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7 episodes with vanessa riley
7 episodes with vanessa riley
3 episodes with vanessa riley
2 episodes with vanessa riley
2 episodes with vanessa riley
3 episodes with vanessa riley
3 episodes with vanessa riley
3 episodes with vanessa riley
3 episodes with vanessa riley
It's our Regency Era, which means we had to get Vanessa Riley (current Queen of Regency era fiction) on the podcast. This week we're revisiting out conversation from 2023 about her novel Queen of Exiles, about the life of Haiti's Queen Marie-Louise Christophe. It's interesting to revisit this now, after discussing the Haitian Revolution last series, and seeing Marie-Louise in the context of the Regency Era in England. Plus: bonus! Vanessa joined me again to record a new segment where we honour Marie-Louise with a score on the Scandiliciousness Scale! Learn more about Queen of Exiles on Vanessa's website Buy a copy of Queen of Exiles (affiliate link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week Kristin, Shan, Brooke, Meka, Shannon, Stacy, and Natalia are discussing their most anticipated January releases. Titles mentioned include:Isabelle Engel, Most EligiblePippa Grant, The Grumpiest Billionaire (Small Town Sisterhood #2)S.F. Williamson, A War Of Wyverns (Language Of Dragons #2)Jaclyn Rodriguez, A Vow In Vengeance (Immortal Desires #1)Vanessa Riley, Fire Sword And SeaSimone St. James, A Box Full Of DarknessAlice Feeney, My Husband's WifeRoshani Chockshi, The Swan's DaughterOnley James, Ranger (Jericho's Boys #4)Kristen Callihan, Only On GamedayDenise Williams, The Redo ListJumata Emill, I Don't Wish You WellRaquel Vasquez Gilliland, The Magic Of Untamed Hearts (Wild Magic #3)T.M. Logan, The Room In The AtticMelissa de la Cruz, Rings Of Fate (Curses And Crowns #1)Virginia Kantra, Anne Of A Different IslandAshley Elston, Anatomy Of An AlibiAmanda Linsmeier, A Dance With Death (The Three Bells #1)Alexandria Bellefleur, Playing For KeepsJessie Mihalik, Silver & Blood (Silver & Blood #1)Jenny Elder Moke, Cross Your Heart And Hope He DiesYou can always contact the Book Bistro team by searching @BookBistroPodcast on facebook, or visiting:https://www.facebook.com/BookBistroPodcast/You can also send an email to:TheBookBistroPodcast@gmail.comFor more information on the podcast and the team behind it, please visit:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/book-bistro
Happy 2026, listeners! To kick off the new year, we're sharing something special: Austen Chat's first episode recorded in front of a live audience. Jane Austen lived during a remarkably dynamic period of British history and was well aware of the forces shaping her world—colonial expansion, booming global trade, revolutions in Europe and the Americas, and yes, slavery and the abolition movement. It was also a world that included people of color whose lives were far richer and more influential and varied than often assumed today. In this episode, we talk with author Vanessa Riley, who is eager to share their stories. Join us as we discuss Miss Lambe—Austen's mixed-race heiress in Sanditon—and meet some notable Black figures from Austen's time, such as Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, who was born enslaved but went on to build a Caribbean business empire. Vanessa also shares some of her experiences behind the scenes (and on the screen!) of the 2024 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility as Hallmark's historical consultant. Dr. Vanessa Riley is the author of over 25 novels across across the genres of historical fiction, romance, and mystery, including a trio of books based on the true stories of extraordinary women during the Regency era: Island Queen, Queen of Exiles, and Sister Mother Warrior. Her works spotlight hidden narratives of Black women and women of color. Vanessa was the historical consultant for Hallmark's 2024 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and the 2024 Georgia Mystery/Detective Author of the Year for Murder in Drury Lane. With a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and other engineering degrees from Penn State, she brings a research-oriented approach to her inclusive storytelling about the Caribbean and the Georgian and Regency eras. For a transcript and show notes, visit https://jasna.org/austen/podcast/ep31.*********Visit our website: www.jasna.orgFollow us on Instagram and FacebookSubscribe to the podcast on our YouTube channelEmail: podcast@jasna.org
The real Pirates of the Caribbean were Black, and women! And Jacquotte Delahaye was the most famous of them all. Author Vanessa Riley's new novel, Fire Sword and Sea, is a sweeping, immersive saga based on the life of the legendary seventeenth-century pirate Jacquotte Delehaye. Vanessa joins us on the podcast to talk all about this lesser-known figure, and how she managed to research this story! Learn more about Vanessa Riley and Fire Sword and Sea. Buy Fire Sword and Sea (affiliate link) — Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In episode 82, The Boston Sisters discuss the Hallmark Channel's adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility featuring a multiracial cast. Vanessa Riley, the historical and cultural consulting producer, shares her journey into Austen's works and her role in ensuring historical accuracy and cultural sensitivity. Riley also discusses her novels Queen of Exilesand Island Queen, which explore the lives of Marie-Louise Christophe, Haiti's only queen, and Dorothy “Dolly” Kirwan Thomas, a formerly enslaved woman who became a wealthy entrepreneur. Riley emphasizes the importance of representing diverse historical figures and the potential adaptation of her novels into films.Award-winning author Vanessa Riley, honored as the 2023 Georgia Literary Fiction Author of the Year, spotlights hidden narratives of Black women and women of color in novels. Her works emphasize strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and power across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres.TIMESTAMPS0:03 - Podcast description1:30 - Overview of Sense and Sensibility2:42 - Introduction to Vanessa Riley, historical and cultural producer and historical fiction author4:05 - Vanessa's Jane Austen origin story7:25 - Jane Austen's wit9:19 - Historical authenticity and cultural sensitivity in Hallmark Channel's SENSE AND SENSIBILITY17:39 - Challenges and achievements in adapting “Sense and Sensibility”20:35 - Generic Break21:03 - Discovering Dorothy “Dolly' Kirwan Thomas, “Island Queen”28:35 - Vanessa's Research and discoveries for “Queen of Exiles” (Marie-Louise Christophe)36:15 - Future adaptations and Vanessa Riley's visionNote: Ep. 82 has been updated to correct a technical error in the introduction. ------SUBSCRIBE to HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS® on your favorite podcast platformENJOY past podcasts and bonus episodesSIGN UP for our mailing listSUPPORT this podcast SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstoreBuy us a Coffee! You can support by buying a coffee ☕ here — buymeacoffee.com/historicaldramasistersThank you for listening!
