Jack Lark: Recruit by Paul Fraser Collard

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: May 14, 2016

Forced to leave London, young recruit Jack Lark is determined to make his way as a Redcoat. Despite the daily tirades of Sergeant Slater, a sadistic monster of a man who sees his new trainees as the scum of the earth, Jack holds on to his belief that the Army will give him a better life. His comrades are a rough and ready bunch, and Jack falls in with Charlie Evans, a cheerful young clerk who quickly comes to regret joining up. But once you've taken the Queen's Shilling, there is no way out: deserters always pay the highest price. As Charlie schemes to escape, Jack, always a loyal friend, is forced into an impossible situation where the wrong move could leave him taking the long walk to the gallows...

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Jack Lark: Recruit is the second of the three novellas that preface Paul Fraser Collard's Jack Lark series. I don't think it necessary to read the books in order as the stories don't build on one another, but chronologically speaking, the events of the narrative take place between Rogue and Redcoat.

Recruit picks up during Jack’s enlistment and while I thoroughly enjoyed being reunited with Collard’s tenacious protagonist, I was struck by the historic details the author worked into this chapter of Jack's life. Our hero has lofty ambitions, but the reality of achieving those goals isn’t as straightforward as he imagined and I liked watching Jack process and adapt to his new position and circumstances.

Charlie Evans shares the spotlight throughout much of the narrative and in many ways his journey parallels Jack’s, but his experience ultimately follows a very different trajectory. In looking back on the story, I can’t say I liked what happened, but I genuinely appreciate Collard for utilizing Charlie to illustrate some of the bleaker truths of soldering for Queen Victoria.

Thematically, I think it safe to say Recruit is darker than Rogue, but I greatly enjoyed the contrast in the material and admire the range Collard exhibited approaching this piece as he did. I’m not sure what to expect from Redcoat at this point, but I can’t wait to see what will happen to Jack in the next installment.

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"It is up to you to live up to the standards set by your forebears, the men who won the victories of which we are all so rightly proud. Men like you may come and go, but the regiment lives on. You must play your part in our history, for the regiment shall endure when you are so much dust."

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Borrowing Death by Cathy Pegau

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: April 17, 2016

Suffragette and journalist Charlotte Brody is bracing herself for her first winter in the frontier town of Cordova in the Alaska Territory. But the chilling murder of a local store owner is what really makes her blood run cold... After three months in Cordova, Charlotte is getting accustomed to frontier life. She is filing articles for the local paper--including a provocative editorial against Prohibition--and enjoying a reunion with her brother Michael, the town doctor and coroner. Michael's services are soon called upon when a fire claims the life of hardware store owner Lyle Fiske. A frontier firebug is suspected of arson, but when Michael determines Fiske was stabbed before his store was set ablaze, the town of Cordova has another murder to solve. Her journalist's curiosity whetted, Charlotte begins to sort through the smoldering ruins of Lyle Fiske's life, only to discover any number of people who might have wanted him dead. As the days grow shorter, Charlotte's investigation turns increasingly complex. She may be distant from the trappings of civilization, but untangling the motives for murder will require plumbing the very depths of Charlotte's investigative acumen...

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Cathy Pegau’s Murder on the Last Frontier blew me away when I read it last year. The author’s tone and the scope of her story left a lasting impression on my imagination so it should come as no surprise that I jumped a mile high with glee when I received a copy of book two of the Charlotte Brody Mystery series. I shamelessly bumped it to the top of my TBR and jumped in with all the enthusiasm of kid let loose in candy store. 

The first few chapters took me right back to Pegau’s earlier work which was perfect as the sequel picked up where its predecessor left off. Cordova hasn’t changed much and Charlotte’s progressive ideals are still ruffling the feathers of the frontier town’s most esteemed conservatives. I reveled in the delightful atmosphere Pegau creates on the very edge of civilization, but that’s as far as my appreciation went. 

I find a lot of merit in Charlotte’s character, but something I liked about book one is how she happened to find herself in the midst of a murder investigation despite her personal desire to disappear and blend in. This go round she’s actively pursuing the perpetrator in blatant defiance of Deputy Marshal James Eddington and the shift didn’t sit well with me and I found myself frequently annoyed that she seemed to believe her ‘almost’ relationship with the deputy entitles her to special treatment and insider information about his work. 

Speaking of Mr. Eddington, I’m not ashamed to say that I lost all respect for the man. Ignoring the fact that Cordova’s primary law enforcer seem to spend most of his time letting Charlotte do his job, I flat out refuse to condone his pursuing a woman under false presence. His reasoning is absolutely shameful, but the fact that Charlotte spends the novel making excuses for her ‘honest’ and ‘forthright’ suitor sent her tumbling from a paradigm of feminine strength to an emotionally weak and intensely insecure mess.

The fact that Charlotte’s personal life eclipsed the mystery didn’t help matters. I was intensely appreciative of the hesitancy and restraint exhibited in book one of the series, but the emphasis placed on their growing affection in Borrowing Death annoyed me. I liked the mystery and the layers Pegau built into it, but I couldn’t help feeling it played second fiddle to Charlotte’s love life. 

