Fill Your Shopping List with Romance

Holidays are a great time to share authors you've enjoyed throughout the year. Some venues allow gifting of ebooks, but there still those who love the feel of paperbacks in their hands as they read.

If you've readers on your Christmas list who you've not figured out that special gift for, consider buying books. Here at Happily Ever After, we have authors for just about everyone's taste. We're starting off Holiday Week with our offerings for you.

Check them out:

Bekki Lynn - erotic contemporary/paranormal/historical; poetry
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Diesel
eXcessica
Kobo
Lulu
Mobipocket
Smashwords - to get 50% off use code words: Annie [MK54K] Jackie's [ZA77P]LOVE [EE85K]
Sony

Celia Yeary - Historical Western, Contemporary Cowboy, Women's Lit
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Diesel
Smashwords
Sony

Cheryl Pierson - Western/Cowboy; Contemporary Suspense/Mystery
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Diesel
Sony
Smashwords

Courtney Breazile - Romance; Erotica (contemporary, paranormal, historical)
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Diesel
Kobo
Mobipocket
Smashwords

Jane Beckenham - Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Diesel
Mobipocket
Sony

Jane Richardson - Contemporary Romance
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Deisel
Sony

Judah Raine - Contemporary Suspense/Mystery; Contemporary Romantic Literature; Mainstream
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Mobipocket

Linda Banche - Regency romance with comedy, fantasy and/or paranormal. Note: not all books are available at all venues. All are available at Wild Rose Press.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Digibooks Café (20% off, use code e3d9d10a3c)
The Wild Rose Press

Lindsay Townsend - Historical romance, erotic historical romance, romantic suspense
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Diesel
Infibeam
Mobipocket
Sony

Rebecca Vickery - Contemporary Romantic Adventure, Psychic Romantic Mystery and Suspense, Contemporary Sweet Western, and Speculative Fiction
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Diesel
Flipkart
Infibeam
Kobo
Lulu
Smashwords
Sony

Sara Humphreys - Paranormal Shapeshifter
Amazon

Savanna Kougar - Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal Erotic Romance, Shapeshifter Erotic Romance
Amazon
Aspen Mountain Press
Barnes & Noble
Bookstrand
Liquid Silver Books
Mobipocket

Serena Shay - Paranormal Erotic Romance, Shapeshifter Erotic Romance
Amazon
Liquid Silver Books

Stephanie Burkhart - Paranormal Historical Vampires/Werewolves; Children's; Sci-fi/Fantasy
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Sony

Most of us are available at All Romance Ebooks and Fictionwise. They aren't set up to allow us links to our complete book listings.




Happy Holidays!


Happily Ever After Authors

Historical Week - The Tudors

Jonathon Rhys-Meyers as Henry VIII from Showtime's "The Tudors"

By Stephanie Burkhart

Little known facts about the Tudors

Watching Showtime's "The Tudors" series is my sinfully delicious treat for the week. I love seeing the colorful sets and lavish costumes. Heck, I can't believe they wore those things way back when! I mean, how did you get off those puffy dresses?

Jonathon Rhys-Meyers is a real cutie on the show. He plays Tudor king, Henry VIII, who is probably the best known of the Tudor Monarchs.

The Tudors came to the throne in 1485 with Henry VII. In 1603 with the death of Elizabeth I, the Tudors dynasty ended, but they changed England in ways never dreamed of.

I thought I'd share a couple of little known facts about each Tudor Monarch. Henry VII's father was Edmund Tudor. He was in his 20's when he married Margaret Beaufort. She was 13 when she gave birth to Henry. The age difference was acceptable then. Nowadays, it would not be. Henry was known as the 2nd Earl of Richmond.

During the time of Henry's birth, the Wars of the Roses (between Lancaster and York) had just began. In July 1483, Edward V (of York) was a 13 year old boy and mysteriously killed in the tower of London along with his younger brother, Richard of York. Richard III, Edward's uncle came to the throne and was the last York king. Who killed Edward V? For years, Richard III was thought to have killed him for the throne, but history poses that Henry VII also had strong motives to kill the boy. Killing Edward would mean Henry was that much closer to the throne, as he exerted a weak dynastic claim through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who was a granddaughter of Edward III.

