Vanessa Riley's Research Blog

Our Regency Reflections authors spend a lot of time writing, but it isn’t all they do. We asked them to share what some of their favorite hobbies are and what they use them for.

Kristy L. Cambron

Not surprising, my main hobbies center around what I have time for in a packed schedule: chasing after our young boys, belting out off-key worship songs in my car before I get to the office, and of course, writing.

Maybe lesser known is our family’s struggle with asthma. Our two older sons have endured hospital admissions and seemingly endless urgent care visits since six months old. Now that they understand what asthma is, we try to get them involved with a community that focuses on well-being. We’ve walked in the American Lung Association Asthma Walks for a number of years and though not exactly a hobby, we are passionate about research to cure childhood lung disease and to live a healthy lifestyle.

Naomi Rawlings

My hobby is hiking. There’s lots of lovely trails around Lake Superior, so we don’t have to go far at all.

Ruth Axtell

My hobby is gardening, both vegetable and flower. I love getting out there and grubbing in the dirt! I always have more vegetables that I, or my family can use, so I’ve been taking extra stuff to church, putting a box out back for anyone to take if they wish after the service. If I’m in town on the day the food pantry is open, then I donate fresh vegetables there. 

Susan Karsten

This question sparked me to realize I have hobbies, interests and passions!

I consider the hobbies to be the tangible skill-based activities.  Using this classification system, sewing and quilting have got to be my top hobby.  I like sewing and have since around age eight. I made my first quilt in my teens, then stopped and started up again in my late twenties.  With my sewing, I am able to mend things for people, and I make and give away baby bibs, often combining re-purposed fabric with new. I also do light alterations for my friends.   I make and give baby quilts to each new baby in my life — at church, in my friend circle, or within my family.  It’s so inspiring to see the excitement on the recipients’ faces.  For some, it’s the only hand-made quilt they’ve ever owned.  My nieces and nephews (and my own kids) have kept their quilts from me on their beds into their teen years.  And that warms my heart and encourages me to persevere.

Laurie Alice Eakes

I knit and crochet. I’m not terribly good at either, and it keeps my hands  busy while I read. I have given some of my better projects as gifts—prayer shawls and baby afghans—and I made an afghan for my husband the first Christmas when we were dating. Usually, I get bored with the project and give it up, so now I’m working on my first complex project, having decided that the reason I get bored is I haven’t challenged my ability enough.

Kristi Ann Hunter

Hobby… hobby… that’s what you do during free time, right? 🙂 My “killing time” hobbies include playing computer and Wii games, reading, and messing around on social media stuff like Pinterest. Television is probably my main unwinding activity since my husband and I watch it together.

I don’t get to spend a lot of time on those things because my passions take up whatever time isn’t dedicated to caring for my family. Building my career as a writer and speaker as well as supporting and volunteering alongside my husband in his youth ministry gets me excited and fills most of my free time. I guess those are as close to a hobby as I have.

What’s your hobby? 

Let us know in the comments!

Originally posted 2013-05-15 10:00:00.

Vanessa here,

To celebrate the release of Madeline’s Protector, we’re running a special contest. Starting today through next Friday, May 3, we’ll feature thought-provoking questions at the end of each post. To enter the contest, you’ll need to supply a thoughtful answer to the question. The grand prize winner at the end of the week will receive a brand new Nook.

But the contest doesn’t stop there. Each day a new post goes up (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) we’ll be giving away mini-prizes for that day only. Here’s a list of the prizes:

Fri, April 26—$10 starbuck’s gift card  – Nancy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mon, April 29–$itune card

Wed, May 1–$10 Amazon Gift certificate

Fri, May 3—A paperback of Madeline’s Protector.

And that’s not all. If you want to be eligible for a second chance to win the Nook tablet, you need to refer someone else to Regency Reflections. (Note: if you bring someone on over, make sure the other person’s comment mentions that you referred them).

If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment to enter the giveaway, or if you want yet a third chance to enter, you can follow this link and enter the contest once on this site: https://contest.io/c/8jhitnpz

Now, on with this post.

In my debut novel, Madeline’s Protector, my heroine, Madeline St. James, has been shot. She’s drenched to the bone, and the hero, Justain Delveaux, Lord Devonshire, has to stop the bleeding, remove the bullet, and keep her from going into shock.

Devonshire is a complex Regency gentleman. He’s a veteran of the Peninsula War and is familiar with patching men up, but a woman?

Luckily, Lord Devonshire is also a reforming rake. His acute knowledge of unmentionables helps him save Miss St. James ‘s life without indecent action. (This is a Christian Regency. 🙂 )

Thus, I researched stays. Stays is the English term for the corset during the Regency. Prior to the 18^th century, corsets were stiff devices made to support and shape a woman’s body. They were made of silk, silk brocade, linen, or even leather. They were boned throughout with whalebones, making the unmentionables stiff and restricting.

Here are some pictures of corsets from the 1760 and early 18^th century.

One of the things that struck me about these corsets were the bright colors of these Pre-Regency pieces. Also, it was not uncommon to find over 150 wale bones inside the corset to sculpt the female shape. Ouch.