In episode 81, the Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) explore how costumes bring iconic characters to life in 3 adaptations of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice with Alden O'Brien, costume historian and costume and textile curator for the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington DC .The 3 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE adaptations featured:1995 (BBC/Arts & Entertainment) series2005 (Focus Features, Universal Pictures) feature film, Upcoming Netflix adaptation (release date TBA) based on a first look photo. Alden O'Brien also gives some costume shine to the 2020 film adaptation of Austen's Emma in this conversation, and shares tips and resources for creating your own Regency look for Jane Austen birthday anniversary events and cosplay.Episode 81 is a continuing conversation with Alden O'Brien (see episode 80), part 2 of a 3-podcast miniseries, JANE AUSTEN ADAPTED, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the popular English author Jane Austen's birth (December 16, 1775).TIMESTAMPS0:16 - PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as gateway to Jane Austen0:31 - Episode 81 synopsis2:30 - Introduction to Alden O'Brien, costume historian and curator4:32 - 1995 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - pastels, prints, and corsetry 13:59 - 2005 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE -- high contrasts and "muddied hems" 23:53 - Generic Break24:30 - Previewing Netflix PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (photo analysis)32:54 - 2020 EMMA, a "hymn to Regency"35:28 - Resources for dressing Regency39:31 - Costume as narration and author's voice44:53 - Marriage and money - Episode 82 preview with author Vanessa Riley 45:59 - Disclaimer----------SUBSCRIBE to HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS® on your favorite podcast platformENJOY past podcasts and bonus episodesSIGN UP for our mailing listSUPPORT this podcast SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstoreBuy us a Coffee! You can support by buying a coffee ☕ here — buymeacoffee.com/historicaldramasistersThank you for listening!
How is it possible we've never done a governess episode? And how is it possible Louisa Darling hasn't been a guest on the pod yet? We're rectifying both of these injustices this week on the pod. We talk about Jane Eyre, The Sound of Music and other primordial governesses, and discuss exactly what kind of buttons these books installed--almost entirely thanks to old school historicals. We also talk about how governess books are some of the only books in which we will suffer a child, and yes, we shout out the nannies, too!Louisa Darling is the pen name of Louisa Edwards and Lily Everett, and the author of Don't Let Your Dukes Grow Up to be Scoundrels, Where Have All the Scoundrels Gone, and Scoundrel, Take Me Away.Our next read along is Gorilla Twins, AKA Lorraine Heath's The Earl Takes All. Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books. If you'd like more romance chat in your life, please consider joining our Patreon, which comes with an extremely busy and fun Discord community! There, magnificent firebirds hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com. NotesLearn more about The States Project and donate to the Fated States Giving Circle to keep Virginia blue this November.Welcome historical author Louisa Darling. She's written contemporary romance as Louisa Edwards and women's fiction as Lily Everett. She imprinted on Jayne Eyre and worked as an editorial assistant for Leslie Gelbman at Berkley, who edited Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz.Maybe all those early governess books were really about The Sound of Music. We talked about the Molly O'Keefe series that included Wait For It in season 7, and about Vanessa Riley and wet nurses when we had Kennedy Ryan on in season 2. Finally, our next deep dive will be Gorilla Twins. The actual title, of course, is The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath.The BooksDon't Let Your Dukes Grow Up to be Scoundrels by Louisa Darling
This week's episode is an extended, uncut interview with the one and only, Vanessa Riley. She is the preeminent voice in historical romance and fiction, writing Black characters who feature prominently in Regency Romance. A PhD in Engineering from Stanford and author of well over 25 books, Vanessa combines her love of learning, facts and figures with... well... love.We talk about her process, how she chooses her topics, and what is it about the Regency that she is drawn to.Bio: Vanessa Riley is an acclaimed author known for captivating novels such as Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick. She was honored as the 2024 Georgia Mystery/Detective Author of the year for Murder in Drury Lane and the 2023 Georgia Literary Fiction Author of the Year for Sister Mother Warrior. Her craft highlights hidden narratives of power, love, and sisterhoods of Black women and women of color in historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres. Her works have received praise from publications like the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publisher Weekly, and the New York Times. In addition to penning over twenty-five novels, Vanessa holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and STEM degrees from Penn State, adding a research-oriented approach to her writing while emphasizing inclusive storytelling about the Caribbean, Georgian, and Regency eras. As a member of Regency Fiction Writers, Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, Women's Fiction Writers Association, Christian Book Lovers Retreat, and the Historical Novel Society, Vanessa advocates for diverse voices. She's also working to increase Sickle Cell Anemia awareness. When she's not writing, she can be found baking, crafting her Trinidadian grandma's recipes, or relaxing on her southern porch sipping caffeine. For more on Vanessa, visit her website. VanessaRiley.com Follow Romance in Colour on Social MediaIG @RomanceInColourTwitter: @RomanceNColour Facebook Groups: www.facebook.com/groups/RomanceinColourFollow Yakini on her Instagram @OurNycHomeFollow Tati Richardson on social media and pick up her books here, here
In Episode 15 of Undercurrents of Romance, Tracey Devlyn chats with award-winning author Vanessa Riley about her latest historical romance, A WAGER AT MIDNIGHT. Disguises, ambition, and simmering chemistry collide when a bold researcher and a principled physician are forced to choose between duty and desire. With Vanessa Riley's signature blend of fierce heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, a richly diverse cast, and sharp Regency wit, A WAGER AT MIDNIGHT delivers is a heartfelt, high-stakes romance you won't want to miss. Love the episode → Rate it ❃ Thumbs Up ❃ Subscribe → ❤ Show Notes: https://traceydevlyn.com/podcast #newrelease #bookrelease #romance #romancebooks #historicalromance #regencyromance #vanessariley #awageratmidnight #bettingagainstthedukeseries #frenemiestolovers #bestfriendssister #traceydevlyn #undercurrentsofromance #podcast #podcastepisode #podcastguest #authorsontheair #vidcast #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorssupportingauthors #videobookclub #tbr #tbr2025 #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddiction
In Episode 15 of Undercurrents of Romance, Tracey Devlyn chats with award-winning author Vanessa Riley about her latest historical romance, A WAGER AT MIDNIGHT. Disguises, ambition, and simmering chemistry collide when a bold researcher and a principled physician are forced to choose between duty and desire. With Vanessa Riley's signature blend of fierce heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, a richly diverse cast, and sharp Regency wit, A WAGER AT MIDNIGHT delivers is a heartfelt, high-stakes romance you won't want to miss. Love the episode → Rate it ❃ Thumbs Up ❃ Subscribe → ❤ Show Notes: https://traceydevlyn.com/podcast #newrelease #bookrelease #romance #romancebooks #historicalromance #regencyromance #vanessariley #awageratmidnight #bettingagainstthedukeseries #frenemiestolovers #bestfriendssister #traceydevlyn #undercurrentsofromance #podcast #podcastepisode #podcastguest #authorsontheair #vidcast #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorssupportingauthors #videobookclub #tbr #tbr2025 #books #bookrecommendations #bookaddiction
This week Meka, Shan, Brooke, and Shannon are sharing some hidden gems with you. These are books they ended up loving more than they thought they would. Titles mentioned include:Jillian Graves, Titan (Romancing His Stone #1)Tawny Oakland, To Call the Clouds (How To Train Your Harem #1)Rachel Scott McDaniel, The Dreams we KnewLayne Fargo, The FavoritesM.K. Kate, Pretty Little Prey (Predator and Prey #1)Amithia Raine, Should the Sky Fall (Who We Are #1)John Gilstrap, No Mercy (Jonathan Grave #1)Vanessa Riley, A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby (Rogues and Remarkable Women #1)S.L. Huang, Zero SuM Game (Cas Russell #1)Jean Johnson, The Sword (Sons of Destiny #1)T.A. Lawrence, Of Tangles and TinselStephen King, 11/22/63You can always contact the Book Bistro team by searching @BookBistroPodcast on facebook, or visiting:https://www.facebook.com/BookBistroPodcast/You can also send an email to:TheBookBistroPodcast@gmail.comFor more information on the podcast and the team behind it, please visit:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/book-bistro
This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Vanessa Riley, author of the historical fiction romance novel, Queen of Exiles. An engineer and self-proclaimed math nerd, Vanessa applies her inventive and analytical mindset to her creative writing. Her historical novels showcase the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods and dazzling multicultural communities. In our conversation, Vanessa outlines the two engineering questions she always asks herself to guide her storytelling. Plus, why she believes money trumps race. And, why she refuses to run from or be ashamed of history in telling a story about the good, bad, and ugly of Haiti and how the first Black nation was robbed, pillaged, and plundered. Support the Show.Follow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com
It's a multi-course literary feast at the History of Literature Podcast! Today we serve up some thoughts on books and the arts from Galileo Galilei; Mike Palindrome and his decades of reading Russian folktale theorist Vladimir Propp; Professor Valeria Sobol (Haunted Empire) and her inquiry into Russian Gothic literature and the "imperial uncanny"; and Vanessa Riley (Island Queen, Queen of Exiles), the Queen of Black Historical Fiction, stops by to tell us about her selection of the last book she will ever read. Bon appétit!! Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aristotle and Holland Taylor once said, "The law is reason, free from passion." Valerie and Helen once said, "Oh man, we really should cover Legally Blonde at some point." And six or so years later, here we are -- covering 2001's beloved Legally Blonde with long-overdue repeat guest, beloved Vanessa Riley from The Square Roots Podcast. Habeas corpus!
