Evelyn Pryce's Blog

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It’s almost time!

The Thirteenth Earl releases on March 22. A few days after that, we’re throwing the official party at Rickert & Beagle Books in Dormont, PA.

Please join us on March 26 from 2 pm to 4pm for shenanigans, snacks, a dramatic reading of a scene from the book, and personal tarot readings.

Here you can find the Rickert & Beagle listing for the event, and here you can find the Facebook invite. (You’re invited.)

Bookstore address and info are here.

I’ll be signing books and the store will have both A Man Above Reproach and The Thirteenth Earl available to come home with you.

 

 

 

I did not expect that my interests of iPhone games and Regency historicals would ever collide, but we live in an amazing age. Tea for Three Studios’ Regency Love was a most delightful surprise and it is tonally perfect.

It’s an RPG, where you are the Lizzie Bennett-type, headstrong or obedient as you want to be. Your decisions shape your story and your love interest. (I played through to get each outcome, I couldn’t help myself.)

So amiable. Much tolerable.

As you move through the narrative, you get chances to improve your Regency-centric skills, in much the same way a tradition D & D type game would offer. You improve your dancing, reading, riding, etc and it shapes your character’s personality. That’s also effected by the decisions you make, what you choose to say to people, which path you pursue. It’s really too fun.

Did I mention you can sing to the town cat, who you have dubbed Lord Fat Cat?

The game is so well written that it feels like you’re reading a well-thumbed novel, choosing your own adventure in a world very familiar to Romance readers. Regency Love hits all the tropes with buckets of charm and historical details; the dialogue is hugely charming. All of the writing, really, is the best part of this game. It’s a page-turner of interactive media.

I got myself embroiled with the cranky Mr. Curtis, who is as vivid to me as any character I’ve read in a book. The characters in this game are not mere sketches, they’re all fully fleshed out, even the secondary characters.

Oh, Mr. Curtis, do remind me we’re in polite company. Oh, do remind me to compose myself. Oh, yes.

If you’re lucky enough to have some holiday vacation time, this is a great diversion. You can find the game on iTunes and at http://teaforthreestudios.com and another app called Costume Theatre that I haven’t tried yet. (But I’m looking forward to downloading soon.)

Dan and Kate, right after the ceremony

This is a story about magic and love.

There was once a convention, ostensibly about comics, called Morrison Con. That’s where this story really starts.

Love and magic were in the air, in the strangest of all possible places, the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. It was the opposite of Fear and Loathing, a temporary autonomous zone of Joy and Friendship. For three days a bunch of geeks drank together, had intense conversations over screwdrivers in hallways, made art and connections, and had an amazing time. We all made our ways there very differently, but it didn’t really matter how. We knew we were meant to be there. My husband and I were on our belated honeymoon. I sincerely believe that most people who attended would say their life changed weirdly after the experience.

I became a Romance author and won an award, but that’s another story entirely.

All of Kate’s bouquets were made out of the bridesmaids’ favorite books: this one belonged to my dear friend Sam Moon.

Right now we’re talking about Kate Colby and Daniel Gullotta, who I met at Morrison Con, hence all the rhapsodizing about that event. The first time they saw each other in person was that weekend, so I can say I watched them fall in love. And at the end of last month, I was privileged enough to fly to Kansas (in a roundabout manner) and be the celebrant of their wedding. The anniversary of Morrison Con became their anniversary, too.

Since doing cool things is never easy, I took the roundabout way to Kansas. Magic takes effort and sometimes it requires navigating chaos. In my experience, that’s usually the case. There was a fire at an air traffic control tower at O’Hare, the second busiest airport in the entire world, and the airport where I had to get my connecting flight. Getting anywhere the day of the rehearsal dinner suddenly turned into an all-day ordeal–I was on four different planes in one day. I finally arrived in Kansas after midnight, when I was supposed to land at 11 am.

Later the next day, not bedraggled.

 

Bedraggled. Very bedraggled.

And I completely missed rehearsal dinner, therefore I missed rehearsal. To their immense credit, neither Dan nor Kate were freaking out, and very worried for my welfare. They came to the airport armed with soda and a blanket.

The next day, the day of the wedding, is a happy blur. The newlyweds drove off in a swank car and the party dwindled until I found myself nodding off, still clothed, in the spa bathtub in my room. (If you want the full story on that, you’ll have to meet Sam Moon or Chunk Kelly and get them to tell you, but good luck with that.)

It all felt very full-circle and satisfying. Those are moments in life we have to treasure, to hold and examine, to celebrate. Sometimes, magic times, things work out just the way they should.

Married as heck!