Henry VII was the last English monarch to win his crown in battle at the Battle of Bosworth against Richard III in August 1985. Henry married Elizabeth of York who had a stronger dynastic claim to the throne than he did, but because he won the crown in battle, the crown was his in his own right. It was reported that Henry VII loved his wife very much, but he was known to be cold and calculating in his younger years.

Henry VIII succeeded his father when he was 17 years old. He was the Duke of York until he turned 10 and then was made the Prince of Wales upon his brother's death. (Arthur) In 1510, Henry VIII executed two of his father's most unpopular advisors for treason. What a way to start his reign, huh?

Margaret Tudor, From Showtime's "The Tudors"


Margaret Tudor, Henry VII's, eldest daughter married James, the King of the Scots, in the 1st decade of the 1500's. Henry VII was quoted as saying:

"Supposing, which God forbid, that all my male progeny should become extinct and kingdom devolve by law to Margaret's heirs, will England be damaged thereby, or rather benefited?"

Was Henry feeling guilty about what he'd done to the sons of Edward IV? We'll never know. Henry VII loved his daughter very much and treated her with much respect.

Edward VI, Henry VIII's surviving son upon his death, was 9 when made king. A regency council ruled for him. He had poor eyesight. He spoke French and Spanish and wrote a treatise about the Pope being an antichrist. Sounds like a lovely child, doesn't he?

Mary I, Henry's eldest daughter was the first Queen Regnant in over 400 years. She earned the nickname "Bloody Mary" for burning 300 religious dissentients. Mary also had poor eyesight. All though never invested with the title, Henry VIII would refer to her often as the Princess of Wales when she was younger.

Mary's reign was short and her sister, Elizabeth, came to the throne in 1558. As a young teenager, Elizabeth lived with her father's last wife, Katherine Parr and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour made advances toward Elizabeth and she was sent away.

Elizabeth could write English, Latin, and Italian. She was one of the best educated minds of the time. She named James VI (Stewart) of Scotland her heir. He was Margaret Tudor's great grandson.

Remember Henry VII's thoughts about Margaret and her heirs. How ironic his old demons came back to haunt his children. History will never know how Edward V died, but there are several theories that point out Henry VII had everything to gain if Edward V and his brother, Richard of York, were dead. There is a theory that speculates Henry killed the princes in the tower, not Richard III. If you believe in karma, than the end of the Tudor dynasty was karmic indeed.

History has an interesting way of resonating with us, doesn't it?

Source: The Sisters of Henry VIII by Maria Perry, DaCapo Press, ISBN: 0-306-809-89-3, 2000

How to Make Unpalatable Historical Facts Into Romance...

How to Make Unpalatable Historical Facts Into Romance…

by Gem Sivad

Telling the story of men and women of previous eras includes an honest look at the conditions in which they lived. I write historical western romance, and in order to achieve a sense of realism, I do quite a lot of research into the cultural and mechanical deficiencies and imperatives of the day.

For example, to write about a woman in 1880 Texas, I have to move their mentally. If my character is a good cook like Lucy Quince, (Intimate Strangers) I need to know what kind of stove she would have used. Once I learn that, I have to research what kind of food was available, how it was obtained and preserved, and basic preparation facts.

Lucy Quince wakes up with no memory, abandoned for dead. She makes a life for herself cooking in a small restaurant while she waits for someone who knew her to make a claim.

Excerpt ~

Her head and back hurt something awful. She’d been up and on her feet before dawn, baking biscuits and bread for the breakfast crowd.

“Whew-ee, Quincy, it sure is hot in here.” Roberta came through the swinging door, fanning herself with the white lawn handkerchief she always carried. “It’s halfway through morning. Why do you still have that oven going?”

Quincy Smith wrinkled her nose and blew a strand of hair from her eyes. Her brow glistened as the heat from the baking rolls wrapped her in steam and the smell of cinnamon.

“Do we do this for you to practice your social skills or to make money?” Roberta made an impish moue at Quincy’s wry question and rolled her eyes.