Vanessa Riley is the award-winning author of Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick. Riley's historical novels showcase the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods and dazzling multicultural communities. Her works encompass historical fiction, historical romance, and historical mystery and have been reviewed by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and the New York Times. This Southern, Irish, Trini girl holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and an MS in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. Riley also earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. Her research skills have helped NASA, GM, Hewlett Packard, and several startups. Yet, her love of history (Caribbean, Georgian, and Regency) and lattes overwhelmed her passion for math and has led to the publication of over twenty titles. Vanessa is a member and former president of Regency Fiction Writers, a member of Georgia Writers Association, the Historical Novel Society, Crime Writers of Color, and on the Board of Directors of Christian Book Lovers Retreat. She's an avid baker who loves creating her Trinidadian grandma's cake recipes. You can find Vanessa writing on her southern porch with proper amounts of caffeine. Her latest novel, the second in the Lady Worthing Mystery Series, is Murder on Drury Lane. To learn more please visit www.vanessariley.com
This week, I'm thrilled to have acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley here to discuss Murder in Drury Lane, which portrays the true diversity of the Regency-era and the hidden intrigue of England's abolitionist movement, with an engaging heroine who has a talent for sleuthing.
In the spotlight is Vanessa Riley, author of 20 novels including “Queen of Exiles,” “Murder in Drury Lane” and “Island Queen,” the latter of which has been optioned by members of the team that helped produce the hit streaming series “Bridgerton.” She is also a trained engineer whose research skills have helped advance the agendas at NASA, GM, Hewlett Packard, and several startups.We discuss:>> Unsung black women>> The author's responsibilities>> The Regency Era>> Developing the writing muscle>> The Scrivener app for writers>> Her attraction to math and engineering>> Etc.Learn more about Vanessa Riley here: https://vanessariley.comNovelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.
In this Cantina Conversation Megan welcomes author Vanessa Riley. They talk about her book, Murder in Drury Lane, the sequel to Murder in Westminster. Both books are available now. . We ask that you support the show in any way possible. You can like, share, rate or comment on any of the various social media and podcast players. Join the conversation in our closed Facebook group at thenerdcantina.com/community, or become a patron on our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thenerdcantina) where a pledge of as little as $1 will get you a free sticker. Visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKXYWzoYKvoZopZLX8YA0Bg Links to authors pages and books discussed in this episode: Website: https://vanessariley.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarileyauthor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanessaRiley/ Link to purchase: https://vanessariley.com/ladyworthing.htm#Drury
Here are some questions you could ask Vanessa Riley about her book Murder on Drury Lane:1. What inspired you to write a murder mystery set in the world of theater?2. What research did you do to make the setting and characters so realistic?3. What was the most challenging part of writing this book?4. What was the most rewarding part of writing this book?5. Do you have any plans to write more books in this series?6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?In addition to these general questions, you could also ask more specific questions about thebook, such as:• What was the inspiration for the character of Lily Moore?• How did you come up with the idea for the murder plot?• What were some of the challenges of writing a mystery with a theatrical setting?• What do you hope readers will take away from this book?I hope these questions help you have a productive and insightful conversation with VanessaRiley about her book!Offering “a vibrant picture of the roles Black and mixed‐race people played in Regency life”(Publishers Weekly), this unique historical mystery series, featuring a mixed-race heroine with anotorious past, will appeal to Bridgerton fans who want a sharper edge to their drama.Pressed into a union of convenience, Lady Abigail Worthing knew better than to expect love. Her marriage toan absent lord does at least provide some comforts, including a box at the Drury Lane theater, owned by theplaywright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Abigail has always found respite at the theater, away from the ton'sjudgmental stares and the risks of her own secret work to help the cause of abolition—and her fears thatsomeone from her past wants her permanently silenced. But on one particular June evening everythingcollides, and the performance takes an unwelcome turn . . .Onstage, a woman emits a scream of genuine terror. A man has been found dead in the prop room, stabbedthrough the heart. Abigail's neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, is also in attendance, and the two rush backstage.The magistrate, keen to avoid bringing more attention to the case and making Lady Worthing more of a target,asks Abigail not to investigate. But she cannot resist, especially when the usually curmudgeonly Hendersonoffers his assistance.Abigail soon discovers a tangled drama that rivals anything brought to the stage, involving gambling debts, abeautiful actress with a parade of suitors, and the very future of the Drury Lane theatre. For Abigail the case iscomplicated still further, for one suspect is a leading advocate for the cause dearest to her heart—theabolition of slavery within the British empire. Uncovering the truth always comes at a price. But this time, itmay be far higher than she wishes to pay.
Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Her novels illuminate the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods and vibrant multicultural communities. Her novel, Island Queen was a Good Morning America Buzz Pick and she was also named the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year Awards Literary Fiction Winner for Sister Mother Warrior. Vanessa chats with Ashley about Queen of Exiles, which is based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti's Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to establish her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era. There, she became a popular figure in European royal society. Queen of Exiles on Amazon and Bookshop.org Find the recommended books, the author's social media links, and the video version of this episode at www.BestofWomensFiction.com All books featured on the podcast are listed in The Best of Women's Fiction List at www.bookshop.org and amazon.com Ashley's author website: www.AshleyHasty.com
Molly talks with author Vanessa Riley about her book, "Murder in Westminster". About Murder in Wesminster Discovering a body on her property presents Lady Abigail Worthing with more than one pressing problem. The victim is Juliet, the wife of her neighbor, Stapleton Henderson. Although Abigail has little connection with the lady in question, she expects to be under suspicion. Abigail's skin color and her mother's notorious past have earned her a certain reputation among the ton, and no amount of wealth or status will eclipse it. Abigail can't divulge that she was attending a secret pro-abolition meeting at the time of the murder. To her surprise, Henderson offers her an alibi. Though he and Juliet were long estranged, he feels a certain loyalty to his late wife. Perhaps together, he and Abigail can learn the truth. . . . Abigail, whose marriage was not a love match, knows well how appearances can deceive—and how treacherous London's high society can be. Yet who would have killed Juliet, and why? Taking the reins of her life in a way she never has before, Abby intends to find out—but she may uncover more danger than she ever imagined . . . Order "Murder in Westminster" from Amazon right here https://a.co/d/bZ1CGZ1 About the author Vanessa Riley writes Regency Romances and Historical Fiction of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. Vanessa writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs and to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins. Vanessa juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women's and STEM events. She loves baking her Trinidadian grandma's cake recipes and collecting Irish crochet lace. She's known for her sweeping romances and humorous delivery of poignant truths. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her southern porch with a cup of Earl Grey tea. You can find her at: www.vanessariley.com https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRileyAuthor http://www.twitter.com/VanessaRiley https://www.youtube.com/regencymaid https://www.instagram.com/vanessarileyauthor Sign up for her newsletter to get access to free stories, giveaways, and more at: www.VanessaRiley.com
“City Lights” host Lois Reitzes speaks with Atlanta-based author Vanessa Riley about her new book “Queen of Exiles.” Her historical novel is based on the extraordinary life of Marie-Louise Christophe, the only Queen in the history of Haiti. Plus, we spotlight Atlanta comedians Damon Sumner and Zain Sharif ahead of their appearances at the Laughing Skull Comedy Festival Oct. 5-8. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Say you join a revolution in the name of liberty and equality. Then someone hands you a crown. Could you do more good, with that power? Or will everything fall apart? Come with us to Haiti and across Europe in the twisty-turny tale of THE QUEEN OF HAITI, Marie-Louise Christophe. Katie's guest is Vanessa Riley, author of Queen of Exiles. To learn more about the sound recordings by anthropologist Alan Lomax, check out CulturalEquity.org, and the American Folklife Center. We featured "Valtz Creole" by Musique Creole Group, and a number of voodoo ceremony recordings. Additional music was composed by ELPHNT, Kevin Macleod, Jimena Contreras, Quincas Moreira, Sir Cubworth, Aaron Kenny, Brian Bolger, Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Want to help us “make history”? Become a Patron or Donate here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We talk with Vaness about her incredible record of writing books and what keeps her going; the incredible history behind her most recent novel and a bit about her writing process. Get your copy of Queen of Exiles here: https://bookshop.org/a/5676/9780063270992 Support our podcast directly: https://ko-fi.com/winewomenwordspodcast
Jacke kicks things off with a look at Emily Dickinson's Poem #90, then welcomes author Vanessa Riley for a discussion of her new historical novel Queen of Exiles, which tells the story of Haiti's Queen Marie-Louise Christophe. PLUS author Jolene Hubbs selects her choice for the last book she will ever read. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Step back in time with us as we explore the incredible life of Marie-Louise Christophe, Hayti's first and only Queen!
Vanessa Riley's new book Queen of Exiles is about Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid Christophe, Queen of the Kingdom of Hayti. The story of her Regency reign and exile is ripped from the headlines for this historical fiction novel. Learn more about Vanessa, her book, and where she'll be appearing to promote this book at vanessariley.com -- Buy Queen of Exiles from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9780063270992 -- Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History merch available at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shoppers) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shoppers) -- Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
01:10 - Why a book challenge? 06:30 - Things we've learned during the first month of the challenge The January Prompt: Read a book you've been meaning to read for a long time. 10:30 - January picks from Melissa (Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer), Elyse (Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn), Jack (Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon), and Lozy (Raw Spirit by Iain Banks). 17:38 - Ryan talks about The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell 34:15 - Tessa talks about The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende 55:01 - Sam talks about Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover (as well as Heir to the Empire and the Star Wars Essential Legends Collection The February Prompt: Read a book about filmmaking of film history. 1:15:33 - The Romance Reading Sub-Challenge: Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, A Duke, The Lady, and the Baby by Vanessa Riley Authentic Books: https://www.authenticbooks.com/ Join our discord community here: https://t.co/VXKe87hY6g
Author Vanessa Riley shares details on her new novel, “Murder in Westminster.” Plus, our series highlighting local musicians, “Speaking of Music,” today, features multi-instrumentalist Shelton Powe. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Vanessa Riley is the award-winning author of Sister Mother Warrior and Island Queen. Riley's historical novels showcase the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods and dazzling multicultural communities. Her works encompass historical fiction, historical romance, and historical mystery, and you can find them in our online catalog here.