I enjoyed many members of the supporting cast and found a lot of merit in Henry, Adam, Bridget, Caroline, and Rebecca. Camille’s storyline seemed awkward to me, I’m still not sure why Pegau included it as it didn’t seem necessary and served only to reiterate experiences established in Murder on the Last Frontier, but what do I know right? 

Borrowing Death has its moments, but I can’t say it lived up to my expectations and I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing the series when Murder on Location is released next year.

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Every time they chatted, there was another exciting lecture Kit had attended, or some rally or march. It sent a pang of homesickness through Charlotte, but at the same time she was happy to have the opportunity to get her life together in the quiet remoteness of Alaska. Well, relatively quiet, if you didn’t count the dead bodies.

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Portrait of a Conspiracy by Donna Russo Morin

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours/Netgalley

Read: May 15, 2016

One murder ignites the powderkeg that threatens to consume the Medici's Florence. Amidst the chaos, five women and one legendary artist weave together a plot that could bring peace, or get them all killed. Seeking to wrest power from the Medici family in 15th Century Florence, members of the Pazzi family drew their blades in a church and slew Giuliano. But Lorenzo de Medici survives, and seeks revenge on everyone involved, plunging the city into a murderous chaos that takes dozens of lives. Bodies are dragged through the streets, and no one is safe. Five women steal away to a church to ply their craft in secret. Viviana, Fiammetta, Isabetta, Natasia, and Mattea are painters, not allowed to be public with their skill, but freed from the restrictions in their lives by their art. When a sixth member of their group, Lapaccia, goes missing, and is rumored to have stolen a much sought after painting as she vanished, the women must venture out into the dangerous streets to find their friend and see her safe. They will have help from one of the most renowned painters of their era the peaceful and kind Leonardo Da Vinci. It is under his tutelage that they will flourish as artists, and with his access that they will infiltrate some of the highest, most secretive places in Florence, unraveling one conspiracy as they build another in its place.

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I’ve eyed Donna Russo Morin’s work for a long time, but Portrait of a Conspiracy is the first of her books that I’ve had opportunity to actually pick up. I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of style and tone, but my track record with Medici fiction is fairly positive so I was relatively optimistic when I sat down and began chapter one. Ten pages later, I was hooked.

The intensity and chaos surrounding the assassination of Giuliano de' Medici had me biting my lip, but Morin’s introduction of Viviana and Fiammetta in the opening scenes was nothing short of stunning. Most authors of my experience take chapters to do what Morin accomplished in just a few pages and I couldn’t stifle my delight over the depth and complexity I recognized in Morin’s leads. My admiration grew as I got to know more of the cast and while I didn’t always appreciate the actions and sentiments of certain individuals, I was utterly admiring of the inherent authenticity of Morin’s characterizations.

I hardly know where to begin in looking at the historic elements of the novel. I admired that Morin didn’t shy from depicting the brutal realities of Florence’s streets, but I was equally entranced by the detail she offered in regard to the artistic techniques of the day. It’s obvious the author put a lot of time into researching the material, but I was particularly impressed with how comprehensive and dynamic Florence felt beneath her pen.

I found Morin’s themes equally captivating and while I loved the idea of woman defying convention to pursue their passions, I found myself absorbed in the more universal concept of ambition, its innate risks, and potential consequences. There is something extraordinarily human in the central motifs of the narrative and I liked how those ideas manifested themselves over the course of the story.

Morin’s elegant command of language and composition left me breathless, but the story itself, with its flawless depiction of power, corruption, defiance, intrigue and retribution makes Portrait of a Conspiracy an absolute must read.

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Interview with Vanda, author of Juliana

Author interviews are one of my favorite things to post which is why I am super excited to welcome author Vanda to Flashlight Commentary to discuss her novel, Juliana.

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Welcome to Flashlight Commentary Vanda. It’s great to have you with us. To start things off, please tell us a bit about Juliana.
Juliana is the first book in what will be a series of books about gay and lesbian history in NYC.  The book that is out now, Volume 1, begins in 1941.  Alice “Al” Huffman comes from the potato fields of Long Island with her beau, her best girlfriend and her girlfriend’s beau to make it on the Broadway stage only to find she has no talent. On the kids’ first day in New York City, they meet Maxwell P. Harlington III, a failed nightclub owner and Broadway producer, who, according to Al, looks a little like Clark Gable. He invites them to a nightclub where Al hears Juliana, the glamorous, perpetually-on-the-brink-of stardom nightclub singer, sing for the first time. Al is instantly drawn to her and seeks her out. Juliana, a sexual risk-taker, easily reels in the mesmerized Al. 
Al is increasingly pulled into a secret gay underworld of men who wear dresses and women who smoke cigars, while her childhood friends continue in their “normal” lives.  Al glides easily between the two worlds until these worlds begin to collide.  

What theme do you hope readers take from your story?
I’m always amazed at what people get from my work; things I never thought of.  I like that.  I like that my work can be approached from many different angles. I really don’t want to tell people what they “should” get from a story of mine.  

