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I have a real dilemma as I work on my next book. Sources and research aren’t an issue, if you stick to English Regency you can find almost everything from a guidebook to London to the list of attendee’s at the Duchess of Richmond’s ball on the night before Waterloo.

No, the problem is how much sex do I put in? Real regency period writers put in almost nothing, and left everything to the reader’s imagination (but then nights were long and there wasn’t much to do, so a good imagination was a necessity). Only fast women held hands before marriage in the 1810’s. I’m pretty sure Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennet don’t even hold hands in Pride and Prejudice.  More recent, but still relatively old, authors like Georgette Heyer had a little bit – things holding hands and kissing that would have been considered almost as bad as fanny hill during the regency – but nothing you wouldn’t let your daughter read.

Today books run all the way from fairly tame to baring it all. I have to figure out where my voice fits in that picture.

Our local NPR station is having its pledge week next week. I’ll donate the profits from both the kindle and paper copies of my book for every copy sold from now until Friday 4/25/14 (or 25/4/14 for you heathens) to WABE.

Just an observation and recipe. Bacon grease is a nuisance because it clogs your drains. It’s not without its uses. Back in the war between the states our boys used to eat something called scoosh. It was basically corn meal fried in bacon grease. At least they used to eat it when they were lucky enough to have both bacon and corn meal.

It was probably not the most healthy of diets. 

I tried adding bacon grease to corn bread instead of oil or solid vegetable shortening. Surprisingly good.

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup corn meal
1tblspoon baking powder (omit if you use self-rising flour)
1tblspoon sugar
1/4 cup of so of bacon grease
2 eggs
milk

Mix everything but the milk then add enough milk to make a thick batter (about a cup). Bake in a greased pan in a 425 degree oven. That’s Fahrenheit not that godless, commie centigrade.

My friends tell me that as an aspiring writer one of the most important things I can do is to blog.

That’s fine, but writing blogs isn’t something they did in my favorite time. While I can imagine Mrs. Radcliffe taking to this format, I just can’t see Jane Austin breaking her lifelong habit of privacy – and good breeding – to bare her character and thoughts with the many headed public.

I’ll post my insights and things that readers might like, but for a start here is
my first book: Katherine’s Choice.  I hope you like it.