Monday, January 31, 2011

Guest Post - Author Cara Elliott



Please welcome the fabulous Cara Elliott, author of "To Tempt A Rake" here today as she answers a question that many of us ponder, especially with Valentine's Day approaching.  Take it away Cara....

Romance today vs. romance in the past. Is romance still alive?

Oh, I think romance is definitely alive today! I know, I know, a lot of people think the idea has lost its allure, but I beg to differ. No matter where you are, just look around and you’ll see couples going through the age-old rites of holding hands or canoodling in a quiet corner. Laughing, flirting, sharing secrets crushes with a best friend—I’ll bet you things haven’t changed all that much over the years.

I write books set in Regency England, so I have lots of Jane Austen-type of scenes, involving glittering balls, fancy dresses, and dashing Mr. Darcys. It’s fun to create a fantasy world, with elegant parties and sumptuous country houses. I love to do research and discover all the little details of everyday life in the early 19th century. But the most important thing I’ve learned from reading diaries and first-person accounts from the era is that even though the clothing and the society was very different from that of today, the emotions, the needs, and the yearnings were just the same.



Love and courtship has always been a fundamental part life throughout the ages. It simply takes on a different spin through the different time periods. Whether we wear silk ballgowns and satin slippers, or skinny jeans and Doc Marten boots, we all want to be swept off our feet and fall madly in love. How that happens is infinitely unique, and infinitely romantic!
The Lady herself - Cara Elliott
(BIO from the Hachette site)
I started creating books at the age of five, or so my mother tells me. And she has the proof — a neatly penciled story, the pages lavishly illustrated with full color crayon drawings of horses and bound with staples — to back up her claim. I have since moved on from Westerns to writing about Regency England, a time and place that has captured my imagination ever since I opened the covers of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

I have a BA and an MFA in Graphic Design from Yale University and now work as the creative director of a lifestyle sporting magazine, a job which lets me combine my love of the printed word with my love of art. I’m very fortunate in that my work allows me to travel to interesting destinations around the world — however, my favorite spot is London, where the funky antique markets and used book stores offer a wealth of inspiration for my stories.
Cara, thank you for taking the time to visit and share this enjoyable post.

To learn more about Cara and her fantastic Circle of Sin series, check out these links:

Be sure to come back later as we will also have a review of her latest book, "To Tempt A Rake" as well as a GIVEAWAY!!

To Sin With A Scoundrel (Circle of Sin)  To Surrender To A Rogue (Circle of Sin Trilogy)  To Tempt A Rake (Circle of Sin)

Visit the other participating blogs for more reviews and fun goodies:

1/31/2011 http://brokenteepee.com Giveaway
1/31/2011 http://www.renees-reads.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway
1/31/2011 http://onebookshy.blogspot.com/ Feature, Review, Giveaway, Guest Post
1/31/2011 mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com Feature, Review, Guest Post
1/31/2011 http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com/ Feature, Giveaway, Guest Post
1/31/2011 http://cuzinlogic.wordpress.com/ Feature, Giveaway
1/31/2011 http://simplystacie.net/ Giveaway
2/1/2011 http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/1/2011 http://bookofsecretsblog.com/ Feature, Giveaway, Guest Post
2/1/2011 http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/1/2011 http://bookswithcoffee.wordpress.com/ Feature, Giveaway
2/4/2011 http://asthepagesturn.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/7/2011 http://www.rexrobotreviews.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/7/2011 http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/7/2011 http://www.saveyspender.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/8/2011 http://www.urbangirlreader.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/8/2011 http://www.becksbookpicks.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/9/2011 booksoulmates.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A
2/9/2011 http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway
2/9/2011 http://novelreaction.com/ Feature, Review, Giveaway, Guest Post
2/10/2011 http://simplyali.blogspot.com/ Giveaway, Q&A
2/10/2011 justjenniferreading.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway
 


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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

20 comments:

  1. I agree...romance is still alive today.

    littleone AT shaw DOT ca

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also think romance is still alive.
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, I think romance is still alive today.

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

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  4. Romance is still very much alive today. I don't thing romance will ever not be popular.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree too! Love and romance is alive and well today! Its true I married my romance hero! Thanks for sharing with us today!

    evjochum[AT]aol[DOT]com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Romance is definitely still alive today. I have seen it first hand and have experienced it. Sure it has decreased a little but, it is not over yet :).

    moonlightgleam(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. Oh yes, romance is definitely still alive today. I've been married for 20 years and am still in love with him...I know romance is still alive.

    miztik

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  8. Yes, I do belive that for some people romance is still alive.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Is romance still alive? I sure hope so! I'm one of the fortunate ones to have found my soulmate and although the passion may have waned a bit, the romance is still there after 30 years!

    BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think romance is still alive today, we just are a little less formal about it.
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes, romance is still alive today.
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Romance is definately alive and well!

    rjofus(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree romance is alive-the statement, Love and courtship has always been a part of life throughout the ages, is so true

    tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

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  14. I've been with my husband for 20 years and our love for one another have not diminished one bit! And now my daughter have also found someone she loves so I believe that romance is still alive today!

    Email: yiliang0124[at]hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Absolutely, romance is alive and well!

    Thanks so much for this series, Cara. I've really enjoyed the first two books and am looking forward to reading this one. (Email in profile.)

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  16. No romance is not still alive except in books. Oh, sometimes few and far betweem you might find a couple who are really romantic to each other. Rare...ybutler@oppcatv.com

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  17. Oh, yes...I do agree...romance is alive today...
    lgm52@hotmail.com

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  18. Its very much alive, but I feel like people take for granted the little things... and that people are becoming very materialistic.

    loveangel132@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think romance is still alive today. It is just expressed in a different way from the past.

    smccar1 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I agree with Cara that romance is definitely still alive. We just celebrated our 53rd anniversary and I think I still feel the same way I did on our wedding day.

    ReplyDelete

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