However, with JULIANA, there was a specific motivator that got me writing.  One day during a class discussion it became clear that my students did not know anything about gay history or the treacherous journey many gays have had to travel to get where we are today.  For instance, my students did not know a person could be arrested just for going into a gay bar or that wearing clothes deemed appropriate to the opposite gender in public could also lead to arrest. A need to preserve this history and to teach it to others began to grow in me and in time this need became a book.  I had to let my students and others know that gays have a culture and a history that is just as valid as any of the other minority groups’ cultures and historie.  We have had our heroes like other minority groups; our heroes have sacrificed themselves like other minority groups so that our culture could survive. True, there are a great many LGBT writers who have published marvelous nonfiction books, but the average person isn’t going to read a history book.  Many of my students have read my book without it ever being assigned. That is because my book is accessible, while at the same time being historically accurate. My students would be unlikely to pick up a LGBT history text unless I was going to grade them for doing so.  The characters make the experience personal; the reading becomes emotional not just intellectual. So, I suppose, if there is anything I would want my readers to take from the story is that LGBTQ history and culture is fascinating, and that my book is not only for gay people.

As a novelist, what drew you to this particular period?
I think in writing unconscious forces are for more important than any conscious thought the writer might have.  I was drawn to this time period by some unconscious force that really isn’t terribly clear to me; however, I get asked this question all the time and I’ve tried to answer it for myself. The more comprehensive version of my answer is in the Introduction to Juliana, but let me give you the shorter version. I was raised by people who were raised in the 1940s.  I needed to know why these people hated us—me-- so much. Researching the 1940s help me to come up with an kind of answer to that.

What sort of research went into Juliana? What sources did you find most valuable? 
I used every type of resource you could possibly imagine.  I, of course, read the history books written by LGBT authors.  Lillian Faderman’s work is always helpful. I also used internet sources. However, the answers to the type of questions I was asking often couldn’t be found in traditional sources.  I needed to get a feel for NYC in the 1940’s so I read novels and magazine articles written at that time. That’s how I discovered that you only needed one ration stamp to buy two boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  I found that specific detail in a 1943 Lady’s Home Journal. You can’t get that sort of information by only going to the usual research sources.  I found menus from the time period on Ebay, which let me know what people were eating and how much it cost. I watched films from the time period to hear the language and get a sense of 1940s values. For describing Juliana’s clothes I went to 1940s Vogue Magazine.  For Al’s (Alice) clothes I looked in 1940s Sears & Roebuck Catalogues.

You probably have many, but is there a scene you particularly enjoyed writing?
I think that would have to be the scene in which Al has sex with Juliana for the first time.  This is also the first time Al has ever had sex and she experiences an orgasm for the first time. One reason I like this scene is  that Al is so innocent she doesn’t really know what is happening to her. She only feels. That scene also gave me the opportunity to show in what way sex between women is different, beyond the obvious.  There’s a generosity and tenderness to the scene that I like, plus it’s a little funny.

What scene posed the greatest challenge for you as an author? Why was it troublesome and how did you work through it?  
This was a rare book in that it mostly wrote itself.  Once my characters got started I only had to follow their lead and stay out of the way. Not everything I write comes like this, but I don’t recall any chapter or scene in JULIANA that was especially difficult because my characters were in charge. My answer wouldn’t be the same if you asked me about another work, like my finally finished (I think) but as yet unpublished novel, The Violence of Gentle People.

Sometimes fiction takes on a life of its own and forces the author to make sacrifices for the sake of the story. Is there a character or concept you wish you could have spent more time on?
I wish I had done more with the character of Danny, Al’s first boyfriend.  I would’ve liked to have included more of his backstory.

Historical novelists frequently have to adjust facts to make their stories work. Did you have to invent or change anything while writing Juliana and if so, what did you alter? 
I try to stick very close to historical details and watch my characters struggle within that context just as they would in real life. Also not messing with facts builds trust with readers.  This philosophy worked very well for Volume 1, but I’m having some trouble applying it completely to Volume 2.  For instance, I have a hospital that is very important to the story in the latter part of Volume 2.  I am trying to show the kind of “cures” some gays went through in the 1950s .  The problem I’m having is I have not been able to verify that this “cure” was use in a New York City hospital. I have verification for California, Washington DC and other places in the US.  Showing this so-called cure is vital to the story and important to gay history so I may have to do some bending of the facts.

If you could sit down and talk with one of your characters, maybe meet and discuss things over drinks, who would you choose and why? 
That would be my main character Alice (Al). I think she’s a decent sort of person, who’s struggling to honestly figure out who she is. Often conflicting needs get in her way.  I’m learning more about that now in Volume 2 .  Juliana I would like to date, maybe.  I think she would intimidate me.  Although Al is a little intimidated by her in the beginning she learns to manage her, which I admire a great deal. That’s another reason I’d want to sit down and have a drink with Al.  I’d want her to tell me how she finally got a hold on Juliana.  I think she’d say she didn’t have hold on her, that no one had that.

I thought this question was very interesting so I asked the director of the show we do based on JULIANA. Ray, the director, chose Shirl as the character he would most like to have a drink with.  He said he would like to sit down and have a drink with Shirl because she isn’t ashamed of who she is.  She wears a suit and tie and smokes a cigar and doesn’t care what the consequences might be.  He also would want to have a drink with her because she has so many good stories and knows what is happening with everyone in the community.

