GUEST AUTHOR JESSIE CLEVER SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON THE REGENCY ERA

Jessie Clever decided to become a writer because the job of Indiana Jones was already filled. Taking her history degree dangerously, Jessie tells the stories of courageous heroines, the men who dared to love them, and the world that tried to defeat them. Learn more about Jessie and her books at her website. 

War and Change: The Turbulence of the Regency Era

I first discovered the Regency era as most dedicated romance novel enthusiasts do: through the tales of Julia Quinn and Amanda Quick and Eloisa James. But while my passion for all things Regency started in the ballroom, it soon moved to the battlefield. I so enjoyed these stories of romance and intrigue that as a student of history, I decided to learn more.

This took me both mentally and physically to the heart of the Regency, and what I discovered was far different than what romance novels led me to believe. I began to study the Regency in college, particularly studying the Napoleonic Wars and more. I went to school in Great Britain where the Napoleonic Wars were a very real part of their history. It wasn’t something merely talked about in history class. It was a living, breathing thing, and what I discovered was the Regency was not about the perfect ball gown. It was about change.

The Regency era was filled with upheaval. Starting as early as the French Revolution, accepted understanding about class, social hierarchy and government by aristocracy and royalty were being questioned. The government feared a revolution much like what they had witnessed in France and the Colonies. Treason lurked around every corner, especially with men like Thomas Paine penning pamphlets with titles such as Rights of Man. More, the idea of a woman’s role in the home was being re-examined as advancements in technology created the idea of leisure time. Even the development of the novel was eyed suspiciously as women began to read them and gain “ideas.”

The Regency era was volatile. Such social and political upheaval precluded any sense of peace, and in such an atmosphere, an author finds enticing potential. So many stories can erupt from such change and development, and they do! Out of this research came the Spy Series, a Regency romantic suspense series that grapples some of the major themes that developed in the Regency, including revolution and treason and changing roles.  

I felt betrayed by the romance novels I had read in my formative years. The ones that told me the Regency was about debutantes and lemonade. (There was so much lemonade!) And as an author, I endeavor to set the story straight. To tell stories which reflect the turmoil of the Regency. The thirst for peace. The struggle to find the new normal. This is what the Regency era is about, and it is why I invite my readers to discover more about such a turbulent period of history.

To Save a Viscount

When an assassin threatens England's spy network, Lady Margaret Folton must find the killer before it's too late. Hardened from being forced to witness the murder of her British spy parents by French revolutionists, Margaret approaches this mission like any other, with steely determination and a resolute focus on the necessary outcome at the cost of all else.

Commodore John Lynwood, newly returned from the Mediterranean, finds himself granted the title of viscount in honor of his service during the war. Plagued with a string of good luck throughout his life, the title serves as another reminder that Jack has done nothing to earn the glory and prestige that comes with his position, and he’ll be damned if he’ll enjoy such an honor.

But when Jack is accidentally granted a title meant to be used as bait to lure the assassin into the War Office's trap, Margaret must face the tragedy of her past and decide which is more important: the assignment or love?

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#TRAVEL TO PORTLAND, #MAINE WITH GUEST AUTHOR JESSIE CLEVER

In the second grade, Jessie Clever began a story about a duck and a lost ring. Two harrowing pages of wide ruled notebook paper later, the ring was found. And Jessie has been writing ever since. Armed with the firm belief that women in the Regency era could be truly awesome heroines, Jessie began telling their stories in her Spy Series, a thrilling ride in historical espionage that showcases human faults and triumphs and most importantly, love. Learn more about Jessie and her books at her website.  

What Happens in Portland, Maine…

When She Knows came about as I said a rocky goodbye to my 20s, and dove head first into the new responsibilities and headaches of my 30s. I found myself looking back on those carefree days of my 20s with longing only to adjust my view to the present, and wish for nothing to change.

But it got me thinking. And thinking often leads to a book—in this case, my first contemporary romance.

The story of Shannon Wynter, a twenty-something year old grappling with the pressures of work, family, and a love life (if you could even call it that!) could not have been told without the proper backdrop. That backdrop was the very city in which I played out my own crazy 20 something-year-old days: Portland, Maine.

Portland is the last cluster of civilization before Interstate 95 disappears up into the great unknown that is most of the state of Maine. People often say that once you’re past Portland, you’re in the wilderness. I was fortunate enough to go to school in Portland and land my first job there, leading to four incredible years in an incredible city.

Portland is not a big city, but it’s big enough to have all the sights and attractions you expect from a city: Theater, restaurants, and a hopping music scene, beautiful sights and historical districts. But while any city can boast a long list of tourist traps, Portland carries with it something else—the feeling of a small town in a metropolis.

When you travel into Portland, you can escape down to the waterfront and the Old Town. Once you’re there, you’ll forget that you’re in a city at all. You’ll forget the highway zipping by you in all directions and the industrial sector just over the water. It all falls away as the comforting spirit of Old Town surrounds you, wrapping you in its small village feel. With cobblestone streets, intriguing shops, and an array of restaurants, Old Town can almost be called quaint. But as the life oozes from between the old buildings, as it moves in waves through the pedestrian ways, it does not feel like a little village at all.

That is the enigmatic ways of Portland. The city that’s not quite a village, and the village with too much life to be just that. The divide between the two perfectly mirrors the conflict faced by Shannon Wynter in When She Knows, making Portland the perfect location for a little shake-up in an otherwise ordered life.

When She Knows

A Franconia Notch Trilogy, Book One

His latest problem is her newest assignment.

Shannon Wynter has it all figured it. Abandoned by her mother and left to care for her agoraphobic father, Shannon focuses on building her career as a journalist to the detriment of all else including her love life.

Ian Darke has his own problems. Battling past failures, Ian sets his eyes on launching a new factory for his father’s defense firm. But it’s the very father he failed that will do anything to sabotage Ian’s progress.

And when Shannon follows an anonymous tip that leads her to Ian’s factory door, the last thing she expects to discover is what she already knows.

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