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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Guest Post with Maggie Robinson and Giveaway

Please welcome back the super awesome Maggie Robinson. Maggie is celebrating the release of her newest book, In the Heart of the Highlander and has stopped by to chat.

Maggie Robinson is a former teacher, library clerk and mother of four who woke up in the middle of the night, absolutely compelled to create the perfect man and use as many adverbs as possible doing so. A transplanted New Yorker, she lives with her not-quite perfect husband in Maine, where the cold winters are ideal for staying inside and writing hot historical romances.


Places to find Maggie:
| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

Dani, thanks so much for having me here! This is a banner year for me, with four books and one novella in an anthology out. Of course, that means I have to promote them, and for someone as shy as I am, sometimes that’s hard. I want to say something different and unique each time, but it’s been pretty easy with In the Heart of the Highlander since I am so in love with Mary and Alec! Elsewhere I’ve spoken about the inspiration for the setting, the opportunities for women in the early 1900s, the changes that heralded modernization (Jazz! Phones! Typewriters! Cars! Impressionism!) and today I’m going to talk about clothes.

In the Heart of the Highlander is the second in the Ladies Unlaced series, so of course corsets are involved. The preferred Edwardian figure looks rather odd to us today. Corset construction shaped the body into an‘s’ curve—one’s bosom stood out in front, the booty in the back. Tiny waists were deemed ideal and doctors warned that some women were corseted so tightly that they scrambled their internal organs! Delicate feet meant some ladies jammed their toes into shoes far too small for them, but hats…the bigger the better!


And you didn’t just get dressed once a day if you were a member of society. There were tea gowns, walking dresses, visiting gowns, dinner gowns, and specific costumes for young women to play and watch sports in. Horse-racing, bathing, boating, archery, tennis, bicycling, croquet and golf were popular. It must have been hard not to trip on one’s skirts running after a ball!

The heroine of Highlander has been masquerading as an old woman for four years. All she’s worn is black, so when she gets the chance to dress her age, she goes shopping—at second-hand clothing stores. She’s never gone to fancy dinner parties or dances before, but she knows what’s required:

“She knew her dinner gown was exquisite, a glove-tight column of ecru satin dipped low and accented with spangled bows at her cleavage and shoulders. A bib of cobweb-fine ecru lace stitched to the bodice reached to and ruffled her throat, covering her freckles yet projecting an air of nudity. She had paste yellow diamond clips in her hair, and a mother-of-pearl fan which she used to fend off the heat from equally elegantly-dressed bodies in the room. Mary looked like an heiress, and only she knew she’d purchased the dress at a second-hand clothing shop. The train had been stained, but it had been a matter of minutes to chop it off and hem it.”



See the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900s_in_fashion for more information and images. Alice Roosevelt (daughter of Teddy) and her spectacular hat is lovely. The other vintage photo is of my grandmother and her sisters! Do you think you would have been happy dressed in Edwardian finery? Do you have any luck at thrift and resale shops? I’ll give away a signed copy of In the Heart of the Highlander or In the Arms of the Heiress, or any book from my backlist!



Ever since Mary Evensong’s elderly Aunt Mim got sick, Mary’s masqueraded as the owner of the Evensong Agency, finding housemaids, husbands and solving pesky problems for the peerage. Someday she’d like to shake off her silvery wig and spectacles and be the young woman she truly is. But desperate clients are waiting for “Mrs. Evensong” at the office.

Like a scandalous Scottish baron. Honor forbids Lord Alec Raeburn from explaining the suspicious circumstances surrounding his wife’s death, but he knows who’s responsible. He just needs to hire an actress to lure the scoundrel into a trap.

After listening to Raeburn’s story—and seeing him in his kilt—Mary knows the perfect person.

Letting her red hair down, she heads off to the Scottish Highlands to pose as a seductress, but soon finds herself with more than her virtue at stake in a tug-of-war between two powerful men. She could wind up in danger—or in the heart of the highlander.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |

Check out the Ladies Unlaced series:
Click for info.


Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:
  • 1 copy of either In the Heart of the Highlander or In the Arms of the Heiress

To Enter: 
  • Please answer Maggie's question: Do you think you would have been happy dressed in Edwardian finery? Do you have any luck at thrift and resale shops?
  • Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck! 

Special thanks to Maggie Robinson for sponsoring this giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

40 comments :

  1. Would love the "finery". Makes you feel sexy. And I don't have luck at thrift shops because I do not have patience to dig through stuff

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  2. I probably would have liked it since I have a small waist and the fashions would accentuate that. However, I'm short so I might just look dowdy with the skirt lengths! I used to have luck in thrift and vintage stores back home (in metro Detroit) but I haven't in PIttsburgh. I LOVE your writing, Maggie, & am looking forward to reading In the Heart of the Highlander. Thanks for the giveaway chance.

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  3. I really don't know if I would have been happy dressed in Edwardian finery...I think yes :)

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  4. I would have loved to dress in all the Edwardian finery. I only go to thrift stores to look for books.

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  5. I think I would have liked it when I was younger and was much thinner. I look huge in dresses, no matter what the style. Also, I think I would have liked it if I had someone to help me in and out of said dresses. Getting in and out of those things without help (for those of us poor ladies who wouldn't have afforded hired help) must have been difficult.

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  6. I don't think I would have liked it. It's just a little too much for me. I've never shopped in a thrift store or resale shop before.

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  7. while pretty to look at, think I'll stick to easier comfortable wear of today, having to worry about having the right outfit for the time of day & activity as well as changing outfits through the day would drive me batty

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  8. Probably not. It is pretty, but to live in it all the time...not so much. Maybe for a night. ;-)

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  9. The dresses are pretty but i dont think id like to wear them ,especially in the summer.