Congratulations again, Kate and Dan!

__________________________________

*I am now able to marry people and I’m available for your special day. So, if you want to be married by an eccentric who will cry at the altar, I’m your girl. 

As promised, you’ll know when I know:

The Thirteenth Earl has been acquired by Montlake Romance and will be coming out in 2016!

 

 

Here’s your first preview of what’s in store…

Jonathan Vane is not an eligible bachelor. Any mothers aspiring to gain a title for their daughter do not see him as option, he is too tainted to be a target for fortune hunters. The man is messy, ill-tempered, effectively a hermit, and what’s more–he comes with a reportedly mad father. He has not appeared in society for months, but rumor has it that he will attend the Spencer’s engagement party at their country house.

Cassandra Seton arrives for the same party, with just as much reluctance to be there. Society has rejected her in another way: whispers behind hands. Nine years ago, her fiancé fled for Scotland, leaving her engaged but not married. Miles Markwick will be meeting her at the house party, to finally claim what was promised.

The walls of Spencer House are not just hosting a party, however. When Cassie and Jonathan both hear a mysterious wailing at night, their quest for answers leads them to seances, spirits, and that scariest of all prospects, unexpected love. 

 

I’ve never been much of a gamer, at least not someone who defined as such. I’ve always loved games, but I seem to be very picky about what I give my attention to–it’s a commitment to hours of my life and my main currency is time. I’m careful about how I use it.

In the past, I have been addicted to Professor Layton and Rock Band (at parties), but I find that I’m much more apt to get into something that’s handheld. My iPhone has opened up a whole new era in that vein, hence this new series of posts, “Adventures in Gaming.” I’ll be focusing on mostly phone games.

We kick off with a barnburner. I should qualify that: A Dark Room and its sequel The Ensign are an emotional barnburner. In a tactile sense, they take patience. They require your time and attention and above all, your own imagination. I got to talk to the creator, Amir Rajan, to get some answers to all the questions I had after taking the journey.

~~SPOILER ALERT: IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU PLAY THE GAMES BEFORE READING OUR CONVERSATION~~

EP: What was the most surprising thing about the reception to both games? I have to imagine you’ve been the recipient of more than a few impassioned emails.

AR: Ha! I never expected the game to get *any* reception.      The emails I’ve received are the best part. Especially the ones from kids who want to get into game programming because of ADR.

When the game hit the #1 spot in the App Store, I was in complete shock… just hard to describe all the emotions I went through during the time period.

EP: It takes patience to play these games, but that ended up being part of the point. Has the reaction to that been what you expected?

AR: For me gaming has always been a way to escape, just like someone who wants to get lost in a good book. Like a book, ADR takes a bit of time to set the stage. I’m glad that ADR found those that waited to pass judgement until they got further in.

I have no idea how many people bought ADR played for a little bit and deleted it. Unfortunately, mobile games are seen as shallow forms of entertainment, so I’m sure quite a few were turned off by ADR.

EP: In A Dark Room, if you make it past the repetitiveness of the beginning, you get to a point where you feel like you are “winning.” You’re doing well. You committed and it paid off. Then the people that you believe you’re working with to form a village become marked as “slaves” instead of workers. When I got to this point, I almost stopped playing. I did not want to do that, I didn’t want to continue, I began wracking my brain to think what I did wrong. I felt that moment, in a way I’ve never felt gaming anymore. Have you had a lot of people write you about that? Did people feel manipulated by that, by the immediate turn of expectations?

AR: The slaves transition was by far the most powerful moment in the game. It is definitely an unsettling feeling, especially because it wasn’t a choice the player consciously made. The really weird thing is that we perform immoral acts in other games without having that same reaction. Think about games like Grand Theft Auto, Modern Warfare, or even Super Mario Brothers (where you play the role of a crazed plumber who attacks defenseless mushrooms, birds, and turtles).

The Ensign addressed the slaves moral dilemma. As you make it through the game, you encounter scenes that present morality in a distilled form. It’s up to the player to choose to be good or evil, I hope many found that sometimes the decision isn’t so cut and dry.

EP: Did you expect to reach out to people that don’t normally game? I rarely do, but I burned through both of your games in a week, barely looking up from my phone.

AR: I expected the game would hit a soft spot and evoke nostalgia for those that grew up with text based adventures (from the reviews, it looked like I succeeded in that). What was surprising was that I also connected with middle and high school students! ADR allowed their imagination to run wild and they saw that a game with humble graphics can still be fun.

EP: I was emotionally affected by the game and that’s the first time that’s happened to me. I gasped aloud at plot turns; my stomach dropped at points. All with just text, no graphics. I don’t want to diminish your programming, but the amount of storytelling work that went into it seems staggering to me. Did the balance tip either way in your development focus?

