Out of the gate!

Posted on July 21, 2017 by jessrussellromance

Launched

champagne

and ready for Reviews!

Pleeeease!

My thanks to those of you who bought the book.

If you haven’t yet, I would love your support!

We got up the #201 but it has slipped back now. (This stat is for the ebook/Kindle which is where the numbers really count.) I am hoping for a burst of sales, but if I get 50 reviews in the next week or so Amazon will sit up and take notice. So far I have 8 which is a nice start for the first week.

Meanwhile, I am collecting the names of those that have told me they bought the book and I will have a drawing for a handmade prize at the end of the the month, or when I get 50 reviews (whichever comes first!) So if you haven’t shot me an email, messaged me, or tapped me on the shoulder, please let me know so I can add your name.

BUT I promised you another project involving the gown we designed together. Now we get to “junk” it up!

“What!?” you say. “Why spend hours making a lovely frock just to make it hideous?” Well, because we can. :o) All our embellishments can and WILL be removed, but I think it will be fun to keep adding to our dress to make it as outrageous as possible. (You will have to read the book to see how this figures into the plot.)

Here are some examples of what I call “Wedding Cake” dresses~

  

Now comes the inevitable question~How much is TOO MUCH?

Over the next week I am going to sift through my stashes of gewgaws and troll the thrift and discount stores for ruffles, laces and ribbons, Maybe even a few feathers! I will start adding to our dress and you all will tell when enough is enough! (Hopefully you will have gotten to the chapter where Anne is introduced to society and you will be able to picture how our frock should look!)

Check out my Pinterest board to see more inspiration for the book.

Here is an excerpt when poor Anne meets Devlin in all her finery~

 He stood utterly magnificent in his black cut-a-way
tails and pristine white linen. An utter stranger, and
utterly—
Aghast.
Oh, why had she not trusted her instincts? One
look at his face confirmed the horrible, irrefutable truth.
The hours in Madame Bathilde’s and Margaret’s
company had been tedious at the time, but it was
nothing to seeing the frozen surprise on her husband’s
face.
Copious amounts of French floss now tickled her
neck and bosom. And feathers. Her nose twitched.
Please, you must not sneeze. Certainly no Owl this
evening, more like an overblown peacock. If only she
could be an ostrich instead. She would have turned
around to escape back to her rooms, regal be damned,
but for Austin’s firm arm keeping her fixed to his side.

Then later at the ball~

    “Your pardon, Lady Devlin, I hope you will not
think me too forward approaching you without an
introduction, but I am in raptures over your gown.” A
woman with an astonishing amount of facial hair and
dressed entirely in black curtsied. A girl followed in her
wake.
Margaret beamed and stood taller, if that were
possible. “Lady Markham, may I present Lady Devlin,
Marchioness of Devlin. Lady Devlin, Lady Markham.”
Again curtsies were performed. Apparently, the
girl peeping out from behind did not warrant an
introduction.
“What an astonishing gown, Lady Devlin. Is
chartreuse the newest fashion? I had no idea.
Joanna,”—the girl took a small step around her
ladyship’s skirts—“we shall have to take Madame
Broussard, our modiste, to task for keeping us in the
dark. But then, that shade of green is such a difficult
color on most complexions. I vow my dear Joanna
could not hope to pull it off.”
The poor girl looked at her slippers and sniffed. As
plain as the girl was, her gown was stunningly
beautiful, a simple ivory satin with tiny pleats as its
only adornment.
“Now I remember,” her ladyship continued. “I did
see the color of late on Lady Harper’s eldest gel. She
looked an absolute fright. Positively pea green. But, of
course,” she continued, her eyes narrowing as she
raised a quizzing glass and turned to Lady Austin, “the
girl has not much in the way of beauty to begin with.
Such a trial for her dear mama,” she tsked.
“However,”—she smiled at Anne—“you, Lady Devlin,
are very brave.” Her gaze swept over the dress once
again. “Very brave indeed.” And she curtseyed and
trundled off, tittering to her slack-faced daughter.