These units laced in multiple directions. Picture A laces in the front and the back.  Picture B laces on both sides under the arms. So trying to unhook these models varied from corset to corset. Thus attempting to loosen one of these to aid a stricken woman’s breathing could be useless or fraught with disaster. We’d hope a gentleman wouldn’t need to grope a woman trying to determine where the laces of the corset were positioned.

Typically, the corset did not sit against the skin. A chemise of cotton chintz or muslin covered the body sitting underneath the corset. This continued to be the norm during the Regency.

Between 1785-1800’s, corsets were typically light in color. Boning is used to stiffen, but metal springs are also used to help shape.  Fabric choices are quilted silk taffeta,

linen, and chintz. Hand darned eyelets routed the laces to keep on the corset. These corsets laced in the front and/or back. (Picture C)

By 1804, a new type of corset was created. These were soft without the all over use of whalebone.  These corsets were constructed from cotton, cotton sateen, cord quilting, and/ or cotton satin. The bust could have a drawstring to help provide shaping. It might also use a busk, a long strip of metal or flat bone to stiffen the corset. The following picture show a long rectangular section between the breasts (Picture D). That is the busk.

These corsets used laces in the back (Picture E) to close the garment. Sometimes these corsets are called Long Corsets.

Therefore, the hero during the Regency more often than naught guessed correctly, if he attempted to loosen the corset by finding laces along the heroine’s back.

A man during the Regency did not have to be a rake or a womanizer to have knowledge of a woman’s undergarments. Having a sister, mother, or a dandy as a brother could provide the needed information. Some dandies wore Apollo or Cumberland Corsets. The male corsets bound the stomach and were constructed with whalebone to stiffen.

One of the more interesting things, I found during my research is that girls also started

in corsets (Picture F) at a young age.  I suppose if you become accustomed to something early in life, it is easier to bear.

Today’s question: If you lived during the Regency and found yourself in a dire circumstance would you:

A. Do everything possible to save yourself, not caring of any possible ramifications.

B. Do everything possible, but you would worry about potential scandals or compromise.

C. Risk everything to a point. Your family name and position could not be threatened.

Please add your comment below. You could be today’s daily post winner. All comments will be entered into our grand prize drawing.  For an extra chance to win click here: https://contest.io/c/8jhitnpz

Originally posted 2013-04-29 10:00:00.

I’m excited to introduce a new Regency novel today. It’s entitled Madeline’s Protector, and it’s the debut novel by Regency Reflections own Vanessa Riley.

To celebrate the release of Madeline’s Protector, we’re running a special contest. Starting today through next Friday, May 3, we’ll feature thought-provoking questions at the end of each post. To enter the contest, you’ll need to supply a thoughtful answer to the question. The grand prize winner at the end of the week will receive a brand new Nook.

But the contest doesn’t stop there. Each day a new post goes up (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) we’ll be giving away mini-prizes for that day only. Here’s a list of the prizes:

Fri, April 26—$10 starbuck’s gift card

Mon, April 29–$itune card

Wed, May 1–$10 Amazon Gift certificate

Fri, May 3—A paperback of Madeline’s Protector.

And that’s not all. If you want to be eligible for a second chance to win the Nook tablet, you need to refer someone else to Regency Reflections. (Note: if you bring someone on over, make sure the other person’s comment mentions that you referred them).

If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment to enter the giveaway, or if you want yet a third chance to enter, you can follow this link and enter the contest once on this site: https://contest.io/c/8jhitnpz

So without further ado, let me tell you a little more about Madeline’s Protector:

If all the young men of England leapt off a cliff, Madeline St. James wouldn’t care. Then she’d have peace. Her nightmares of courtship would end,and she’d cozy up with a Psalm in her aunt’s quiet sculpture garden. Yet, a chance meeting and a bullet wound change everything, and Madeline must trust the Good Shepherd has led her to the altar to marry a dashing stranger, Lord Devonshire. Death and pain are no strangers to Justain Delveaux, Lord Devonshire, and he vows his dutiful bride will be kept safe and in her place. Though this compromised marriage is in-name-only, his wife and her unwavering faith both intrigue and allure him. Perchance when he thwarts his brother’s killer, Justain will tempt the unpredictable Madeline with the comfort of his arms. But can Madeline and the stubborn earl forge a true bond before the next disaster strikes?

I’ve read this book, and it’s filled with witty barbs and intellectual insights between the hero and heroine, as well as a pinch of danger and an insatiable desire for revenge. And I’m not the only person who thinks so, either. Ms. Riley’s work has garnered praise from award winning authors such as Laurie Alice Eakes and Mildred Colvin and June Foster. And Blogcritics is calling Madeline’s Protector a “refreshing change from the norm of this genre.” So if you’re looking for a fast-paced Regency read, you’ll likely enjoy this debut novel.

Today’s giveaway: $10 Starbucks gift Card

Today’s Question: If you were a Regency Mama, which suitor would you pick for your marriageable daughter and why: The son of a family friend, a titled reformed rake, a wealthy gentleman looking for a 2nd wife?

Be sure to come back on Monday for a historical post by debut author Vanessa Riley and a chance to win an itunes gift card!

Originally posted 2013-04-26 10:00:00.