Gail Carriger

I'm guest blogging today for Orbit.

A Very Alexia Christmas

Miss Tarabotti, as some of you may well know, is rather fond of comestibles. Thusly, the holiday season is one of great joy to her, from a food standpoint if nothing else. (The shopping, it must be admitted, she could very much do without. Her sisters are overly enthusiastic on the subject.) However, she has some tips for coping with the holidays Victorian-style.

Read more . . .



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Words cannot describe how amazing this dance piece is. I must have watched it about ten times since it appeared on TV last week. Truly, truly remarkable. I haven't been this struck by dance since I saw Lines live.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Seventeen wooden statues discovered in Peru
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Following my personal theme, a short story all about octopdes from Max Gladstone "Octopus Tanks." Thanks to alanajoli for the link.

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Very nice review from Night Owl Romance. "My synopsis doesn’t do this delightful novel justice. How do you summarize a plot that is deceptively simple but in execution is a joy to read."

SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Finished edits, back with betas.

Quote of the Day:
"I'll bet what motivated the British to colonize so much of the world is that they were just looking for a decent meal."
~ Martha Harrison

Due to much recent upheaval in my life, Gentle Reader, I have been in a cleaning frenzy. Moving is imminent come January and I am a Collector of Stuff. Realizing I may have to store most of it, has me running about like the proverbial chicken.

Such a flurry of activity does not simply involve reorganizing bookshelves, pairing down the DVDs, and sorting through my wardrobe. Oh no, certain other things also come under attack. Like my computer, which I have been intending to purge of unnecessary build up for a while. The mending pile, really why keep those clothes if I'm not going to wear them because they need repairs? And other weird tasks, like the photos from high school and college I keep meaning to scan, digitalize, and put on CD so I can stop lugging around a bin of photo albums everywhere I go.

But the computer purging is by far the hardest. My life is on my little PowerBook G4. Really, my whole life. Trashing double programs, movie files, users guides, and strange other things is emotionally trying. And, of course, I make mistakes. Recently, I opened up Word to find I no longer had a spell checker. And if you know me, you know this is a crisis of epic proportions. However, two days and a whole lot of MP3 files later (bye bye music) I have ¼ of my memory freed up. I'm feeling both abject fear and imminent liberation, which seams to be a kind of life mantra right now.

Next up, pictures. Wish me luck.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
My new favorite stationary store, Paper Relics

Your Tisane of Smart:
Ancient pond remains found in Japan
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Grammar Girl goes to town

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Mela Lyn says: "As my sister said, this is one of those books you keep nearby so you can read it over and over and over again."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Back from editor with edits to do.

Quote of the Day:
"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
~ Andy Rooney

I was going to engage in this discussion over email but thought I would break netiquette to talk about it here instead, because it might interest some of my Gentle Readers.

Is there a published set of rules by which males in the Victorian era were expected to approach and express interest in females?

Not that I can pull out of a hat at short notice, although some of my readers out there may know differently (see comment on books on manners from a reader below). There might be something in the What Charles Dickens Ate and Jane Austen Knew book, but I have packed it away for the move so I can't check. I would urge caution not to rely on characters from Austen as, in her very subtle way, she is breaking the rules of courtship, not obeying them. Dickens, of course is more interested in the lower echelons of society, and he too is writing human-interest stories that involve, by their very nature, tampering with social convention. You might look later in time, oddly Wooster in P.G. Wodehouse's 1920s set books, behaves (around women) in a rather Victorian manner. It's part of the way Wodehouse is driving conflict.

Is there a published set of rules for the converse direction?

Again, I don't know, but a good general rule is that (as with sex) a lady always starts the conversation and a gentleman always finishes it, and in the middle the gentleman should act more than he talks. He is responsible for fetching things the lady needs (e.g. tea, punch, fan, dance card) and asking questions that a lady might like to answer, nothing too personal or intrusive (e.g. weather, fashion, dance, food, society).

Were the rules different depending on social class?