Zibby speaks to award-winning historical fiction novelist Vanessa Riley (who also holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering?!) about her latest novels Murder in Westminster and Sister Mother Warrior. Vanessa talks about her fascination with 1800s England and the West Indies, her wonderful late mother who was always her first reader and greatest supporter, the secret to her 26-year marriage, and her intriguing transition from Ph.D. scientist to creative writer. She also discusses her independent publishing journey and how she built a dedicated, enthusiastic audience on her own. Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: bit.ly/3gpjNuaBookshop: bit.ly/3UXjWUpSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Malik went to church with his mom and has some very important takeaways...and does his first movie review…of “Wakanda Forever”! Malik's secret weapon, his wife April, interviews Vanessa Riley, author of Sister, Mother, Warrior: A Novel! Larry Rodgers from Forword Books stops by the book store, drawn by Malik's infectious energy! And with the mid-terms behind us...Malik has more thoughts on voting...or not voting. E-mail Malik at RealMalikMuhammad@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, I talk to the author of the Regency mystery, Murder in Westminster Vanessa Riley. We talk about her new mystery book, diversity during the time of Jane Austen and the importance of reading diversely... and of course plenty of talk about the genius of Jane Austen. Vanessa Riley: www.vanessariley.com Books mentioned: Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins Walter Mosely's Easy Rawlins series The Rose Code by Kate Quinn Wild Woman and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce ... and a whole lot more! Find Me online: Voxer: @artbookshelfodyssey Discord: https://discord.gg/8MFceV2NFe Facebook Group Page: @thebookshelfodyssey Twitter: @odyssey_podcast Instagram: @bookshelfodysseypodcast Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ArtBookshelfOdyssey Email: bookshelfodysseypodcast@gmail.com I'm now a bookshop.org affiliate - check out my shop and find your next great read! https://bookshop.org/shop/bookshelfodyssey https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bookshelfpod
In this interview, Vanessa and I discuss Sister Mother Warrior, providing the historical context for her book. which character was the hardest to write, having 2 books publishing so close in time to each other, the lasting implications from the Haitian Revolution, and much more. Vanessa's recommended reads are: The Last Days of Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton In the Face of the Sun by Denny S. Bryce The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn Check out my Summer 2022 Reading List. Bookclubs is the premier organizational tool for new and existing book clubs and also provides great resources for individual readers to discover new reads or find a book club to join. Check them out! Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon. Other ways to support the podcast can be found here. If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more episodes, try Natalie Jenner, Judithe Little, Renee Rosen, Adriana Trigiani, and Geraldine Brooks. Sister Mother Warrior can be purchased at my Bookshop storefront. Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Author Vanessa Riley talks about her latest piece of women's historical fiction, Sister Mother Warrior. Through determination in navigating the challenges of uncovering women's history and a promise to write history from all perspectives, she created a gripping novel worthy of piquing the mind. Vanessa has had an accomplished career, graduating with several degrees and helping many businesses and startups before writing over twenty books. To order Sister Mother Warrior, follow the link below. From Amazon.com: Vanessa Riley writes Regency Romances and Historical Fiction of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. Vanessa writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs and to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins. In this episode, you'll discover: How to write from a full perspective What Vanessa's research process looks like How her engineering background influences her writing The power of a single sentence Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ 2022 Colorado Gold Writers Conference - http://rmfw.org/conference-2022/ Vanessa Riley - https://vanessariley.com/ Sister Mother Warrior - https://mybook.to/SisterMother Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ and Atticus - https://www.atticus.io/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Audio production by Geoff Emberlyn - http://www.emberletter.com/ Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/writersink/support
Vanessa Riley returns to the show to discuss her latest novel "Sister Mother Warrior." We dive into the real women behind the novel, finding the balance of history and fiction as a historical fiction writer and -- of course -- the research in a history nerd happy hour. And much, much more. Be sure to check out our shop on Bookshop.org to be able to help support independent bookstores and this podcast. You can find "Sister Mother Warrior" by Vanessa Riley under 'Featured Books' and our July title, "Let Me Be Frank" by Tracy Dawson in our 'Book of the Month' shop.
Author Vanessa Riley discusses her new historical novel, “Sister, Mother, Warrior,” and shares how stories of strength and survival can have lasting effects on readers. Plus, details on The Woodstock Arts Theatre's musical adaptation of “James and the Giant Peach.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
(*RE-UPLOAD) (2/21/22) Dermaine opens this episode with a poem by Mary Oliver. He then mentions reports of Africans not being allowed to live the Ukraine and gives his review of the Batman. Finally he gives a quick review of A Bittersweet Moment followed by a banger by an upcoming DMV artist.
A true story of a woman's journey from slavery to wealth in the colonial West Indies.
In this interview, Adriana and I discuss The Good Left Undone, writing an epic family saga, taking a jewelry-making class at Christie's and how it inspired portions of the book, her title's origin, creating Adriana Ink,, and much more. Adriana's recommended reads are: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking of Susan Cain The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Alison Pataki Wise Up by Karen Duffy The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randell Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon. Other ways to support the podcast can be found here. If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more episodes, try Julia Claiborne Johnson, Judithe Little, Brit Bennett, Vanessa Riley, and Fiona Davis. The Good Left Undone can be purchased at the my Bookshop storefront, and this purchase really helps support the production of the podcast. Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this interview, Reyna and I discuss A Ballad of Love and Glory, shedding a light on a lesser-known time period, writing in a variety of genres and how they compare, her favorite character to write in this book, what she wants her readers to take away from the novel, and much more. Reyna's recommended reads are: You Sound Like a White Girl by Julissa Are A Woman of Endurance by Dahlia Llanos-Figueroa The Hacienda by Isabel Canas The Neapolitan Sisters by Margo Candela Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon. Other ways to support the podcast can be found here. If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more episodes, try Julia Claiborne Johnson, Judithe Little, Brit Bennett, Vanessa Riley, and Fiona Davis. A Ballad of Love and Glory can be purchased at the my Bookshop storefront. Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Food is a love language in A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Lie by Vanessa Riley!Cecilia found an English stranger lurking around her home during a ball, and she decides to save him from the speculating questions of the soldiers. Felton goes along with her stargazing fib and he promises Cecilia the adventure she craves by getting married. Married life was not blissful enough due to Felton's work taking him away. Plus, Cecilia was not fully accepted by his relations, excluding his father. However, one ball became bloody for someone and scheming for another, separating Cecilia and Felton.Felton searched for Cecilia for months before seeing her where gently bred women do not work. Cecilia has secrets of her own and what she really wants, as usual, Felton would do anything to help, even seek revenge. Join us as we discuss how the spy reconnected with the artist! Plus, join us as we discuss Wulfric Bane in Amalie Howard's The Wolf of Westmore during our pottail pondering!!“OFFICIAL, UNOFFICIAL BOOK REVIEW” – 0:30Vanessa RileyRogues and Remarkable Women series, book 3A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Liewww.vanessariley.comwww.facebook.com/VanessaRileyAuthor/www.instagram.com/vanessarileyauthor/www.twitter.com/VanessaRiley/“POT-TAIL PONDERING” – 25:11Drambuiewww.drambuie.comThe Wolf of Westmore by Amalie Howard in the Big Duke Energy AnthologyNext – Much Ado About You by Eloisa JamesHosts - Toni Rose & Wendy Woo Email - litwallflowerspodcast@gmail.com Follow on www.instagram.com/litwallflowerspodcast Shop at https://www.zazzle.com/store/lit_wallflowers/products Social Media https://linktr.ee/litwallflowers Lit Wallflowers is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!
Tony and I discuss The White Girl, crafting strong female characters, the two sections of the book that were the hardest for him to write, why he created the fictional town of Deane, the strong sense of place in his writing, the importance of the bath tub on the cover, and much more. Tony's recommended reads are: Dance Move by Wendy Erskin A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin On Wanting to Change by Adam Phillips Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon. Other ways to support the podcast can be found here. If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more episodes, try Julia Claiborne Johnson, Judithe Little, Brit Bennett, Vanessa Riley, and Fiona Davis. The White Girl can be purchased at the my Bookshop storefront. Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The season is upon us and we revisit “The Viscount Who Loved Me” by Julia Quinn!We reviewed the featured book of Netflix's Bridgerton Season two for our Season two, episode two.Join us as we discuss this enemies-to-lovers story and wonder about certain clips prior to watching the show. What do you think Madame Delacroix and Lady Penelope Featherington are whispering about??DRAWING ROOM DISCUSSIONS –Skiing sucked“OFFICIAL, UNOFFICIAL BOOK REVIEW” – 23:22Julia QuinnBridgerton seriesThe Viscount Who Loved Mewww.juliaquinn.comwww.facebook.com/AuthorJuliaQuinnwww.instagram.com/juliaquinnauthor“POT-TAIL PONDERING” – 48:53Drambuiewww.drambuie.comOur reading/review scheduleBridgerton Season two theoriesNext – “A Duke, The Spy, An Artist, and A Lie” by Vanessa Riley and “The Wolf of Westmore” by Amalie Howard in Big Duke Energy AnthologyHosts - Toni Rose & Wendy Woo Email - litwallflowerspodcast@gmail.com Follow on www.instagram.com/litwallflowerspodcast Shop at https://www.zazzle.com/store/lit_wallflowers/products Social Media https://linktr.ee/litwallflowers Lit Wallflowers is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!
