What’s in a word?
 
Why say bamboozle when you can say trick?
Why say blunt instead of money?
Why say cattle in place of horses?
Why say faradiddles rather then lies?
Why say havey cavey for suspicious?
 
The answer is, if you are Georgette’s Heyer, whose traditional regency romances are liberally spattered with regency cant and slang, the meanings of some of which are not always obvious.
Interestingly Jane Austen, whose novels were published during the period in which Heyer’s stories are set, used them far less, but she did come up with several contributions to common English usage of today, such as:
 
If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times,
Brace yourself
Dinner Party,
Dirt Cheap, and
Dog Tired.
 
Available now on Kindle, KDP Select and in print from Amazon: Surprised by a Duke
Book 1 of the author’s new Classic Regency Series, written in the style of that Queen of the Regency, Georgette Heyer

​Reflections
The past year has been a strange one, most of our engagement with others being only through eye contact, often through misted glasses, trying to speak clearly through layers of face-mask, being greeted at doctors and dentists surgeries by receptionists kitted out for space travel and inevitably there has been the sadness of losing old friends.
Thank goodness for community, its practical and emotional support, fun engagements on-line for quizzes and sing-songs and learned talks from fellow U3A members and for the amazing shop staff who have kept our supply chain going for all those daily essentials.
As a reader, how great to have access to so many books in e and audio format, and as a writer to supply my own via Kindle and KDP Direct. I’m sure I’m not alone among self-published authors in appreciating the support we get from all those staff behind the scenes at Kindle Direct Publishing. Thank you!
Reflecting on 2020, I am gratified that all my titles continue to sell, the most sales being via KU and KOLL. My most selling paperback continues to be the biography of Violet Douglas Pennant. My 3 historical series (Regency Lady, Regency Master and Regency Secret) continue head my e and KDP sales, and my top seller for the year has been His Capricious Lady, about a budding young woman author crossing swords with a somewhat conventional duke and his disapproving mother.
THANK YOU READERS!