 

Continue reading →

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A little tease…

Posted on July 15, 2017 by jessrussellromance

Excerpt from Mad for the Marquess~

Very well, she would let her hair down. Really, men could be children at times. She pulled the first pin and slid it into her pocket. By the second, he had stopped dead and stood watching her as if something crucial might be lost if he moved. It finally dawned on her thick brain in the middle of removing the third that she had his entire attention. Of course that knowledge made her fumble the fourth. As she scrambled to pick it up, her hair fell in a rush, the ends brushing the rug.

“I have been aching to see that since I knocked your bonnet off in the great hall the first day you came.”

He was so close, nearly face to face with her. Taking the pin from her shaking fingers, his hands framed her face and then brushed over her head, searching for more pins. When he found them all, he released her hair. It fell heavy and swinging down her back and over her breasts.

Wishing to hide or to savor this moment, she closed her eyes. He smelled of linseed oil and cloves. And something else that was deep and earthy, as if he had just sprung from the ground.

His hand brushed her skirt. She blinked. He dipped into her pocket and then dropped the pins. The bone of his knuckle hovered next to her thigh. Only one thinnish petticoat between them.

She would slip her hand in with his and then lift her mouth—

He jerked the delicious heat away and then yanked her to her feet.

“Stop looking at me that way, for God’s sake. How am I to concentrate on anything?”

Stupid tears pricked at her eyes. So foolish, persisting in the belief that his smallest gesture might be one of seduction. Steeling herself she met his gaze.

His breath came fast, and the hand he had just withdrawn from her clenched white with tension. Not just in anger, but something else as well.

She would find out what the something was. Insolent and stubborn, Mrs. Abbot had called her. Her knees still bore the scars from being made to kneel on sharp stones from morning prayers until tea. Lord Devlin would find out his Owl, as he called her, could be tenacious as a hawk when she truly wanted something.

“Sit down. Quickly.”

She did so. But not quickly.

“Lie back in the chair. Yes… No! Don’t touch your hair. Now drape yourself over the chair’s arms. Yes, exactly, your head back like that. Now, lick your lips and look at me.”

She loved these orders. He exuded power in giving them, but she had learnt a valuable lesson today.

She had a bit of power as well.

Waiting until his full attention was back on her, only then did she lick her lips and arch her back ever so slightly.

“Yes. All right.” His Adams Apple bobbed in his neck. “Now you may resume your story. I think we left off yesterday just when the Troll-Lord was about to remove Cristabelle’s wings. And don’t skimp on the details. You know how I like seeing everything.”

“My stories are no longer free.” His gaze snapped to meet hers. “But I am prepared to trade you for the next installment.” Flirting with disaster she was. Not only her position here at Ballencrieff, but something more dire, her heart. So be it. She would suffer the consequences of both.

His eyes were entirely fixed on her lips. His chain clanked against the bare floor. “A trade?” He flicked his paintbrush against his open palm. “It would appear, Miss Owl, you are learning the ways of the world. Very well, I am open to a fair trade. What would you have of me?”

She sat up straighter, struggling to maintain her new-found power. “A kiss.”

His brush dropped to the floor.

Continue reading →

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Say YES to the Dress #2 The Reveal!

Posted on July 14, 2017 by jessrussellromance

July 14th!

Our gown is finished and

Mad for the Marquess

is now out!

My little book that could is up to #491 in the Historical Victorian category. Will you help it get to #1? Just click

Amazon

to buy

But now lets get to the dress!

I cut out and added the Tulip sleeve,

 then put in the boning, added a zipper (ok, using a zipper is a cheat, but I WILL change it to grommets and laces as soon as I get the time)            and then added a bit of~

Beading!

I found these for $1 on the street and pulled off the lace and dyed them in tea~

and Voila!

   

  

Again, depending on the light, the dress appears gold and then sliver. If you zoom in (by clicking on the picture) you will see the fabric detail which is blueish. Opalescent!

As I mentioned in my past post this dress can be changed by adding to it. Here is a sleeve option~

 

Many thanks to my photographer,

Lori Clifford, who patently fluffed

and generally played lady’s maid~

 

Thank you all for helping me construct this frock. In the next week or so there will be a second phase to this project. When you read the book you will understand the impetus  behind this next dress.