Vibe Check Gwen is busy but making lists, and took the time to relax by going on a long drive to see the snow. Danielle is being lazy on purpose but did some major Valentine's Day crafting with friends. Black Romance in Media MOVIES Gwen: If Beale Street Could Talk, The Lovebirds, Poetic Justice, Malcolm and Marie, Southside with You, The Bodyguard, Beyond the Lights, Cinderella Danielle: Love and Basketball, The Photograph, The Incredible Jessica James TV Gwen: Insecure, Harlem (also Run the World), Black-Ish, The Wonder Years (new version) Danielle: Insecure, Queen Sugar, This is Us, Living Single, Girlfriends CELEB COUPLES Gwen: Berry Jenkins and Lulu Wang, Oprah and Stedman Danielle: Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Barack and Michelle Obama, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky BLACK ROMANCE AUTHORS TO CHECK OUT! Beverly Jenkins, Brenda Jackson, Alyssa Cole, Tracey Livesay, Farrah Rochon, Vanessa Riley, Christina C. Jones, Rilzy Adams, Katrina Jackson, Tasha L. Harrison, Rebecca Weatherspoon, Chencia C. Higgins * Recs from JESSICA P. PRYDE BLACK LOVE MATTERS was in part, inspired by WELL-READ BLACK GIRL by Glory Edim, but with more romance! Jess co-hosts a podcast called When In Romance, with Trish Brown. Book recs: LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS by Anita Kelly, YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY by Akwaeke Emezi (May 2022), TO CATCH A RAVEN by Beverly Jenkins (Aug 2022) What's bringing Jessica comfort: Star Trek: Discovery on Paramount+ Find Jess on Twitter and Instagram * Goals/Comfort & Joy Last week, Danielle said she was going to deep clean, and whoo boy, she did NOT. This week, she wants to make her lunch at home to take to work. Gwen absolutely excelled at her daily yoga practice, and this week is going to explore a new part of her neighborhood! Gwen is obsessed with water in all forms. Danielle highly recommends the Universal Standard Seine skinny jeans (and just about everything else on the site). * EMAIL US! Thoughts or questions? Email us at danielle@freshfiction.com. * Find us on the Socials! Gwen Reyes Twitter Facebook Instagram Danielle Jackson Twitter Instagram Fresh Fiction Twitter Facebook Instagram EventBrite
Hello Austen Connection friends,Here in the Austen world I've noticed that many of you consider December and the holidays the time of romance: We see you with your lights, your lattes, your Hallmark binges - and more power to you. Today's missive fits right into your romance dreams, and features our conversation with long-time romance and historical fiction author Vanessa Riley. And it's a podcast episode! So you can simply click Play above to stream this conversation, or you can listen on Apple or Spotify. It also has suddenly struck me that I should tell you that you can, any time, simply go to the Austen Connection site and see many conversations like this one, plus podcast episodes, chats, and general #JaneAusten breakdowns, all free and waiting for you to curl up on the sofa with (don't forget your cuppa tea). Enjoy!And now, for our main feature of the week: Author Vanessa Riley.Dr. Riley - who has a PhD. from Stanford in mechanical engineering - has always found romance to be, as she says, a “happy place.” She tells us she began burning through Signet romances while an undergrad - as a break from “differential equations”!And she was first inspired to discover the hidden histories of Black and biracial women of the Regency and colonial-era Caribbean when she came across that Jane Austen novel fragment we know as Sanditon. Austen's biracial heiress of the West Indies - Miss Georgiana Lambe - started Vanessa Riley on this journey. Dr. Riley's latest novel Island Queen is all about the real life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. Dorothy, or “Doll,” Thomas was a Regency-era entrepreneur who became a dynamic figure in the early 1800s Caribbean. She was born into slavery on the island of Montserrat, and worked to buy her freedom and go on to become a wealthy landowner, leaving a legacy of children, and grandchildren, some of whom were educated in England. And she also had some interesting lovers along the way. After being introduced to Austen's Miss Lambe, Dr. Riley began digging for evidence of Regency-era and colonial women of color, and her research led her to the life of Dorothy Thomas, and eventually led to the novel Island Queen. The book has been optioned for the screen by two of the creatives behind the Netflix series “Bridgerton” - director Julie Anne Robinson and actor Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury in the series, have teamed up with producer Victoria Fea. The life of Dorothy Thomas is fascinating, and telling her story involves using a lot of words we might not associate with women surviving under colonial oppression - words like entrepreneurship, agency, manumission, wealth, power, romance. And perhaps the most important three words of all: Happily Ever After. In this conversation for the Austen Connection podcast, Vanessa Riley talks about how she went from being a Math major, and then an engineer - to being a writer. She says if you love writing, that doesn't leave you - no matter how many degrees you have. Enjoy the conversation!Plain Jane What attracts you to the romance genre? Vanessa RileyThe promise of the Happy Ever After. And you need that after you take a test for differential equations. Plain JaneYes! Is this what got you through grad school? Vanessa RileyYes. And undergrad is actually when I really started reading every Signet romance known to mankind, because they were nice and quick. And bananas - the plots were all over the place. And it was just something different to do. You know, engineering programs can be very intense … and sometimes you just want something [where] you know the ending. That you don't have to integrate under a curve. You just want to be assured of a happy place. And romance has always been that happy place. Plain JaneYeah, so you like the structure. But a lot … can happen within that courtship plot. Do you find that you find intellectual challenges within that, that might be surprising to people who don't know the romance genre? Vanessa RileyFor those who don't know the romance genre, writing romance is actually hard. Romance gets a really bad rap because they say it's formulaic. Well, it's formulaic because that's the promise that they've given to the reader. That's the only genre that you can pick up and get guaranteed to know that it's going to be safe. It's a happy ending. But how you get to that happy ending, how you vary your characters, tasks, and goals, and relationship status, [is] an emotional journey. That is what makes it exciting and different. And that's why there's no two stories that are the same. That is the fun of it. But in order to be that, to give people something different every time, you have to be extremely creative.[W]riting romance is actually hard. Romance gets a really bad rap because they say it's formulaic. Well, it's formulaic because that's the promise that they've given to the reader. That's the only genre that you can pick up and get guaranteed to know that it's going to be safe. It's a happy ending. … But in order to be that, to give people something different every time, you have to be extremely creative.And my friends who write romance, I write romance - these stories are just all over the map. They're different. They're engaging you, there's something for everyone. Now, there's something for everyone. That was not always the case. … But it's it's actually a difficult animal. And I find a lot of great writers start writing romance because once you can deliver how these two unique individuals are better together in a plausible way, and then you've taken them on a journey, you have the basis to write other types of fiction. So it's a great training ground to be able to write romance. Plain JaneWell, you know who would agree with you is a great genre writer named Stephen King. I think we're finding that genre is harder than has been previously thought, like you just said. Did you struggle to get it? Did you kind of take it on as a challenge? Or do you feel like it kind of came naturally for you, because you just wanted that HEA, and you just figured out how to get there. Vanessa RileyThe plotting has always been, I would say, my strength. My mother didn't allow a lot of different types of books in the house. But we had Shakespeare … we had all these different types of things. And so I would kind of junkie out on TV, and I would rewrite episodes of “Dallas.”Plain Jane Not everybody, not every kid, is doing that!Vanessa