Absolutely, completely different. And dependent on ethnicity and location of said middle and lower classes as well, both within and outside of London. In general, the middle class from about 1840 on was far more strict about observance of social rules than the upper class for whom, particularly the gentlemen, many of the rules were reverse relaxed (possibly because they were dabbling with whores). In this respect you see very high-class men using low class slang but in their Eton accent (with other gentlemen), while the middle class try to imitate what they think is high class and taking it too far (nouveau riche). And, of course, if you are blue blooded enough almost any eccentricity could be forgiven in both men and older married/widowed women. A note on the military ~ kept mainly isolated when they returned from, sometimes, decades fighting abroad, they had their own kind of culture and interactions. The officers, bought commissions, did reintegrate somewhat into society but it could be difficult for them. There is a reason military men usually married the daughters of other military men.

Lastly a word on outside influences, and this from my archaeology background. Victorian England did not exist in a bubble. Much as they hated to admit it, London especially was open to influence from across the channel and across the pond ~ dress, society, food, technology, and language. Victorians were cooking with pasta and calling fashion, objects, cuisine, and behavior by French titles. In addition to the middle class trying to break into high society, moneyed (via industry) Americans were traipsing over, particularly in the 1870s & 80s, to Get Culture through education or marriage (i.e. The Buccaneers unfinished last novel of Edith Wharton's). All of these components had their effect on what we, all too often think of as, isolated Victorians.


Source

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Parasol art installation in Houston.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Secrets from a Sunken Egyptian City
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Some very good advice on how writers should respond to rejection

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
In which I am Restless Violet's first steampunk novel. Not sure Soulless ought to rightly be the vanguard of steampunk lit, but what the hay, I'll just go around lulling people into a false sense of absurdity.
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Handed in!

Quote of the Day:
"After all, one knows one's weak points so well, that it's rather bewildering to have the critics overlook them and invent others."
~ Edith Wharton

I'm being interviewed today, Gentle Reader, over on Juiciliciouss Reviews mostly about the writing process.

Meanwhile, I am being a good little writer beast and nosing down into the proofs for Book the Second, before jumping into the edits for Book the Third. Everything is due the same weekend as my book launch party at the World Fantasy Convention. I've said it before and I'll say in again, the publishing industry has a fiber issue: everything is either clogged up or due all at once.

And with that charming metaphor, I leave you with your regularly scheduled programming.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Some very Ivy-esk hats


Your Tisane of Smart:
Frieze dated from 5,000 years ago found in Peru
Your Writerly Tinctures:
The future of publishing?

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
I Read Romance really likes it. "Wow! That’s about the only thing I can say about this book is…well, wow."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Now back with many edits & freaking me out.

Quote of the Day:
"What is wrong with evil weregoats in the third book. They can't be all that baaaaaaad..."
~ Zombie_Joe (twitter)

I'm finding, Gentle Reader, as ARC and interview requests nip into my life, that I have this strange sense of the world shrinking in upon me. Most of the requests are North American in origin, (quite rightly since Soulless is coming out in First American Blah Blah rights). But I've now had several queries from the UK, one from Serbia, and one from Germany. Not that I am complaining, I'm immensely flattered, but these are odd because I've not yet sold rights to any of those countries. I suppose the power of the internet makes this irrelevant. After all, they can simply order from the US Amazon and have it shipped overseas.

This feeling of a tiny Earth is compounded by the fact that while I am in Peru I have been twittering and emailing away as if I were back home at my desk (with minor concessions to intermittent wireless). It's almost like I'm not in the field at all. When I was first excavating (over a decade ago) when a lady was excavating, that was it. The best people back home could expect was a postcard, and said archaeologist usually made it home before the card did.

It's not that I'm lamenting the accessibility. But, as my boss recently said, the difficulty with being win touch with people all the time, is, well that one is in touch with people all the time. Of course she's dealing with a mound of grant proposals. I'm still left marveling at getting an ARC request from Serbia, which I passed on to my house in New York, from and ugly old couch in Peru – all in the space of about ten minutes. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the Victorians would refer to as progress.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Pigeons smuggle cell phones into Brazil prison.
Your Tisane of Smart:
The very Victorian disease of rickets is on the rise again in England, caused by a deficiency of vitamin D (AKA sunlight) in the mother of a child. It thrived in the Victorian slums but hasn't been seen with any frequency in decades. "Experts say that cultural and genetic factors play a part in the disease. The wearing of the hijab and darker skin both reduce sunlight absorption." I'm shocked, but as an archaeologist I must admit to a morbid fascination at witnessing a Diaspora and a religious moray (the hijab) have such a detrimental result on human skeletal structures. Look students – an object can have long lasting implications. Looks students – humans behaving illogically . . . again.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
All about marketing and publicity directors from my agent and someone else's.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Another review up from the first person to win my book. "With likable characters, a funny story and that little bit of extra this is a good start to a series."
Changeless: Awaiting copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless: Gone off to betas.