AR: Michael Townsend (the creator of the web based version of ADR), did most of the work with the game play mechanics. I did a lot of play testing to make sure the pacing felt right for a mobile game, but that’s about all I contributed to the game play. The story line and the player’s interaction with the builder was my contribution… it was only 43 lines of text. I guess what *wasn’t* said is what makes ADR so special.

The Ensign (both enhanced gameplay and storyline), was all me. The storyline again is minimal (only 32 lines of text). But those pieces, along with the world in your mind’s eye, is enough.

EP: Trying to get people to give the game a shot seems to have been a long trial, as evidenced by your blog. It took perseverance to get people to give it a chance, because the game is a commitment: it isn’t easy and it takes a lot of time. What was harder: making the game or getting it noticed?

AR: The development of the game was mentally difficult, getting people to play it was emotionally difficult. But at the end of the day, all I can do is gift the game to those I feel would enjoy it, and wait. If they come back to me and tell me they liked it, I tell them to pay it forward. Gifting the game to others is in itself meaningful, just like any other gift. So I just leave it at that.

 

We’ll leave it at that, too. I do hope you give these two a chance, they’re worth the effort. They stay with you and make you think.

Next up in Adventures in Gaming: a special recommendation for Romance fans, Tea for Three Studio’s wonderful Regency Love!

I’m going to try not to get carried away with the topic of this blog hop*, which is “Meet my Character.” I can’t promise anything, though, because characters (and dialogue are the foundation) of my fiction writing.

Thank you to Jo Chumas for inviting me into the circle. Jo’s novel, The Hidden, was the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Winner in Thriller/Suspense. (That’s how I met her and my first vivid memory of her is walking arm-in-arm to the ceremony, lagging behind the crowd, giggling in gorgeous dresses.) In her post, she introduced us to her new character Rana Maddox and it made me excited to read her new novel, The Unforgiven.

The task she already tackled and the one before me today is to introduce you to a character of mine. I’m not sure why it makes me feel so vulnerable. Perhaps talking about a character outside of the story, at least, for the person who created the character seems oddly like talking behind that character’s back. So, I suppose if it’s just us, let’s take a few minutes and gossip about Jonathan Vane, Viscount Thaxton, the hero in my second novel.

{Questions from the blog hop prompt}

What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Jonathan Vane is the current Viscount Thaxton and future Earl Vane. He’s not a historic person in the least, but I always have historical touchstones for characters I’m writing and his were Houdini and Aaron Burr. 

When and where is the story set?

Spencer House, a country house in Bath, where Thaxton’s old friend Earl Spencer is hosting a party, 1884. 

What should we know about him/her?

That’s a pretty big question and I don’t want to give away too much of the plot while answering it. To understand him, however, starts with the way society treats him: as the mysterious outcast. The viscount has removed himself from the public almost completely, though he still occupies his London apartments with his father. It’s said that the old man is mad and his son cannot bear the burden.

What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

His life has been messed up for a good long time now, but he certainly did not want to be at a house party that will last a fortnight. The only reason he decided to attend was his friendship with Percy, who he has known since childhood. Leaving his self-imposed isolation, however, only comes with more complications. 

What is the personal goal of this character?

There are very few things Thaxton wants more than to just be left alone. 

What is the working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The title is The Thirteenth Earl and you’ll be able to read more about it very soon. I’m planning on posting an excerpt in November. 

When can we expect the book to be published?

You’ll know as soon as I do–it’s being read by some pretty wonderful people right now. 

I’m going to make myself stop here, so I don’t go all spoil-ery. Thanks again to Jo for including me in this–it was fun and made me think pretty specifically, which is really helpful during edits on the book.

And now for my nominations! The people whose characters I want to hear about are two people whose work I admire greatly: Eric Sipple and Rysa Walker. Rysa is the author of the CHRONOS files series and I admit I’m a fangirl. Eric is the author of the stellar Broken Magic and one of my favorite people on Twitter. Look for their posts next week!

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*A blog hop is a promotional tool for writers, mainly focused on getting them to post on their blogs by holding them accountable to their friends. -Ed. 

athingforthevillains:

*DYING WHALE NOISES*

Let me tell you a story about this photoset. I was scrolling, idly, then I encountered this photoset. The room got, like, really hot. So, I tried to take a drink of my soda.

And the cap was on.

Goodnight, folks.

(Also, for the record, this is from the Broadway show Venus in Fur.)

thesilenceofthefannibals-blog:

best friend of the year.