RileySo I used to entertain my brothers by coming up with these little stories. And they would be, you know, different variants of TV shows or something that I wanted to change the ending because it wasn't happy: J.R., you know, realizes that Sue Ellen was great. And they got back together and lived happily ever after. And he stopped doing all these bad things.Plain Jane So you learned, you learned plotting from J.R. and Sue Ellen …Vanessa RileyAnd structure from Shakespeare. So there we go - the perfect match!Plain JaneWhat attracts you to the Regency period, specifically and Regency stories? Vanessa RileyI think because of the nature of the books that my mother made sure that we read, I have an older voice. It's … these worlds always fascinated me. I am a history buff. Another degree I almost got was a minor in history when I was at Penn State. It just - Western Civ particularly - was extremely interesting, the foundations of the world, traveling through Roman history. … I was geeking on it. I loved it. And then when we get to the Romanticism periods, and I stumble upon this author named Jane Austen, and I'm reading it and I love Pride and Prejudice, and we get to Mansfield - Oh, she's got a little political streak going on in here! And then I get the Sanditon and the wealthiest woman in the book is a … from the West Indies. My father's from Trinidad and Tobago. It's just … like, “Oh, this now makes sense, why I'm here!” To tell these stories, and as you do more research, and you realize how big the Caribbean part of the narrative of this time period is, and how it has been completely obliterated or obscured, it just makes you say, “Where are my people? Where's the representation?” I mean, all the economies of the world, 80 percent of the GDP is coming from the sugar trade. … But that's all the stolen labor from the West Indies that is making sugarcane and indigo and cotton and coffee, all from all of the colonies in the West Indies. And yet you read romance, you read a lot of historical fiction, and this is not mentioned. You will get the heroic Duke. But you won't learn that his generational wealth is coming from … Dominica or plantations in Demerara. And you forget this piece. You know, Jane Austen: We think of her as historical. She's a contemporary writer. So she's writing what she saw during that day. And when you get to this Miss Lambe, you realize that West Indian girls and boys, particularly biracial ones, are being sent to London and Glasgow and Ireland for education. Because everyone understands education is going to make the difference in your socioeconomic background. It's going to change the world. And they're sending their kids there. To tell these stories, and as you do more research, and you realize how big the Caribbean part of the narrative of this time period is, and how it has been completely obliterated or obscured, it just makes you say, ‘Where are my people? Where's the representation?'And so this mixing and mingling happens, but none of that is recorded. It's very scantily recorded. Plain JaneI love it that you bring up the Jane Austen and Sanditon, which I know was an influence for this book Island Queen … an influence for your research. But you just mentioned something. I mean, it is amazing Jane Austen … shows us the foundations of the economic underpinnings of Britain in her world. And she also is showing us the debates going on, but she's doing it - I feel like she's doing it - so subtly. But she did introduce Miss Lambe. It's such a shame, tragic that we don't get to see what she did with Sanditon. But at least we got that much. At least we know that she was bringing in this character. I love it that you say that Miss Lambe is the wealthiest character in the novel. That's left out. And what strikes me, what I want to know, Dr. Riley, is [as] we get into the life of Dorothy Thomas, this one woman that you're exploring the life of through Island Queen, what are some of the things that you've learned about free women of color in colonial Caribbean era? Vanessa RileyOne, that they exist. Because when I started doing research, I just had a concept of Miss Lambe. And I didn't really understand whether, you know, was Jane just being progressive? Because, you know, abolition during this timeframe is a very hot topic of conversation. … So she's getting both sides of these arguments. Is this just an author being progressive, trying to attack a social issue? Or is she more telling what's happening of her timeframe? So I go on the search, and I literally find Dorothy Kirwan Thomas because of a sketch that the cartoonist, editorial cartoonist Gilroy draws. I find this picture of Prince William Henry - aka future King William IV - he's lovingly embracing a Black woman. Now, that in itself is remarkable. You have a person in aristocracy and he's in an affair with this Black woman. …And, unfortunately, women are very poorly documented in history. We were very lucky to have Anne Frank's diary. You don't often come across these - even Queen Victoria's diary has been edited and sanitized so that we don't see some of the things that happened after her beloved Albert passed away. So I had to follow the rich man. I found Prince William. And I find him in the West Indies, and his boys, and they're kicking it up and breaking brothels in Jamaica. They broke up one so badly they had to pay for it the next day. He is is acting a fool in every port he comes into until he gets to Dominica. When he gets to Dominica he's different. His friends are writing letters saying he's with that woman again. … And then I finally get one that says he's dancing with Dorothy Kirwan at the mulatto ball. And we finally had a name. And I thought this was going to be another obscure thing, but then you start researching and you find Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, her will is archived in the UK. Why would a Black woman's will be archived in the UK? And you keep reading and then you find that she's opened businesses in Demerara and in Grenada and in Dominica. And then you find she's had these children. Now that was another thing. Our reproductive history as a woman is our history. So pinning down that she's had children in Montserrat, she's had children in Demerara. … What would make a woman move, particularly the move when she goes from Dominica, where she has a successful business, to Grenada? What's making her move? So you get these unwinding of these stories. But this woman is phenomenal, that she's able to just restart her life in these various colonies. She does it with children. And she's very protective and caring about these children. And then in Demerara, you find a whole group of women, which I affectionately call the Entertainment Society, these women of color, who have made their money through entertainment. So they're [doing] that through housekeepers, through cooking and cleaning, general huckstering, which is the taking and selling goods made by enslaved people, and selling those to visitors to the colony at higher prices and whatnot. And she just builds this fabulous life. And she, it's just amazing that we don't know her name.Some of us have struggles taking our kids to Walmart, in the backseat of our minivan. And she's taking 17 [kids] from Demerara … all the way up to Glasgow, Scotland. Because there's this world of money that has opened up the world to her, she wants her grandkids to see this, and to feel this, and she's paying for the education of these children. And she's funding schools for the education of colored girls in London. I mean, this is an enormously fabulous woman who rose against all kinds of odds - that she was enslaved, she bought her freedom. She bought the freedom of her family, she made it a mission to whenever she could find family, she would buy their their freedom. For her to be completely wiped off the books, to me, blows my mind. Plain JaneWell, let me talk to you a little bit about all of this in your stories. And writing romance. So when you're writing the life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, you're writing the courtship plot in a setting that involves colonialism and violence. And you - and Austen also introduces - assault. But the stakes are higher for your heroine, when you're writing in colonialism and colonial Britain, Demerara. It's more violent, it's more oppressive. What is it like writing a romance within those [settings] because this is something that's kind of new territory, right? Vanessa RileyWell, this is more of a biographical historical fiction, that has romantic elements. I'm writing her real life. There's no guarantee of a happy ending when you write