WHAT'S NEW?

Bride of the Solway: Stories from Scotland

Bride of the Solway is now in the shops in the UK. If you haven’t already done so, you can read more about it on my books page and an extract, too.

In order to research the story, I spent some time in the area, visiting the ruined castles, the amazing gardens, and the towns and villages. The countryside is spectacular. I will admit that I fell in love with Caerlaverock Castle and Sweetheart Abbey, both settings I used in Bride of the Solway. They are incredibly romantic, and the story of Sweetheart Abbey is a story of true love beyond the grave. You can see pictures of both here and decide for yourself whether you agree about them.

The Border country, on both sides, had been a wild place, full of smugglers and reivers. By the time of my story, the raiding parties had stopped, but that doesn’t mean it was totally law-abiding. Smuggling continued into the 19th century. There are also lots of fascinating tales about runaway Gretna marriages and the perils of crossing the Solway. If you’d like to know more, I’ve put some of the stories on my research snippets page.

One of the incidents that happened while I was creating Bride of the Solway was really quite spooky. You might call it coincidence. I’m not so sure. I was trying to trace my hero’s family, and suddenly a great big clue popped out of the history books, right in front of me, as if it had been waiting for me all along. Read about it on my blog entry here.

Joanna Maitland Stories in the Regency Lords & Ladies Collection

For readers in the UK, three of my earlier books have now been reissued in volumes of the Regency Lords & Ladies Collection published by Mills & Boon®. These volumes are widely available for anyone who missed them the first time round. A Poor Relation, originally published in 2001, is in Volume 5. A Penniless Prospect, originally published in 2001, is in Volume 13. And Marrying the Major, originally published in 2002, is in Volume 14.

The covers are gorgeous, as you can see below. Even the National Trust is selling them!

Maybe you’re not sure whether you’ve read these stories or not? Check them out on my books page where you’ll also find links to extracts from all of them.

Regency/Georgian website and blog

For readers who love the Georgian and Regency periods, check out the website of UK-based historical authors at http://regencyuk.webeden.co.uk where you’ll find information on all the latest books. We’ve also set up a joint blog where you can read book extracts and snippets of fascinating information about our periods, as well as information about the writers themselves. Why not take a look? You’ll find it at http://historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com If there are particular things you’re interested in, leave a comment on the blog, or email me.