Links: Miss Fisher, Lisa Kleypas, & Sylvester

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.It’s time for Wednesday Links, where we post some neat things we’ve found on the internet. I’m currently in one of those states where I’m not sure what day it is and when I do figure it out, it’s always earlier in the week than I’d thought. Which is a real bummer.

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries has a Kickstarter to be made into a movie! It’s already been successfully backed (yay!), but there are some awesome stretch goals that the team is working toward.

Big thanks to all of you who sent me the link to Entertainment Weekly’s cover reveal & interview with Lisa Kleypas. I loved this little historical fact from the Q & A:

Where did your idea for a female physician/doctor come from?

When I write these historical romance novels, I do an incredible amount of research just to get the flavor of the time period and to pick up all these details that give the story life. As I was reading about important people back in the late 1800s in England, the name Elizabeth Garrett Anderson came up. I was shocked to realize that she was the only female physician in England for 20-30 years and I had never even heard of her. After she got into the British Medical Association through a loophole after completing all these studies at the Sorbonne in France, the British Medical Association changed their rules so that no more women could be admitted for another 20 years. And I could not stop thinking about her because what an incredible thing to be the only woman in an entire country for that long. So I based this character Garrett Gibson on her and, of course, used the name Garrett, because I loved the idea of using a slightly androgynous name for this really tremendously accomplished and brave woman.

Also, what do you think of the cover? We had some thoughts here at the Bitchery.

 

The Ripped Bodice is doing a Blind Date with a Book, where readers can purchase books based on the description. Readers won’t know the actual title of the book until they receive it and unwrap it! I always love it when people do this. And just a reminder that The Ripped Bodice has graced us with an affiliate link for all of your online shopping.


Frixion click pen in blue

Frixion Erasable Pens

I love these pens far more than is probably natural. They write smoothly, they erase for real (yes, way!), and they come in a bunch of colors. I have one with me at all times.


In a previous Wednesday Links, we mentioned that Georgette Heyer’s Sylvester was being made into a stage production. Well, welcome Reader Melinda who saw it! Here’s her review:

Not long ago you mentioned on the blog that Lifeline Theatre in Chicago is doing a stage adaptation of “Sylvester” this fall. I’m a resident of Portland Oregon but realized that I’d be in Chicago visiting family during the play’s previews. So we got tickets.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the show, and I am pleased to report that it was well done and very, very fun! All of us enjoyed it–not only myself and my daughter, who are Georgette fans and familiar with the story, but also my husband and son in law who had never heard of Georgette or Sylvester.

The theatre is small, so the environment is intimate, and the production is creative (costumes are suggested, casting is diverse, each actor plays many parts, and there is a “game of love ” theme that organizes and comments on the action). I was personally amazed that such a long and complex novel could be dramatized in a way that made it manageable for a 2-hour running time and yet retained the essential character (and comedy) of the book.

Interestingly enough, the program mentioned that this is the theatre’s fourth adaptation of a Heyer novel, so it seems they have an interest in this kind of literature. They also seem to have done adaptations of Dorothy Sayers and “Miss Buncle’s Book.” If I were a Chicago resident I would definitely be keeping my eye on their future productions

Does anyone else plan on seeing it?

Erotic romance author, Selena Kitt, did an AMA (ask me anything) over at Reddit and I thought the Q & A was pretty informative for authors! Check it out! She talks about promoting books, how to manage a large backlist of books, and more.

Don’t forget to share what super cool things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

Comments are Closed

  1. Julia aka mizzelle says:

    Were those thoughts “Wow I remember those from a prom dress catalog” because I have not seen a lot of positive response to that cover so far. There’s a mismatch in tone as well, unless it’s lighter than described.

  2. Ren Benton says:

    If I saw the Kleypas cover dress at Kleinfeld’s, I’d say, “Put that on me now. I’ll wear it home, at my wedding, to the grocery store, and everywhere else until I die.” I have a sneaking suspicion that’s the kiss of death for Victorian cover art, though.

  3. Beth says:

    That cover is… not good for the book it purports to represent. It’s not a Victorian gown, it’s all pink and frilly when the description sounds more mystery-romance, and… no. I’m not into it.

  4. Becky says:

    I’m seeing Sylvester this weekend, so it was great to see a review. I just got a subscription to Lifeline Theatre (so reasonable for 3 shows!), and they only do plays/musicals based on literature and a children’s series, also base on children’s books. Their other plays this season will be Anna Karenina and Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. I saw a musical version of Northanger Abbey there last year, and it was very enjoyable. I’m looking forward to seeing how they handle Anna K. and Neverwhere.

  5. kkw says:

    I couldn’t go, but I told my MiL about the Sylvester production, and she basically dropped everything and went to Chicago to check it out. She has family there, so three generations of Heyer fans went and thoroughly enjoyed it.

  6. Joanna says:

    I’m sorry that cover dress may be gorgeous but it looks like it belongs in the Dynasty tv reboot I keep seeing commercials for – that so does not sound like it goes with that book.

    And Yes, thanks to its mention here and a well placed hint I got tickets for my birthday to Sylvester on stage and will see it at the end of the month – can’t wait!

  7. Crystal says:

    I actually love the colors of the cover, but agree that the dress looks a bit Dynasty-ish (which is not an aesthetic I get mad at, but maybe not the best choice for a Regency). That said, I’ve pre-ordered this, so I guess it actually served its purpose.

  8. Deborah says:

    It kills me (in a very non-literal sense) that Kleypas includes all these lovely tidbits about her research in interviews and in the postscripts to the books themselves (I *will* have breath like Mr. Winterborn, dagnabit!), and then has these prom dress covers. The dresses are lovely, but don’t represent the books. Does she not get to express an opinion on cover art? Is this fusion of modern dress and floral backdrop some kind of visual shorthand for “historical”? IS IT BECAUSE OF ALL THE DUKE TITLES?

