setting was my favoritest part of the book, and some of the scenes are pretty suspenseful. I'm trying to get my daughters to give it a go, but we're all deep in re-reading Harry Potter. If you don't find yourself in that state, however, I recommend this lyrical tale for readers 10 and over.

That is, if you can tear your eyes from your moment of glory in The Points Living article...

Dance Dance Dance the Night Away

Dear readers, thank you for the most fun launch party to date! As promised, here are the photos of fabulousness from the famed Engberg Assembly Rooms.

A Sampling of Our Excellent Company

Costumes were not required to celebrate my new Regency romance The Naturalist, but for those of us who never outgrew dress-up, they added much to the spirit of the occasion. Out came eBay dresses, bridesmaid dresses, Goodwill dresses, church choir dresses, items of clothing found deep in the closet--you name it, we wore it.

And the prize for Best Costume goes to...

Dear C here, who is also one of my beta readers, outdid herself, being a woman of many talents. Not only did she hem my eBay 60s maxi dress, but she ordered a pattern for herself and MADE the evening gown you see here. Purple satin with an overdress of gauzy stuff, printed with gold butterflies! Absolutely lovely, and worth every ounce of effort because you can see she won a copy of the Keira Knightley Pride & Prejudice, in which Darcy appears in the infamous "man Capris."

A runner-up for Best Costume was surely admirable R, who ransacked her closet and came up with...drumroll, please...MR. COLLINS!!!!

"You must give me leave to flatter myself, my dear cousin, that your refusal of my addresses is merely words of course."

The evening began with book business, naturally,

Lady M handles the cold, hard cash

and proceeded to the prize drawing:

For one lucky, lucky reader

I didn't want anyone to go home empty-handed, in case she hated The Naturalist, so we distributed some "vintage romances" to a few fortunate readers, as well as a vintage "Royalty" magazine, and a coveted Jane Austen action figure.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Photos from 1991, when all the royals were still alive and married!"

We followed with a chapter reading, in which I am happy to report, no one dozed off, even after a glass of negus.

"She ran her hand over his throbbing-- etc. etc."

Look closely: the Honorable Miss D has a hold of the action figure

Speaking of negus (mulled wine), I pity the one woman who apparently took a swig of the spicy sugar syrup, unmixed with any wine. That must have been quite the shock. Many tasters agreed with my husband that the recipe wasn't bad, but it could have used more sugar.

The orgeat lemonade was a universal hit, however, and should you like to serve it at your next Regency party, I used this recipe for the orgeat syrup and these proportions for the individual drinks. For those of you who never danced at Almack's, orgeat is an almond-flavored concoction, touched with a little orange.

And speaking of dancing, Mr. Beveridge's Maggot was a BLAST! Thank you to all the brave souls who squeezed onto the dance floor, braving furniture, moving bodies, an uncovered outlet, and the eyes of onlookers to learn this famous Austen-era country dance.

Lining up with partners (and the back of C's prize-winning dress!)

Recognize this four-across formation from the Austen movies?

Ye olde Left Hand Turn

Everyone "casting" various directions

Really. It was SO MUCH FUN. I'm dying for another opportunity to dance and lay awake thinking how I might better have explained what couples at the very top and very bottom of the room knew what to do next. (I thought of it, but I'll probably forget by the next party.) Seriously, if you have an occasion--a book party, a birthday party, whatever--and would like to have a dance lesson, I am all over it. Thank you again to the folks at Stately Steps for their so-helpful DVD. I also lay awake thinking I would love to launch a Regency Dance Party business because there are enough period fanatics to go a long, long way.

For those of you who did dance, here's the P&P clip again. Note how Elizabeth and Darcy start at the Top of the room as a First couple. They work their way down the room. When they are at the very bottom, they sit out one set of figures (when Sir William Lucas speaks with them). Then they rejoin the dance, moving UP the room, but this time performing the steps of a Second couple, with the symbolic distance between them on the four-across.

Anyway, thank you again, dear readers, for a wonderful evening. Hope you enjoy the book. If you do, do me a favor and tell a friend or leave a review or star-rating on Goodreads or Amazon! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Fashion Forward Launch Party Suggestions

Hey, all! Look what I see on eBay today (and I apologize for the blurry pics. Better blurry than tiny!):

Would that be awesome for The Naturalist launch party, or what? Kind of Joan Collins meets Jane Austen. Sadly, it's currently at a bid of $98. Or you could come as a hoedown-Regency-debutante mash-up, in homage to the slew of Jane Austen mash-ups:

Then there's this hot little number:

$30 to Buy It Now, and this one is the closest to the real style.

And this sweet one reminds me of my book's heroine, as Alice wears yellow at the Midsummer Ball:

One final fashion-forward suggestion:

The Naturalist is set in the summer of 1808, so this gown could be Summer of Love meets the summer of love.

Got my long gloves in the mail yesterday, so I am approaching set! For those of you who dread the idea of costumes, have no fear. Come in jeans, if you like--although we may make you be a gentleman during the country dance lesson.