Quote of the Day:
"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."
~ Albert Einstein

I am going to confess to a secret passion, so pay attention because I wouldn't tell this to just anybody. (Oh, wait, this LiveJournal thing is public so I guess I would tell this to just anybody.)

I like bad SciFi. I don't mean the type of kitschy appalling SciFi criticized by MST3K, or even old dated SciFi like Lost in Space, or original Dr. Who. No, I mean just plain old bad SciFi. I actually own the movies Wing Commander and (gasp) Starship Troopers. It is my lifelong goal to find a DVD copy of Island City, probably the worst Made-for-TV SciFi movie ever . . . well . . . made. I'm even willing to give such appalling shows as Andromeda (though eventually the painfully inconsistent characterization drove me off), Earth 2, and Space: Above and Beyond a second look.

And if we are going for full confessions I also find bad teen SciFi strangely appealing. I wait in vain for someone to come out with the DVDs of Deepwater Black, I rather enjoyed Zenon (despite the Disney thing) and I even watched The Tribe for a while.



I know they are bad I just CAN'T NOT WATCH. I am ashamed of this addiction, but I can't seem to stop it. And I certainly can't explain it. Somebody help me.

On a completely different note, read this review of Troy. Probably the best review ever written.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Walk on the wild side talking animals.

Your Tisane of Smart:
An excellent little page on some of the great railway disasters of the late 1800's.

Your Writerly Tinctures:
Chart of fantasy cover art

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Soulless, title is sleeping with anther author - again. The slut. This time a non-fiction book.
Changeless: Awaiting copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless Gone off to betas.

Quote of the Day:
"It’s not faith, it’s genetics."
~ Wing Commander

Warning, this post, may, or may not, be considered explicit. Judge for yourself, you poodle-faker!

I don't know what it says about me as an author, Gentle Reader, but as I move along through this series, I seem to find myself in need of more and more swear words. (And, before you ask, no that does not mean Alexia has suddenly taken to canoodling with the blowhards down dockside.) The fun of this is, of course, that the Victorians had such delicious profanity: like pea-brain, lack-wit, and ninny-hammer. (What exactly, one wonders idly, is a ninny-hammer? Perhaps better not to ask.) Or, if you are Miss Alexia Tarabotti, you might get overly enthusiastic and use all three at once: "You pea-brained lack-witted ninny-hammer!"

My research has shown (don't ask) that many of the slightly less common, but still repulsive, short-syllable expletives of the current day were in use during Victorian times as well. (Oh, all right, I'll tell you: court records from the seedier end of town faithfully record the sailor and soldier lingo as hurled at some poor bobby from the dock.) But what is fun, is finding the ones that will past muster in printed matter under the eagle eye of my editor, and, it-goes-without-saying, also not lower the tenor of the book – like poodle-faker. (Yes poodle-faker – a young man too much given to taking tea with ladies.)

The thing is (and there's always a thing) the English language is peculiarly rich with luscious words: like kafuffle, tatterdemalion, curdle, spelunking, frippet, pollock, macerate, waddle, shenanigans, plonker, booby, and kumquat. I wonder often about other linguistic cultures: do they have equally satisfying words? Do they enjoying saying them the way we do? Or is it just us, with our eccentric enthusiasm for alliteration and ruthless penchant for scrumping words from other cultures, who can take satisfaction from the mere word itself? (Speaking of which, whoever could possibly have thought "vacuum" a good idea?) Or am I being linguistically superior and speaking nothing more than preposterous twaddle?

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
1930's fashion that look remarkably similar to certain Oscar dresses of recent times.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Car Talk's green car buying guide.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Sherwood Smith rackets into the Paranormal argument.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Nothing new today.
Changeless: Gone poof. Starting to gather corrections. Release date unknown.
Blameless: Yeah, I know, I didn't write yesterday. There was unavoidable, uh, stuff.