Just because I’m curious, if you could pick a fantasy cast to play the leads in a screen adaptation of Juliana, who would you hire? 
Actually, like I said before we already do a show based on JULIANA. Every second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm actors have been performing the novel at the Duplex Nightclub to an enthusiastic repeat audience who come to see what going to happen next. We first started doing this back in in December 2014.  We recently were extended to December 2016. We’ll complete Volume 1 on June 9. All of your readers are welcome (No cover/2 drink minimum).  Then, in July we will begin Volume 2(1945-1955).  

I have a wonderful cast playing the parts and I can’t imagine any other actors doing their roles. 

Finally, what's next for you? Do you have a new project in the works? 
As I said previously, JULIANA is a series of novels. Right now I’m working on Juliana (Volume 2:1945-1955).  I’ve also completed another book called, The Violence of Gentle People that I am looking to publish.  This novel takes place in the 1967 and ‘68 in West Virginia and New York City.

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PRAISE FOR JULIANA

"...captures the fear, excitement, and eroticism of a young lesbian's awakening in the 1940s."
- Kirkus Reviews

""Juliana is the opening act in a series of stories that will cover, discover and recover LGBT history..." - Alison Fradkin, Curve Magazine

"From the first page I felt I was walking on the streets of 1940s New York. At times funny, enlightening, sensual, Juliana tells a story that is rarely told." Donna Spector, The Candle of God, The Woman Who Married Herself.

"Spell-binding, entrancing.  A gay underworld with the sights and sounds of a lost New York." -Lisa E. Davis, author of Under the Mink

"Juliana is a love story that will appeal to history buffs and romantics of any persuasion." - G.F. Boyer, fiction editor and founder/editor of Clementine Poetry Journal

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Vanda's novel, Juliana (Vol. 1, 1941-1944) to be released in February by Booktrope Editions is about LGBT life in 1940s New York City. This novel is the first of a series of novels about the same characters living through successive decades of LGBT history.

As a playwright Vanda has received numerous honors, among them an Edward Albee Fellowship. Her play, Vile Affections, published by Original Works was a finalist for a National Lambda Award. Her play, Patient HM, which later became The Forgetting Curve, won the Pride Stage and Screen's Women's Playwriting Award and another play, Why'd Ya Make Me Wear This, Joe, won Celebration Theater's (where Naked Boys Singing originated) Best New LGBT Play. Vile Affections played at the New York International Fringe Festival to sell-out audiences and was published by Original Works in 2008. The Forgetting Curve was produced in Boston in September 2014 and the producer has plans to bring it to New York.

Vanda's non-fiction story, "Jack," was published in Prairie Schooner in Summer 2011 and another non-fiction piece, "Roger: Lost Between Philosophies," which appears Pentimento was selected by New Millennium Writings for Honorable Mention from a submission pool of 1,300. Other short prose pieces have been or will be published in Sinister Wisdom, The Outrider Review and The Grub Street On-Line Journal.

Website ❧  Blog ❧  Twitter ❧  Facebook ❧  Pinterest ❧  LinkedIn ❧  Goodreads

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Cover Clichés: The Hesitant Maiden

Sometimes, while browsing the virtual shelves on Amazon and Goodreads, I see an image that gives me an oddly disconcerting sense of deja vu. I could swear I've never read the book, but I know I've seen the jacket image somewhere before.

This phenomenon is what inspired Cover Clichés. Images are often recycled because cover artists are often forced to work from a limited pool of stock images and copyright free material. That said, I find comparing their finished designs quite interesting.  

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Davenport House is the first book in a family saga that follows the wealthy Davenport family and their servants in 1915 America.

Mary Davenport is a 22-year-old idealist who worries that the world in the Progressive Era is leaving her behind. She lives isolated in the Pennsylvania countryside with her affluent and secretive family. When her father dies suddenly, Mary becomes pained with grief and increasingly suspicious of those around her.

A humble servant girl has the chance of a lifetime to become a lady's companion. Costly dresses, exquisite rooms, and fine dinners are pleasant distractions from what is really happening in the house.

The family saga continues in this sequel to Davenport House, resuming where the first leaves off in the spring of 1915. The family and servants must face their fears amid love and jealousy, grief and moving forward, and threat of imminent War with the World.

The restructure of an upper class family affects all who live on the Pennsylvania estate. 22-year-old Mary Davenport stays occupied with modernizing the house, but insecurities arise when she develops romantic feelings for the first time.

A wealthy socialite persuades one of the ladies to join her on a voyage aboard the exquisite Lusitania. Handsome Ethan is forced to move into the mansion after a fire destroys his home. Tensions rise as Davenport House enters a new chapter with more challenges than anyone is prepared for. 

He’ll do anything to save his daughter, even fall in love.

France, 1668

Hélène de Bonnefoi’s spirit has been squashed by the ever-critical aunt and uncle who raised her. Serving as nanny and stand-in mother to her cousin’s child has saved her from the convent, especially after her cousin’s death. When suspicious accidents threaten the toddler, Hélène overcomes her debilitating near-blindness to seek the help of the child's father, a colonel in Louis XIV’s army.