Other places to get my book:

Amazon BN Kobo iTunes

AND, if you shoot me a copy of your purchase receipt, you will be entered to win a handmade gift!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

 

She took the three steps to close the gap between them, this girl-woman with her soulful liquid-brown eyes and quietly elegant bearing. His head throbbed and his nerves ratcheted up until he thought his heart might burst through its cage of bone.

~ from Mad for the Marquess

 

 

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Mad for the Marquess ~ Out tomorrow!

Posted on July 13, 2017 by jessrussellromance

 

Available on ~

Amazon BN Kobo iTunes

 

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Say YES to the Dress #2 “Puttin’ on the Glitz”

Posted on July 7, 2017 by jessrussellromance

One week until Mad for the Marquess is released!

So let’s get to the Glitz!

But first,

The winner of the SLEEVE is:

Tulip

A good choice because it is simple and can easily be added to if so desired. Many of these gowns had lots of “add-ons” ~ a second bodice, long sleeves, a collar. A gown like this was expensive so most women knew how to change it up to be worn on multiple occasions.

Now we consider the embellishments. Victorian gowns were often loaded with gewgaws and trimmings. Also, the pattern of the fabric was often used to accentuate a small waist and belled skirt.

To my mind, the fabric of this gown is the real star. It doesn’t need a lot of glitz. But maybe you all think otherwise? What would you like to see on the sleeve? The bodice? The skirt? Here are some ideas:

This last dress looks like an over done wedding cake! Actually it was part of the inspiration for a chapter in Mad for the Marquess where Anne, my heroine, is introduced to society. (If you’ll remember I alluded to a fairy godmother who is no Oscar de la Renta.)

So, what would you like to see?

Or, please write in as what you might like to see. Perhaps send a picture?

Now I ask for your support.

It is tough being your own marketer, but I am hoping to get enough sales on Amazon to get on the “HOT NEW RELEASES” bar. Would you help me?

Some things you can do to support:

  • BUY the book! Kindle or paperback. (If you don’t have an e-reader, or prefer to read on your iPad or computer, HERE is an app you download.)
  • REVIEW the book. On Amazon, B&N, Goodreads.
  • GIFT the book! A good summer read (and about what a fancy coffee costs!)
  • SHARE to your family and friends who like romance.

FYI:

  • When you are on my book site on Amazon, you will see in PRODUCT DETAILS an Amazon ranking. The Dressmaker’s Duke hung out at number 2-5 for about three months in the Regency category! Would you help me get Mad for the Marquess there as well? Hopefully we can watch it get towards #1 together!
  • When an Amazon employee was asked,“What’s the most helpful thing an author can do to improve conversion of their book page?” This is what she said:
    “By far, the most important thing an author can do is get more customer reviews.”

    So, if you love a good toe-wriggling romance, OR just want to support my book, please click

 

Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iTunes to buy now!

 “You are naïve and not so wise if you think this rather tame outward package reflects what lies within,” he whispered. But he was lying. For other than his wildly beating heart he had never felt so peaceful inside.

~from Mad for the Marquess

As always, thank you!

Jess

 

 

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Say YES to the Dress #2 Bodice takes Shape

Posted on July 3, 2017 by jessrussellromance

And the winner of the Bodice shape is:

“V” waistline and “V” neckline!

So on we go. The pattern shows two views, one with a ruched front placket, and one with “Reveres” (which is a sort of lapel). I am going to make an executive decision and try the Reveres version mainly because I think it will accentuate the waistline better than the ruched version. ( OK, I thought better of it and am just doing a plain version. Sometimes less is more.)

The skirt I will simply pleat (for now) the embellishments will come later! Cartridge pleats were used quite a bit in the 1850’s and 60’s. I am doing a somewhat flatter version that is a lot less time consuming.

  

Thank heavens for the sewing machine! Nearly eight yards of fabric to hand pleat was enough without having to hand-sew the pleats in place.

  

I cut out the lining and basted it together and then draped it onto the dress form to adjust the measurements. Then I took apart my lining (after marking it), cut out the taffeta and then basted the lining to each piece of taffeta. (this is not sexy work, but it  saves time in the end.)