Quote of the Day:
"For your born writer, nothing is so healing as the realization that he has come upon the right word."
~ Catherine Drinker Bowen

I'm off for a writing retreat for the next week, I will be mostly offline but this is a good thing!

Periodically, as you may well know by now, Gentle Reader, I am distracted by my own research. Often, as my characters are in motion, such research has to do with transport and distances. Yesterday's detour into Victoriana involved the relative differences between a hansom cab (AKA a hansom) a kind of fly (or 2 seat 2 wheel conveyance for-hire drawn by 1 horse - think Victorian chariot); versus a hackney carriage (AKA a hack) that could refer to any rental horse-drawn carriage that was not a hansom; versus a hackney coach (a jarvey) which is a hirable vehicle with 4 wheels, 2 horses and 6 seats, driven by a jarvey (to confuse matters the whole coach was also referred to as a jarvey).

A hansom as seen from front & side and an open top hack

So far as I can determine, in Alexia's day (mid 1870s), most cabs around London and Europe would be hansoms, except those used by elegant ladies, for whom a hansom was considered a trifle risqué. Ladies, in general, would not hire public transport at all, but if they had to, it would have been a hack - a proper carriage, enclosed cab (here's a nice little explanation on how to drive one. The highest-end privately owned upper-class conveyances were coaches (usually a landau or Berlin style) with 2 or 4 matched horses. Middle class or more modern families would own a barouche that seated 4 people but was drawn by 1 or 2 horses. If you're getting confused, that's nowhere near what I became. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of carriages, for example the Britzka was the motor-home if its day.

Much could be determined about a gentleman's character from his choice of conveyance. In Northanger Abbey Henry Tilney drives a curricle (a kind of chaise drawn by 2 horses, thus very fast and very light - notoriously accident prone) while John Thorpe drives a gig (chaise drawn by only 1 horse and considered more staid). Mabel Dair in Soulless drives a high-flyer, which is a kind of phaeton. As with Austen, this says a good deal about her personality.
The result of all this toil? You might well ask, Gentle reader. The result is three people crammed into a hansom cab racing along the French Rivera. And for any further detail, I must beg your patience in waiting to read Book the Third.


Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Retroscape Fashion has parasols to suit all your needs.
Your Tisane of Smart:
Pimp My Satellite from the Drabble Cast - you can download it from their Outlet Center just find "Pimp" or read the lyrics here. Here's a sample of the genius:
We be pimpin the Hubble tonight
Put dem 20 inch rims on spinnin round right
Got da chrome on the dubs, got da subs thumpin bass
New spectrograph camera taking pictures of space
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Mark Sarvas discusses kindling.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: "Will appeal to Lovers of Steampunk, Urban Fantasy and Romance. A fast paced novel filled with vampires, werewolves, tea and parasols, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers. The main character, Alexia Tarabotti, is feisty and fun reminding one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at some times and Elizabeth Bennett at others. A clever reworking of the Victorian era."
~ Jessica Strider From my first online review!
Steampunk short: Troublesome beastie is about an adventure of its own.
Changeless: Gone poof. Starting to gather corrections.
Blameless:

Quote of the Day:
"Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation."
~ Elizabeth Drew

Ron Hogan's interview of me wasn't as awkward as I thought. Such a relief, Gentle Reader, as I was quite overwhelmed at the time. It's not the most flattering video, but far less garbled than I remember.

You can catch the primary blog at mediabistro.com. Many thanks to Ron for the interview and support.

So, how do vampires affect Victorian fashion?

• Pale skin is in vogue and undead pallor much admired
• Cravats are universal, because they cover over neck marks in drones (who tend to be male)
• The clean shaven face is trendy in London - vampires, after all, can't grow beards (in France, on the other hand, where the supernatural is actively hunted - men are prone to wearing large moustaches)
• On the flip side, carved wooden hair sticks and silver cravat pins show a marked increase in popularity amongst those less enamored of the supernatural set
• As does snuff (werewolves hate snuff, it makes them sneeze) and Earl Grey Tea (Vampires dislike citrus oils). In London, as a result, both snuff and Earl Grey are considered very vulgar. (On a similar note, while Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey was clearly a progressive in favor of supernatural integration, he was known to dislike the vampire contingent due to a long standing association with the military and thus the werewolf packs. This explains why this particular tea was named after him.)
• Of course, gentlemen choose their clubs carefully based on association: Boodles (the country gentry) and Whites (the Corinthian set) still exist, but so do Sangria (catering to vampires), Clarets (for werewolves and their military associates), and, naturally, the Hypocras Club (particularly designed for the scientifically inclined gentleman, whomever his patron may be).

