The Guise of a Gentleman WINS its Second Award

Oh my gosh! My Regency Romance novel, The Guise of a Gentleman, is on a roll. It just won its second award. This time it's the WINNER of The coveted Golden Rose Award!!!

Congratulations to my fellow winners, too!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2011 GOLDEN ROSES!

Paranormal (including sci fi) D. Renee Bagby for Eris

Historical Donna Hatch for The Guise of a Gentleman ---- THIS IS ME!!!!

Erotic LA Witt for The Best Man

Suspense Elaina Lee for Written in Blood

Contemporary Anel Viz for P'tit Cadeau

For more info, go here: http://loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/2011/06/introducing-our-2011-golden-rose.html

Giveaway!!!

It's to time celebrate! My Regency romance, The Guise of a Gentleman, WON the very prestigious Golden Quill Award!! Yay!!!!!

So, to celebrate, I'm giving away a free magnetic book button pictured below. It's the coolest thing; it's a book mark that is magnetized so you can mark the exact line where you left off. Great, right? You can't see it very well from the picture, but the decoration is a lady in a red gown dancing with a man in a suit. Hey, it was as Regency looking as I could find.

And, just because I'm so happy, I'm also giving away a free ebook copy of my award-winning novel (I soooo love saying that!) The Guise of a Gentleman.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me if you'd rather have the cool book mark or the awesome ebook, and you'll be entered in my random drawing. Oh, and be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you directly.

Want more chances to win? Go to my author page and press the like button at the top of the page. If you already are a fan, tell me so in your comment and you'll still get another chance to win.

Good luck, and thanks for celebrating with me!

Now, for the Summer Treasure Hunt:

Here's the winner and answer for our June 9th prize, Moonglade (a sweet cozy mystery), by Mary Fremont Shoenecker:

Winner: Monica Knoll of New York

Answer to today's question: Tante Margaret is clairvoyant

the winner and answer for our June 10th prize, a free 50 page edit/critique by Shaunna Gonzales:

Winner: Nicole Zoltack of Pennsylvania

Answer to today's question: gingerbread and milk

Regency Ladies and Double-Barrel Flintlocks

In my Regency Romance, The Guise of a Gentleman, my Regency lady was faced with a group of bad guys. Since I'd done my research, I knew if she were to defend the man and boy they were trying to kill, she'd only be able to get off one shot because of the time and difficulty loading guns. So, I'd decided to either have her ride with two loaded guns or have a groom riding with her. Then I found just what I needed: a double-barrel flintlock which could fire two shots, without having to reload. Huzzah!!!

Most Flintlock pistols were from 10 to 16 inches long, from butt to barrel muzzle. They would weigh from one to four pounds, depending on the caliber and the number of barrels. There were a number of double-barreled pistols during the Regency, but they were generally big and heavy. There were two types, the over and under, with a revolving lower barrel, but only one hammer, so that the pan had to be primed before firing again. Ladies’ pistols were generally six to eight inches long.  A bullet for such a small gun would be no wider than this: / /.

The real problem was that the flint, amount of powder, and mechanisms has to be smaller, which made them firing them successfully more difficult.

Here's a picture of small woman’s pistol. It's is six inches long. You can see that too small to hold a ramrod. The ladies’ pistols weighed between 12 oz to one and a half pounds.

Here's a shotgun, circa 1798 to 1804. Overall length is 44 1/2", barrel length is 29", and the gun weighs 7.3 pounds.

It has a side-by-side barrel, like a double-barreled shotgun . And like the shotgun, it has two hammers, though you can't see the second one behind the first. It also has two triggers, one for each barrel. It's a .54 cal. and the damascus barrel is nine inches long and weights close to three pounds.

This Double-Barrel Flintlock Pistol of Napoleon is a replica of the original of this side-by-side double-barreled flintlock pistol from Napoleon's private armory and bears his insignia on both sides of the grip. Made by Gribeauval, Napoleon's personal gun maker, the pistol originated in the French unmaking center of St. Etienne in 1806. Unusual for its day, the double-barrel configuration provided a decided advantage over its single-barreled counterpart, given the notoriously slow reloading procedure for flintlocks. The barrel is just under eight inches long and it weighs about 2 pounds.

Even though ladies’ pistols and double-barreled pistols look different, they were loaded the same way as all flintlocks. Most all flintlocks were smoothbores. Some were rifles, with spiral rifling in the barrels. They were difficult to load because the bullet had to be seated against the rifling groves to actually spin the ball, so it was hard to ram home. Cloth or leather was wrapped around the ball, and the cloth against the rifling was easier to get down the barrel.

So, if you wondered what Elise used to save the hero and the boy from the cutthroats about to kill them, here you are, proof and everything.

The Guise of a Gentleman, winner of the Golden Quill Award

"Combining Jane Austen with swashbuckling adventure, The Guise of a Gentleman is a fine specimen of pirate romance!" NY Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley

The widowed Elise is a perfect English lady living within the confines of society for the sake of her impressionable young son. Her quiet world is shattered when she meets the impulsive and scandalous Jared Amesbury. His roguish charm awakens her yearning for freedom and adventure. But his irrepressible grin and sea-green eyes hide a secret.

But his irrepressible grin and sea-green eyes hide a secret. A gentleman by day, a pirate by night, Jared accepts one last assignment before he can be truly free. Elise gives him hope that he, too, can find love and belonging. His hopes are crushed when his best laid plans go awry and Elise is dragged into his world of violence and deceit. She may not survive the revelation of Jared’s past…or still love him when the truth is revealed.

Regency Romance Quiz - Test Your Knowledge

For the launch of my second Regency Romance novel, book two of the Rogue Hearts Series, The Guise of a Gentleman, available now, from The Wild Rose Press, I have a short quiz for Regency Readers about the Regency Era for a chance to win a signed copy of my book!

1. Where do you wear a reticule?

1. Dangling from your writs
2. Around your neck
3. Underneath your ballgown

2. The Prince Regent, aka Prinny, would eventually become:

1. George III
2. George IV
3. William II

3. Newgate was:

1. A port where ships docked
2. A jewelry store
3. A prison

4. Brooke’s, White’s and Boodle’s are:

1. Restaurants
2. Glove stores
3. Gentleman’s Clubs

5. A vinaigrette was a:

1. A salad dressing
2. A decorative box containing a vinegar-soaked sponge
3. A ladies' hat


6. A tiger is:

1. Any wild animal kept in a zoo
2. Another name for a rake or libertine
3. A boy who tends the horses while the carriage is about town

7. A pelisse is:

1. A light-weight, fitted coat
2. A small bag to carry personal items
3. An alcoholic drink

8. To purchase a horse in Regency England, you would go to:

1. Newmarket
2. Doncaster
3. Tattersalls

9. Lover's Eyes were:

1. A tiny drawing of just an eye
2. A small biscuit, or cookie
3. A variety of flower

10. The Prince Regent lived at

1. Carlton House
2. Apsley House
3. Clarence House

How did you do?

Okay, now that you've got your answers, Email your answers to me at donnahatch29@gmail.com and put in the subject line "Regency Quiz" and I will draw a winner from all those who answered correctly.

The winner will be posted April 3, 2010. I will also contact the winner privately to get mailing address and info.

Good Luck!!!