Next week I hope to whip up a test batch of orgeat syrup for our party lemonade. Found this lovely post on the stuff, for your reading pleasure. I hope to meet with Margo soon, to plan what other refreshments we will have at our Assembly Ball. As for the books themselves, my printer assures me they'll be ready, and I've been hard at work lining up the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo versions, as well as the Amazon paperback. Whew! If I remember, I'll bring my copy of the cover to this Friday's Literary Night, so you can take a sneak peek.

Looking forward to the pleasure of your company on November 15th...

Presenting the Cover for THE NATURALIST

Dear readers, I am pleased to unveil the cover for my upcoming Regency romance The Naturalist!

I think my designer, Kathy Campbell of Gorham Printing, has outdone herself this time. This cover exactly sets the mood and the reader's expectations: the story will be romantic, the heroine curious, and all bodices will remain intact.

Here's the entire thing, front and back, for those of you who will read The Naturalist on your e-readers and never see the artwork in all its completeness and glory:

(And just in case you can't read the tiny print over the bar code, this one is only $9.99!)

I hope you've marked your calendars for the November 15th launch party! We'll be learning a period dance and sipping orgeat and negus, and YOU are invited, so let me know if you didn't yet receive your (electronic) invitation.

Speaking of dancing, I've enlisted my ten-year-old daughter in learning Mr. Beveridge's Maggot from the Stately Steps DVD. Those folks have done a fabulous job with their instructional video, and I hope to be able to pass on what I've learned at the party. As with all square and line dances, it's hard to get a feel for how the overall thing will look and feel when there are only two of you, but I haven't yet managed to coax my other kids (nor my husband) into joining us.

 Let me just say--we are going to have the Most Fun Ever.

It has come to my attention, from my research on eBay and Etsy, that, if you search on "Regency" gowns and costumes, the prices immediately go through the roof. Pooh on that! You feel free, if you're coming in any sort of costume, to play fast-and-loose with period accuracy! The 1960s era "maxi dresses" have the wrong necklines but often the right empire waist. In fact, I now have my own '60s maxi dress hanging in the closet that I plan to wear:

I'm going to have to tape up the too-long hem, but I love it. More on costumes later!

Announcing THE NATURALIST

The Lady Wore Yellow

What was that I was saying, a couple posts ago, about giving the traditional publishing route another go? Well, scratch that, baby! My native impatience has taken hold, and I'm off and running again.


All of which is to say, please be watching for the Friday, November 15, launch of my historical romance The Naturalist! The book is set in 1808, so it's not technically a Regency romance, but people use that label nowadays to cover anything set in Jane Austen's era. I'll post the cover as soon as I have it, but here's the plot:

Joseph Tierney, a naturalist commissioned by the Royal Society, stumbles upon the perfect assistant: an eager lad who knows the lay of the landscape and his flora from his fauna. But Joseph finds their fruitful partnership compromised when this so-called Arthur Baddely turns out to be one Miss Alice Hapgood, daughter of the neighboring squire.

If you aren't "Regencied out," like the agent chosen to judge the 2013 Best Romance category, you might enjoy this little romp. And if you're a big Regency reader, fair warning that my book is more along the Georgette Heyer lines and NOT a bodice-ripper in the Mary Balogh/Grace Burrowes vein.

This:

NOT this:

I think she's taking off her dress because it's not period-accurate.

I've got the most fabulosa idea for a book launch: we'll do the usual reading and snacking, of course, but I want to make it a Regency party! Yes, we must have an assembly, dear readers, so get your best Austen outfits and hairdos ready. Or just a long skirt. Or just a pair of gloves. More on that later.

Ideas for your ensemble

You know that country dance they do in every single Austen movie ever?

The usual suspects at it

And in Emma:

Emma and Mr. Knightley

It turns out the dance has the appetizing name of "Mr. Beveridge's Maggot," not as in "the little nasty worm belonging to Mr. Beveridge," but as in "Mr. Beveridge's extravagant little whim."

Dear readers, I would love for us to try to learn this dance at my book launch! Uh huh. I've got the music and instruction DVD en route to my house as you read this, and I plan to do lots of study. If we can get 16 willing dancers to give it a whirl, I've got Margo's awesome "ballroom" lined up. SO FUN.

The Naturalist features both a public assembly and a private ball. Although a twisted ankle prevents my heroine from dancing at the first event, I would like to think she gets asked to perform Mr. Beveridge's Maggot at the latter.

So start thinking about your costumes and block Friday, November 15, for me, okay? Oh--and if you already know the date won't work for you, think about holding a private assembly with your book club or circle of friends. I'm already picturing a second career as a country dance "caller" and dancing master. Tee hee.

In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, I give you Mr. Beveridge's Maggot from Pride and Prejudice:

and from Emma:

Enjoy! I'm rather fond of Jeremy Northam's balletic tendencies myself.