real life. And so that kind of throws that construct out. But at the same time, these men as I did the history, they are important in her in her life. They change things, they shape her. She has to grow past the problems that they also bring to her life. And there's a thing that I know as an author … is a misconception that a Black woman during this timeframe was not desirable, was not something sought after, wasn't precious. And I really want to defeat that myth. Because everything that I see, is when two people find each other, they find each other regardless of time, period, space, race, etc. And so as I looked at the challenges of these men, I wanted that to convey [that]. Because Dorothy to me was someone who lit up a room, even when she was poor, before she had money. There was something about her that drew people, [a] magnetic personality that drew people, men, everybody was drawn to this woman. And I wanted that to be conveyed. … So no matter how hard it gets, you're comforted to know that she's found a way to survive. I have romance readers coming to me, reading my first historical fiction. I wanted you guys to feel safe. Because that's what you expect, as you're saying, in a romance. And so, I wanted to make sure that you get the concept that these men are in her life for a reason. But she chose the reason. Some of it was trifling. Dorothy was not a saint, I will tell you that right now. Not a saint at all. Because that often happens with particularly Black women, when you do something extraordinary: You all of a sudden are superhuman, you never feel pain. You can vanquish any enemy. Dorothy was very human, she felt a lot of pain. She went through a lot of suffering. But she had a will to survive that I haven't read about in a long, long time. And I wanted that to be conveyed. And I wanted you to see moments where she is being treasured, where she's being sought after, because I believe that was the type of personality she had. So I get to use all my romantic bones to build a story to make it convincing. So that you will feel her heart breaking, when her heart really breaks. Plain JaneYou mentioned the presence of love and joy, in Dorothy Kirwan Thomas's life and other Black lives from history. Can you talk a little bit about love and joy and the need for those elements and these stories and the lack of them and some of the stories that people sometimes expect?Vanessa RileyYeah. You know, typically, when you think of a story that touches on enslavement, you think of the darkness of that. And that should never be discounted. One person asked me, because there's a part in the book, where Dorothy is forced to, in order to be a member of society, in order to not get pushed out of business like everybody else who's objected, she had to turn to owning slaves. It was to maintain her seat at the table. I firmly believe this is one of her wrong decisions. I think one that she wrestled with, but she justified in her head that it's better for me to have a seat at the table, to make sure these people are protected, than not having a seat. And other people could be run out of business. And you know, they may go to debtors' prison, … but [she] could possibly be re-enslaved. And I do believe that's the one line she would never cross, she'd never wanted to go back there. So she did whatever she needed to do. But somebody said, “Why didn't you just leave that out? You know because the book is kind of long, you can leave that.”No: I don't want history whitewashed. I cannot whitewash history. And I also want to make sure people don't deify, make these women who are doing extraordinary things, into something they weren't. They were practical women. They were smart. But they were also human and fallible. And they could do wrong things. They can do stupid things. They could do things on the spur of the moment. They had agency but they still had a soul and still could do things wrong as much as they could do things right. And I don't want to paint this false image. But what often happens is you get stories that are just focused on the pain. … People want to include the enslavement story in their stories, because they want to show how their characters survive, or they want to show people coming in and rescuing the poor slaves … It's pain porn, right? There has to be a reason why you show the violence. And in my world, for me because I am part of the romance community, I want my people, my readers safe. So that's what I show you. They are safe. They survived. So as even I show you darkness, you are going to be protected. You're going to be okay, reading this. Dorothy made it. You can read through this and get through the hard parts. But then I also balance the hard parts with the joyful parts - when she's with her children. But she's taking these fabulous trips when she dresses her girls and they go to this fabulous ball and that is a moment that I think cannot be glossed over and it needs to be shown. Because there's pride in that moment. There is joy in that, and she's sharing that moment with her [children], which I think just speaks to who this was. And so there's not enough Black joy. That's why I'm a big advocate of Black romance, romance in general because you just need to be safe and Happy Ever After. And I'm just so thankful that now Happy Ever After is for everyone.Thank you for being here, friends. Check out more conversation like this one at The Austen Connection - and you can sign up to have conversations like this one drop right into your inbox every week. You can also drop us a line by simply replying here, or connect on Twitter at @AustenConnect, or on Insta and Facebook at @austenconnection. And go ahead and weigh in with any thoughts you have on this conversation, right here:Stay tuned for more talk about romance, holiday films, and Jane Austen - in the coming weeks. We're looking forward to spending the holidays with you. Get some rest, read some fiction, drink some tea, and stay in touch, friends.Yours truly,Plain JaneCool links for youDr. Vanessa Riley's website: https://vanessariley.com/Dr. Riley mentions the work of scholar Gretchen Gerzina - here's more on Dr. Gerzina, and here's the Austen Connection's podcast episode with Dr. Gerzina Enterprising Women: Gender, Race and Power in the Revolutionary Atlantic https://ugapress.org/book/9780820353876/enterprising-women/UCL's Center for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/6334Here's Carole V. Bell's review of Island Queen for the New York Times, which is where we discovered this book The Austen Connection first talked with Vanessa Riley for the Christian Science Monitor - here's that article Get full access to The Austen Connection at austenconnection.substack.com/subscribe
This weeks featured story is from author Vanessa Riley. Her novel Island Queen is an intricately woven tale of an 18th century woman's rise from slavery to autonomy. You will hear how narrator Adjoa Andoh's performance matches and elevates the rich tapestry of Vanessa's storytelling. In our conversation with Vanessa, she shares how her technical background gives her perspective and allows her to examine the historical record with an intense level of detail. She also tells us the fascinating story behind her discovery of the real Dorothy Kirwan Thomas hiding in history. Dorothy's story from slavery to wealth and power is riveting and inspiring in Vanessa's skillful hands. Thanks to Danielle Bartlett at Harper Collins and Harper Audio and William Morrow. Thanks to Angela Anderson who first sang the praises of Island Queen to me. Thanks for listening. https://vanessariley.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
Today we chat with Vanessa Riley all about her new historical fiction novel Island Queen, discovering her main character through a cartoon sketch, how her background in engineering helps her writing, and how chocolate keeps her writing. Plus – more tales from our vacation! HOW TO SUPPORT THE SHOW! For all your shopping needs use … Continue reading Inside Chat: Chocolate Rewards With Vanessa Riley
This minisode visits a very white lady topic: the Jane Austen House Museum. Mandy announces her disdain for romantic classic literature, and Katy outs herself as a gas station smut-lit aficionado. But we're both here for the Austen museum's decision to include more context to Austen's writing by addressing the roles of colonialism and slavery in her history. Yet, not everyone is on board....ahem, white ladies. Shout out to Vanessa Riley's insightful op-ed in the Washington Post: A Jane Austen museum addressing Regency-era slavery? How sensible.
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