– Valerie Fitzgerald’s Zemindar, also set during 1857;
– Katharine Gordon’s Peacock Quartet, if you can find it used (a sweeping saga set in late nineteenth century India that enthralled me when I was in my teens);
– Barbara Cleverly’s Joe Sandilands mysteries, set in 1920s India, starting with The Last Kashmiri Rose;
I’d completely forgotten that Penguin (the publishing house, not the Batman villain) had filmed me last year at RWA, talking about The Betrayal of the Blood Lily. Here’s that little snippet:
Penelopeep dives into the Krishna River to rescue Freddy’s groom in this scene from The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, recreated by Christine.
Typical Pen– she just dives right in!
On the shore, the onlookers panic. (Check out the scenic view from the Krishna in the background!)
Meanwhile, back on the raft, Alex throws a rope while Freddy sprawls flat on his face.
Believe it or not, that horse is made out of peeps, too. Last but not least, here’s Pen in all her glory, jumping into the river in her blue riding habit.
Huzzah for Christine and her amazing peep talents!
Happy Monday! As part of my ongoing effort to update the website, I’m gathering Pink quotes for a book-by-book Pink Quotation Compedium, which will find a permanent home on the Diversions page.
This is proving a more complex project than I had envisioned. So, once again, I appeal to you for aid. Each Monday, I’ll be collecting favorite quotes from a different Pink book.
Just post your favorites below, along with the people who said them, and page numbers.
One person will be chosen at random to receive one of the Pink comic prints as a thank you. The recipient of the Pink comic print will be announced on Sunday, March 6.
For those who are interested in what’s become of Hyderabad since The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, a friend just forwarded me this fascinating article on Hyderabad’s past and present. It sounds like a city which, while changed, would still be entirely recognizable to Pen and Alex (although not Freddy; he wasn’t paying much attention).
For those who would like to know more about Hyderabad during Penelope’s day, I recommend William Dalrymple’s White Mughuls, my primary resource on late eighteenth/early nineteenth century Hyderabad.
It may be Orchid season here on the Pink page, but Blood Lily is also in bloom.
I’ll drop the annoying metaphor now, shall I? Romance Junkies just posted a wonderful review of The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, writing, “Author Lauren Willig’s attention to detail takes this book over the top, making her an author whose books readers will want to revisit time and again.”
Calling Blood Lily “a delightful read,” Romance Junkies warns readers that “readers will find it hard to stop at just this one, finding themselves consumed by a need for more of this delightful series”.
With only one day until the new year (and our Orchid Affair excerpt!), here’s a blast from the very recent past, The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, which came out in January 2010. It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago, does it?
Blood Lily will be back on shelves as a paperback, with a snazzy new cover, on January 4, 2011.
In contrast to some of the lighter passages from the earlier books, my favorite section from Blood Lily is much more emotionally fraught– not surprising when you consider the character of Penelope, a woman at war with herself and most of the people around her. Penelope’s outrageous behavior has already seen her married in haste and carted off to India. Now, all but alone in a foreign country, she’s facing the repercussions of her careless choices.
Happy fifth day of Pink Carnation! The five winners of the Mistletoe ornament are:
– Bridget Erin (#18)
– Tina Z (#71)
– Christine (#5)
– Kari W (#41)
– Diana M (#56)
Congrats, all! If you email me your snail mail addresses, I’ll send those ornaments winging their way towards you.
Thanks to everyone for the panoply of fascinating historical characters!
Although the Five Days of Pink Carnation (inspired by the Scottish Sock Puppets) are now over, there’ll be a new contest next week to celebrate… the arrival of my author’s copies of The Betrayal of the Blood Lily!
Blood Lily the Paperback won’t be available in stores until January 4th, but I’ll be giving away some hot-off-the-presses copies here on Monday.