Jean-Louis, Colonel de Cantière, has spent his life proving his worth, integrity, and honor, first to his family and now in the army. When his daughter’s caretaker appears in his camp during a siege, claiming someone is trying to kill the girl, his loyalties are sorely tested.

Hélène must convince Jean-Louis the threat is real. But the true danger is to the heart of a shy young woman who has always loved her cousin’s husband from afar and to the colonel’s desire to resist complicated emotions.

Street savvy Constance is a prostitute that has survived the Ripper's reign of terror by working her trade in the safety of her room at the Keg and Barrel - but is any girl truly safe in Whitechapel? When the enigmatic Lord Alisdair requests her services at his estate, Constance discovers the occult underworld of London's elite - and finds herself at its center. As Alisdair shares his secrets, Constance becomes his willing altar, offering herself to him and his rituals in body and soul. She's seen Alisdair's power, seen it grow with her at his side, but as the circle's secrets unfold before them, will their connection be enough to get them through London's darkest hour alive? 

Patient Twenty-nine.

A monster roams the halls of Soothing Hills Asylum. Three girls dead. 29 is endowed with the curse…or gift of perception. She hears messages in music, sees lyrics in paintings. And the corn. A lifetime asylum resident, the orchestral corn music is the only constant in her life.

Mason, a new, kind orderly, sees 29 as a woman, not a lunatic. And as his belief in her grows, so does her self- confidence. That perhaps she might escape, might see the outside world.

But the monster has other plans. The missing girls share one common thread...each was twenty-nine's cell mate.

Will she be next?

While working at a wood camp in the Logan canyon during the winter of 1880, Caroline Simpson is forced to thwart the aggressive advances of Mr. Butch Larson, and in the process discovers that her long-time friend James has genuine affection for her. But as stubborn as Caroline is, she minimizes the emotions James has awakened in her, and it takes almost losing him to admit her true feelings. 

Laird Eachann Malleville is chief of the Marches Reivers, the infamous highland raiders. He is a ruthless man on a mission to conquer the highlands. He has his eyes on Elizabeth, the beautiful daughter of the village chief. In an agreement of peace, she is to marry him to save her village.

Elizabeth is heartbroken, especially when she finds out that Eachann has still attacked her village. How is she is to fall in love with a man whose hands are stained with her loved one's blood. Eachann, high on power, thinks of slender Elizabeth as his possession, but she would much rather kill than kiss him.

Their marriage is stained with her hate, and his innate darkness. Just when it seems impossible for love to breed in a lifeless relationship, a change is made. A monumental change that defeats this hate and makes way for everlasting love. 

Destitute and desperate, Catherine Weston accepts the summons from her childhood friend Madeline St. Aubyn to attend her at Cairncroft Abbey, a place of secrets, lies and murder. Madeline's health is in a poor state and she is terrified of her cousin, Gabriel. But Gabriel has quite a different effect on Catherine, stirring longings and desires she believed long buried.

Gabriel St. Aubyn is haunted by the horrors of both his past and his present, horrors he conceals behind a remote, unapproachable facade. He is drawn to Catherine, but is determined to protect her from the tragedies that yet have claws sunk deep in his soul.

Then a young woman is found dead, and Madeline's ravings point to a link between this horrific crime and Gabriel—and Catherine must decide if he is a man worthy of her love or a sinister stranger determined to make her his next victim.

Harold Stonewall, the Duke of Summersat, is a veteran of the Anglo-French wars as well as a loyal subject to his King. Everything he does is in the service of his King, but his service has not been an easy one. Watching friends die, enduring battle and hardship, has made him a man who rarely shows emotion. People all over England nickname him the Duke of Ice.

Elizabeth Hawk, the daughter of a man who has gambled her inheritance away, is more than a little surprised when she receives a letter from the Duke asking her to attend a party at his Castle. She knows Father does not want her to go, but one cannot simply refuse a Duke.

Upon arriving at the party, she is made a fool of by an ex-acquaintance and is about to leave when she runs into the Duke himself. A bond is beginning to develop, but is everything what it seems? Is Elizabeth at risk of further disgracing her family’s name?

Shy, stammering Clara Hamilton is shocked when her father announces her betrothal to a cousin she barely knows. Her uncle’s stepson, Branson Hamilton is handsome, avaricious and rumoured to be unstable. Nineteen-year-old Clara, anxious for her father’s approval, agrees to the union unaware of what is at stake. A sinister family secret surfaces and Clara soon discovers that master of Windemere Hall has a dark revenge in store when she enters into his power.

Betrothed is the first episode in the Windemere Hall Trilogy and launches Catherine Lloyd’s Victorian Villains Gothic Romance Serials. Steamy gothic romance in the tradition of Phyllis A. Whitney and Victoria Holt, they are set in 1867 Victorian England. The novellas will be released in installments like the “penny dreadfuls” of the Age. Each episode ends in a cliff-hanger. These are steamy romances containing scenes, language and themes written for a mature audience.

War, blood, love, and murder.

