Blog By Hetty Avebury (Leading Lady of Regency novel, Only a Hero Will Do)
I have taken over Susan Lodge’s blog today to celebrate the first anniversary of Musa Publishing. Check out the link above to take part in the great Musa blog hop and the chance to win lots of goodies .
There is also a chance to win a free download of Only a Hero Will Do. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this blog. (closes 7.October 2012 )
I will now take the opportunity to share useful tips about sea travel , gained when I inadvertently found myself sailing from Portsmouth to Gibraltar on board a Man of War.
1. Make sure you know which is the leeward side (the sheltered side) of the ship. It is important to know which way the wind is blowing when you are prone to seasickness.
2. Do remember to knock the weevils from the ships biscuits, and do not try to cut biscuits into delicate pieces; they resist all attempts, and the resulting missiles you will undoubtedly shoot through the air may cause accidents.
3. Obtain something heavy to combat the rats as they scuttle about frequently. A few of the aforementioned biscuits added to your reticule would make it a suitable weapon for the purpose.
4. Do not stray from the quarterdeck. The stern end is the civilized end of the ship. Although it is a lot more colorful down the pointed end.
5. Prepare for your sleep to be interrupted. The ringing of the ship’s bell and the beating of drums occur at regular and unsociable times.
6. Be wary of midshipmen of the younger kind; they are often up to no good. Boys are still boys even when at sea and prone to playing practical jokes.
7. Do not complain of boredom, believe me that is a good sign. If you see a French ship approaching things will get very scary, and you will soon wish to be bored again.
8. If you have a chance to pack for the journey (which I did not) include warm clothing. Also a supply of lemon juice is useful to bathe freckles,which multiply like a plague of insects across your skin once exposed to the sea air.
9. Prepare to be stoic. You will witness the misery and sacrifice of war. Even If you are lucky enough to avoid battle, deaths on board from injury and disease occur frequently.
10. The Captain is next to God at sea. Do not upset him especially if he had not invited you to sail on his ship in the first place.
There is much more to tell … but I did say 10 points, and I know you are busy people.
But, if you feel like indulging in a romantic adventure and discovering what happened during and after my unscheduled voyage , please follow the links below. ( I haven’t even begun to tell you about Doctor Withington and you need to know about him).
Hetty’s desperate gamble to avoid an odious match lands her all at sea. Can an overbearing ship’s physician really be the hero she needs to escape her treacherous family …
Read more about Only a Hero Will Do at www.susanlodge.com
Available at Musa Publishing
Don’t forget to rejoin the Musa Blog Hop by clicking the link at top of page
I know we haven’t officially started yet (maybe on the other side of the Atlantic, I’m no good on time zones), but I’m taking a break from writing. My first blog hop comment and a great post. I can see why you enjoyed Captain and Commander so much. My husband became a fan of O’Brien’s books too after seeing the film. Interesting that your mc is female – the female element is lacking in most maritime stories. Good luck with it, and see you at the hop.
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Thanks Jane , I am a real sea lover and ships make a nice romantic setting usually ! – I think I messed the format of this blog up a bit but will be heading over to yours soon.
Susan
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great blog entry today. i learned a few things about maritime travel i never knew about!
parisfan_ca@yahoo.com
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Thanks Laurie glad you found it useful
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Hetty sounds like a helluva gal. Great blog post!
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Thanks – yes I’m quite fond of her – but she has given me a few headaches along the way !
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Susan, this is a GREAT post!! Congrats on its originality!!
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Thanks Sloane glad you liked it.
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I loved your post!
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Thanks Mindy glad you enjoyed it .
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Thanks for the tips, Hetty. You make sailing sound so very unattractive!
I’ve been watching the Horatio Hornblower series of movies with my husband and son lately, they really make spending time on the ocean seem less than desirable. I don’t know how those men were able to stand being at sea for so long, suffering those privations.
Hetty sounds like a fun, plucky heroine. Best of luck, Susan!
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Yes it was a hard life but Hetty did have the protection of the enigmatic Doctor Withington.
Thanks for hopping by .
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Great book cover.
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What a hoot that advice is for a Regency miss! I imagine the captain had a similar list once he’d met Hetty!
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Thanks Vonnie – The ship’s physician had a longer list.
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Susan, God sure knew what he was doing when he had me born in this day and time! Enjoyed reading tips that would have come in handy long ago. Thank you for letting me hop by to visit your blog!
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JanSu Thanks for dropping in. Sea travel sure has changed, although I would love to sail on one of the old sailing ships.
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Lol. I’m in love. My kind of book.
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Hannah – So pleased to hear that. I like a heroine with a sense of humor. Thanks for hopping in .
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Thank you Mary Jo.
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Loved reading your blog post. Sounds like a wonderful book, enjoy it when there is humor in the story and Hettie seems like a interesting character.
skpetal at hotmail dot com
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Thank you Jean – glad you enjoyed the post.
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Just swinging back by to have another entry to win that Kindle Fire! My chance to get into the digital age of reading books 😀
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Don’t mean to be a pest, but I really, really, really want to win!
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She’s baaack! Yep, me again – I wanna win! Thanks for tolerating me (and yeah, you’ll be seeing me again!) Haha!
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To be honest I haven’t read as many Regency books as I would like. I love riding on a boat but not sure that ship is one I would want to go on.
vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com
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Dawna – She didn’t really cover the good points of being on the ship , but there were a few. Thanks for visiting the blog .
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Boredom is not an option! LOL. Great post.
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Thanks Ann. The ship was a bit more lively than the Regency drawing rooms.
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I loved hearing Hetty’s tips. It’s too bad she didn’t get to bring along any lemon juice for her freckles that are multiplying “like a plague of insects”…LOL
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
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Thanks Catherine – so pleased you enjoyed the post.
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Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com
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Good luck in the draw – thanks for dropping by
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Great post, and great story.
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Thanks for dropping in Nancy .
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Susan: I purchased Only A Hero on allromance a couple of weeks ago. Congrats to you and Musa and thanks for the blog hop!
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Hi Angie – Thanks so much for dropping by. I am so pleased you enjoyed the book – it is great to get feedback.
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Personally, I would love to see more Regencies featuring men of the Royal Navy. Persuasion is my favorite Austen book and, while I know Sir Walter didn’t care for the navy because it enabled brave but common men to elevate their places in society, every Regency hero can’t he a member of the peerage. As soon as I saw your book, I just had to purchse it!
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Captain Wentworth is one of my favorites as well Angie. I also love Patrick O’Brian and C S Forrester.
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Great post! Thanks for participating in the blog hop! 🙂
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
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thanks Winnie
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Thank you so much for this great giveaway and fun blog hop!
Latisha D
tishajean@ charter.net
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LOL Great tips! I loved the biscuits in the reticule suggestion to combat the rats, lol!
Cia Nordwell
email: anordwell@live.com
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Hi!! Happy Anniversary! Very awesome! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you! And thank you for the fun hop and giveaway!! Many blessings to you!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
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Congrats to Musa on their anniversary. Thanks for those 10 tips. I’ll make sure to follow them.
I’m having a great time on the blog hop. Thanks for a chance to win.
luvfuzzzeefaces at yahoo dot com
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