Patiently, her partner in the Robin’s Nest Café explained, “The cowboys have a love for sweets. It’s easy to pinch off some of the dough to make cinnamon rolls. It cranks up the heat in the kitchen some, but since it never cools down much anyway, and fixing food for men who will buy it is our business, stop complaining…”
~~~

In the course of writing about the Old West I’ve found some very detailed research sites devoted to information such as: The Food Timeline FAQS: 19th century American foodways. ~ http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpioneer.html ~

Looking at the changing fashions and how they were adapted by Western women has also brought me to some interesting sites, one of which is named, 19th Century Fashions ~ http://www.angelfire.com/ar3/townevictorian/victorianfashion.html ~

Women who traveled to the West brought with them the stiff, restrictive clothing of their Eastern counterparts. But, the impractical nature of the many layers that made for difficult maneuvering, quickly brought about necessary modifications. Such is the case with Naomi Parker, recent arrival to Flat Rock, Texas when she encounters half-Kiowa bounty hunter, Charlie Wolf McCallister (Wolf’s Tender).

Excerpt ~

He’d been waiting for her first challenge and it pleased him to cut away the iron trappings that compressed her flesh as he would cut away the false trappings of her society. He drew his blade and once again pulled her to him.

“What are you going to do, cut my hand again to punish me?” Her words were derisive, not the respectful tone of a squaw. It occurred to Charlie right then that Miss Naomi Parker wasn’t exhibiting the usual white woman’s fear of him.

In one motion, he cut through the fabric of her clothes—the dress, the chemise underneath, and the lacings of the corset that constricted her flesh. He stroked his finger down the pinch mark that marred her flesh, pleased to see pink flesh and rounded breasts spring free. “Don’t wear one of those damned things again.”

Apparently struck dumb, she said nothing when he shoved the cut material wide, pushing it off her shoulders, to the floor, where the corset landed with a loud thunk. She stood before him in nothing but cotton drawers.
~~~

So, telling a story set in 1880 Texas, is a composite of the 19th century West, and includes defining the roles of the residents… the sheriff, the rich ranch owner, and the local saloon riff-raff—but also the society ladies, ranch women, homesteaders wives, and town floosies.

Since my primary objective when I write historical romance is to explore a relationship between lovers, my inquisitive mind has to ask, Did these women really have no influence, no autonomy, no freedom?
I think they had influence and as much freedom in their lives as they chose to demand or command.
Progress in obtaining, indoor plumbing, gas lights, coeducational schools, and the right to vote were the product of female preachers, unsung female political leaders, noted writers, and savvy wives who were partners in western settlements.
The most distressing, but challenging task for me in writing western romance is to make sure that my heroine is not a prisoner of circumstance.
No one wants to read about some poor woman who is stuck with an abusive husband and six kids unless I can help her get rid of him and let her use her wits, seductive skills, and courage to take charge of her individual destiny.
Whatever the setting or genre, when writing romance, the success of the tale rests in the grit of the girl and the mesmerizing strength of the man. But a fascinating detail can make the entire read something to remember and ponder later.
~~~

A Brief Overview of the Women’s Movement in the 19th Century

1791~The Rights of Women (Déclaration des droits de la femme) written by French woman Olympe de Gouges, had a unique perspective. Gouges suggested that females should share equal status with males, an idea which caused immediate consternation.

1792~ Vindication of the Rights of Woman written by Mary Wollstonecraft the next year in Britain was considered feminist literature, but was still published in Boston and Philadelphia the same year it appeared in England. Wollstonecraft argued passionately for a woman’s “God given rights of civil and religious liberty.”

1848~ The Declaration of Sentiments, principally authored by Elizabeth Cady Stanton was written at Seneca Falls, New York at a convention attended by 300 hundred men and women who had come together to discussthe social, civil, and religious conditions of women.

1852~ The Rights of Women were discussed at the Syracuse Convention and suggested that women were linked together by a history of biology that superseded laws and cultural conventions. This outrageous notion prompted the London Times to suggest that the most “volatile segment of society …are women insurrectionists.”

You can learn more about Gem Sivad at Gem’s Place. ~ http://gemsivad.wordpress.com ~

NOTE: There are some mighty handsome, skin-showin’ cowboys over at Gem’s blog if yer in the mood for some lookin’ and apprciatin’.