    Sorry about the shouting. The sillification of historical romance has been one of my shocking discoveries since returning to the genre. (And I mean deliberate sillification. Not ye olde days of stupidification, where an author was just sincerely awful but well-intentioned, like Barbara…I can …fit…another ellipsis…here…Cartland.)

  9. Sofia says:

    Don’t like the cover. The dress is all wrong for the period.

  10. Ren says:

    Maybe you could start a new feature along with Cover Snark. Inappropriate covers. Covers that would have been perfectly fine for a DIFFERENT book. A book that’s not a historical mystery about a female physician. To be honest, sometimes I think I would have never gotten into romance if it wasn’t for ebooks. Most of the covers seem to try their best to scream “thrashy romance” even when (or especially when) the actual book is anything but.

    Also YES, MISS FISHER FILM. I’m already a backer and can’t wait to see more of Phryne and Jack. Fingers crossed that they get all the original cast back!

  11. Ren says:

    (Ooops sorry about the typos, it seems I still don’t know how to spell and there’s no edit function…)

  12. That cover? It’s got a really stylish dress… for the 1980s.

    (Kill. *headdesk* Me. *headdesk* Now. *headdesk*)

  13. Julia aka mizzelle says:

    Ren: I’m reminded of fashion bloggers’ Tom and Lorenzo’s feature “Girl, that’s not your dress!”

  14. Wait… is the new Kleypas set in a 1985 spring formal???

  15. Carolyn says:

    I haven’t liked any of the covers for the Ravenel series. Kleypas deserves whoever does the Alyssa Cole covers; those are gorgeous!

  16. SusanH says:

    I’m so tired of completely inappropriate prom gowns, hair, and makeup on historicals. At least the dress isn’t falling off of her, but what about that prom gown catalog photo tells us that this is a mystery about a female physician in the late 1800’s? I’d be so upset if I were the author, who deserves much better from her publishers than that.

  17. Louise says:

    I’m currently in one of those states where I’m not sure what day it is

    That would be Delaware.

    But about the cover … are there different versions of the linked site, or alternative covers, or what? I’m not seeing pink and frilly; I’m seeing black-and-white strapless. I hope everyone else is seeing something different, because my version is hideous.

  18. LisaJo885 says:

    Kleypas exclusively revealed the new cover to EW, and as you can see above, it’s a delectable hot pink and depicts Dr. Gibson in a decadent gown that marks quite a departure from her normal physician’s garb.
    Yeah, I see a massive black and white paneled skirt with black strapless bodice in the cover accompanying the article. It’s also the cover shown on Goodreads. What is this pink, frilly thing you all (and the article) speak of?

  19. Maite says:

    YAY for Phryne getting a movie! I need more Phryne! (And didn’t want another season. S3 felt stretched)

    On the Kleypas cover reveal, am I the only one who’s pissed by the title? Almost the entire thing is female jobs, and Doctor Garrett, and yet it’s the one-shot mention of Daniel Craig that gets to be called inspiration.

    Furthermore, I am not that bugged by the cover. As someone else said, at least it’s not falling off. And, gathering by earlier Kleypas books, it will not go as dark as it seems. I adore Kleypas’ bokks, but she has this tendency to introduce weighty issues and allowing them to dissolve (Re: PTSD in “Love in the Afternoon”, class differences in “Scandal in Spring”, etc.) The pink floral backgroud and inappropiate period dress are probably appropiate for the depth of the story. (And if it ain’t, well, the other day there was this interviewwith a cover supervisor who seemed surprised that readers of romance demanded the people in the cover to match the heroine and hero. Ha)

  20. Lin says:

    Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries! I nearly screamed when I saw the kickstarter news online. So happy it’s getting a film, I loved the series, which I had just finished watching for a second time.

  21. Lizzy says:

    Ugh. I’m pretty sure covers have been getting worse recently. They are so wrong for the periods plus they all look budget photoshopped. I kind of forgive Courtney Milan because she does her own but I can’t make the same excuse for major publishers and the crap they’ve thrown on the more recent Eloisa James and Lisa Kleypas novels. These are not unknown authors are tiny start up publishers, make a little effort.

  22. Jill-Marie says:

    I can only think that everyone is talking about the frilly pink flowers in the background, not the black-and-white dress I’m seeing…

  23. Gigi says:

    So disappointed in the Kleypas cover. I’d been hoping for some smart, sensible Victorian costume maybe featuring that stick the good Doctor wields like the bad ass she is. I just hate this dress. Makes the models torso look abnormally elongated. Ugh!

  24. Megan M. says:

    Echoing everyone else on the “1980s prom dress” feels. I know that traditionally published authors don’t get a lot of creative control for their covers, but my god this seems like the perfect instance to pull rank and demand a new (better!) cover. Sometimes I wonder what these publishing houses think of romance readers. “We’ve got put flowers and an oversized dress or they won’t know what it is!”

  25. Hera says:

    The Blind Date books I’m interested in are sold out or not loading. Anyone have a guess what “Baby Gays and Basketball m/m” might be?

  26. Hazel says:

    @Deborah: Sillification is such perfect word.

  27. CK says:

    Lisa Kleypas always gives such great interviews. And props to the interviewer, some of these questions are really good. I love it when an interviewer has read the source material/is familiar with the meta. Too bad the cover doesn’t hint at anything re: the characters, it’s a bit generic for such a specific woman.

Comments are closed.

By posting a comment, you consent to have your personally identifiable information collected and used in accordance with our privacy policy.

↑ Back to Top