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Rachel Weisz does Retro Green

Your Tisane of Smart:
Creating Your Social Media Plan by Lisa Barone
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Orbit is looking for a summer intern, so if you live in New York and want to learn all about the SF/F publishing industry this is a great place to start. From the stories I've heard their office sounds like a whole lot of crazy fun, too.

CAKE in Space: Finished Draft 2, with agent.
Soulless: Deeply excited to learn Soulless made Reed's informal survey of the 9 top Buzz Books of BEA! The press release came through yesterday.
Steampunk short: Visiting the Orbit manga department...
Changeless: Gone poof. Starting to gather corrections.
Blameless:

Quote of the Day:
"You know, all writers are vampires and they'll look around and they watch you when you're not even thinking they're watching you and they'll slip stuff in."
~ James Gandolfini

The Victorians seem, looking back, rather obsessed with hair. Not in the "I must eliminate every scrap of it from my body" modern way. (Or Ancient Egyptian come to think on it. Did you know they coated themselves with olive oil and shaved the entire body with a flat razor? I'm waiting for some high-end salon to reinvent this method, but I digress.) No, the Victorians went in for an almost perverse "I must collect and keep all hair" approach.
Perhaps this had something to do with coming out of the Regency period, one of the first times in history when a few of the more daring Western women actually cut their hair short for fashion (rather than to wear a wig).

Regardless of the reason why, Victorians became enamored of long hair on women; it could increase a dowry, was a marker of female virtue, and sign of femininity. "There was one among them, the appearance of a lady dressed in black, who was leaning in the embrasure of a window, and she had a light shining upon her golden hair..." ~ DickensThey collected hair in special little jars. These jars are what archaeologists would call a diagnostic artifact. They exist almost exclusively in England, some parts of Europe, and America, and only for a narrow window of time. If you were to encounter one of these little pots, Gentle Reader, it would indicate the Victorian era as surely as an iPod might indicate the present day.As a maid bushed out her lady's hair, she collected the long strands in one of these containers. Once full, the hair was sent away to a hair designer who formed it into a fall, extra stuffing for a bun, or some other useful attachment for an elaborate updo.


But it was Victorian human hair jewelry or mourning jewelry that really marked this era as obsessed. Some people are revolted by the very idea of hair work, but I think the results are quite remarkable.Generally, hair jewelry was made from the hair of a deceased loved one. Often the metal catch or backing would be engraved with the person's name and "In Memorium". But not always. Like giving a lover a lock of hair, sometimes hair jewelry was made as a gift. Queen Victoria reportedly presented Empress Eugene with a bracelet of her own hair. Americans also embraced the concept, particularly during the Civil War, when soldiers (who often had long hair) would leave a lock with loved ones to be made into jewelry when they died.

As with all things, hair jewelry eventually became quite Fashionable, possibly tied to Queen Victoria's impossibly morbid streak (the one that characterized her personality after Albert's death). It died out (pardon the pun) just after she did. At its height of popularity, Godey's offered to make jewelry for interested young ladies.
I'm convinced there is a way to tie hair jewelry into my alternate Victorian London. Perhaps it might be connected to tethering ghosts and exorcism, or preternatural contact abilities. Werewolves are very hairy. Must contemplate further.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
New costume porn movie on the horizon specializing in very large hats. Cheri featuring Michelle Pfeiffer as an aging French courtesan.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Adorable retro print red clutch, or mini computer? Why can't I have both!HP, in an unexpected stroke of brilliance hooked up with Vivienne Tam to produce this adorable little thing for a cool $700. Next, how about mini computers with changeable exteriors to match any outfit?
Your Writerly Tinctures:
I Vant to Suck Your Blood: The Rise – and Rise – of Vampire Fiction

