Friday, April 22, 2011

Welcome to Linda Banche

Our Friday Friend today introduces herself:

Welcome to My World of Historical Hilarity!

I'm Linda Banche, and I write sweet/sensual Regency romances. Most contain humor, some fantasy, and occasionally a little paranormal. But comedy is my love, and I've created my own wacky blend of humor and Regency with stories that can elicit reactions from a gentle smile to a belly laugh.

Like many other romance authors, I read romances for years before I wrote my own. Once I tried, I quickly discovered how difficult writing is. Did I stop? No, I'm persistent--that's French for "too stupid to quit".

I live in New England and like aerobics and ducks.

So, laugh along with me on a voyage back to the Regency era. Me and my ducks. Quack.

Heroes and Heroines

Heroes and heroines--they're what romance is all about.  We follow their trials and tribulations with bated breath until the Happily Ever After, when they walk hand-in-hand into the sunset.

But what heroes and heroines are we talking about? There are as many types as there are books. But I know the sort I like, and those are the ones I search for.

For my heroes--I like nice guys. No bad boys for me. My hero is decent, intelligent, and reliable. He works hard at something useful. He builds things and people up, and doesn't tear anything down. He's kind, brave and true.

Lest he sound too much like an overgrown Boy Scout, he can use his fists if necessary, but usually doesn't have to. Why? Because he's so intelligent he can outsmart even the craftiest villain. "Nice guy" does not necessarily translate as "wimp".

I don't usually have pictures of my heroes, but I love this one I use for Richard of Lady of the Stars.


As for my heroine, she's a match for my hero. She's intelligent, independent, and somewhat unconventional. Life may do its best to defeat her, but she survives because of iron determination and sheer hard work. Like my hero, she's also a decent person. She's nice, but not too nice. No doormats or martyrs need apply. Romances require some conflict between the hero and heroine, but she gives as good as she gets and never caves in to unreasonable demands. I also like kick-butt heroines, but since I like historicals, they're a little hard to find.


Again, I don't usually use pictures, but the cover of Lady of the Stars gives a good idea of what the heroine, Caroline, looks like.

And because romance is part fantasy, both my heroes and heroines are gorgeous.

My favorite books are Regencies, but I like them a little different. Most of my heroes and heroines are neither titled nor rich. The men are usually younger sons who must (gasp!) work for a living. The heroines, although women of their time, stretch the boundaries of acceptable female behavior in that repressive era. And I like to laugh, so I write comedy.

I have four Regency novellas, all at The Wild Rose Press (http://www.thewildprosepress.com/). My heroes range from a mathematician in Lady of the Stars, to a baron in Pumpkinnapper (yes, I do have some titled nobility), a businessman in Mistletoe Everywhere and a tutor in my upcoming Gifts Gone Astray. My heroines so far are an astronomer (Lady of the Stars is a time travel), Pumpkinnapper's botanist's assistant, Mistletoe Everywhere's companion, and a teacher in Gifts Gone Astray.

As to what's coming up, the Wild Rose Press will release my latest Regency novella, Gifts Gone Astray, on June 29, 2011. This story features tutor Stephen and teacher Anne.

And there's a gift...

BLURB:
A gift is a wonderful surprise. Or maybe not.
At the Earl of Langley's family gathering, everyone receives a gift, including the servants. Tutor Stephen Fairfax expects a small token, but the present from family member Mrs. Anne Copley, the widow who has caught his eye, is a dream come true.
Until he opens it. What a gift! How did that demure lady acquire such a book? And she wants to "study" the positions in it with him? If he accepts her offer, tempting as it is, he could lose his job.
Anne has no idea why Mr. Fairfax is in such a flutter. Her present is a simple book of illustrations. The subject interests them both, and she would like nothing better than to examine the book--and Mr. Fairfax--more closely.

EXCERPT:

She glanced at the mantel clock. "Oh, look at the time! I must return to the drawing room. So much to do before the family party tonight. But, before I leave..."  She swallowed. "We had some trouble with the gifts today. Yours went missing. I apologize—"

"But I received a gift. Someone left it outside my door."

"Thank the stars." She pressed her hand to her bosom.

Stephen's gaze followed her hand, and his throat dried.

"I worried your present was lost."

She worried about me. Capital! He tore his attention from her breasts and lifted his head. "I have not yet unwrapped it. A book, I take it?"

"Yes. The volume belonged to my husband. He was a scholar, and that book was one of his favorites. Mine, too. We spent many happy hours enjoying it." Another dazzling smile curved her lips. "I selected it with you in mind."

His pulse thumped. I have a chance. "You flatter me with your consideration."

"My pleasure." She flashed another of her heart-stopping smiles. "As much as I long to, I will not ruin the surprise by telling you what the book is." She smoothed her face into a blank stare, but her glorious chocolate eyes twinkled.

So, she wanted to play games. He gave an inward smirk. He would love to play games of a different sort. But he would settle for a guessing game. For now.

Thank you all,
Linda

Find Linda at: http://www.lindabanche.com
http://lindabanche.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/LindaBanche
http://www.twitter.com/LindaBanche

Thanks so much for visiting us today, Linda!

14 comments:

  1. Hi Linda, thanks for stopping by today. I love books that make me laugh and "nice guy" heroes. And I'm intrigued by your use of heroes who aren't usually titled nobility--looking forward to reading your books!