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  10. Hi, everyone! I'm sitting here in shorts and a zip-up hoodie sweatshirt, and cannot imagine getting laced into a corset myself. Comfort is key! But the work on some Edwardian gowns I've seen is spectacular, so much detail. Even ready-made clothes were beautifully tailored. Maybe for Halloween?

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  11. It would be fun to 'dress-up' in Edwardian fancy dress for a fun occasion, but for every day I'm much happier in my jeans & sweats!
    I do have fun checking out thrift & consignment stores, but I don't buy many clothes there - mostly just fun things for the house.
    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  12. It would be fun to play dress up once in a while but I much prefer to live in comfortable clothes - for me that's a tee & shorts.

    I hate clothes shopping, I wouldn't have the patience!

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  13. Maybe sometimes but not all the time. And I enjoy thrift shopping.
    Thanks :)
    Lori

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  14. I hate to wear clothes that are uncomfortable, so even though they would look pretty, I don't think I'd want to wear those clothes. As for thrift shops, they are great. I don't shop there often because I have trouble finding my size, but I often use them when I need an outfit that I know I'm only going to wear once and don't want to pay full price for.

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  15. It is very pretty, but I don't think I would like to dress that way. It would be too uncomfortable. I rarely shop at thrift shops because I normally don't find much if anything at all. I do love to shop for books though.

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  16. No I hate dresses. I do love a good thrift store. One mans trash is another's treasure.

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  17. I would love to wear the finery of the Edwardian age. The dresses and accessories were all so pretty.

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    jenalang(at)live(dot)com

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  18. No, I definitely would not have been comfy in Edwardian clothing. Corsets! OMG! And an "s" shaped figure? Ick. But yes, I've had marvelous luck shopping at thrift and second hand stores for clothing, for myself and for my grandchildren. It's such fun 'cause it's like hunting for treasure! Sometimes I've found things with the tags still on and brand new. It takes time to imagine how something would work and fit and what you could do to it to make it perfect for yourself or someone else...but it can be done. Thanks for this fun post! jdh2690@gmail.com

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  19. I think it's usually what is available and what you get use to. To me it's lovely.

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  20. I wouldn't be able to handle it. I sweat in a tank and shorts. I would probably always be passed out somewhere. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  21. oh yes I love the style from back then :), but I don't have any luck in thrift shops unfortunately.

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  22. I don't think that I would have liked to dress that way, I love my comfy clothes too much

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  23. I don't know - as beautiful as the dresses are, I have a fondness for stretchy fabrics...

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  24. no, I could not afford the better stuff and could not see me tied into the form fitting things.

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  25. No; I'm a contemporary girl. I like today's fashions more than the past.

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  26. I enjoy breathing too much to want to wear those evil corsets. :-) Not to mention that I would hate changing so many times a day. The attire looks wonderful, but I'm thrilled to live in the time of blue jeans, sweatshirts, tank tops, and boots.

    I really hate shopping and don't spend much time in stores if I can help it. There are a couple good second hand stores that I could try if I had the patience for trying on clothes. :-)

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  27. Yeah! I love how elaborate they are!! I would have to have a dressing maid, however. I think it would be difficult to get in and out of those clothes easily.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  28. I think I would have done okay in Edwardian dress, it seems a bit better than some of the earlier clothing women wore. I don't usually look for clothes in thrift and resale shops, so I can't say I've had much luck lately. I did find several dresses in a consignment shop years ago, that was a great day of shopping.

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  29. Hi Dani and Maggie!

    I shop at consignment shops all the time but then we don't have many option in the small town where I live but I've come to love them! I "discovered" them after I had two major surgeries (cancer and quadruple by-pass) within in a couple of years and had gained about 55 pounds and it took me several years to take it off so buying clothes wasn't a lot of fun! After I outgrew them (both gaining and then losing weight) I would donate them to local charities and at least I felt I was helping others and it helped to keep me motivated.

    I think because of that I also became used to wearing things that are "practical" for work and ended up wearing jeans at home! While years ago I would have looked forward to buying something like "Edwardian finery" now I'm happy to think instead of clothes that are practical and can be used easily in different situations.

    My husband says it's because I'm now a "senior citizen" and I try to "blend in" with the mainstream (I guess that means my "hippy days" are in the past"!).

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  30. I think ot would be lovely to dress up in Edwardian finery, but shall hate to say goodbye to my jeans & jumper :) I like the old fashioned style but prefer to be comfortable, so it's not for me.

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  31. OMG I would LOVE to dress up in Edwardian dresses, they are amazing :D

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  32. I'm very happy to look at the costumes, but not to have to wear them daily.

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  33. No, I would not have liked being squished in corset, although I certainly have the breasts for it!

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  34. No, I wouldn't have liked wearing all those clothes!! Have no luck at thrift stores.

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  35. I think I would have liked to look pretty in the fashions...but I would not be comfortable at all having to dress that way all the time! I'm more of a comfy dresser.

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  36. yes, i think i would've been happy dressed in edwardian finery. & no im horrible with resale shops.

    moniquebbon at gmail dot com

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  37. No to both questions. To confining and hot for the dress and where I live there are no good thrift stores, all they have is junk.

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  38. Comfortable no but look beautiful in is a yes. I applaud the ladies in that era who were able to stand these clothes. I don't thrift mostly because the stores are too far away from where I live

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  39. I'm not a thrifter, and being a plus sized woman, it's hard to find really nice "finery" - so yes, I think dressing back then would have been easier as everything was sewn to fit your own body.

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  40. Yes I do think I could have and I love shopping in thrift stores.
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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