CAKE in Space: Finished Draft 2, with agent.
Soulless: Thanks to Jessica Strider for the lovely complement. "Gail Carriger was promoting her debut steam punk novel, Soulless with tea and cookies. This is a novel you'll be hearing more about. I'm only a quarter way through it but it's already one of the best books I've read this year."
Steampunk short: Looks like it's heading to the Orbit manga department...
Changeless: Gone poof. Starting to gather corrections.
Blameless:

Quote of the Day:
"After a good deal more banging and barking, the door cautiously opened a crack to reveal a mercurial little man in a nightshirt and cap with a half-frightened half-sleepy expression, and a dirty feather duster on four legs bouncing about feverishly. The man had, much to Alexia's surprise, given her recent experience with French men, no moustache. The feather duster, or rather dog, did. Perhaps in Nice moustaches were more common on canines.
~ Excerpt for Book III

This entry taken from East Angel Harbor (link WARNING). Normally, in accordance with netiquette, I would only put in the link with a description of the information available. However, Gentle Reader, the site (which is a commercial venture) has music on every page. Truly shocking! And one of the six great sins of the internet, so I feel justified in presenting the information to you here in full.

What every Victorian lady needs to know:

*Carrying it elevated in left hand.
Desiring acquaintance
*Carrying it elevated in right hand.
You are too willing

*Carrying it closed in left hand.
Meet on the first crossing
*Carrying it closed in right hand by the side.
Follow me
*Carrying it over the right shoulder.
You can speak to me
*Carrying it over the left shoulder.
You are too cruel

*Closing it up.
I wish to speak to you
*Dropping it.
I love you
*End of tips to lips.
Do you love me?
*Folding it up.
Get rid of your company.
*Letting it rest on the right cheek.
Yes
*Letting it rest on the left cheek.
No
*Striking it on the hand.
I am very displeased
*Swinging it to and fro by the handle on the right side.
I am engaged
*Swinging it to and fro by the handle on the left side.
I am married
*Tapping the chin gently.
I am in love with another
*Twisting it in the left hand.
I love another
*Twirling it around.
Be careful; we are watched
*Using it as a fan.
Introduce me to your company
*Biting the tips.
I wish to be rid of you very soon
*With handle to lips.
Kiss me



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Source for hat netting at $2.30-3.85 a yard, Judith M Millenary Supply House. Good quality, nice range of colors and the service was impeccable. I got my order via priority mail in two days, each sample individually wrapped in tissue paper and labeled. Plus, you got to love a company that puts a Monty Python quote on their card. Thanks to chelleann77 for the tip.
Your Tisane of Smart:
Latest Southpark Episode on the economy, Margaritaville, so close to home it was uncomfortable to watch. Or, as it's Southpark, should I say: more uncomfortable than usual?
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Strange Horizons discusses "cons that con" in Patience Wieland's article Let's Stop Conning Ourselves

CAKE in Space: Finished Draft 2.
Soulless: Awaiting ARC distribution.
Steampunk short: I should probably do something with this.
Changeless: Gone poof. Starting to gather corrections.
Blameless:

Quote of the Day:
Maidens, never mind us,
Twirling round and round,
You'll be left behind us,
You'll be safe and sound.
But your friends and neighbors
Have to march away,
Facing shot and sabers
For a bob a day.
If a bullet's billet,
You are doomed to fall,
Take your glass and fill it,
Laugh and drink with all!
Drink and sing a ditty,
Good-bye to the past --
All the more's the pity
If this cup's our last!
From The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein

Gentle Reader, much todo with a stack of 12 reviews due the end of this week and I'm trying to finished Draft 2 of CAKE before May and Book the Third commence. So not been much blogging recently. I am ashamed to neglect you all so.

For research purposes, I highly recommend the BBC's latest production of Dickens's Little Dorrit. Not my favorite of his works, but in grand UK TV fashion they treat the story with loving care and great (12 hour) detail. It's set a little earlier than strictly necessary, mid 1830s, but impeccably well done and brilliantly acted.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
The humans are dead.

Your Tisane of Smart:

from Hallmarks of Felinity
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Somehow I missed this. John Mortimer has died. Rumpole was a real favorite of mine throughout childhood, and I suspect Mortimer has had some undue influence on my writing as a result. RIP

CAKE in Space: Done with the red pen, working Draft 2.
Soulless: Awaiting ARC distribution.
Changeless: Gone poof. Starting to gather corrections.
Steampunk short: Out with Gamma.