Lucy Livingston has dreamed of finding someone to complete her life after seeing her cousin Franny find and fall in love with the man of her dreams. She is now at their estate, helping Franny learn the ropes and taking a break from the marriage mart in London. She thinks she is free from the distractions of men. That is until Simon Tucker, an old acquaintance she has had less than pleasant dealings with in the past, comes on the scene.

Simon Tucker arrives at Waltham subdued. Having been injured in the war, he is forced to accept the position of land agent to a friend of his cousin’s, Franny's husband Lawrence Sheridan, and live a normal life after the trials of battle.

Riddled with guilt over leaving his best friend, Marshall Gray, behind after he was injured, Simon is haunted by the memories of blood and violence and what could have happened to Marshall, missing two years now.

An unlucky encounter forces Simon into the most compromising position he has ever been in… found next to a murdered man.

Sweet Regency Romance

When Dominick, Earl of Yardbloom rescues a green eyed beauty from an unhappy fate, he did not expect the speed with which his heart tumbled into love. A rake known for breaking hearts all over London, he was surprised to find his own heart broken when the mysterious girl made her escape, refusing even to tell him who she was.

Determined to unveil the secrets she hid, the Earl gave chase to Moonway Manor, where his best friend James was soon to be married. But would the dangers of Moonway Manor, with it's mysteriously reclusive master, and the enigmatic Mary Montacute, be too much for him?

Caught in a tale of twisted intrigue, unrequited love, and the battle to save her family's manor, Mary has got to confess. Will she be believed though, and will the true villain's identity be finally revealed?

All of Mary Davenport’s short stories are sweet (clean) Regency Romances. 

Helena is bored with the Royal Court. She is betrothed to the King Erland and her life is laid out for her. She has no choice and no excitement in her future.

Enter Prince Ambrose, her fiance's brother. Their attraction is undeniable.

Can Helena hold herself back from making a life-threatening mistake? Or will passion lead her down a treacherous path?

Download these collections now and spice up your kindle with this steamy historical collection! 

Sweet Regency Romance

When Dominick, Earl of Yardbloom rescues a green eyed beauty from an unhappy fate, he did not expect the speed with which his heart tumbled into love. A rake known for breaking hearts all over London, he was surprised to find his own heart broken when the mysterious girl made her escape, refusing even to tell him who she was.

Determined to unveil the secrets she hid, the Earl gave chase to Moonway Manor, where his best friend James was soon to be married. But would the dangers of Moonway Manor, with it's mysteriously reclusive master, and the enigmatic Mary Montacute, be too much for him?

Caught in a tale of twisted intrigue, unrequited love, and the battle to save her family's manor, Mary has got to confess. Will she be believed though, and will the true villain's identity be finally revealed?

All of Mary Davenport’s short stories are sweet (clean) Regency Romances. 

Lord Edward Tremaine comes to the fog-shrouded Chateau Morvan on the coast of Brittany. In this ancient building, all the inhabitants have secrets. The old vicomte demands that his descendents find a lost treasure, but he offers only hints to help the three cousins in their search. The beautiful and charming Delphine seems to be a creature of gaity and sunshine, but every now and then glimpses of something darker appear. Marguerite, the brilliant pianist, is withdrawn in grim silence. Antoine, who considers himself a modern man, ignores the swirling emotions, concentrating only on the money needed for his steel factory.

Lord Edward wants to help his friend Antoine, but can he do so before tragedy strikes?

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Interview with Mary Sharratt, author of The Dark Lady's Mask

Author interviews are one of my favorite things to post which is why I am super excited to welcome author Mary Sharratt to Flashlight Commentary to discuss her novel, The Dark Lady's Mask.

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Welcome to Flashlight Commentary Mary. It’s great to have you with us. To start things off, please tell us a bit about The Dark Lady’s Mask.
Thank you, Erin! It’s a pleasure to be here.

The Dark Lady’s Mask is drawn from the dramatic life of the groundbreaking Renaissance poet, Aemilia Bassano Lanier (also spelled Lanyer)—England’s first professional woman writer.

Aemilia was the highly cultured daughter of an Italian court musician, a man believed to have been a Marrano, or a secret Jew forced to live under the guise of a Christian. Aemilia was one of the most educated women in Tudor and Jacobean England and her 1611 epic poem, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (Hail God, King of the Jews) is nothing less than a vindication of the rights of women couched in religious verse. She may have also been Shakespeare’s mistress—the mysterious, musical Dark Lady of his sonnets.

My intention was to write a novel that married the playful comedy of Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s Shakespeare in Love to the unflinching feminism of Virginia Woolf’s meditations on Shakespeare’s sister in her essay A Room of One’s Own. How many more obstacles would an educated and gifted Renaissance woman poet face compared with her ambitious male counterpart?  

In The Dark Lady’s Mask, I explore what happens when a struggling young Shakespeare meets a struggling young woman poet of equal genius and passion.