Then I sewed the pieces together. And Voila! Definitely the sexy quotient is uped as we begin to see our vision come into fruition.

It is so interesting how light hits this dress. It can look silver and then, in a different light, it appears golden. I love this dichotomy, because my hero, Devlin, is a painter and is very attuned to light. Also, the opalescence of this dress plays into another theme in the book. (but you will have to BUY the book to understand. :o))

I still have some finishing to do to this bodice~boning, neckline and the hem at the waistline, but ostensibly it is done. And also need to add a waistband and hem the skirt. (not so much a “just” when you are hemming 8 yards.) Whew!

Now we move on the the SLEEVES! What do you imagine for this gown?

      

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Two weeks until the release of Mad for the Marquess! Remember to VOTE! I will be posting the results on Friday!

“Right. Why do I paint devils?” He glanced at the spy hole. “The answer is simple, Miss Winton. Any good painter paints what is in his heart.” He felt suddenly exposed, as if he had come into a room without any clothes. He rushed to fill that empty yawning space—to cover himself. “There, not so exciting or illuminating, is it? The truth rarely is.”

“I do not believe that is your truth,” she said without hesitation.

~ from Mad for the Marquess

 

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Say YES to the Dress #2 ~ Under Pinnings and Basic Shape

Posted on June 21, 2017 by jessrussellromance

And the winner is:

Opalescent Taffeta!

The linen was strong early in the voting, but then the taffeta squeaked through. Actually, I am just as happy NOT have to sacrifice these beautifully made curtains to my sewing scissors. They are really too lovely.

So, we proceed with the taffeta.

When watching the Red Carpet the fashionista’s always mention, well, the unmentionables-the “foundation garments.” The corsets, the spanks, the bras, and copious amounts of body tape that make these stars look incredible.

In 1863 skirts were still quite large so a gal would definitely need a crinoline (‘crin’ is the French for horsehair and ‘lin’ the linen thread it was woven with). Rather than buy one (what’s the fun in that) I decided to cobble one together. I bought a petticoat from the thrift store for $6.95 less 25% off. (Roughly $1.80 off) Then I bought $1 laundry hampers and took the springy wire out of them. (Interesting article about crinolines (and the perils of wearing a cage around your waist HERE.)

underpinnings I made a channel in the petticoat and then fed the wire through. And voila! A hooped skirt! Then rather than make a corset (which are really works of art in their own right) I just used the bustier I wore under my wedding dress. (A cheat, admittedly.)

This shape was de rigueur in the 1860’s ~ cinched waist and belled skirt. Achieving the elusive 18 inch waist was not as extreme as in the Edwardian Era, but the skirts were the widest in the period~remember, the wider the skirt, the smaller the waistline appears. (Click HERE is you want to know more about “Tightlacing.” Click HERE about the myth of rib removal. Click HERE is you want to see a rib cage of a corset wearer.)

I bought a pattern from the internet for the basic shape of our gown. It is a German pattern from the time period. I got a giggle out of the instructions describing German ladies as having “a larger body frame.”

dress drawingdress pattern

As you can see this particular pattern has a pointed waistline. But that can easily be changed to one with a natural waistline. Which would you like to see?

AND, while we’re at it, would you like a rounded neckline or a “V” neckline? A square neckline? The high neckline shown in the pattern as well as the sleeves can, and will, all be modified.

We are getting closer! This next week, I will begin sewing and we will  see our dress taking shape. Don’t forget, if you find a wonderful dress, send it to me!  Anne, my heroine, will wear this gown at a pivotal moment in Mad for the Marquess!

Seeing that innocent warmth in her eyes, he had wanted it for his own. He had wanted to steal it from her and push it deep within so it might kill the cold, blank emptiness inside him.

~from Mad for the Marquess

Thanks for taking a peek! And don’t forget to VOTE!

 

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Say”Yes” to the Dress! #2

Posted on June 16, 2017 by jessrussellromance

Forget the cake on Bastille Day!

Instead, pick up a copy of

Mad for the Marquess!

Or better yet, have your cake and read the book too!

Now, for:

 Say “Yes” to the Dress (#2)!