Quote of the Day:
"The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense."
~ Tom Clancy

Supper for Today, 1876, in a London Townhouse

• Beef Broth
• Sirloin of Beef and Horseradish
• Mashed Potaoes
• Yorkshire Pudding
• Imperial Rice Cake - with blanched almonds and made using laurel water

I actually had a dream about my book launch party last night, Gentle Reader. In the dream, everything went well. It was sort of like a combination wedding and baby shower, which, if you think about it a not unlikely similarity. Incestuous, but similar.

In other news, I'm now on blogspot: http://gailcarriger.blogspot.com/ if you would rather follow me there than LJ, it will be the same posts.

And, big excitement, a bounce or two about the room may have even occurred (though luckily only the cat witnessed and she's not telling) - I just got my first blurb from Angie Fox of ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER fame. She was very complementary and darling about SOULLESS. Thanks Angie! I was called, a hem, wickedly funny. I blush.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Tea cup hats
Your Tisane of Smart:
Confessions of a Young Lady Laudanum-Drinker 1889
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Ask a Publicist: How Do You Go About Getting Blurbs?"

CAKE in Space: First draft with beta 1.
Soulless: Waiting on galleys, got cover art.
Changeless: Back with Editor
Steampunk short:

Quote of the Day:
"Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards."
~ Robert A. Heinlein

On Victorian Money (from Baedecker's London 1896)

• sovereign or pound (gold) = 20 shillings
• half-sovereign (gold) = 10 shillings
• crown (silver) = 5 shillings
• half-crown (silver) = (2 shillings & a six penny piece)
• double florin (silver - rare) = 4 shillings
• florin (silver) = 2 shillings
• shilling (silver & same size as a sovereign) = 12 pennies
• six penny (silver) = 6 pennies
• three penny (silver) = 3 pennies
• penny (bronze) = 4 farthings
• half penny = 2 farthings
• farthing

In 1896 1 sovereign was approximately 5 American dollars, 25 francs, 20 German marks, or 10 Austrian florins.

The Bank of England issued notes for 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 pounds or more. These acted more like a cashier's check than paper money today. They were generally not used in ordinary life. This means that most people "dealt in coin." The exception was gentlemen and ladies, for whom any direct handling of money was considered common. When shopping they either had a servant with them to handle the coin (including gratuities), or paid on credit (AKA account). The shop would send a bill around to the townhouse at the end of the month, which would then be paid by the house steward, accountant, or personal secretary. A gentleman handling his own money is either no gentleman or engaged in nefarious activities.

Baedeker advises letters of credit (AKA circular notes) drawn on a major bank for travel, to be exchanged for local currency upon arrival. He also advises never carrying a full days worth of coinage about your person.

"In England alone of the more important states of Europe the currency is arranged without reference to the decimal system."
~ Karl Baedeker, 1896

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:

No, not instruments of torture, curling irons from the Victorian era.
Your Tisane of Smart:
Smart or creepy? The Cubicle Doorbell
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Flying out to BEAs in New York this May, v. excited!

Soulless: Waiting on galleys.
Changeless: In to editor.
CAKE in Space: First draft with betas.
Non-Fiction Millstone: Visiting old prof.

Quote of the Day:
"Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping."
~ Bo Derek

Dinner in a London Townhouse, 1876
Julien soup made with carrots, turnips, celery, leek, and spring onion in a tangy-sweet sherry broth
Stewed shoulder of mutton over mushroom cream rice
Sutherland pudding made of almonds boiled in milk pounded into a paste mixed with brandy, cream, and sponge cake crumbs steamed in a crust of dried cherries served with a sauce of arrowroot (the Victorian cornstarch), milk, sugar, and cherry jelly

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
How could I have missed this? Jan 13, 2009. Hundreds of people protesting Heathrow's expansion, sit down for cake and champagne in Edwardian dress. Only in England.
Your Tisane of Smart:
How to make fruit fizzy!
Your Writerly Tinctures:
This weeks SFWA bulletin in full of interesting tips for those of us at exactly this satge of the publishing process, book just about to come out.

LPTC, Part the Second: Second Draft, Beta Edits:
CAKE in Space: First draft with betas.