Without giving anything away, what can you tell us about Aemilia Bassano Lanier? What kind of woman is she? 
Highly intelligent, beautiful, brave, accomplished, passionate, free spoken, with a strong sense of adventure. She is fiercely loyal to those she loves. She’s a keen horsewoman, and in my novel she’s intrepid enough to crossdress to gain the freedoms only men enjoy. But because of her position as an ambitious woman in Renaissance England, a woman of Jewish roots trapped in an unhappy arranged marriage, she’s forced to wear a mask—a whole series of masks throughout her life—to survive and gain a foothold in an unjust world while keeping her true and best self hidden. Only when she finds her voice as a poet does the mask come off.  

What kind of man do you imagine William to be and what does Aemilia see in him? 
When Aemilia first meets Will in 1593, he’s not yet famous. Just a distractingly handsome and brilliant young poet with faraway hazel eyes, filled with yearning intensity. He’s somewhat ragged and down on his luck, and is on the verge of giving up his literary ambitions in London to work as a schoolmaster in the provinces. But Aemilia strikes a literary bargain with him. These two outsiders agree to secretly write comedies together. 

As a novelist, what drew you to this particular period?
As the world is busy celebrating Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, my question is, “What about the women?” Why is it that so many people—including very smart and literate people—struggle to name a single woman writer before Jane Austen? My research into the hidden histories of Renaissance women led me to Aemilia, a literary pioneer who deserves a much bigger audience. The Dark Lady’s Mask is my humble attempt to redress the balance. I wanted to write Aemilia back into history, give her a voice, and make her life and work accessible. 

What sort of research went into The Dark Lady’s Mask? What sources did find most valuable? 
I traveled to all locations mentioned in The Dark Lady’s Mask, from Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire where Aemilia was educated, to all the Shakespeare sites in Stratford, and to the various places in greater London mentioned in the novel. 

Shakespeare’s Globe in London was a fantastic resource, not just for Shakespeare’s plays but his entire world. Spending a midsummer night watching the Globe’s performance of As You Like It was one of the most transcendent experiences of my life. I was also very inspired by the British Museum’s 2012 exhibition Shakespeare: staging the world, which was absolutely riveting.

I made a pilgrimage to Bassano del Grappa and to Venice to explore Aemilia’s ancestral roots. The Jewish Museum in Venice proved indispensable for my research into her father Battista Bassano’s buried history as a Marrano. 

I am deeply indebted to the scholarship of Susanne Woods, whose books Lanyer: A Renaissance Woman Poet and The Poems of Aemilia Lanyer: Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum were key texts, both for my research into the documented facts of Lanier’s life and in my appreciation of her poetry. I was also hugely inspired by the work of Lanier scholars Barbara K. Lewalski and Lynette McGrath.

You probably have many, but is there a scene you particularly enjoyed writing?
Aemilia, dressed in the guise of a young man, steals away to visit the young Earl of Southampton in his house on a moon-drenched midsummer night’s eve. Will Shakespeare is there, too—a struggling poet desperate for win the Earl’s favor. Aemilia sings and plays the virginals, while Will, both intrigued and bewildered by this accomplished young woman in breeches, seeks to impress the Earl with his epic poem, Venus and Adonis. But the capricious young Earl is more interested in amusing himself by pitting Aemilia and Will against each other. Aemilia and Will are both scalded by his cruelty and find themselves becoming unlikely allies. 

What scene posed the greatest challenge for you as an author? Why was it troublesome and how did you work through it?  
I found it very challenging to write the scenes between Aemilia and her husband, Alfonso Lanier. The primary sources suggest it was not the happiest of marriages—Aemilia went to her astrologer complaining how unhappy she was in the relationship. Alfonso married her for her income which he then proceeded to squander, dragging them both into poverty. But I didn’t want to portray him as a one-dimensional tyrant or brute. It took a lot of finessing to find the right balance. Because he was younger than Aemilia, I decided that his insecurity was the root of the problem and that he secretly loved her deep down, but didn’t know how to properly express it. 

Sometimes fiction takes on a life of its own and forces the author to make sacrifices for the sake of the story. Is there a character or concept you wish you could have spent more time on?
I wish I could have spent a lot longer with Aemilia when she was living in Cookham Manor with her beloved friend and patron, Margaret Clifford, and Margaret’s daughter, Anne, who was Aemilia’s young pupil. Margaret, more than anyone else, gave Aemilia the courage to become a published poet. This sense of female friendship and solidarity they shared, immortalized in Aemilia’s poetry, is so beautiful and inspiring. Margaret was Aemilia’s Muse. 

Historical novelists frequently have to adjust facts to make their stories work. Did you have to invent or change anything while writing The Dark Lady’s Mask and if so, what did you alter? 
I played around a bit with the dates, particularly the date of Aemilia’s first visit to Simon Forman, her astrologer. There’s no historical evidence that Aemilia ever crossdressed, but I have her doing so in my fiction because it was so much fun to style her like Shakespeare’s free-wheeling heroine Rosalind in As You Like It. Most controversially, I have Aemilia and Will collaborating on early versions of his early comedies. While this might upset some bardolators, Stratfordian scholars concede that Shakespeare sometimes worked with collaborators. So why not a beautiful woman collaborator who happened to be his lover? What else was he supposed to be doing during his lost years? 