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  2. LINDA--finally...an author who likes her hero to be a good guy. Me, too! I've never quite understood the Alpha personality,and wonder if my guys are too nice. I want them to be. Nice men--daddy, uncles,husband--are the kind I'm familiar with, so....I can write a bad girl easier than I can write a bad boy. I wonder why that is?
    Good luck with Lady of the Stars. It does sound intriguing! And I do like the photo.Celia

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  3. Hi Linda, I like nice guys, also, but with a bit of an edge of some kind. It doesn't need to be an Alpha edge, but something the reader sees that she could try to 'fix' with time, or come to accept.

    Nice suspense in this excerpt. Best of luck with it!

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  4. Hi Linda, I left a comment and it disappeared intod cyberspace so I'll just say this sounds like a delightful book. I like nice guys, too.
    I wish you success with this book.

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  5. Jennifer, thanks for having me here. I think we all like to laugh. At least, I hope so. As for my heroes, I like a man who makes his own way. I don't care for someone who has had the world handed to him on a platter, which is what most titled heroes in romances are. Are all those titles and money part of the fantasy? Maybe, but not my fantasy!

    Thanks, Celia. Hey, I like that picture, too! As for aplhas, I've read too many "heroes" who treat women badly, and I can't understand why any woman would find that man attractive. Nice can be sexy, too.

    Thanks, LK. I agree--I like my heroes nice, but not wimps. I don't mind if my hero beats up the villain. That's what the cur deserves!

    Thanks, Linda S. Another woman after my own heart.

    As for posting, I can't use Firefox (my default browser) to post here. I have to use Internet Explorer. Must be the settings.

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  6. Great post, Linda! Thanks for being here today. I'm going to buy your Lady of the Stars! It sounds like my kind of book. I love Regencies, but fear I could never know enough to write one.

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  7. Hi Linda, and welcome to HWH.

    Intriguing excerpt! I love reading Regency novels, but I'm a stickler for period factors i.e, correct address per rank and status, correct carriages/coaches; correct dress fabrics; correct beverages; and correct street plans for Bath, Cheltenham etc., (Brighton prior known as Brighthelmstone. Too often I see Bath referred to as present day Bath, and in Austen's day the city was much smaller surrounded by villages that are now suburbs of Bath. To get from village to city incurred several miles driving past open fields and estate parklands.

    Research can be fun but also tough, despite technology and the Internet: Google Eart worse than useless except in obtaining visuals of specific buildings/streets known to be as was in certain periods. I find old maps invaluable and always fascinating, in that they change one's whole perception of lie of the land. Old maps, of course, not always easy to obtain. But, many grand old houses have wonderful archived material within libraries. Very often owners of fab estates, and houses under flag of the National Trust, allow access by authors for research purposes. Not always a case of who you know, sometimes a case of stating your need! ;)

    best
    F

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  8. Thank you, Anna. I hope you enjoy LADY.

    Thanks, Francine. I try to make my stories as accurate as possible, but I might not always succeed.

    I love maps, but online maps are tough to read sometimes. Here's a link with a list of historical maps of Bath:

    http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_Pages/ENG_pages/som.htm

    The site also has historical maps of other areas, but can be hard to read.

    I also have a book THE COUNTY MAPS OF OLD ENGLAND by Thomas Mouse, which was first published in 1830. Again, to read some of the maps I need a magnifying glass.

    I know the National Trust has a website. I'll have to take a better look there. I know most estates are more than willing to answer questions, now that everyone has email!

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  9. Hi Linda,

    Do you get carried away on research? I do, and go off at tangents, which often provides for exciting finds. I read pretty much any historical era' but into writing historical period of 1642 - 1760: at present.

    best
    F

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  10. Welcome Linda,

    Sorry I'm so late chiming in today...I've been out and about...

    It's so great to have you at Heroines with Hearts today. It's always nice to 'chat' with a fellow Rose!

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  11. I'm so pleased to see the vote for 'nice guys' and not the alpha males and 'bad boys' that have tended to dominate some romance fiction. It makes me wonder (and hope!) that there's going to be a future swing against that kind of 'hero' as people look for the decent and intelligent man instead of some arrogant jerk.
    Linda, I love what you said about him not having to use his fists because he's intelligent enough to outsmart the villain. That's definitely my kind of guy!

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  12. Hi Francine. Sure, I get carried away. So much great information out there. I have tons of links because I can't bear to lose any of it.

    Hi Debra. Nice to meet you, too. Roses are everywhere!

    Paula, I certainly hope the mood swings. I'm tired of nasty.

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  13. Hi Linda. I like nice guys, but they need to have a bit of steel. My heroes have a core of decency, they are gentle with animals and women, brave, passionate and athletic. But they are often rakes. Women love to get their hands on a bad boy and set about changing him. If you're talking about dukes, earls and viscounts, these men had tremendous power. Everyone kowtowed to them. They are not like the man next door. They do have a code of honour but brought up by nannies and governesses, many had little understanding of loving relationships. Until a heroine comes along to teach them and that's what interests me. I love a bit of humour in a Regency too, I'm a great fan of Georgette Heyer.

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  14. Hi Maggie. I understand what you say about the core of steel--my heroes are like that, too. As for the aristocratic rake, I'm tired of him. And I really wonder about a woman who wants to change him. The only reason I can think of is that power is an aphrodisiac for some women. Another thing I can't understand.

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