Quote of the Day:
"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."
~ John Gunther

From the First Draft of Book the Second

• A lady of regal baring
• Pail blue silk walking dress
• 
• Bare it with grace
• Toe headed boy
• 
• he has been so very dower
• "Ewe," he said, disgusted.
• 
• Beyond the pail (Meaning of Beyond the Pale)
• 
• finial irrevocable proof
• 

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
The Victorian Dress Elevator

Your Tisane of Smart:
Marilyn Monroe hormone discovered: linked to hour-glass body, women wanting to trade-up men, and the kind of women "other women don't like"
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Writing a dialect

LPTC, Part the Second: Second Draft, Beta Edits:
CAKE in Space: First draft goes out to betas this Sunday, must remember to print.

Quote of the Day:
"Trying too hard to create that authentic-sounding accent using phonetically spelled aberrations of the English language will, more often than not, simply annoy your reader."
~ Cameron Michaels
I'm depending upon my editor to tell me if this is the case.

Orbit has moved my pub date...UP! Weeee! That never happens. I'm now coming out in October. Don't worry, still planning a book launch party for World Fantasy in San Jose in November.

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
This is so much fun!


Regency Hero Dress Up Doll by *savivi on deviantART
Your Tisane of Smart:
Flexible Monitors
Your Writerly Tinctures:
1001 Ways to Promote Science Fiction Romance, Part I: The Nature of the Beast and Part II: Taming the Niche Market Frontier

LPTC, Part the Second: Second Draft, Beta Edits:
Out with Betas
CAKE in Space: First draft goes out to betas this Sunday, must remember to print.

Quote of the Day:
"The only reason for being a professional writer is that you just can't help it."
~ Leo Rosten

Alexia's Supper for January 7, 1876 London Town House
Vegetable soup of turnip, carrot, onion, potato, and celery flavored with brown sauce
Roast hare stuffed with liver and anchovy stuffing made with bacon fat, herbs, nutmeg, onion, egg, and bread crumbs, served with red current jelly
Mashed potatoes
Lemon dumplings with white wine sauce

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:

Your Tisane of Smart:
Sirens - women in science fiction and fantasy convention...at a spa! How much do I wan to go to this?
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Gail's Top Books Podcasts

• NPR StoryCorps Podcast: 3-5 minute real live stories some sad some funny
• Horn Book Podcast - short non-biased interviews with children's and YA authors
• Tor Book Podcast - some interviews, some convention coverage, some author monologues, all Tor all the time
• The Writer's Almanac - Garrison Keillor on NPR does your daily dose of famous writers
• Book Reviews with Simon Mayo - the British talk about books in ways only they can
• NPR Books Podcast - Excepts from the Book Tour and others
• Dear Bitches Smart Authors Podcast - new, humorous reviews, insider discussion and interviews on the romance end of things

LPTC, Part the Second: First draft:
Out with Betas
CAKE in Space Read Through: Rough draft:

Quote of the Day:
"Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book."
~ Author Unknown

Well, Gentle Reader, this is an odd world where one can get excited over a favicon. But I am. My brilliant web designer has made me a favicon of a teeny tiny parasol for the website. I am beginning to believe parasols are like shoes, one can never have too many.

I wonder sometimes if this is a side effect of the internet: excitement and happiness over little inconsequential things - like LOL dirigibles, or the perfect quote for a blog. Have we sacrificed some degree of happiness in our real lives for this, or is it adding to our general contentment? Which makes me wonder, is happiness somehow finite, to be parceled out in proportionate doses, or is it infinite? Now I'm beginning to sound like some Victorian philosopher, I shall stop.

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Love this cover: it's very appealing and cheerful. Something like would be fun for Soulless. Unlikely to happen, but fun.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Map of Victorian Railways
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Fantastic piece over at Editorial Ass on whether to bring out in hard or soft cover. It doesn't really pertain to us genre writers, and doesn't cover the trade vs. pocket question, but is still very interesting. Just for the record, I actually prefer pocket paperback, and told my editor so. I don't know if that weighed into her decision, but I do believe Soulless is not coming out in hardcover. I don't like hardcover, never have, the jackets always fall off, they are too big for the shelves, and too heavy to carry around easily - terribly untidy over all.
LPTC, Part the Second: First draft:

Quote of the Day:
"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which if you sit down quietly may alight upon you."
~ N. Hawthorne