If you could sit down and talk with one of your characters, maybe meet and discuss things over drinks, who would you choose and why? 
Definitely Aemilia. I spent four years trying to live inside her skin, so there would be no greater joy than to join her on a starlit, midsummer eve and share a flagon of good Veneto wine with her while listening to her regale me with her many tales. 

Just because I’m curious, if you could pick a fantasy cast to play the leads in a screen adaptation of The Dark Lady’s Mask, who would you hire?
For Aemilia I’m torn between British indie actresses Andrea Riseborough and Kaya Scodelario (Kaya gets bonus points for having Italian heritage), or someone with the sensual but smart presence of Eva Green of Penny Dreadful fame. For Will, I could cast an up and coming heart throb like the achingly handsome Christian Cooke. But my personal favorite for Will is actor Gwilym Lee, best known to British audiences from the Midsomer Murders series. Gwilym is tall and lean enough to make me think of a yearning young Shakespeare who’s not famous yet. 

Finally, what's next for you? Do you have a new project in the works? 
My new work-in-progress, Ecstasy: A Novel of Alma Mahler, is about another accomplished, creative woman who was overshadowed by the men in her life. Once an aspiring young composer, Alma Schindler was celebrated as the most beautiful girl in Vienna. The great Gustav Mahler fell in love with her at first sight, but it was Mahler’s demand that Alma give up composing as a condition of their marriage that gave rise to her shocking and radical transformation into a woman who insisted on living life on her own terms, her own woman to the last.

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PRAISE FOR THE DARK LADY'S MASK

“An exquisite portrait of a Renaissance woman pursuing her artistic destiny in England and Italy, who may — or may not — be Shakespeare’s Dark Lady.”

— Margaret George, internationally bestselling author of Elizabeth I 

“The Dark Lady’s Mask is a richly imagined, intensely romantic and meticulously researched homage to lauded poet, Aemilia Bassano Lanyer. . . Sharratt unfolds a captivating tale, a compelling ‘what if ’ scenario, of a secret union that fed the creative fires of England’s greatest poet and playwright.”

— Kathleen Kent, bestselling author of The Heretic’s Daughter

“Perfectly chosen details and masterful characterization bring to life this swiftly moving, elegant story. As atmospheric and compelling as it is wise, The Dark Lady’s Mask is a gem not to be missed.”

— Lynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe and Twain’s End

“Mary Sharratt is a magician. This novel transports the reader to Elizabethan England with a tale of the bard and his love that is nothing short of amazing. Absorbing, emotional, historically fascinating. A work of marvelous ingenuity!”

— M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch of Painted Sorrows 

“I enjoyed this exciting fantasy of Shakespeare’s ‘dark lady.’ There was adventure, betrayal, resilience, and above all, the fun notion that Shakespeare might have had far more than a muse to help him create his wonderful plays.”

—Karleen Koen, bestselling author of Dark Angels and Before Versailles

“The Dark Lady’s Mask beautifully depicts the exhilaration and pitfalls of subterfuge, a gifted woman’s precarious reliance on the desires of powerful men, and the toll paid by unrecognized artistic collaborators. Resonant and moving.”

—Mitchell James Kaplan, author of By Fire, By Water

“Romantic, heart-breaking, and rich in vivid historical detail and teeming Elizabethan life, the novel forms an elegant tapestry of the complexities, joys, and sorrows of being both a female and an artist.”

—Karen Essex, author of Leonardo’s Swans and Dracula in Love

“Mary Sharratt has created an enchanting Elizabethan heroine, a musician, the orphaned daughter of a Jewish Italian refugee who must hide her heritage for her safety. . . Aemilia has wit and daring and poetry inside her that will make her a match for young Will Shakespeare himself.”

—Stephanie Cowell, author of Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet

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Mary Sharratt’s explorations into the hidden histories of Renaissance women compelled her to write her most recent work, THE DARK LADY’S MASK (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2016), based on the dramatic life of the ground-breaking poet, Aemilia Bassano Lanier.

Born in Minnesota, Mary now lives with her Belgian husband in the Pendle region of Lancashire, England, the setting for her acclaimed novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL, which recasts the Pendle Witches of 1612 in their historical context as cunning folk and healers.

Previously she lived for twelve years in Germany. This, along with her interest in sacred music and herbal medicine, inspired her to write her award-winning ILLUMINATIONS: A NOVEL OF HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, which explores the dramatic life of the 12th century Benedictine abbess, composer, polymath, and powerfrau.

Winner of the 2013 Nautilus Gold Award, the 2005 WILLA Literary Award, and a Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Mary has also written the novels SUMMIT AVENUE, THE REAL MINERVA, THE VANISHING POINT, and co-edited the subversive fiction anthology BITCH LIT, which celebrates female anti-heroes–strong women who break all the rules. Her short fiction has been published in Twin Cities Noir and elsewhere.

She is currently at work on ECSTASY: A NOVEL OF ALMA MAHLER, exploring the life of one of the most intriguing women of turn-of-the-century Vienna.

Mary’s articles and essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Publisher’s Weekly, Minnesota Magazine, and Historical Novels Review. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually riding her spirited Welsh mare through the Lancashire countryside.

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