No more hand-stitching! The sewing machine had been invented (click here if you want a bit of history.) Thank goodness because with a skirt taking up to 12 yards of fabric sewing by hand would be tedious enough for me to need much more wine than is good for me.

My heroine in The Dressmaker’s Duke, Olivia Weston, was a dressmaker. Anne Winton, my new heroine in Mad for the Marquess, is the farthest thing from a seamstress. In fact, she can barely manage to repair her stockings. And where Olivia was a bit of a fashionista (as far as her limited income would allow) poor Anne owns two dresses, one more hideous than the other.

“What?!” you say. “I thought this was a romance novel where the heroine is gorgeous and dressed to the nines.” (BTW, click here if you are interested in where the phrase “dressed to the nines originated.) Well, Anne is a charity case (think Jane Eyre, or perhaps Cinderella) and like Cindy she does get to go to the ball, however her Fairy Godmother is no Oscar de la Renta. In fact she has appalling taste.

So, what are we going to build together here on Say “Yes” to the Dress (#2)?

We are going to sew a glorious Victorian gown for Anne to wear to a very important event. (You have to read the book to find out!)

Now, to choose our fabric.

Many thanks to friend Beth who donated some GORGEOUS linen curtains

Then I chose an opalescent taffeta

And finally a sweet lace

What do you want to see Anne wear???

Next week we will explore the shape of the gown.  Pinterest is loaded with options. We are looking for gowns in the 1860’s range. If you find one you love, send it to me! We may try to replicate it in our design.

Don’t forget to vote! 

 

Deep in the most secret place in her heart, she could not squelch the peculiar stirrings within her body. Or the feeling of reciprocity. Lord Devlin had noticed her. There had been a palpable vibration between them that had shocked her. She tried to dismiss the moment a hundred times but, like a vivid reoccurring dream, it would not die.       

(Snip-it from Mad for the Marquess)

 

 

 

 

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My new Book, Mad for the Marquess!

Posted on June 12, 2017 by jessrussellromance

I’m B-a-a-a-a-ck!

I am excited to announce

Mad for the Marquess,

my new historical romance is coming out

JULY 14th!

Meet my Marquess~

madforthemarquess_w11322_300

 

James Drake, Marquess of Devlin, had everything—until he was found covered in blood, standing over a dead girl. Now locked away in a madhouse, Devlin has one short year to recover his memories and prove his sanity, or be condemned for life. But the demons inside Dev’s head are far easier to battle than the evil surrounding him at Ballencrieff Asylum.

Anne Winton hardly expects to find her calling—or love—while working in a lunatic asylum. But despite all warnings, the “Mad Marquess” proves dangerously fascinating to innocent Anne. She vows to save Dev not only from his adversaries, but from himself.

Initially, Anne is only a pawn Dev uses to gain his freedom, until he begins to see her not just as a means to an end, but as a beautifully passionate woman. He must choose: ruin the woman he loves, or languish forever in hell.

Hopefully I’ve piqued your interest!

So, in preparation for for the launch, I need a dress for the occasion (doesn’t every gal?) While The Dressmaker’s Duke was set in 1810, this book is set in 1863, the Victorian era. (Those of you who loved PBS’s “Victoria” will appreciate this next frock.) Only a little over 50 years separate my books, but styles changed enormously. The high-waist, gauzy dresses of the Regency gave way to the cinched waistlines and huge bell-like skirts of the Victorian era. Here is a pictorial Progression of Fashion

Over the next few weeks I (we) will be constructing a glorious gown for my heroine, Anne.

“Say YES to the Dress-part 2.”

So be ready to weigh in on all the components!

Thanks!

Jess

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October Trash to Treasure

Posted on October 31, 2016 by jessrussellromance

img_9739

Here is a photo of this pumpkin in the works~

img_9738

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!

And just as a reminder (in case you haven’t read it) The Dressmaker’s Duke is a mere

99 cents!

fiend-eating-dmd-with-text

Stay tuned for excerpts from, Mad for the Marquess!!

and Another “Say YES to the Dress”!

Posted in Jess Russell, Regency author, romance | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments